When I asked him how I could pray, he said, “Suz, I need peace.”
Two seconds later my friend followed it up with, “I don’t think God knows I exist. You can pray but I don’t think anything will happen.”
That day, after our conversation, I was led to fast for my friend.
Hear my heart. I’m not someone who fasts often, though I believe in it. So I awkwardly began a fast for a certain number of days. It was a battle. There were times I wanted to cave in and drive to the nearest Sonic, but the Holy Spirit tugged at my heart.
My friend was afraid that God had forgotten him.
This was a spiritual battle.
A few days after I ended the fast my friend dropped by and we sat outside to talk.
He shared that earlier that week he’d had a terrible day at work and left. On his way home he had an accident; he hit a pole and it damaged his car. He sat in the car angry and overwhelmed.
I counted backward. His accident happened the day I ended the fast. I sighed.
“Guess what happened then?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Did you car catch fire or something?”
My friend laughed. “No, something even weirder. A feeling came over me. I had a bad day. My car was wrecked. I didn’t have money to tow it, but in spite of that it happened. It made no sense at all.”
I asked him what he was talking about.
My friend looked in the other direction and I barely heard his reply. “It was peace,” he said. He turned. “I had almost forgotten what it felt like. Everything around me was going wrong, but I felt so peaceful.”
My heart leaped inside of me. I wanted to tell my friend about the fast, but it wasn’t the right time. Maybe it never would be the right time, because this wasn’t about me.
God had answered his prayer.
I believe that God’s request that I fast was His way of showing me that He loved my friend as much as I did.
And pouring out peace over my friend’s hurting heart was God’s way of telling him that He absolutely knew that he existed.
In Psalm 139, we read these words of David.
Today, will you listen to them? Will you make them your own?
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body
and knit me together in my mother’s womb.
Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!
Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,
as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.
Suzie
Today’s study
1. If you could describe what you need from God in one word, what would it be?
2. Read 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. Paul was in a hard place when he wrote this. What was it that helped Paul in that hard place?
Paul’s circumstances did not identify him, why?
How does God’s intimate knowledge of you change your hard places?
3. Read all of Psalm 139. Write the verses that speak to you in your journal as a promise.
Today as I read this, I am at one of the hardest places in my life that I have ever been. I am about to make some difficult decisions and changes. It’s not going to be easy and it’s going to impact a number of people but I know that God has brought me to this place.
What I need most from God in this moment is hope – hope for the future. Reading today’s message and scripture reassures me that I belong to the Lord and that He holds my future. Knowing that He made me for a reason gives me the strength to go on for one more day. And, right now, I just have to trust Him with today and not worry about tomorrow.
Yes, you must not worry! I have just come out of a two year period of great turmoil in my life. This time, this season, taught me a lot of lessons that I had forgotten in a life that was not so difficult for quite a while. But it was a great time of growing my faith. There were times when I couldn’t even see tomorrow, but leaned on the Lord for peace into His will for my life.
This is what we are to do. Lean on Him, then share our story. That IS our purpose.
Praying for you, Kim, in all that you do, do for the glory of God and His blessings on you for that.
Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement, Kathy.
Kim, I sent you a private email. Know that you were prayed for. Please come back again, okay? What a blessing that you’ve joined me in this study.
Kim I prayed for you.
I am in the exact place and could have written your comment. I have found that reading and quoting scripture is the only thing that steadies me and gives me hope. We will have trouble in this world but Jesus has overcome this world! He is our hope. God is good and loves us. Even right now:)
Thank you, Vicki. I will pray for you as well.
Odd. I did not intend to do an online Bible study. But as I was praying this morning, my prayer was “Lord, I need more of You, and less of me!” So, to describe what I need from God in one word is More! I suppose I am now joining this online Bible study!
Thanks Susie!
Knowing that God knew me before I was formed . This gives me the knowledge that God knows everything that is happening right now with taking care of my aunt has been planned out in His will. All my worrying about her health and how “I” can fix it is wasting time. These hours I should be enjoying loving her and catching up on the years we were miles apart. God knows all and everything is in His hands. I thank you for opening my eyes!
What powerful insight, Linda. <3
I just want to say THANK YOU Suzie for having me on this OBS. To be honest I totally forgot that I’ve signed up for this bu I’m glad I did( or did you?) ^_^! This might be out of topic but I wanted to say that truly our God is LIVING, FAITHFUL AND TRUE!
When my husband came home yesterday he told me he lost/can’t find his phone(Samsung Galaxy note). I tried to search out his bag but of no avail. I then started praying that we could get back his phone- that it will be in good hands; that whoever may find it will be honest enough to return it. This morning I called him in hisworkplace & asked him about it he told me that their offuce/building cleaner found it in the washroom & returned it to him! Yes HE ANSWERED MY PRAYER- MY AWESOME GOD! this event envencourages my husband flickering faith! Please help me pray for my husband: to desire intimate relationship with God, to get back to spend time with Gid in prayer & His Word. Thank you for your prayers
HOPE is the one word that describes my need from God.
Blessings to all!
I share OBS about every six to eight weeks, just digging in with my friends into scripture so we can grow together!
So, just signing up for the blog (which only can be done by subscribers) shares those OBS’s. If someone doesn’t want to dig in deeper because they’re doing another study, then my prayer is that the interaction and community and message will be a dose of encouragement.
I have decided that the knitting God did is a little frazzled right now and I confess I don’t turn to God as often as I should. I completely connect to your friend wondering if God even knows who I am. I have lived with depression my whole life and my adult life seems to be one misstep from disaster at all times. This past year has been particularly difficult. On the first day of middle school for my one and only son, I was having emergency surgery. Then I had to have major ankle reconstruction. Then my father died 2 days after Christmas. Then my son started having seizures which he had never had before. Then the week before my son completed school, I had to have a total hysterectomy without having the time to help my son understand and cope. Oh yeah, then my son managed to get himself suspended for a day the last week of school, which turned into another day and then the rest of the week. During all this my son who has OCD and generalized anxiety was diagnosed with oppositional defiant disorder which it did not take a doctor to figure that one out. So where was God? After my hysterectomy I started getting dizzy and losing my balance. I thought it was just related to the surgery but it got progressively worse until I passed out face first on the concrete. I should have taken care of it sooner! Now I’m dealing with major cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Again where was God? Have I really strayed so far that God doesn’t see what is happening and that His daughter is at the end of the rope?
Sorry to have rambled but that just flew effortlessly out.
So I know I am coming in a couple of days late but I am still happy to be here. What I need from God right now is renewal. My heart is broken, I feel alone and ashamed. My thoughts on the past and worries about the future have kept me in bondage for too long and I am looking to be renewed in my mind, my heart and my spirit. Reading Psalm 139:7 reminded me that God is wherever I am, which means He’s right here with me as I go through this season.