Welcome to Week 3 of Praying the Promises of God! Thank you for the beautiful prayers you left in the comments this past week … your personal prayers and the ones you prayed for each other. What a precious gift to see God’s Word consuming the prayers in each and every comment.
In each of these posts, I include a section entitled, “Thoughts the Lord brought to mind.” Please know my heart. I am not adding to God’s Word with these thoughts. They are my words, not God’s. They come as I’ve spent time soaking in the passages, allowing God to minister to my heart through them. I then share what I’ve experienced about God’s character, His heart, His Word and His promises. My prayer is that these thoughts will help you listen for the Lord’s voice as you spend time with Him in His Word. He does speak to His children. As my dear friend Marilynn Chadwick says, sometimes He whispers and sometimes He roars.
This week, we spend time with the words Surrender and Trust. Oh, these are two of the hardest things to do when walking through trials with God. These words come into play most often when we find ourselves in the “wait room” with God. We’re struggling to trust His timing. His answer. His perceived silence. I’ve walked through each of these waits and am in an especially hard one right now. One thing I’ve learned on this journey, if we don’t run to God, we’ll run away from God. And, that running will take us to an even lonelier, darker place. A place we drift deeper and deeper into uncertainty and doubt.
I have to continually remind myself that in God’s presence is peace and rest and so much more. So, even when we can’t see, feel or hear God, HE IS THERE! He has promised us in His Word He will never leave us or forsake us (Deut. 31:6, Matt. 28:20, Heb. 13:5).
God instructs us to go to Him when we’re in trouble.
James 5:13 “Is anyone among you in trouble, let them pray.”
Psalm 50:15a “… call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you.”
Psalm 55:22 “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”
Surrender
Surrender means to yield, relinquish, submit. To raise the white flag. To release the tight grip we have on what we want and place it in the hands of our Abba Father, who is more than able to carry the load.
Isaiah 42:3-4: “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching, the islands will put their hope.”
Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 61:1-3 (David’s cry to God): “Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth, I call to you. I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.”
Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”
2 Corinthians 10:5: “… ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Thoughts the Lord brought to mind …
Surrender your broken places to Me, My child. They are opportunities for you to experience Me in all My fullness and for Me to display My glory.
Always filter your hurt through My unconditional, everlasting, abundant love and compassion.
Invite Me into your pain. I will bind your wounds. My healing balm will soothe your wounded heart and soul.
Surrender everything to Me. Let it all go. I will carry it. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.
Trust
Psalm 31:14-16: “But I trust in you, Lord; I say, ‘You are my God. My times are in your hands; deliver me from the hands of my enemies, from those who pursue me. Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your unfailing love.'”
Psalm 46:10: “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”
Psalm 119:89: “Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
Matthew 28:18: “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
Thoughts the Lord brought to mind …
No circumstance, person, place, hurt, or sickness is outside My reach or beyond My control. Nothing burdening your heart is too hard for Me. Trust Me.
Trust Me with Your past. No sin is too great that My Son’s shed blood will not cover. In Me, you’ll find no condemnation, only grace.
My Son gave His life for you. We both love you with an everlasting, lavish love. Never doubt that. We settled that on Calvary, when My Son poured out His blood and the veil was torn. So come to Me. Trust Me with all your heart. Don’t lean on your human knowledge and understanding. Submit whatever you’re clinging to Me. I will show you the way.
As we close today, sit a few minutes with these verses and passages. Invite the Lord to lead you to one or two verses to sit and soak in. It might be a few minutes. It might be 15 or 30 minutes. If you have time, read it in context with what comes before and after the verse. Maybe do a Google search, or look at the Concordance in the back of your Bible for more verses speaking to the same truth or promise. We’d love to know the verses you chose and the ones you found. And if you want to share, let us know what you heard from the Lord.
Finally, if you have any questions about what we’re doing today, please leave a question, and I’ll help as best I can or, with this amazing community, another one of our sisters may help too.
Can’t wait to hear from you!!!
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Thank you for this Wendy. One of the things that came to my mind is the connection between trust and surrender. The more we trust God the quicker we are to surrender and as we surrender our trust will grow.
A verse that came to my mind was Matthew 16:24-25 which says, “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
I hear Jesus telling me to let go of dreams, plans, worries, fears, my children so I can follow Him. When I let go of my life, He will give the one He has planned for me. These are hard things to think about, but as I do the story of Abraham and Isaac come to mind. That truly is a picture of the willingness to surrender and a greater illustration of the God we can trust. It reminds me that my focus shouldn’t be on what I’m surrendering, but WHO I am surrendering to.
Just yesterday I was at the funeral of my cousin who’s body surrendered to cancer. Never an easy thing, but yet our great, trustworthy God provided peace and hope.
Thank you for these powerful reminders and words from the Word today!
So well-said, Jill, and REALLY what I needed to read at this time. Thank you for sharing your heart. The meaning of words written on a page…..the meaning of words is the action that takes place in our hearts…I choose to understand and implement that power, on, and in a deeper way!!
I’m grateful God used my words here for you! I pray God blesses you as you press on!
I love this! There wasn’t any one verse that stood out, but them all, collectively. The idea of surrendering my hurt. Not that it is a new idea, per se, but I hadn’t thought of applying it in this situation, of actually “doing” it with this pain. I am going to spend time for a while, I think, pondering that.
I also like Job 5:8; For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. I need to surrender to Gods will for me. He might have me go through some trying times where ill be sore, but He will always bandage my wounds and,heal them.
Love it, Marian! Thanks so much for sharing!
Isaiah 42:3-4. I loved The Message paraphrase, “He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant.” Wow, I sure feel that way at times. Such comfort and hope in those words to me. Each and everyone is important to God. Know that and trust that.
Wendy, I would like some advice on how to do quiet time with the Lord. We are told to pray, have conversation with God and then to listen for Him. I struggle with the listening part. My mind wanders, it gets easily distracted. Do you have any insights on how to get myself into a better pattern of being quiet with God so I can hear what He wants to say to me? Thank you for any thoughts you have. Roberta <3
If I may Roberta. Something that helps me is to have a blank piece of paper or open a blank Word doc. When something random comes to my mind (which happens all the time), I jot it down and turn back to hanging out with God.
Also, God may respond at a different time or place. He may choose to use a circumstance or a chat with a friend to convey His message to you. Keep your heart open to Him and you will “hear” Him.
– Heather
Heather, thank you so very much for responding to my question. I had not thought about “listening” in conversations as you pointed out. I love the idea of the blank paper too! My mind wanders a lot. You have blessed me in a special way today and I am so grateful.
Roberta
Roberta, I agree with Heather! A page to note my distractions is a good thing. I also like to have a notebook or journal handy so I can jot down what I’m hearing from the Lord. Sometimes, in what seems to be a dry season, I challenge myself to make note of something from the Scripture that I read. For example – “What does this tell me about God? About Jesus? Is there something I need to obey? A promise to remember? A sin to avoid? An example to follow?”
Thanks Jill! Good stuff as they say! I so appreciate your input. Love the challenge questions when going through a dry spell.
Have a great day! <3
Hi, Roberta! I love the MSG version of Isaiah 42:3-4! I said, Wow!, too! Thank you so much for sharing!!
I love how you share the thoughts the Lord has brought to your mind. These two thoughts jumped out to me: “Always filter your hurt through My unconditional, everlasting, abundant love and compassion.” “Invite Me into your pain. I will bind your wounds. My healing balm will soothe your wounded heart and soul.”
After reading your devotional, I read another one I had received in my email. It ended with:
Meditate on This Today…
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” ~ Proverbs 3:5
You also shared this verse. God is showing me that I need to trust Him. Not just say that I do, but to really trust Him.
Wow, Lori! Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts that our Lord brought to mind! I need to do those things regularly. 🙂
Two of your paraphrases are what my heart needed today:
Surrender everything to Me. Let it all go. I will carry it. My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.
No circumstance, person, place, hurt, or sickness is outside My reach or beyond My control. Nothing burdening your heart is too hard for Me. Trust Me.
So much is going on in my life right now. Feels like a million molehills stacked up to create a mountain of stress. Every direction I turn something else comes up. Definitely feeling pressed in on every side. I’m simply exhausted. Mentally, emotionally, physically. The paraphrases above truly feel like they were His Words crafted for my heart to take in. I wrote them in my journal. Thank you Wendy.
Love,
Me
Good Morning Wendy, what a blessing you are to many that read your daily inspirations that encourage us in those silent storms to keep pressing forward in JESUS name. Thank you for reminding me why I am a child of GOD and the spiritual benefits that I often forget when going through trying times in my life. I can vouch as you did that in my trying times that he will never leave or forsake me and understands my emotions and shortcomings and encourages me even then not to give up or out. I thank you for sharing your spiritual journey with me and others. Love you my sister in Christ.
These are the two verses that I meditated on most. Although, I loved this whole post.
2 Corinthians 10:5: “… ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”
I was diagnosed with bipolar 19 years ago… 12 of those years I thought I was doing great with no medication. I was hospitalized about 3 years, and life has been on and off a struggle since then. I don’t like talking about being bipolar but the Lord says to boast in our weakness. Sometimes I feel like the Lord has left me, yet when I cry out to Him with all my heart, He reassures me. We have a God who loves to show up when we pour our hearts out to Him. There are times though where I am waiting for Him to even show me that He is there. It’s those times when I have to cling to His promises that He will never leave me or forsake me.
Lord help me not be afraid to show my weakness! Be strong through me even when I am weak. May I seek you daily through your Word and Prayer. Lord help us all know You in a deeper way. Bless Wendy for following You with blogging and writing books for Your glory, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
After studying your post today Wendy, I wrote the following. I am dealing with issues with my alcoholic son who suffered a TBI 3 years ago. Your update came just in time for me today and I thank you❤️
I will surrender my worry about my son to you Lord. I will trust that you will work everything out for his good and your glory. I will remain in the wait room while in your timing you will answer. In the wait room I find your presence and your peace and I can rest. I know you are here with me. I can feel your warm embrace. You will never leave me or for sake me. I will be still and know you are God. I will not lean on my own understanding but trust you with all my heart. You will make my paths straight. I know that my sons circumstances aren’t too hard for you. I know that you can be trusted. I feel the grace you have bestowed on me. I will not lean on my feelings or my worries but submit them to you knowing you will show me the way. I surrender relinquish and submit my worries about my son to you. You are far more able to carry the load I have made too big for me. You will heal my broken heart and you will bind up my wounds. You will lead me to the rock that is so much higher than where I am. Your power is made perfect in my weakness. May your power rest on me as I boast about my weaknesses. I will filter my hurt through your unconditional and everlasting love and compassion. You are my God. In you I put my trust.
Father God, thank you for prayer. I lift up Wendy to you this day. Father, I pray for your compassion and love to cover her during this time in her life. You are so faithful to us, Father. May she stand on the Rock of our salvation where we can hide under Your wings. I ask for miracles in her life Father. To You be glory and honor in all we say and do. In Jesus wonderful and holy name, Amen.
Psalms 23.
A verse that I love and am trying to do what it says is Hebrews 4:16.
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I know God will not leave me but I fear how much HE will allow us to go through. We are 18 years and 4 months into a very difficult disease–type 1 diabetes–and I still beg him to heal us on this side of heaven, of this constant battle for health for example. He has been with us through this and I am grateful, really grateful. I just fear the hard HE allows. This verse is where I go and find hope.
I am getting this verse made into a 4 ft by 3 ft sign (by aimeeweaverdesigns.com) to hang in room where I do most of my praying to help remind me.
What a great verse, Sheila! Thanks for sharing! I want to do it, too. Sometimes I too, “fear how much HE will allow us to go through,” and “the hard He allows.” I guess a good thing to hold on to is that He is with us always as we go THROUGH! He will take us THROUGH, and uphold us with us with His righteous right hand. Praise Him! Good to be reminded. God continue to rich bless you.
No circumstance (move), person (daughter, son/DIL & baby Sisson, husband), place, hurt, or sickness (fibromyalgia, tinnitus, my husband’s cancer) is outside My reach or beyond My control. Nothing burdening your heart is too hard for Me. Trust Me. In trusting Him, I surrender my expectations of what I think the outcomes should look like. I trust His extravagant and lavish love for me and my family.
Ephesians 5:2 And continue to walk surrendered to the extravagant love of Christ, for he surrendered his life as a sacrifice for us. His great love for us was pleasing to God, like an aroma of adoration—a sweet healing fragrance. (The Passion Translation)
Wow! Thank you for sharing, Shelley! ” No circumstance . . . is outside My reach or beyond My control.” I really need to “surrender my expectations of what I think outcomes should look like.” 😀 Thank you, too, for sharing Ephesians 5:2 from The Passion Translation. Glory to God! May we truly rest in these promises from our loving Heavenly Father!
I have a friend walking through a hard time right now and God led me back to this post and these truths to write a prayer for her. I’m guessing she’s not the only one who needs prayer when it comes to trust, so if that’s you I hope you make this prayer your own.
Dear Heavenly Father,
All authority in heaven and on earth is yours, help me remember You are God. In this moment, as I cry out to You, may I be still and know You are God. You are in control. You see all and know all. You hear my cry and understand my pain. No matter what circumstances have shaken my world, no matter how deep the pit or dark the sadness, You are here and You are light. Equip and strengthen me to walk in the light. Renew my mind and humble my heart so that I may trust You and lean not on my own understanding. Lord, I submit to You and ask You to make my paths straight. Father God, I give you my pain, my fears, my grief, my joys, my confusion and I trust You with it. Lord, help me keep taking the next step down the narrow road with you. Fill me with your Spirit; in my weakness may I rely on Your strength. Your grace is enough. Thank you Lord for being a promise keeper, may I trust you now and always. In Jesus’ Name, Amen
Hi, Jill! Thank you very much for sharing this prayer. I really appreciate it and it is very meaningful. May God continue to richly bless you!
I am enjoying Praying the Promises . The 2 verses I chose are 2 Corinthians 12:9 and Proverbs 3 :5-6 In 2 Corinthians 12:9 I am reminded of the song Jesus loves me – I am weak and He is strong and Yes, Jesus Loves Me. New Living Translation states “My gracious favor is all you need. My power works best in your weakness.” In the Message Bible ” My grace is enough;it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.” This is very comforting. This verse reminds me of Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is be grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from yourselves,it is the gift of God – not by works so anyone can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” N I V The Lord is our salvation,our strength,and our power “He is all we need.” Proverbs 3: 5-6 Psalm 16: 11 backs this verse up ” You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.” Amplified Bible Nehemiah 8: 10 b “for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” N L T
Hi, Elsie: Thanks for sharing these scriptures passages. What is the reference for the NIV “The Lord is our salvation, our strength, and our power. “He is all we need.” That is great! As I read it again, I am thinking the first are your words, and the last is a scripture quote. Thank you. It’s all good!!!
Wendy, this study is so rich. I think of how we, as moms, have such deep hearts for our children. We watch their facial expressions. We listen for the smallest inflections when they talk because our love for them is so fierce. We want nothing more than to help them on dark roads. Our Papa continues to remind me that our love for our children is a beautiful candle light. It’s a small reflection of His wildfire love for us. And His love for them. And He wants nothing more than for me to offer up my concerns to Him. Sometimes it’s simple. Other times, I need to offer up my anxieties hour by hour. Even minute by minute. But He loves it when I do! He loves me THAT much! And in HIs deepest love and and affection, He will take care of each matter. It’s a truth I need to receive daily.
casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. -1 Peter 5:7 AMP
I’m praying his over your family. Over mine. Over each precious girl who shared her raw heart here in this group. Thank you my dear friend. I love you!
Thanks for sharing, Noelle! This is great!!!
Hi Wendy,
Nice to reconnect with you! I participated in the “I am Loved” bible study through P31 OBS. It was amazing!!
Over the past 6 months or so, I did hit a very low, low. I won’t get in to the details but it wasn’t pretty. Praise & worship music and listening to the Daily Audio Bible (DAB) each morning was what saved me. I have been praying daily for all the people who call in requesting or offering prayer through DAB. I am finding that listening consistently to the needs of others (and those calling in to offer prayer) has helped me take the focus off of myself and direct what would have been negative energy to a very healthy and meaning place. So I listen to a daily reading and message each evening and then again in the morning. I turn on my worship music on the way to and from work (40 min drive each way) to set my mind for the day. I also attend a weekly Bible Study (face 2 face) and am currently doing the P31OBS “It’s Not Supposed To Be This Way” study. I believe that this is the only way that I am going to overcome “my issues.” Truly accepting God at His word has been hard for me…but slowly, He has been meeting me right where I am. I am feeling hope arise again in my Spirit. I know it is important to keep my eyes on Him, direct my energy towards compassion for others, and setting boundaries in my life are critical.
I love what you are doing here. Your format is so “user-friendly” – not too much but just enough!! Thank you for your commitment to teaching His word to a lost and wary people. Blessings.
Wow! This is all so good, including the comments! Praise God! I especially like the quote: ” May God’s Word always be on my tongue ready to speak into ANY SITUATION, ANY TEMPTATION, ANY BATTLE. ” Wendy Blight. I want this so badly. I recently learned that in Psalm 46:10, the Hebrew meaning for “be still” is “let go.” How about that? We need to let go of so much and trust God with it – knowing “He is God and is good at being God!” (Lysa TerKeurst). 🙂 So very thankful.
The two verses that spoke to me are:
Proverbs 3:5- 6 this is the verse that got me through a really difficult time.
Psalm 55:22
This is excellent thank you for the verses and words. Perfect reference. Praying for your family Wendy.
Good to hear. Hope to help you as well in finding places through this directories