Category: Seasons of Life

Prayer Journals

~ Free Woman, Create! ~ 1 Comment

“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”- Psalm 77:11-12, NIV

In Joshua 4, God gave the Israelites a special set of instructions. He told them to take 12 stones, one for each tribe, and set them in a specific place. Read Joshua 4:21-24 with me:

Then Joshua explained again the purpose of the stones: “In the future,” he said, “when your children ask you why these stones are here and what they mean, you are to tell them that these stones are a reminder of this amazing miracle—that the nation of Israel crossed the Jordan River on dry ground! Tell them how the Lord our God dried up the river right before our eyes and then kept it dry until we were all across! It is the same thing the Lord did forty years ago at the Red Sea! He did this so that all the nations of the earth will realize that Jehovah is the mighty God, and so that all of you will worship Him forever.” (The Living Bible)

As followers of Jesus Christ, we should keep “stones” for the same reason the Israelites did: to remember what God has done. It would be difficult for us to collect a stone each time we encountered God. My solution: Prayer Journals.

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Seasons of Hardship

~ Free Woman, Create! ~ 3 Comments
“Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” – James 1:12 (NASB)

“I just want this to be over!”

I am sure we have all expressed this sentiment during tough times. Unemployment, grief, illness, heartbreak, and other seasons of hardship are uncomfortable and painful. We would love for them to be over with the snap of a finger. The reality is that the only way out of hardship is to go through it.

God’s timing is not our own, so we cannot place a time limit on a season of hardship. The end of one week, month, or even year does not guarantee the start of a new and better season of life. We may very well remain in the same season or enter a more difficult one. 

Being a Christian does not exempt us from life’s hardships. In fact, God intentionally uses hardship to discipline us. This form of discipline is not meant for harm. Rather, God uses it to reveal His character and build ours. 

You will no longer anticipate the end of a season of hardship when you embrace God’s purpose for it in your life. How can you accomplish this? Ask yourself these four questions: 

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