Her Lips Were Moving

 

 

“As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying

in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was

 not heard. Eli thought she was drunk.”

I Samuel 1:12-13 (NIV)

 

My car is equipped with a wonderful thing called Bluetooth. It is a hands-free way to communicate through my car with my cell phone. By pressing one button, I can contact anyone on my phone list and chat without holding a phone to my ear. I love it! But it has also gotten me in trouble more than once.

  

Last spring, I was chatting with a friend on Bluetooth as I drove in the city. I pulled up to a stop light and waited as other vehicles moved through their lanes. I was laughing at something my friend had said when out of the corner of my eye, I realized someone was staring at me.

 

I glanced to my left and saw an elderly lady staring at me as I talked. It was obvious I had no cell phone in my hand, and I have a feeling she had not heard of Bluetooth. Her passenger’s window was down so I quickly smiled and waved her direction.

 

She stared in the backseat of my car and then looked around me in the front seat. No one in the car except me. And yet she saw that my lips were moving as if I was carrying on a conversation. I was – but she couldn’t figure out who I was talking to in my car when it was obvious I was alone.

 

At the exact moment I lowered my window to explain what I was doing, I watched her passenger window begin to rise and I heard a click as she locked her car doors. And if that wasn’t enough, she gave me a “Don’t come near me I have mace and I know how to use it” look. Mercy.

 

In I Samuel 1:12-13 we find a woman who also appears to be speaking to no one and even fools Eli the priest. He does not realize that Hannah is actually deep in prayer and assumes that she is drunk. He confronts her (verse 14) and tells her to quit drinking and getting drunk. But she replies that she is simply pouring her heart out to the Lord because of the great sorrow in her life of not having a child.

 

That caused me to think about my prayer time. How much time do I spend pouring MY heart out to God? Oh, I can spend a few minutes here and there with “popcorn prayers.” Prayers like “help me find the keys, Lord” or “give me strength, Jesus” and there’s nothing wrong with those prayers at all.

 

But how often do I kneel and share from the depths of my soul to the One – the ONLY One – who can hear and answer? Deep in prayer means that my focus is not on anything around me but totally and completely on the Lord. My tv and computer are turned off. My phone is muted. My “to do” list is replaced with what God will do. The noise of the world around me is exchanged for stillness in the presence of the Lord.

 

Our priority from this moment on needs to be to find a quiet place to talk to our Father every day and to share our lives with Him in prayer. He will never roll the window up on us as we share our deepest sorrows and needs with Jesus and wait on His answers.

 

 

Father, thank you for listening and answering when I come to you with my hurts and requests. Thank you for being a faithful Father. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• How often do you set everything aside and simply sit before the Lord, emptying your heart of every worry or fear or concern and then listening for His voice?

 

Apply

• Find a private place in your home or around your community (park bench) where you can pour your heart out before the Lord. Explain to your family that you need those minutes of uninterrupted time with Him.

 

• Before you speak with the Lord ask your family if they have any concerns that you can lift to the Lord for them. Protect that time with the Creator of the Universe as you meet Him face to face, knowing that He will protect His time with you.

 

Power

• I Samuel 1:12-13 (NIV) “As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk.”

 

• Psalm 145:18 (NIV) “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”

 

• Jeremiah 29:12 (NIV) “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.”

The Falling Branches

 

“Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

Romans 8:5 (NIV

 

The “ice storm of all time” hit our part of the state where I live a few years ago. Schools were closed, electricity was out for about a week, and everyone scrambled to find ways to heat their homes. Had it not been for so many problems due to the storm, the sheer beauty of ice on the trees would have been breathtaking.

 

Instead, people found themselves with damage to their yards and trees because of the ice snapping one massive limb after another and forcing each one to plummet toward the ground, leaving deep scars from the impact of the fall. I was not exempt from that damage in my yard.

 

I had an enormous oak tree on the south side of my home that was my best friend in the summer because of the shade it provided. The branches were huge, the tree majestic. But as I began the process of cleaning up my yard after the storm, I discovered that a very large dead limb at the top of this tree had given in to the weight of the ice and had crashed to the ground, taking with it three healthy limbs.

 

As I looked at the damage, my mind switched to the “dead limbs” that we all have in our lives. Maybe it’s gossip or jealousy or an anger issue or always having to be right. Whatever they might be, the dead limbs in our lives can do unbelievable damage to our family, our friends, and even to people around us that we might not know well. But they do something else, too. They also damage our relationship with God.

 

We are very foolish if we think that our wrong choices will have no consequences and that people will not be hurt or relationships ruined. “Yes, I am having an affair,” my friend told me, “but it only affects the two of us. Nobody will get hurt.” My heart broke in pieces. Nobody hurt? What about your husband and children and his wife and the fact that you have destroyed their trust by your actions? One dead branch – an affair – fell, and it took with it several once-healthy branches of spouses and children and trust.

 

A young man that I had encouraged to take a different path and stop using drugs took me by the arms and said “Listen, I know you care about me. I get it. But just leave me alone and let me do my drugs. Nobody is getting hurt. I’m fine. It’s my life.”  And with each police report in the paper with his name in bold type, his family and friends who love him become casualties from the dead branch of drugs.

 

Our gift from the Lord – the ability to communicate with Him – is broken when we engage in behavior that does not glorify Him or reflect His will for our lives. David knew that. He wrote in Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened . . .” David had found out the hard way that cherishing (taking pleasure in) behavior outside of the will of God results in heartache, a broken relationship with God and consequences. As the dead branch fell – lusting after Bathsheba, a married woman – it ultimately resulted in the death of his son.  A healthy branch, a son, taken down by a father’s dead branch choice.

  

I encourage you this very moment to examine your life for any dead branches that are hiding in your life, threatening to come crashing down and taking healthy branches with them. Any focus outside of the will of God in your life will affect those around you and they will be hurt, or in some cases, even destroyed. And your relationship with God will be hurt as well. When you identify the dead limbs, repent, give them to the Lord and ask Him to help you cut them off as quickly as possible. Then kneel before Him as He removes each branch and pulls you back into His presence.

 

Lord, forgive me for allowing sin in my life and for thinking that I can do whatever I want without hurting those I love. Please give me strength and courage as I cut off any branches in my life that do not glorify and honor you. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• What branches do you have in your life that you have been trying to hide from the Lord?

 

• Think through each branch. What could be the result of holding on to these branches? Loved ones hurt? Relationships destroyed? Is the branch worth the pain it may cause?

 

Apply

• Dig into the Word and ask the Lord to show you those branches in your life that do not glorify Him.

 

• Make a list with the name of each branch and offer them all up to the Lord. Burn the paper as your offering to Him and your desire to reconnect with Him and His will for your life.

 

Power

• Romans 8:5 (NIV) “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.”

 

• I Corinthians 10:31(NIV) “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

 

• Psalm 66:18 (NIV) “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened . . . “    

The Most Wonderful Day of My Life

 

“Be very careful, then, how you live – not as

unwise but as wise, making the most

of every opportunity, because

the days are evil.”

Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV)

 

 

There were very few times as a little girl that I got to go with my dad and help him with his farm chores. I don’t remember why. Perhaps he was in a hurry with so much to do. Maybe he wanted to make sure his 8-year-old daughter was safe in the house and away from the equipment.

 

Whatever the reason, I longed to do something – anything – with him. And then it happened. He asked me to help him feed the cattle.

 

It was an extremely cold January day so I zipped and buttoned layer after layer to stay warm and topped it all with oversized brown coveralls, a green stocking cap and two pairs of gloves. My job was to drive the tractor pulling the wagon while he threw hay off the back to the cattle.

 

            It’s funny how sights and sounds stay with you, but I can still remember the smell of the hay and feel the crisp air on my face as I proudly drove the tractor around the field as the cattle followed.

 

I remember thinking that this must be what the Pied Piper of Hamelin did to get the children to follow him, except the children were replaced by cattle and my dad used his voice instead of a flute to get them to come to him.

 

In all honesty, I am sure he did not look back on that experience with me as anything out of the ordinary. But not me! Oh, I remember that day even now because it was one of the few times that I got to work side by side with Daddy.

 

I am reminded of a true story about Charles Francis Adams, the grandson of President John Adams and the son of President John Quincy Adams. Charles, a successful lawyer and politician, was disciplined to the point of keeping a dairy that he wrote in almost daily.

 

One entry was this: “Went fishing with my son today – a day wasted.” However, his son, Brook Adams, who also kept a diary, wrote this entry on the same day: “Went fishing with my father – the most wonderful day of my life!”

 

I know that life gets crazy. There are demanding careers and unmowed lawns and dirty dishes and jammed windows. There are golf games and card games and unread books and unmade beds.  

 

But there are also children. Children to hug and cheeks to kiss and puddles to wade in together. There are kites to fly and bikes to ride and songs to sing and laughter to share and Scripture to discover. Together.

 

There are always memories to be made. So, I need to ask you: how will your children – and grandchildren – remember you?

 

Paul encouraged the people at Ephesus to wisely make the most of every opportunity that they had to do the Lord’s will. His warning applies to us today as well.

 

Unfortunately, I must admit that when it comes to my children and grandchildren, I can get my priorities out of order. Can you relate?

 

There is absolutely nothing in your life right now that cannot wait until you hug or love or tickle or squeeze your children. Until you take each little face in your hands, look into upturned eyes and say, “The best part of my day is you.” 

 

I have no doubt that they will immediately think “this is the most wonderful day of my life!”

 

 

Father, thank you for reminding me today that spending time with my children is more important than anything in this world. I pray I will take every opportunity to let them know how much they are loved. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• Are your children listed above everything that you must do this next week or at the bottom of the list?
• Do you find yourself telling your kids “Yes, we will do that together later” but later doesn’t come?

 

Apply

• Make two columns in your journal. Label them “Important for Now” and “Important for Eternity.”
• Enter your activities for next week under one of the two columns. Prioritize activities so your children are at the top of both columns. Are your children listed in any of the activities? In which column are they?

 

 

 

 

Power

• Ephesians 5:15-16 (NIV) “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.”
• James 4:14 (NIV) “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
• Psalm 39:4 (NIV) “Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life.”
• Psalm 127:3 (NIV) “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.”
• Deuteronomy 11:19 (NIV) “Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Never Stop Sharing Truth

 

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

 

“Children Say the Darndest Things” was a popular television show years ago hosted by the famous personality Art Linkletter. He would ask children several innocent questions about everyday life and then simply sit back and listen to their hilarious answers. It was funny to me because they weren’t MY children answering. But one day that all changed

.

My three-year-old daughter and I stopped at our church to leave some information with the secretary when the minister came in the door. He gave us a big smile and greeting and then said “My goodness, I can’t believe how hot it is out there, even for August! It’s terrible! I can hardly stand it!”

 

Immediately my little daughter piped up “My mother says you should always remember Philippians 2:14. Do everything without grumbling or complaining.” Silence. Well, except for the moment my jaw dropped and hit the floor. But before I could think of a thing to say, the minister stepped in.

 

“You know what? You are exactly right. I should not complain about something like hot weather because before long I will be complaining about cold weather. I just need to thank the Lord for what He has given us.” A gracious man with a gracious answer.

 

What he didn’t know was that I had been repeating that particular Scripture over and over to my two older children as I explained to them why it was so important to get rid of the habit of complaining about everything – like they had been doing.

 

What I hadn’t realized was that my youngest child – the one I hadn’t even been speaking to – had been listening to my talks with her siblings and had memorized those wise words from the Lord.

 

Deuteronomy 6:6-7 is vitally important to those of us raising children and grandchildren in today’s world. It says “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” The message is twofold.

  

First, as a parent or grandparent, we need to understand why God has given us these commandments to “be upon your hearts.” In order to be able to differentiate between what He wants in our lives and what the world says is important, we must look for truth – truth that is only found in the Bible. It’s virtually impossible for us to share what we have not read. So, we must dig in the Word. Every day

.

Secondly, we are told to share that truth from the Lord with our children, no matter where we are: driving to a basketball game; at bedtime; around the dinner table, while our little ones are splashing in the bathtub.

 

Now understand that does not mean that we follow them around, shouting Scriptures and demanding they shout them back until every word is memorized! What it does mean is using those teachable moments to share how a truth from God’s Word could help guide them or their friends in a tough situation. And, perhaps even more importantly, remembering that they are listening BUT also watching to see if we live what we teach.

 

My encouragement to each of you is to soak up God’s Word in your hearts so you can always be ready to share with your children what the Creator of the Universe wants for their lives.

 

Father, I desire with all my heart for my children and grandchildren to know your Word and to know you. Please guide me as I share your heart with them. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

 

Reflect

• Can you remember the last Scripture you shared with your children? Are you living what you are teaching?
•  What was the reason you told them they needed to memorize it and its meaning?

 

Apply

• In your study of God’s Word, memorize a Scripture each week that you can share with your children.
• Watch for moments when you can share that Scripture with them and explain how it has helped you in your life. Encourage them to memorize the Scripture.

 

Power

• Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV) “These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”

 

• Isaiah 55:11 (NIV) “So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

 

• Proverbs 22:6 (NIV) “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”

 

 

 

The Itemized Statement

“Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!”

Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

Proverbs 20:22 (NIV)

 

The bitter tone of the woman’s voice in the next room caught my attention as I walked into the office.  Her barely restrained fury made every word she spoke sound like a shot being fired from a rifle.

 I had an appointment to have my car inspected at a restore and refinish auto shop after a minor bumper mishap but from the tone of her voice, I assumed the vehicle belonging to the angry woman must have sustained an exorbitant amount of damage. It sounded as though she was having every single part replaced as she listed item after item that needed to be ordered.

 “And one last thing,” she concluded. “I want a new paint job. He’s gonna be sorry by the time this is done.” I almost pitied the guy who hit her car. “Must have been some collision,” I thought.

 The man talking to her laughed. “What about new leather seats?” he asked. “Sure, why not,” she answered. “He’s got the money. He’s getting the bill.”  

 As they concluded their business, the woman walked into the office and, with a look over her shoulder, made one final comment as she left: “He thinks I am just going to have a few things updated on my car. Just wait until he gets the bill! This is going to be great! I’ll teach him to divorce me!” and with a laugh she was gone.

 Getting even. Oh, haven’t we all been there? “He said” or “She did” and we immediately believe we have a right to hold a grudge and to inflict judgment ourselves.

 Now, I know you may be thinking “But you have no idea what has happened to me and what he/she did” and that is very true, just as I have no idea what happened in this woman’s divorce. But I can tell you that, after she had inflicted her damage to her former husband’s billfold in revenge, there was no joy in her laugh.

I also know that resentment and bitterness do more harm to you than to the person you are resentful and bitter toward. It is the same as your drinking poison to hurt the person who wronged you. Instead, your physical health is affected immediately and, more importantly, your spiritual health is compromised.

Forgiving does not mean that you accept as right the wrong done to you. It simply means that you are trusting God to turn that wrong into a right for His glory.

            The woman’s itemized statement was really a list that included revenge, bitterness, resentment, anger and unforgiveness.

 If you have an itemized statement like hers, I urge you to truly count the cost and write “forgiven” under the amount due – just as Jesus has done for you.

             Father, I have had a “get even” attitude so many times in my life. Please help me to look at all situations through your eyes and to learn to forgive. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  

 

 

R.A.P. it up . . .

 

Reflect

• Can you think of an instance in your life when someone committed a wrong against you?

 

• What was your first reaction? To get even or to forgive?

 

Application

• Make a list of the wrongs that have been done to you.

 

• Beside each one write “forgiven” and the Scripture that applies. Then forgive.

 

Power Verses:

• Proverbs 20:22 (NIV) “Do not say, “I’ll pay you back for this wrong!” Wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you.”

 

 

• Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV) “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

 

 

• Leviticus 19:18 (NIV) “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”

 

• Psalm 27:14 (NIV) “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

 

• Ephesians 4:31-32 (NIV) “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”