Jeremiah 33:3; Philippians 3 - "Hills and Valleys"

God spoke to me through a dream last night. He reiterated the need to make decisions based upon the desires of His heart. Yesterday a friend shared they were praying for me. Their words were: "I will be praying for you. I will especially pray for God to make His will known and for you to be able to act upon it. Keep your eyes open as well as your heart." I pondered upon these words before going to bed and then I had the dream that reiterated living in the desires of His heart. Last week when God gave me Jeremiah 33:3 I read about how Jeremiah was confined when the Lord spoke to him. Confinement is not necessarily physical imprisonment. It can be emotional imprisonment where a situation or a person has you unable to function normally. It can be a time of great distress over the 'what ifs' of life. It can be a time of confusion but we must remember the enemy is the one to cause chaos in our life. God gives us peace no matter what is happening when we accept it. My prayers have been heavy for three families with prodigals. Not hearing from your children makes emotions run deep. The enemy uses such times by putting doubt in our minds. He tries to make us feel like we are 'bad' parents. One must remember in times such as this to lean into the Lord and allow Him to not just get us through the 'tough' days but to be able to glorify Him through them. He is with us in the "Hills and Valleys" of life. The words to this song hold great meaning to me....

On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the One who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the One who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain, I didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley I know I am not alone
You're God of the hills and valleys
Hills and valleys
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone

God is with us no matter what we go through on this earth. He is with us here so we can be with Him for eternity. There have been so many times I felt like giving up but He encouraged me to keep on pressing forward as Paul encourages us to do In Philippians 3:14. I have my eyes on the prize of eternal life with my Heavenly Daddy. Matthew Henry writes: The life of a Christian is in heaven, where his Head and his home are, and where he hopes to be shortly; he sets his affections upon things above; and where his heart is, there will his conversation be.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You in advance for the way You are going to work in and through me! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be seen/heard through my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts. May I shine brightly through You. Thank You for the words spoken over me by a friend yesterday! I pray I will not miss anything You give me and I pray for empowerment to walk in it. I pray the same for many going through 'tough' days. My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; my cousin Susan; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; Marion; Serena and her husband; Jo Ann; Vivienne; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Rhonda; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Preacher Bill Watts; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Timmy; Amber; families in turmoil; Ms Savon's friend; Cyndi; Doug and Gay; Owen; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments... Sharon's daughter Ashley; Chrissy's cousins; Shirley Jones; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Betty's husband; my friend with mesothelioma; Little Ivy; and Little Judson. I pray for Judy Link's family and other families experiencing loss. I pray for: Jonathan whose mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the Long Family, Vickie's son Jim, and Russ. Thank You for continued improvement with Pastor Sam and Baby Henry! Lord, may You be so near to those with prodigals. Thank You for being My Goal! Amen.