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| our daughter, Tracy, on her blue Schwinn bicycle |
It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his
good purpose.—Philippians 2:13
The Spirit helps
us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit
himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who
searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes
for the saints in accordance with God's will.—Romans 8:26-27
We are saved by
trusting. And trusting means looking forward to getting something we don't yet
have—for a man who already has something doesn't need to hope and trust that he
will get it. But if we must keep trusting God for something that hasn't
happened yet, it teaches us to wait patiently and confidently.—Romans 8:24-25
TLB
I know the plans I
have for you...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will
listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your
heart.—Jeremiah 29:11-13
It's nothing short
of amazing...how God uses His word, His Holy Spirit, and prayer to draw us like
a magnet to Jesus Christ and His will for our lives. God used the memory of a
passage in the Bible study, Experiencing God, by Henry Blackaby and a
photograph of our daughter on her blue Schwinn bicycle to remind me of His
sovereignty.
From Experiencing
God: "For his sixth birthday, my oldest son Richard was old enough to have
a bicycle. I looked all around for a bicycle. I found a blue Schwinn. I bought
it and hid it in the garage. Then I had a task—to convince Richard that he
needed a blue Schwinn bike. For the next little while, we began to work with
Richard. Richard decided that what he really wanted for his birthday was a blue
Schwinn bike. Do you know what Richard got? Well, the bike was already in the
garage. I just had to convince him to ask for it. He asked for it, and he got
it! What happens when you pray? The Holy Spirit knows what God has "in the
garage." It is already there. The Holy Spirit's task is to get you to want
it—to get you to ask for it. What will happen when you ask for things God
already wants to give or do? You will always receive it. Why? Because you have
asked according to the will of God. When God answers your prayer, He gets the
glory and your faith is increased."
How about you?
What blue Schwinn bicycle does God have "in the garage" for you?
Love this, Beth! What a beautiful picture of His goodness and grace!
ReplyDeleteVonda, that you so much for your comment! When I read Experiencing God that illustration meant so much to me, since we actually had a blue Schwinn bicycle in our garage :) God has used it over the years to remind me to trust Him, He knows what He's doing!
DeleteI love the idea that the Holy Spirit prompts us to ask for what is already waiting for us. God is so Good! Nancy
ReplyDeleteNancy, I so agree with you...it helps me thank God in advance for what He is doing behind the scenes in my life and the lives of my loved ones :)
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