Devotionals for the Heart: Ask God

Do We Ask?
A devotional by Wendy Wilson Spooner

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.” 

—2 Kings 2:9 (ESV)

When Elisha knew Elijah was soon to be taken from him, he wouldn’t leave him and when his master asked him what he wanted before he left, Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit to be upon him. As a result, Elisha went on to perform double the number of miracles Elijah had.

I have pondered what each of us can ask of the Lord, ourselves. I have considered the fact that I have never asked for a double portion of God’s spirit to be upon me—I’ve never used those exact words in my prayers. But the story of Elijah and Elisha shows us we can.

Matthew 7:7-8 (ESV) tells us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

When I look back on the history of my prayers, I’ve never had a prayer go unanswered. Even if the Lord’s timing was much wiser and different than mine, the prayer was still answered. Sometimes it was just a feeling of peace that everything would be okay, which to me, was as valuable as being given a “double portion” of God’s Holy Spirit.

According to Matthew 10:29, there is nothing we cannot ask of the Lord. Just as our Father in Heaven notes the fall of a single sparrow, He cares about each one of us! God pays attention to our smallest needs and worries.

At times, I have felt like a sparrow, small, seemingly powerless and unnoticed. But I believe that is exactly why that Bible verse was placed in the book of Matthew—for us. So we would know that we can call upon the all-powerful God of the Universe, our Creator, because He sees us, He hears us, and He knows how to help us! All we have to do is ask.

Let’s Pray:
Father in Heaven, let us always remember Your love for us no matter our circumstance. Help us to ask and turn to You first in all things. Thank You for always being there for us. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

Song of Reflection: “He’s Always There” by CeCe Winans. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Wendy is a Genetic Genealogist by day, a writer by night, and an artist in between. 

Her love of what we can learn from history compels her to write the true stories she unearths because she’s found that truth is indeed much more exciting and inspiring than fiction.

Wendy writes about family, faith, grief, art, and overcoming obstacles in life by coming to know who we really are—the children of God, and the descendants of incredible people who paved the way for us—even if they really struggled. Wendy believes in learning from our ancestors, honoring them, and then standing on their shoulders to become a better generation.

As an award-winning family history writer, Wendy’s debut novel, Once Upon an Irish Summer, released April 3, 2020. This book is a dual timeline historical fiction novel about a young, gifted artist suffering from debilitating grief, who finds healing and inspiration in her Irish ancestry, and goes on to paint a masterpiece.

The sequel, Celtic Winter: Eliza’s Story, released November 5, 2021. The storyline goes back in time to the little sister left behind in Ireland to keep her family alive, woven with present-day Beth’s continuing story as she races the clock with the young man she loves to find the only person who could save his mother’s life.

When Wendy is not researching or writing, she hikes, paints, loves being a church youth leader, binges on epic Bollywood movies, and hangs out with her greatest loves—her family.

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Connect with Wendy:
Website: https://wendywilsonspooner.com/
Blog: https://wendywilsonspooner.com/blog
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorWendyWilsonSpooner/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wendyspooner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Wendy_W_Spooner

Devotionals for the Heart: Ginger's thoughts on saying "Yes" to God

On Saying YES!
A devotional by Ginger Solomon

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

This verse seems fitting to use it since this is my last devotion for the "God is Love" blog.

God asked me to step out and do something I had never done before, and I did. I stretched myself by writing a devotion for you for the last twelve months. I enjoyed it and learned so much.

But just as the verse says, “For everything there is a season,” and my season here at God is Love is complete with this post.

I don’t know exactly what God is calling me to next in my devotion writing, but I know He wants me to continue in some way. Maybe on my own blog, or maybe with someone else. When He reveals His will, I will follow.

That’s the gist of what He asks of us. When He calls, we answer. We obey. We say, “Yes, Lord.”

Oh, but it’s so hard at times.

It was HARD for me to say yes to writing these devotions. I’m not a non-fiction writer. Let me come clean. I’m rarely a non-fiction reader. What do I know? I read the Bible. I struggle through devotions and self-help books of any kind. I can usually only manage a few pages. But that’s not the point here.

I said yes, and I was blessed for the experience. Even if no one read my posts, I learned from what I wrote. God loves me that way. Even as I sit and write my novels, God speaks to me through my character’s self-talk or dialogue. He teaches me through the words that come through my fingers onto the screen. It’s how “I” learn best. And God is so GOOD to teach me in such a way.

As the New Year dawns in a few days, I challenge you to listen to God’s call. Say yes. Even if it seems like God is calling you to a place you’ve already been, or it seems like a step backward from where you are. Say yes. Oh, the blessings.

Let me tell you a quick story. First, I should say that I didn’t believe I could conceive children.

Oh, the grace and humor of our Father.

Three months after my husband and I said I do, I found out I was pregnant. Surprise! I was ecstatic, elated, emotional, etc. LOL

And then the fun started. Here’s the quick version:

· Son 1 – 1991

· Son 2 – 1993 (2 years, 1 week)

· Son 3 – 1997 (3 years, 4 months)

· Daughter 1 – 1998 (18 months minus one day)

· Daughter 2 – 2000 (18 months plus twelve days)

· Son 4 – 2002 (2 years, 3 months)

· Son 5 – 2004 (23 months)

Oh, my word. Seven kids in thirteen years. FIVE of them BOYS!

Our family (pictured above at my son's wedding)

I always say that God has a sense of humor. My husband wanted five children, and after having one, two sounded good to me. My husband got his five (boys), and I got my two (girls).

And it was HARD. Oh, so hard. I spent many nap times crying out to God. I was tired, frustrated, struggling with everything, and did I mention tired? AND I homeschooled them all. Hahaha.

But God saw me through. I didn’t kill anyone, and the experience didn’t kill me.

It was a season.

But now I’m about to step out of that season. My youngest is 14. In a few short years, he’ll be walking into his future just as his older siblings have done.

And the “being momma” 24/7/365 will be over. Oh, let’s be honest. It’s already over. Mostly. My teens don’t need me as much. My adults rarely do.

It’s bittersweet.

But it also means I’m stepping into a new season. And it’s a bit scary. I’ve been a mom for 27 years.

And yet, I don’t have a choice, because all those years ago, I said yes to God when he asked me to trust Him with my family size.

AND, OH, WHAT A BLESSING IT’S BEEN!

So, say “YES!” when God calls you because I KNOW, KNOW, KNOW He will blow your socks off with blessings when you do. (BTW, that doesn’t mean it won’t be hard.)

Many blessings on you and yours,

Ginger

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Author Bio:

Ginger Solomon is a Christian, a wife, a mother to seven, and a writer—in that order (mostly).

She writes or reads inspirational romance of any genre, and if she’s busy homeschooling, doing laundry, or fixing dinner, books are on her mind.

She’s a member of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), president of her local writing group, and blogs regularly for InspyRomance.com and at gingersolomon.com.