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 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.
A Prayer When You Need God to Make a Way
Lord, You remind me often who You are — especially when I feel overwhelmed with inadequacies, or those things which seem impossible. You taught me just this week that You are the “Waymaker, Miracle Worker, Promise Keeper, Light in the darkness — Oh! How I love that song. It’s words cause hope and confidence to rise up within me because I know You are with me — I am not alone.
You are for me, so who can be against me?
Faith Notes ~ Lori Cunningham: Where Was God During My Violent Abuse?
I’ve only known Lori Cunningham a few short weeks through an online friendship, but I know there is something very special about her. I think of the beautiful, delicate rose whose petals have fallen to the ground only to be crushed by uncaring feet. But the result is the sweet aroma that infuses its surroundings with beauty and grace.
You see, Lori is that delicate rose who was crushed as a child, but she found the faithfulness of the Lord in her anguish and now her life emits the sweet aroma of Christ to the world around her. Although her story is very painful to read, she has found the presence of God throughout — even in the most vile moments. Lori clings to His outstretched hand, and He imparts grace and healing.
Finding God’s Presence ~ When I Need to SEE God
I often read Psalms when I’m seeking solace or when my emotions are a tangled mess and I can’t make sense of them. Do you? I love David’s honesty with God and I garner much from his imagery as I am a visual learner. Sometimes when life is just plain hard and disappointing it’s hard to understand where God is in the mix — it’s hard to put the spiritual into the physical.
But then there is King David in the Psalms.
He gives me the tangible reality of God’s presence and the explosive passion for His child in need…