I Asked, God Spoke

Chapter 1

God’s Kisses Came Down

Thought/Verse for Today: 

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5).

It seems like only yesterday I was six years old, running around in a pair of zipped up footed pajamas! Life seemed so carefree. I would run through each room in our house as fast as I could. I can still hear my mother’s voice in the background.

“You need to slow down,” she’d say. “You could fall and get hurt.”

I would look at her with giggly eyes and a bright smile. “Mom, I am having fun,” I would respond. “I don’t want to stop.”

How I long to go back to those days when life was simple and trust was evident. Every time something was wrong, I knew Mama would come running to help. She patched up a scraped knee, wiped teary eyes, and was there to tuck me into bed each night. I yearned for this attention deep down when I grew older and missed it more often than I had realized.

Then one night as I was sitting in our living room, I thought about God and how He loves me even more than my mother did. I was His special gift to her. He was with me long before my mother even knew me. 

He fashioned me together and created me for a purpose. He was there when I took my first breath. He was the One who sent my mother running every time I fell down. He put it in my mother’s heart to kiss me good night after I said my bedtime prayers. God was behind all the good things I could not see. While my prayers went up, God’s kisses came down—through my mom. 

PRAYER: Lord, I am so grateful that all good things come from You! Thank You for creating each of us for a special purpose. Your purpose was to die for us, and our purpose is to live for You! Help us understand what our gifts and talents are. I pray that we use them to give You all the glory. Amen.

Lessons from a Lightning Bug

Thought/Verse for Today: 

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

“Catch Me! Catch Me!” 

Looking back, it was God’s voice I heard as I ran through the yard collecting lightning bugs as a small child. I always anticipated nighttime. I would grab my favorite jar off the kitchen shelf, punch holes in the tin lid, and throw a little grass in the bottom of the jar. To me, the grass would make all my little lightning bugs feel like they were home.

As nightfall arrived, I would dart out the door and wait for them to light up. My sister would tag along behind me.

“There’s one!” she’d exclaim.

I would chase the light all across the yard, my hands reaching out, until I finally caught it and placed it safely inside the jar. Each night we were fascinated by how these bugs would light up on the inside. We would stare at them for hours until we felt sorry for them. After being in the jar so long, the lightning bugs would begin to die.

“Aw! Look at them. They can hardly crawl anymore,” I would say.

My sister nodded her head. We knew what we had to do.

We took the jar outside, unscrewed the lid, and let them go. No matter how much I tried to make that jar their home, it never truly could be. As soon as I opened the lid, they began crawling out and flying, and all the lights began blinking once again.

“You see?” God might say now. “You were just like those lightning bugs! You tried and tried to make this Earth your home, but no matter what you did, your efforts were draining. I wanted to show you where your real home was, so I sent My Son. He would point the way to heaven. You would accept forgiveness, open up your heart, and My Light would enter in. However, once the lid was finally open, you would crawl out of that jar and finally be set free. Others would run toward that Light with outstretched arms, and through you, they would wind up catching Me!”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for a wonderful lesson from the lightning bugs. Thank You for giving our problems a purpose. Our problems really are not problems when we look at them this way. During our darkest hours, because of Your neverending Light, this is when we shine the brightest! Amen.

New Life

Thought/Verse for Today: 

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16).

I was only four years old when I watched the oncoming car plow into my sister and send her whirling into the ditch. The wails of my mother are forever etched into my memory. She screamed my sister’s name so loud, I can still hear her voice echo inside my mind. 

“Susan! Susan!” my mom called out as she ran frantically to the ditch. “Are you okay?” 

My sister did not respond and was taken to a nearby hospital. She was later transferred to another hospital where she remained in a coma for thirty days. She had broken bones, and she was put in a body cast from her hips down. As a result of the coma, she had to learn to walk and talk all over again.

This situation reminded me of God. When we finally come to Him as believers, we learn new ways to walk and talk. Our actions are nicer, and the words we speak are much friendlier. Sin had us in a coma-like state, crippling our souls and robbing our joy. We could not live in the fullness of life. God waited patiently, just like my mother did, praying we would open our eyes and recognize His face. Then He willingly took our hands, showing us the way one baby step at a time.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You for loving Your children enough to teach us new ways. Thank You for never giving up on us when sin cripples our souls. Amen.