1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: Life Audio. You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 2 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: where we're dedicated to helping moms pray God's word for 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: their families in the areas they need at most. I'm 4 00:00:15,920 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: your host, Nicolette Bell. Over the last decade, we've helped 5 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: thousands of moms make prayer a priority for their families. 6 00:00:23,040 --> 00:00:26,080 Speaker 1: Our mission is to help you do the same. Prayer 7 00:00:26,160 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: is not a last resort. It's our first and best 8 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: response to the challenges of parenting. A partnership for the 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,960 Speaker 1: hearts of our children that God invites us into. Today's 10 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: devotion is written by Emily Raenga, author of The God 11 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 1: Who Became Bred. In her newest devotional Commune with Me 12 00:00:44,520 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: an invitation to feast with Jesus coming out later this spring. 13 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: To learn more about Emily, or to learn more about 14 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:54,280 Speaker 1: how you can get involved in the ministry of Million 15 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: Praying Moms, visit today's show notes or Millionprayingmoms dot Com. 16 00:01:00,320 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 1: After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together 17 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: for our children. 18 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:12,399 Speaker 2: Genesis one, verse three, and God said, let there be light, 19 00:01:12,760 --> 00:01:17,200 Speaker 2: and there was light Psalm ninety one, verse four. The 20 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 2: message his huge outstretched arms protect you under them, You're 21 00:01:23,080 --> 00:01:29,199 Speaker 2: perfectly safe. His arms fend off all harm Luke twenty two, 22 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:33,839 Speaker 2: verse fifteen. And he said to them, I have eagerly 23 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 2: desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer 24 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 2: Luke ten, verses thirty eight to forty two. As Jesus 25 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 2: and his disciples were on their way, he came to 26 00:01:46,040 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 2: a village where a woman named Martha opened her home 27 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 2: to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat 28 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 2: at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. But 29 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 2: Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to 30 00:01:59,320 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 2: be made. She came to him and asked, Lord, don't 31 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: you care that my sister has left me to do 32 00:02:05,320 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 2: the work by myself. Tell her to help me, Martha Martha, 33 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 2: The Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things, 34 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:20,320 Speaker 2: but few things are needed. Or indeed, only one. Mary 35 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 2: has chosen what is better, and it will not be 36 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,359 Speaker 2: taken away from her. I want to commune with you, 37 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 2: he says it. In the kitchen, his hands covered in flour, 38 00:02:33,160 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 2: he's rolling out pizza dough, and the air smells of 39 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:41,120 Speaker 2: parsley and oraganeu. This man I married twenty some years ago. 40 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,799 Speaker 2: I'm over by the sink, washing dishes. I've canned fourteen 41 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 2: jars of tomato soup. Our kids are somewhere else and 42 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,800 Speaker 2: we have a moment to talk. So I begin to 43 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 2: share what God has been showing me. I stop myself embarrassed, 44 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 2: but he says, no, no, Please tell me. I want 45 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:05,000 Speaker 2: to commune with you. My breath catches like a skirt 46 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:08,520 Speaker 2: on a nail, and a tuget free begins slowly, this 47 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 2: dance with intimacy as he listens and rolls out the dough. 48 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 2: It happens here in the kitchen, in the presence of food, 49 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:20,800 Speaker 2: in God. The mason jars, a silent cloud of witnesses 50 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,600 Speaker 2: this deep communion. And I think about God being the 51 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 2: word poured out for us in flesh and flower, feeling 52 00:03:29,639 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 2: us like these jars, but also rolling us out like dough, 53 00:03:34,200 --> 00:03:37,760 Speaker 2: pressing us with firm hand, and putting us through the 54 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:42,240 Speaker 2: fire to make us bread, to make us food. And 55 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 2: it all started with a word with a let. T 56 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:51,559 Speaker 2: Let means to release something without restraint. It's an invitation 57 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 2: to be free. When God said let there be light, 58 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:59,560 Speaker 2: he was releasing the light. Let there be birds and 59 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 2: plants and trees and man. In that flow of words 60 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:07,240 Speaker 2: was the full release of all the life that now exists, 61 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 2: as if it had been hiding and now is free 62 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:14,160 Speaker 2: to come out and play. And it's with us here 63 00:04:14,160 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 2: in the kitchen. This let it releases a few more 64 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:22,279 Speaker 2: halting words. Me trying to share, to connect my soul 65 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:27,039 Speaker 2: to his, a clothes line sagging with laundry, determined to 66 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,159 Speaker 2: reach the other side the place is tethered to to 67 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:35,120 Speaker 2: know he's still there, holding me up. I want to 68 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:39,800 Speaker 2: commune with you. This is Jesus. In Luke twenty two 69 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:43,039 Speaker 2: point fifteen, he says, I have eagerly desired to eat 70 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:47,239 Speaker 2: this passover with you. It's not a drudgery for God, 71 00:04:47,320 --> 00:04:50,719 Speaker 2: a duty he's fulfilling, one more thing to check off 72 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 2: the list. It's a deep seated desire of his to 73 00:04:54,480 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 2: sit with you, to hear your heart, to share words 74 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,360 Speaker 2: and food and life with you. Jesus came to save 75 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 2: our souls, says Eugene Peterson. He also came to save 76 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:10,279 Speaker 2: our words. Word and words are at the very core 77 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 2: of God's revelation of himself to us. You see this 78 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:18,400 Speaker 2: in the posture of Christ bent Low to Mary of Bethany, 79 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,000 Speaker 2: she inclined upward to him. The pressing of hand and 80 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 2: spirit together like the dough beneath my husband's fingers. It's 81 00:05:28,480 --> 00:05:32,160 Speaker 2: a meeting and up pulling and a becoming, This listening, 82 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 2: dew and feeding of one another. The message version captures 83 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 2: it Holy. One thing only is essential, and Mary has 84 00:05:42,839 --> 00:05:47,279 Speaker 2: chosen it. It's the main course and won't be taken 85 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:52,200 Speaker 2: from her. Luke ten forty two. It's the one thing 86 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:57,360 Speaker 2: that matters to Jesus. Friend you. He wants to commune 87 00:05:57,400 --> 00:06:01,040 Speaker 2: with you, to have supper with you, until the day 88 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 2: he returns and gathers you up his hands covered in flour, 89 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:09,400 Speaker 2: and all you'll smell is light, the sunshine, dry smell 90 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 2: of a sheet on a clothes line, and you'll stay 91 00:06:12,640 --> 00:06:19,279 Speaker 2: there in him forever, loved by him forever. Let's pray, 92 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:24,120 Speaker 2: oh Lord, that you would want to eat with me, 93 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 2: that you would want to commune with me, That this 94 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:32,000 Speaker 2: is the one thing that matters to you, the God 95 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 2: of the universe, Make it the one thing that matters 96 00:06:35,680 --> 00:06:40,080 Speaker 2: to me. Lord, I want to want to commune with 97 00:06:40,120 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 2: you forever. 98 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 1: Friends, We have completely revamped our Patreon tears now with 99 00:06:46,960 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: a ten dollars monthly donation, you automatically receive our favorite 100 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: monthly downloadable prayer calendar of curated scripture inspired prayers that 101 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:00,320 Speaker 1: compliment the devotions and prayers from the podcast. You also 102 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: receive each day's devotion and prayer in written form, including 103 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: reflection questions to accompany your quiet time. Many of our 104 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: members enjoy having the ability to read the day's devotion 105 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: or to save the prayer for future use. Lastly, when 106 00:07:15,920 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: you become a Praying Mom, you're invited to a monthly 107 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: mom chat with me and surprise guests from our other 108 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:26,200 Speaker 1: Million Praying Mom authors. You can learn more in today's 109 00:07:26,240 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 1: show notes or at Millionprayingmoms dot com. Until next time, friends, 110 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:35,800 Speaker 1: the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his face 111 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the 112 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,880 Speaker 1: Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.