Hello Sweet Friends!!
Many of you know that I have had some pretty severe health issues over the past several years. To learn a bit more about what I have been through Click Here.
Saddleback Church Sermon
You may be asking how did I get through this time? I am sharing a message that provided so much hope and strength to me during the darkest time of my life. This message is from one of my favorite Pastors, Buddy Owens at Saddleback Church. The link to the message is below. I honestly have listened to this message so many times… I have it memorized. I am hoping you will watch it if you are in need of some hope today.
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO…__________________________
(Your Name Here).
Saddleback Church: Buddy Owens (Teaching Pastor) July 19-20, 2014
Isaiah 33:6(NIV)
“[The Lord] will be the sure foundation for your times,
a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.”
You can read Hezekiah’s story in 2 Kings 18-19 & 2 Chronicles 32.
Trusting God in the Storms of Life
I know God wanted me to share this with you today. He had planned out this moment. When I was in utter despair, God knew someone would need this message I am sharing today!! I can honestly tell you I have prayed about this moment for years. I knew God would use all my HURT for good!
During my illness, at times I felt like I was going to be swept away… I felt it was too strong for me to withstand. I can honestly tell you that looking back this time was a BLESSING. I know God allowed these things to happen to teach me. I had to learn about Him… His LOVE, His CARE, His STRENGTH, & His GRACE.
I had to learn about myself…
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- That I am dependent on Him from moment to moment in my existence.
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- I learned I am NOTHING without Him.
- I can DO nothing without Him.
- He is the provider for all of my KNOWLEDGE and WISDOM.
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I now can see that He wanted to show the world something through me. He has brought so many souls into my life that I have been able to teach what I did… to help them through the storms of their lives.
Daily Quiet Time
If you are going through a difficult time. It may be a health crisis, a financial crisis or a personal crisis.
- I urge each of you if you are not already doing this, set up a Daily Quiet time with God.
- Journal your prayers and praises of what He has miraculously provided for you.
- It’s your special time alone with Him to pour your heart out to Him. Look forward to it & savor it!!
Thankfully before these events happened, I already had a strong habit of doing this.
Benefits of Quiet Time with God
My prayer time during my illness was my lifeline to God…
- I thanked Him for being my loving Poppa, who cared and knew what was happening.
- I prayed for everyone that I knew who needed prayers.
- Prayed about every detail that scared me & concerned me. I poured my heart out to Him for hours.
- I prayed for knowledge and wisdom.
- I prayed for God to bring people to help me.
- I prayed for peace, courage, and strength.
Praying for Healing
I prayed every 5 minutes, I prayed on my knees. I prayed before every doctor visit. I prayed for God to give them knowledge and wisdom on how to get me better. I prayed that whatever the doctors said it was God’s words coming out of their mouths… I would not doubt!!
James 1:5-8(NIV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 6 But when you ask, you MUST believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
What is God’s Will for Me
I prayed for God’s will during all this time. It was hard I am not going to lie. Thinking that I might spend the rest of my days so violently ill was a horrific thought. But I knew God would provide…
I am hoping this promise from God given to us by sweet Isaiah will be as dear to your heart as it was to mine. I adore how Pastor Buddy stated it so beautifully.
Promise from God
I stated this prayer from Pastor Buddy sermon hundreds of times during my illness:
I have heard your prayer… [ Mary Ann ]
And I know how you are feeling,
And I know what you are facing,
And I know why this is happening…
But, you don’t have to be afraid,
Because I myself will be your sure foundation,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand,
I will sustain you, if you need wisdom I will give it to you, and I will show you what to do…
In this moment in your life, I will be the solid rock for you to stand on…your sure firm, unwavering, unshakeable foundation….
So don’t move off that foundation…
And I will be a RICH store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge for you!!
I wrote this down and would read it hundreds of times a day… I posted it in my kitchen, bathroom, bedroom…EVERYWHERE.
When my life was TOTALLY unraveling, life as I once knew it was COMPLETELY gone…
I Worshiped Him. During my time of distress, fear, doubt & confusion I worshiped Him.
The Importance of Worship
I worshiped God by:
- CONSTANTLY Praying.
- I worshiped Him by praying with my husband & small group.
- I worshiped Him by asking for prayers from my family & friends. I sent out hundreds of emails with prayer requests.
- I worshiped Him by asking our church to pray.
- I worshiped Him by journaling all my prayers. Keeping track of all those praises.
- I worshiped him by turning my prayer request into praises, thanking God in advance for answering them
- I worshiped Him by constantly reading my Bible.
- And when I could not read my Bible I listened to sermons… HUNDREDS of them. Sometimes 3 a day….
- I worshiped Him by memorizing Scripture, to pull out in those moments when I was so frightened.
I can honestly say that God…
During this time, saved me in ways that could have been only by His Divine power and intervention. My hands were insufficient for this ENORMOUS task!! God parted the RED SEA for us. There were countless miracles upon miracles so grand and beyond my wildest imagination that ONLY He could have done…
As Pastor Buddy said:
“When I move in your direction on your behalf…
It will not be by you getting by, by the skin of your teeth
It will be an OVER OBVIOUS, ABUNDANCE of OUTPOURING, of My POWER & My GRACE into your life and situation… “
Dear friends, I am POSITIVE that …
“The Lord will be the Sure foundation for your times,
A rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;
The fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure”
Dear friends… please know I am praying for you. I would love to pray specific prayers for you. You can leave a comment below or send me an email at the Contact Page.
I love you all. I know that God loves you too…
Check out these Easter messages from Saddleback Church for more Easter Hope and Love…
Saddleback Church ~ Pastor Rick Warren ~ April 14th, 2019:
“Recovering From a Traumatic Experience”
Check out these blog posts for more devotional inspiration :
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE??
The best way to connect with me is through the comments on my blog posts; I do my best to respond to each everyone. You can reach me by email via info@GraceInThisSpace@Gmail.com or follow along on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.