Neither one of us could sleep. I’m not sure why, but Lady
our older cat, hadn’t eaten for three days and I was really concerned about her. The fact that she only has one
tooth never stopped her from munching down, but for some reason she was off her
game.
Perhaps it was eating Frosted Flakes before bedtime giving
us a sugar buzz that had us wide-eyed.
We weren’t sure how it would taste with almond milk, but it was pretty
good.
I can’t tell you the last time I ate that cereal, however
hubby wanted it after he got out of the hospital so the item made the
shopping list. Besides I was hoping he could
finally eat something that wouldn’t hurt his stomach.
Truth be told, all the “hospital” activity and storms of
the month had caught up to us and we were flat out overtired … the kind that
keeps you awake. The nightly prayer of
my husband for God’s mercy would surely be appreciated if it kicked in about now.
Oh Lord, it would be a good time to show your
faithfulness in granting Your beloved a good night’s rest. Let us lie down and sleep peacefully, for in
Your shadow we are safe and secure.
“I will lie down and sleep peacefully,
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.”
for you, Lord, make me safe and secure.”
(Psalm 4:8 NET Bible – New English Translation)
Welcome new friends this week from:
See if your city/state/country made the list.
New on DFB – Slovenia; Serbia;
Nigeria; Pakistan; Netherlands; Austria; Morocco; Israel; Ghana; Curacao; Tanzania;
Vietnam; Zambia; Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, India; Turin, Piedmont, Italy; Chittagong,
Chittagong Division, Bangladesh; Hemyock, England, United Kingdom; Riyadh,
Riyadh Region, Saudi Arabia; Perth, WA, Australia.
USA
– Lake Havasu City, AZ; Ormond Beach, FL; Sandy Springs, GA; Hoisington,
KS; Louisville, KY; Boston, MA; Port Huron, Warren & Shelby Charter
Township, MI; Burnsville & Columbia Heights, MN; Olive Branch, MS;
Fruitland, Muscatine & Wilton, IA; Asheboro, Glenola & High Point, NC; Clementon,
NJ; Sedro-Woolley, WA.
I am so thankful for your visit and hope that you come
back each week to participate in the weekly challenges. Join us in our new series as we spend time in
the study of Daily Favor Prayers.
You are welcome to leave comments or prayer requests below. All are private. I would love to hear from
you and how Daily Favor has worked in your life. Contact me by leaving a message in the box at
the bottom of this week’s post.
Don't miss out on this week's challenge
(below).
Morning Has Broken
By 1:25 a.m. my husband decided to sit up on the couch,
and I returned to the bedroom hoping to fall asleep after I read a few passages
from the Bible. I had been reading from
Psalm 62 the previous night so I reread it hoping to glean something new from
the Holy Spirit. He never disappoints.
After reading the first eight verses, I paused and did
just that. I poured my heart out to God trusting that He would hear my plea as
I took refuge in Him.
My
soul, wait silently for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
for my expectation is from Him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my defense; I shall not be moved.
7 In God is my salvation and my glory;
the Rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
8 Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 62:5-8 (NKJV)
I spent time interceding in prayer for our nation,
family, friends, etc. It’s what I call
interval rest when you catch a few winks and realize you’ve dozed off while talking
to God. How rude!
After repositioning I continued in prayer, finally saying,
“Amen” and noticed how bright it was in the room. Morning had broken and my
spirit was relaxed. If only my body would get the message.
I Had a Dream
At 6:23 a.m. I was still awake, I know
because my eyes were fixed on the clock for hours. Of course my body chose to fall asleep a half
hour before I needed to get up to listen to Focus on the Family, in which I
slept right through it.
It was almost 8 o’clock when my
husband came into the bedroom. Turning
over on my side I stretched out my arm across the bed pushing back the sheet to
uncover my hand. Thinking I was awake he
took hold of it. Startling the stuffing
out of me I let out a loud scream!
“Why
did you do that?” I questioned gasping
for air while gripping my chest.
“You
reached out to me, so I took your hand.”
He said defending his action.
Reacting to his abrupt awakening I
replied, “I was asleep. Why did you come
in the room and wake me? I just got to sleep and was in the middle of a dream.”
Beginning to laugh I said, “Do you want to hear it?”
“You (referring to
hubby) had finally fallen asleep and I kept checking you in the bedroom;
the strange thing is that the front of the house wasn’t a house but the
vestibule of a church. The door was
really big and dark brown.
People were showing
up for the service. Talking to one of
your buds I asked him to close the door quietly so it wouldn’t wake you. He didn’t listen and the door slammed behind
him as he entered the church.
He started to ask how
you were and in a hushed voice I suggested we step outside to talk. Following me he let the door slam again, so
of course I had to slap him in the shoulder.
He disappeared
somewhere, probably into the main sanctuary … who knows, he was out of the dream.
When I returned to
the bedroom you weren’t there. Sitting on
the bed thinking about where you had gone, you walked into the room. It was 6:45 in the morning.
“Where did you go?”
I asked noticing that you were still in pj’s.
You were quick to
respond. “To Anna Mae’s.”
Thinking his actions
were illogical I rebutted, “I could have
made you pancakes?” (Don’t forget, this is a dream!)
He came back with, “I didn’t want pancakes.”
“You walked forty-five minutes away and didn’t want
pancakes? What did you want?”
I asked knowing the restaurant wasn’t open at that time of day.
“Chinese.”
He said.
I kept pecking away
at this reasoning for leaving the house. “Where
is the Chinese food?”
“I didn’t get it … it was too far to walk!”
“You’re a goober!”
“I know!”
We both figured out how each aspect of
the story came into play through conversations we had the past few days. Anna Mae was the name of a man’s wife we
prayed for, and the men in the suits were former church friends of ours. With that story floating around his brain so
early in the morning he shook his head as he left the room.
Now that I was awake I sat back and
began my morning conversation with the Lord.
While You Were Sleeping
In the past I’ve shared some of my
conversations with God; actually one where I talked about “morning” was around
a year ago when I discussed that it’s God’s will for us to enjoy our day. Being able to bless His children daily with mercy
enables us to joyfully carry out the plan of God on our lives.
After I say good morning to the Lord, I
often begin quoting scriptures back to the Him as I open my prayers with
thanksgiving. The first verse I like to say
aloud reminds me of how blessed I am to be alive! It’s not an exact citation, but rephrased for
me so that I will take action in bringing a positive spirit to all I will
encounter that day.
“This is
the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”
(from Psalm
118:24)
Continuing I praise the Lord saying
phrases like this:
“In the morning I will direct my prayer to You for in
Your favor there is life. Evening,
morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud; you will hear my voice and
answer before I’ve finished my sentence.
Great is Your faithfulness Heavenly Father. My hope is in You and for the new mercies
that await me today.”
Immediately after I said “new mercies”
the Lord interrupted my praise and said, “New
Favor! New favor is available every
morning.”
While I was sleeping new favor was
being positioned for that day. It wasn’t
left over favor or mercy, but God was faithful to supply brand new mercy and
favor for whatever I might need that day.
Even with all the mercy God bestowed
on His children the previous days, months and years, it isn’t used up or
consumed. There is still plenty of daily
mercy … daily favor … to go around for all God’s children because His love
never fails, nor does He renege on His promises!
“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:
great is Thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, says my soul;
therefore will I hope in Him.” (Lamentations
3:22-24 NKJV)
While you and I are asleep, God is
awake positioning the new mercies and favor in place. We can rest peacefully knowing that whether
we wake here on Earth or in Heaven, God’s mercy is present.
Recognizing God as our portion (meaning
He is the one in whom our soul finds refuge) our hope in Him is showered with “Checed
… chesed … Kheh’shed" – which is kind favor!
Friend I want you to be encouraged
that no matter what the past, yesterday or even today has held, there’s a new
day of favor in the making for you. So, take
refuge in the Lord when you go to bed every night knowing that something good from
God will be waiting for you in the morning!
(These are passages from Psalm 5:3;
30:5; 55:17; Lamentations 3:22-24; Isaiah 65:24)
This Week’s Challenge:
Wake up to Favor
Although my husband and I got very little rest that
particular night, the following morning we woke up to God’s favor and our
schedule was light for the rest of the week.
We had fun, enjoyed our time together and even napped in the middle of
the afternoon, something we haven’t done in a very long time.
Our challenge this week is to start each day with
thanksgiving to God for the new favor and mercy that awaits our rising to the
sun.
Make this proclamation a part of your daily life and
watch how God’s “Daily Favor” comes to pass.
When it does, write down what happened in
a journal to remind yourself of how GREAT GOD’s FAITHFULNESS really is.
“It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not
consumed,
because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning:
great is Thy faithfulness.” (Lamentations
3:23-24 NKJV)
Daily Declaration:
Good morning
Lord. This is the day You have made, I
will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank
you for the new favor that is waiting and prepared for me.
“This is the day which the Lord hath made;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24 NKJV)
If we put our trust and faith in the
Lord, each day we can wake up to the beauty, good deeds, lovingkindness and
merciful kindness through God’s New “Daily” Favor!
If this article has encouraged or helped you, please
consider sharing it by using the social media icons provided at the end of this
post.
Until next time, God’s "new" daily favor is one
dream away.
“New favor will be there at sunrise.”
Jesus Christ
*Unless
noted, the names in articles are changed to protect the individual(s) privacy.
Note: Emphasis
is given in some scriptures to show clarity or understanding and is not to take
away from the inspirited Word of God.
Disclaimer:
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issues, but geared toward spiritual awareness.
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