Safe in the Potters Hands~

Do you ever think of your life not belonging to you, but belonging to God to fulfill His purposes? One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Jeremiah 18: 6 which talks about God being the potter and us being the clay."...Behold, like the clay in the potters hands, so you are in My hands..."

                                                              

But how many of us are willing and wanting to turn our earthly lives over to the one who created us, for His greater purposes? We think our lives are are own, don't we? I used to think that way, before I had a life changing health crisis. I learned very quickly, that my life didn't belong to me at all. It belonged to the one that created me, God Almighty, and He could do whatever He wanted to with it, at any time.

All along, I thought I was in control of my destiny. I had plans for my life. Everything was moving along nicely. I had successes at every turn. I was in the prime of my life. I had a great job, traveled and met interesting people. I had two great kids and a loving husband. I was very excited about the new division of my company that I was put in charge of called "Visions of Faith," an inspirational line of artwork that was new to the company, but one I felt I could handle with some fancy footwork. I knew that the Lord was up to something when I got put in charge of that division, but wasn't sure what it was until a few years later. He was the potter and I was beginning to see that I was the clay.

I was having a spiritual awakening of sorts through VOF, as we came to call it. The Lord was pulling me back to Him and I was beginning to see His hand in my life. I was talking with and working with a whole new group of people that were strong believers in Jesus Christ. Well, I believed in Jesus, it seemed like a natural thing for me.

I began re-connecting with the Lord through my job. Who would have ever thought? Talk about a God-Thing. The company I worked for, Mill Pond Press, was run by a great man named Bob Lewin, and he was a Jew. I never would have thought in a million years that I would end up being in charge of the "Inspiration Art Line" in our growing company, but there I was - critiquing pictures of Jesus with the religious artists before we published them. I was picking out the correct bible verses to go with the images. And, the Lord was beginning to use me in new and amazing ways to touch the lives of the people around me for Him.

Over the next few years, my faith grew at an ever increasing rate and I became closer to the Lord because, in many ways, I had too. He was forcing my hand and I didn't even realize it. I was talking, eating and breathing bible verses, and biblical artwork, and was surrounded by spiritual people at every turn. It was important that I talked their language. I was a believer, but my faith pre-VOF had been in a bit of a stalled position.

I attended church on a semi-regular basis, but it wasn't until a new pastor and his wife entered the picture did I begin to really see the Hand of the Lord upon me and things began to fall together. Not only at work, but now also in my church life as well. My husband had also had a spiritual awakening of his own and we began to worship the Lord as a family. I relished the times that followed and enjoyed every minute of it. God put the fast-forward button on my walk of faith because He knew what was coming, but I didn't. I became involved in a spiritual mothering class at church. God was opening new doors for me at every turn.

The Lord was molding me into the person he wanted me to be and I didn't even realize why until after I became very ill. He knew I was going to get sick before I did. He knew I needed to be closer to Him or I would never be able to withstand the serious health challenges that were coming my way. 

He knows everything about all of us and He was preparing me by drawing me closer to Him so I could feel the safety of His loving arms when I needed it most. He was the potter, I was the clay. He was molding me into the new person He wanted me to be, just like a piece of clay in the potter's hands. Begrudgingly, I came along, knowing it was most likely in my best interest. Indeed it was, because shortly after I began the longest month of my life when the docs were searching for my MS diagnosis. If I didn't have the Lord to turn to during that time, I surely don't know what I would have done. He rescued me in a big way.

That's the thing about the Lord. All He wants to do is protect us, like any loving Father would do. But we buck like a crazy bucking bronco, trying to break free and have control, when we don't have any to begin with, we just don't realize it at the time. Silly us.

I guess the moral to this story is to let the great Potter mold your life sooner, rather than later, because it will just make for a more peaceful life for you. Take it from someone who's learned first hand to rely on the Lord. It's ok to rest and feel safe in the Potter's Hands. He knows what He's doing.

My verse for today is above in red.

My prayer for today:

Dear Lord Jesus:

You are the Potter, I am the clay. Lord, help me to let you do your work in me and mold me into the person you want me to be, knowing that you only have my best interest at heart, always.

Thank you Lord, that I can turn to you for every need, every concern, every little detail of my life. I truly am safe in the Potter's Hands.

In Jesus Name I pray,

Amen

The Power of Prayer.....

Again this morning, the Lord woke me up early with a head full of thoughts, but the most prominent one was to thank Him for answering my prayers and the prayers of many, for my Mom. I laid in bed for a while, praying and thanking Him, then decided I need to thank everyone else too!

Mark 11:24 tells us "Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."  That is a verse that has been hanging above my computer for a few years. That is a verse that I know well. That is a verse that I believe with all my heart, and that is a verse that has happened, just as the Bible says.

My Mom has been pretty sick for about a month, beginning with a UTI and dehydration, followed up with a C-Diff infection and her kidneys shutting down. The doctors actually called us in because they said she wouldn't make it through the night and next day.

I'm in North Carolina right now and have been for the past 3 months, escaping the Florida heat. Mom's highly contagious infection and my MS and compromised immune system can't exist in the same room, so I couldn't go see her.

I was heartbroken when my brother called with that news and then I stopped and thought, "Hey, wait a minute. Those docs aren't God, they don't know when my Mom is gonna die." Only the Great Physician is the giver and taker of life."

I began to pray and reach out to my praying friends via email and Facebook, and they did not let me down. They began to pray too, sending me messages of encouragement, hope and strength to get me through this ordeal.

I got that call from my brother on October 3, a day before my birthday. It's now October 18th. Praise God, my Mom is doing so much better! Even though she's on dialysis until her kidneys are fully functioning again, the good news is they ARE functioning, something the doctors said would most likely NOT happen. She is now clear of the C-Diff infection and I am going to see her tomorrow! I am constantly reminded of something a dear friend of ours Ron Watts said to me many years ago when I was first diagnosed with MS. "Nicki, those doctors just keep on "practicing medicine", but God is still on the Throne." He is the Great Physician, not them." Thank you Ron for putting that into my ear during my time of trial, I have not forgotten it and never will.

All I can say is Thank you God; the author of life, our Creator, Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who Heals! And a big thank you to everyone who has prayed for my Mom these past 3 weeks. The Lord answered your prayers in a Mighty way, and my Mom is on the road to recovery. Mom is 84 and this illness has no doubt weakened her, but she is still with us and I will have the opportunity to see her again and tell her how much I love her. I am humbled by your ongoing prayers, love and concern, thank you friends.

As I sit here waiting for the sun to come up in these beautiful mountains of ours, I again, am reminded of the promises of our Lord - to never leave us. Matthew 28:20 says: "Surely I am with you always, even until the end of the age." What a promise that is. No one can say that but God Almighty. He won't ever leave us-- and that, my dear friends, is the gift of eternity.

                                                            Sunrise over Mt. Pisgah.
My verses for today are in red: 

My prayer for today:

Thank you Jesus for my Mom's healing. Thank you Jesus for my brothers and their vigilance in watching over Mom and Dad. Thank you for the doctors and nurses. Continue to give them wisdom and guide them in their decisions regarding Mom's care.

I ask all this in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ, My Lord and Savior
Amen

Mercies in disguise~

I've spent a tremendous amount of time the last few weeks, days and hours praying to God for his healing touch to be upon one of the dearest people in my life, my Mom. As I've been praying, I've been thinking a lot about the way the Lord chooses to answer our prayers. Without a doubt, I have seen the power of the Lord in my own life and in the lives of others over the years. There are times when I know that what I have witnessed is truly an answered prayer. Other times, even though prayers are lifted up by myself and other believing "prayer warriors" as I call them, there is a resounding NO from Heaven above. Why is that? I've been praying for healing from my MS for years, but that has not come to fruition yet either. Why Lord?

Coincidentally, a sweet friend of mine, Joan, recorded a beautiful soundtrack of a wonderful song called Blessings by Laura Story. I don't really believe in coincidences though, I believe in God-incidences, so my writing about this subject just happened to be right about the time that Joan released her music to benefit CCSVI research. Hmm. Sounds like a God-Thing to me. Below is Laura's original and powerful song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ

So, why do you think the answer to one prayer can be yes, and the answer to another be no? Do you sometimes feel like you can pray and pray and no one is listening? Do you cry out to the Lord and it feels like He's a million miles away? Have you laid awake at night, searching for an answer to your problems, feeling like there is no one out there to help you? Where are you when I need you, God? Ever asked that question? Ever doubted God? I'm ashamed to say I have, but I shouldn't have, because I know deep in my heart that He's always there.

                                                      Lean on God's eternal promises
I believe the answer to why God answers or doesn't answer is rooted in the foundation of His plan for our Universe. He's there and He hears every single prayer. He just always doesn't answer them the way we want or in the time we want. He's looking at the big picture. Little ole us are just one tiny grain of sand in the master plan of the Universe and God's plan for it. I remember talking to a dear friend of mine Bette, who prayed and prayed for her husband's salvation for years and years. She continued and on his death bed, he accepted Jesus as his Savior. God answered her prayer in His time, not hers.

God Almighty formed us. He formed the planet and filled it with human life and everything we would need to survive on this earth. It all belongs to him, and every person born belongs to him. Jeremiah 1:5 tell us "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." 

Only the Sovereign of the Universe knows how the pieces of the master puzzle called your life, my life and everyone else's fit together. He knows everything about you and me. He knows every thought in your head, all your likes and dislikes, every heartache you will endure, every triumph you will see, every tragedy that will occur, and all your loves,doubts, hurts, betrayals, and every victory you will celebrate. Big and little, He knows them all: past, present and future.

When you stop to think about that, isn't that a great comfort? It sure is for me. He knows what is going to happen to me, even before I do. He knows all my trials and disappointments. He wants to help me through all of them, if I will let him. The Lord doesn't want us to suffer along by ourselves on our journey of life. God came to earth, born of the virgin Mary, to live as a baby, boy and then man, so He could relate to every thought and feeling we ever have. He knows what we go through, sometimes I think it's easy for all of us to forget that he lived here on earth as a man, just like us.

So why does He answer some of our prayers with a resounding NO? We won't know until we meet Him in Heaven, but I think it's because in the trials of life, we reach out to Him and want to be closer. If everything just went along our own way, wouldn't we just go through life thinking we didn't need Him for anything? He wants to be close to us. He wants to comfort us in our time of doubt and trials, His Word says so in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

We all suffer during our journey on this earth. There is no way around it. It doesn't matter how much money you have, how "good" you think you have been, how prestigious you might think yourself to be. You can't avoid it because in this world, we will have trouble. You may think that others have it better than you and don't have their problems, but it's just not true. John 16:33 tells us “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Besides, Jesus suffered greatly. Why should we be spared?

                                                              Jesus died for you.


1 Peter 4"1-2 says "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God."


So, if you are going through a time of suffering, which all of us with MS do pretty much each and every day and you feel as if the storm clouds are looming over your life and you're having a time of tears and sleepless nights, just remember that the Lord is near. One of God's many promises is in Hebrew 13:5 where He says "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you." 

Believe that promise and look for the Lord's great mercies in the midst of your trials, because he's right there with you. There will be a new sunrise tomorrow with plenty of the Lord's goodness. Believe God and His promises. He'll never let you down.

                                       How can you doubt God, when you see a sunrise like this?

My verses for today are above in Red.

My prayer for today:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Help me to rest in your arms, knowing that you hold the Universe in your Hands. Help me not to fear, not to doubt and live with confidence that you will abide by your promises to never leave me or forsake me. Watch over my Mom as she goes through these health trials. I am believing that you are there with her.Lord, I pray that this blog will touch the hearts of those that are suffering. Help them to know you are there with them and surround them with your peace that surpasses all understanding.

In Jesus Name I pray,
Amen