"I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations."
Jeremiah 1:5
Jeremiah 1:5
My Take Aways
Something Old:
I was set apart to lead this study before He formed me in my mother's womb. Oh my, that is HUGE to me.
Something New:
Jeremiah was human. He was scared, too. He recognized the Lord's sovereignty but was close enough to Him to question what He heard. I love that!
Something to Do:
Trust God and fear not. His plan is to bring me good and glory to Himself. Stop selling myself short and giving God excuses for not saying yes to what He set me apart to do.
17 Comments:
Good Morning all,
I wanted to spend a few minutes pondering Manasseh. What a king...
"Manasseh led the people of Judah and Jerusalem to do even more evil than the pagan nations that the Lord had destroyed when the people of Israel entered the land." 2 Kings 21:9
"Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight." 2 Kings 21:16
"12 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. 13 And when he prayed, the Lord listened to him and was moved by his request. So the Lord brought Manasseh back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh finally realized that the Lord alone is God!" 2 Chronicles 33:12-13... and it goes on through verse 19! What a GREAT conversion! Nothing is impossible for our God! He turns us back; he rescues us from the pit (Psalm 40:2), He restores us and makes us His: "If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me.” 15:9). That is Awesome!
I also noticed some word play today (thanks to the NIV study Bible). The first is Jer 1:11-12; the words for Almond branch (Shaqed) and watching (Shaqad). According to the NIV Study Bible, the almond tree buds early in spring, it is the first sign of spring, and likewise Israel is to keep watching, be wakeful to the signs the Lord will send, because they will come quickly.
The second word play is Jer. 2:12 - "appalled" (Shamen) and "heavens" (shamayim), the contrast of these very similar sounding words emphasizes the magnitude of the desolation, the stunning, the stupification... That all the heavens (heavenly beings, sky , sun, stars, abode of God) would feel it...And rightly so! As verse 11 says; "Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God
for worthless idols!"
the answer is NO, so why do the Israelites or even we today do this! I guess we are still cracked clay pots that cannot hold the living water so freely given to us without the constant intersession of the potter who repairs us.
Have a good day all! I am going on my postponed anniversary trip to London tonight and will return on Sunday. I will be reading, but maybe not posting. Enjoy your weekend!
Karen, Basel
Karen, may you and Bob have a blessed and safe anniversary trip. How lovely to be able to pop on over to London for the weekend!
My nugget for today had to do with the kings, Manasseh and Amon. Manasseh went against the fine example of his father, Hezekiah, and "did what was evil in the Lord's sight" before he suffered greatly, and then "humbled himself and repented." Then his son, Amon, "did what was evil in the Lord's sight", before meeting his death two years later at the hands of his own officials. I stopped to wonder how Hephzibah (mother of Manasseh) and Meshullemeth (mother of Amon) must have suffered to see their sons doing evil after having been brought up seeing their fathers do what was right. Did Hephzibah witness the capture and humiliation of her son, leading to his repentence? Did Meshullemeth outlive her murdered son? If so, did they pray for their sons? Did they feel guilty? Had they given up hope? I wish the Bible told us more about these women. I'd like to believe that they each prayed for their sons.
I am reading "The Power of Praying for your Adult Children," by Stormie Omartian and as I learn how to take on this role, I can see how the power of prayer is designed not only to help the person you are praying for, but to strengthen our relationship with our God and our faith in His power and promises. And, just as one of those promises states, as we present our requests to God, we get "the peace of God, which transcends all understanding..." (Philippians 4:6). Truly, friends, I don't understand it, but I do know from experience that when I pray for others, my own anxieties are calmed. Thank you, Lord, for being so gracious and merciful to me.
Special prayers today for all those traveling to SheSpeaks, for Karen and Bob traveling to London, for Ryan's recovery from surgery, for Linda, Dixie and Sarah facing breast cancer, for Michael, Johnny, Dylan and Ryan to make good decisions, and for Lyn's children and grandchildren, especially Dylan.
Have a blessed, 4:8 day, all.
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
P.S. Elizabeth, SAPing today for a job for you. Keep the faith [smile]!
Wendy - Your vlog was so powerful today. I am so thankful that you have answered God's calling in your life - you bless so many of us by speaking God's words directly to us. Thank you, thank you. I pray that you and the rest of the Proverbs 31 ladies have a blessed weekend at She Speaks, that God would use each of you to speak His message, equip you with energy & words necessary for the task, and that God would bless those attending.
Michelle & Karen - I too was fascinated by the king Manasseh. What a powerful example that God will listen to the "worst" sinner if only he humbles himself before the Lord and repents of his sins. I was really pleasantly surprised to read that finally, one of these evil kings actually turned tail and did the right thing.
I also loved the Jeremiah bit about God knowing me and knowing my calling before I was even formed in my mother's womb. My mind can't even really fathom that, but my to do is as Wendy said - seek Him in His word, pray, and wait and listen. The waiting and listening part - I am very bad at that, it is so hard...
I pray that you all have a wonderful day today and have God's strength to face whatever is coming your way today. I am behind in reading the comments, so I don't have specifics to pray, but will catch up and do so.
Kate in VA
Good Morning Everyone,
Like Karen, Michelle and Katie, I too am intrigued with the story of Manasseh. Later in verses 18 and 19, it tells us his prayer and the account of how God answered him are recorded in some other books. What are these books? Are they still around? I've noticed that reference throughout the past while, and wondered about those books. Although I'm sure they would be filled with mighty military manouvers, they also would add a new dimension to these ancient kings.
The million dollar question in Christiandom, is what is God's will for my life. My husband and I farm for a living, and I am a stay at home mom the rest of the year. Many times I wonder if this is "all" that the Lord has for me. Sure, I feel fulfilled in my role, but soon my nest will be empty. We will still be young (ish, smile) and have many years ahead of us, Lord willing. And I wonder what is ahead for us. This planting of crops, and gathering in harvest, year after year after year. Is all this meaningless? Was I born for more than this?
And so I will wait, and pray, and wait things out some more. God will lead, of that I am sure.
You ladies will follow me in my heart today. Praying for the conference and the prep time before. Praying for the requests on here as well. Today I will be running the combine and harvesting our wheat crop. Lots of time to think and pray!
Franny
It's Thursday already! Where has the week gone? Morning friends!
Loved the message Wendy. He sends us. Fear not. God is in control....perfect love casts out all fear.
I read Chron 33:17 "However, the people still sacrificed at the pagan shrines, though only to the Lord their God." And put a question mark behind it. Was God okay with this? It doesn't feel like pure worship to me. G&P...can you see what Courson says about this verse? Thanks!
Jeremiah 1:9..."look, I have put my words in your mouth"....I am re-reading Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind and I really connected the dots here with what she says in her book. What we think (negative or positive thoughts) are what come out in our words and deeds. God can put HIS words in my mouth. I just need to ask Him and allow Him...I desire that so much...and I sure can tell the difference when they are HIS words and not mine!
Thank You Jesus for this day. May our words be Yours and may they sing your praises and blessings all day long. Amen.
I SAP for you all as you mention your needs.
Morgen
Hi all,
Thanks so much for your prayers! I am going to try to stay in this study. Being in God’s word is calming. I just want to tell what happened yesterday, because I think it relates to Wendy’s teaching today. I was to work at church last night, but had to get an MRI and fight traffic to get back to church. I was going to call and cancel, but I forced myself to go. I work at the information desk at church. I think God was working last night.. I met a wonderful man and we started to talk. He told me that he had undergone a kidney transplant and almost died waiting for a donor. To make a long story short, he has devoted his life to praying for others that are going through major health issues. And once he had committed himself, he told me how God has put people in his path to minister to. God had used his illness for his good purpose. God had set him apart before he was born. I know I was meant to meet him to encourage me, because I am truly at a low point. I am going to meet with the surgeon this afternoon and find out what stage I am in.
Linda
Happy Thursday!
Yesterday was a day of electronic problems for me. Someone(s) hacked my facebook account and sent messages to all on my list that they were my soul mates. This included men who were friends of my children! I hope I have more security now in place. I was working on my spare bedroom so that I can have a place where my dogs cannot pounce on me after the operation, and my TV and DVD doesn't work. I was really short tempered with my friend, Jack, may he forgive me. Then we lost DSL so I couldn't use the computer either (due to storms). But, guess what, the sun came up again this morning!
Thank you for all your continued prayers and even the special prayer about waiting. Tomorrow I go to find out more options at oncology. The chances were 80% that the biopsy would be negative - here we have 3 people we know right now being positive. So praise God, somewhere there are seven or eight women who turned up negative.My prayers are with the young people who are suffering and should have many more years of life to look forward to. I am in the "bonus" years. Bless Wendy and all the others who serve at She Speaks. May all come away full of inspiration and dedication.
I think I will continue this post as I have never run over the word limitation. Dixie
Back again. Linda, if you want to communicate about details my email is Dixie0907@aol.com. We could hold hands in cyberspace!
About our callings in life - I didn't really know until I was 50 years old and became a respiratory therapist and struggled with it what I was meant to do. And farming is important, Franny! Farmers are the backbone of our nation holding all the other parts of the body together. I wanted to be like Mother Theresa. But instead God called me to bloom where I am planted!
From yesterday's reading - "The wolf and lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow." I have come to believe that even the animals were corrupted in the Garden of Eden. When I see them hunting and killing each other to survive, I turn away from the TV. How nice to know in the future kingdom, it sounds like they will be vegetarians! "Look! I am creating new heavens and a new earth, and no one will even think about the old ones anymore. Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!....And the sound of weeping and crying will be heard in it no more." I look forward to His coming! Amen
Dixie in Florida
Wendy, I liked those verses from Jeremiah because that's something I'm always struggling with. I don't feel valuable enough for God to call me to do anything, and yet I know that my value comes from Him because He made me and not from anything I can or can't do. It's hard to get that message to sink into my head ....
I was the exact opposite of several of you - I wasn't so interested in Manessah himself, although I thought more details about how he was captured and then released would made a great adventure movie - but I wanted to know more about Josiah. Here he is, very, very young, the son of a wicked king, and he chooses at 12 to turn to God. How does he know about him? How does he know his commands? If the entire nation has become pagan and is worshipping silly statues, if even his ancestors were burned alive by their father, who around him is influencing him for good? Who is showing him God's love and teaching him his commands and decrees? Whether on purpose or not, someone in the palace must have stayed on track despite the years of kingly confusion and been steadfastly worshipping God, visibily enough for this young boy to pick up on it and want that relationship for himself. How many twelve-year-olds with a kingdom at his disposal would seek out God and go against the popular type of worship? It seems to me that he was a pretty special king, and I'd love to know what happened that his reign ended when he was only 39. Again, another movie! :-) And in thinking about his influence, what kind of influence do we have on those around us? Who's watching us that we may not be aware of?
Dixie, Linda, Teeny, you (and your daughter Sarah) have been often in my mind lately. I'm praying for you!
Dixie, you have an amazing outlook to praise God for the women who received a negative test. That's wonderful! :-)
Missing the kids ... it's too quiet here! Doing some last minute things to get ready for vacation next week!
Jeremiah 1:5 caught my attention. God knew who and what I'd be and all the things I'd go through before he formed me in my mother's womb. He knew about the challenges and successes I'd have in my life.
I ask for your prayers today. Since last night I've had a headache. I don't get headaches too often but this one kept waking me up throughout the night. This morning when I woke up it was so bad I had to lay hands on myself and I could only think of two healing Scriptures to use. This morning I also became nauseous after taking my medication and then eating something and I ended up getting sick. I rarely get sick like I did this morning. This was the second time in seventeen years.
Karen, have a wonderful and blessed anniversary trip!
Amy, I remember our pastor saying that Josiah became a good king at a young age because of the influence of his grandfather, Manasseh. I can relate to that, being saved at a later age like Manasseh. I'm sure he felt an intensity to catch up on lost years. So I imagine Manasseh maybe trying to influence his son but son was already grown and would not listen. Manasseh must have turned his attention then to little Josiah. And Josiah listened. Of course, that's just my pastor's opinion. It stayed with me because Pastor said Manasseh is one of his favorite kings. He turned to God later in life but when he did, he did his best to show others about Him.
Linda, God is so good, isn't He? He provides people in our paths to help us. Now you have one more prayer warrior. And when this whole episode is in the past for you, you can do the same for someone else. What a great, great God we serve.
Dixie, I'm sorry about your account being hacked. I'm also sorry that I laughed because I can just imagine your kid's friends being puzzled at your request to be their soulmates (ok, I'm starting to laugh again). Sorry.
I'm going to pray for you as you go about your treatment options. God is still not done with you Miss Dixie!
Morgen, I don't have the Courson commentary with me right now, but will look it up. I focused on his comments re Jeremiah last night.
He said Jeremiah proclaimed the message of God for forty-two years and NO ONE responded. Not a single person. No wonder Jeremiah was known as the Weeping Prophet. Wouldn't you do the same if you preached for over 40 years and no one listened?
But there's this:
"The Lord does not ask us to be successful. He asks us to be faithful. All of us has a job to do and the Lord isn't asking for success, for only He can bring that about. He simply asks us to be faithful - to do what He says." (Jon Courson Applications Commentary Old Testament vol. 2 - ooops I did not write down the page)
Have a blessed day, everyone.
Franny, I agree with Dixie. Farmers are very important and under appreciated in this kooky world we live in. Today as I made muffins and salads, I thanked the Lord for farmers!! I pictured you on your combine and prayed for you to get guidance for your future. (This suburban girl is in awe that you can drive a combine!) I, too, am looking for direction from our Lord for the future, with my nest nearly empty and retirement for my husband and me a few years away.
Linda, thank you for sharing what happened last night. What did Wendy call that? A Godcidence? You were obedient even though it was not easy for you, and you were rewarded! I'm intrigued to hear that praying can be a ministry. I've been praying a lot this summer, reading books about it, and listening to sermons on praying. My spiritual mentor is a mighty prayer warrior, and I think I might want to be her when I grow up [smile]!! Please do stay with this study, Linda!
Dixie, you certainly were under attack yesterday! I'm so glad you got your computer back, because you are a blessing to this sisterhood! You have lots to teach us, Dixie, so fight this cancer with all your faith, and we'll be here praying for you!
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
Franny, your question re God's will in your life brought to mind the sermon our pastor preached last Sunday on Romans 12:9-21.
He said we oftentimes search and wonder about the unrevealed will of God. Well, God won't tell us what those are until we do the revealed will of God which are:
Romans 12:9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[e] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[g]
says the Lord.
20 Instead,
“If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap
burning coals of shame on their heads.”[h]
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Pastor said if we focus and try to do even only 3 things from that list, God will say "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Linda...I got goose bumps reading your post...God so loves you he sent an encourager...Keeping you in my prayers...
I had to shake my head while reading about Hezekiah and Manasseh and wrote in the margin...father-son issues...been there...
Thank you Wendy for your wonderful words this morning...I love those verses in Jeremiah...
New nugget, Jer2:13..."They have abandoned me--the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all"...a good warning for me
Have a wonderful day
God Bless, Sue
Greac and Peace,
Your posts are so wonderful! Thank you! Dixie, praying for you. Michelle, thank you for your well wishes! Amy, josiah wa s good king, but I think the first 10 years of his reign were with his fathewr based on the notes at the beginning of the chapter.
None-the-less, your points are very valid.
Bob and I are at the ga(e and there is no plane yet, so I thought I would pop in and check comments.
Be blesed all!
Karen
Just finished today's vlog and your comments. They were all so helpful. I also camped on Jer 1:5 as I have many times felt unqualified to teach Sunday school, children & adult, and offered many of the excuses that Wendy mentioned. The Lord led me to Luke 12:11-12 When they bring you unti the synagogues, and unto magistrates, and powers, take no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say,
Then to: Luke 21:14-15 Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.
I share these verses for I have used them many times when I've taught and even when I went on job interviews. God knew beforehand exactly what I should say when questioned.
Prayers for each of you for your needs. Linda, that was a Godincident, a Divine appointment, last night. thank you for sharing.
Dixie, lifting you in prayer as find out your options tomorrow.
G&P and Karen, your posts are filled with good information each day.
Jen Ren, Yes, God knew just what you would experience and He is there with you during the dark and bright days. Praying for headache relief. My son, Seth, is fighting a headache for two days. Pray for him.
Franny, would love to see you on that combine! Praying you have a plentiful harvest.
Praying for you Proverbs 31 ladies and the 600 who will reap much from this conference.
thank you for your prayers for Sarah and me.
Blessings, Teeny
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