CONDUITS OF COMFORT - Part Two: A Disease Called Loneliness

Depression. Insomnia. Sleeping too much. Weight loss. Weight gain. Lack of Appetite. Hypertension. Digestive Problems. Ulcers....Sounds like a disease diagnosis doesn't it? It is! And the disease is called loneliness.

Many of us has had, and some still suffer from this disease. The malady of loneliness has been widely studied. Health care professionals and social scientist alike all agree that loneliness is a real, serious disease. University of Chicago's social psychologist, John Cacioppo suggests that chronic loneliness can have significantly adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, causing a chain reaction that consequently leads to other problems that are just as serious, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

You can be socially connected to 1,000 people on Facebook and still be lonely. Not because your life isn't crowed, but because your world is empty. Being lonely is not the same as being alone. People are usually okay being alone. Being alone are the times that help us to renew our minds, discover our inner-selves, and commune with an awesome God! But loneliness? Loneliness is like looking in the mirror and nothing stares back. It is like an echo; when you cry out, the only voice that comes back to you is your own; hollow, blank, lifeless.

God did not make man (woman) to be alone. He knew that it wold be an unhealthy state to exist in. That is why being lonely is so devastating. It is so easy to see how this disease can strike. The mental immune system is weak, allowing the germ of loneliness to infiltrate the system. It can become all-consuming, reeking havoc on the mind and body.

However, as with most diseases, there is a cure. Also, as with most diseases, the cure is not a simple or easy fix. There are steps that must be followed; guidelines to adhere to or the results sought will not be realized. First and foremost we must remember that if God made us (which he most certainly did!) He knows our needs. It is not His desire for us to be alone. If we've never experienced real love, He wants us to. But we have to be willing to understand our role and be amendable to following the instructions on the prescription bottles.

One thing we do know is that Christ also suffered loneliness in a very brief moment when he felt His Father had left him. Matthew 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Also take comfort in the fact that Christ absolutely understands our loneliness.Hebrews 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

We also have to remember that God will never leave us; he will never forsake us! He will give us what we need. What we need to do is first of all trust in Him and know that He will provide us with what we need to get through the next day of loneliness, and the next day, and the next day. Give it over to Him and wait on Him. Do I think it's easy? Heck no! Sometimes the loneliness I feel is so overwhelming that I cry, and cry, and cry; so hard until I wonder how I am able to even breathe! Do I lose faith sometimes? You bet! But then I remember that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147.3 He will hold me up, hold my hand, hold it so tight that I can't let go! Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." Am I still scared? You better believe it! However, I've found that focusing on the needs of others helps tremendously. Taking me out of the way and putting my energies in working for His kingdom feels takes away the pain.

We need to learn to trust God to provide for our needs. We cannot expect Him to answer our prayers, to provide for our needs and to comfort us in times of loneliness and we do nothing in return.  Our prescription includes reaching and encouraging others; believing in God and doing  what He says to do - [like] keeping  His Commandments! We have to live by every Word of God. The entire Bible is written by inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16), so we must believe the Bible and live by it.

Do I get tired sometimes? Absolutely yes!  Loneliness is a disease can tear us down, cause depression and negatively impact our health.. But our Father says He will take care of everything! He provides for the sparrows; He can certainly provide for us (Luke 12:6-7). God is a loving Father who loves us even more than any parent loves his or her little child. Learn to trust Him to care for every need you have. Lean on him; when you find yourself falling, wrap your arms around him. When you want to give up, wrap your legs around him, feel the warmth of Him; hear the steady heartbeat and don't let go! Your battle is won, just let Him do it in His own time!

CONDUITS OF COMFORT - Part One: When Does the Hurt Stop Hurting?

Have you ever been hurt so badly until you felt as if the wound would never heal? I don’t mean a physical pain, although physical discomfort is usually the catalyst. The hurt I am talking about is a mental pain, one that deeply pierces your heart with a throbbing of such intensity until it makes you feel as if you will explode! That is the kind of hurt I am talking about; the kind of hurt that makes  you cry out in torture. And all you want to know is , when does the hurt stop hurting?!

Imagine that you are a newlywed, embarking down the road of marital bliss with the man whom you think will be your mate for life. He is loving, pays so much attention to you, the proverbial “tall, dark and handsome” and you are so looking forward to sharing your life with this man. But there is a very, very dark side of him that you do not see until you say “I do”. It doesn’t take long for that dark side to emerge. 

Now imagine one day the both of you are watching television, talking about the sitcom characters and you innocently call one of them a punk. Nothing bad, just a simple not-so-horrible word; and all of a sudden you find yourself drenched with a cold glass of milk that has been thrown into your face. The milk is so cold until you can’t catch your breath and the sudden shock of the icy liquid hitting your skin causes you to convulse. You wonder where in the world that came from and what had you done to deserve it. That is just that the beginning. The next time, you don’t agree with something that he has said and suddenly you find yourself locked out of the bedroom. You live with your grandparents, so you don’t want them to know what is going on and you proceed to go and sit on the cold, damp basement steps where your grandmother finds you. How do you explain what has happened? You don’t of course, you just lie and say you locked yourself out of the room and your husband is sleep. The first lie of many.

Then other little abuses begin to happen, a quick slap in the face when you’ve “talked too much”. A swift push into a door when you’ve “disobeyed” him. Several rights to the jaw; a kick in the behind that is so forceful, you actually fall through the door, all because you forgot to bring something from the grocery store. Oh yeah, there is the push down six flights of stairs while your eight months pregnant. Then there’s the hard slam into the car door because you refused to sit and listen to someone humiliate him! There is the time you’re knocked down so much until you don’t even have the strength to pick yourself up so you just lie there. There are the times that you find out he is cheating on you; sometimes with women that you thought were your friends. There are the countless times that you’ve stood in the middle to absorb a blow meant for one of your children. Innocent little children who did not understand why daddy hated them! And what about the many, many times you tried to get away only to have your plans found out and been punished for being “bad”. Then you were threatened with fatal harm if you ever tried it again. Or, make that worse, your children were threatened. At this point, it stops becoming a physical pain but a mental hurt. A hurt that makes you want to die, but you cannot stand the thought of leaving your children to the care of him. You haven’t shared anything with your family. You are terrified! The hurt intensifies as your situation becomes hopeless and your feel your life, your spirit, just draining away. What do you do? What did you do? When does the hurt stop hurting? You blame yourself because certainly there has to been something that you did to induce the hurt. You were not a good wife. You were not pretty enough, or smart enough, or did not satisfy him in the many a ways a wife was supposed to. You were not spiritual enough. You did not make a good impression on his family. You were just so inadequate in so many ways until improvement was impossible. The hurt was unbearable and it just would not stop! Your only solace is in the comfort of your prayers to the Lord. 

It was decades that the abuse went gone on. Your children have grown up, they are now self-sufficient. You don’t have to protect them anymore, now they are protecting you. You don’t want them to be your protector. You have a protector, the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the Greatest and now is the time. You don’t take the abuse anymore. You don’t give in anymore. You find that courage to finally issue an ultimatum…that marriage becomes history! You don’t care that he has made a last ditch effort to belittle you and plummet your self-esteem even lower than it already is. You try to look past the ugly words he tosses at you as he laughs in your face: “You are ugly and fat and you will never find anyone else!” You ignore it, but you are still left with the hurt and it continues to hurt. 

Now you are left to pick up the pieces and contend with the hurt that others hurl at you; the biting, stinging words, spoken out of ignorance. Things like, “I would have never stayed in that marriage”; “Just one time and I would have been gone”; “It was your fault for staying”; “You were the fool”, “I would  not have given him a second chance”…….yada, yada, yada…and all of this is fine and well. And when you look back it, sure you stayed in the marriage too long. Perhaps you should have left the first time. You were just married, you were confused, for a long time you blamed yourself. However, none of those who had such wonderful “after advice” lived your life; faced your threats; feared for their children’s world; feared for their very own existence; or wanted to go to a corner, curl up in a ball and quietly die. But whatever the truth, no one had the right to judge you! Whatever the truth, nothing gave him the right to be abusive…to feel that it was okay to physically and mentally hurt someone whom he stood in front of people and God and swore he would love and cherish until death did them part. No one has that right…No One! So when does the hurt stop hurting?

It never stops hurting. But when you are a Christian, when you are in the family of Christ, through His love you find a way to look past the hurt. When it becomes the proverbial monkey on your back, as it most certainly will from time to time, you know that you have the unfailing love of the One who will never hurt you! “For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler”. Psalm 91:3-4.You think of so many verses to show how much God cares for you, even though you did not see at the time you begin the realize how much the Lord actually brought you through! “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”. Psalm 9:9. He has always been your refuge, always been your strength, your stronghold. He has always heard your prayers and knew your tears “For he has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and he has not hidden his face from him, but has heard, when he cried to him”. Psalm 22:24 

No, the hurt never stops hurting but the Lord’s promises are indeed true! “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort”. Psalm 23:4 And there will come a time when you feel the hurt less, and when that little monkey decides to scuttle on back as I told you he will, your Father will be there to send him right on back where he came from; just wait on Him. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, The Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble”. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4a The hurt never stops hurting and the Lord never stops loving us and will never leave us to hurt alone. Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews13:5.

 

First Things First

Therefore do not worry, saying, "What shall we eat?" or "What shall we drink?" or "What shall we wear?". For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all those things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

When I was in my early twenties, just embarking on my journey into adulthood, I used to dream and want, and want and dream. I grew up in a religious household and understanding the need to read and study the Bible. But as I grew up, I became so fixated on what I wanted that I forgot "first things first."

I lived a pretty typical young adult's life; working and waiting for the weekend, so that I could party; sometimes so much so until when Sunday morning came around, I would be too exhausted to go to church. I forgot "first things first."

Then I got married, suffered through 21 years of unhappiness; and kept asking: Why me? Why Me? You see, I forgot "first things first."

When I got divorced, I became a rebel at an age closer to 50 than 40. I wanted to experience all of what I thought I had missed out on being married at 25 and for such a long time. I forgot "first things first."

My post-marriage experience turned out to be nothing but a frantic grasp at trying to live a life I thought would make me happy and give me fulfillment; I forgot "first things first."

During my fruitless attempts at self-awakening, I went through a myriad of crazy emotions and far-reaching impulsive adventures that were exciting and truly destructive. I played games I would never had done before. I became reckless, getting involved with two "bad boys", and all while harboring  feelings of uneasiness throughout both relationships...I was just seeking a bit of happiness; looking for a reason to justify my foolishness. I forgot "first things first."

With my divorce came the crushing reality I was left alone to pick up the financial pieces of a broken marriage. Bills were mounting and I felt the walls were closing in and I was emotionally drowning. I forgot "first things first."

During that time, I lost three people who were extremely close to me; my mother and my 'play' mother. Then I lost me. I struggled to make sense of everything that had happened to me. I struggled with trying to make ends meet I struggled with an overwhelming loneliness. I struggled with those loss. I struggled with no one to turn to for encouragement. I forgot "first things first."

I began to start worrying. I worried about everything. How was I going to pay my bills; sometimes how was I going to get food to eat; how was I just going to make it from day-to-day. I was a mess because I forgot "first things first."

It has been thirteen years that I've been struggling with all of this. Thirteen years of not looking up when I felt my world crashing around me. Thirteen years of not handing my problems over to the One who has taken on the cares of the entire world and continues to do so every day-every hour-every second. Thirteen years of forgetting "first things first."

Now as I pen this post, I can smile. My life is still a mess; I still struggle with paying bills and making ends meet; I still suffer from overwhelming bouts of loneliness; I still sometimes feel inadequate. However, now I know that through my Savior, I can do all things. (Philippians 4:13)

Christ loves us and we can lay aside all worries. He has already given us everything we need. We have an all-inclusive promise from the Lord in Matthew 6:33. We don't ever have to worry how are bills are going to be paid; if we'll have a place to live; if we'll have food to eat, or even if we will have someone special in our lives. The Lord is ready and able to give it all...and He will! But, we have to realize and do our part. We need to look up and never forget "first things first!"

Are You My Sister....Really?

Disclaimer: This post will only prick your heart if you are guilty of its contents!

And with this disclaimer, I will say that at one time I was so guilty until the contents of this post would have went beyond pricking, it would have stabbed! So forgive me if your feelings are hurt or you are provoked to anger, my aim is to cause thought...prayerful thought.

Have you ever walked up on a couple (or a few) of our church sisters engaged in gossip? Or maybe a sister walked up on YOU gossiping? Tale bearing? Being a busybody? That is something we should never do, God abhors it! But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. (1 Peter 4:15) It is so easy to find ourselves engaged in tearing down our sister in Christ. And sometimes we find that all it takes is for one tongue to start wagging and the rest will follow! Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Psalm 34:13

We've all done it, and your are definitely a liar if you say that you've never gossiped or talked about someone. I know I used to do it, and loved it! I am just keeping it real. I couldn't wait until I got together with my natural sisters to pick the bones of my spiritual sisters. I never thought anything anything negative about it, that is, until it happened to me and I then began to realize how very wrong I had been.

 Being married to a minister is no joke! As a minister's wife I was subjected to every little cruel joke, every ugly whisper, every demeaning comment and every stream of gossip that could be spewed forward. What was worse, my children, who had done nothing to warrant such harsh words thrown out about them, received the brunt of the tongue wagers as well.  See. when you talk about your sister, your words don't only hurt her, but those daggers scatter and pierce the hearts of everyone close to her.You sit and speak against your brother; you slander your own mother's son. (Psalm 50:20)

So when you find ugly things to say about your sister in Christ; is she really your sister? See, my Bible, and I am sure yours as well, tells us that we ought to love one another as Christ loves us. A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35. Then tell me; what kind of love causes you to talk about your sister? What kind of love causes you to constantly harp on something that she has done? And it probably wasn't even to you! On top of that, she repented and asked for forgiveness...that should have settled the matter. Period! But what we like to do is keep "stuff" going. Sensationalize it! Make more out of than it really is. Hurt someone else so that we can have something to focus on instead of our own miserable, sorry lives. Yes, I said it...miserable and sorry! And I won't take it back. We gossip, we hurt, we backbite, we show no compassion, we love it when we see someone falling. We kick them instead of picking them up. We spread lies and rumors instead of opening our arms to give comfort. And then we have the nerve to call her a sister! Really?

A tongue that can't be contained is evil and evokes tremendous pain....but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. James 3:8 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. James 3:6 James warns us on many occasions about the results of the lose tongue. I want to ask you; what pleasure do you get from slandering your sister? What perverse enjoyment do you feel from gossiping? We have all sinned and fallen short as Paul says in Romans 3:23. So where do we have the room to speak evil of someone? Don't you realize that is hate? And you think you are going to enjoy the wonderful joys of heaven with that mouth? I DON'T THINK SO! 

Learn to count the cost before you submit to gossip. If you're gossiping about someone, you'd better believe someone is gossiping about you! What's the purpose? What are the benefits? What do you gain? Is she your sister in Christ...really? If you stand before me and tell me how much you love your Christian family and then take off like a bolt of lightning when you discover I am human; so you can gossip to others about my misfortune - I ask, where is the love?

So are you my sister...really?


 

A Cure For Fear

What are you afraid of? Being alone; flying the friendly skies; getting old; getting sick; death; having no friends; not accomplishing your goals; giving up on your dreams; life's inconsistencies or life itself? Our greatest enemy is fear! Strange as it may seem, we even fear, fear! I've had and still continue to have fears that I am trying to conquer. So writing this post will be easy because I am going to keep it real and personal. I am sure that many of you will be able to identify with my fears as you may have some of the same ones that I do. It is my prayer that I will touch upon something that will cause you to think.

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirt of power, of love and of self-discipline." This tells me that the Lord gave us the power to overcome fear. Our spirits should not be timid, but so disciplined until we operate in love with all that we do. The Lord is with us in all our trials, we should not be afraid to face them. To fear is to place an unnecessary burden on ourselves when all we need to do is trust in the Lord. "Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe." Proverbs 29:25.

I understand how hard it is to overcome fear. I truly understand how hard it is to 'let go and let God'. For years I've struggled with the thought of being alone as I grow older. I struggle with the reality that when my youngest daughter finally leaves home, it'll just be me in that big condo...alone. I struggle with the loneliness that engulfs me everyday when I come home from work and sit and eat alone and watch television alone and retreat to my bedroom alone. I struggle with paying bills and cry from seeing a paycheck I works so hard for and take so much ugliness from the world to earn, be absorbed by bills and I then wonder how I am going to make it though the next two weeks until I get paid again. I struggle with the thought of failing health. I struggle with the fact that I have no friends in the city I live in, and sometimes my phone doesn't ring for days except for solicitors. I struggle a lot with trying to find things to do to keep my mind occupied so that I won't be consumed by feat. I struggle with the thoughts of something horrible happening to my children, grandchildren, or other close family members. I struggle with the thought of not fulfilling my goals, or realizing my dreams.  My struggles are ALL fears...so are yours! Fears that at some point have utterly consumed me and taken my focus away from where it should be...above. David knew and encourages us where to put our trust. "When I am afraid I will trust you. In God, whose word I praise. In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56:3-4

Endless Love

When it comes to my taste in secular music, I love jazz, soundscapes and “oldies”! Sometimes those oldies get me through a very trying day. You know how you listen to them and it’s like, “yeah, that’s it! That’s how I’m feelin’ right about now…go on with your bad self!”  You know, stuff like that. And oldies love songs…what you say! I can sit back and listen, and listen, and listen…then I cry, and cry, and cry! Wow, this is exhausting! But anyway, you know where I’m going with this…or…may be you don’t.  

So I was at work listening to music online, specifically, Motown oldies. You know about Motown, right? Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Stevie Wonder, The Commodores, Billy Preston….singing all of them good old songs. Songs you can actually sing the lyrics to; songs you can understand; songs that mean something…and they are all about love. Yeah, love…that elusive thing that we want, that we say we’ve had. Sometime I wonder about that, like, here I am 59 years old and I really don’t know what love is. I mean that real thing between a man and woman; that thing that makes you smile every day when you think about him; that thing that keeps you feeling 21 when you’re really 41! Oh well, at this age I kinda figure I’ll never experience that type of love, but what I do experience every second of every day is a love that is all-consuming, ever present, and all-sustaining! This love keeps me through the night and wakes me up in the morning. This love is endless!

So that brings me to the title of this post “Endless Love”; a song made famous by Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie. Take a look at the lyrics to this song if you will:

My love, there’s only you in my life

The only thing that’s right

My love, you’re every breath that I take

You’re every step I make

And I, I want to share all my love with you

No one else will do

And your eyes, they tell me how much you care

Oh yes, you’ll always be my endless love

Two hearts that beat as one

Our lives have just begun

Forever, I’ll hold you close in my arms

I can’t resist your charms

And love, I’ll be a fool for you

I’m sure you know I don’t mind

‘Cause you mean the world to me

Oh I know I found in you my endless love

Oh and love I’ll be that fool for you

I’m sure you don’t mind

And yes you’ll be the only one

‘Cause no one can’t deny

This love I have inside

And I’ll give it all to you

My love, my endless love

Wow! Whew! My Goodness! What a love…what a lover! When you hear those lyrics, you can’t do anything but shake your head and go hmm….If only! Okay so maybe I don’t have that physical love, that closeness with a person of the opposite sex, perhaps I’ll never experience such wonderment and I will admit it bothers me and at times it hurts. So when I become consumed with this type of thinking, I have to do something extraordinarily simple…I have to LOOK UP! Yes, look up to that One who is the epitome of love!  He is without question the greatest lover there is, He is the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty, the Highest, the love of my life; He is absolute love! 1 John 4 talks about His incomparable love.

Holding Pattern

This morning a dear friend sent me this email from an unknown author and I wanted to share it with all of you because it simply hit home with me as I am sure it will with some of you. I’ve been praying earnestly to my Father for some things that I have been struggling with for a while and it just seems that He doesn’t hear me and I’ve become frustrated and depressed. Now I know that I am in a holding pattern. If you’ve been praying for something to happen, for a change to take place in your life and it hasn't happened yet, you are probably in a holding pattern as well. Please read on….

Many times God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us. God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interference, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray.

When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.

A Few of God's Holding Patterns:

1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed but God has not healed you yet, you are in a holding pattern

2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.

3. When you have been praying for the salvation of a loved one and they have not been saved yet, you are in a holding pattern.

4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.

5. When the doors slam shut before you can knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.

When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. We cannot run from God because there are no Mountains that are high enough, valleys low enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden enough from Him. We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting and remember three things:

1. The pattern has a purpose.

2. The pattern has a plan.

3. The pattern has a process.

 So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."

Prayer:  Father, forgive my unbelief. I know You Love me and will turn anything around to benefit me. You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready to receive them regardless of how difficult the path.  Amen

The shortest distance between a problem and a solution is the distance between your knees and the floor. The one who kneels to the Lord can stand up to anything.

 God does answer our prayers, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." (1 John 5:14-15); "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (John 14:13-14)

There are some things we must remember though, 1) whatever we ask for, our promotion of the Gospel must be protocol; 2) all glory belongs to our heavenly Father-never forget that; 3) we cannot ask selfishly-it won’t work; and 4) remember that the Lord knows our needs, our wants, our desires-if it is His will, we will receive.

The Lord does hear all of our prayers, never forget that! At times however, His answer is going to be “no”. And that is the hardest thing to hear, the word “no”. But He knows what we need better than we do ourselves will not give us what we ask for because it is not good for us. So be thankful the of the “no’s”… and.keep on asking!