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Listen while you read: "As Pants The Hart For Cooling Streams"1 (Lyrics) |
I put my mitts down for a matter of seconds while I was working on the deck. Out of the corner of my eye, I spied Simon, my five-month-old dachshund, nip one and take off with it. Oh, well, I thought. I could see the direction that he had gone. I would get it back from him shortly. Wrong.
When I was finished my task, I went in search of my stolen mitt. Simon was there, but the mitt wasn't. I searched and searched in the area and far beyond in the same direction, all to no avail. The longer I looked, the more aggravated that I became. This was my last pair of winter leather mitts, and I needed them for all my outside work. Having only one mitt wasn't much good to me.
Finally, I decided to go into the house and calm down. As I warmed up and prayed about the situation, a thought came to me: Go and look in the other direction. Go and look in the other direction? But I saw where Simon was headed. How could the mitt be in the other direction on the far side of the house? Still, I had prayed, and this was the thought that came.
So, off I went to look in the other direction, and of course, as you already know, there was the mitt.
This little episode reminded me of many other times when I was sure that I was headed in the right direction in regard to solving a problem, only to discover that I was getting nowhere with the issue. Why? Because I was sure that I already knew the way that I should be going, and I was not considering any other way. My situation changed only when I stopped and took time to assess the situation in a new light — the light of prayer — prayer that asked God for the right direction that I should be seeking to enable me to find and knock on the door of solution.
How about you? Are you struggling to find a solution to something that you are struggling with in your life and feeling that you are getting nowhere? Perhaps, taking time to stop, to calm down, and to re-access the situation through the light of prayer might turn things around for you and point you in a new direction, for God has said:
Matthew 7:7-8 – Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)
Prayer: Father God, thank You that we can count on You to hear and answer our prayers. Please open our minds today, that we might be willing to hear and act upon what You are saying to us in regard to any issues that we may bring Your way. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Monday, January 13, 2025 – In Milton, Ontario — Pray for James, a Christian prisoner at Maplehurst Correctional Facility, Milton, Ontario, as he leads forty men in prayer each morning. Pray for these men to fully give their hearts to Jesus!
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Thank you.
Thanks, Lynne, for this testimony.
Thank you! A reminder that I need!
Like where you are going with this … mirroring Jesus. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us! Blessings.
Well-told, Lynne. Thanks for sharing your inspiration and living today.
Great reminder, Lynne, I definitely need to slow down and do more of this. Thanks and blessings!
I am always excited when you are the author of the Devotional and I can listen to Robin read your uplifting messages.
Thanks, Lynne. Your devotions are always so interesting and practical.
May the LORD bless you.
You’re the best Lynne. I’m always delighted when the Daily Devotional is authored by you. Thank you so much.
Stay warm!
God bless you Lynn and thank you for this wonderful reminder to cast all our cares upon the Lord.
Peace and grace to you on this day.
Thanks Lynne, very encouraging, you remind us of how in our everyday life the answer is always there, if we only pause and listen.
Blessings to you and your family.
Lynne,
Yours message today offers a very obvious solution to my ‘walking in circles wearing a backpack filled with concrete’.
THANK YOU!
(Alabama USA)
How timely for me! I’ve been struggling to get a message together for next week. More time in prayer and less in frustration. One more canner of tomatoes to go for this year. Thank you for writing and extra pats to that puppy for the inspiration.
Thank you, Lynne, for today’s devotion.
I enjoy reading all your submissions.
They bring healthy thought to mind and remind us God is watching over us.
Thanks again,
(Quebec)
Dear Lynne,
Thanks for another of your very mindful devotionals. I always enjoy reading how you correlate experiences with your pets to very meaningful biblical passages. Those words in Matthew chapter 7 are very encouraging words for us to dwell on. Blessings for your writings and enjoy a great day with your grandchildren and your pets.
Dear Lynne:
I am always delighted to receive your devotionals! I feel very privileged to be a “sister-in-Christ” with you.
I had written a devotional for PresbyCan and was asked to write more.
And you can probably guess what happened: The evil one stepped right in with writers’ block! BUT GOD is proving once again that “Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world”!
God and I are working on it.
God’s blessings upon you. Keep writing!
Dear Lynne:
Thank you again for yet another meaningful Devotion. You are a gifted writer and you are using your skills to Glorify our Lord and Savior.
After I read the first two lines of the Devotional, I immediately know you are the Author as you relate earthly stories to give us greater insight how the Lord cares for us and that we need to be in constant prayer.
May God richly bless you Lynne and please continue to share your Devotions. We really appreciate them.
Love and blessings.
Thank you, Lynne! I had a similar experience just yesterday at our church. After spending time post-worship on Sunday looking for a container of accessories for our Christmas mural, a friend and I gave up and returned to our homes. While we were certain the container had been stored in a closet of the church, it was not there. But it had always been stored there!
Yesterday morning my friend phoned me and suggested that we look in the closet on the other side of the church, and I went immediately out of concern for the sentimental pieces. Sure enough! There was the container sitting atop other Christmas decorations. We had not remembered putting the container in THAT closet! But God had remembered.
It is important to listen to God’s directions when looking for the correct pathway to travel.
Thanks for your continued devotions!
(ON)
Lynne,
Well I would have been running after Simon because a 5-month-old dog is usually a great chewer, and I would want to save my mitt.
Your message is a good one for many situations that we face. If we are working on our bookkeeping and we can’t get it all to balance, stepping away and doing something else and coming back to it, usually makes the mistake pop out at you. Talking with God can really change how we view a situation. The Holy Spirit guides us in our thoughts even when we are unaware that it is happening. When I do realize it, another little prayer of thanks is offered. That usually happens at the end of the day when I have crawled into bed and my day settles down into my thoughts.
In the song chosen is the word “hart”. I had to look up “hart” because I thought at first it was a misspelled word, but when I looked at the lyrics, I knew it wasn’t. I didn’t know that it was an adult male deer. Another learning for the day. It is important to me to learn something new each day.
Matthew 7:7-8 is a great message for us all to remember. I love the song that goes with it “Seek ye first”.
May you have a wonderful day enjoying all the animals that surround you and your family. Blessings.
Dear Lynne,
Thank you for your insight and wisdom.
Dear Lynne, so incredibly true. I have experienced this more times that I can even begin to count.
Blessings.