1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:03,640 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:15,260 --> 00:00:18,220 Speaker 2: You're listening to Everyday Prayers with a million praying moms, 3 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:24,130 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 5 00:00:24,250 --> 00:00:27,590 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,770 --> 00:00:31,150 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting. And every day, we come 7 00:00:31,190 --> 00:00:33,690 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:34,290 --> 00:00:36,260 Speaker 2: This fall, we are praying through the Nine for the 9 00:00:36,300 --> 00:00:40,140 Speaker 2: Spirit in nine weeks using devotions from our Everyday Prayers 10 00:00:40,180 --> 00:00:41,260 Speaker 2: devotional series. 11 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:45,860 Speaker 1: This week's prayer focus is faithfulness. Faithfulness. 12 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:49,890 Speaker 2: What a good thing to think about, to talk about, 13 00:00:50,010 --> 00:00:53,610 Speaker 2: and to pray for this week. Today's devotion is written 14 00:00:53,670 --> 00:00:55,770 Speaker 2: in red by Erin H. Warren. 15 00:00:56,450 --> 00:00:59,030 Speaker 1: Erin is the author of Everyday Prayers for Faith. 16 00:00:59,670 --> 00:01:03,090 Speaker 2: To learn more about Erin, our ministry, or to grab 17 00:01:03,130 --> 00:01:05,270 Speaker 2: copies of our Everyday Prayers devotionals. 18 00:01:05,430 --> 00:01:08,070 Speaker 1: Visit millionprayingmoms.com. 19 00:01:08,790 --> 00:01:11,050 Speaker 2: And just for our podcast community, you can visit our 20 00:01:11,090 --> 00:01:13,230 Speaker 2: mom shop and use the code FALL20 for 20% off 21 00:01:13,250 --> 00:01:17,530 Speaker 2: your order. After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll 22 00:01:17,569 --> 00:01:18,910 Speaker 2: pray together for our families. 23 00:01:23,010 --> 00:01:27,630 Speaker 3: God is faithful to go before you. Deuteronomy 31, 8. 24 00:01:27,610 --> 00:01:31,590 Speaker 3: It is the Lord who goes before you. He will 25 00:01:31,640 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 3: be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. 26 00:01:35,420 --> 00:01:40,520 Speaker 3: Do not fear or be dismayed. I had been teaching 27 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,940 Speaker 3: Bible study online solidly for almost two years when I 28 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:46,819 Speaker 3: felt a stirring from the Lord that I needed to 29 00:01:46,860 --> 00:01:50,120 Speaker 3: take the summer off. For weeks, I told God he 30 00:01:50,170 --> 00:01:53,810 Speaker 3: was wrong. We were just hitting our stride. The ministry 31 00:01:53,850 --> 00:01:57,450 Speaker 3: had momentum. Women were asking me what was next. They 32 00:01:57,510 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 3: were eager to keep going. So taking a break made 33 00:02:01,980 --> 00:02:06,260 Speaker 3: absolutely no sense. But God kept pushing. I heard it 34 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:09,710 Speaker 3: in a podcast, a sermon, and a social media post. 35 00:02:10,190 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 3: Take the summer off, Erin. Finally, I couldn't ignore him anymore, 36 00:02:14,540 --> 00:02:17,100 Speaker 3: so I announced that I would be taking the summer off. 37 00:02:17,780 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 3: I thought I would be using this time to focus 38 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:23,839 Speaker 3: on writing and resting, but two weeks after our last lesson, 39 00:02:23,860 --> 00:02:26,540 Speaker 3: I was sitting in the doctor's office with my very sick, 40 00:02:26,820 --> 00:02:30,350 Speaker 3: then seven-year-old son, who had just been diagnosed with type 41 00:02:30,350 --> 00:02:35,090 Speaker 3: 1 diabetes. Instantly, I knew that God had gone before 42 00:02:35,150 --> 00:02:37,869 Speaker 3: me when he said I needed to take a break. 43 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:43,140 Speaker 3: God's presence is with us, before us, and behind us. 44 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 3: God is eternal, meaning He's timeless or beyond time. And 45 00:02:48,240 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 3: when we talk about Him being omnipresent, it's not just 46 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,460 Speaker 3: that He's everywhere right now, but He's everywhere in time too. 47 00:02:55,780 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 3: It's a really big concept. In Deuteronomy 31, Moses is 48 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,679 Speaker 3: giving his final speech to the Israelites and commissioning Joshua 49 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 3: as their new leader. You can hear the urgency in 50 00:03:07,060 --> 00:03:10,900 Speaker 3: his words, the call to keep going, keep obeying, and 51 00:03:10,980 --> 00:03:14,460 Speaker 3: keep their eyes on God. I imagine they were scared. 52 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:17,680 Speaker 3: While their numbers were great, they had been a nation 53 00:03:17,720 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 3: without land. They had been wandering in the wilderness for 54 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:22,700 Speaker 3: 40 years and were about to. 55 00:03:22,660 --> 00:03:23,220 Speaker 1: Go to war. 56 00:03:23,660 --> 00:03:27,160 Speaker 3: But Moses assured them that the Lord had gone before them. 57 00:03:28,389 --> 00:03:32,669 Speaker 3: God promised them this land, and in Genesis 15-14, He 58 00:03:32,730 --> 00:03:36,460 Speaker 3: promised judgment on those who were not following Him. Now 59 00:03:36,540 --> 00:03:41,300 Speaker 3: God was fulfilling these promises. He had already prepared the way. 60 00:03:41,900 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 3: I love how Moses says in Deuteronomy 31-3, the Lord 61 00:03:45,780 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 3: your God Himself will go over before you. God wasn't 62 00:03:50,900 --> 00:03:55,280 Speaker 3: sending an angel or a representative. God Himself was leading 63 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,690 Speaker 3: the way, so they had nothing to fear. They would 64 00:03:58,770 --> 00:04:02,330 Speaker 3: not be on this journey alone. They would not face 65 00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:06,010 Speaker 3: their enemy alone. The weight of victory was not on 66 00:04:06,050 --> 00:04:09,840 Speaker 3: their shoulders. God himself was with them and before them, 67 00:04:10,250 --> 00:04:13,900 Speaker 3: and all they had to do was follow him. After 68 00:04:13,920 --> 00:04:18,440 Speaker 3: we received my son's diagnosis, I didn't spend the summer 69 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,000 Speaker 3: writing and resting as I had planned. Our world was upended. 70 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:24,839 Speaker 3: There were so many times I thanked God for leading 71 00:04:24,900 --> 00:04:28,270 Speaker 3: me to take that break. I was exhausted mentally, physically, 72 00:04:28,310 --> 00:04:31,010 Speaker 3: and emotionally, and there was no way I could have 73 00:04:31,050 --> 00:04:33,740 Speaker 3: taught Bible study and been present for my family in 74 00:04:33,779 --> 00:04:34,340 Speaker 3: that season. 75 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:35,500 Speaker 1: But God knew. 76 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,760 Speaker 3: In Psalm 139, David praises God for his omniscience and 77 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 3: his omnipresence. Verses 4 and 5 say, Even before a 78 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 3: word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know 79 00:04:47,820 --> 00:04:51,780 Speaker 3: it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and 80 00:04:51,820 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 3: lay your hand upon me. During a recent conversation, my 81 00:04:55,580 --> 00:05:22,280 Speaker 3: 13-year-old said, You know how you didn't know something existed 82 00:05:22,460 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 3: and then you learn about it and suddenly you start 83 00:05:24,339 --> 00:05:25,180 Speaker 3: seeing it everywhere? 84 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:26,839 Speaker 1: Oh, yes. 85 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,219 Speaker 3: And this phenomenon applies to this promise of God. When 86 00:05:31,260 --> 00:05:33,989 Speaker 3: we know he goes before us, we will start to 87 00:05:34,020 --> 00:05:37,190 Speaker 3: see his presence before us. In our moments of crisis, 88 00:05:37,250 --> 00:05:39,590 Speaker 3: it's easy to forget. That's why I keep a list 89 00:05:39,650 --> 00:05:42,270 Speaker 3: of ways I have seen God go before me. I 90 00:05:42,310 --> 00:05:44,130 Speaker 3: encourage you to do the same, whether it's in a 91 00:05:44,170 --> 00:05:47,089 Speaker 3: journal or on your phone. You'll be amazed at the 92 00:05:47,130 --> 00:05:51,890 Speaker 3: ways you see him. with you and before you, because 93 00:05:51,970 --> 00:05:55,450 Speaker 3: the Lord, your God himself goes before you. You can 94 00:05:55,490 --> 00:05:58,460 Speaker 3: faithfully walk in obedience in what he calls you to 95 00:05:58,500 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 3: do and where he leads. 96 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:01,840 Speaker 1: Pray with me. 97 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:06,040 Speaker 3: Lord, we know that you are faithful and that you 98 00:06:06,060 --> 00:06:09,660 Speaker 3: go before us. So please open our eyes to see 99 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,580 Speaker 3: all the paths you have prepared for us. Please help 100 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 3: us walk in confidence and not fear. Give us strength 101 00:06:16,420 --> 00:06:18,060 Speaker 3: to walk in obedience to your word. 102 00:06:18,620 --> 00:06:20,680 Speaker 2: As part of our Fruit of the Spirit prayers and 103 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,460 Speaker 2: everyday prayers for the school year book club, Tara Cole 104 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,060 Speaker 2: and I created a free car conversations guide for your 105 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,650 Speaker 2: family to use this fall. The car is sometimes the 106 00:06:31,710 --> 00:06:36,010 Speaker 2: best place for our most precious conversations with our kids. 107 00:06:36,510 --> 00:06:38,790 Speaker 2: As we are praying through the Fruit of the Spirit, 108 00:06:38,970 --> 00:06:42,330 Speaker 2: our hope is that you can have meaningful conversations with 109 00:06:42,410 --> 00:06:46,020 Speaker 2: your kids about what living out these fruit looks like 110 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:48,920 Speaker 2: in their daily lives. Tara and I created a series 111 00:06:48,980 --> 00:06:51,380 Speaker 2: of quick questions. She wrote some for the older kids. 112 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,900 Speaker 2: I wrote some for younger kids. And we share a 113 00:06:53,940 --> 00:06:57,000 Speaker 2: prayer that you can share with your children about each 114 00:06:57,100 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 2: of the fruit of the Spirit. Download your copy for 115 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 2: free on our website or the link in our show notes. 116 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,659 Speaker 1: Until next time, friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. 117 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 2: Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 118 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 1: May the Lord look with favor on you and give 119 00:07:15,220 --> 00:07:15,460 Speaker 1: you peace.