Patience, Pruning and Prayer

It's late...11:50 p.m. to be exact. Just bein' real. Pondering tonight on lots of things. Feeling very 'pruned' lately. Lots of big decisions to make and wondering why the Lord hasn't answered prayer. My prayers that have been brought before Him haven't been lists that I need taken care of, nor "this is how I need things to happen, God" prayers. Just "your will be done" prayers, but still no answer.

Ever wish God sent e-mails?

(smile)

I know. I know. Everything in HIS timing. Sometimes it's hard to wait though.

Feeling lonely and needing to attach to new friends and homeschool families. Lincoln and Avonlea have lost little buddies to daycare centers and VPK classes this year. Praying that the Lord would provide neat opprotunities through homeschool co-ops, but not feeling lead. Doors have been closed and I'm left starting from the beginning again. Still, things are going well in their education at home. They are THRIVING and LEARNING like I've never seen before. Praise God! My son (my busy boy) is writing letters left and right. He knows his alphabet (learned in 3 weeks) and knows 1/2 of the phonetic sounds. Never imagined that could happen. Thank you Lord.

Renters from another property we own and have been unable to sell for the past 3 years are moving out in a matter of weeks. It's in terrible condition now (this house used to be so filled with character and charm...memories flood it) and will take so much time and money to fix. Time and money that we don't have. Praying that we make good decisions. Godly decisions.

A few other things floating around in my head that I wish God would answer.

I know that if God did in fact respond quickly to prayers, it would rob us of the learning process He wants us to have. So, I will remain patient and wait on Him.

I know I've sort of poured out my heart tonight, but I have to admit that it feels so good to share with others, knowing that some of you may just write these things down or make a mental note. Some of you might even pray for these requests, which leads me to my next question...

What are some of YOUR prayers? Can I pray for you?

I know that there are a bunch of you out there that read this blog and I have no idea who you are. Some of you I may know, but have no idea you read this. Some of you are parents struggling with parenting and/or discipline. Some of you are struggling in your marriage. Some of you are wondering if you'll ever get out of debt, or if you or your spouse will ever get a job as you struggle to provide for your family. Some of you may be young and are struggling with teenage temptations. Some of you are being PRUNED and aren't sure where to turn.

I'd like to tell you that Jesus is the answer. He's the one and only true answer and once you come to know Him and accept Him as Lord of your life, He will take hold of your life and lead you in a way that you never thought you could be lead before. Trust Him. He created the universe and all that's inside and outside of it. He formed you and knew you since before you were born. He LOVES you and wants what is best for you just as a parent wants what is best for his/her child.

You have to take that initial step in praying to accept Him though.

I want to pray for you. Do me a favor. If you'd like to have me pray for you, leave a prayer request in the comment section. Please leave "Do not publish" or "You may publish" at the bottom of your request. This way, I will know that your request may be open for others to pray for you. Or, you may not feel comfortable in having others read your request, so I will not publish it, but will add it to my prayer list and will remember you as I pray. Do not feel as though you need to be detailed in your request. God knows all details. You're welcome to leave the ever-so-popular "unspoken request" if you wish.

I love that song "What If His People Prayed" by Casting Crowns and have posted it once before for a Musical Monday post (I have chosen not to do Musical Mondays for awhile because all of the great songs I want to post aren't available to copy and paste the embed code). It's a great song and is so true. If people prayed more for each other, we would be allowing the Holy Spirit and our Heavenly Father to move in ways we never dreamed. But, we choose to pray or not to pray, therefore, we miss out on some pretty awesome blessings and some amazing knowledge.

Let's remember to always lift one another up in prayer! Let's also remember to lift up our leaders and our country in prayer. Although we know the outcome for this earth, I believe God is still present in America today. He hasn't given up on us. Keep praying!

Time to go to bed (yawn).

Good night and God Bless you all.

(For those that wanted to see the Mat Man video I attempted to post the other day, HERE is the video I wanted to share. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for just the video.)