When you come to your friend Jesus and rest in him, you’ll hear God’s comforting whispers. Amazing.
Jesus says “Come.” When you come and rest in him, wonderful things happen. Your jitters flutter away. Sadness lifts. Irritability takes a hike.
Then you can hear God’s whispers. For me this passage describes it best:
The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.”
Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire.
And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11-13)
The prophet Elijah heard God’s whispers. You can too. God speaks words of comfort and love. They encourage, not condemn. Words like:
“You are my Beloved.”
“You are mine. Always. For keeps.”
“In me you are safe.”
“You are precious, my daughter.”
“I cannot love you any less or any more. I am love.”
“Well done.”
Have you heard God’s whispers of love recently? Find a quiet place and quiet your mind. (Lots of noise between your pierced ears, right?!) Talk to the Lord, your very best friend.
Then listen.
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” John 15:15
How does God speak to you? Have you heard His voice lately?
P.S. If you still have trouble hearing His whisper, please contact me and I’ll write you back with extra helps.
On the outside, Marianne seemed okay. A caring husband, two girls, vibrant and busy in an under-four-kind-of-way, and a master’s in education. Inside she hurt terribly. Do you have a friend who’s hurting?
Here are 3 steps to help her.
It is spiritual CPR: Care, Prayer and Repair.
1. Care
Once you suspect that your friend is hurting, stop. This is what the Good Samaritan did (Luke 10:30-37). You remember the story. On the road to Jericho, a man was beaten by robbers and left for dead. A priest saw him and walked on by. So did the next Jew. When a Samaritan (considered a despicable “half-breed” to Jews) saw him, he stopped and helped.
Next meet her immediate needs. Does she need groceries or diapers for her baby? Could she use a ride to a doctor’s appointment? What about help figuring out which bill to pay next? Most important, listen to her pain. Listening is essential. As she talks and you listen, her healing will begin. But listening is only the beginning.
2. Prayer
Ask Jesus for wisdom concerning your next steps. The Holy Spirit will guide you. Believe this. He wants you to experience his peace. Jesus wants to help your hurting friend. Prayer is your lifeline to God and to your hurting friend.
“I am leaving you with a gift — peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid” (John 14:27 NLT).
3. Repair
You’ve met your hurting friend’s immediate needs and have prayed for her; now identify her deeper pain. When I asked Marianne what troubled her, she first said that she missed being in the workplace. She talked and I listened — a lot. I learned she had two major life transitions: she was newer to our community and she had left a job she loved. We talked many more times. Once she realized that these transitions — and her fear of rejection — had led to her sadness, she stopped fretting. She joined a moms’ group at church and contributed her gifts of leadership and drama.
God had not abandoned her as she feared. He brought friends into her life and provided her hope in Jesus’ care.
A Friendship Question: What is one thing you can do today to help a hurting friend? A phone call? An e-card?
Psst. . .Did you see yesterday’s post on finding JOY from a senior saint? You can read it here.
Friends are the chocolate chips in the cookie of life. They sweeten life.
“In the cookies of life, friends are the chocolate chips.”
As my Facebook friend Linda St. Myers says, friends are that sweet extra in life, and even sweeter is friendship among sisters in Christ. She is the founder of Patchwork Ministry, which helps hurting Christian women in Ohio.
Here is her ingredient list for friendship, which she shared with me. Tomorrow I’ll share my all-time best chocolate chip cookie recipe. 🙂 And I’ll ask you to tell me your favorite type of cookie too.
Ingredients of Friendship Recipe
Shortening. Provides texture. Our fellowship and friendship with our sisters in the Lord adds depth and texture to our lives. We blend together in unity as part of the body of Christ.
Sugar. Adds sweetness. Our fellowship adds sweetness to our lives. If we didn’t have sugar in our cookies, we’d sure miss it. The same is with our fellowship with our sisters. We can’t leave it out of our lives.
Eggs. Holds ingredients together. Our sisters in the Lord are someone to lean on. We are stronger because of them, their prayers, and their love in the Lord. We have a special bond in Christ.
Vanilla. Adds flavor. Without friends and fellowship we become kind of bland.
Flour. Adds substance. We need the substance a sister in the Lord can add. They give us many things by way of mentoring us even when we don’t know it. Their shared testimonies encourage us.
Baking Soda. Leavens. Leavening agents lighten the dough. Friendship with our sisters in Christ lightens our burdens through their prayer and encouragement.
Salt. Enhances flavor. We know that friendships add flavor and just when we need it, they help improve the tastefulness and quality of our lives. Friends are there when we need them.
Chocolate Chips. The kind of chocolate chips we normally add to our cookies is semi sweet. Our sister friends tell us what they feel and think and that’s okay. They can be honest and truthful to us. “Iron sharpeneth iron” (Proverbs 27:17).
Nuts…Optional. Just a little craziness in a sister friend is great! Sometimes a little zaniness in our friends can be just the ingredient we need.
A Friendship Question: Which is your favorite ingredient in a friendship. Leave a comment and let’s encourage one another?
Psst. . .On Tuesday I continue my October friendship focus on my online radio show REFILLS. You can learn more at my REFILLS radio page.
All friendships among women need a double dose of love. Think of a dear friendship. Can you feel the love? Or do you just know it? 🙂 Please leave a comment if you have a moment. Comments spell l-o-v-e too.
When you come to your friend Jesus and rest in him, you’ll hear God’s comforting whispers. Amazing.
