All is Against Me!

Posted on February 19, 2015 by Jennifer Grace

And Jacob their father said to them, “You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.” Genesis 42:36 (NKJV)

Have you ever felt like Jacob from the Old Testament? Jacob thought all was against him. There was a famine throughout the whole world. His favorite son Joseph was no more, his son Simeon was taken prisoner in Egypt, the governor of Egypt wanted his youngest son Benjamin if Jacob’s family wanted to trade for more food…all these things were against him.

And yet, we who know the whole story want to tell Jacob, “It’s all okay! Don’t worry! God’s got it all planned out! God sent Joseph ahead to Egypt to preserve your whole family. When Benjamin goes to Egypt, Simeon will be released from jail, your whole family will be invited, and Joseph will take care of everyone. God is taking care of you!”

Can I remember this when things seem against me? Don’t worry, God has it all planned out! When we can’t see the big picture, it sure is difficult. This is especially true when it comes to our children, perhaps that’s why Jacob was so worried. But we can remember the words of Jesus from Matthew 10. Here Jesus reminds us not to worry for we are of more value than many sparrows…

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP: One of my favorite Old Testament stories is that of Joseph. If you have time, why not read it today (Genesis 37-47). Then share your heart with Jesus in prayer: O Jesus, please help me trust you with ______ and not worry.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31 (NKJV)

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things… Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

The Sweet Forever…My Story to Come

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jennifer Grace

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed
That I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living. Psalm 27:13 (NKJV)

The Sweet Forever is in my dreams today. So many times in the “U” part of My TEA CUPP Prayers, I focus on Understanding my story in the past. The above verse would take me to a sad time in life, reminding me of when I almost lost heart. One day when reading this passage I realized, I need to focus on seeing the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! “My Story to Come” is what I must remember. Oh, hallelujah, what a glorious day that will be!

What will heaven be like? The Bible tells us…

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 (NKJV)

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NKJV)

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16 (NKJV)

They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelations 7:16-17 (NKJV)

Rejoice because your names are written in heaven. Luke 10:20 (NKJV)

At church recently we sang this beautiful old hymn about the land beyond the river. I want to remember this each moment…how I will see my Savior Jesus’ face when I cross the river someday. This is “My Story to Come” that I long for me, for our children, for all my family and friends.

There’s a land beyond the river
That we call the sweet forever
And we only reach that shore by faith’s decree
One by one we’ll gain the portals
There to dwell with the immortals
When they ring those golden bells for you and me.

When They Ring Those Golden Bells for You and Me

Today’s TEA CUPP: My dear TEA CUPP friend, do you think of that day when you will pass from this life into the next one? If you believe in Jesus, you will live eternally with Him in heaven. That is why I spend time each day with Him having TEA, so I can get to know my forever Lord better. Won’t you do the same?

Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:10-11 (NKJV)

My Hiding Place

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Jennifer Grace

You are my hiding place;
You shall preserve me from trouble;
You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NKJV)

The website I use for clip art has hundreds of pictures on most topics. It is handy to find photos that are just right for my articles. When I searched for “Hiding Place,” though, it only gave me one photo…a dog burying his bone.

I had to laugh, because Jesus is my hiding place. I’m not sure if I’m the bone and He is the hole in this picture? Some days I just want to hide from the world, get away from the hurts and pain. I pray Psalm 32:7, You are my hiding place, Jesus, You protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Let me hide in You today, Lord!

Or, I might pray one of these verses…

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 17:8 (NKJV)

The eternal God is your refuge,
And underneath are the everlasting arms;
He will thrust out the enemy from before you,
And will say, ‘Destroy!’ Deuteronomy 33:37 (NKJV)

There have been several times in my life when I’ve needed these verses. I remember the day I was taken away in an ambulance. It was the first time I lost a baby and we almost lost me, too. I was so scared until the ambulance people put me in a stretcher. The stretcher was U-shaped fabric, hugging my body as they carried me out the door. I continued to feel that hug for the next month. God’s everlasting arms must be like that. Though I do not like troubles, the feel of having the Lord so close, being in His hiding place, is one I always treasure.

Today’s TEA CUPP: Are you going through a rough time? Sometimes the holidays remind us of past sorrows, and can bring sadness rather than joy. Please look to the Lord, dear friend. Curl up in His Hiding Place, read His Word, sip a TEA CUPP with Jesus each day.

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in Your word. Psalm 119:14 (NKJV)

We can’t always Understand

Posted on October 24, 2013 by Jennifer Grace

As you do not know the path of the wind,
or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,
so you cannot understand the work of God,
the Maker of all things. Ecclesiastes 11:5 (NIV)

The “U” part of My TEA CUPP Prayers is all about UNDERSTANDING our stories, so we can share how God has helped us with others. But as I read this verse in my Bible one day, I realized we can’t always understand.

There are some parts of His Plan that I will never comprehend until I see Jesus face to face, and perhaps by then it won’t matter anymore. For now I struggle with un-answered prayers, seeing children from church leave God’s path for a time, babies dying…I just don’t understand. But I can pray for God’s peace and for me to do what is right. Instead of having a testimony to share, I can be a testimony in these tough situations.

Our church sponsored a village in the Philippines as a mission project. The day I was writing this, an earthquake of 7.2 magnitude rocked their little island. People are dying, buildings are destroyed, century-old churches lie in ruins. And it is hard to understand. Can God use this great tragedy to bring more people to His Kingdom? Can our church be a testimony yet in this tough situation? Yes!

Jesus tells us in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God!” Jesus continues,

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:23-24 (NKJV)

I might not UNDERSTAND, but I can BELIEVE!

Today’s TEA CUPP: Is there an event in life you are struggling with right now, something tough you just don’t understand? Jesus understands. Give it to Him during your TEA CUPP prayer time today. Believe that He will bring good out of it all.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 (NKJV)

My Cup

Posted on October 15, 2013 by Jennifer Grace

O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot. Psalm 16:5 (NKJV)

You may have heard it asked before, “Is your cup half full or half empty?” If you answer “half full” you are an optomist. If you answer “half empty” you are a pessimist, or so they say.

My cup is full of my family…I thank Jesus each day for them…Kent, Kallie, Jacob, Kevin, and Joel. I love them all! But with two graduated and moving, I might feel my cup is becoming half empty. Perhaps they will return with spouses and children and my cup will be full again :-)!

What about my TEA CUPP? This is my time each morning with Jesus, when I read my Bible and pray to Him. If My TEA CUPP is half full or half empty, I’m not doing my job! Did I oversleep and skip my Bible reading? Did I neglect to pray for those on my list? Oh, I want My TEA CUPP to be full to overflowing, so that http://www.healthsupportyou.com/viagra/ when I am finished, my cup overflows to others.

I’m reminded of the old days when my parents would drive their car to a full-service gas station. “Fill it with regular, please,” my dad would say. While the attendant pumped the gas, he would also wash the windows and even check the oil. Our prayer time should be like this. When we sit down with Jesus each morning, we should first pray, “Fill me up, please, dear Jesus.” Then we open our Bibles. While reading His Word, we are washed clean and given a tune-up for the day ahead. My TEA CUPP is full and I’m ready to serve Him.

…My cup runs over. Psalm 23:5 (NKJV)

Today’s TEA CUPP: How about you? Is your cup full? Read your Bible each day, asking Jesus to fill you up.

Faithful Fall Fruits

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Jennifer Grace

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)

It took all summer. In September our garden finally started producing vegetables…zucchini, tomatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins, and one cucumber! Now we can delight in the fruits of our labor with zucchini cookies and muffins, chili with tomatoes and onions, fresh carrots in our lunches, and soon…pumpkin pie!

But could we enjoy these fruits in May when we were preparing the soil, or in June when we first planted them? No. Could we savor this produce in July when the weather finally got warm, or in August when it was really hot? No, our plants were too slow. When are we appreciating these fruits? In the fall when the growing season is over.

It reminds me of the time I prayed over this verse from Galatians 5:22-23. Each month I asked God to nurture a new fruit in me…love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Each month I waited for results, but couldn’t see any. I shouldn’t have been discouraged, though. Like our garden vegetables, the fruit of the Spirit may take all summer.

In the fall of my life the fruits may be ready to pick. Perhaps along the way friends will see a bud of hope here and there. But by fall I will finally shine with Jesus’ love to others, sharing the joy and peace He gives me. I will be patient and kind, good and faithful, gentle, and always under control. Until then, I need to be patient with myself (and pray others will be patient, too), waiting for the fall fruits Jesus will bring in me.

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)

Understand: I would have perished

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Today’s TEA CUPP: Praying God’s Word.

Here’s another verse to help us UNDERSTAND our story, as we pray and share TEA with Jesus today:

If Your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction. Psalm 119:92 (NIV)

Give me Understanding

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Today’s TEA CUPP: Praying God’s Word.

Here’s another verse to help us UNDERSTAND our story, as we pray and share TEA with Jesus today:

Your hands have made me and fashioned me;
Give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments. Psalm 119:73 (NKJV)

Understand: He set me free!

Posted on October 13, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Today’s TEA CUPP: Praying God’s Word.

Here’s a verse to help us UNDERSTAND our story, as we pray and share TEA with Jesus today:

In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
and the Lord answered me and set me free. Psalm 118:5 (NLT)

New Living Translation (NLT)

Understand: My story with a promise

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Today’s TEA CUPP: Praying God’s Word.

Here’s a verse to help us UNDERSTAND our story, as we pray and share TEA with Jesus today:

For You have delivered my soul from death,
         My eyes from tears,
         And my feet from falling.
I will walk before the LORD
         In the land of the living. Psalm 116:8-9 (NKJV)

My TEA CUPP Prayers

Praying God's Word … Inviting Ladies to TEA with the King of kings!

Category Archives: Understanding

All is Against Me!

The Sweet Forever…My Story to Come

My Hiding Place

We can’t always Understand

My Cup

Faithful Fall Fruits

Understand: I would have perished

Give me Understanding

Understand: He set me free!

Understand: My story with a promise