1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:17,759 Speaker 2: You're listening to every Day Prayers with Million Praying Moms, 3 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 2: helping you pray God's word for your family in the 4 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,919 Speaker 2: areas you need it most. I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. Here, 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 2: we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our first 6 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:30,120 Speaker 2: and best response in parenting, and every day we come 7 00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:32,800 Speaker 2: together to partner with God for the hearts of our children. 8 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 2: In the month of April, we are hosting the Everyday 9 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,680 Speaker 2: Prayers for Gentleness book Club on the podcast to celebrate 10 00:00:37,720 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 2: our newest release, We're So Glad you're here today. The 11 00:00:41,320 --> 00:00:43,919 Speaker 2: author of our new book and mom of three, Christy Thomas, 12 00:00:44,040 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: will lead our devotion in prayer to challenge us and 13 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,280 Speaker 2: encourage us on our journey to grow in gentleness. To 14 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 2: learn more about Christy, our new book, and the Million 15 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 2: Praying Mom's ministry, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can find 16 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 2: a link in our show notes. After a brief word 17 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 2: from our sponsors, will pray together for our children. 18 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 3: Job thirty eight four to five says, where were you 19 00:01:09,080 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 3: when I established the Earth? Tell me if you have 20 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 3: understanding who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know who's stretched 21 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 3: to measuring line across it. Genesis one to one says 22 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 3: in the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 3: You have probably heard this first before, as it's the 24 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,639 Speaker 3: first line of the whole Bible. We can act blase 25 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 3: about it. But have you ever stopped to think about 26 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 3: what this really means. Our universe is so big. The 27 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,040 Speaker 3: closest star to our sun is four point two four 28 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:42,959 Speaker 3: light years away, meaning that it's light takes four point 29 00:01:43,040 --> 00:01:46,160 Speaker 3: two four years to get to our eyes. In twenty 30 00:01:46,200 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 3: twenty two, astronomers using the Hubble's Space Telescope spotted a 31 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 3: star that was twelve point nine billion light years away. 32 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 3: That means that the universe is so astronomically huge even 33 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 3: light can take billions of years to reach us. That 34 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 3: is so mind boggling to me. Every time I see 35 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 3: pictures of galaxies and nebulas, I get a little queasy inside. 36 00:02:08,520 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 3: Here I am on this little blue dot in this 37 00:02:11,160 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 3: enormous universe, and God is so mighty He created it 38 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 3: all with his word. 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:18,040 Speaker 1: That's how much power God has. 40 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 3: And yet when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of 41 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:22,639 Speaker 3: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then 42 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 3: hastily hid among the trees, God simply asked. 43 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: Where are you? 44 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,360 Speaker 3: Adam and Eve had made themselves God's enemies, as it 45 00:02:31,400 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 3: says in Romans five to ten, there were consequences to 46 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 3: their actions, but even in that pivotal moment, God held 47 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 3: back his power for the sake of the vulnerable. He 48 00:02:41,880 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 3: clothed Adam and Eve, gave them a promise of a 49 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,080 Speaker 3: future redeemer, and sent them away from the garden. This 50 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 3: may seem harsh, but if they'd eaten from the Tree 51 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 3: of Life after their disobedience, their curse would have been 52 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:58,000 Speaker 3: extended into eternity. Even the consequence was a protection, showing 53 00:02:58,040 --> 00:03:01,520 Speaker 3: the gentleness of God. The most creative minds on our 54 00:03:01,560 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 3: planet cannot even fathom this kind of gentleness. My family 55 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 3: recently watched a movie where a character with these godlike 56 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:12,040 Speaker 3: powers tried to create a perfect race of people to 57 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,079 Speaker 3: inhabit his perfect world. When his creations failed him, did 58 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 3: he simply say where are you? 59 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: Like our God? 60 00:03:19,200 --> 00:03:21,640 Speaker 3: Oh? No, The guy in this movie blew up the 61 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:24,360 Speaker 3: planet and went somewhere else to try again. He felt 62 00:03:24,400 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 3: like he had the right to do this because he 63 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,560 Speaker 3: had bred them, which is very different from God creating 64 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 3: the universe out of nothing with a single word. Only 65 00:03:32,919 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 3: the one True God has the right to blow up 66 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:38,160 Speaker 3: our planet and start again. But from the beginning he 67 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 3: chose to be gentle toward us. Even at his most frustrated, 68 00:03:42,360 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 3: he saved a family to survive through the flood. In 69 00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:50,120 Speaker 3: order to understand God's gentleness, we first need to appreciate 70 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:54,120 Speaker 3: his strength. In Psalm eighteen, David describes God like one 71 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 3: might describe a dragon the size of a skyscraper. It says, 72 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,200 Speaker 3: then the earth showed and quaked. The foundations of the 73 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:07,200 Speaker 3: mountains trembled. They shook because he burned with anger. Smoke 74 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 3: rose from his nostrils, and consuming fire came from his mouth. 75 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 3: Coals were set ablaze by it. He bent the heavens 76 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,279 Speaker 3: and came down total darkness beneath his feet. He rode 77 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 3: on a cherub and flew soaring on the wings of 78 00:04:22,360 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 3: the wind. He made darkness his hiding place. Dark storm 79 00:04:26,040 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 3: clouds his canopy around him. From the radiance of his presence, 80 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 3: His clouds swept onward with hail and blazing coals. The 81 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 3: Lord thundered from heaven the most high made his voice heard. 82 00:04:38,600 --> 00:04:42,000 Speaker 3: He shot his arrows and scattered them. He hurled lightning 83 00:04:42,040 --> 00:04:45,880 Speaker 3: bolts and routed them. The depths of the sea became visible. 84 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:50,599 Speaker 3: The foundations of the world were exposed at your rebuke, Lord, 85 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:55,440 Speaker 3: at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. That 86 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,360 Speaker 3: is from Psalm eighteen seven to fifteen. If you want 87 00:04:58,360 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 3: to go and check it out yourself, not make that up. 88 00:05:01,839 --> 00:05:05,279 Speaker 3: Just a few verses later, David speaks of this same 89 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:09,239 Speaker 3: God clothing him and holding him securely on a mountain peak. 90 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,200 Speaker 3: Psalm eighteen thirty two to thirty three says God, he 91 00:05:13,320 --> 00:05:16,800 Speaker 3: closes me with strength and makes my way perfect. He 92 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:18,960 Speaker 3: makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and 93 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 3: sets me securely on the heights. Gentleness occurs when someone 94 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 3: with great power holds back for the sake of someone weaker, 95 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:31,160 Speaker 3: and that's exactly what we see in these verses. David 96 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 3: describes God as a being so powerful the mountains tremble, 97 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,440 Speaker 3: but also as the one who keeps the mountains from trembling, 98 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 3: so David can stand firm. This is the same God 99 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,320 Speaker 3: who fixed the dimensions of our world, and the same 100 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 3: God who Psalm one twenty one, verse eight says, will 101 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 3: protect your coming and going, both now and forever. As 102 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,960 Speaker 3: my favorite Sunday school song says we are weak, but 103 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 3: he is strong. Let's pray together. I worship you God, 104 00:06:04,960 --> 00:06:08,720 Speaker 3: for you are more powerful than I could ever imagine. 105 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 3: You made the earth with a word, you breathed, and 106 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:15,600 Speaker 3: stars came into being. Help me never to lose sight 107 00:06:15,680 --> 00:06:19,360 Speaker 3: of the power you hold, because it's only in glimpsing 108 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,599 Speaker 3: your power that I truly appreciate how much you hold 109 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:25,960 Speaker 3: back for my sake in Jesus precious name. 110 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,520 Speaker 1: Amen, are you a visual learner? 111 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 2: Would you like to receive our daily devotions and written 112 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,840 Speaker 2: form right to your inbox? Then join our Patreon community 113 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:38,240 Speaker 2: of Praying Moms. Not only will you receive the transcripts 114 00:06:38,240 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 2: of each podcast devotional, you will also receive a monthly 115 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,160 Speaker 2: prayer calendar and surprise bonus content. Learn more about our 116 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 2: Praying mom community in today's show notes or at million 117 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,440 Speaker 2: prayingmoms dot com. Till next time, friends, the Lord bless 118 00:06:53,480 --> 00:06:56,680 Speaker 2: you and keep you. Make His face shine upon you 119 00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 2: and be gracious to you. May the Lord look with 120 00:07:00,200 --> 00:07:02,520 Speaker 2: favor on you and give you peace.