The Prayer of Jabez | Conclusion

"...and God granted him what he requested."

We have come to the end of our series on the prayer of Jabez, and how fitting that this phrase is the end of the verse.

We see that God honored the requests for blessing, increase, protection, and limited pain.

We have been praying this prayer over here in our little corner of the world, and we have seen God provide, bless, and protect.

Do you remember how we began this series by talking about personalizing this verse? Well, this is how I end this prayer during my prayer time. "And God granted her (Suzette) what she requested."

And He has.

 He has been faithful.

I hope that you have been praying Jabez's prayer along with us. As you see God's blessings pour out on you and your family, be sure to keep track of them.

I noticed that for us, as we began praying this verse, we became more aware of the blessings that God was giving us.

 As the blessings, increase, and protection come your way, be sure to make your children aware of them. Nothing is more faith building for a child to see than that the God that they serve did not only work in the pages of the Bible, but He also is at work in their lives as well.

Even if your children are small, talking to them now about God's Hand at work in their lives will make a huge impact as they grow.

May the Lord continue to bless you.

The Prayer of Jabez | That I May Not Cause Pain

The original post can be found here.
 
"...that it might not pain me..." 1 Chronicles 4:10  

Depending on the version that you read, the translation is different. Some say "that it may not pain me" and some say, "that I might not cause pain." Both are powerful.

We all know the sting first hand of pain, whether it be physical or emotional. However, many times without realizing it or thinking about it, we can be the cause of someone else's pain.

Who me? Never! Why, we are perfect! 

If anything, it is somehow the other person's fault for taking us the wrong way! We all have these conversations with ourselves in our minds when we know that some one is upset with us. And while sometimes that may be true, it is not accurate 100% of the time.

The name Jabez means "pain; sorrow". We discussed in this post the importance of the meaning of names.

The Bible says that Jabez's mother bore him in pain and then named him Jabez. After having that label on him since birth, he was asking God to keep him from causing any more pain.

"That I might not cause pain" admits that we are human and as humans we have the capability to make mistakes which cause pain. By asking God to keep us from causing pain, we are asking Him to help us be mindful of those around us, their sensitivties, needs, and situations so that we are not responsibile for causing pain in their lives.

Matthew 18:7 says, "Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!"

We want to be sure that we are not the cause of offense or hurt in someone's life.


"That it may not pain me" is asking God to protect us from the same pain that we do not want to inflict on others. And although no one wants to experience pain in any way, we understand that pain can happen, but we are asking God to keep the pain from being a permanent throb.

Lord, as a stay-at-home wife and mother, I am limited to the interactions that I have. Help me not to cause pain to the ones that see me the most and who I love the most.

The Prayer of Jabez | Keep Me from Harm

The original post can be found here.
 
"...and that Thou would keep me from harm (evil)..." 1 Chronicles 4:10


Every day, just by putting on the news, we are hit with the tragedies around us. Yet, God has the ability to "protect us from danger, accidents and evil men" as my mother used to pray every time she got into her car to go out.

Now before I go on, please understand that I am not saying that by praying this phrase you are putting some kind of spell or magic bubble around you. We live in an evil world, but we serve a mighty and powerful God who can protect us.


As a little girl, I will never forget the time that my sister (2) and I (7) were sitting in our living room watching Sesame Street when my mother came running into the house to get us. She had been outside, and saw many of our neighbors looking up into the sky. She went over to them and asked what they were looking at.

"There is a tornado up there, and it looks like it is coming this way," one of them said. 

Why they were all standing there watching it, I have no idea.....

That is when my mother came running into the house, grabbed my sister and me, and took us next door to my Little Grandma's house (Addie's namesake).

Two of my aunts, who are prayer warriors, were visiting with my Grandma. The four women began praying for God's protection upon us as we were in the possible path of this tornado (not nearly the magnitude of a midwestern tornado, but it could still bring damage and serious injury). After a few minutes, mom checked out the window and saw that the neighbors were still outside. She went out to see what was going on- even though we wanted her to stay inside with us- fearless woman that she was!.

"It is amazing!" one of them said. "It looks like the tornado is now moving away from us!"

We found out later that the same tornado touched down a few miles away, removing the roof shingles off of a house.

God's hand kept us from harm that day.

Bruce Wilkerson, author of The Prayer of Jabez book and series, tells of a time when, after a particularly draining weekend of speaking engagements, either he or another pastor got on a plane to come home. His seat was in the center of the row and the men on either side of him were reading magazines or books of a vile nature. He closed his eyes and prayed that God would keep him from evil.

Without explanation, both passengers closed their books almost simultaneously and did not reopen them for the remainder of the flight.

God had kept him from evil.

Sometimes God's method of keeping us from harm or evil is to take us Home.

Although that is not what those of us who are left here want, it can be best for the one taken. When a loved one goes in for surgery, we pray for God to be the surgeons and to bring the loved one through.

In His sovereignty, God can answer with a yes or no, but either way He is still keeping harm or evil from us.

Almost six years ago the answer we received after Mom's triple bypass surgery was, "No, I know what is best even though you do not understand it."

I have learned (sometimes after much questioning) regardless of what the final outcome is, I need to ask the Lord to keep me/us from harm/evil. He will answer in the way that He sees best. I can ask, believing that He will answer the way I am hoping, but knowing that His answer is what is best.

That involves trust on my part, and for someone that prefers to be in control it is not always easy, but I am learning day by day to surrender my control to Him.

The Prayer of Jabez | Your Hand Part 2

"And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand." Genesis 39: 2-3

Having God's hand upon us also makes others stop and take notice that what we are capable of doing and accomplishing is because of His hand. It is important for us to direct the glory to Him as well.

Think of Joseph in the Old Testament. God's hand upon his life was very evident. His employer (master) saw the hand of God on him. Everything he did prospered because God's hand was upon him.

Have you known anyone that it just seemed like everything went their way? Could it really have been that (if that person was a believer) the hand of God was upon him/her? My mother was one of those people. Anything she did or tried prospered. But she was a woman who constantly sought after the heart of God.

As part of my daily prayer time, I ask for God to keep His hand, hedge, and shield of protection over our family. I also pray this specifically over Brian being that he spends a lot of time on the road driving between jobs. I cannot tell you how many times God has protected him from accidents.

For example, on his way home from work a few years ago, God alerted him to a rig that had a canoe on it. The bungy cord holding the canoe down was loosening. Brian said he didn't know what caused him to look over at the canoe except that it was God. When he saw the canoe starting to lift, he purposely managed to get into the middle of the two lane road, between the canoe rig and the other vehicles behind him, and slow down. The drivers behind him were pretty upset until the canoe became airborne. It did not hit his vehicle or any of the other vehicles, but it did land a few feet in front of him.

Years ago, my parents were taking my grandmother to a bus station before the sun came up so she could travel back to her home in south Florida. As my dad was driving, he suddenly saw the reflectors on the side of a flatbed truck sticking out into the road. It had large metal rods of some kind protruding into my father's lane. His only option was to continue driving forward or swerve into the left lane, but the vehicles in that lane were blocking him in (he was driving at the speed limit but was going too fast to stop in time). My parents and grandmother thought they were going to die that day. My father reached his hand over to shield my mother in some way, and they literally all closed their eyes. As they approached the rods, they heard a swoosh, and that was it. They all looked at each other not knowing what to think. The only explanation they had was that the hand of God had protected them.

Does the hand of God only offer protection? Absolutely not!

The hand of God also provides for us in times of need. Sometimes we need to take God's hand and walk with Him right to our need in a physical way. It isn't that He doesn't know our need, but He wants us to make more of an effort than just expecting Him to jump when we call.

When Brian and I first bought the house we are presently in, we had not yet sold our old house. We had tried selling it on our own for a few months, and then put it on the market with a realtor in October of '06. Houses were not selling because the market had just started its decline. We were paying two of everything (electric, garbage, mortgage, etc.). We were both working so the income wasn't a problem, but we really needed our old house to be sold for our own peace of mind (okay, so I wouldn't panic!), financial comfort, and because we wanted to start saving for a baby. My parents, sister, Brian and I decided to fast over our home. That was in the beginning of February '07. By Wednesday of that week, we had an offer on our home, and on February 28, 2007, we closed on the sale. Our house had been on the market for only 8 months, which in that market was a short time. That was just one of the many times that we have seen the hand of God at work in our lives.

I encourage you to reach out and take God's hand. Ask Him to spend some time with you, invite Him to your happy moments to steady you. Take His hand and tell Him you love Him. Take His hand for protection. Take His hand directly to your needs and wants. Take His hand when you need comfort. Take His hand when you are tired so He can hold you. His hand is open and waiting.

The Prayer of Jabez | Your Hand Part 1

"...and that Thy hand might be with me..." 1 Chronicles 4:10

When God's hand is upon you there is no power on earth that can stand in your way. God's hand offers guidance, love, protection, a shield, comfort, care, and hope.

Have you ever thought of God's hand being ever present and ready to be tugged on at any moment?

If you are a mother (or father), you know what it is like to have your child grab your hand. When my Addie or Ian grabs my hand, it fills me with love and that protective feeling, but it also sends me a message. That message can be:

• I'm taking your hand because I want you to steady me as I twirl around. I'm so happy, but I know that if twirl without holding your hand I'll lose my balance, fall, and my happiness will be gone.


• I'm taking your hand because I want to spend time with you.


• I'm taking your hand and pulling you close because I feel like giving you a sudden squeeze of love.


• I'm taking your hand and hiding behind you because I'm nervous, and I know you'll keep me safe.


• I'm taking your hand and showing you what I want. It is in a place I can't reach, but you can.
  


• I'm taking your hand and showing you what I need. You are strong enough to open the door to the refrigerator to get me the milk that is necessary for my health, growth, and development- or just because I'm thirsty.


• I'm taking your hand and trying to climb up your leg so you will hold me. I'm sad right now because I have gotten corrected, fallen and hurt myself, or didn't get my way, and I need you to hold me, comfort me, and show me that everything will be all right.
• I'm taking your hand so you can hold me because I'm too tired to walk on my own.

Do any of these sound familiar to you in the different ways you have of reaching over and taking a hold of God's hand? Doesn't it just fill your heart with love for a God who is so personal that He is always there with His hand?

Don't be afraid to reach out and take a hold of your Father's hand.

You can find the original posting from 2010 here.

Expanding My Borders {For Real}

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory!" 1 Chronicles 4:10a. (NIV)

This blog originally began sometime in 2008 when I first became a stay-at-home mom with our newborn Addie (pictured as a now almost 6 year old). 

In June 2009 I made the move to Blogger from Yahoo 360 (Yahoo's attempt at hosting a blog service). 

I was very small (and still am when compared to others who make a living off of their blogs), but God has begun growing the blog into something I had never imagined and growing me in ways I never thought possible. 

Do you remember my post on the Prayer of Jabez- Expand My Borders? I prayed and God has expanded.

I used to get between 45-70 views per day. As of late, The Joy of Homemaking has seen between 135-215 views per day with one day even reaching 318! That may not seen like a lot to some, but when I imagine a group of 135-215 women in a room I am humbled that God would allow me to reach them with encouragement to keep going as a woman, wife, and/or mother.

God is also expanding my borders to not only include "The Joy of Homemaking" but other blogs as well. Beginning this month, I will be a monthly contributor to two other blogs (Frugal Homeschooling Family and One Roll at a Time) as well continuing to blog here at my own blog and reviewing three times a month at Christian Children's Book Review.

On those days when I am posting elsewhere, I will give you a link here or on our Facebook page that will redirect you to the place you can find me.

Brian and I have also been talking about possibly changing the "look" of the blog and giving the blog a little upgrade love. Something I am looking forward to very much!

However, as the borders have expanded, I am constantly reminding myself that this is not my blog. It is God's for Him to use as He sees best. Toby Mac's song, "Steal My Show," has become my theme song for this blog.

For those of you who have been with me since my Yahoo days, thank you for your love and support for the last five years. For those who have joined us along the way, thank you for choosing to spend a part of your day here with me and my family. I am truly honored. For those of you who are new, my prayer is that each day when you leave this site, you leave encouraged to be the woman that God wants you to be.

It's a new year here on The Joy of Homemaking..... and I am still praying that He expands our borders!

The Prayer of Jabez | Expand My Borders

"...expand my borders..." 2 Chronicles 4:10

This is the third post in the Jabez series (see the original posts here and here).

I really love this phrase of the verse.

Have you ever considered what your borders are? I am not talking about borders in a negative sense. Think of "borders" in terms of a fence that is keeping your property contained. If you were a farmer, your fence would contain your home, land, crops, animals. By asking God to expand your borders in this example, you are asking God to take what is inside the fence and increase it so much that you have to move your fences out in order to contain the growth happening on the inside of the fence.



Look at everything around you and think about them containing borders. For me, my borders are, but are not limited to:

• family
• home
• influence
• blog
• pantry
• bank account

I am going to look at just a few of these items listed and explain what I mean by expanding my borders.


Family- Right now, a picture of my family looks like the photo above. Although we are pretty sure this is what our family will look like permanently (Brian asked me the other day if we could handle one more HUGE personality in our family!), I am leaving room for God to make the ultimate decision.

Home- Back when we were living in our first home (lovingly called our "little house"), Brian and I began praying the Prayer of Jabez. Within a year, we owned a 1/2 acre of property, and in another 2 years, we owned the half acre that we now live on. Altogether, for about 6 months, we owned 1 1/4 acres of land and two houses. God saw us through the finances and has provided for us in so many ways. We were able to sell both the "little house" and the other 1/2 acre of land which have blessed us financially.

Influence/blog- As a stay-at-home wife and mother, my influence may seem limited and at one time could have been limited to only my family (which is NOT a bad thing). When I was a teacher, I was able to influence over one hundred children. Because of the internet, God has allowed me to continue reaching out to others for His kingdom through this blog. I am always praying that God allows my influence in my family to always come first (which is why I blog when the kids are napping and when Brian and I are just hanging out in the office together each doing our own thing), and then for Him to allow me to continue to be an influence to others.

These are just a few examples of how I have asked God to expand our borders. I'm sure you can think of the borders in your life and how you want them expanded.

Ask God to expand your borders.

Be ready to do some work, though.

Expanded borders mean more responsibility.

Expanded borders mean that God sees that you are being faithful in the little things and is entrusting you with greater things.

Are you ready?

The Prayer of Jabez | Bless Me Indeed

"...Oh, that You would bless me indeed..." 2 Chronicles 4:10

Last week we began looking at the prayer of Jabez. Today I want to focus on the phrase of blessing.

First, we need to recognize where our blessings come from.

In this prayer, Jabez is asking God to bless him. So many times today, you hear people say that they were able to accomplish something because they believed in themselves. However, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Light.

When we recognize Who our blessings are coming from, we will forget the "box" we tend to put God in. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His blessings are not dictated by our earthly economy.

But Jabez did not just ask God to bless him. He wanted to be blessed indeed. According to dictionary.com, indeed means in fact; in reality; in truth; truly (used for emphasis, to confirm and amplify a previous statement, to indicate a concession or admission, or, interrogatively, to obtain confirmation)

Jabez is asking to be blessed in reality.

He is confirming and amplifying his previous statement. He is asking to be blessed without a question mark at the end of his request (maybe God will answer, maybe He won't). He is believing that he will receive the blessing he is asking for.

So many times we ask for God's blessing. But do we really know or grasp what we are asking for? Are we just throwing a blanket statement out there in hopes to cover all of our bases? Are we afraid to ask for specific blessings, so we generalize our request?

Unfortunately, we live in a culture and time, where faith has taken a backseat to our thinking that we have the ability to fix our own problems and situations.

However, I believe that I can come boldly to the throne of grace and make my requests and supplications, and that God can and will answer them. Will He always answer with a "Yes"? No.

Addie and Ian sometimes ask for things, but for their own good, I answer with a no. But they still ask because they feel the freedom to ask and they know that I love them. I can still ask knowing that God knows what is best for me. I also believe that if I ask my requests according to His Word and will, He will answer my requests to give me what is best for me.

So, how do I pray this line of the verse? I do not pray each of these things every day (although I try to), but here is a list of things that I have brought to the Lord under this phrase of the verse.

For Brian I ask that You bless him with:

• spiritual growth
• health
• strength to continue working
• bless his company with an over abundance of work so that they will be overwhelmed and not know how to handle the work load (has actually happened)
• long life

For Addie, bless her with:

• salvation at an early age (has happened)
• spiritual growth
• health
• an obedient spirit
• an incredible mind (has answered and continues to do so)
• a teachable spirit
• having all of her needs met
• a godly husband (one day in the future, but I can pray now)

For Ian, bless him with:

• salvation at an early age
• health
• an obedient spirit
• an incredible mind
• a teachable spirit
• having all of his needs met (we have been blessed by people constantly giving us clothing for him)
• a godly wife (again, praying for the future)

For me, bless me with:

• spiritual growth
• the words that you want me to use
• health
• ideas and creativity
• bless the work of my hands
• the desire to do the jobs that are not my favorite to do
• the courage to step out into the unknown to see what Your will for me is

Bless our:

• marriage
• home
• family
• communication skills
• finances

I have seen God work in so many ways, sometimes before I even have a chance to ask, and my specific requests have remained a secret between me and God.

God does bless.

I have evidence in my home of His blessings.

So what are you going to ask God to bless for you this week?

The Prayer of Jabez | Inroducing a New Series

Lord willing, on Thursday, we will have part 2 of our lesson that we began yesterday.

However, after a few months of having a devotional series on Tuesdays, I kind of liked having that "routine."

Today, we are going to begin a series on the prayer of Jabez that I wrote a few years ago. It should take us about seven to eight weeks to get through.

Today, we will begin with an introduction. Today's post will explain self application when praying with Scripture as your basis.

I pray that as you begin to pray the Scriptures you will see God move in your life and situation.

Expanding Our Borders

When I was going through the Prayer of Jabez, I had discussed the ways that the phrase expand my borders could be interpreted. Then as I was talking to GrandTiti recently and telling her about Brian's job and how much work God has blessed them with (last year at this time, they were literally hanging around the office waiting for calls to come in), she said, "Suzette, God is expanding the borders!" Just recently, the company has increased in business, in customer accounts, and in sales. God is expanding the borders!

Continue to ask God to expand your borders. He is in the expanding business.

The Prayer of Jabez- Conclusion

"...and God granted him what he requested."

We have come to the end of our series on the prayer of Jabez, and how fitting that this phrase is the end of the verse. We see that God honored the requests for blessing, increase, protection, and limited pain. (If you are new to the blog, check out the past 6 posts on the Prayer of Jabez- see the labels on the side bar or check out the Link Within boxes at the bottom of this post.)

We have been praying this prayer over here in our little corner of the world, and we have seen God provide, bless, and protect. Do you remember how we began this series by talking about personalizing this verse? Well, this is how I end this prayer during my prayer time. "And God granted her (Suzette) what she requested." And He has. He has been faithful.

I hope that you have been praying Jabez's prayer along with us. As you see God's blessings pour out on you and your family, be sure to keep track of them. I noticed that for us, as we began praying this verse, we became more aware of the blessings that God was giving us. As the blessings, increase, and protection come your way, be sure to make your children aware of them. Nothing is more faith building for a child to see than that the God that they serve did not only work in the pages of the Bible, but He also is at work in their lives as well. Even if your children are small (like our Addie), talking to them now about God's Hand at work in their lives will make a huge impact as they grow.

May the Lord continue to bless you.

The Prayer of Jabez- Not the Cause of Pain

"...that it might not pain me..." 1 Chronicles 4:10 Depending on the version that you read, the translation is different. Some say "that it may not pain me" and some say, "that I might not cause pain." Both are powerful.

We all know the sting first hand of pain, whether it be physical or emotional. However, many times without realizing it or thinking about it, we can be the cause of someone else's pain. Who me? Never! Why, we are perfect! If anything, it is somehow the other person's fault for taking us the wrong way! We all have these conversations with ourselves in our minds when we know that some one is upset with us. And while sometimes that may be true, it is not accurate 100% of the time.

The name Jabez means "pain; sorrow". We discussed last Thursday the importance of the meaning of names. The Bible says that Jabez's mother bore him in pain and then named him Jabez. After having that label on him since birth, he was asking God to keep him from causing any more pain.

"That I might not cause pain" admits that we are human and as humans we have the capability to make mistakes which cause pain. By asking God to keep us from causing pain, we are asking Him to help us be mindful of those around us, their sensitivties, needs, and situations so that we are not responsibile for causing pain in their lives. Matthew 18:7 says, "Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!" We want to be sure that we are not the cause of offence or hurt in someone else's life. In all honesty there are many people out there who unintentionally hurt with their words. If you are one of those people that people always seem to be offended with, remember that everyone can't be wrong. Maybe there is some soul searching that needs to go on to find out what is causing the offences. Maybe it is the words you say or the way you say them. Maybe the solution is not saying anything at all Remember, that you are asking God to help you from causing pain.

"That it may not pain me" is asking God to protect us fom the same pain that we do not want to inflict on others. And although no one wants to experience pain in any way, we understand that pain can happen, but we are asking God to keep the pain from being a permanent throb.

Lord, as a stay-at-home wife and mother I am limited to the interactions that I have. Help me not to cause pain to the ones that see me the most and who I love the most.

The Prayer of Jabez- Keep Me from Harm

"...and that Thou would keep me from harm (evil)..." 1 Chronicles 4:10


Every day, just by putting on the news, we are hit with the tragedies around us. And yet, God has the ability to "protect us from danger, accidents and evil men" as my mother used to pray every time she got into her car to go out.

Now before I go on, please understand that I am not saying that by praying this phrase you are putting some kind of spell or magic bubble around you. We live in an evil world, but we serve a mighty and powerful God who can protect us.


As a little girl, I will never forget the time that my sister (2) and I (7) were sitting in the living room watching Sesame Street when my mother came running into the house to get us. She had been outside, and saw many of our neighbors looking up into the sky. She went over to them and asked what they were looking at. "There is a tornado up there, and it looks like it is coming this way," one of them said. (Why they were just standing there, I will never understand.)

That is when my mother came running into the house, grabbed my sister and me, and took us next door to my Little Grandma's house (Addie's namesake). Two of my aunts, who are prayer warriors, were visiting with my Grandma. The four women began praying for God's protection upon us as we were in the possible path of this tornado. After a few minutes, mom checked out the window and saw that the neighbors were still outside. She went out to see what was going on. "It is amazing!" one of them said. "It looks like the tornado is now moving away from us!" God's hand kept us from harm that day.


Bruce Wilkerson, author of The Prayer of Jabez book and series, tells of a time when, after a particularly draining weekend of speaking engagements, either he or another pastor got on a plane to come home. His seat was in the center of the row and the men on either side of him were reading magazines or books of a vile nature. He closed his eyes and prayed that God would keep him from evil. Without explanation, both passengers closed their books almost simultaneously and did not reopen them for the remainder of the flight. God had kept him from evil.

Sometimes God's method of keeping us from harm or evil is to take us Home. Although that is not what those of us who are left here want, it can be best for the one taken. Although when a loved one goes in for surgery, we pray for God to be the surgeons and to bring the loved one through. In His sovereignty, God can answer with a yes or no, but either way He is still keeping harm or evil from us. Two years ago tomorrow the answer we received after Mom's triple bypass surgery was a "No, I know what is best even though you do not understand it."

I have learned that regardless of what the final outcome is, I need to ask the Lord to keep me/us from harm/evil. He will answer in the way that He sees best. I can ask, believing that He will answer the way I am hoping, but knowing that His answer is what is best. That involves trust on my part, and for someone that prefers to be in control it is not always easy, but I am learning day by day to surrender my control to Him.

The Prayer of Jabez- Your Hand

"...and that Thy hand might be with me..." 1 Chronicles 4:10

When God's hand is upon you there is no power on earth that can stand in your way. God's hand offers guidance, love, protection, a shield, comfort, care, and hope. Have you ever thought of God's hand being ever present and ready to be tugged on at any moment?

If you are a mother (or father), you know what it is like to have your child grab your hand. When my Addie grabs my hand, it fills me with love and that protective feeling, but it also sends me a message. That message can be:

• I'm taking your hand because I want you to steady me as I twirl around. I'm so happy, but I know that if twirl without holding your hand I'll lose my balance, fall, and my happiness will be gone.


• I'm taking your hand because I want to spend time with you.


• I'm taking your hand and pulling you close because I feel like giving you a sudden squeeze of love.


• I'm taking your hand and hiding behind you because I'm nervous, and I know you'll keep me safe.


• I'm taking your hand and showing you what I want. It is in a place I can't reach, but you can.


• I'm taking your hand and showing you what I need. You are strong enough to open the door to the refrigerator to get me the milk that is necessary for my health, growth, and development.


• I'm taking your hand and trying to climb up your leg so you will hold me. I'm sad right now because I have gotten corrected, fallen and hurt myself, or didn't get my way, and I need you to hold me, comfort me, and show me that everything will be all right.
• I'm taking your hand so you can hold me because I'm too tired to walk on my own.

Do any of these sound familiar to you in the different ways you have of reaching over and taking a hold of God's hand? Doesn't it just fill your heart with love for a God who is so personal that He is always there with His hand?

"And the Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand." Genesis 39: 2-3

Having God's hand upon us also makes others stop and take notice that what we are capable of doing and accomplishing is because of His hand. It is important that we direct the glory to Him as well. Think of Joseph in the Old Testament. God's hand upon his life was very evident. His employer (master) saw the hand of God on him. Everything that he did prospered because God's hand was upon him. Have you known anyone that it just seemed like everything went their way? Could it really have been that (if that person was a believer) the hand of God was upon him/her? My mother was one of those people. Anything she did or tried prospered. But she was a woman who constantly sought after the heart of God.

As part of my daily prayer time, I ask for God to keep His hand, hedge, and shield of protection over our family. I also pray this specifically over Brian being that he spends a lot of time on the road driving between jobs. I cannot tell you how many times God has protected him from accidents. For example, on his way home one day a few yearsack, God alerted him to a rig that had a canoe on it. The bungy holding the canoe down was loosening. Brian said he didn't know what caused him to look over at the canoe except that it was God. When he saw the canoe starting to lift, he purposely managed to get into the middle of the two lane road, between the canoe rig and the other vehicles behind him, and slow down. The drivers behind him were pretty upset until the canoe became airborn. It did not hit his vehicle or any of the other vehicles, but it did land a few feet in front of him.

Several years ago, my mother and father were taking my grandmother (Mom's mom) to the bus station before the sun came up so she could travel back to her home in south Florida. As my dad was driving, he suddenly saw the reflectors on the side of a flatbed truck sticking out into the road. It had large metal rods of some kind protruding from it in my father's lane. His only option was to go straight or swerve into the left lane, but the vehicles in that lane were blocking him in (he was driving at the speed limit but was going too fast to stop in time). My parents and grandmother thought they were going to die that day. My father reached his hand over to shield my mother in some way, and they literally all closed their eyes. As they approached the rods, they heard a swoosh, and that was it. They all looked at each other not knowing what to think. The only explanation they had was that the hand of God had protected them.

Does the hand of God only offer protection? Absolutely not! The hand of God also provides for us in times of need (like Addie needing her milk). And just like Addie, even though she knows how to ask for milk, sometimes we need to take God's hand and walk with Him right to our need in a physical way. It isn't that He doesn't know our need, but He wants us to make more of an effort than just expecting Him to jump when we call. When Brian and I first bought the house we are presently in, we had not yet sold our old house. We had tried selling it on our own for a few months, and then put it on the market with a realtor in October of '06. Houses were not selling because the market had just started its decline. We were paying two of everything (electric, garbage, mortgage, etc.). We were both working so the income wasn't a problem, but we really needed our old house to be sold for our own peace of mind (okay, so I wouldn't panic!), financial comfort, and because we wanted to start saving for a baby (neither of our employers offered any kind of medical benefits). My parents, sister, Brian and I decided to fast over our home. That was in the beginning of February '07. By Wednesday of that week, we had an offer on our home, and on February 28, 2007, we closed on the sale. Our house had been on the market for only 8 months, while others that we know had their homes for sale before we did and didn't sell until a year after ours sold. That was just one of the many times that we have seen the hand of God at work in our lives.

I encoourage you to reach out and take God's hand. Ask Him to spend some time with you, invite Him to your happy moments to steady you. Take His hand and tell Him you love Him. Take His hand for protection. Take His hand directly to your needs and wants. Take His hand when you need comfort. Take His hand when you are tired so He can hold you. His hand is open and waiting.

The Prayer of Jabez- Expand My Borders

"...expand my borders..." 2 Chronicles 4:10

This is the third post in the Jabez series (see here and here for the other two posts). I really love this phrase of the verse. Have you ever considered what your borders are? I am not talking about borders in a negative sense. Think of borders in terms of a fence that is keeping your property contained. If you were a farmer, your fence would contain your home, land, crops, animals. By asking God to expand your borders in this example you are asking God to take what is inside the fence and increase it so much that you have to move your fences out in order to contain the growth happening on the inside of the fence.

Look at everything around you and think about them containing borders. For me, my borders are, but are not limited to:

• family
• home
• influence
• blog
• pantry
• bank account
• Etsy shop

I am going to look at just a few of these items listed and explain what I mean by expanding my borders.

• Family- Right now, a picture of my family looks like this. However, this is not where I want our family to stay in terms of number and who we are. I want God to bless us with at least one maybe two more little gifts (and if He wants to give us an Ana and a Christopher that would be perfect!). I can already see the expansion process happening (not in myself, but in the "fences"). A dear friend has offered to give us a twin-sized bed and on Saturday, we went to pick up a dresser that belonged to Brian's grandparents. So, Addie's big girl room is already being furnished.


• Home- Back when we were living in our first home (lovingly called our "little house"), Brian and I began praying the Prayer of Jabez. Within a year, we owned a 1/2 acre of property, and in another 2 years, we owned the half acre that we now live on. Altogether, for about 6 months, we owned 1 1/4 acres of land and two houses. God saw us through the finances and has provided for us in so many ways. We were able to sell the "little house", which was a financial blessing, and we still have the other 1/2 acre of land as investment property.


• Influence/blog- As a stay-at-home wife and mother, my influence may seem limited and at one time could have been limited to only my family. When I was a teacher, I was able to influence over one hundred children. Because of the internet, God has allowed me to continue reaching out to others for His kingdom through this blog. I am always praying that God allows my influence in my family to always come first (which is why I blog when Addie is napping and when Brian and I are just hanging out in the office together each doing our own thing), and then for Him to allow me to continue to be an influence to others.

These are just a few examples of how I have asked God to expand our borders. I'm sure you can think of the borders in your life and how you want them expanded. Ask God to expand your borders. Be ready to do some work, though. Expanded borders mean more responsibility. Expanded borders mean that God sees that you are being faithful in the little things and is entrusting you with greater things. Are you ready?

The Prayer of Jabez- Bless Me Indeed

"...Oh, that You would bless me indeed..." 2 Chronicles 4:10

Last week we began looking at the prayer of Jabez. Today I want to focus on the phrase of blessing.

First, we need to recognize where our blessings come from. In this prayer, Jabez is asking God to bless him. So many times today, you here people say that they were able to accomplish something because they believed in themselves. However, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Light. When we recognize Who our blessings are coming from, we will forget the "box" we tend to put God in. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. His blessings are not dictated by our earthly economy.

But Jabez did not just ask God to bless him. He wanted to be blessed indeed. According to dictionary.com, indeed means in fact; in reality; in truth; truly (used for emphasis, to confirm and amplify a previous statement, to indicate a concession or admission, or, interrogatively, to obtain confirmation) So, Jabez is asking to be blessed in reality. He is confirming and amplifying his previous statement. He is asking to be blessed without a question mark at the end of his request (maybe God will answer, maybe He won't). He is believing that he will receive the blessing he is asking for.

So many times we ask for God's blessing. But do we really know or grasp what we are asking for? Are we just throwing a blanket statement out there in hopes to cover all of our bases? Are we afraid to ask for specific blessings, so we generalize our request? Unfortunately, we live in a culture and time, where faith has taken a backseat to our thinking that we have the ability to fix our own problems and situations. However, I believe that I can come boldly to the throne of grace and make my requests and supplications, and that God can and will answer them. Will He always answer with a "Yes"? No. Addie sometimes asks for things, but for her own good, I answer with a no. But she still asks because she feels the freedom to ask and she knows that I love her. I can still ask knowing that God knows what is best for me. I also believe that if I ask my requests according to His Word and will, He will answer my requests to give me what is best for me.

So, how do I pray this line of the verse? I do not pray each of these things every day (although I try to), but here is a list of things that I have brought to the Lord under this phrase of the verse.

For Brian I ask that You bless him with:

• spiritual growth
• health
• strength to continue working
• bless his company with an over abundance of work so that they will be overwhelmed and not know how to handle the work load (has actually happened)
• long life

For Addie, bless her with:

• salvation at an early age
• health
• an obedient spirit
• an incredible mind
• a teachable spirit
• the ability to eat regular foods (still praying for)
• having all of her needs met

For me, bless me with:

• spiritual growth
• the words that you want me to use
• health
• ideas and creativity
• bless the work of my hands
• the desire to do the jobs that are not my favorite to do
• the courage to step out into the unknown to see what Your will for me is

Bless our:

• marriage
• home
• family
• communication skills
• finances

I have seen God work in so many ways, sometimes before I even have a chance to ask. And my specific requests have remained a secret between me and God. At the start of the cool season, I had thought about going to the store to pick up a couple of warmer items for Addie. That same day when the mail came, there was a package from GrandTiti containing a cool weather outfit. I wanted to get Addie a pair of converse sneakers. When we went to visit GrandTiti and family, my cousin Belinda gave us a pair of hot pink converse sneakers. Right now, Addie is in a size 5 shoe. My friend (you know who you are) wrote to me a few days ago because her daughter had grown out of her size 6 shoes before getting much use out of them. That is one less thing we will need to get for her. As I dressed Addie the other day, I realized that the only thing that she was wearing that was actually purchased by us were her socks! Everything else from her bows to her shoes, her outfit to her diapers had been given to us. As for toys and educational tools, my dear friend Cathy and her daughter Kenberly (Ken-Ken to Addie) have blessed us with so many items. God does bless. I have evidence in my home of His blessings.

So what are you going to ask God to bless for you this week?

The Prayer of Jabez- Self Application

And Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying... 2 Chronicles 4:10

This post begins a weekly series for the next 7 weeks about the Prayer of Jabez. It is a prayer that God has used in my life in such amazing ways.

After hearing The Prayer of Jabez on CD and applying it to my prayer life, I was amazed at how God has answered.

I think that because I have applied this verse to my prayer life, I have become more aware of the blessings that God has bestowed upon our family.

It is not a magical prayer by any means, but the simple requests made cover many aspects of our lives. And by covering these areas in prayer, you are asking for God's blessings and protection.

In addition to praying this simple verse as it is written in Scripture, I have also personalized it so that it never becomes a prayer of repetition, and it makes me conscious of what I am bringing before the Lord.

So the next question is, "How do I personalize it?"

In all honesty, I learned to pray this way from my mother. You replace names in the verse with your own and pronouns with "me", "my", or "I".

By praying Scripture, you are taking God's Word and using it in the most powerful way possible.

What better way to speak to God than with His Word?

When I begin this part of my prayer, I begin with, "And Suzette called on the God of Israel saying..." With each phrase I bring specific things that fit into that category from my life and my family's life before the throne. I will delve more into those categories over the next several weeks.

I have been so excited about this series for a while now, and I look forward to sharing the blessings that God brings about. I pray that God uses this series in your life, and I hope you share with us the blessings that come about as you pray God's Word over your own life.