After the Last Supper, Jesus went up into the mountains to pray. He took some of His disciples and instructed them to pray that they would not fall into temptation. After giving this command, Jesus went up the mountain a little further to be by Himself and pray to His Father. His prayer was not, “I am ready to face whatever is coming my way. Bring it on! Let’s do this!” He humbly sought His Father’s face and prayed, “Father, if You are willing, please remove this cup from me; nevertheless not My Will, but Yours be done.”
Though none of us will ever face anything nearly as horrid as what Jesus was getting ready to face when He prayed this prayer, we do come to a point when we know we are going to face hard times. Perhaps, the doctor gives us a diagnosis that we were not expecting. Maybe our boss gives us some grave news about the future of our careers. It could be that a spouse or loved one decides he or she no longer wishes to be a part of our lives. Jesus teaches us that it is acceptable to not want these things to happen in His prayer. He asked His Daddy if it was at all possible that His future could take a different route. I truly believe that there is nothing wrong with saying, “Lord, Father, if You are willing, please don’t make me suffer like this.” The part that we forget is that second part of the prayer, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done.” I know I like to forget it at times. When situations are not going the way I want them to go, I can be quick to ask God to change the situation into one I am with which I am more comfortable. Who chooses suffering? Well, Jesus did. In saying, “Not My will, but Yours,” Jesus chose to trust that whatever suffering God allowed would work out for the greater good of all. As human beings it is our nature to focus on the temporal pain or suffering that we will face and to forget about the bigger picture of what could happen. We might suffer from a disease, but through our suffering a cure or treatment may be found that benefits others. We could be let go from a job, but perhaps, it gives us the push and the opportunity we need to focus on the job ministry into which God has called us. Our loved ones may leave, but our testimony about how God worked through the situation could save another family. His Will is for our good. Yes, pain and suffering may be involved, but there will be victory on the other side. After this prayer, Jesus gained strength from the presence of an angel from heaven. Yet, He was still in agony; Jesus prayed so hard that His sweat fell like blood to the ground. It is not strange if you are agonized by your burdens, but you must cast your burdens and cares on the Lord. He may not take them away from you, but He will make a way for you. Just pray, “Not my will, Father, but Yours.” Ms. EV
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I love my day job. I absolutely am giddy about the ability to impart knowledge and wisdom into the minds and hearts of our youth. This was not always the career that I envisioned for myself. My teenage self thought that I would either own my own law firm or be a partner in a law firm at thirty-five. I would be a wife and a mother of pre-teenagers. I would be in a completely different place if my teenage self was correct. I gave up practicing law after a short time and I started teaching. I got a divorce and I am not even dating anyone, so, clearly, that was not meant to be my reality.
Even though I am content with my job and my relationship status, there are times when I come face-to-face with completely unfair situations. Despite my best efforts to do my job as unto Christ, and despite the respect that I have from my colleagues and my supervisors, there are still times when I am attacked. The worst is when it is seemingly for no apparent reason. So, here is what I have learned about life from Joseph and Paul. Like Joseph, I told everyone who would listen about my dream to become an attorney, a wife, and a mother. Though, I was not tossed in a pit by my brothers, I somewhat created my own pit of pressure to live up to this ideal life that I had bragged about before it ever happened. That led to a divorce, depression, and disillusion with my chosen career. So, I changed into what seemed to be career that fit my personality, but that I knew was not my forever job. Even though, I know how to do my job, there are still times when unfair accusations are hurled my way, leading me to feel like I am in prison, where Joseph found himself after false accusations by Potiphar’s wife. So, here is where the lesson from Paul comes in because Paul shows everyone how to react to being imprisoned. Paul teaches us, first of all, that many times, you can be punished even when you have done nothing wrong. However, that punishment should not paralyze you, you should instead use it as a platform to continue to show the love, grace and mercy of Christ. We should not seek revenge against those who persecute us, but we should seek to reveal Christ in every situation. Though Paul was in prison, he didn’t throw a pity party; he continued to pray, praise and preach the gospel of Christ. And, when we feel trapped, imprisoned by the snares set up by the enemy, we must not sit idle; we must continue to move in God’s direction in the best way we can until He delivers us from the situation. This leads me back to Joseph. As my pastor has preached, Joseph went from the pit to prison to the palace. So, we must be confident that there is a better place for us; God has a plan for us. The person, place or thing that has you feeling imprisoned will not be the end of you, unless you let them. Just like Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, they mean it for evil, but God can use it for good. So, if you are feeling trapped, keep praying, praising, and preaching like Paul, and watch God move you from your pit and your prison to a palace like Joseph. Ms. EV Tuesday night, many people across America tuned in to the State of the Union address by President Obama. He outlined our nation's needs and desires, our victories and failures, and then, give a plan of action for our future. It made me think, "What is the state of my union?" I'm not married, but I am in a relationship with Christ. So, what are my needs and desires? My victories and failures? And, what is my plan of action for the future? I'm not about to answer those questions in front of all of you, but I will say that it is good to take inventory and it should happen more than once a year.
We should all ask ourselves if our relationship with Christ is growing. If it is, we should ask God to show us how can we keep it growing closer. If it is stagnant, we need to examine what is holding us back from experiencing the fullness of God. What are the distractions, disappointments, and disillusions that are keeping us from taking a step closer to God. We should take note of our victories in Christ and our failures to self or Satan. We should give God praise for the victories and for the mercy He shows us when we fall short. We should take the time to allow God to show us a path for the future. Notice I said path and not destination. God shows us the pieces to the puzzle and lets us know when we are on the right track or gently guides us back on the right road (or, if you're being hard-headed like I can be, chastises us until we find our way back) . When the President finished speaking, there was a rebuttal, and political pundits from all over will weighed in on the speech. But, that's where God, the King of Kings, is so much more faithful than our government. When you have your state of the union, God is the only one who needs to hear. You don't need anyone else's approval. You don't have to defend your position to another human being. So, what is the state of your union with Christ? Ms. EV In one of my latest writings, I came up with several new definitions of what it means to be a single servant of the true and living God. S_____ IN G_____ L_____ E_____... And, since we're only one day from Single Awareness Day (a/k/a Valentines Day) let’s take our final look at some a new definition of SINGLE:
Supplicating IN God’s Listening Ears – Philippians 4:6-7 So, how does God know what I want and need? He is listening. God hears my prayers, both spoken and unspoken. He reads my heart. I have been in and around human relationships my whole life and there is no one who knows your every desire like God does. A relationship is meaningless without communication, and unlike with another human being, I know God listens to every word, every whisper and every thought. I know this because he has given me peace just like His Word said He would. At eighteen years old, loneliness nearly killed me. I literally considered ending my life because I could not deal with how lonely I felt. But, in His own way and in a recognizable voice, God reassured me that He would NEVER leave me and that He was ALWAYS with me. Now, I know I am never alone. I am able to embrace my singleness and trust God with my life rather than try to work things out on my own. And, I thank God for that. It comes from taking all my cares, anxieties, and burdens to Him, praising Him and thanking Him for what He has planned for me. As the hymn says, "Oh, what peace we often forfeit! Oh, what needless pains we bear! All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer." Use this time of singleness to commune with God. Adore Him for who He is. Confess who you are not. Thank Him for what He has done in your life. Supplicate to Him your every need and desire. Then, have faith that He hears you and He knows. I pray that this series on Redefining Single makes tomorrow a bit easier for you. Just remember that those who REALLY love you, love you every single day and show it every single day and don't need a special holiday to prove how much they care. Ms. EV This past Sunday, during the opening of worship, we sang the “More than Enough” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. The words are:
Jehovah Jireh, my Provider You are more than enough for me Jehovah Rapha, you’re my Healer By Your stripes, I’ve been set free Jehovah Shammah, You are with me You supply all my needs You’re more than enough More than enough More than enough for me As the song continued, I began to envision that I was all alone singing for an audience of One. I felt as though I was sitting at the feet of Jesus singing this song of praise to Him. But, as I continued to sing, I felt a stir in my spirit asking me if I truly believed what I was singing. Do I really consider God, my Savior, to be more than enough? If He never did anything else for me, would I still lift my hands in praise or would I hang my head in defeat? I think that all of us would love to shout “Yes! Lord, no matter what happens to me, You have already done more than enough!” And, that is true. I fully understand that God does not owe me anything. He has already poured so much grace and mercy over my life that I did not deserve. Yet, there are still times when I want more. Can we sing or say that God is more than enough and continue to ask Him for more and more? If we ask God to bless us, does it mean that we do not believe that He is our everything? I don’t believe that taking your concerns, your thoughts, your dreams, and your prayers to God means that you devalue everything else that God has done. It does not mean that salvation was not enough. Jesus said, in John 10:10, that He has come to give us life more abundantly. That kind of life means that whether we have plenty or whether the world would consider us to be poor, God still reigns on the throne in our hearts. We contradict ourselves when we say that God is more than enough, but then, we try to do His job for Him. We are not being true to God when we say that He is more than enough, but we hang our heads in defeat at every time we get a bid of bad news. This earth is not our home, so we will always have a longing for something greater. There is no need to be ashamed of that. But, we must never be ashamed of our God. We must never think that there is any challenge to great for God. ‘More than enough’ does not meant we should never ask God for anything because that directly contradicts His Word. ‘More than enough’ is the character of God. When we do make our requests known to Him, He not only answers them, but He answers them in the best way for us. He gives us more than we asked for, even when He says, “No” or “Wait” because the denial or the delay always leads to something greater than we imagine. So, if you are thinking that you cannot sing, “You’re more than enough for me,” because you are still asking God to bless and keep you, don’t let the devil convince you of that lie. Hold your head up and shout it from the rooftops! My God is more than enough! My God is more than able! My God has already given me His best and will continue to do so! And, don’t just sing or shout it, mean it and believe it. Ms. EV Since I talked about my Joy Bella on Christmas Eve, I will use her as a subject again today. Because I got Joy a few days before Christmas, her annual cat exam is always a day or two after Christmas. I do not know if this only applies to my cat or if they are all like this, but Joy hates being in her carrier and riding in the car. The only way I can take her to the vet, though, is to subject her to both of those things. So, the annual trip causes a bit of anxiety for both of us because I can’t stand to hear her cry (in case you are not aware, cat cries are quite pitiful).
This morning, as I prepared to take her to the vet’s office, which is literally across the street from my house, so if we catch the light it takes about three minutes to get there, I tried to calm myself down, so she didn’t feel my anxiety. After the first two years that I had Joy, she has been pretty healthy, but, unlike a child who can communicate when something is wrong, there is no way for me to know if there is something going on with her health until I take her to the vet. In my head, I was thinking of all the possible things that could go wrong, not to mention the wailing on the way to the vet and I started to get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Then, I remembered that God said to cast ALL my cares on Him. And, when He said ALL, He meant ALL. So, I picked up my cat and I said, “We’re going to pray about this before we go.” Of course, she looked at me like I was being ridiculous because I swear she understands everything I say. Nonetheless, I prayed that God would calm her down in the car and in the vet’s office. I prayed that she would be healthy ad receive a clean bill of health. I prayed that the bill would be something that I could handle. Different people have different stances on how God feels about animals, but it does not even matter because I know how God feels about me and I love and care for that little animal and He loves and cares for me and that for which I love and care. So, I trusted that He would answer my prayer. And He did. In five trips to the vet’s office, my cat has never been calmer. It only took me one try to get her in her carrier. She did not cry in the car. She was a little talkative in the waiting area, but quickly calmed down. She was sweet with the vet. As I waited for all her test results, I started to feel some nerves, but I prayed again. I asked God to let everything come back normal, and, if it was not normal, to be the Provider that I know He is so that I could take care of my cat. Everything was normal; Joy is completely healthy. I even found a way to save some money in taking good care of her health. All of my prayers were answered and I just kept thanking Jesus! Sometimes, we don’t ask God for things because we are afraid that they seem ridiculous. But, even when it seems ridiculous, whether to you or someone else, if it is a concern of yours and you are a child of God, He wants you to bring it to Him. Just as there is nothing too big or too small for God to handle, there is nothing too mundane or too ridiculous for God to handle. Trust God to be who He promised He would be. He does not lie; He listens and He is faithful. Ms. EV Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had a problem, but you knew the solution was unlikely to happen? I have. In fact, I struggled with something just this week that fit into that category. I say all the time that God wants to hear all of our problems, big or small. Even if others might not think it an issue, if you are His and it is an issue to you, it is an issue to Him. So, I started praying about this problem. Stop being nosey; I am not going to say what the problem was (I keep SOME things to myself...LOL).
I knew what a great solution to the problem would be. I knew it was highly unlikely to get the outcome I envisioned, but God is able to do the impossible. So, I kept praying...the same prayer...over and over and over again. "Lord, let this happen so that my problem can go away. And, please let it happen soon." Days went by and I thought my head would explode because the problem persisted and I was pretty sure that God was saying "no" to my request for assistance. Then, in the middle of praying the same prayer, "Lord, I just need You...," I paused. And, then I thought about it. That was the perfect place to stop. Instead of telling God how to fix my problem, I just needed to say, "Lord, I need You!" After praying that prayer, I started to feel some relief from the situation, but it still lingered. I knew that God was on it, so I added to the prayer, "Dear God, just be You for me." I thought I knew the solution to the problem; an improbable solution, but one that would change the circumstances surrounding me. God is showing me that my circumstances don't need to change. I just need to trust Him to change me and how I view the circumstance and how I view what He is capable of doing. He knows everything. And, He knows everything we need. So, I continue to pray and I invite you to pray, "Lord, I just need You. Dear God, just be You." Ms. EV Have you ever wondered what God sounds like? We definitely can communicate with Him, but sometimes, I admit, that I do too much talking and not enough listening. When I do try to be still, be quiet, and listen, my head often gets clouded with my own thoughts. Sometimes I find it difficult to determine which thoughts are my own, random ones and which are God speaking something into my heart.
Because God created me, He knows what I voices will break through and make me sure that He is speaking. And, I would venture to say that it is the same for you. When I was younger, and I was about to make a bad decision, I would hear my dad's voice telling me not to do whatever I was contemplating doing. You have to understand that my father has a booming and beautiful voice. He speaks with authority; we call him Mufasa. His voice calls for a reverent fear, so when I heard that voice in my head or in real life, it gave me pause about whatever situation was brewing. I am not saying that I always listened, but I could distinctly tell that God was trying to get my attention. As I have gotten older though, God has used my love for music to speak to me. One day, after hearing a couple of my songs, my mom said, "How do you come up with these?" I said, "Well, sometimes I am sitting around and words pop into my head, so I write them down, put them in a rhyme scheme, and then, the melodies kind of appear. Other times, I have a melody in my head, so, now that I have a guitar, I pluck out the melody and keep playing it until the words start forming." Either way, it is a very therapeutic exercise. The latter way happened with Worth Dying For and it happened again a couple of weeks ago. I was sitting in my house and a melody was stuck in my head. At first, I thought it was a song I had heard, so I was trying to figure out what song it was, which can be a frustrating process. I got a message from a friend asking me how my music was going and I told her that I was at a stand still and was not really sure what to do. Then, the melody kept playing in my head, so I turned the television off and picked up my guitar. I strummed the chords over and over and just hummed until I felt this amazing peace in my spirit. And suddenly the humming turned into words, "'Cause, as far as I know, this is how it's supposed to be...This is where I'm supposed to be... ." I sent a message back to my friend letting her know that God had asnwered the question with a song. An amazing song, that, in His timing, I will record and perform, or that will just serve as a reminder for me when I have questions about my life. And, to top it off, as I sit this week and was beginning to feel the blues about another area of my life that seems to be in a holding pattern, God showed me this in His Word: "And don’t be wishing you were someplace else or with someone else. Where you are right now is God’s place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life" (1 Corinthians 7:17 MSG, emphasis added). So then, all I could do was sing: I'm not going to cry No more tears falling from my eyes And I'll tell you why 'Cause as far as I know this is how it's supposed to be I'm not going to sigh No more complaints from me And I'll tell you why 'Cause as far as I know I'm right where I'm supposed to be... God still speaks. He speaks to the quiet places that no one knows about but you and Him. Allow Him to calm your mind, and settle your spirit, and give you peace that passes all understanding. Yes, we make mistakes, but God does not, so if you feel like you are in a holding pattern, perhaps God has you exactly where He needs you to be. If things have suddenly been shaken up in your life, consider that it is because God has you right where you're supposed to be. Ask Him. He will answer. Ms. EV Has this ever happened to you? You are in the middle of a great story on the phone with a friend or a family member and they say, “Hold on a second, I have another call.” Okay, we all know that it never takes a second. So, you wait on pins and needle to find out if you rank above whomever else it is on the other line. Finally, they click back over, and say, “Okay, now finish your story,” but you have forgotten what you were talking about or the moment has passed and it’s not going to be as funny or interesting.
I would love to say that I always give the people I talk with on the phone my undivided attention, but that would be a lie. I, too, have been known to click over. I blame the phone companies. Life was fine and dandy when people got a busy signal if you were on the phone and they had to go and ruin it by giving you the choice of who to talk to at any given time. Sure, it is helpful if you are waiting on news from a job interview or results from a doctor, so you don’t have to guard the phone with your life all day. Yet, call waiting, is another “convenience” that messes with the attention we give to each other. I am so grateful that God does not have or need call-waiting. Because He is omnipresent and omniscient, God can see and hear and know everything that is going on with everyone at the same time. He does not have to stop listening to Suzy’s prayer, so He can hear mine. He doesn’t have to click over on me, so that He can hear you. He hears every, “thank You,” every, “I love You,” every, “Lord, have mercy,” and every, “God, please help me!” He has an infinite attention span, which is good news for me because I love (and I mean LOVE) attention. We never have to worry that someone else’s trials are so huge that God does not have time to deal with our little issues. God does not categorize us like that; we do. Yes, sometimes it feels like God has us on hold. We may be watching someone else be delivered from hard times and wonder when it is our turn, but God has not forgotten you. He has not put you on hold. He has not hung up on you. And, most importantly, He still knows what is best for you. So, don’t give up. Like the old folks sing, “Jesus is on the main line. Tell Him what you want. Call Him up and tell Him what you want!” Ms. EV As Christians, the Bible is our operating manual for daily living; however, at times, it seems that there are some areas in life that are not covered by the Bible. Some might argue that there are gray areas and that everything is not in black and white. Others might say that everything you need to know is contained within God’s Word. Other than Pray While You’re Prey, the Bible is the only book that I have read from cover to cover more than once. I do not always read it in the same order or in the same manner, but it is chocked full of great wisdom and guidance for living.
The Bible is very clear about some issues. For example, it very clearly states that premarital sex is prohibited (1 Corinthians 6:13; 18). But, what about dating? A few years ago, I got into a pretty heated debate about what the Bible says about dating. My opponent’s position was that Christians should never date casually and that all other socializing with the opposite sex should be done in a group setting. My position, at the time, was, “Show me where it says that in the Bible!” The only courtships that have given me some insight into what a Christian relationship should look like before marriage are Jacob and Rachel, Ruth and Boaz, David and Bathsheba, and Mary and Joseph. I learned from Jacob and Rachel that a man should be willing to labor and wait for me for however long it takes. I learned from Ruth and Boaz that a man should be kind and willing to provide for a woman and that a single woman should not be waiting for a man to take care of her, but willing to work. From David and Bathsheba, I learned the dangers of tempting a man and falling into a lustful relationship. And, from Mary and Joseph, I learned that if you trust in God first, you can face any relationship crisis together. Nevertheless, I still do not see any verses that cover the “Rules of Dating for Christian Singles.” It would be very helpful if it were like the Ten Commandments; a step-by-step list of do’s and don’ts. So, what do we do if there is truly a gray area that is not specifically addressed in the Bible, like going out with a friend of the opposite sex that you have no intention of marrying, or what career to pursue or any other daily life challenge that does not have a black-and-white answer? And, I really mean no specific answer; this is not about poking loopholes in the Word or taking things out of context to fit our own agendas. This is about wanting to live a Godly life and not being disobedient. What I have learned in the time since this argument is that God’s Word is called the Living Word for a reason. If we have a question about how the Bible addresses an issue, the best person to ask is not a pastor or a doctor of divinity, it is God. That is one of the most awesome characteristics of God, we can ask Him questions and He will answer. It is not generally like an answer in the movies, where a thundering voice breaks through the sky. For me, it is usually a still, small voice from within urging me to pursue a particular course or I read the Bible and I see the answer I need in a verse that I have read several times. The words of the verse do not change, but what it means to me at that moment in time does. So, what about dating? Well, based on my own tendency to turn what should just be a friendship into a fantasy relationship, I choose not to casually date (see Dating). Nonetheless, each of us has to ask God for ourselves what His best plan is for us. If everything was clearly listed out in the Bible, we might put more faith in the book than in the Author. Again, I am not saying that the Bible is up for interpretation, some things are very much in black-and-white, but when it comes to our daily living in modern times, we need to seek God’s guidance, which will NEVER contradict His Word. Then, it is just a matter of whether we follow where He leads us or not. Ms. EV |
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