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See What God Has Done

Thirteen years ago this month I was in the home stretch of my 18 month breast cancer treatment, living with my wonderful kids in Colton, California, loving my time with my sweet grandkids, but missing my husband who was back home in West Virginia. Throughout this 2009 blog post are sprinkled prayer requests, and as I read through it, I realized all of them have been answered. You cannot argue with what is real. See what God has done.

February 10, 2009, I wrote:

Thirty down, two to go! Radiation treatments, that is. I look like I have a bad sunburn (on the skin at the site of the radiation) but so far no peeling and very little soreness. All our prayers have been answered to this point and I am very grateful things have gone so well. I am trusting that the internal damage is also at a minimum as we have prayed. God has been good to me and I try to tell that to others, always giving Him the glory.

Friday, February 13, I go in again for another Herceptin infusion [this was one year from the beginning of my cancer treatment]. These last a few hours each session. I will be continuing with these Herceptin treatments every three weeks through the month of July 2009 [I didn’t continue these that long due to the heart damage I sustained; my oncologist called a halt to the Herceptin treatments early]. Then I will be officially done with cancer therapy, except for taking a pill (to suppress all estrogen production) for a total of 5 years. Both the Herceptin and estrogen suppression treatments give me extra protection against cancer recurrence. Not everyone tests positive for these particular receptors, but I did and therefore can benefit from these treatments.

So praise God with us and continue to pray for total healing from cancer, myasthenia gravis and any heart problems.

And now for other great news from the Wallace clan: Jeremy and Monica (our eldest son and wife) are expecting baby #3! We are all looking forward to his or her arrival sometime the end of next summer. Please pray for mommy’s and baby’s health and safety. [He, Jaime, is a strapping 13 year old now and the third of my three fine grandsons; I also have two beautiful granddaughters. Just a little grandma boasting. Jaime’s mommy is fine too, by the way.]

Randy is in Florida as I write, speaking in churches and colleges, recruiting interns and staff for Mustard Seeds and Mountains, promoting Mission as Life trips and the ministry in general. We are excited about the work God has put into our hands, co-laboring with God in McDowell County, West Virginia, yet touching the whole world.

How so, touching the whole world? Mustard Seeds and Mountains’ ministry to people who come and work with us, either on a Mission as Life trip or as an intern or longer term staff, is powerful to change lives because of the working of God’s spirit in all concerned. We at Mustard Seeds bathe everything we do in prayer … as you will hear Randy say, “Pray the work.” Since we are convinced this is God’s work, not the Randy and Jacque show, nor that of anyone else on staff, we look to Him for guidance and the power and provision to accomplish what we need to do.

And I want to encourage you to do the same, whatever God has put in your hands to do. Together we will build the kingdom of God, come what may. There are no superheroes in God’s kingdom, only servants of the Most High God, the Faithful One, to Whom we are called to be faithful. Got a higher calling? There is no higher calling!

I praise and thank God I have a reason to get up in the morning. His presence and faithful promises keep me going, even when I am tempted to feel sorry for myself. I miss my husband and will not see him for several months, and I get weepy at times. Yet I choose to praise God for all His benefits to me. He has been so good to me. Praise His holy Name.

Thanks for caring and letting me share my thoughts and needs with you. May Jesus Christ hold you together (Colossians 1:17).

Jacque

PS Today, February 11, 2022, 13 years later, I am going strong, literally. The myasthenia gravis (severe muscle weakness) has been suppressed and I’ve been stronger in the last 13 years than I had been for the previous 40 years. I’m healthy, my heart function is normal, and to date am still cancer free. I’m staying active, even writing blog posts again. And I’m still praising God for his goodness. That is one thing that won’t end.

This blog post first appeared on Jacque’sJourney.blogspot.com in February 2009.

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Building a Wall of Prayer and Wielding the Sword of Action

I enjoy reading. I read books for improvement, for entertainment, and for relaxation. Years ago, I read the “Pendragon Cycle” by Stephen R. Lawhead, a series of four books based on the legend of King Arthur. Now, in case I’m about to lose you, hang in there. This is actually a very well-done story, and the author has several excellent spiritual truths woven into the story line. Let me tell you about one that I find both fascinating and instructive.

For generations the Britons had been fighting the invading barbarians and there was no peace. The Romans had come to Britain but now were gone, leaving the Brits to fend for themselves against the barbarians. It was an age of Darkness. Local kings had to raise warbands to defend their holdings and their people. They would set a High King over them who would join all the forces of the combined kings, the better to defend the country. They were a nation used to war and bloodshed, to mighty men of war.

In the third book of the series, “Arthur,” a battle is about to take place between hordes of barbarians holed up in an abandoned Roman fort, led by a traitorous British lord, and the warbands of Britain led by Arthur. His forces are woefully outnumbered by thousands of barbarians. Nonetheless Arthur and his warriors storm the high-sitting fort, its steep slopes strewn with thousands of large stones, a deadly way to have to do battle. The barbarians run down upon them, sheer numbers pushing the Britons back and allowing no advancement in the fight. Thousands are slaughtered but the Britons cannot take the wall of the fort. After the first day of battle Arthur’s men retreat to their camp to rest. Things are not going well, not at all.

The second day is the same. At noon they retreat to take a breather and the lords under Arthur meet with him to discuss strategy. Some want to lay siege to the fort and wait for more men. Arthur, as their leader and knowing better, is against it. Merlin approaches (in this retelling he is a former druid bard who is now a Christian, the Soul of Britain, their spiritual leader) and quietly says, “The hill is cursed. There is distress and calamity here. The slopes are treacherous with torment, and disaster reigns over all.” He goes on to recount the tragic history of treachery and betrayal and the battles fought there, and the spirit of evil which has been awakened by the treachery of the current traitorous lord leading the barbarians against his own countrymen.

The quieted lords, hanging on his words, ask what they are to do. Merlin answers, “This battle will not be won by stealth or might. It will not be won by bloodshed alone. The spirit abiding here will not be overthrown except by the power of God.”

The lords are thrown into a dither. They are used to fighting for their right, using force of physical strength to win their battles. The sword and bloodshed are what they are trained in. But trusting God? “What are we to do about that?” they cried.

“We must pray, Lords of Britain. We must erect a fortress of our own whose walls cannot be battered down or broken. A caer (fort) that cannot be conquered. A stronghold of prayer.”

Arthur heartily agrees to do this very thing. The next day before dawn, Merlin is seen climbing the hill of the fort and starts gathering rocks. Arthur goes to bring him back but ends up joining him in stacking stones. Other lords go up to stop what is going on and end up doing the same thing, and the warriors start flowing out to join them. A wall starts to take shape. When asked what they are doing, Arthur responds by lifting a stone over his head and calling to the men, “What do you see?” They call back “A stone!” “No!” Arthur shouts. “I tell you it is not a stone. It is something stronger than stone, and more enduring: it is a prayer!” He called them to look at all the stones on the steep hillside and see them as prayers. He was gathering the “prayers” to build a wall, a “stronghold to surround the enemy.”

This picture of prayer as a stronghold was given physical form as they built the wall which surrounded the whole hilltop fort.  Within those walls they fought the enemy. They were trapped within the shoulder high wall as much as the enemy they fought.

This story of Arthur and his warbands is a make-believe story, one which likely never actually happened. But the author has penned a powerful truth and painted for us a fascinating picture of life as a follower of Jesus Christ. Can you see it?

An enemy has taken what is not his. He is more powerful than we are. We cannot defeat him by our efforts, though we lay down our lives to the last man. As hard as we work, as much as we give, it will not win the battle. We will wear out and finally give out if something doesn’t change. In the story, Arthur understood it, Merlin voiced it and gave critical insight and pointed wisely to the only solution: trust in the power of God, not the arm of flesh.

Now, you and I know we need to trust God in what we attempt in this life. If we are followers of Jesus Christ we have been called into the fight, which is made up of many battles, to advance the Kingdom of God, the rule of God on earth in the lives of people. No one will be forced against their will to enter the Kingdom of God. But we have an enemy that is adept at deceit, schooled and powerful in lies and deception. This enemy has deluded and blinded humankind, leaving men in darkness. We followers of Jesus are carriers of the Light and as such we have the responsibility to let that Light of truth shine forth so that all may see, and seeing, have the opportunity to leave the darkness and enter the Light.

Prayer to God and reliance on Him must be our first line of defense and attack. Then we must act. Our prayers are meaningless if we are not laying ourselves on the line to act, to do the right things to accomplish God’s goals. To be part of the answer to our own prayers.

On the one hand, we cannot win without faith in God. On the other hand, neither will we win a single battle unless we act, in faith and reliance on and obedience to the living God! These are not mutually exclusive realities. They go hand in hand. Faith without works is dead! Works without faith are powerless!

We must build that wall of prayer, that “stronghold” of prayer surrounding the enemy. Then our “sword swinging” will be effective. We will gain the high fort walls and defeat the enemy. And that’s no Arthurian fantasy.

Where I live there is much spiritual darkness, “there is distress and calamity here. The slopes are treacherous with torment, and disaster reigns over all.” The evil spirits in areas here are awake and busy at work. Do you see it where you live? It is there, make no mistake.

We as believers in Jesus Christ must be busy building that wall, that stronghold of prayer against the enemy who occupies the high ground. We cannot do this alone. Fellow believers must join together in lifting those heavy “stones” of prayer to assist in building that wall around the enemy.

We should also be busy “wielding the sword” of battle against the enemy forces, though we are far outnumbered, and fenced in by that very wall of prayer we have built. Our volunteering work with various Christian organizations, our churches as they reach into their communities, doing good in a multitude of ways, sending and supporting those whom God has called to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth; these are the “swords” wielded in battle! These are the physical exertions necessary to carry out the commands of Jesus Christ to demonstrate the gospel in our world.  

Years ago, when we served God by serving the needy in West Virginia through Mustard Seeds and Mountains, Randy called me into his office to view a video just posted by a church group that had been there for a week doing home repair and Bible clubs. As I watched, I got choked up and began to cry. I was seeing the ministry of Mustard Seeds and Mountains through the eyes of the volunteers who are Mustard Seeds for that week, and I thanked God I was a part of it. Today, Randy and I serve with Mustard Seeds in different ways, predominantly teaching and training, and building a wall of prayer. And like we did in West Virginia, we are doing good things. We are doing the right things, wielding the sword of obedience and good works. I am so happy to be part of doing “something” for the Kingdom of God!

Let’s all encourage one another to keep on. Keep building that wall of prayer, keep wielding the sword … “to win for the Lamb the fruit of His suffering.”

This blog post was first seen on Jacque’s original blog, jacquesjourney.blogspot.com, published August 5, 2009. She now posts on Living with Hope and Purpose, the website of jacquelinegwallace.com. It is reposted here with minor edits and updates.

Photo of Fort by Chris Curry on Unsplash

Photo of Stone wall by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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One Week to Teach Us to Pray: The Bible Study

An Invitation to Study Prayer … and to Pray

For several months since the middle of June I’ve been posting about the Bible study Teach Us to Pray—the Practice of Prayer: learning to pray from the Lord’s prayer and teachings of Jesus. These posts were “teasers” to stir up curiosity and interest about the Bible study. Now we, the Teach Us to Pray Team, want to invite you to the Teach Us to Pray Zoom Bible study.

Why? Because wherever you are in your faith journey, there is always room to grow in the area of prayer. As a new believer, or a long-time Christian, we all know we should spend time in prayer but, honestly, we can lack the motivation, discipline, and habits necessary to make it a part of our daily routine.  
This study will answer questions like:
-How do I connect with God?    
-How can I achieve my desire to spend time in prayer when I struggle to make it a priority?
-How can I get over feeling lost in knowing what to pray for?   
And many more.

Through this online prayer study, we will use the Psalms and The Lord’s Prayer to:
-walk you through what it means to pray,
-give you practical steps to grow in prayer, and
-help you prepare your heart for time with God. 
You will also be encouraged by a community of other women practicing the discipline of prayer alongside you.

At the core of prayer is a relationship with God.

That is the first prerequisite.  So, even if you are not a believer yet, this is a great way to be introduced to what a relationship with God looks like. And as a believer in Jesus Christ, you will learn how to grow in that relationship with Him.*

Teach Us to Pray will begin on January 24, 2022 and meet for 10 weeks through Zoom.  You must have a computer capable of using Zoom, ideally with a video camera. A smart phone will also work with the Zoom app.

If you are interested in joining us, Click Here to Register for Teach Us to Pray. 

You may email jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com with any questions you may have.
 
We hope you will join us in jump-starting your prayer life!
 

 
Sincerely,
 
The Teach Us to Pray Team
 
 
P.S. You will receive two confirmation emails after Registering:
1) an email request to Confirm Your Subscription. Please confirm to be included in the Zoom Bible study.

2) If you do not see the second Confirmation email letter in your In box after 30 minutes, be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder.

3) You should also receive an email with a link for the free Bible study PDF download. Again, be sure to check your spam/trash box if you do not receive it. If you still do not receive it, email  jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com  
 
*The body of this letter was composed by Debbie Haupt, Teach Us to Pray Team member.

 
Photos by: First, Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash;  second, Photo by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash

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Fit to Fight Goliath

You don’t just jump into spiritual conflict unprepared. It could be deadly. Preparation and training are necessary.

We’ve been discussing testing of our faith. It comes to all believers in Jesus Christ, but I fear too often we don’t recognize it for what it is. When difficult times come to us—health issues, disease and death, financial crises, and similar trials of life—we often have a knee-jerk response of, “God, what’s going on? Why is this happening to me?” Such trials are not to be taken lightly or downplayed. The suffering is very real. The reality is, God can use these things common to us all to refine our faith and produce good results in us.

In my last post, these trials are what I likened to David’s lions and bears, which he subdued during his everyday shepherd’s life. This was David’s training ground for spiritual attacks, for fighting Goliath. And our health problems, financial troubles, and other challenges in life are our training ground for spiritual attacks, for fighting Goliath on the battlefield of faith in Christ.

In my last blog post, I re-posted the first of two blog posts about this topic. Here is the second.

Goliaths and Greater Things

David was faithful in his everyday life as a shepherd, sometimes at great personal risk fighting lions and bears. It was in his everyday life that he grew strong wielding the weapons of his trade—the staff and sling and stones—and he grew strong in faith in God. He knew God and could confidently say, “the LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear …”

We too face our lions and bears, those trials and difficulties that come into our everyday lives, threatening us in a myriad of ways. These are the enemies that come to destroy us.

Are we being faithful to fight them with the weapons given us—prayer and praise and the Word of God? Are we becoming adept in their use and growing in strength and trust in God? Can we say as David did, “the LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear …”

It is only in our everyday lives as we faithfully face enemies that would destroy us—our lions and bears—that we learn to fight, becoming skilled and strong, where we learn to know and trust the LORD, bringing him glory as we fight our personal enemies. This, too, is where we learn to recognize another kind of enemy: Goliath.

Goliath wasn’t David’s personal enemy, and he isn’t ours. Goliath is a different enemy. He defies the LORD of Hosts, the Lord Almighty.

Goliath is anything that is contrary to the person and purposes of God, and he must be fought with weapons that have “divine power to demolish strongholds … and everything that sets itself up against the knowledge of God …” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

Prayer and praise and the Word of God. These are the powerful weapons that we become skilled at using in our everyday lives fighting our lions and bears. Their power is spiritual, not of our flesh or the world, but of God’s Spirit who lives in us.

When Jesus was on earth, he fought many Goliaths. When he was about to leave and return to his Father in heaven he told his disciples, “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. … And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. … for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:12-17, NIV, emphasis added).

Jesus expected us to fight Goliaths. Else what did he mean by saying, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NIV)?

Or “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV)?

The Spirit was given for God’s purposes, the “greater works,” to be lived out in our lives. The questions we must ask ourselves are:

  1. Do I recognize Goliath when I see him?
  2. When I do see him, do I have the spirit of David that says, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
  3. Do I have the chuztpah to reply to the naysayers as David did, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I … struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine” (1 Samuel 17:34-37, NIV, emphasis added).
  4. Do I have the jealousy for God’s Name that makes me willing to put “skin” in the game, my skin, for his Name and glory?

The greater works we are to do, that Jesus expects us to do, are waiting to be done. They are there waiting for us to step forward, as David did, in the name of the Lord Almighty, that the Father may be glorified in the Son—through us.

“David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down … and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.  All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands’” (1 Samuel 17:45-47).

Let us get stronger every day wielding the weapons of our warfare—prayer and praise and the Word of God—fighting our everyday lions and bears so that we may be strong in the Spirit, fit to recognize and fight Goliath—doing greater things—for the sake of his Name, for the glory of the Father.

Let us fear God more than men.

How have you fared with your lions and bears? Have you discerned the Goliath that you should be challenging for his Name’s sake? How is it going? Send me your questions and comments about this post at jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com .

 I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Photo: Repent by jclk8888

“Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!” and “Goliaths and Greater Things” were first posted on Living with Hope and Purpose at JacquelineGWallace.com, blog posts of October 27, 2015, and November 3, 2015, respectively.

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Everyday Lions and Bears

In our women’s Bible study we are investigating what the Scriptures have to say about being thankful for times of testing of our faith. If you recall, in my last post I said I had two pages of Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, that touch on the subject of tests of our faith and many speak to what our response should be. We went through some of those verses in this week’s study. Carolyn, who agreed to lead a few weeks of Bible study, contributed more pages of Scriptures, some of which were the same as I had copied out and others I did not have.

Everyday Tests for Everyone

James 1:2-4 was one most of us know: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” Another group of verses, perhaps not so well known, is from 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4: “We sent Timothy, our brother and God’s fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you as to your faith, so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this. For indeed when we were with you, we kept telling you in advance that we were going to suffer affliction; and so it came to pass, as you know.”

Obviously, whatever the source of the trials and afflictions, we are not to be taken by surprise nor discouraged by them. And we need to encourage one another in them. We are even to count it joy to suffer because the testing of our faith can produce wonderful outcomes in our lives, such as endurance and completeness/maturity in our spiritual lives, as well as character and hope, as Paul says in Romans 5:3-5. “We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

The topic of tests of our faith reminded me of a post I published in two-parts on my blog a few years ago and I’m re-posting the first part here.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Well, maybe not tigers, but definitely lions and bears. That’s what David said, “When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth.” He went on to declare, “When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it” (1 Samuel 17:34-37).

Now, I’ve seen a bear close up. Sure, it was at night and all I could see was a big round, furry looking thing lumbering swiftly away from me (thank goodness it was going in the opposite direction!), but I knew it was a bear. We saw its tracks in the snowy yard the next morning and followed the trail of garbage up the hill into our neighbor’s yard. No sheep, just garbage. Hungry bears apparently are not fussy about their meals. From the size of that behind and the paw tracks it left, I’m glad it wasn’t running toward me!

A lion and a bear. Running after it. Grabbing the sheep from its jaws and then grabbing the beast by the hair and killing it. That is an amazing feat. Done not once but twice. All in the line of duty. Just part of the ordinary life of a shepherd.

David was responsible and dependable. He could be trusted to take care of business, in this case, sheep-keeping: guarding and guiding [and defending].

David was faithful to fight and do what he had to do; he did the right thing, even at great cost to himself. He may have had the scars to prove it. He used the weapons of his profession—the sling and stones and staff—becoming adept at their use. In the process of fighting the lion and bear he grew skilled and strong. His faith in God grew as well, for David knew he didn’t do his fighting alone. “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear ….”

David was faithful in his everyday, ordinary life.

We all live ordinary lives. We all face our lions and bears, those trials and difficulties that come into our lives, perhaps threatening our livelihood or even our life. These are the enemies that come to snatch away our lives, enemies that threaten to destroy us. Are we being faithful to fight them with the weapons given us—prayer and praise and the Word of God? Are we becoming adept in their use and growing in strength, growing in our trust in God? Can we say as David did, “the LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear …”

It is only in our ordinary, everyday lives, faithfully facing the enemies that would destroy us—our lions and bears—that we learn to fight, becoming skilled and strong in spirit. Ordinary life is where we learn to trust the LORD.

What bears or lions are you facing today: Health issues, fearful job or financial challenges, death or disease of a loved one, divorce, addiction? So many beasts that would tear us apart and destroy us. Only by wielding the weapons of prayer, praise (yes, praise) and the Word of God, in the power of God’s Spirit, can we successfully defeat such enemies.

But that’s not the end of the story. Fighting lions and bears has another vastly important function in our everyday, ordinary lives. For only then will we, like David, recognize and be fit to face the giant, Goliath, who defies the Living God.

More on that next time we meet.

I want to remind you of another topic of study: the Lord’s Prayer and how Jesus taught us to pray. Offered in 10 weeks via Zoom, Teach Us to Pray will begin on January 24, 2022, meeting at 10 AM Pacific Time. 

If you are interested in joining us for this study, please register through the link below.

We hope you will join us!

Click Here to Register for Teach Us to Pray.

If you have any questions, you may email  jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com.

Please note, you will receive two confirmation emails after Registering:

1) an email request to Confirm Your Subscription. Please confirm to be included in the Zoom Bible study.

2) If you do not see the second Confirmation email letter in your In box after 30 minutes, be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder.

 Bear-by-sgarton-m10.jpg

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Giving Thanks for Testing

“Faith, by its very nature, must be tried.” (Oswald Chambers)

Who hasn’t heard of Oswald Chambers? One of the best devotional books ever published, in my opinion, is My Utmost for His Highest. It is a compilation of portions of messages and talks Mr. Chambers gave throughout his life, all of which were painstakingly recorded in shorthand by his wife. Many books were published from these notes based on sermons and teaching of Oswald Chambers.

And you may have heard of author Jan Karon, who delighted many readers with her stories about an Episcopalian priest and his neighbor cum wife in the fictional North Carolina town of Mitford. It is from a quote, the one above by Oswald Chambers, in the book, At Home in Mitford, that a question arises about the testing of our faith and giving thanks for it.

Grudging Gratitude?

The question asked by the main character, Father Tim, and the response by his neighbor, Cynthia, got us to thinking it would be good to follow up on it for ourselves. That question and response are:

(Father Tim) “Would you agree that we must be willing to thank God for every trial of our faith, no matter how severe, for the greater strength it produces?”

(Cynthia’s response) “I’m perfectly willing to say it, but I’m continually unable to do it.”

Exploring our thoughts about this exchange will be the topic of discussion and Bible study for the next two weeks in our women’s Bible study. I, personally, want to root out the biblical answer to the question Father Tim poses.

A Novel Idea

Some may look askance at the idea of a Bible study arising from a story of fiction, but why not? All of life presents opportunities to see the hand of God at work in our lives and of the lives of those around us. In fact, it should give us pause if we are not growing in our awareness of the presence and activity of God in our lives and those of others.

Our faith in God through Jesus Christ will be tested. This is not conjecture, it is a tried-and-true fact, attested to in Scripture (James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:6-7). It will come whether we are aware and ready for it or not. If we are not aware and prepared for testing and trials of our faith, we run the risk of running in a trajectory away from God and blaming him when things go awry, rather than running to our heavenly Father, who is our Refuge and Rock of safety. And only source of comfort and peace, I might add.

It will be an interesting study. So far, I have over two pages of cut and pasted Scriptures related to the topic. God has spoken. He is not silent. It is for us to listen with ears that hear and obey.

More on that next time!

I want to remind you of another topic of study: the Lord’s Prayer and how Jesus taught us to pray. Offered in 10 weeks via Zoom, Teach Us to Pray will begin on January 24, 2022, meeting at 10 AM Pacific Time. 

If you are interested in joining us for this study, please register through the link below.

We hope you will join us!

Click Here to Register for Teach Us to Pray.

If you have any questions, you may email  jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com.

Please note, you will receive two confirmation emails after Registering:

1) an email request to Confirm Your Subscription. Please confirm to be included in the Zoom Bible study.

2) If you do not see the second Confirmation email letter in your In box after 30 minutes, be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder.

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An Invitation to Study Prayer … and to Pray

Since the middle of June, I’ve been posting about the Bible study Teach Us to Pray—the Practice of Prayer: learning to pray from the Lord’s prayer and teachings of Jesus. These posts were not the full Bible study lessons but only, as I recently told a friend, “teasers” to stir up curiosity and interest about the Bible study. Now we, the Teach Us to Pray Team, want to invite you to the Teach Us to Pray Zoom Bible study.*

Why? Because wherever you are in your faith journey, there is always room to grow in the area of prayer. As a new believer, or a long-time Christian, we all know we should spend time in prayer but, honestly, we can lack the motivation, discipline, and habits necessary to make it a part of our daily routine.

What’s It All About?

This study will answer questions like:

-How do I connect with God?    

-How can I achieve my desire to spend time in prayer when I struggle to make it a priority?

-How can I get over feeling lost in knowing what to pray for?

And many more.

Through this online prayer study, we will use the Psalms and The Lord’s Prayer to:

-walk you through what it means to pray,

-give you practical steps to grow in prayer, and

-help you prepare your heart for time with God. 

You will also be encouraged by a community of other women practicing the discipline of prayer alongside you.

Getting to Know God

At the core of prayer is a relationship with God.  That is the first prerequisite.  So, even if you are not a believer yet, this is a great way to be introduced to what a relationship with God looks like. And as a believer in Jesus Christ, you will learn how to grow in that relationship with Him.

Teach Us to Pray will begin on January 24, 2022, and meet for 10 weeks through Zoom.  You must have a computer capable of using Zoom, ideally with a video camera. A smart phone will also work with the Zoom app.

If you are interested in joining us, please register through the link below.  You may email jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com with any questions you may have.

We hope you will join us in jump-starting your prayer life!

Click Here to Register for Teach Us to Pray.

Sincerely,

The Teach Us to Pray Team

P.S. You will receive two confirmation emails after Registering:

1) an email request to Confirm Your Subscription. Please confirm to be included in the Zoom Bible study.

2) If you do not see the second Confirmation email letter in your In box after 30 minutes, be sure to check your Spam/Junk folder.

*The body of this letter was composed by Debbie Haupt, Teach Us to Pray Team member.

Photos by: First, gift_harbeshaw_517714 on Unsplash; second, woman praying at Women’s Retreat, The Bridge Bible Church, Bakersfield, CA.

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Maybe It’s Not What You Thought

How does God “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”? What image comes to mind when you cry out for him to deliver you from evil? Does God look upon us as poor, helpless humans who can only survive by his constant intervention?

Without doubt God intervenes, sometimes miraculously; we have the records to prove it. There are things only God can do, and he does them. He hears the prayers of those who fear him, who put their trust in him. He acts on behalf of those who love him and walk in his ways. There is much to be said on this topic, but here is not the forum for that discussion.

But for most of our everyday deliverances, have you ever thought about what part God expects us to play in the answer to our prayer for deliverance and protection? Maybe we aren’t as poor and helpless as some think we are.

In Lesson 8, the final lesson of Teach Us to Pray, you may be surprised to learn how God has built in responsibilities we must take up in the process of our deliverance from evil.

Do I have your attention? Have I piqued your curiosity as to what I’m talking about?

Join us to study the Lord’s prayer to consider what Jesus taught when he instructed us how to pray.

Maybe it’s not what you thought all along.

If you are interested in more information about the Zoom Bible study, Teach Us to Pray—The Practice of Prayer: Learning to pray from the Lord’s Prayer and the teachings of Jesus, contact the Teach Us to Pray Team at jacqueline@jacquelinegwallace.com , we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Photo by jppi sw_Listening_sa209430 at Morguefile.com

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Mercy for Mercy

“Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” (Matthew 6:12)

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14—15)

A Hard Saying

Here opens Lesson 7 of Teach Us to Pray—Learning to pray from the Lord’s Prayer and teachings of Jesus. We are at the “forgive us as we forgive” section of the Lord’s prayer, undoubtedly one of the most difficult parts of the prayer. How are we doing on the forgiveness scale?

The lesson continues:

“Forgiveness is a touchy topic to deal with. We’ve all been hurt or had wrong done to us by others at one time or another and to one degree or another, anything from small slights to major transgressions. It may seem easier to go through life holding a grudge, trying to ignore the one who hurt us rather than forgive the transgressor, but we will not like the end result of our unforgiveness. Jesus said the person who does not show mercy to another will herself not be shown mercy. We need to do some hard thinking about the cost to ourselves of unforgiveness.”

If you wonder what mercy has to do with forgiveness … well when one says it out loud it seems self-explanatory, doesn’t it? But I actually hadn’t given it much thought until I was studying Matthew 7:1-2 in the Sermon on the Mount, you know, the “judge not so that you will not be judged” verse. And the next verse, “for in the way you judge, you will be judged.” That verse always gave me pause …

Have Mercy

Studying the Sermon, I spent lots of time in those scriptures, reading sections every day for weeks. And I began to hear what God is saying (that’s why I say read a passage day after day for a week or more). I began to connect the “dots” of scripture, and they made a perfectly clear picture: “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy” (Matthew 5:7) and “in the way you judge, you will be judged” (Matthew 7:2). I understood: Mercy in judgement.

Photo by Priscilla du Pree on Unsplash

That is how God has dealt with us. With mercy.

Like Father …

Connecting more scripture dots: be merciful like our heavenly Father is merciful.

Somewhere forgiveness fits in there, also making a perfectly clear picture. Mercy in forgiveness. Mercy for mercy.

Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash

That’s what we investigate in Lesson 7.

Consider joining us in a Zoom class of Teach Us to Pray in January 2022. Stay tuned for details.

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More Than Hungry Tummies

“Give us this day our daily bread.”

Lesson Six of Teach Us to Pray deals with a subject dear to all of us: food! “Give us this day our daily bread” is a prayer that seems pretty straightforward. Even simple. A child could pray this prayer and because his little tummy is rumbling, pray with earnestness and understanding! “Dear God, I’m hungry, I want to eat.”

Our Daily Bread

But when we add “give us this day our daily bread” to other teachings of Jesus about how we should view all our material needs, including how we view money, we begin to realize there is a lot more going on in that seven-word prayer than meets the eye.

So, what does Jesus have to say about our rumbling tummies and food to fill them, about the money we tend to call “my money,” and how we use it, and what our attitudes and actions should be toward all these things material?

Well now, in lesson six of Teach Us to Pray—Learning to pray from the Lord’s prayer and teachings of Jesus, we will dig into the Scriptures to find out what Jesus has to say about these things that are so dear and near to us.

Keep following these blog posts to learn more about what each lesson holds for you in the Bible study, as well information about the up-coming Teach Us to Pray Zoom Bible class to be offered in January 2022.

Earlier posts may be read by visiting the “Recent Blog Posts” on the right hand side of this blog post.

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash