Take hope in the knowledge that you are cherished by the One who made you—you are sheltered in the shadow of His wing, close to His heart. It is my prayer that as we get to know one another you, too, will see beyond the veil and will learn to say, “Even so, I walk in the Presence of the Lord”
With joy,
Nan
A Prayer to Awaken My Soul
Lord, awaken my soul to love You with all of my heart, all of my mind, and all of my strength. Fill me with Your light that diffuses the darkness lurking in far corners waiting to overtake me — those thoughts traveling on the fiery darts of the enemy. In Your light I find peace.
When my mind is stayed on You, I find peace.
Faith Notes ~ Callie Daruk: Sometimes God Gives Us More Than We Can Handle. Yes … Really
In a cluster of new friends on Twitter, this little light was shining. Her name is Callie Daruk. Seven years ago, Callie found herself face-to-face with the reality that her 32 years of professing Christ was merely lip service — that she knew about Jesus, but she did not know Him. What an eye-opener! How many others have come to the same realization?
Callie discovered this during an excruciatingly painful time in the life of her family. She discovered that sometimes God will give us more than we can handle, simply to help us realize that we can’t handle it without Him.
When I asked Callie if she would share her story on Faith Notes, this is how she responded: “Well hi there sweet Nan. Thank you so much for taking time to read my blog and for your sensitivity to follow the Holy Spirit. Yes, hon, oh boy, did Christ ever find me in a time of darkness. I am seven years on the other side and I am still as hungry for him as the day I was at the end of my rope. I would be delighted to allow God’s goodness to flow, for truly it is really His story and one He’s simply allowed me to be a part of.”
She had my heart at “Well hi there sweet Nan…” I know you will be touched by Callie’s beautiful story of redemption.
Finding God’s Presence ~ In the Middle of a Thicket, Rose Hips Grew
Blue tugged hard on the leash, insisting on following the sound of crunching leaves through the thicket alongside our mountain road. He pulled hard, me flailing behind him. Stopping abruptly, Blue’s nose twitched while his eyes searched for his prize — a rabbit! Thank goodness it was a fast rabbit and Blue is not a fan of briers. Whew!
But in the middle of that thicket, overgrown with chaos and winter brown, grew a lesson from God.
Rose hips.
I had never considered rose hips before.
But today was different.
A Prayer to Be Safe in God’s Presence
Safe thus far, Lord. Yes! You have brought me safe thus far — never failing me, never leaving me, always abounding with grace toward Your child. Thank You, Lord. You are an amazing God, faithful always, even when I am not.
Please forgive me for those times I fail You and take matters into my own hands. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation and uphold me with Thy spirit free. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me.
Faith Notes ~ Eliza Downer: You Give and Take Away. Blessed Be Your Name
For starters, what a great name! Eliza Downer. Eliza is one of those connections that absolutely would not have happened without the hand of God orchestrating our meeting, albeit online. She had commented on a thread I was following on facebook and the Lord pointed His finger from heaven and said, “That one. Ask Eliza to share on Faith Notes.” So I did.
And I’m so glad I did.
What a precious, Godly young woman she is. Eliza has lost it all to find Christ. She is learning the hard lesson of surrendering her dreams with complete abandon to the One she trusts, because trusting Him is all she can do in her circumstances. But Jesus is her sure place and He is great at wiping her tears when they freely fall. #FaithNotes
Finding God’s Presence ~ Is God Still Sovereign, Even in the Ugly?
I’ve come to appreciate the sovereignty of God.
It’s hard to explain.
When I understand — when you understand — that God is sovereign, then I understand that He’s my constant in an ever-changing world. When I understand and take hold of the fact that He’s the authority in my world and that nothing comes my way without His knowledge, I find peace.
A Prayer When the Enemy Comes in Like a Flood
Lord, all week long You have reminded me that You are my Jehovah Nissi — the Lord, my Banner. You have reminded me that when the enemy comes in like a flood — and boy howdy, has he! — You, my Lord, are faithful to raise Your banner against Him.
Help me understand, Lord — to get it in my knower.
Help others who are worn out by the ceaseless spiritual battles understand Your goodness in the midst of these actions.
Faith Notes ~ Nan Jones: It’s a God-Thing
From time to time I will be sharing parts of my story with you on Faith Notes. God truly is amazing, isn’t He? He astounds me often. This is one of those stories — an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness to provide. Not only that, but He orchestrated events through what we would consider mistakes. They weren’t mistakes at all — it was all part of His plan to take care of me — it was a God-thing. I love when He gives us such a beautiful glimpse of His goodness.
Finding God’s Presence ~ How Can I Sing In The Fire?
I stacked the kindling just so on the bed of newspaper and cardboard. Striking the match, I tossed it into the belly of the woodstove. After a couple of minutes the fire began to blaze enough to support larger logs. I laid some red oak and locust across the flaming kindling, closed the woodstove door a little bit to create a draft, and then sat there to soak in the warmth on this frigid winter morning.
And then, to my amazement, the logs began to sing.