Give Thanks, He is Good, His Love Endures Forever!

I'd like to start this "Thankful Thursday" (I know, I know!  It's actually Friday!) with a Psalm.  Would you take the time to read this Psalm.  Would you think about what your story is?  What can you thank the Lord for?  How has He shown Himself good in your life?  How has He proven His enduring love?  The psalmist exhorts the redeemed of the Lord to tell their story.  Surely, we all have a story to tell.  I would imagine that as you read this Psalm you could nod your head, give a shout, proclaim an "Amen, brother!" because I am certain that ever "sinner saved by grace" has a story.  We've all traveled similar roads.  As I like to say, we all have stuff.  It might look a little different, might be clothed in different attire, it might have grown up on a different street on a different side of town, it might have happened to us or happened because of us or it might have happened in spite of us, but we all have a story.  And thank the Lord, He has a beautiful way of redeeming our stories, of taking what Satan would have used for harm and turning it into something amazing, wonderful, a true masterpiece.  Truly, His love is unfailing.  His deeds are wonderful.  He has been more than merciful to me!

Psalm 107

 ¹ Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
   his love endures forever.

 ² Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story—    

those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,

³ those he gathered from the lands,

   from east and west, from north and south.

 ⁴ Some wandered in desert wastelands,

   finding no way to a city where they could settle.

⁵ They were hungry and thirsty,

   and their lives ebbed away.

⁶ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

   and he delivered them from their distress.

⁷ He led them by a straight way

   to a city where they could settle.

⁸ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

⁹ for he satisfies the thirsty

   and fills the hungry with good things.

 ¹⁰ Some sat in darkness, in utter darkness,

   prisoners suffering in iron chains,

¹¹ because they rebelled against God’s commands

   and despised the plans of the Most High.

¹² So he subjected them to bitter labor;

   they stumbled, and there was no one to help.

¹³ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

   and he saved them from their distress.

¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness,

   and broke away their chains.

¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind,

¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze

   and cuts through bars of iron.

 ¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways

   and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.

¹⁸ They loathed all food

   and drew near the gates of death.

¹⁹ Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble,

   and he saved them from their distress.

²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them;

   he rescued them from the grave.

²¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings
   and tell of his works with songs of joy.

 ²³ Some went out on the sea in ships;

   they were merchants on the mighty waters.

²⁴ They saw the works of the LORD,

   his wonderful deeds in the deep.

²⁵ For he spoke and stirred up a tempest

   that lifted high the waves.

²⁶ They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths;

   in their peril their courage melted away.

²⁷ They reeled and staggered like drunkards;

   they were at their wits’ end.

²⁸ Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,

   and he brought them out of their distress.

²⁹ He stilled the storm to a whisper;

   the waves of the sea were hushed.

³⁰ They were glad when it grew calm,

   and he guided them to their desired haven.

³¹ Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love
   and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

³² Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people

   and praise him in the council of the elders.

 ³³ He turned rivers into a desert,

   flowing springs into thirsty ground,

³⁴ and fruitful land into a salt waste,

   because of the wickedness of those who lived there.

³⁵ He turned the desert into pools of water

   and the parched ground into flowing springs;

³⁶ there he brought the hungry to live,

   and they founded a city where they could settle.

³⁷ They sowed fields and planted vineyards

   that yielded a fruitful harvest;

³⁸ he blessed them, and their numbers greatly increased,

   and he did not let their herds diminish.

 ³⁹ Then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled

   by oppression, calamity and sorrow;

⁴⁰ he who pours contempt on nobles

   made them wander in a trackless waste.

⁴¹ But he lifted the needy out of their affliction

   and increased their families like flocks.

⁴² The upright see and rejoice,

   but all the wicked shut their mouths.

 ⁴³ Let the one who is wise heed these things
   and ponder the loving deeds of the LORD.

73.  I am thankful for navigation systems.  It is so nice to know that I can travel safely and know where I am going.  What an amazing invention!  God gives man such amazing intelligence to think, plan, invent!

74.  I am thankful for a wonderful day spent with my children and a friend and her children.  We enjoyed a wonderful field trip to the Space and Rocket Center exploring and learning.  What fun!

75.  I am thankful for mercy--where would I be without it!

76.  I am thankful for mistakes-it's through mistakes that we learn the most.

77.  I am thankful for news from a friend that she's having a baby boy!  That little prince will be one spoiled little boy, coming into a house with three princesses!

78.  I am thankful for God's healing touch on my mother-in-law and my father, both recovering from surgery.

79.  I am thankful for on-line worship services.

80.  I am thankful for a God who understands everything about me and loves me anyway.

81.  I am thankful for the life of Peter, knowing that even mess ups don't exclude you from God's work.

82.  I am thankful for 3 hours of drive time in a car, all alone.  QUIET!!!!  Time to think, to ponder, to listen, to reflect, . . .

83.  I am thankful for praise music.  Where would I be without my music?  Sometimes when I don't know what else to do, I can simply worship!

84.  I am thankful that God's plan can not be thwarted by man.

85.  I am thankful for avocados--yummy!  These have become my favorite afternoon snack.  :)

86.  I am thankful for my friends at the Mexican restaurant--Gustavo, Rosie, Omar, Ulma, Jessica, . . . 

87.  I am thankful for the opportunity to shop for outreach ministry and imagining what it will be like to use the materials with children and adults, imagining laughs and smiles as we interact.

88.  I am thankful for a friend named Lana who PRAYS for me!

89.  I am thankful for memories of my granny who was my best friend when I was a little girl.  She taught me so much.  She taught me to love life, to love God, to dream big, to love people, to love cooking, to love cooking for people, to love sharing a meal with your family, to love sharing a meal with friends, to love sharing a meal with new acquaintances and old friends alike, to love on ALL the people that God puts along your path. . .  I miss her so very much but I am sure that she is still very much a part of so much of my life and that I will get a chance to dine with her again one day.

90.  I am thankful for playing basketball and jump rope and riding tricycles and motorized Barbie jeeps with my nephew, my girls, my parents, and my husband late on a Friday afternoon.  What joy is found in the simple things in life!

God is Good!  His Love Endures Forever!!!  



"Give thanks in ALL circumstances"

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, gives some pretty clear directions. I can imagine that the question arose among those believers as it does among most, "What is God's will?" Paul outlines it pretty concisely, black and white, in terms that are fairly easy to understand yet maybe not always so easy to fulfill.

He instructed them to be joyful. When? ALWAYS.

To pray. How often? CONTINUALLY.

To give thanks. About what? In ALL circumstances.

Okay. Well, that's not so bad. I can do that. I can be a joyful person. I pray. I'll list my blessings. I'll count them as long as things are going my way, on my good days, when I'm experiencing good health, when my children are behaving, when the bank account's looking plentiful, the people at work are easy to get along with, my husband and I are in harmony, the neighbor's are all mowing their lawns and keeping the noise down, when the other drivers on the freeway are following the speed limit (not too fast and definitely not too slow) and aren't cutting me off in traffic, when life is turning out the way I painted the picture, when I've chosen obedience and I'm not feeling like a failure, when I'm not experiencing conflict with anyone or with myself, when the sun's shining on my parade, and life is going according to my plan, working out according to my timetable, and I think God must be really happy with how things are looking. But, what about when things aren't like this. What about when the car's broken down? What about when finances aren't holding out? What about when the diagnosis looks bleak? What about when my children aren't behaving like I think they should and I know everyone else has an opinion about that too? What about when the plans I had so clearly made aren't turning out the way I had hoped? What about when my dreams and desires and hopes and wishes suddenly seem unreachable or impossible and I know it's beyond my control? What about when there's more conflict than harmony? What about when there's death or loss or sickness or betrayal or any of the other dark moments that we as humans are bound to face? What about when there's not sunshine but bucket loads of rain on our parade? What about when our dark days turn into dark weeks or months or maybe even seasons and no one seems to be noticing? What about when we feel like a failure and we wonder if God will ever be able to use us again? What about those moments when everyone irritates us and we're really not sure why? What about when we so desperately want to hear a Word from God but it seems like there's a wall that can't be penetrated dividing us from Him? What about those moments? How easy is it to give thanks then?

As Jesus faced death on the cross, He prayed a simple but profound prayer. "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Even so, not my will but yours be done." What if we could learn in every moment of our life to exercise what Paul is suggesting to the Thessalonians is the will of God? To rejoice, pray, and give thanks even if we don't feel like taking the cup we've been handed, even if we would rather whatever we were facing to pass from us, even when we're in the middle of great strife. What might happen if we learned to pray, "Father, if it's possible could this pass, but more than anything Father, your will!!!! Father, your will is for me to rejoice, for me to pray, for me to give thanks. So right now in the middle of this . . . (you fill in the blank) I want to learn to rejoice. I want to find reasons for rejoicing. I want to rejoice in you, that you are my hope, that my salvation is found in you. Father, I want to live in constant communion with you. I want to sense you so closely that truly I am in prayer continually, hearing your voice, responding to your leading. I want to ask what you think about even the smallest details of my life. I want to give thanks that even as bad as this season is it's doing its work in my life, it's drawing me close to you, it's teaching me of your Sovereignty, your provision, your faithfulness. Father, teach me to be thankful." What might happen?

I'm finding that as I ask God to stretch me, to make me uncomfortable, to break my heart for the things that break His; He's doing just that. I'm beginning to see in myself the stark contrast between the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels and the person I am. I'm so very thankful that God sees my heart. He knows that I love Him and that I long to love Him more. I believe and I long for Him to help my unbelief. I love Him and I want to love others like He loves them. I want to rejoice, to pray, and to give thanks. I want to do His will.

So, here it goes--rejoicing and thanking God for the many gifts that flow from His hand. . .

61. 27 children gathered at the bottom of my steps to hear the Easter story. Hearing my daughter and her friend share the Easter story. Watching each of those little heads bowed as we thanked God for sending His son to die for us so that we might live for Him.

62. Easter egg hunts that remind me that while we hunt for eggs it's only a reminder that on that first Easter they went to find an empty tomb because the Savior had risen. He's alive!!!!

63. So very thankful for a creator God who shares His creativity with His children. Anna Claire's creativity and artistic ability amazes me. I'm so thankful that she can see beyond the obvious, that she can plan and dream, that she is not bound by any of the constraints that I have. She truly has an imagination that I can explain with words.

64. Over 11,000 gathered in one place to participate in an Easter worship service. Powerful!

65. A reminder that when we take our concerns to God in prayer, He hears. Carrington and I had a moment this week when something rather small in the whole grand scheme of life was missing. We prayed and asked God to help us find it. God led us to its whereabouts. A great moment to stop and praise Him for caring about the concerns of His children.

66. 4 young girls running down the street as it began to rain, determined to finish hanging invites to an Easter egg hunt. Their response, "We're doing this for God. We're not finishing until it's done."

67. Family afternoon naps.

68. New rose bushes.

69. A garden ready to be planted.

70. A friend sharing about his mission trip to the Philippines.

71. Easter Sunday lunch with family, watching grandparents hunt Easter eggs.

72. Routines that become rituals, making family time extra special.

What a Glorious Day!!!!

Today is the day that changed my life. It's the day my Lord took up the cross and laid down His life. He paid the price I could not pay. He died so that I could live. His grace and mercy poured out, and the words "It is finished!" drew the line in the sand for all mankind. It invited all of us into a personal relationship with a great High Priest who knows our suffering, our weaknesses, and every detail of our life. He loves us and redeems us, giving us a new name. He frees us from our own self-destruction and gives us the promise of eternity and more than that He gives us the promise of knowing His will on earth as it is in Heaven. Oh, it really was a glorious day! Some call it the darkest day in history. But, it was only dark for a few days because death could not hold him, the grave could not keep Him captive, and because of His great sacrifice, death can not hold us either. Sin can not keep us captive. We can know the freedom of a stone being rolled away and of grave clothes falling to the ground and chains being loosed. Join me in rejoicing over this glorious day!!!

(Before you hit play on the video, you might want to mute the music box!)

Today's Thursday. Do you know what that means?

Well, today's Thursday, and it's not just any Thursday. It's the eve of Good Friday. This week is one of the most monumental weeks on the Christian calendar. It's a week filled with reasons for thankfulness, filled with reminders of why I have any reason to look toward my future with hope, filled with so many recollections of a past that would be left unredeemed if it were not for one dark day, one empty tomb, and a Savior that has promised to return.







So that is where I'll continue with my list of Thankfulness (counting my way to 1,000), choosing to live fully right where I am.





46. Thankful that I once was lost but now I'm found. I once was blind but now I see. My chains are gone; I've been set free.





47. Thankful for the wonderful gift of technology. My friend Beth listed this one this week. Oh, what a gift this is. It allows us to connect with friends across the miles, to see each other's face, to hear each other's voice. . . Who would have ever thought we would be a part of a four year old birthday party via the web? How cool is that? Thank you God for the knowledge and wisdom you impart to man to enable us to invent, create, plan. . .





48. Thankful for prayer. Read this quote by Louie Giglio this week and thought it so fitting: "If only we knew what was happening when we pray, we would never cease to pray." Thankful to know that the Father hears us, that Jesus intercedes on our behalf, that truly there is power in prayer.





49. Thankful for the opportunity to engage in ministry with my family and friends. We've had several opportunities this week, and it's been AMAZING!!!!!





50. Thankful for friends who accept me as I am, understand me (junk and all), and love me anyway.





51. Thankful for family moments that become traditions.





52. Thankful for a kiss on the cheek from a lady who has lived a long, hard life. I knew the kiss was her way of saying thank you for spending just a little time with me. The kiss meant more to me than words can express. I think the time spent with her blessed me beyond any sort of blessing I could have been to her.





53. Thankful for this truth, "Jesus is the way, the truth, and the LIFE!" I was reminded this week that we don't have to find the way between our point A and point B. We don't have to figure it all out. The only thing we have to know is the answer is JESUS, JESUS, JESUS!!!!





54. Thankful that iron sharpens iron. Thankful for friends who challenge me to think about who I am, who God desires for me to be, what I'm really doing to change my world for Christ. . .





55. Thankful for a friend named Courtney who makes me laugh.





56. Thankful for a friend named Beth who has a heart for Christ and a love for people that is deep and profound.





57. Thankful for a friend named Sharon who loves her family, clings to the truth, and challenges me to be better than I am.





58. Thankful for a friend named Kim who is as sweet and gentle as they come.





59. Thankful for a friend named Lana who shakes heaven and earth with her prayers.





60. Thankful for friends named Kathy and Sherri who make life fun and who believe keeping in touch is what friends do.

I'm thankful, and I know you must be too!!!!!

It's Another Thankful Thursday!

Our God, our God!!! What a reason to offer up our thanks! Let's shout it from the housetops, let's tell all who will listen. I don't know about you, but I don't want any rock speaking my praise for me! I think I'll take the time to count the gifts in my life myself and name them one by one. And, oh what good it does my heart, how it changes my outlook and my perspective when I take just a few minutes to praise Him, to remember what He's done, what He's doing, and to claim the promises of what I can know for certain that He is already doing on my behalf.


As I am asking God to help me live more fully aware of the gifts that are mine as His child, to live with my eyes open, my ears attuned, my hands not clinched so tightly but instead ready to give and to receive as He whispers, my feet prepared to go and stop at His command, it really is simply amazing what my eye has not seen, what my ear has not heard, and what my mind has not conceived before. There is so much that God is doing right around me that I am sad to say that I have often missed because I just haven't lived fully right where I was. So, on this Thankful Thursday, I recount some of the gifts that have blessed me this week and my prayer has been that as I have been blessed I have in return been a blessing.


Oh, God, may I never live a day without realizing it is only a gift from You to be opened, to be lived fully-not for myself but for your glory!

38. While doing school with the girls, we had an unexpected delivery from the flower shop. My hubby sent me the most beautiful arrangement of spring flowers. The note on the card "Just Because." WOW!!! That made my day! He loves me, oh, he loves me. So, very thankful for a husband who loves me not only with his words but with his actions each and every day!!!! Thank you father for a man like that!!!!

39. WHEW!!!! Testing for the year is behind us. May not seem like a big thing to some people, but to this TYPE A momma, I'm so glad to have this hurdle done. I know my sweet daughter is too. But, I'm even happier that it's not the focus of what we do everyday, and oh so very happy for the positive atmosphere we enjoyed when we tested and for the perspective they emphasized behind the testing.

40. Wonderful Sunday school class with teachers who are AMAZING!!! So thankful that Bill and Sharon believe in the power of the Word of God to change lives, to make a difference in marriages and families. Thankful for how they invest in the lives of so many.

41. When my girls are hurting (physically or emotionally), they want their momma and their daddy. Nobody else will do. Thank you father for healthy relationships, for strong and loving attachments. Thank you that my girls know that they are loved and cared for, that mommy and daddy will always be there to love them through the hurt even when we can't make it go away.

42. Fun!!! I'm so very thankful that life can be fun. God blesses us with laughter, recreation, time to de-stress and relax. What a blessing!!!

43. A reminder that there is a time for everything and sometimes I'm putting things on my calendar (worries, anxieties, stresses) that God just doesn't mean for today. I need to leave that in God's hand, knowing that He doesn't intend for some things to even be on my "to-do" list. Thank you, God!!!!

44. A day spent with my mom and my girls. A wonderful time of making memories.

45. HOPE!!!!

Thankful Thursday and Every Day

Honestly I let last Thursday get away from me and I failed to post my Thankful Thursday. Jason asked me about it late Thursday night or maybe Friday afternoon. My only comment to him was that I had been too busy living my Thankful Thursday to blog about it. Really, my girls and I have been so incredibly enjoying every minute of life lately. God has overwhelmed me with the beauty of His creation, with the joy of friendship, and with the simple pleasure of living life with my husband and children that I have been busy with life--not in a bad way, just busy. And, can I say this?? I'm absolutely LOVING it!!!!

As I've thought about Thankful Thursday, the video clip I included above really sums up what I want to get my mind around. I so long to get to a place where I can praise God in the good times and in the bad. I want to begin to trust Him at a level where I realize that what I see as bad is really not bad at all, it's Him working ALL things for my good, and while it may seem bad at the time, it's only His intervention, His provision, His protection in my life. I want to realize that often the reason He doesn't work in my time, giving me what I ask for, in the way I ask for it, is quite simply because I don't know what's good for me. He is GOD. He is sovereign. He is ALWAYS RIGHT!!! He is ALWAYS ON TIME!!! His NO is not about rejection or failure. It is to allow me to get to something better or to protect me from something awful. His discipline is because He loves me and wants something better for me, and if I must suffer here on this earth it is only for a little while and it is not without results. Oh, if only I could learn to truly see the depth and width and height of His blessings in my life.



Today my list may be a little longer since I was too busy living Thankful Thursday to write about it last week, so I hope you'll bear with me. Blessings, my friend. Oh, how I pray that we can all breathe in the wonderful work God longs to do in our life--whether it be through the sunshine or through the raindrops, through the healing or through the pain. He is faithful for He will not be otherwise!

25. Friday lunches with friends. Authentic conversation allowing you to be yourself, share your hurts, your shortcomings, your struggles, . . . Knowing they will not judge you but will bear your burdens.

26. Hearing my two daughters pretend to lead worship, inviting "the congregation to respond during the invitation", praising God for those present in worship, inviting the children present to come up and help. Wow!!! What this does to a mother's heart.

27. We were at a fashion show birthday party a week or so ago. All of the girls had to share a tidbit of information about themselves for the "red carpet moment". My daughter and one of her best friends both shared that the dream job would be a missionary. Thank you, God, for planting in their hearts a love for you and a desire to share you with others!

28. Brother Garry and Mrs. Cheryl Irvin who are relentless about loving children and passionate about sharing the gospel with them. My #27 is largely impart to Mrs. Cheryl's commitment to sharing the world of missions with the children on Wednesday night. Since first grade when Carrington fell in love with missionaries, she has believed that one day God may want her to go to the mission field.

29. The smell of fresh cut grass, even if it does make me sneeze my head off, because this means spring is here and the days are long and we have lots of time to play outside!!!!

30. A fresh Word from God whether that be from a sermon, devotional time, a book I'm reading, a conversation with a friend, prayer time. . . I love that God is faithful to speak to me again and again and again--daily, moment by moment.

31. A husband who protects and provides for our family and leads us by example.

32. A two-hour phone conversation with one of my dearest friends from college. We have only seen each other probably two or three times since we graduated college in 1997, but she is one of my dearest friends and my strongest spiritual accountability partners. I can call her and know that she will speak truth into my situation. I am so thankful God gives us people with whom we have a true heart connection and that time or distance can not separate.

33. Closed doors and a word from God that helped me understand that closed doors are not always signs of failure or rejection. Sometimes closed doors are simply provision and protection. Thank you God!!!

34. A reminder from God this week of how He is a God of second-chances (the life of Jonah). A challenge from God that because He gives others second-chances we as His people should too. We should constantly be an extension of His grace and mercy not judgment and condemnation. That's the kind of person I want to be!!!

35. My parents. So very thankful for the heritage I have!

36. Homeschooling--our life has simplified by leaps and bounds. I have learned to enjoy simplicity and to be less rushed and to understand how to keep the things that matter, the things that matter. Thankful for a few friends that God has put in my life to teach me to stop and smell the roses.

37. Seeing one of my former first grade students who is now a high schooler play the drums in worship. That's amazing!!!! He does such a great job. So neat to see God help teens find their place of ministry in the church.

Seeking Him

I had a friend ask me a question this week that I have spent days pondering. She sent me a text that said, "In my quiet time this morning I was challenged to 'seek His face. To find Him and hear His voice, I must seek Him above all else.'" She sent the text asking her friends to "think it over and respond back as to what it means and looks like to seek Him first."

First of all, I was so thankful that I have friends who challenge me to think deep about who Christ is, how He wants us to walk with Him, how I can know Him more, what it looks like to live a life that is passionate for Him. . .

Second, I started thinking of what it really means to seek Him first, to seek His face, to seek Him above ALL ELSE. And, here are a few thoughts that I have arrived at as a result of those moments spent meditating on a simple text from a friend that sent me to the feet of the Father, asking Him to help me see with His eyes, to hear with His ears, to understand what I can only understand when He makes me smarter than I really am.

A simple search for the word 'seek' provides a wealth of verses that support that Biblical concept of seeking God. I'll provide a few here, but I'd encourage you to do this little exercise yourself and find a few verses that speak to you. Indeed God wants us to seek Him, and when we seek Him, He will be found. I have always held to the simple truth that since the beginning it hasn't been Him who was "playing hide-and-seek". No, in the garden, when He came looking to fellowship with humanity, it was Adam and Eve who were hiding. God didn't create the hide-and-seek game. That would be us!!! His word clearly teaches and proves again and again that when we seek Him, we find Him (Proverbs 8:17, Matthew 7:7). Most often we find Him running for us, pursuing us, seeking us out!!!

So, read through these verses and see what you think about the idea of seeking Him. I'll share my thoughts; I'd love to hear some of yours.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.

The manner/condition in which we seek Him really does affect whether we find Him. There is an indication here that we will find Him "if" we seek Him with ALL of our heart. I wonder how often I seek Him in a half-hearted, distracted, self-promoting fashion. I wonder how often I seek Him with my plans in mind all the while praying for "His will" when really I want His will to match my plans. This weekend He and I had to have a loving father-daughter talk about this one. I found myself at a tough place with some BIG STUFF in our life and I realized that I was telling Him I trusted Him while really I was kinda throwing a little fit about the possibilities of it not turning out the way that I thought best lined up with His will. He had to let me know real quick-like that I was really wanting to control this thing and that maybe I was too worried about the "end result" instead of so many things He had already taught me through the process. What a blessing comes when I stop seeking the results/answers and just seek Him.

2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Seeking God's face involves humility, repentance, and turning from wickedness. Seeking God's face is a lifestyle that engages heaven and affects earth. The effectiveness of my prayer life has the potential to radically change the course of my generation if I will approach God's throneroom with humility yet boldness, with repentance, with clean hands and a pure heart.

2 Chronicles 12:14 He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking God.

Psalm 119:10 I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands.

Wow! If the potential of seeking God's face is that I can keep His commands, then the extreme opposite of that is the potential for evil if I do not set my heart on seeking Him.

Psalm 9:10 Those who know your name, trust in you, for you, O Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

What a promise!!! Seeking equals security!!! God promises that if we seek Him, He will never forsake us.

Here are a few other verses you can look up: Psalm 10:4, Psalm 105:4, Psalm 119:2, Psalm 63:1, Psalm 27:8, Jeremiah 29:13, Proverbs 8:17. . .

I think for me, seeking Him first means a lot of different things. . .

It means seeking Him early in the morning, asking Him to bless the day, asking Him to use the day for my good and His glory. It means seeking Him early in the morning, acknowledging that He is my only hope and that I am desperate for His power, wisdom, and strength to make anything other than a mess of the day He has given me.

It means seeking Him in ALL situations for direction, for what I should say, how I should respond (or shouldn't--that's usually the hard part for me). It means asking Him to OPEN my eyes to the people around me, to those who are hurting, to the opportunities around me that may seem like interruptions or inconveniences that are really DIVINE APPOINTMENTS.

It means seeking Him when I'm feeling less than who He would desire for me to be, repenting from the self-centered, narrow-minded, earthly creature that I am. It means hearing Him when He says, "Jennifer, that's just pride making you worry more about what they think than what I think. That's a control issue, give it to me. Jennifer, do you really want to live the gospel or just read it?"

It means seeking Him in the daily routines of laundry, groceries, homeschooling, conversations with my husband, bike rides with my girls. . . It means seeing Him in my parents, my brother and sister-in-law and nephew, in my in-laws, my best friends. It means seeking my direction, my choices in life from Him and His Word, from prayer, not from my best spiritual mentor or a billboard on the street or how I feel on Sunday following worship service.

That's what seeking Him first, seeking His face, hearing His voice looks like to me. . .

What about you? Would you share your thoughts? I'd love to hear.