Taking Us By The Hand

"Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him and the boy stood up." - Mark 9:27

I've been going through a dry spell with God lately. I just keep feeling like I don't do enough for Him, I'm not good enough and don't deserve Him. I'm too much of a sinner. I told a friend of mine yesterday that when I feel like this, I usually try harder to pray more and more and end up getting angry with myself because I become distracted and lose interest in praying altogether. But this morning, I read this verse from the gospel according to Mark and it really spoke to me. I realized that I am trying to do too much - doing too much for God is good, but I was missing something very important… God. I was depending on myself rather than on God to do the work, as if I was so powerful and didn't need Him. Jesus lifted this boy up with His hands and that's the only way I can get out of this dry spell, by praying with patience and waiting for Jesus to pick me up. I can fuss about this all day, but until He picks me up, I'm not going anywhere.

The big idea here is that we really need to learn to become solely dependent on God and learn to get rid of our self-reliance. Every time God wills it, He gives us the grace to accomplish something new, and no matter how hard we try, unless Jesus gives us His hand, we just aren't capable of doing it on our own. As of today, I am at peace about myself because I'll just rely on Him instead of beating myself up about things, and I'll rely on Him to bring me forward when I'm ready.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, please give me Your hand. I am a small little thing before You, a horrible sinner that would fade away if You ever left me. I recognize that You are the Lord of my life and I count on Your Divine Providence for everything. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Check Your Account

"It is not your gift that I value but rather the interest increasing in your own account." - Philippians 4:17

In a way, our prayer life is like a bank account - we have to deposit in order to be able to withdraw when we're in need. We often have this false perception that God needs our prayers when He doesn't. We might think that we are obliged to pray to make God happy, but we are the ones that need daily prayer urgently. When we spend time with God in prayer, we give Him our time, we give Him our thoughts, our ideas, everything. In turn, He starts building us up. The work of God in the soul is hidden and you might not realize it, but with each second spent in prayer, God is fortifying your soul and preparing you for what you'll need in the future. Down the road will come a time that you will be in need, you will need assistance and you will feel alone, but because you went depositing in your divine bank account by praying to God and He went depositing faith, grace, strength, and virtues into you, you will be able to withdraw whatever you need from the Lord and even more… He knows you'll be good for it!

Think about how sad it will be for those who never deposited anything and have nothing to show when they are most in need. What can possibly be left for us if we are spiritual poor as well? A healthy prayer life is the way to making sure we are always increasing in value with God.

Today's Prayer:
My God, show me how much in need I am of You. My account with You can never have enough in it. Help me to work hard to fill it and be able to increase in worth for You. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

How To Make A Decision

"They prayed: 'You know, Lord, what is in the hearts of all. Show us, therefore, which of the two you have chosen.'" - Acts of the Apostles 1:24

Do you always include God in the decisions you make? Sometimes we don't and then get angry with God when things don't go our way. I've learned that in everything we do, even in getting on the road to go somewhere, we need to ask the assistance of God. We need to get off this high horse we placed ourselves on from which we think we know all things, especially what's best for us. Humility before God is knowing that we know nothing, but that He knows it all. We make so many decisions in our lives… where to go to school, where to work, who to marry, where to live… all of these decisions are very, very big deals and they have a tremendous impact on our lives. Which of us can say we know enough to actually make a good decision? Recognize that we all need God to guide us in doing what's right for not only ourselves, but for the people that are involved in our lives and are so much affected by what we do.

After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the apostles lived so powerfully in the Spirit because they practiced this principle. They let God guide every little thing they did. They acknowledged that only He knew what was in the hearts of all men and what was in their best interests. From today on, include God in all of your plans if you want to be successful. Pray before you make any decision, big or small, so He can show you the way. A big door won't open directly in front of you, but God will make you feel in your heart what is best for you.

Today's Prayer:
My God, I want You to have an active role in all that I do. I ask You to be my guide in all decisions I make, so that with You, I can walk on the right path. With You, I no longer need to fear mistakes or making the wrong decisions for myself and those around me. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Just Keep On Praying

"As for the Eleven disciples, they went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw Jesus, they bowed before Him, although some doubted." - Matthew 28:16-17

While Jesus lived with the apostles, they doubted Him. When He was crucified, they lost all their hope. When He resurrected, they still doubted. Even after spending 40 days with them after His resurrection, they still doubted! It doesn't even matter that they saw Him with their own eyes! Dumb apostles, right? If they're dumb, so are we! It's the same thing with us. How many times hasn't God come through for us, on the big things and the small, yet the next time a problem rolls around… bam… we're down on the floor worried that God won't be there for us! But you know what… it's ok! Jesus knew them, He knew what was in their hearts and He didn't reprimand them for it and that's because although they had questions in their head, they were still there praying. You see, that's all that really matters, that we keep on praying, even if a billion questions are stuck in our head. Just keep on praying.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, You have to put up with so much from me! I doubt and turn my back on You, but You're always there to take me back. Please, never let me stay fallen down for too long. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Beaten Down But Still Positive!

"So they set the crowd against them and the officials tore the clothes off Paul and Silas and ordered them to be flogged. And after inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to guard them safely. About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening." - Acts of the Apostles 16:22-25

That last part of the passage doesn't quite fit with the rest, does it? How could Paul and Silas have been beaten and jailed for preaching about Jesus and yet have the joy to sing to God while in handcuffs? If it were me, I would be mad and asking God how could this be where He's led me after what I did for Him! Right after this, God made it so that both Paul and Silas escaped jail and converted one of the prison guards. But most of us never get to see the good God brings out of negative situations because we're so stuck on being mad and not seeing past the now. Paul and Silas didn't have this problem… yes, they were beaten, life is tough… they were put in jail, but at the end of the day, their faith told them that God would help them and bring something good out of their problem Therefore, why get mad? Why get pessimistic? If you really have faith in God, then through your problems, you should be singing praise to God.

God saw Paul and Silas' complete trust in Him and because of that, rescued them and allowed them to bring the faith to someone new. Why don't you apply this to your life today? Instead of being upset, have an attitude of hope and wait for His deliverance.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, sometimes things in my life beat me up. I have arguments with people and things don't always turn out in my favor. But despite all of these things, I give You thanks because no matter how bad things seem, You have me in the palm of Your hand, with my best intentions at heart. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Be On Your Watch

"Be sober and alert because your enemy the devil prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour." - 1st Peter 5:8

It's funny that Saint Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour when we usually fall into temptation left and right without noticing. If we actually saw the devil as a roaring lion, we would run away, wouldn't we? But so many of us run toward him and away from God without giving it a second thought. Peter was right in telling us we need to be sober and alert because the smallest slip on our part sets us on the road to keep on falling. The devil is a very real threat to our souls and he's anxious to make us turn away from God in very subtle ways. Being in the wrong company or even missing our night time prayer just once is enough to give him an edge on us. He takes any opportunity to start telling us that it's ok not to pray, ok to miss church, ok to treat someone with disrespect because they did it to us. He's a liar and in order to keep him far away, we need to be awake to reject all of his lies. Pray whenever you get the inspiration to so that he can't get in the way of your faith and what God is doing in your life. Don't ever let him deceive you, but be on your watch.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I know that my soul is strong but my flesh is weak. Help me to remain strong in You so that I never let my defenses down against the devil. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Held Accountable

"If any of you should cause one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble and fall, it would be better for you to be thrown into the depths of the sea with a great millstone around your neck." - Matthew 18:6

In January I held a prayer group because I felt God telling me to organize it. I put it off for a bit but He kept insisting. It took a lot out of me to put together because I'm a shy person and didn't want to harass people into attending, although I knew God had a purpose for everyone there. Tonight, my mom told me she bumped into someone whose daughter had attended that night. I don't know the girl. Someone else had invited her. Her mother told my mom that she was transformed that night. She received such a special call from God that all she wants to do is pray, go to church, and read the bible now. Although this is really great news, it scared me. God kept insisting that I put this together and it took so much out of me to silence myself and let Him work. It took so much out of me to even stand before people to talk about my faith. What if I hadn't listened and this young girl, a stranger, would have never received the love of God that night? But more importantly, on the night, God was able to act because I prayed and let myself be guided by Him, but how about who I am 95% of the time? How about who I am when I'm not praying as much? How about the Audrey that gets cranky with my brothers and is quick to snap when things don't go my way? What kind of example do I set then? The girl is just one person who I won over for God because I was praying so much, and I wouldn't have even known about her if my mom hadn't seen her mom. But I wonder how many people I have led into sin when I'm far from God and don't listen to Him. One offense, one bad word, one bad example could have led so many to sin and I would never know, but God knows and I'm sure He's keeping count. Ninety-five percent of the time I'm not who God wants me to be and I'm ashamed of that. Ninety-five percent of the time I could be causing others to sin and that is not acceptable to me.

If there are any of you that are hurt or offended by anything I've done, I am deeply sorry. Sometimes our own ignorance and insecurities lead us to harm people and we never even know it. Please know that if I've ever done anything to any of you, it's been because of my own faults, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. I'm ashamed of a lot of things I've said, done, and thought, and hope you pray for me as God continues to mold me.

My prayer for tonight is that each of you meditate on your own actions and see if you think you've led people towards God or away from God by the examples you've set. Sometimes it's not the people we live with who we influence the most, but those whose lives we affect when casually walking by. We never realize how the smallest action or gesture on our part can significantly affect the soul of another person. I've heard that in the final judgment, God will show each of us all the souls that were lost and all the souls that were won because of us. Please pray so that we can correct the mistakes and offenses we've made and can work to bring the love of God to those who need His mercy. I ask this in Jesus' Name, amen.

Your Prayer Life

"The fact is, you do not have what you want because you do not pray for it." - James 4:2

Those that really know God can tell you that our prayer requests are a weakness to Him; there is nothing God wants to deny us. Over the past year, I have really been amazed at the things He does for me. Things that I even asked for in jest because I thought He wouldn't bother to listen to me about certain things… but He's showing me He always listens. And He always listens to you, too. James, someone who was close to the Lord, wouldn't write this verse if he didn't know it to be true. You don't have what you want because you don't pray for it. Do you pray with faith and dedication? A relationship with God isn't shooting up prayers when you want something and then not talking to God for a few weeks until you want something again. The Lord is faithful, be faithful to Him! Live in constant communication with Him and you will see God blessing you and showing you that He is listening and watching. He wants to love you, He wants to bless you and help you with all those things you carry around. Don't turn your back on His love, but develop your prayer life to see the good He wants to do for you.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, sometimes I'm tired and sometimes I doubt… but despite all this, I do know You're there and that You love me. Put in me the desire to seek You day and night so that Your thoughts are my thoughts. In Your Name we pray, amen.

How It's Done

"Listen, Israel: Yahweh, our God, is One Yahweh. And you shall love Yahweh, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. Engrave on your heart the commandments that I pass on to you today. Repeat them over and over to your children, speak of them when you are at home and when you travel, when you lie down and when you rise. Brand them on your hand as a sign, and keep them always before your eyes." - Deuteronomy 6:4-8

To be better people, we need to put God first. Practicing what's in this passage is how it's done. Examine yourselves right now and think about what occupies most of your thoughts? Is it your job? Your significant other or a crush? How about a hobby or your Facebook page? That right there is your god. Seeing the kind of change we expect in our lives takes a whole new way of thinking! 24/7 we need to have God on our minds! And if you think this is impossible… think about your last crush and how you obsessed day and night, or when you were really looking forward to something and just couldn't wait… this is how God should be on your mind. I've been trying to do this in my life. In the morning I try to acknowledge Him first. While I drive to the train station I pray and when I'm on the train I read the day's scripture reading and meditate on it. Constantly throughout the day I question myself and ask if I'm doing what pleases the Lord. Have I offended someone? How can I help someone today? And I ask God to open my eyes to something I need to do for Him that I'm not seeing. Or when I'm walking down the street I recite the Jesus prayer to myself. This kind of mindset counts as prayer and when you train your mind to always be mindful of the Lord, then that is being in constant contact with God… and that's exactly the mindset we all need to see Him working in our lives. So when you wake up in the morning, proclaim that He is your God! Speak about Him with someone. On your way to work meditate on His Word. During the day, find someone you can lend a hand to… even if it's just offering to open a door. This is how you make God the Lord of your life and not just someone to talk to on Sundays.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, I ask that You come into my heart and take over. Help me get rid of all thoughts that are not pleasing to You so that only Your goodness and wonders occupy my mind day and night. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Be Holy

"God has called us to live, not in impurity but in holiness." - 1st Thessalonians 4:7

Up until a couple of months ago, I thought that to be holy I had to be pretty much a nun. I thought holy people were those that lived in monasteries praying all day or those like Mother Theresa that dedicated their lives to helping the poor. They were the saints and the rest of us were poor sinners. I was so wrong. Holiness is a call to try to integrate God into all we do in our every day lives. It doesn't necessarily mean praying 24/7, but acknowledging God in all we do. We can be holy and chaste in a marriage if we honestly give of ourselves in complete love to our partner. We can be holy in our friendships if we serve our friends out of respect and dignity. And we can be holy with ourselves if we take care of our souls, keeping them pure and protected from the things we know can only bring us harm. The bottom line is that we can all be holy if we imitate Jesus who all through His life set an example by the service He gave to others. Holiness is in trying to follow this example. And please know that it's ok if you can't forgive today, as long as you're trying to in Jesus' Name. It's ok if you haven't given up on that addiction today, as long as you keep on asking God for help. It's all about the journey - knowing God is calling us for holiness and trying in all the big and small things to get there one day at a time.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, in Your love for me You have called me to be pure and holy like You. I'm so far from it now, but please look at the desire in my heart and bring me a few steps forward each day. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Evil That I Hate

"Stay awake and pray, so that you may not slip into temptation. The spirit indeed is eager, but human nature is weak." - Matthew 26:41

The verse that I relate to the most is from Romans where Paul says that he cannot explain what happens to him - he does the evil that he hates and not the good that he wants to do. I can't tell you how many times I don't want to do something, refuse to even think about it, and then, in a very surreal way, watch myself doing the very thing I didn't want to do. It really is my soul saying, "don't do it!" as my flesh falls into temptation. I caught myself today saying something I shouldn't have, but out it came anyway. But then, if I'm falling into sin, I feel bad asking for forgiveness right away because I feel that I'm not strong enough to not fall again. This is why if you ever feel like this, you need to listen to Jesus' words here. The spirit is willing to be good. I do want to be good. I don't want to sin, but my flesh is weak. Our human nature is weak. So, what do we do then? We keep watch and we pray. We must be observant of all of our sins and be aware of the occasions in which we sin so we could avoid them. And if we don't remain strong in prayer, it's so easy to just slip into temptation, as I see myself do so many times. I'm sure you see this in yourself, too.

The bottom line is that yes, we are all sinners, but we need to grow spiritually as well, right? Therefore, keep watch over what you do, and most importantly, pray constantly so that you are able to move past certain temptations.

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, again and again, I do what I don't want to do. Help me pick myself up and be a stronger person, a person of stronger faith and conviction. Thank You for Your saving grace and mercy. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Prayer and Fasting

"Only prayer and fasting can drive out this kind of Spirit." - Matthew 17:21

When we want something of God, we resort to prayer. Sometimes we pray and pray and see no results. Disappointed, we give up. But have you ever tried prayer in combination with fasting? You see, because of sin, our bodies and our souls are at odds. What pleases the spirit is hard on the body, and what pleases the body is poison for the soul. There is no way, while alive, that our bodies and our souls can be in perfect accord with one another. One is always dominating the other. Therefore, when we fast, our soul lets our body know that our only true food is God and we only depend on Him for survival. We are actually learning and practicing sole reliance on God. When this happens, the body is dominated and the soul grows stronger. When the soul grows stronger, we are way more connected to God and are more open to receiving His blessings. Things can't knock us down that easily either. Our faith becomes solid. That's why there are some things, things that require a lot more strength, faith, and determination on our part, that can only be achieved by the soul of a person that has dominated the flesh and is at peace and union with the will of God. And fasting doesn't mean not eating for an entire day, it could be having a smaller portion of a meal or skipping dessert.

If there are tough issues in your life - a disease, a failing relationship, financial issues - you know what you need to do. As Jesus told His disciples, there are things that can only be accomplished through prayer and fasting.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, teach me how to only depend on You for my existence. In the same way You conquered Your flesh, help me do the same so that my soul can attain unity with You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Meaning of Prayer

"Morning after morning, He wakes me up to hear, to listen like a disciple." - Isaiah 50:4

What is prayer to you? To many people, it is talking to God. But when Jesus gives us the "Our Father," He clearly tells us not to use many words to pray because our Father in Heaven already knows what we want and need…and, this isn't the only time that Jesus tells us that God knows what we want/ need before we even ask, He tells us this throughout the gospels.

So, then, what is prayer? Why do we pray? Even when we're happy and we all have what we want, why do we still have a need for prayer? Simply, it is because we feel a deeper need to be better people, and we know that God helps get us to that point. Therefore, prayer is actually our listening to God and yearning for His influence in our lives. A couple of months ago, I was praying, and I usually have everything I ask for all mapped out, but on this night, I felt as if a voice told me, "Audrey, don't use words, I already know. Just be in my presence." My prayer was made more effective by just listening and being with God on my private time. And the prophet Isaiah had this same experience with God. God would wake him up early to listen, to see what His will was for Isaiah.

Today, as you go and find your time to talk to God, please reflect on this passage. God knows what you want, what you need, and even what you'll want and need 10 years from now, instead, let your prayer time be to listen and be surrounded by His presence.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, sometimes I only think about myself and what I want You to do for me. Other times I can't listen to You because I don't make time or I can't sit still, or I'll even let doubts and distractions get to me. But despite this, I know You want to talk to me and I want to listen. Please, take this time to open my ears and make sure I listen. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Hey Jesus, It's Me, I'm Here!

"When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask Him." - Matthew 6: 7-8

I must be really annoying to God sometimes because when I need something, I ask Him a billion times a day. And it's great to ask, the bible constantly says to ask, but we have to ask ourselves if we are asking in true prayer or if we're asking over and over again to increase our chances of being heard. I definitely have to work on this. I know God hears me and is working on it, but I need to learn to relax a little because He not only heard me the first time I asked, but He knew what I wanted before I asked.

We need to learn to watch the quality of our prayers versus the quantity of words. My parents once told me the story of a man who would visit a church every day to pray. Not knowing what to say to God, he would just say "Hey Jesus, it's me, Pepito, I'm here" and just sit there wanting to be in God's presence. Later on in his life, when he was on his death bed, he heard a voice say, "Hey Pepito, it's me, Jesus, I'm here." In his case, Pepito didn't need the words but his faith and intentions in his prayer life did all the talking for him. This is what God seeks from us because words can be empty and there is so much power in just being silent in the Lord's presence.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, teach me to pray perfectly as You taught Your disciples. Help me have the faith to not repeat things to You but to rely on Your promises. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Pray For What You Want

"The fact is, you do not have what you want because you do not pray for it. You pray for something and you do not get it because you pray with the wrong motive of indulging your pleasures." - James 4:2-3

Just before this verse in the letter of James, the author says that if someone lacks something, let them ask God for it since He gives easily and unconditionally. Now over here, James is saying that if we do not have what we want, it's because we don't pray or if we pray and still don't see it, it's because we are asking with the wrong motives. So what are the right motives? It's all about truly trusting in God. When you trust in God, you let go of those things you are holding on to that prevent you from moving forward in your life. Along this process, God slowly strengthens us and prepares us. Therefore, when we ask for something, we are open to His will, for He knows our entire futures unlike ourselves who only see with limited eyes. He gives generously because we allow Him to move us to where we can receive many blessings.

God is so good that even when we give Him little cooperation, He gives us so much back. That's why James says that we don't have what we want because we don't pray. Just by developing a prayer life that involves a few minutes each day, you will see a dramatic change in your life. You will begin to see how the Lord opens doors for you and gives you opportunities you never thought you would have. Don't block these blessings in your life; pray to the Lord each and every day so that He can bless you. Do not be ignorant and pray for things that you know are not good for you, things that lead to sin. You know that the Father is good and only gives you things if they are truly good for you. He will never allow harm to come your way. Pray so that instead, the Lord may bring blessings to your life when you pray.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, help me to purify my prayer life and open my will up to Your will. Don't allow me to stray or not put my faith in You, but in all things to pray. In Your Name we pray, amen.

For The Good of Those Who Love Him

"We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love Him." - Romans 8:28

Sometimes we get what we want but a lot of times we lose. A lot of times things happen to us that we don't quite understand and those things might cause us to get angry at God and jealous at those who seem to have what we're missing. But put your hope in the Lord because when you do, everything that happens to you, good and bad, is for your ultimate good. Why let anger and disappointment set in when God is working to give you more? When you trust in Him, you will see your prayers answered, maybe not in the form in which you wanted, but He will let you know that He is good and He is alive in your life.

Back in August, I wrote about trusting in God even when things don't work out our way. I wrote about how I lost something I really wanted. That something was a dream job that was offered to me. The company called me in, I met with the head of the online marketing department and it seemed like it was in the bag. I was so so happy. Then, a week later, I found out they couldn't bring me in. I had waited so long for a position like that and then it was gone. I could have asked myself why God would do that to me. Why would He bring in the job, get my hopes up and then take it away? But I didn't. Although I was so hurt I wanted to cry, I thanked Him because of this verse; because He is good and He loves me enough to only give me what's best for me. Fast forward to today and that same guy who interviewed me called me. He called to tell me how he was glad he couldn't bring me in because the label was going through changes, and on Friday they laid off everyone I would have been working with, and I would have been let go too. God took care of me for I know His Name. I didn't doubt, I just trusted and because of this, He showed me why He does things. If this is what He does to protect me, I can only imagine what He'll do to bless me and my future. Put your hope in the Lord. Trust Him, come good or come bad…as badly as your world may shake, the Lord is good and is working on turning your bad into good. Wait on the works of His hands.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, You are good, You are holy, You are just, and You are loving. Thank You for answering my prayers in ways I do not see and for protecting me for I know Your Name. Please help me stay grateful always and help me spread faith in You to others. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Who You Know Isn't Always Everything

"As Jesus was speaking, a woman spoke from the crowd and said to him, 'Blessed is the one who bore you and nursed you!' Jesus replied, 'Surely blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it as well.'" - Luke 11:27-28

Whether it's the hottest club in LA or NYC, or the most competitive job in a Fortune 500 company, who you know can be everything. Who you know can get you through the door. But when it comes to God, this won't get you very far. The woman in the crowd who saw Jesus said that blessed is His mother for having bore Him and nursed Him, but Jesus wouldn't have corrected her without reason. A lot of people can look at me, and know that I'm the daughter of a deacon and automatically think I'm in with God, but that's not the case. A lot of people also think that they can get by with God by having their family pray for them. Yes, intercession does work, but that doesn't guarantee you anything. You have to know the big guy at the door directly or you're not getting in. With God, you need to know Him and speak to Him directly, and live your life according to what those conversations tell you. Jesus said to the woman that blessed are those who hear the Word of God AND keep it. Through my dad, I hear the Word of God and through your family and friends who pray for you, you hear the Word of God, but are you putting it into practice? It's not just hearing it or thinking that you're good to go by association. Jesus said hearing AND keeping. You need to do both. No one else is going to save you on your behalf. Your relationship with God is personal and only between the two you, so it is your responsibility to not only hear the Word if you want peace and salvation, but to keep it as well.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, forgive me for the times I've told others to pray for me, wrongly believing it was enough, instead of going to you directly. Help me to always hear and practice Your Word. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Waiting For God's Answer

""Yahweh, how long will I cry for help while you pay no attention to me?' Then Yahweh answered me and said, 'Write down the vision, inscribe it on tables so it can be easily read, since this is a vision for an appointed time; it will not fail but will be fulfilled in due time. If it delays, wait for it, for it will come and will not be deferred. The proud will never possess my favor, the upright, on the other hand, will live by His faithfulness.'" - Habakkuk 1:2, 2:2-4

Habakkuk was a prophet that called God into account. He would cry out and ask God why certain situations were happening and why He would not show His help in anything. Sound familiar? Each of us has something that's hanging on our shoulders while we cry out to God for help. But when? When will He finally answer us and show us that He's listening and He actually cares?The Lord gives us hope in His answer to Habakkuk. God tells him to write the vision on a tablet for all to see and easily recognize. Therefore, all people will have that plea to the Lord before their eyes as a solid reminder of their hope in God. What is it that you're waiting for? Show your hope in God by keeping it before your eyes always, so that when it's answered, you will see it and know that God came through. But here's the key to this, God comes through at the appointed time. We only know about what we want and when we want it. The Lord, who governs the universe, knows the precise moment to move in order to give you the answer to your prayers with the most blessings possible. Just when you think you can't hold out longer, you realize He's making you stronger and you grow in faith and perserverance. God's timing is perfect; it never delays but arrives exactly when He knows we need it the most…not when we, in our limited vision, think we need it. This is why the Lord says that the upright, those who wait in the Lord, will be blessed because they trusted and made it through out of love for the Lord. Yet the proud, meaning those who are impatient and set out to try to do things on their own, on their own terms, will fail. They seek alternate means, even seeing psychics, horoscopes, proving their lack of confidence in God. That's why their prayers aren't answered sooner and why they receive no comfort during the wait. With what enthusiasm will the Lord want to help those who "cheat" on Him while He was planning great things for them? We need to remain in the Lord, keep our needs before our eyes, and trust in Him because He has never let anyone who truly seeks Him down, and never will.

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, through this wait, I trust and hope in You for Your ways are higher than my ways and Your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Guide me and help me be patient, always increasing in trust in You. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Having a Bad Day

"Is anyone among you discouraged? Let him pray." - James 5:13

James was one of Jesus' disciples and witnesses to His life, works, and resurrection. If anyone knew a thing or two about feeling down, feeling discouraged, it was James. He lived in a time when a person he believed in, Jesus, was murdered. He had to hide out of fear for his own life and see a lot of people lose faith and abandon him on the road to Christianity. Therefore, when James, 20 or 30 years after Jesus' ascension into Heaven, writes to the church telling them to pray if they are discouraged, we need to listen and follow orders. He had been there. He knew what it was like to have a bad day and not be at all sure what was going to happen in his life, if things were going to work out ok or not. But through the good and the bad, even the very bad, James would pray.

We all have our bad days. Lonely days, tired days, and overwhelming days. Don't look to yourself for a way out because we are all weak, but there is One who makes us strong if we call upon Him. James knew this God and even when he was sad due to his persecution and the persecutions of those he loved, James would pray because He knew that only the Lord can gladden hearts and renew us with the energy we need.

Today's Prayer:
Lord, You know me inside and out. I need You right now because I'm upset, I'm tired. I just don't feel right and I'm counting on You to liven my spirit. Help me to remove all things that block You and come into my heart. In Your Name we pray, amen.

I Messed Up, But God Was There

"Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have called on You." - Psalm 31:17

I almost messed something up reaaalllyyyy bad today! You know how we always hear that we should trust in God, and for us, that's really hard to do! We have trouble believing He's there, let alone trusting Him! Today God confirmed a huge lesson for me, one that taught me that I am correct in trusting Him and made my love for Him greater.

Here's my story - I'm doing marketing for a band on Sony BMG. About two weeks ago I booked them for a live studio session while they're in LA for a big magazine. The magazine invited about a 100 fans for the private performance/ interview. So tonight, I get an email on my blackberry from the guy at the magazine asking me where the band is because everyone is waiting. I was driving when I got the email and immediately pulled over because I had the feeling something was wrong. I called the band's publicist and she said the session was tomorrow, the 4th and not today. When she said the 4th, I remembered there was so much back and forth between doing the session the 3rd or the 4th, that I probably gave the guy the wrong date! I wanted to die! I quickly searched through my emails and found where I had told him the 4th at 6pm, but realized that he had written back, "ok, the 3rd at 6pm then." I did give him the correct date, but I should have caught his error in reading the 3rd. I wrote him back and said he was mistaken about the date, but he then forwarded me the email where he said "ok, the 3rd at 6pm" and he had cc'ed everyone at the label! My clients, the people that hired me! Plus, there were about 100 fans that had been waiting for the band for the last hour…and it was all my fault! So what did I do then? I prayed. For the first time, I prayed with absolute confidence that although things were my fault, God would help me. He would not let me be put to shame. I told the Lord that I trusted Him and to please help me. I copied and pasted back where I had said the 4th and stood by, nervous, waiting for his reply, yet knowing God would make it ok. A minute later, I get an email back from him saying, "it's cool Audrey, there's actually another band in town that came to visit and we could have them do it. The fans are having a great time and don't mind coming back tomorrow."

This is the God that I worship!! And this is the God that wants to work on your behalf too! He is REAL, He is GOOD, and He is waiting for you to call on Him so that He could do even bigger things in Your life. Don't think that He can't or that He won't do it for you, because it's taken me a very long time to come to this point where I can call on Him confidently without doubting. Keep going on your journey because He will show Himself to you in amazing ways!!

Today's Prayer:
Lord God, thank You so much from the bottom of my heart for all You do for me. I don't deserve the way You are with me but You still look out for me, protect me, and defend me from being put to shame. Please let me be forever grateful to You for Your mercy and care. In Your Name we pray, amen.