TRANSCRIPT 🔗
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Speaker 1: Life Audio.
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Speaker 2: You are listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, where we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for their families in the areas they need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped thousands of moms make prayer a priority for their families. Our mission is to help you do the same. Prayer is not a last resort. It's our first and best response to the challenges of parenting, a partnership for the hearts of our children that God invites us into. Today's devotion is written and read by Brooke McLoughlin, founder of Million Praying Moms and author of Everyday Prayers for Peace. To learn more about Brooke or to learn more about how you can get involved in the ministry of Million Praying Moms, visit Today's show notes or Millionprayingmoms dot com. After a word from our sponsors, will pray together for our children.
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Speaker 1: Tewod Kings five fourteen. So Nayman went down and dipped himself in the Jordans seven times, according to the command of the Man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean. When I was in my early twenties, I started working at my first full time job. Each morning, before I had to be at work, I snuck off to a local coffee shop that was in the basement of a downtown building in historic Stanton, Virginia. It was such a cool atmosphere for a young twenty something who wasn't married yet and had no responsibility to anyone except herself. Even my boyfriend who would later become my husband, lived several hours away. It was really just me. During that time, I studied passages like Proverbs three five through six, which says trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding and all your ways. Know Him and he will make your path straight, and saw him thirty seven to four, which says take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your art's desires. And I began the process of learning what it meant to let the Lord change my dreams and use me in ways I had never thought of. And then I got engaged and my future husband's job forced him to move to a remote part of Virginia near the Richmond area. I went with his parents to visit one weekend and to help find a place for him to live, and I was floored at what I saw. In a matter of minutes, it was clear to me that I did not want to live there after our wedding. It was absolutely nothing like beautiful, historic Stanton, not even anything like the pretty small town I grew up in. Worse, it was five hours away from our parents. If there's anything we'd been accused of that as one hundred percent accurate. It said. I'm a daddy's girl and he's a mama's boy. Neither of us liked it. But as my mama told me on the phone, Brooke, if you want to marry that boy, that's where you're going to have to go. One Sunday, when I was visiting the area once again looking for a place to live after we got married, I decided
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to attend a church service just over North Carolina Line. I walked into vibrant worship and felt immediately like I was supposed to be there. I don't know if you've ever had the experience of just knowing a sermon was meant for you, But that day, in a church, I randomly picked out of the Yellow Page's phone book, no smartphone or web pages to look at during those days. Friends, the sermon was just for me. God met me that morning in a powerful way through the preaching of his word. The passage was a random one I'd never studied before from the Old Testament. It told the story of a decorated military leader with the misfortune of having leprosy. In the story, a servant girl of Nayman's wife knew about the prophet Elisha and believed Elisha could heal her mistress's husband. So Naman took off to Israel, loaded down with gold, silver and clothing to find his healing. And when our man of honor, highly valued in his own country, arrived at the door to Elisha's home, Elisha sent a messenger to open the door to him and tell him what to do. Naymon got mad, insulted. He had come with a display of riches and wealth in his mind to show honor and deference to Elisha, and what did he get in return? A servant of Elisha's who told him to go dip in a muddy river seven times. Second King's five eleven tells us Nayman expected a ceremony fit for his level of importance, where Elishah would stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease washing in the muddy Jordan River when there were cleaner, grander rivers in his own home that were more befitting of his station. No thanks. Had it not been for Namon's own servants begging him to go and do what the prophet advised, to lower himself and choose God's way of doing things over his own, he would have missed the blessing. So, according to our verse for today, Namon went down and dipped himself in the Jordans seven times according to the command of the Man of God, and then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean. I sat in my chair alone in the middle of a church full of people I had never met but would come to love, and experienced a direct answer from God to me. Marrying my husband meant dipping myself in a place I saw a bit like the Jordan River, and if I didn't, I would miss the blessing God had for me. There have been other muddy rivers that God has metaphorically asked me to dip in since that time, but each time I've fought him on it, wanting my will more than his own, and each time, though not without struggle, heartache, and even loss, his will has been proven to be better than mine. Praying to the God who runs the entire universe and who created you requires the ability even when it's hard to actually embrace the answer he gives you. As Elizabeth Elliott said, how shall I pray Thy kingdom come unless I hold the world to be his? To begin with, Nayman was insulted by what he was asked to do to be cured, and sometimes we react the same way to what God asks of us, offended when God doesn't do what we think best. Once again, the answer to this issue is one of prayer. If you see yourself in this story, maybe even as a mom who feels like God has asked her to completely set her own will aside for his pray, Like this, Lord, I don't like the season of life you have me in, and I don't understand why I have to be here. I don't know why you won't make it easier, and my pride is tempting me to take offense at what you're asking me to do. Help me to see things your way, Help me trust you in this moment, Help me to believe you're good and that you're using this time to do something in for and maybe even through me, in Jesus' name.
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Speaker 2: Amen, Friends, we have completely revamped our Patreon tears. Now with a ten dollars monthly donation, you automatically receive our favorite monthly downloadable prayer calendar of curated scripture inspired prayers that complement the devotions and prayers from the podcast. You also receive each day's devotion and prayer in written form, including reflection questions to accompany your quiet time. Many of our members enjoy having the ability to read the day's devotion or to save the prayer for future use. Lastly, when you become a Praying Mom, you're invited to a monthly mom chat with me and surprise guests from our other Million Praying Mom authors. You can learn more in today's show notes or at Millionprayingmoms dot com. Until next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.