our humble King.

yesterday i read a really powerful article from the magazine, byFaith. the article explained how even though we often believe God is not answering our prayers, He is. and it went into detail of the Lord's prayer. i will just type some of the excerpts that really struck me...

in the opening lines alan dowd explains unanswered prayers...

"Followers of Christ know there's really no such thing. God answers all of our prayers; it's just that, like a parent who denies a two-year-old's pleading request for more of this or that, He happens to answer some of our prayers with a no. And it's these negatively answered prayers that often frustrate, confuse, and challenge us."

on "hallowed be Your name"...

"Isaiah reminds us that 'He was despised and rejected by men... we esteem him not.' The prophet contines:'He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.' He was, according to Isaiah, 'a man of sorrows... like one from whom men hide their faces.' "

"God is in the details"...

"The good news is that Jesus went through all of this for us. The prayers that seemingly went unanswered, for a time, were answered with an emphatic 'Yes!' for eternity. As Paul would later explain in his second letter to Corinth, 'No matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ.

That means those who have gone hungry or been tempted or wrestled with what seem to be unanswered prayers can find comfort in the fact that Jesus has walked the same path and yet overcome. Jesus, as the author of Hebrews writes, 'had to enter into every detail of human life.'

So He knows what it's like to feel homesick and lonely and out of place. He knows what it's like to be hated for no good reason. He knows what it's like to be tempted to the breaking point. He knows what it's like when a loved one is sick or when a child dies. He knows what it's like when people laugh at you for what you believe. He knows what it's like when it seems that God has hidden His face. He knows what it's like when a friend betrays you. He knows what it's like to be hungry and thirsty and alone. He knows what it's like to cry out for Daddy - to scream 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' - and yet feel like an orphan. He even knows what it's like to pray desperate prayers and to hear only silence.

But just as important for us, He knows what it's like to hear the 'Well done!' that comes after the silence - and to trust that the Father will answer every prayer according to His perfect plan."

- Alan Dowd for byFaith magazine

wow!!! we serve a faithful and loving God. and i think the reason i put this on this blog imparticular is that He understands our loneliness. if we are lonely for a husband, friends, or family, Jesus experienced all of that. and we are called to die to self and strive for a godly life which Jesus perfectly portrayed. may we look more and more like Him each day. and, too, when we pray for a husband or simply a date or for friends or for our families to understand, He's not ignoring us, He's answering in His time. so often, it's so easy to get impatient. but He's a sovreign God who sees further than we do. He comforts us in our pain and our longing and in our loneliness. ya'll, we don't even have to get married! yes, i want that, but if we fully grasp the greatness of who He is than even a husband falls to the way side. not in day to day life, when the temptations creep in, but when see God face to face all we would want is Him! i pray that His love and His glory, though, would be portrayed in our relationships and others would see the beauty that is in Him. and i think that marriage paints a beautiful picture of that love. but it doesn't fullfill those deep longings. our Savior who gave His entire life for us, He loves us like Romeo loves Juliet... and i know that sounds so cheesy, but ya'll that's what i crave! i crave a Romeo or a Jack from Titanic. someone who fights for me, who sees me and is in awe of me, and will do anything to have me. and, well, that's my God. yes, i know that's cheesy, but i'm sure you know what i'm saying. or Noah from the Notebook. it's portrayed in all our movies. that heroic love. and it's real! ok... now i'm just getting on a rant. but, basically take comfort in Him today! sorry, danielle, i am going to end with more song lyrics... rita springer. she's pretty great!and misty edwards. they kind of go hand in hand. but, for now i'm going to post rita....

worth it all

I don't understand Your ways

Oh but I will give You my song

Give You all of my praise

You hold on to all my pain

With it You are pulling me closer

And pulling me into Your ways

Now around every corner

And up every mountain

I'm not looking for crowns

Or the water from fountains

I'm desperate in seeking, frantic believing

That the sight of Your face

Is all that I need

I will say to You

You're gonna be worth it

You're gonna be worth it

You're gonna be worth it all

I believe this