February 12, 2010
Jenny Worsham
God most recently answered my prayer with the healthy birth of my first child! I often have difficulty trusting God and tend to live more with fear and anxiety, rather than with peace and trust in Him. I realized this even more so during my pregnancy!
There were so many things I worried about...when the doctor at first couldn't find his heartbeat...when I was in a minor car accident at 18 weeks...when the swine flu broke out and my doctor told me lots of pregnant women were dying from it but no one knew how safe the vaccine was either...and ...
February 11, 2010
Merritt Johnston
Prayer is our blood-bought opportunity to engage the God of the Universe in a conversation. Crazy to think about, right?
But as often happens in relationships, there can be times when we just don't want to talk to Him. Maybe we're mad at Him...maybe we think He is mad at us. Maybe we're struggling to hear His voice, or maybe we just don't like His answer. Maybe we're giving God the silent treatment, or maybe we're spilling the beans of our daily life in detail. Our relationship with God can certainly be complex, and the complexity of the ...
February 10, 2010
Merritt Johnston
We live in a busy culture. There's an unspoken (and sometimes spoken) rule that activity equates to productivity, yet I challenge the idea that busy-ness translates into fruitfulness for the kingdom.
If we look at Christ's example throughout the gospels, we find that most of His ministry happened in the margins of unplanned time in His life. As He traveled from city to city, He was often stopped along the way by someone desperate for healing. And I can't seem to find any part of scripture that shows Christ denying them help because He ...
February 09, 2010
Sami Elder
Prayer is one of the most humbling and wonderful ways to connect with God. It also is one of the most challenging areas in my life, where I often struggle the most. It means that I must lay myself down and go to God. I have to trust Him and go to Him with the things that are on my heart.
Lately I have been memorizing a little bit of scripture at a time. I take those words in scripture and turn them into prayers to God. It's proven to be a great way to share with Him.
Girls, I want you to know that God is so faithful. He knows the depths ...
February 08, 2010
Merritt Johnston
Life can be hard...really hard. In fact, life can get so hard that we're rendered speechless. We know we should call on God for His help, but we cannot even manage to speak. If you've been there (or you are there now), I've got some good news for you.
Romans 8:26 (NIV) says,
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."
When we're lost on how to even pray through our circumstances, the Holy Spirit shows up ...
February 07, 2010
Merritt Johnston
Today most of America will watch the Super Bowl - some motivated by the excitment of the game and others by the humor of the commercials. With an ever-increasing scope, Super Bowl Sunday has almost become a national holiday.
One of my favorite parts of the big day is the pre-game show when a celebrity is invited to sing the national anthem. This musical segment of the programming is usually accompanied by an array of uniformed officers carrying flags and a climactic finish with fighter jets flying over the stadium. Having traveled to other ...
February 06, 2010
Merritt Johnston
If you've ever had the opportunity to go deep-sea fishing, you gain a far greater appreciation for the power that exists out in open water. A small boat in a vast ocean is a scary residence when the wind begins to thrash and the waves begin to crash around you. But in the midst of the storm, God is more than able to calm the chaos.
Psalm 107:28-30 says,
"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it ...
February 05, 2010
Kristy Tyler
I always heard growing up in church that God answers prayers with yes, no, or maybe later.
But I have been in seasons of my life where I struggled because I felt like God wasn't answering at all...it was like He seemed silent. I wrestled with whether or not God was even hearing my prayers, and then I would struggle to even make myself pray - thinking what is the point if nothing is changing.
This is the way it was for me on and off for years. Then I realized something. Prayer is not about telling God what is going on and what I ...
February 04, 2010
Merritt Johnston
I'm one of those weird people that actually likes school. I just love to learn, so being a good student has always been a natural outpouring of my passion for knowledge. But when I look at scripture, I believe this passion should be the norm rather than the exception.
Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27 all teach us the importance of loving God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our MIND.
If we truly want to be followers of Christ, we have to engage Him with more than just our emotions. We also have to experience ...
February 03, 2010
Merritt Johnston
You're probably familiar with the recurring cell phone TV commercials developed around the catch-phrase: "Can you hear me now?" Most of us can relate to being in a cell coverage dead zone, where we have uttered those exact words only to receive the response of silence on the other end. And thus begins a search for those missing bars as we pace the room looking for a signal.
But thankfully, we don't have to worry about whether God is part of the 3G Network. His service goes far beyond anything we can comprehend. In fact, sometimes He doesn't ...
February 02, 2010
Merritt Johnston
I used to think it took a lot of guts to end a prayer with the words,"Thy will be done." Over the years of my spiritual journey, I have added the words to my prayers for good measure, but deep down, I was usually thinking..."Please let my will be done."
I guess it was a control issue, and I didn't want to lose mine. But as I've grown in my faith, I've realized that it's not about losing control. It's about yielding control to the One who knows best. C.S. Lewis once said, "There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be ...
February 01, 2010
Merritt Johnston
As part of our Girls United focus this month, we're unpacking the concept of "Supplication: Changing the World One Prayer at a Time." Supplication - that's one of those SAT words, right? Dictionaries define it as "a humble entreaty, petition, or prayer." A great definition for what we're aiming for this month...to be girls who humbly engage the God of the universe in a supernatural conversation.
Throughout February, we'll be bringing you tips, blogs, articles, and resources to help you develop a powerful prayer life. But before we can do ...
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