God Woke My Up to Pray.

Last week, I had a dream. I didn’t know at first if it was from God until I spoke with my husband when he came home from work. It then became evident the dream was from our Savior.

I dreamed I was in bed and woke up to get a drink of water. I walked in the living room and saw a glass floating in the air. I thought, “This is the work of Satan.”

I wasn’t afraid. I walked over to the glass and felt it and saw there was nothing holding it up. I then felt a cloud of evil around me. I said aloud, “In the name of Jesus Christ, go away Satan!” I felt half the cloud leave. I was surprised there was any evil left, so I said it again, “In the name of Jesus Christ, go away, Satan!” Then all the evil left the room. This was when I woke up.

My first thought was, “Something terrible is going to happen to someone in the family.” So, I prayed for God to be with us. I also wondered if the dream was from God, because I wasn’t really sure. It was a clear, strong dream, which is the way he has given me dreams in the past; but still, I didn’t understand the dream completely so I wasn’t sure.

When my husband came home, I told him the dream. He didn’t know what it meant either except maybe Satan was going to try to harm someone.

Then he said, “You won’t believe what happened to me today! We were driving to work, (he is in a carpool) and all of a sudden, a herd of deer ran out across the highway. I barely stopped in time. Then I flashed my lights so the people coming from the other direction would slow down, and they did. And then as we were nearing the city, I was going 60 miles an hour; we turned a corner and there was a dead dear laying across the lane I was in. I quickly shoulder-checked and there was no one next to me so I darted over and missed hitting the deer!” They were both very close-calls, and I was driving the sports car, not the SUV.”

Then he finished talking saying, “Two times in one morning!” I looked at him and immediately understood the dream. The Lord had me pray two times, not once, for Satan to be driven away from the family. My husband looked at me, and I could see he understood too.

We are so thankful to God for saving my husband and co-workers from two potentially terrible accidents. Who knows what may have happened to them. Only God. But he made a way of escape for them and I can’t thank him enough.

This morning, I was reading Psalm 30, which reminded me of what happened.

I will exalt you, Lord,
    for you lifted me out of the depths
    and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
 Lord my God, I called to you for help,
    and you healed me.
 You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
    you spared me from going down to the pit. Verses 1-3

You turned my wailing into dancing;
    you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
 that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
    Lord my God, I will praise you forever. Verses 11, 12

We are all in a spiritual battle for our spirit, soul and body. Paul describes this in Ephesians.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. “  Ephesians 6:12

Jesus prayed to his Father about his followers, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15

I pray this quite often, and this time there was an urgent need for that kind of prayer, and God woke me to do it. Believe me when I say, I am the least of the followers of Jesus; and as my husband always says, “Don’t forget the Lord used an ass.” Lol. But I wanted to tell people, tell the world, what God did for us that day. I praise his holy name.

Paul's Prayer for Us.

I read this today and was struck by its beauty and simplicity. It is from the book, “Living Words for Today,” which uses the Living Bible.


“My prayer for you is that you will overflow more and more with love for others, and at the same time keep on growing in spiritual knowledge and insight.


For I want you always to see clearly the difference between right and wrong, and to be inwardly clean, no one being able to criticize you from now until our Lord returns.


May you always be doing those good, kind things that go along with being a child of God, for this will bring much praise and glory to the Lord.


Always be full of joy in the Lord; I say it again, rejoice!


Let everyone see you are unselfish and gentle in all you do. Remember that the Lord is coming soon.”


Philippians 1:9-11; 4:4,5

The Lord is My Sherpa.

Monique Richard and Tenzing Sherpa near the summit of Everest in 2012

Photo by: 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Breithorn&action=edit&redlink=1

Lord, you are my Sherpa, my mountain guide. I don’t need to worry. You set up the tents and cook food for me. You guide me onto the right trails. You have an excellent reputation.


You make sure we have clean water; you let us rest when we feel we can’t go on. You know how to navigate a mountain; I would get lost without you.


Even when we are climbing steep cliffs, and the wind is blowing, I am not afraid because you are with me. Your ropes and spikes make me safe. When we reach the top, we will feast and celebrate. 


Some said I would fail, but with you by my side, I didn’t. Your lessons will follow me all the days of my life. I will never forget you.

Psalm 23 (In my own words.)

God Living with Us.

“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”   Isaiah 7:14


As Joseph was considering divorcing Mary, since she was pregnant, an angel appeared to him and told him the child was from the Holy Spirit. He said, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).


A verse that has come into my mind for most of my life, it is, “I love the Lord because he hears my voice.” This is true about my love for God. He is always there for me; he is always listening; he is always with me.


I’ve noticed lately how many verses there are where God told us he would be with us. Jesus said it many times. One of the things I remember from going to church as a child was that God was with us every moment of every day. I’ve never doubted that, but these days I feel so amazed and happy about it. To think the maker of the universe is beside me every day is comforting. I think I understand why God loves being with us. It is the way I feel about my daughters and grandchildren. I wish I was with them every moment of the day, simply because I love them. 


I thought I’d write down some verses about this:


“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”  Genesis 28:15


“The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”  Psalm 118:6


“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4


“I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”  Psalm 16:8


“For this God is our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even until death.  Psalm 48:14

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.  Isaiah 43:2


“My dwelling place shall be with them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”  Ezekiel 37:27


“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14


 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  Matthew 18:20


 “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28:20


“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”  Revelation 21:3

Making the Psalms Personal.

I’ve been going through the Psalms, writing them as if they came from my heart. It’s been a wonderful exercise and I seem to think of the Psalm the rest of the day. Some of them are happy; some are sad. Tonight, I got to the 22^nd Psalm and as I tried to enter into the sufferings of David and Jesus, my own sufferings became vivid. Maybe writing out the Psalms is a good way to get the bad stuff out, like I used to do while in therapy when I wrote my life story in a journal. I hope this helps someone.

Psalm 22:

Why did you let this happen? Where were you? A question I used to ask. No more. I accept what happened. This world is a cesspool of evil. But mental pain brought me to you, the Lover of my soul.

Most of my life, I have felt like a worm, not a human being. Because my father molested me, I felt filthy and unlovable. But you, O Lord, are enthroned in heaven. All power is yours. I believe in you. You were there the day I was born. You took me out of my mother’s womb.

People say, “Why are you still thinking about the abuse? Get over it!” They make fun of me because of my social phobia and agoraphobia. Sometimes when I speak, they say I am crazy. They laugh at me when I gasp in terror when someone calls my name, “BELLE!” I peed in first grade when the teacher called my name. Pee filled the seat of my chair, poured down my legs and shoes and puddled under my desk. What happened next? Memory gone.

In high school, boys surrounded me, trying to feel my breasts, trying to take my bra off. Me? I wanted love and babies. But I was snow-white pure; a virgin head to toe. Then in high school, a boy told everyone he had screwed me. I was easy. He said it loud to a crowd of boys as I was walking by. A lie. They opened their mouths wide against me. My father says it too, “SLUT!” as he throws me against the wall. My heart has turned to wax.

But you Lord, are my strength. I want to tell everyone how you have saved me. You have heard my cry for help! One day, all will kneel before you. My children will worship and praise you!

Questions from Jesus.

What I have noticed about the questions Jesus asked, is that he invited people to speak their mind honestly. It was up to them what they would say or decide. He didn’t try to talk people into anything; he respects our freedom of choice.

Jesus turned and saw them following and said to them, “What are you seeking?” And they said to him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are you staying?”   He said, “Come and see.”  John 1:38

So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?”

Healing. Even when Jesus knew what people wanted, he asked them to tell him first. Even though God knows what we need, he wants us to ask him anyway.

When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?”

And stopping, Jesus called them and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”

The woman caught in adultery was probably feeling embarrassed. When she wasn’t stoned to death, and the men walked away, she didn’t speak first. Perhaps her face was red and tear-stained. She probably couldn’t look Jesus in the face. So, in asking a question, it made it easier for her to speak.

 “Woman, where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” “No one, Lord,” she answered. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Now go and sin no more.”

Many times, Jesus asked people if they believed he was the Messiah, the Son of God. He asked so they could declare openly their belief in him. I have heard that speaking something out loud cements in your mind what you believe.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”  John 11:25,26

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, and having found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”   John 9:35

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”   And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”   Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”   Matthew 16:13-16

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone. Luke 18:19 (In other words, who do you think I am?)

Jesus had hard questions for those who opposed him. They were constantly hounding him with questions and accusing him of having a devil. From what I remember, they were the ones who always started a conversation with Jesus. He didn’t hold back any punches.

“Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don’t you believe me?   John 8:46

Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message.  You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.  But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!   John 8:43-45

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”   Luke 6:46

“Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”  Matthew 7:3

Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.”  They didn’t dare. Mark 11:30

And the last question, one of the saddest, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”   Luke 22:48  I think Jesus was trying to get Judas to think about what he was doing. Jesus would have forgiven Judas, but he just would not repent.

Well, those aren’t all the questions Jesus asked, but those were the ones I remember. What I love about Jesus is his total honesty, singleness of purpose and bravery. I love his respect for the human race in the total freedom he has given us to accept him or not. Most of all, I love his heart of love.

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God's Questions to Us.

Over the years of reading the Bible, I’ve come to appreciate the questions God has asked people. His questions are always deep with meaning and sometimes a call to repentance. I like that he asks people to explain themselves to him. The questions make them either make excuses or say they are sorry.

When man first sinned, God gave him the chance to explain himself. The Bible says, “Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”  and later, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"   Genesis 3:9

Instead of repenting, Adam and Eve blamed each other and the serpent. But God was merciful to them. The next person God questioned was Cain.

Then the LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"   Genesis 4:9

God gave Cain a chance to tell him what he had done and repent. He didn’t, in fact, he was flippant about it. This was the first human death and it was a murder. God gave him a punishment, but when Cain complained about it, God helped him.

Moses didn’t want to go back to Egypt to bring God’s people out of slavery. He made many excuses, and one of them was that he was not an eloquent speaker. God wouldn’t accept any of his excuses and asked him this:

Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?   Exodus 4:11  God is telling him to trust him because he is the mighty God who can do anything.

Balaam was a prophet of God. But as Israel was coming into the promised land, King Balak of Midian, asked him to come and curse the Israelites. He was afraid of them because he knew they were coming to take his land. When the messengers came to ask Balaam to do this he said he would ask God what to do. God told him, “No.”  The men went and told the king his answer, but he sent them again with more money. Balaam told them to stay another night and he would ask again.

And God came to Balaam and said, “Who are these men with you?”   Numbers 22:9

Balaam explained and God gave an answer Balaam didn’t like. He ended up chasing the messengers and going to King Balak. His heart had become greedy.

Job, the man of God who suffered the loss of all things, questioned God. He didn’t understand why God was letting all these terrible things happen to him. God’s question is a stark one.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Job 38:4

This was a question to make Job think about whom he was questioning. God is Almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing. Can we humans make a flower out of nothing? No. But God can. Look at the vastness of the universe. Look at what God can do and what he has made. Study the human body and how it works and you will be in awe.

We may not like this question and answer of God’s; but that’s too bad. Lol.

Jonah was the prophet God sent to the wicked city of Ninevah. They were a brutal nation, killing thousands of people to take their lands. God told Jonah to go there and tell them he was going to destroy them. Jonah didn’t want to and ran away, but later he went since God wouldn’t let him get away with that.

The people of Ninevah repented! How wonderful! Jonah should have been happy, but he wasn’t. He probably hated these people and also thought he might be considered a false prophet. God asked him a question to teach him compassion:

“And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left (this means children), and also much cattle?”  Jonah 4:11

Elijah was one of the greatest prophets in the Bible. But he ran away in fear when Queen Jezebel threatened him with death. He was in the wilderness and tired and asked God to take his life. Instead, God sent an angel to give him food, water and comfort. Elijah was wandering in the wilderness for 40 days.

There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”   1 Kings 19:9  I love this question. Elijah told God about all his troubles. But God told him he still had many people in Israel who still worshiped him. He told Elijah to go back, and he did. Eventually, he was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. Good old Elijah.

These are some of God’s questions in the Old Testament. I’m going to continue next post about the questions Jesus asked of People.