And we know that God causes everything to work together
     for the good of those who love God and are called
     according to his purpose for them.
                                                                                      Romans 8:28
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the busyness and responsibilities of daily life.  We were raised to prioritize things in our life as our parents and those people we interacted with the most did.  We naturally assume their perspective of life should be ours.

But what happens when we take time to stop and ask God how he sees our life and the priorities we have placed on what we do and see?  Where do we even start?  Well, the Bible is a good place to start.  Becoming familiar with what the Word of God says, we soon recognize that it views life from the eternal perspective, and what matters to God, not the temporal viewpoint.

We discover that God is all about love, and prioritizes our loving God and loving people.  The overarching theme in the Bible is learning to trust God, not ourselves, for the truth, for the strength and for the motivation that propels us along in life.  It becomes clear that Father God values us.  We are made in his image.  He gave his only Son to rescue us and to become a model for us on how to live.  It may surprise us that he loves us so much, despite knowing what we have done or even think. 

When we accept that God loves us so much, so faithfully, overwhelmingly, and eternally, no matter the circumstances we are in, it makes it easier to accept our purpose for living.  Above the other reasons, we are called to know God and make him known to others.  We learn to entrust our lives to God, the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, works in us and through us, to accomplish what we are called to do.
 
If we accept that we are created to love and to be loved, living is simplified.  Since we are created to know God and grow in trusting him in everything, our perspective gradually changes into a heavenly one.  Sitting at the feet of Jesus in Heaven, our problems take on a different meaning and importance.  We start each day trusting God with the details and choosing to be open to opportunities to love him and others.  We give the heavy lifting to the Lord and trust we will see his fingerprints in everything we do.  And rest in Christ!

 Dear friends, be richly blessed as you choose to simplify your life by taking on God’s perspective.  May you learn to trust the Lord and choose to love him with all your heart, mind and strength and to love others as yourself.  May the Lord be glorified in whatever you do in love. Let’s rejoice and rest in our life in Christ!

Mary Sumner ~October 7, 2025

      Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  
     Be thankful in all circumstances,
     for this is God’s will for you
     who belong to Christ Jesus.
                             1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
 
Have you ever wondered when you should stop praying for something?  I imagine all of us have had problems or concerns that keep hanging on, so we keep bringing them to God. We may wonder if it shows lack of faith to keep repeating those prayers to the Lord when he has heard them many times before.
 
When we wonder how many times we should pray the same prayer, perhaps the Lord had us in mind, when he taught his disciples this lesson in Matthew 7:7,8:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jesus follows that with the example of a good father, who delights in giving his children what they need.  So, let’s remember, not only to keep on praying, but, also, let us remember to whom we pray.  We have a wonderful, good and loving Father who knows us better than anyone else and is willing and able to answer our prayers in the perfect way and in the perfect timing.  We are told to approach his throne of grace boldly to receive what we need from our heavenly Father. (Hebrews 4:16)

Recently, I heard someone on Moody Radio give the acronym P.U.S.H. in relation to prayer. PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS.  It’s simple, but it sticks with you.  So, let’s show God that we trust him by continuing to pray, expecting to see his goodness, grace and miraculous power manifested through our prayers.  The answer may not be exactly what we expected, but it will always be something good for us and the people for whom we pray.

Dear friends, be blessed to grow ever nearer to the Lord through prayer.  Be blessed as you think of God and talk with him as you go about your day.  As you grow in your understanding of God through your growing intimacy with him, may you grow in confidence in the authority and power he has entrusted to you as you pray. Amen.

Mary Sumner ~ September 3, 2025

     …   I said to them, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy!
     Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious,
     and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters,
     your wives, and your homes!”   Nehemiah 4:14 

Do you enjoy keeping up on what is going on in the world?  I do, at least until recently.  Recently, I am left feeling overwhelmed, and telling myself that only God can fix what is going wrong.  No human being, or group of humans, is powerful enough, wise enough, and fearless enough to stand up against the violence, corruption, and inhumanity.  Apparently, nothing can be done to reign in the poverty and starvation, the cruelty and war, let alone the earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires and floods.

So, what do we do?  When Nehemiah showed up to lead the people of Jerusalem, they were convinced there was no hope for their city.  The walls were broken down, and when they had tried to rebuild, their enemies returned to wreak havoc on them. 

When we feel hopeless, it’s natural to stop resisting.  So, we, like the people in Jerusalem, stop fighting for the very people and things we hold most dear.  Eventually, the hole we are in appears to grow deeper.  We believe the lies the enemy daily shouts at us.  Why even try?  

But God sent the remnant of Jerusalem a gifted emissary in Nehemiah who carried the God-given vision of what their city could become.  Nehemiah called them together and convinced them that they could rebuild the walls.  Only they needed to stay together and fight for their families and neighbors and resist the bullying, lies and threats of their enemies.

How does this apply to us?  We can’t win this battle against darkness alone.  But with God, we can.  In his Word, God has given us a vision of what he sees as possible.  In his Son, Jesus Christ, our heavenly Father sent us a godly charismatic leader.  Partnering with Jesus, we have the authority and power of the Holy Spirit.  On the Cross, Jesus has already won the war.

Our weapons are spiritually designed to demoralize and vanquish evil at every level. (2 Corinthians 10:4) If we stand firm together against the darkness, and use our prayers of faith, we can send our enemies running.  Through the ancient words of Nehemiah, Jesus is telling us, “Don’t be afraid of the enemy! Remember the Lord, who is great and glorious, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes!”  Together let’s raise our voices in prayer.  We were created for this time.  With Christ, we can win our battles and bring glory to God.

Dear friends, be blessed as you hear God calling you to prayer.  May your hearts overflow with the Lord’s love for your family, friends and nation.  May you be fill with joy and renewed courage as you see prayers answered. Believe and be encouraged that God can and will use you to bring his will from Heaven to earth.  Rejoice!  Amen.
Mary Sumner ~ August 5, 2025