When You Feel Like You've Lost Your Joy

An excerpt from my prayer journal on a day I felt like I'd lost my joy…

“Lord, I need encouragement today. I really don’t want to go by my feelings, or I wouldn’t have a good day at all. I know I have to choose joy and choose to have peace rather than turmoil, but I need Your help even in the choosing. I need you to show me what to do and how to think in order to choose joy rather than sorrow. And I need You to send me encouragement, because right now I just don’t care about anything. To care would mean work, and I’d rather rest and sleep and escape.”

“Jeanette, I don’t want you to CARE. I will care for you. When you TAKE CARE, it means you aren’t giving me a chance to help you and care for you. You are trying to do it yourself and that’s pride. When you let go and relax, My spirit takes over and gets the job done in an almost effortless way. You know it’s Me when you don’t have to struggle to get it and struggle to keep it. For Me to carry you, you need to simply relax and not wiggle down and run off. Trusting Me means allowing Me to carry you. JUST QUIT TRYING SO HARD.” 

I am forever amazed at the timelessness of God’s words. I hope His shepherding of my heart spoke to yours today. May you rest in Him, allowing Him to care for you. 

The above prayer journal excerpt is now a chapter in my new book, Hello, Beautiful! Finally Love Yourself Just as You Are, co-authored with Beth Gormong. 

When Your Child Is Far From Home

Lord, you see the empty pages in my sister’s heart, where her child lived, played, and grew. Now she’s gone from her embrace, and my friend struggles to trust You with her. Please dip your pen into Your well of endless love, and write love letters of grace across her heart today. Give her words meant only for her, filling the pages of her soul with the sweet poetry of peace.

The pages of hope have yellowed, curled, and all but turned to despair. Write a new story for my friend, a story of Your commitment to her child’s well-being and peace.  Whisper words of safety, fulfillment, and dreams realized. Show her Your plan to rescue her child from the plans of the enemy. Let her clearly see her beloved child at your feet and before Your throne, serving You.      

If my friend is tempted to obsess over lost opportunities, give her hope that You’ve not written the last chapter in her child’s life yet. Reassure her that You have many people who can relate Your kindness and love into her daughter’s heart. Bring those people to her, please, Father. You know the very ones she’ll listen to. Protect her from wrong influences and deceptive voices. 

Please fill up my friend’s heart in ways that mean the most to her, whether a special song on the radio, a flower in bloom, or a call from a dear friend. You are the master of custom-made favors.  Give my friend the ones she needs today, to keep her hopes focused on You.

And bring her child back home—home to her, and home to You

In Jesus’ Name, so be it.   

References to Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 6:16; Isaiah 30:18

The above prayer is a chapter from my newest book, Touchable God: Finding the Lord's Friendship Through Prayer.  I hope, if your child is far from home, you found encouragement in it. It is one of 25 prayers for friends in crisis included in the book. I also share 20 stories of my own journey to an intimate walk with Jesus.

I Repent!

When people tell me:

• they are sad about,
• they wonder why, and
• they refuse to accept 

my comment that Touchable God might be my last book,

I want to do something drastic. So . . .

I repent!

Yes, we've had a hard year in our family, my faith has been tested to its breaking point and I don't feel like I have another book in me. But I'm still young, right? And I want to give God a vote. So I will say that if the Lord wills and if he gives me ideas, I will write and publish books until Jesus returns to get us out of here.

Speaking of Touchable God, the winner of an autographed copy from last week's contest is Diannah! Congratulations, Diannah. I hope you enjoy this peek into my prayer life and the prayers for friends in crisis.

Have you had to repent lately? Did you feel better afterwards?