I wish we could sit in a coffee shop and chat today.
I’d love to talk with you about things that may be weighing you down. They always seem to lighten when shared with a friend.
I’d tell you about the year I let my problems pile up… and how all that pressure almost took me down. It’s all in chapter 9 of my book, A Confident Heart, including the story about the time I accidentally took my dogs medicine. Yes ma’am. I sure did.
At the end of every chapter, I also share a prayer – weaving my tangled thoughts and sometimes-consuming concerns with His Words and wisdom. Praying in this way helps me to take my cares to Him with confidence, knowing when I pray His Word I am praying His will for me {and others}. Here’s the prayer that was birthed out of my piling up and tumbling down year:
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. When concerns consume me, remind me that You are with me, holding me by my right hand and guiding me with Your counsel. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Help me turn my burdens over to You, knowing that You will take care of me.
Because You are my shepherd, I shall not be in want. You promise that when I dwell in the shelter of the Most High, I can rest in the shadow of the Almighty. You are my refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust. Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my life; You stretch out Your hand against the anger of my foes, and with Your right hand You save me. Thank You for making known to me the path of life and filling me with joy and peace in Your presence. In Jesus’ name, Amen. {See Psalms 139:23–24; 73:23–26; 55:22; 23:1; 91:1–2; 138:7; 16:11.}
From A Confident Heart by Renee Swope, Chapter 9
© 2013 by Baker Revell Publishing. All rights reserved.
Over the past few years God has been changing me and rearranging me. He’s taught me how to use prayer to turn my worry into worship. He’s also given me a practical way to physically hand Him my concerns! Since we can’t chat in a coffee shop today, I’d love to share them with you through this short video message:
Message Notes: You can download my “Video Message Notes” in a PDF here or in a Word doc here. They include the points of my message, verses and blanks to fill in. {If you’d like to watch more FREE Confident Heart videos based on my book, click here.}
FREE DOWNLOADS:
Download my “Printable Prayers Collection: How to Pray for Those You Love from Head to Toe.” Today, I’m offering “Praying for Your Husband from Head to Toe” {click here to download}YOU CAN also RECEIVE “Praying for Yourself from Head to Toe” and “Praying for Your Children from Head to Toe” when you sign up here to enter your name and email. Then come back so you can enter to win today’s giveaway below!
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Share one thought or something you want to apply after reading today’s devotion, blog post or hearing my video message. Click “share your thoughts” right below this post and do just that. 🙂
Enter to Win one of 4 copies of A Confident Heart, OR the grand prize which includes A Confident Heart book PLUS a coffee shop gift card and a Godiva chocolate bar.
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Update on My Mom:
Thank you for your prayers for my mom. She’s had ups and downs but her kidney pain is less and less each day. Ive been concerned she had gotten pneumonia because she started running a fever, coughing, has had pain in her lower lung and some breathing issues {plus she has a history or pulmonary embolisms and has been off of her blood thinners for surgery.} We’ll be seeing her doctor on Monday to check on her kidney and lungs. I think she’s okay but it will be good to hear the doctor confirm that. 🙂
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Thank you so much for the encouragement, and for pointing us to His Word and His promises!!
Thank you for the encouragement. I need to stop worrying and remind myself that God is interested in every thing I’m going through. He has a plan for me, and I will trust him.
I have always been the one to tell my husband, “don’t worry, everything will be fine” when money is tight. Until it isn’t and I am afraid to tell him and I just end up making things worse. I need to learn not to take it all on myself, and stop telling myself I am not the worrier if I just tell everybody else it will be fine.
well, i admit that i am a chapter behind BUT i am determined to finish… hold me accountable please!! BUT today’s blog was sooooo inspirational with the prayer you used from chapter 9……
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. When concerns consume me, remind me that You are with me, holding me by my right hand and guiding me with Your counsel. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Help me turn my burdens over to You, knowing that You will take care of me
This is sooo me right now when my thoughts are ruminating and taking over my mind and pain and guilt creep in and all my “crap” is piling up. I really need this prayer.
I really could use the coffee talk with a friend today. maybe what i should have done is taken Jesus to the coffee shop ( which i do sometimes and not enough of) today and then seen how my day went. Guess what…. Tomorrow in a NEW day FRESH with NO mistakes!!!!!
Thank you for today’s devotion. Something I want is better understanding of scripture. Sometimes, praying aloud with a group feels like a challenge for me. I want to be able to talk to God as comfortably in a group setting as it is when it’s just God and me.
A cultural lens sees the problem. A spiritual lens sees the solution..seeing the problem as potential. Surrender and risk to seize God’s Word.
Wow. This book is kinda of riding the wave of my life. I am at the point of everything blowing up and becoming overwhelming. Although this week God helped me realize I could rely on Him for anything and that when I pray He does listen. I have not read chapter 9 all the way through but I am sure by the time I am done its going to be another eye opener for me. Thank you so much Renee for you words in this book and for being so real. Life is piling up. First my arm and headaches, then found out my husband is talking with the same woman he had an affair with, now our van (only family vehicle) is out of service. We really need for it to quit raining. Both my husband and I are ready to explode… life is not easy and I am trying with all that I can to hold on to God. Being the only one who believes in my house is difficult and not fun.
If any of you ladies wants to join the facebook group for this bible study here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/248781615265915/
Hi friends,
I’ve wanted to be here all day but I have actually been at the hospital with my mom. What we thought was going to be a simple procedure this morning to remove a kidney stone turned into a very difficult situation where mom was in extreme unmanageable pain during recovery and for several hours this afternoon.
When the Dr was removing her kidney stone, the wire that he used to scope her kidney tore a place in her ureter and he thinks urine may have leaked into the area outlisde her kidney and caused severe pain and problems.
After several doses of the most powerful pain meds, including oxycotin and three doses of something stronger than morphine, they finally got control of the pain. She’s been admitted to the hospital to keep an eye on her and make sure the pain doesnt get out of control again. And we’re praying the tear heals quickly and no surgery is needed for repair – and no infections are caused.
She’s such a trooper and it was so hard to see her in such agonizing pain. But tonight she is resting and quiet and I am so grateful to be by her side. And to have these few quiet minutes to stop by and connect with you.
I didn’t see this coming at all. Had our afternoon planned out. But God… He knew. And He time it perfectly that it would happen on a day when I had a P31 devotion about praying God’s word and a video message here on my blog about giving our cares to Him.
I needed this too! And was reminded of these truths all day. And as I prayed God promises and kept giving my cares to Him, He did take care of me.
Praying His promises over you as I read your comments and just want you to know I love you all to pieces!! Glad we’re in this crazy thing called life — together!!
This is what being a part of the body of Christ is all about! God knew we needed each other, especially during times like this. Walking through my Mother’s cancer right now could not be done without the prayer and support of the people God has appointed to be in my life right now. You and your ministry are a part of that group. I pray that you and your mom are blanketed with God’s perfect peace and rest tonight.
Praying for you and your mom tonight.
Praying for your mom Renee and for you. ♥
Just what I needed today!!
Thank you for your teaching on the power of praying scriptures. It’s so powerful & keeps me on track – there’s so much praying that needs to be done!= & so much more for me to learn.
What a great encouragement and reminder to pray through Scripture. This inspires me to do so! 🙂
Praise God I have arrived safely. Thank you so much. I DEPENDED ON GOD and like Renee said we worry about things that may never happen. Times like this and Gods Sovereignty really makes my grow in my Faith. I am so excited I made it with The Lord. Oh how He must have seen my nervousness and said for me Not to worry but to trust Him . I am so grateful for all the prayers I know my sisters and a few friends were praying for me. God bless you all.
Yay Angie!! I prayed for you earlier today!! SO glad you got there safe and discovered that you can do it!!
I love the prayers. love how you remind me the promises in His word and how we can give ours cares to God. I just love this series. it’s been awesome.
I laughed when you said you took your dog’s medicine. I accidentally took my daughter’s AdHD medicine one morning. What might have a calming effect on her had quite the opposite effect on me! I was a mama on speed that morning. Oh my!
Having grown up in church it’s so easy to go through the motions in my walk with The Lord, including my prayer life. I think it’s also easy to give in to the “pharisitical” mind set that our prayers should be worded perfectly. Thank you for the reminder that my prayer life is about a relationship with The Lord, that he wants me to be real with him, & that using Scripture when I pray is going to help me align myself with His will!
This is what I have been needing to hear from God these past several days. I just came back to FL from AL where I was caring for mother with cancer. She is not doing well, so the worry set in hard as I was leaving to drive the two hundred miles back home. I also have all the other responsibilities you mentioned between work and kids. It is hard, especially in the midst of such turmoil. I found as I was wondering if God cared (just this Sunday), I realized that is just the kind of mindset the evil one wants us in. I chose at that moment to say, “God, I choose to praise you in this anyway. Thank you Lord!” That was when I could hear the Holy Spirits reveals in my heart. I’m so sorry you are going through this with your mother. May His peace and comfort rest upon you all.
Dear Ladies,
I am struggling with how God looks at me as opposed as to how I FEEL about myself. So thankful for this book, but circumstances continue to “pile up’ and the error of my ways are all I see. Please help me pray. To God be the glory for all HE is able to do because, I can’t but He can!
Thank You Renee so often we forget to pray about the most important people in our life. We get so caught up with everyday happenings that we don’t remember. Thank you so much for these prayers to remind us to pray for them.
I loved the reminder to have a listening heart from page 170. Ask the Lord, what is on His heart, what His thoughts are toward me, and what His thoughts are toward the situation causing me worry or wonder. I want to position myself to hear from Him. Blessings to you all as we grow in our walk with our wonderful Lord and Savior.
It would be lovely to arrange to meet for a cuppa and cake( I love cake) and converse with you Renee, and many of you lovely ladies. Ifind it is great I can sit here and connect with you all and feel so confident to share what ever is on my heart at the time.
I’m having to daily give it to God at the moment,so much that i also have to keep focusing on him and trying to find ways to worship him as that seems to bring releasing. I’ve done alot of different prayer related things/ stuff in my past and one of the biggest things for me is remembering to start by focusing on him and giving him worship. If i can choose to worship him no matter where I am at it is so powerful. I am focusing on him, his word,his truth and i am opening the door for the holy spirit to speak to me, to comfort me, to encourage me, to guide me.
I find praying in tongues when I don’t know what to say releases my spirit and as I do I ask God to speak to me, so sometimes the words will flow out of that place. I am glad I can just be me in God’s pressence and blurb anything and everything thats going on and he still loves me just the way i am.
I have also been learning how to pray so much more specific and hopefully more effectively. That after so many years of praying I really believe it has taken a whole new level or way… that i tink i have grown in this area and hope God will use me more as i tune in to what he has to say.
It is hard to keep “casting all my cares upon him because he cares for me” and then be able to smile knowing I can rest in him, that i feel loved by him and i am safe with him, that now I can go to bed with that understanding and not worry about the troubles of tomorrow. I can trust him that he will be with me at my meeting tommorow and now i can give it to him.
Thank you for your encouragement, and sharing.
Babs