[Faith-talk] Fwd: Encouragement for Today - November 06, 2015

Sat Nov 7 20:04:22 UTC 2015

Ericka Short
"Friends are like flowers in the garden of life"

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Bible Gateway <BibleGateway at e.BibleGateway.com>
> Date: November 6, 2015 at 4:03:40 AM CST
> To: ejshort3 at gmail.com
> Subject: Encouragement for Today - November 06, 2015
> Reply-To: Support at e.BibleGateway.com
> 
> 
> Encouragement for Today    
> 
> NOVEMBER 6, 2015
> 
> When We Need to Listen With Our Eyes /
> ALICIA BRUXVOORT ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=18&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 
> 
> "The one who listens to me, who carefully seeks me in everyday things … that
> one will find true happiness." Proverbs 8:34
> ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=32&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 
> ols) (The Voice)
> 
> "I just need to know you’re here," I told God, as I mindlessly chopped carrots
> in preparation for dinner.
> 
> The baby whimpered in her bouncy seat, the toddler begged for a snack and I
> wished our meal would magically appear while I escaped to the bedroom for a
> nap.
> 
> My body was weary from the demands of a long day with little ones; my heart
> was weary from the weight of unanswered prayer. I was walking through a season
> of loneliness, and I desperately wanted to hear from God.
> 
> I’d never heard God speak audibly, but I’d experienced the Lord’s "still small
> voice" many times in my life. In the past, words of Scripture had often leapt
> off the pages of my Bible. I’d gleaned heavenly insight from the lyrics of a
> Christian song, a sermon that pierced my heart or the inspired words of a
> godly friend.
> 
> Why wasn’t I hearing anything now? I’d been begging the Lord for a word of
> encouragement for months. But it felt like my ears had grown deaf to the sound
> of my Savior’s voice. When I read my Bible, the words fell flat. When I tuned
> my ear to Heaven, I heard only silence.
> 
> Just then, my 8-year-old son skidded around the corner with a shiny blue
> ribbon pinned to his shirt. He hopscotched across the dingy floor, laughing as
> the ribbon caught air with every bounce and flapped like a baby bird trying
> out its wings.
> 
> Suddenly, my laments were trumped by my son’s noisy chatter about the track
> meet he’d enjoyed at school that afternoon.
> 
> "I can’t believe I won the race, Mom! I thought my legs were gonna give up,
> but I just kept moving my feet and suddenly I was at the finish line."
> 
> His happy prattle mingled with the rhythmic clank of my knife on the cutting
> board, and I looked up to acknowledge his words with a proud smile.
> 
> "Did you hear me cheering for you?" I asked.
> 
> I wasn’t sure if my little runner even realized I’d been in the bulging crowd
> of parents flanking the track that afternoon. Despite juggling the baby in one
> hand and the camera in another, I’d cheered as loudly as I could when my son
> sprinted past us toward the finish line.
> 
> "Yep," he said with a grateful grin. "I heard you."
> 
> "Oh, good," I replied. "I wasn’t sure if I was yelling loud enough."
> 
> My bouncing boy stopped hopping on one foot and shrugged his shoulders. Then
> he looked me in the eye and confessed, "Well, I couldn’t hear you with my
> ears, Mommy, but I knew you were there, ‘cause I was listening with my eyes."
> 
> My son wrapped his arms around my middle in a quick hug, then pointed those
> fast feet toward the back door and dashed outside to join his sister. I stood
> silent in the kitchen with the echo of those words in my head.
> 
> When my child couldn’t hear my voice, he’d sought my face.
> 
> When my cheers failed to echo in his ears, he’d let my presence encourage his
> heart.
> 
> My heart lurched with conviction. Maybe I hadn’t grown deaf. Maybe I’d grown
> blind. In my quest to hear God’s voice, I’d stopped seeking proof of His
> presence.
> 
> Today’s key verse reminds us God doesn’t just want us to seek His word with
> our ears. He wants us to listen with our eyes, as well.
> 
> This concept is woven throughout Scripture from the first page to the last.
> God’s people are often commanded both to listen and look, to hear and see.
> 
> Bending our ears to the promises of heaven involves tuning our eyes to God’s
> existence on earth. We can’t hearken His word without heeding His "with-ness."
> 
> I dumped the carrots into the simmering skillet and turned toward the window
> to watch my son chase his sister across the lawn. They blazed a trail of
> giggles across the emerald green, as the One who paints the sunset ignited the
> horizon with a blaze of orange glory.
> 
> I looked and listened while the day gave way to dusk. And as the sun sank low,
> I felt the weight on my heart soar high. Then, before I called the kids in for
> dinner, I changed my desperate prayer for an expectant plea: "Open my eyes,
> Father. I’m listening."
> 
> Dear Lord, teach me to listen to Your voice with my ears and my eyes and to
> seek You in everyday things. I want to know true happiness. In Jesus’ Name,
> Amen.
> 
> TRUTH FOR TODAY: /
> Psalm 68:33
> ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=31&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 
> s), "To Him who rides high up beyond the heavens, which have been since
> ancient times, watch and listen. His voice speaks, and it is powerful and 
> strong." (The Voice)
> 
> RELATED RESOURCES: /
> Develop the habit of looking for and listening to God each morning. The First
> 5 ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=20&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 
> app can help.
> 
> Visit Alicia Bruxvoort’s blog ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=26&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 more
> encouragement and a special giveaway to help you look and listen.
> 
> REFLECT AND RESPOND: /
> Practice the habit of "listening with your eyes" this week. Keep a list of the
> ways you see God as you go about your everyday things.
> 
> Write an encouraging note or send a text to someone who may be lonely. Ask God
> to help that person "hear" His heart through your words.
> 
> © 2015 by Alicia Bruxvoort. All rights reserved.
> 
> Proverbs 31 Ministries /
> 630 Team Rd., Suite 100 /
> Matthews, NC 28105 /
> www.Proverbs31.org ( http://links.biblegateway.mkt4731.com/ctt?kn=34&ms=NDk5NTMzNjES1&r=MjgwMDY3ODM3NjYS1&b=2&j=ODAwODIyNjA5S0&mt=1&rt=0 
> 
> Proverbs 31 Ministries
> 630 Team Rd., Suite 100
> Matthews, NC 28105
> www.Proverbs31.org
> 
> 
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