Living Word Church Blog

Little Girl Lost

By Marybeth Whalen

 “’Come back, wandering children!  I can heal your wanderlust!’

‘We’re here!  We’ve come back to you.  You’re our own true God!’”

Jeremiah 3:22 (MSG)

Devotion:

This morning I was walking out of the library with my toddler trailing behind me.  As I walked through the sliding glass door to the parking lot, I turned to look behind me and my daughter was gone.  She had seemingly vanished into thin air.  I began to call her name, my eyes darting around from the inside of the library to the parking lot ahead, then back to the corners of the lobby I was standing in.  If you have ever lost a child, you know the panicky feeling that instantly wells up in your heart.  I rushed back inside the library and asked the librarians if they had seen her come back in.  They said no, but one went to look in the children’s section.  My heart was racing and my blood pounding as I ran back out to the lobby, calling her name over and over, louder and louder. 

“Lord,” I prayed, “please help me find my precious daughter.  Please don’t let anything happen to her.”  I thought of random scenarios of what could have happened.  Every news report I have ever seen, every newspaper article featuring missing children flashed before my eyes.  The librarian came out to where I was standing and asked me if I had checked the stairs.  I eyed the set of stairs set off to the side of the lobby, reasoning that she wouldn’t go there.  It couldn’t hurt to check, I decided.  I walked up the stairs and rounded the corner to see that precious little face looking back at me.  She was sitting on the stairs the whole time, listening to me call her name in a panic.

I swooped her into my arms and hugged her tightly. “Why didn’t you answer me?” I asked.  She looked back at me with her big blue eyes, studying my face like I had lost my mind.  To her, she was never lost, just enjoying a new hiding place. 

As I have thought of that moment when I knew she was gone, I have pictured her listening to me call to her, but not answering my cries.  She had made a wrong turn and was out of my sight.  I know all the dangers in the world.  I know how careful I must be with my precious child.  But she didn’t see the harm in trying out something new, investigating something different. 

How many times have I been like my little girl?  How many times have I ignored my Father’s voice, choosing my own way instead of answering His call?  How many times have I been lost and didn’t even know it?  How many times has He sought me out, even when I was unaware of the dangers that were lurking? 

We all lose our way.  The important part is not that we fall short, but how we respond when we do.  Do we cry, “I’m here Daddy!  Rescue me!”  Or do we try to answer our own questions and solve our own problems?  Do we need to rely on God more and ourselves less?  Do we need to allow Him to pull us from our hiding place and hear His voice say, “I’ve been looking for you, my precious daughter.”  Today I saw myself in my child—in desperate need of being found, of being searched for, of being drawn out of my hiding places, of being protected from the things I foolishly think are safe.  Today I saw my Father, so willing to do all those things—to go to the ends of the earth if that is what it takes, to send His own Son to die in my place, to swoop me up into His arms and say, “I am so glad I found you.”  It’s good to be found—even when you didn’t know you were lost. 

Dear Lord, thank You for searching for me and not giving up when I have been lost but didn’t even realize it.  Thank You for calling my name and loving me enough to draw me out of my hiding places. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Related Resources:

“Becoming a Woman of Influence” message on CD, taught by Marybeth Whalen

Marybeth’s Blog

Who Holds the Key to Your Heart? by Lysa TerKeurst

Do You Know Him?

Application Steps: 

What are your hiding places?  Write them down as God brings them to mind.  Ask Him to help you stop hiding.

Reflections: 

Is there someone in your life who needs you to pray today’s scripture as a promise for their life?  Do you need to pray today’s scripture, responding with, “I’m here!  I’ve come back.  You are my true God”?  If so, don’t delay in praying that prayer aloud today. 

Power Verses:

Job 28:10-11, “He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures.  He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light.”  (NIV) 

Psalm 143:9, “Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord, for I hide myself in you.”  (NIV)

Psalm  32:7, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”  (NIV)

Proverbs 31 Ministries

616-G, Matthews-Mint Hill Road

Matthews, NC 28105

www.Proverbs31.org

Missing the Forest for the Trees

By Lysa TerKeurst

 “What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.” 2 Corinthians 5:11b-12 (NIV)

Devotion:

Sometimes I’m guilty of being such a rule follower that I tend to miss the forest for the trees, as the old saying chides. I look at things from too narrow a perspective, only to miss the bigger picture. It’s easy to slip into the mode of looking at but not really seeing others. Our hectic schedules leave little white space to venture beyond the surface issues. Because of this, it’s easy to pay attention only to the negative. We also have a tendency to cast judgment on those whose hearts we cannot understand. We are guilty of simply being human because, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

For example, I recently gave my children a Language Arts assignment. They were to write a one-page paper about a place they wanted to visit and what they would do there. As they turned in their papers I was intrigued by their responses.

I was instantly frustrated with my daughter, Ashley’s (9 years old) paper because the city name was misspelled. I also found many grammatical errors. I thought, “She doesn’t think enough of this assignment to do her best work. Is she really struggling with spelling and grammar or is this a heart issue? What does this say about her work ethic? What does this say about her character? What does this say about her educational future?”

I sent her to her room to re-write the paper – and do her best this time. Then I noticed her original work tossed aside on the counter, so I read it one more time. Here is an excerpt:

Monrwia ( Monrovia )

I want to go to Africa and see the litter (little) kids in the orfneg (orphanage). And brig (bring) them sutuff (stuff) like clous (clothes), toys, shous (shoes), blakits (blankets), and moms and dads. I want to pick up the litter (little) kids and hug them. Maybe I can be an ortnesig (orphanage) helper one day and make it a good place.

Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees! I had totally missed the beauty in Ashley’s heart because I was looking at the surface, catching every mistake I came across. Her compassionate heart was plain to God, and putting her desire on paper should have made it plain to me as well. But I was so busy worrying about the spelling errors that I callously overlooked her heartfelt response. 

Ashley wasn’t trying to impress me with her grammatical skills; she was sharing a God-given desire with me. It was a chance for me to take pride in the way God is shaping her for a possible future ministering to orphanage-bound children. She needed me to see her heart, but I only saw her writing flaws as they appeared on paper.

Let me encourage you to learn from my mistake. Capture a moment today where you really see someone else. Look beyond their surface mistakes to see their heart. Maybe it’s your child. Or maybe it’s a spouse, neighbor or friend.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for often making judgments of others based on outward appearances. Help me to take time to really see their hearts and understand where they are coming from, and when they align with the things of you, to affirm and support their choices. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Related Resources:

The Bathtub is Overflowing but I Feel Drained by Lysa TerKeurst

Listen to Today's P31 Radio Show

Do You Know Him?

Application Steps:

Spend today focusing on someone’s heart. Don’t focus on what they look like, act like, or talk like. Don’t let Satan tempt you into misdirecting your attention towards superficial things. Dig past all the stuff on the outside, all the stuff screaming for your attention. Dig deep. Listen. Ask questions. Pray with them and hear their souls echoing in their prayers. Push out the busyness and sit.

Reflections:

What prevents you from really hearing someone’s heart? Is it busyness? A pre-existing negative attitude toward them? The desire to make yourself look good? 

Choose to take captive these potentially dangerous factors and make them obedient to God’s will – His desire to look at the heart. 

Power Verses:

1 Samuel 16:7, “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (NIV)

1 Chronicles 28:9, “For the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.” (NIV)

John 7:24, “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment.” (NIV)

Romans 2:29, “Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.” (NIV)

Proverbs 31 Ministries

www.Proverbs31.org