Prayer is the Only Way to Know Jesus

Life has been a little bumpy lately.  My daughter claims she doesn't believe in God, my trip to Cedar Point ended with a concussion and my husband is still out looking for work.  There is a song that asks "where can I go but to the Lord?" And that is where I will go.  To the foot of the cross and seek my solace there.

What do you do when

Life seems to have punched you in the gut?  Honestly, my first reaction is to question God. After all, he is all powerful and all knowing, right?  But then I am reminded that the evil one is always on the prowl, seeking to devour the faith of the people of God.  It is in dark times, lonely times, stressful times, and painful times that I sometimes forget I have access to the throne of Grace, but it is exactly during those times when I need God more than anything else. 

My daughter, who had a beautiful child's faith is Jesus Christ, now finds herself unsure if He is who He says He is.  As a young teen, the evil in the world seems to have consumed her faith with lies.  It was her recognition and understanding that darkness exists at all in the face of a loving God that began unraveling her faith.  Explanations of how evil came to exist in the first place, or of what free will is, or that we all have choices have fallen on a wounded heart.

Middle school was pretty tough on my daughter, and her self-worth went down the toilet with every mean comment made by girls who never took the time to get to know her and her heart.  Throw in an alcoholic father 800 miles away who manipulates her emotions, a life at home that has strife and stress, and is it any wonder the enemy won this battle so easily?

But the war isn't over, and since my daughter is still open to dialogue and asking questions, then I will continue to trust my Lord with her heart and pray that He will guide my words and ways.  This war will be won only through prayer and intercession for her, and my God is faithful and true to his promises - Those who the father has given Him will not be plucked from His hand.

Sermons from Wisconsin

Yesterday I looked up River Hills Community Church on line.  They have a link to a really cool video put together by Josh, one of my Mongolian Mission team members.  He did a really good job showing all the work that was done to the building and the culture of the country.  So while I was there, I came across the links to past sermons.  There was a series of sermons from Numbers in the Old Testament which grabbed my attention. 

Generally speaking, Numbers doesn't really get a lot of people excited.  These sermons are presented in the context of tying the symbols in the book to the New Testament and the symbols used to represent Christ.  Some scholarly types may not find them very deep or philosophical, but for those of us who kind of caught some of those lessons, this is a great presentation.  The pastor also puts it into practical application for our lives, which is always helpful to me.

I like to read and hear sermons from other churches to find out if there is a common thread, like justice or charity.  It seems that when churches all over the country are preaching similar messages, then God is serious about his people getting that message.  What I get lately is that we need to get down to basics, and by that I mean Jesus.  We, the Church, needs to put our focus on Him and our relationship with Him, which is developed in prayer, solitude and reading the Bible.  When we do that, perhaps He will send us much needed revival in these dark times.

Prayerfully yours,