Christian Reflection and Prayer

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:5-7
New Living Translation (NLT)
5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes
of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf.
6 The lame will leap like a deer,
    and those who cannot speak will sing for joy!
Springs will gush forth in the wilderness,
    and streams will water the wasteland.
7 The parched ground will become a pool,
    and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land.
Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish
    where desert jackals once lived.

Reflection:

Texas can be blazing hot during the summer. The
ground can get so parched and cracked that it looks
like and alligators skin. Moisture evaporates and the
air-conditioners get a severe work out. Once, while
driving through a small town, I saw signs on the
houses saying, "Pray for rain." During severe climate
changes, it is refreshing to imagine the visual pictures.

God gives us so many of these images in the Bible
such as "streams in the desert" (v.6).
I often have looked back and thought of how dry my
life has been at times. I felt like that parched ground
in the Texas sun. Yet it is through those times that
God has faithfully reminded me that he can make
rivers in the desert. He can make me bloom given in
the midst of the most challenging of seasons.
Where are you today? Are you facing a desert? Be
encouraged! God is able to restore and make you
bloom even in the desert.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for reminding me that you are the
creator of all things. Yes, even of the desert. Amen

(Covenant Home Altar, author Gricel Medina)

STRENGTH TRAINING

Scripture:

Isaiah 35:1-4
New Living Translation (NLT)
Hope for Restoration
35 Even the wilderness and desert will be glad
in those days.
    The wasteland will rejoice and blossom with
spring crocuses.
2 Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers
    and singing and joy!
The deserts will become as green as the
mountains of Lebanon,
    as lovely as Mount Carmel or the plain of
Sharon.
There the Lord will display his glory,
    the splendor of our God.
3 With this news, strengthen those who have
tired hands,
    and encourage those who have weak knees.
4 Say to those with fearful hearts,
    “Be strong, and do not fear,
for your God is coming to destroy your enemies.
    He is coming to save you
.
Reflection:

Gaining weight is easy. Sometimes I feel like I just
look at chocolate and my body immediately gains
weight. Working out is not easy for me. My body
rebels against it. I admire people who get up early
in the morning and run no matter what the weather
is like. It is also amazing how some personal
trainers stick with people who inwardly believe it
will never work.

Commitment is not a bad word. It is extremely
rewarding to be motivated just by the sheer
fulfillment of seeing someone transformed. Inside
and out. The Holy Spirit is our personal trainer.
He is committed to seeing us strong inside and out.
He also wants us to strengthen others who are weak
and have lost their way. Look around you. Is there
someone who needs a spiritual personal trainer to
commit their success? Will you allow God to show
you how you can be one?

Prayer:

Lord, help me to see those who are weak around me
strength in the to be someone else's oasis in the desert.
Amen

(Covenant Home Alter, author Gricel Medina)

Scripture
:
James 5:7-10
New Living Translation (NLT)
Patience and Endurance
7 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] be patient as you
wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who
patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring.
They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen.
8 You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the
coming of the Lord is near.
9 Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and
sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is
standing at the door!
10 For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers
and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord.
 
Reflection:

I have always been fascinated the sound of rain it has
a soothing and therapeutic affect on me Hearing it
during the night special treat for me. My soul
welcomes it as a symbol of blessing and provision. It
is one of those things we cannot control, but we are
so grateful when it comes. I have found that it is during
the times of spiritual drought that I appreciate the rain
most.

During a time when I was in a very dry place, a very
unlikely person came into my life. We did not have a
lot in common it was hard to appreciate this person,
and our journey together was at times overwhelming.
But our mutual need for rain brought us together. And
it was that person who compelled me to cry out for rain.
Rain comes at all seasons-when we expect it and when
we don't. Today, let us ask the Holy Spirit for rain. Allow
it to fall afresh on you when it does, say some water.
You may need to bring it to a thirsty soul.

Prayer:

Lord, help me to appreciate the time of rain. Show me
how to remember that you are present in all seasons.
Amen

(Covenant Home Alter, author Gricel Medina)