Weekend Words

 From Oasis of Hope...

Call and I Will Listen

"Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you." - Jeremiah 29:12 NASB

Life in this world is stressful and not without complications.  The news is full of gloom and doom.  There's traffic to deal with.  Social media.  Hurrying to and fro, without accomplishing much of anything.  Details can become overwhelming.

There are challenges such as needing a job.  Bills to pay.  Dealing with serious illness.  Family responsibilities.  How can we manage it all?  We might feel as if we're on a merry-go-round.

Some people may go to a psychiatrist or counsellor to discuss their problems and try to find answers.  Others seek mysticism to search their inner spiritual guide for solutions.  Many of the solutions we search for don't end up being as helpful as we hope.

We all want to be heard.  We want our loved ones to listen to what we say.  Even better, we want them to hear us and the emotions behind our words.

Who is the first one you turn to when needing help?  A trusted friend?  A spouse? Are they helpful?

No matter who we go to for help, one thing we can rest upon is that God wants us to come to Him with anything.  We can call out to God.  He promises to hear as we seek Him.  We can come just as we are.  We don't have to clean ourselves up before coming to Him.  God promises He will listen to us.

Wherever we are, we can pray to Him asking for forgiveness, seeking comfort, and bringing any concerns we have to Him.  He already knows what is on our hearts.  We simply need to come.  Best of all, He is the One with all the answers.

Won't you call out to Him today?  Bring your concerns, heartaches, and needs to Him.  He already knows.  He's waiting.

- Julie Wilson Smith

From In Green Pastures...

Prayer in Busy Days

It is in prayer that God shows his face to his children, that they have visions of his beauty and glory, that the sweet things of his love come down as gifts into their hearts, and that they are transformed into his likeness.  If you would be blessed, get many seasons of prayer into your busy, harassed, tempted, struggling life.  It is in these quiet moments that you really grow.  Somewhere in every vexed, feverish day get a little "silent time" for prayer.  It will bring heaven down into your heart and make you strong for service.