1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:18,040 Speaker 2: You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms helping 3 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:20,440 Speaker 2: you pray God's word for your family in the areas 4 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 2: you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here 5 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:30,240 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting, and every day we come 7 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,040 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 2: Today's devotion is written and read by Doris Swift, author 9 00:00:36,840 --> 00:00:40,680 Speaker 2: of the Bible study Surrendered The Joy Stealers Rediscover the 10 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:45,440 Speaker 2: Jesus Joy in you. In today's episode, Doris shares. 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:46,800 Speaker 1: About longing to belong. 12 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: We've all been there, haven't we, and it's something we 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: often see our children struggle. 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: With as well. 15 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 2: To learn more about Doris or the Million Praying Mom's ministry, 16 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 2: visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can find a link. 17 00:00:59,520 --> 00:01:00,400 Speaker 1: In our show notes. 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 2: After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together 19 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 2: for our children. 20 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,119 Speaker 3: So as those who have been chosen of God, Holy 21 00:01:10,200 --> 00:01:15,720 Speaker 3: and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, 22 00:01:15,720 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 3: and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other. 23 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 3: Whoever has a complaint against anyone, just as the Lord 24 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 3: forgave you, so also should you, beyond all these things, 25 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 3: put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 26 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 3: Colossians three twelve through fourteen. There I stood miles from 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 3: my comfort zone, vying for a spot on the varsity 28 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 3: cheerleading squad. It was my first attempt at cheering, and 29 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 3: I can honestly say I would have rather had a 30 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,800 Speaker 3: root canal. The once familiar jim floor felt like foreign soil, 31 00:01:50,200 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 3: and as my feet kicked up, anxiety kicked in. Why 32 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 3: did I wait until high school to do this? I'm 33 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 3: pretty sure the other girls had been cheering since the womb. 34 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 3: Still I was determined to try, even though deep in 35 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,559 Speaker 3: my heart I knew when we want what we want, 36 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 3: we try making it work. And while reaching for our 37 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 3: dreams is a wonderful thing, I'm sure many of us 38 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 3: would raise our hands if asked whether we've ever tried 39 00:02:15,600 --> 00:02:18,400 Speaker 3: squeezing into places where we were never meant to be, 40 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 3: in doing things we were never meant to do. It 41 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,720 Speaker 3: reminds me of the story of Abram and Sarah, who 42 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 3: later became Abraham and Sarah when God changed their names 43 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 3: to match their callings. Sarah. I longed for a child, 44 00:02:32,080 --> 00:02:35,880 Speaker 3: and in her desperation, she devised a plan. If she 45 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,960 Speaker 3: offered her Egyptian servant Hagar to her husband Abram as 46 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,960 Speaker 3: a wife, they could have a child, produce an air, 47 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 3: and quell the naysaying culture that shamed her. Though this 48 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 3: might seem outlandish to us, it was a culturally acceptable 49 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 3: way to produce an air. But as we know, just 50 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:58,040 Speaker 3: because something is culturally acceptable, it doesn't mean it's God's 51 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 3: will and plan. So much to unpack here, so I'll 52 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 3: give you the carry on size recap jealousy, abandonment, drama, 53 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 3: and relationship woes for starters. Did I mention drama? 54 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:11,519 Speaker 1: But God? 55 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 3: One of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in 56 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 3: Genesis sixteen. After Hagar flees into the wilderness, pregnant and 57 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 3: seemingly alone, the Angel of the Lord appears to her 58 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:26,919 Speaker 3: and asks Hagar, servant of SARAHI where have you come from? 59 00:03:27,240 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 3: And where are you going? Doesn't that touch your heart 60 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:33,920 Speaker 3: in all kinds of sweet ways? After receiving a word 61 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 3: of prophecy regarding her and her son, Hagar named the 62 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 3: Lord who spoke to her the God who sees me. 63 00:03:40,160 --> 00:03:43,800 Speaker 3: Think about it. If this story had not unfolded this way, 64 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 3: drama and all, Hagar, a young Egyptian woman, might never 65 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,480 Speaker 3: have encountered the One True God in such a powerful way. 66 00:03:53,280 --> 00:03:56,640 Speaker 3: We have a God who sees us, our elroy. God 67 00:03:56,680 --> 00:04:00,440 Speaker 3: showed Hagar, she was seen, she mattered, and she belie longed, 68 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 3: And the same is true for us, Drama and all. 69 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 3: And you can probably guess how the whole cheerleading thing 70 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:10,800 Speaker 3: turned out. Yep, I didn't make the squad. Truth is, 71 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 3: I didn't belong in the group that put on matching 72 00:04:13,440 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 3: uniforms on pepperrelly days. Backflips terrified me, and my perfect 73 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,839 Speaker 3: cartwheel wouldn't get me far on the cheering circuit. Still, 74 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,800 Speaker 3: I felt a little sad, and for years I felt 75 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 3: like a failure. Then I discovered something encouraging. Romans thirteen 76 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:34,000 Speaker 3: fourteen tells us believers put on the Lord Jesus Christ. 77 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 3: We also put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, 78 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,800 Speaker 3: and above all love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 79 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:48,360 Speaker 3: So basically, we're the God Squad, and we wear matching 80 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 3: uniforms every day, not just on Pepperrelly days. There will 81 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 3: be times when our children and grandchildren feel left out 82 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:58,960 Speaker 3: of places where they long to belong, and we have 83 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:02,200 Speaker 3: the honor and privilege of teaching them that they do belong. 84 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 3: They belong to God who sees them right where they are, 85 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 3: and they are chosen and they are loved. Let's pray, Father, 86 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 3: we are thankful that we are right where we belong. 87 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 3: When we place our trust in you, help us put 88 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,800 Speaker 3: on a heart of compassion, filled with kindness, humility, gentleness, 89 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 3: and patience, and to forgive as you have forgiven us. 90 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:27,280 Speaker 3: And above all else, help us to put on love, 91 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:30,880 Speaker 3: the perfect bond of unity, and to live out this 92 00:05:31,040 --> 00:05:33,240 Speaker 3: truth in our lives as we teach it to our 93 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:37,160 Speaker 3: children and grandchildren. In Jesus's name, Amen. 94 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 2: May is the month to celebrate moms, and we've updated 95 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 2: our mom shop just in time with some of our 96 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,119 Speaker 2: favorite resources. Be sure to check out our updated shop 97 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 2: at Million Praying Moms dot com, forward slash shop, or 98 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,040 Speaker 2: click shop from our homepage. 99 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: Until next time. 100 00:05:53,360 --> 00:05:56,560 Speaker 2: Friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his 101 00:05:56,680 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 2: face shine upon you, and be gracious to you. Lord 102 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:02,599 Speaker 2: look with favor on you and give you peace.