In the Solitude, Jesus Makes Himself Known
In the solitude, Jesus makes Himself known to the deepest parts of my heart and spirit. I cannot hear Him in the crowded busyness of daily life.
2MefromHim Devotionals
In the Solitude, Jesus Makes Himself Known
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Matthew 14:23
Our world clamors with chaos, the cacophony of voices vying for our attention. Just as in Jesus’ day, He had to escape the crowds.
News confronts us from phones, computers, and television. Advertisements call our attention to millions of products designed to meet our every need. The one thing no one offers us is solitude, the calm and quiet of peaceful, uninterrupted time.
My heart pleads for solitude. For it is in the quiet that I can hear Jesus speak.
In the Solitude, Jesus Can be Heard
Jesus often took His disciples away to lonely places where He could teach them. The demands of people and responsibility distract us from the call of our Lord.
Mark 4:4 reminds us that, “When he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.” Our deepest desires to draw near to the heart of God are only answered when we set aside the time to spend with Him alone.
In a place of solitude, away from the din of the world, our Savior can be heard like nowhere else. Just as we crave one on one time with those we love, so God desires to have our attention to Himself, to have us care enough to carve out space and time to spend with Him.
Just as we crave one on one time with those we love, so God desires to have our attention to Himself... #devotional #prayer #Godislove Share on XIn the Solitude, I Find Great Reward
“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – Matthew 6:6
If we seek Him with our whole heart, we will never be disappointed. He will grant us the riches of His glorious grace, open to us the secrets of His word, and give me of Himself.
Sometimes I need to be reminded that He speaks in the silence more than in the chaos. God longs for my time and attention, and if I offer it to Him, He will bless me abundantly. His treasures are best discovered when we are alone.
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
Sometimes I need to be reminded that God speaks in the silence more than in the chaos. #chaos #silence #peace Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, October 26, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (released May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
Sweet Surrender: Learning to Trust God
Surrender becomes sweet when we recognize that God’s ways are higher and better than ours. How much time I waste in worry and concern, only to discover I was wrong.
Sweet Surrender: Learning to Trust God
A 2MefromHim Devotional
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:9
Surrender becomes sweet when I recognize that God’s ways are higher and better than mine. How much time I waste in worry and concern, only to discover I was wrong. God always has a better plan.
Jesus’ Surrender vs. My Failure
Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that if it was possible, the cup be removed from him. However, he said, “Yet not as I will, but as you will,” and then surrendered peacefully to his enemies—and to the will of God.
Many recent situations have sent me to my knees. However, my prayers are often based on personal desires. I shoulder the same burdens I should have left at the foot of the throne as I leave my quiet time. And I have no peace. Every aspect of my life is affected. Worries haunt me like ghosts.
Surrender from God’s Perspective
When Joseph’s brothers sold him into captivity, he didn’t worry and whine. He demonstrated acceptance and surrender, living to glorify God in one difficult circumstance after another. His story ends in blessing.
By the same token, one of the sadder accounts is that of Samson, who satisfied his own desires despite the call put on his life from before birth. We’ll never know what might have happened had he surrendered to God.
Elisabeth Elliot, widow of the martyred missionary, Jim Elliot, writes, “To pray, ‘thy will be done.’ I must be willing, if the answer requires it, that my will be undone.”
Charles H. Spurgeon wrote, “My situation is urgent, and I cannot see how I will ever be delivered. Yet this is not my concern, for He who made the promise will find a way to keep it. My part is simply to obey His commands, not to direct His ways. I am His servant, not His advisor. I call upon Him and He will deliver me.”
What blessings might God grant if I surrendered totally to him? #surrender #blessings #self-denial Share on XAnswering the Call to Surrender
I attempt to advise God when I pray for a situation to resolve my way. In Philippians, Paul wrote from prison, “what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.” What might God might accomplish in me, through me, or in someone near me if I surrender my will to his?
When I pray “not as I will, but as you will,” my burden is lifted. The surrender is sweet. May I learn to surrender rather than advise.
The way to peace is complete surrender to the will of God. #trust #obedience #peace Share on X© Norma Gail Holtman, May 4, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing May 19, 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 44 years. They have two adult children. To connect with her, you can follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, BookBub, or Amazon.
Believe that You Have Received – 2MefromHim Devotionals
Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Mark 11:24
Believe that You have Received
2MefromHim Devotionals
“Believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.”
I repeat this promise multiple times a day, as I pray. As children, it’s not uncommon to disagree with a friend, move on to a new best friend, and never regain the closeness that once existed. I changed my best friends several times for multiple reasons. However, none of those instances haunts me.
All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Share on XAs an adult, and a Christian, however, I’m held to a higher standard in my personal life than in childhood.
For instance, recent events have removed people from my daily life, my holiday table, those with whom I share my joys and sorrows, those I call on in times of need. As a result, pain throbs deep and unrelenting in a heart that is no longer whole.
Pain throbs deep and unrelenting in a heart that is no longer whole Share on XBelieve there is purpose in waiting
Jesus said, “All things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them.” The Holy Spirit has impressed upon my heart that there is purpose in waiting. Time spent in prayer changes my heart. To wait, patient and trusting, gives God time to work in the hearts of others.
Time spent in prayer changes my heart... Share on X
Belief requires faith. James says that if we lack wisdom we must pray. I have no idea how to approach this problem. But, the solving of the dilemma doesn’t rest solely with me. However, James says we must ask in faith and not doubt. Doubt makes me unstable and unsettled like the wind tosses waves of the sea against the rocks.
Believe prayer changes your heart
I am weary of the battered, brokenness of being constantly tossed against the rocks. Therefore, I began to pray daily for God to heal, to bring repentance, and reconciliation into damaged relationships. Nothing has changed, but oh, what changes I see in my shattered heart. As a result, my days are now free of the nagging doubts and uncertainties that slammed me against the rocks and left me bruised and battered. Nights are no longer haunted by questions about “what-if” and “how.” What relief to rest, assured that my prayers are being answered, unconcerned about if, how, or when.
When I pray in God’s will, I have the assurance He will answer Share on XBelieving prayer aligns my desires with those of God. Therefore, whatever I pray is in agreement with His will. When I pray in God’s will, I have the assurance He will answer.
God’s heart breaks
God’s heart breaks when relationships are broken when His children can’t get along. It’s possible to know peace in the midst of unsettled relationships. Trust His promise and believe you have received it. When you pray, believe God will answer.
God’s heart breaks when relationships are broken when His children can’t get along Share on XTis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
In conclusion, may this precious old hymn comfort your heart as it does my own:
‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus
’Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to take Him at His Word;
Just to rest upon His promise,
And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”
Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!
How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er;
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!
Oh, for grace to trust Him more!
Oh, how sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just to trust His cleansing blood;
And in simple faith to plunge me
’Neath the healing, cleansing flood!
Yes, ’tis sweet to trust in Jesus,
Just from sin and self to cease;
Just from Jesus simply taking
Life and rest, and joy and peace.
I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,
Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;
And I know that Thou art with me,
Wilt be with me to the end.
Public Domain
© Copyright Norma Gail Holtman, February 7, 2020
About the author:
Norma Gail writes Fiction to Refresh Your Spirit. Her contemporary novels, Land of My Dreams, which won the 2016 Bookvana Religious Fiction Award, and Within Golden Bands (releasing in the summer of 2020), explore the theme of women whose faith triumphs over trials. A women’s Bible study leader for over 21 years, her devotionals and poetry have appeared at ChristianDevotions.us, the Stitches Thru Time blog, Inspire a Fire, and in “The Secret Place.” She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Historical Writers of America, and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Norma is a former RN who lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband of 43 years. They have two adult children. If you’re interested in connecting with her, follow her blog, or join her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, or Amazon.
Drought & Living Water – A 2MefromHim Devotional
Drought robs all life of the nourishment and sustenance required for good health. Our spirits are as needy as the landscape around us. When we fail to receive the living water Jesus offers, we cannot thrive and grow. We have nothing to offer to others. Our life becomes barren and hopeless.
Read MoreNew Nature – A 2MefromHim Devotional
New nature thrives when the old dies. Only the power of the Spirit of God can bring what was dead to life and transform a sinner into a reflection of the nature of God.
Read More
