Setting the heart to seek the Lord is hard for inconsistent people like me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once in early autumn I prayed, \u201cDo not let spring come and find me the same.\u201d There was a reason for this prayer. Year after year, Christmas approaches and in a breath is gone. Spring arrives and quickly vanishes. After barely a thought, it\u2019s Christmas again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Season after season, I remained the same. Anxious. Fearful. Carnal. Directed (misdirected) by the flesh. Sick of this cycle, I asked God to intervene. It was a dangerous prayer and I knew it. But what could be worse than for spring to come and find me the same?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few weeks later, I read the Hannah Whitall Smith book The God of All Comfort<\/em> and gained a new understanding of the concept of resting in the Lord. I\u2019d prayed, \u201cTeach me to rest\u201d and promised to share whatever truths he gave. I learned there is a dwelling place\u2014the secret place of the Most High\u2014where I can abide, taking with me the ones I love and trusting all into God\u2019s almighty hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the months that followed, life grew complicated. Some of the people I loved suffered illness and some, death. In heart-wrenching circumstances, I found little rest and cried out to God, \u201cHow much hurt can one heart bear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And then came the clincher\u2014a threat so large that I could only run to God and throw myself on his mercy. Could I see this circumstance in any way other than as God at work? Could I trust Him? Could I rest in confidence? I could do nothing. God could. He lifted the burden and settled his peace over me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I said to self: surely there are enough promises in the Bible to carry me. And my spirit began to sing a new song. Carry me, Lord\u2026I need you to carry me\u2026The mountain\u2019s steep, the valley deep.<\/em> The path is firm beneath your feet.<\/em> So carry me, Lord\u2026I need you to carry me<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nI said to self: surely there are enough promises in the Bible to carry me. And my spirit began to sing a new song. Carry me, Lord\u2026I need you to carry me\u2026The mountain\u2019s steep, the valley deep. The path is firm beneath your feet. So\u2026 <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n The Lord whispered, \u201c\u2026you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you\u201d (Isaiah 46:3-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rest! Unfathomable rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I set my heart to seek the Lord, I\u2019d also asked him, \u201cWould you teach me to pray?\u201d I love learning, but I prefer simply to thank God for teaching me his truths without providing situations in which to apply them. Walking through despair, I leaned on the Lord, assured of his presence and his sovereignty, and prayed in desperation, believing he heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning to pray isn\u2019t a formula. It\u2019s a connection with my Father, expressing my love and appreciation, relying on his strength, knowing he\u2019s working for my good and his glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\nLearning to pray isn\u2019t a formula. It\u2019s a connection with my Father, expressing my love and appreciation, relying on his strength, knowing he\u2019s working for my good and his glory. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n Maybe it sounds like I\u2019m obsessed with my relationship with the Lord. I am! I want to please him. I want to rest in him. I want to take every need to him in prayer and praise him in every circumstance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many seasons have come and gone since my prayer, \u201cDo not let spring come and find me the same.\u201d I am not the same. I\u2019ve set my heart to seek the Lord. Of course I\u2019m still learning. I still face challenges. I still deal with heartbreak. But I\u2019ve learned to rest in my Father\u2019s arms and talk with him about every concern in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s given me his word that whatever happens, he will carry me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have you set your heart to seek the Lord?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Living the maximum life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please tell me about a time when you dared to pray dangerously. And I\u2019d appreciate your sharing this with your friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a9 Dianne Barker 2020<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Setting the heart to seek the Lord is hard for inconsistent people like me. Once in early autumn I prayed, \u201cDo not let spring come and find me the same.\u201d There was a reason for this prayer. Year after year, Christmas approaches and in a breath is gone. Spring arrives and quickly vanishes. After barely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[9,438,575,576],"class_list":["post-1395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","tag-dianne-barker","tag-living-the-maximum-life","tag-setting-the-heart-to-seek-the-lord","tag-teach-me-to-pray"],"yoast_head":"\n