Can You Picture It?

As my fellow Texans know, this summer heat has been a beating. Trees are drying out and these days of 100+ temperatures are taking their toll. In the midst of this, Chelsey and I have been praying for God to send rain! We need rain to water the ground and to cool things off.
Well, this morning I go outside to watch God’s amazing response, which was a rain storm… but when I walked onto the balcony I was met with more than rain drops. I found my ceramic pot blown off the table and busted on the ground. There were pieces everywhere.
The crazy thing is, I know to bring that plant inside when it’s going to rain because I know it will blow off the table. What I realize is that I asked for this rain and I knew it would bring some wind, but I hadn’t really envisioned it happening or I would have prepared.
I’m challenged to get the vision inside of my heart for everything I’m praying about so that I can prepare for God’s response!
If you’re praying for your child to come home, get the room ready and stock up the pantry.
If you’re asking God to heal your body, make some plans in faith to get out and do something fun!
Whatever you’re praying about… picture it answered in your mind and in your heart knowing that God is listening and he is faithful to his word!
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
Mark 11:24

When You’ve Been Done Wrong

Do you not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will save you.

Proverbs 20:22

How easy it is to desire retaliation when we’ve been done wrong. Often, our instinct is to make the person suffer as we have. If someone speaks badly of us, we are tempted to speak badly of them. If someone hurts us in some way, we selfishly desire vengeance.

Proverbs 20:22 gives us a pride-breaking look into the heart of God. We know that vengeance is the Lord’s but we have new insight when we see the focus of this verse. He doesn’t put the focus on the one who has committed the evil, but rather he puts it back on us.

He says, “When evil is done to you don’t repay it with evil, but wait on the Lord WHO WILL SAVE YOU!

We naturally want this to say, “Wait for the Lord who will make them pay for what they have done!” But God is showing concern for our response to others. Of course he will take care of his children and will respond to those who have mistreated us… yet with grace. God gives us a warning to guard our hearts by waiting on him to rescue us from not only evil, but from ourselves.

If you’ve been wounded, lied to, manipulated, attacked, or mistreated in any way, put your efforts into waiting on the Lord to save YOU. Don’t respond quickly. Don’t speak hurtful words out of anger. When pain breaks you and the enemy tries to push his way into your heart, resist him by trusting in the Lord. Don’t allow your heart to go into a dark place filled with punitive plans for someone else. He will take care of the problem… but His heart today is to take care of you! Wait for the Lord, and He will save you!

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 4:26-27