Expecting

Are you expecting? A child? A sign from God? A miracle and wonder?
Me too. And I believe.

Are you expecting a child and want to KNOW how to pray for them as they grow? Or is there someone dear to you who is lost and lonely? Has a son or daughter strayed from the way they were raised? Does it grieve your momma heart?

Why do I ask these questions? Because our oldest son lost his way when we lost our youngest son, his baby brother.

Lost. Lonely. Loveless. Lifeless.

What have you lost that was once dear to you? Innocence. Belief. Faith. Hope. Love. But the greatest of these is love. And when we feel that we have lost the love of God, we truly have lost our way, our belief, our hope, our joy. And the list goes on…

So I turn to the Word of God to see – and say – His promises as I fall to my knees in prayer. I pray for him, for you and for your loved ones, far and wide. So what does the LORD say that gives us hope?

16 This is what the Lord says:
“Restrain your voice from weeping
and your eyes from tears,
for your work will be rewarded,”
declares the Lord.
“They will return from the land of the enemy.
17 So there is hope for your descendants,”
declares the Lord.
“Your children will return to their own land.
18 “I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning:
‘You disciplined me like an unruly calf,
and I have been disciplined.
Restore me, and I will return,
because you are the Lord my God.
19 After I strayed,
I repented;
after I came to understand,
I beat my breast.
I was ashamed and humiliated
because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’
20 Is not Ephraim my dear son,
the child in whom I delight?
Though I often speak against him,
I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I have great compassion for him,”
declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:16-20 (NIV)

Praise God – they WILL return from the land of the enemy. That’s a promise. From the land of doubt, despair, loss, loneliness, hopelessness, grief, unforgiveness, brokenness, abandonment, failure, unbelief… Again, the list goes on…

I have a question. Am I talking about you and me, now? Father God, You illuminate that which needs light so please shine Your cleansing light and breathe new life into stale places to revive and restore us, Your sons and daughters…

But what if the enemy really has a stronghold, whether it’s on us or our children? Oh Father, show me.  I ask, seek and knock as Your Word instructs. Show me hope please – Your hope.

24 Can plunder be taken from warriors,
or captives be rescued from the fierce?
25 But this is what the Lord says:
“Yes, captives will be taken from warriors,
and plunder retrieved from the fierce;
I will contend with those who contend with you,
and your children I will save.
Isaiah 49:24-25 (NIV)

Yes, Father! Rescue our sons and daughters. They (we!) are held captive…By a LIE of the enemy. Rescue me from every lie I’ve believed too, Lord God Almighty. Take them (me!) from the warriors of their (our!) soul.
And retrieve them (me!) from the fierce enemy, Father.

Contend, O Lord, for me and mine.

[Tweet “Thank You, Father, for this is what the Lord says – your children I WILL SAVE.”]

Promise! From the Lord God Almighty…and He cannot lie.

So what are you contending for? The souls of our sons and daughters? Or have you and I become complacent with what we see today and stopped believing for the promises of God? We’ve stopped asking, seeking and knocking on the door to God’s heart to ask Him to contend for our loved one.

[Tweet “Oh, I can NOT become complacent and compliant to the wiles of the wicked one.”]

Stand Firm
Be Strong and Courageous
Armor UP
And Pray Unceasingly

Ephesians 6:10-20 is my power prayer each morning.

The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

I want that! You, too? Then we must speak it out loud as faith comes by hearing and hearing by The Word.

So many times this passage is cited yet stops at verse 17, yet the next 3 verses are powerful and packed with instruction for us to FINISH putting on the FULL Armor of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Ephesians 6:18-20 (NIV)

So I pray His promises…

And I am expecting – great things!  You too?

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