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Just Ask Me – Cynthia Vogel
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You want what you don’t have…And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. James 4:2

My daughter was home for her first visit after having moved several hours away. It was her first place on her own. I think any mom can appreciate the joy with which I greeted her and enjoyed her during the weekend. I wanted to make her stay perfect and to give her all her favorite things to do and to eat.

I KNOW my daughter, so there were several times when the conversation went something like this:

“You know, Mom, what I’d really like that I haven’t had for a long time?”

“Grilled cheese sandwich, Lex?”

She laughingly answered, “Get OUT of my head! How do you always know what I’m going to say!?”

I was thinking this morning about how happy those times made me. To know my daughter and to anticipate her needs: but not only that—to hear her ASK for them. If I’d gone all weekend just handing her things that I knew she wanted, there would not have been the same joy…it would have been like I was serving her instead.

Do you see where I’m going? You want what you don’t have…And yet the reason you don’t have what you want is that you don’t ask God for it. Haven’t you wondered why God made this statement in His word? Why does He make us ask for things in prayer when He already knows what we will say?

It’s because He is our loving FATHER, not our servant or errand-boy…He takes delight in giving us good things…but we need to ask for them first. It makes our joy, and His, complete.

Cynthia Lott Vogel is a writer from Northeast PA. She is currently going through “empty nest syndrome,” made all the more difficult because she is disabled and home alone. She takes joy in communing with the Lord and in writing about what He is showing her. www.cynthialottvogel.blogspot.com.  Read Cynthia’s devotions.

Nothing to Fear – Cynthia Lott Vogel
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“How happy is anyone who fears Adonai….he will never be moved….He will not be frightened by bad news: he remains steady, trusting in Adonai. His heart is set firm, he will not be afraid, till finally he looks in triumph at his enemies.”
Psalms 112:6a,7, 8

This week we’ve been hit; the problems and potential disasters arriving quickly and furiously: enough finance and serious health issues piling to create terror in anyone’s heart… anyone except for a child of the Lord of the Universe.

This morning, as I sat and asked the Lord to help us, He whispered, “Open to Psalms, I have something there for you.” I opened my Bible to the verse quoted above. The truth of those statements re-centered me and reassured me.

As I thought about them throughout my morning, I realized those verses do not mean that there will never be bad news. They mean firstly, that we should not anticipate what may or may not arrive. And secondly, even if that news comes, we do not need to worry that our “house” will be swept away…for it is built on the ROCK. No one, said Jesus, can remove His children from His hand—not even Satan or the worst thing that can come our way. And He is a good Father, who knows how to give good gifts to His children… although sometimes they are wrapped in difficulty.

Jesus also told his disciples not to fear the things which could kill the body, but rather to fear the one with the power to destroy the soul. For the child of God, the only one to be feared, is Yahweh. And for us, that fear need never cross the line between respect and terror. Praise God for His 24-hour presence and protection!

Place your fears in His care today.

Cynthia Lott Vogel is a writer who writes in much the same way as she prays. The words are the cry of her heart to her Lord and to his people. She loves studying and memorizing Scripture and is currently working on two book manuscripts. Facing numerous physical challenges, she is a mom and a wife of 20 years and does everything possible to remain active despite the limitations of her health. Cynthia is an avid blogger and you may visit one of her blogs at www.cynthialottvogel.blogspot.com.
Read Cynthia’s devotions.

His Beloved – Cynthia Lott Vogel
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“How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride!…And the fragrance of your perfume than any spice! Your lips drop sweetness as the honeycomb, my bride;….” Song of Songs 4:10-11

I am not sure when the shift occurred. I think it was most likely a gradual process as, in my prayer life, I stopped viewing God as a demanding Judge and, instead, saw him as a tender lover.

Because I am an artist, God gave me a picture which I drew about a year ago entitled, “Pillow Talk.” It is a picture of a man and woman in bed, conversing. The woman is nude, only her back faces the viewer…and my favorite part of the drawing is that her hand is held up near the man’s hair, where his hand firmly clasps hers in a tender grip.

When I drew that picture, God told me this was an image of prayer. At first I was shocked—and embarrassed—by such an intimate portrayal, but as my prayer life has deepened and as I have more and more often come to Y’shua for a comforting embrace such as this, I have come to understand this analogy.

We are naked before our Lover, our Husband; his eyes are fixed on us and we have his full attention. Our prayers are as sweet to Him as the fragrance worn by one’s beloved is to us.

A. W. Tozer said. “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us…”

Do we come before our God as a wife before a loving husband? Do we “bare all” before him and let him grasp our hand as we stumble through difficulty? Who is your God?

Cynthia Lott Vogel is a writer who writes in much the same way as she prays. The words are the cry of her heart to her Lord and to his people. She loves studying and memorizing Scripture and is currently working on two book manuscripts. Facing numerous physical challenges, she is a mom and a wife of 20 years and does everything possible to remain active despite the limitations of her health. Cynthia is an avid blogger and you may visit one of her blogs at www.cynthialottvogel.blogspot.com. Read Cynthia’s devotions.