Good morning ladies! How are you doing today? Are you warm enough? Oh my, winter has officially arrived!! And we were still up north when it decided to, so we got in on the snow and below zero temps before the Cities did. But, the fresh snow up there with the sun shining....beautiful! And the sun is shining on this Friday too. After Molly and I went for a walk yesterday and her feet were in so much pain from the cold that she was limping, it is my goal today to go buy some baby socks to put on her feet. We have tried everything else, even the expensive dog shoes, and nothing stays on her feet. I even crocheted some booties and that didn't work either. We have a second hand baby store right at the end of our block, so I'm going there to load up! She desperately needs something! And you dog owners surely know how I feel. I thought I might have to carry her, but at 25 pounds, that wasn't happening. It's all I can do not to fall down already. So, that's one goal for today. I also need to make a grocery list. How about you? Any interesting plans for the weekend?
By the way, the Pastor's and Wives Retreat was excellent! It touched me right where I needed it. I highly recommend the speaker's book, Soul Care, by Rob Reimer. So, so good. And we had a great time meeting new people in our district and connecting with friends we haven't seen in awhile. And, of course, always good to see our kids.
Devotion
We are reminded in God's Word how to pray. And I never thought about it in this way before. Have a great weekend ladies and a Fantastic Friday!
“Praying Like a Superhero”
“But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.” Matthew 6:6a (MEV)
Oh, to be like Superman. To step into that phone booth as mild-mannered Clark Kent and step out as Superman — fit, flamboyant, ready to fly off and change the world!
But here I am, weary and worried, stepping into my prayer closet and later stepping out — same old me, still weary and worried. Clark Kent is transformed. I’m not.
Forget the closet. I want a phone booth.
Friends, it’s not the closet. It’s me.
I’m not in there alone. I’m with God Almighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I play the part of Clark Kent, the reporter.
I report the news. I tell what’s happening. I provide all the details. I fill the closet with words.
Good little reporter that I am, I don’t just describe what’s happening. I tell God what needs to happen.
One day, I step into the closet, more distressed and dejected than usual.
This is such a mess! I don’t know what they should do. You’re the all-seeing, all-knowing God. You tell me.
I sense God’s response:
Ah, you’re catching on.
Who am I to tell God what to do? He’s omniscient and omnipresent. I can’t tell Him anything He doesn’t already know.
I learn to check my Clark-Kent self at the closet door. I speak less and listen more. God grants me glimpses from His perspective.
I’ve been stepping into my prayer closet and asking God to save the day Superman-style, to provide the quick fix, the happy here-and-now. But God looks at the long term, what’s best for eternity. An easy life produces flabby souls. Temporary trouble can be a stepping stone to godly character.
I learn to pray God’s plan over the names on my prayer list.
And that hopeless mess?
Almighty God, plant them deep in Your love. Fill them to overflowing with the fullness of You!
Whatever the problem, they’ll be better off filled with the fullness of God. We find this truth when Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. He instructs them, “But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6a).
I don’t step out of my prayer closet with a flashy cape and bulging muscles. But I’m transformed. I have God’s eyes and heart. And my prayers fly off in power to change the world.
I’ll take my closet over a phone booth, all the time.
O God, teach me to pray Your way, not mine. Change me, change my prayer focus, and change others through my prayers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
Shirlee Abbott
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Ephesians 3:14-19, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would give you, according to the riches of His glory, power to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (MEV)
By the way, the Pastor's and Wives Retreat was excellent! It touched me right where I needed it. I highly recommend the speaker's book, Soul Care, by Rob Reimer. So, so good. And we had a great time meeting new people in our district and connecting with friends we haven't seen in awhile. And, of course, always good to see our kids.
Devotion
We are reminded in God's Word how to pray. And I never thought about it in this way before. Have a great weekend ladies and a Fantastic Friday!
“Praying Like a Superhero”
“But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret.” Matthew 6:6a (MEV)
Oh, to be like Superman. To step into that phone booth as mild-mannered Clark Kent and step out as Superman — fit, flamboyant, ready to fly off and change the world!
But here I am, weary and worried, stepping into my prayer closet and later stepping out — same old me, still weary and worried. Clark Kent is transformed. I’m not.
Forget the closet. I want a phone booth.
Friends, it’s not the closet. It’s me.
I’m not in there alone. I’m with God Almighty, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and I play the part of Clark Kent, the reporter.
I report the news. I tell what’s happening. I provide all the details. I fill the closet with words.
- They’re broke, God. They need money. He’s gotta find a job.
- Dear Jesus, she’s terribly sick. There’s so much she should be doing.
- It’s the big game. The team has worked hard, Lord. They really want to win.
Good little reporter that I am, I don’t just describe what’s happening. I tell God what needs to happen.
- This job is perfect for him, Jesus. They have to hire him.
- Heal her, Lord. Get her back to work.
- Dear God, give them the victory. They deserve it.
One day, I step into the closet, more distressed and dejected than usual.
This is such a mess! I don’t know what they should do. You’re the all-seeing, all-knowing God. You tell me.
I sense God’s response:
Ah, you’re catching on.
Who am I to tell God what to do? He’s omniscient and omnipresent. I can’t tell Him anything He doesn’t already know.
I learn to check my Clark-Kent self at the closet door. I speak less and listen more. God grants me glimpses from His perspective.
- He loves money too much.
- She needs to be still and know that I am God.
- They want that trophy more than they want Me.
I’ve been stepping into my prayer closet and asking God to save the day Superman-style, to provide the quick fix, the happy here-and-now. But God looks at the long term, what’s best for eternity. An easy life produces flabby souls. Temporary trouble can be a stepping stone to godly character.
I learn to pray God’s plan over the names on my prayer list.
- O God, teach him to store up his treasure in heaven.
- Surround her hospital bed with Your presence, Jesus.
- Win or lose, Lord, may they play for Your glory.
And that hopeless mess?
Almighty God, plant them deep in Your love. Fill them to overflowing with the fullness of You!
Whatever the problem, they’ll be better off filled with the fullness of God. We find this truth when Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. He instructs them, “But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:6a).
I don’t step out of my prayer closet with a flashy cape and bulging muscles. But I’m transformed. I have God’s eyes and heart. And my prayers fly off in power to change the world.
I’ll take my closet over a phone booth, all the time.
O God, teach me to pray Your way, not mine. Change me, change my prayer focus, and change others through my prayers. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Proverbs 31 Ministries
Shirlee Abbott
TRUTH FOR TODAY
Ephesians 3:14-19, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would give you, according to the riches of His glory, power to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (MEV)
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