Restoration and Healing

"16'Therefore all who devour you will be devoured; And all your adversaries, every one of them, will go into captivity; And those who plunder you will be for plunder, And all who prey upon you I will give for prey. 17'For I will restore you to health And I will heal you of your wounds,' declares the LORD, 'Because they have called you an outcast, saying: "It is Zion; no one cares for her."
Jeremiah 30:16-17


For a couple of days now, these two words, restoration and healing, have been laying heavy on my heart and on my mind.  I am learning more and more not to question, why I can't shake things, but instead embrace that they are hanging with me for a purpose.  So, it is my hope today, that this post may reach just 1 person who needs these verses, or needs to know that they are not alone.

As it is human nature, we all fall short, suffer pain or loss, experience sickness, or something of the like.  No person, life, marriage, or family is perfect.  If you find yourself weathering a storm right now that has you battling yourself, your spouse, your family, or even sickness, these verses found in the book of Jeremiah may just be your anchor for today.  I am finding in my life that the times in my life when I struggle that the pain and hurt, caused by whatever the situation may be, are eased so much through scripture. I have found that either researching scripture on specific topics or either just opening my Bible to a particular Book that I feel I am being pulled toward, I am able to lift up more purposeful prayers and those purposeful prayers lead to relief -- or healing. 

I know for a fact, and came to terms with this past fall, that one of my biggest tripping stones was forgiveness.  For as long as I can remember, I thought I was a forgiver, but not a forgetter.  However, as I began to delve into myself, I came to the realization that I couldn't forget because I wasn't fully forgiving -- others or myself -- and that baggage was a weight that I was having to bear every day.  And since I am human, I had and have my own demons and struggles that I had and have to deal with, and am thankful that today that is an area I am still working on, but am getting better at; so much so, that there are certain people and things that I have already been able to set free from me.  One of the best ways I have found to do this, is praying for those that I need to forgive, that God would work on them the way He's working on me and help them find the healing and restoration that only He can provide.

I am battling my own areas of life in which I need healing and restoration and know that I will be clinging to these verses and this post for a while.  I, just as everyone, face my own daily challenges, burdens, and demons, but am thankful that through purposeful prayers I am able to move on and through God alone am granted restoration and healing.  May you also find the restoration and healing you desire through whatever means God sees fit in your life.


"Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security."
Jeremiah 33:6

Proverbs: Chapter 2

Lead me oh Lord

Simply put, my prayer for today is "Lead me oh Lord". 

May we each strive daily to live a moral life because it is through morality that wisdom is found and through wisdom that morality is attained. 

Father, I pray today that you will light and lead my path, show me the way you have prepared for me.  Let me live a life that is moral and pleasing to You so that in Your goodness and grace I may be able to focus on what You are showing me and saying to me.  Through Your Words may I find peace through forgiveness and love through Your covenants.
Amen.

I am finding as I continue into the Proverbs that my target prayers weren't just pulled out of the air but were specifically laid on my heart because each day, each chapter speaks to each of my 3 prayers in its own unique way.  I am thankful and blessed not because of my situation but because of my Lord.  May you find thanksgiving and blessing in your own day today through Him.

Fasting and Praying

Proverbs: Chapter 1

For several years now, I have wondered why so many people I know, who are not Catholic, have decided to take part in "Lent".  But this year as I was reading one of the devotional/prayer sites I like to frequent the author wrote about her decision to "fast & pray (for her marriage)", and just like that, in a blink, I understood that all these "non-Catholics" have not been simply taking on a piece of another religion, but have been seeking to draw themselves closer to Christ.  And so, for the first time in my 28 years, I am "fasting and praying".  Please feel free to join with me, or at the very least, pray for me as I go out on my own journey to seek His face by falling at his feet.  I use the ibelieve.com app for my daily devotionals but in addition I am starting to dig into my Bible on my own.  These next several posts will be my journey over the next 45 days of fasting, praying, seeking, and believing.  My journey is beginning with Proverbs -- a chapter a day until I complete the book and at that time will move onto the next book that I feel God has laid on my heart.  I am EXPECTING something BIG to come from Proverbs because my intentions were to start with Psalms, but that is not the plan He has for me.


Proverbs 1 sets up the "Purpose and Theme" as well as contains the "Epilogue" to the book. 

I realized as I read that I couldn't have asked for a better place to begin this journey than Proverbs 1.  The chapter warns against being enticed by "sinful men" and touches on rebuking God's wisdom.  WOW, what an encouragement for this next month and a half!  In the quiet, that I know I so need in my life, I heard God say, "Brooke, do not be discouraged by those who are not in your corner and do not let them be a discouragement to the path I have set before you.  Do not be enticed to follow in their sinful ways that are unpleasing to me and your greater purpose.  It is in Me and through Me that you will find wisdom if only you are willing to hear it.".  So it is here I sit in awe of his presence and purpose in my life. 

Today, all because of Proverbs 1 I pray prayers of thankfulness for the insight that was given to me, that I clearly need to steer my path, but didn't even know I needed.  God showed me ways through this chapter to pray for myself, my journey, as well as my "focus prayers" for the next 45 days.

I have three things that I am specifically praying for during this season and have decided to fast from the "all mighty" Facebook.  God knows my heart and will hear my prayers as I more fervently seek him, of this I know.  It is never too late to do your own "fasting and praying" and does not just have to be at the Easter season -- God is always ready and always knocking, all you have to do is listen and respond!