1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:14,800 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:18,400 Speaker 2: You're listening to Everyday Prayers with Million Praying Moms, helping 3 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:20,959 Speaker 2: you pray God's word for your family in the areas 4 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:21,840 Speaker 2: you need it most. 5 00:00:22,320 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: I'm your host, Nicolette Bell. 6 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 2: Here we believe prayer isn't a last resort. It's our 7 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,159 Speaker 2: first and best response in parenting, and every day we 8 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:32,360 Speaker 2: come together to partner with God for the hearts of 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:33,200 Speaker 2: our children. 10 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:34,519 Speaker 1: Today's devotion is. 11 00:00:34,479 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 2: Written and read by Rachel Hartzell, author of the children's 12 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 2: book series The Garden Scouts, helping kids understand the fruit 13 00:00:41,040 --> 00:00:44,080 Speaker 2: of the Spirit. In today's episode, we are going to 14 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 2: talk about choosing joy even in hard seasons. 15 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:49,959 Speaker 1: To learn more about Rachel or the. 16 00:00:49,960 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 2: Million Praying Mom's ministry, visit Millionprayingmoms dot com. You can 17 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 2: find a link in. 18 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 1: Our show notes. 19 00:00:56,360 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 2: After a quick word from our sponsors, we'll pray together 20 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 2: for our children. 21 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 3: Romans five two through five. Through Him, we have also 22 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 3: obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, 23 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 3: and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 24 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,480 Speaker 3: Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing 25 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:24,680 Speaker 3: that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character 26 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 3: produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame 27 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,400 Speaker 3: because God's love has been poured into our hearts through 28 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 3: the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. Three 29 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:39,399 Speaker 3: years ago, my family was walking through one of the 30 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 3: hardest seasons we'd ever faced. My husband had received a 31 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 3: life altering diagnosis that January, and later in March he 32 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 3: had surgery before further treatments could start. As you can imagine, 33 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 3: it wasn't a great time for a medical emergency. It 34 00:01:55,840 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 3: never is. I was right in the middle of self 35 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 3: publishing my first children's book, and we were starting plans 36 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 3: to build a house for homesteading in the country. I 37 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,040 Speaker 3: couldn't help but wonder why God. 38 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:08,880 Speaker 1: Why Him? 39 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 3: Why? Now? This is a natural response we all have, 40 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 3: no matter the type of hard season we're experiencing. It's 41 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,280 Speaker 3: especially common to struggle understanding why God would allow us 42 00:02:22,600 --> 00:02:27,639 Speaker 3: his beloved children to suffer hardships and tragedies like addiction, 43 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:32,120 Speaker 3: a child in poor health, or a house fire. In fact, 44 00:02:32,240 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 3: Christian apologists and authorly Struggle shared findings from a study 45 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 3: heat commissioned over ten years ago that revealed just this. 46 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,840 Speaker 3: He found the one question most people, no matter their 47 00:02:42,880 --> 00:02:47,000 Speaker 3: religious background, wanted to ask God was why he allows 48 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 3: pain and suffering in this world. In James one two 49 00:02:52,080 --> 00:02:56,480 Speaker 3: through four, though, Jesus's brother teaches us to take joy 50 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 3: in all our trials because they test our faith and 51 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:04,960 Speaker 3: this produces steadfastness. James explains later in this chapter that 52 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 3: trials are not there to tempt us into sin. God 53 00:03:08,280 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 3: would never do that, but rather, God allows us to 54 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 3: experience these trials to strengthen us as Christians and make 55 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 3: us more like Him. It's hard to see it when 56 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:24,400 Speaker 3: we're in the messy middle of it all, but this 57 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 3: is a true gift from God. Looking back on my 58 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 3: husband's medical crisis, I remember feeling an unusual sense of 59 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:39,440 Speaker 3: peace and joy during those six months. I didn't fully 60 00:03:39,640 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 3: understand it until later that year during one of our 61 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 3: pastor's sermons, when he read Job one one. He explained 62 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,640 Speaker 3: that we must be fully vulnerable and reliant on God, 63 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,800 Speaker 3: trusting him to take care of us like newborn babies 64 00:03:55,920 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 3: during our hardships. That's essentially what happened. Instead of staying 65 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,560 Speaker 3: stuck in the why of it all, I chose to 66 00:04:06,600 --> 00:04:10,400 Speaker 3: put all my faith in God. I drew closer to 67 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:13,720 Speaker 3: Him than I ever had before. And I had a 68 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 3: level of joy and peace that didn't make sense. It 69 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 3: was a true gift in that season, and it still is, 70 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 3: but I had to choose that path. I want to 71 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 3: encourage you this week to join me in building up 72 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 3: a habit of choosing joy in trials. At some point 73 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 3: in the next few days, you will encounter a trial. 74 00:04:39,279 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 3: It doesn't have to be devastating. You might just spill 75 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 3: your coffee or catch a cold. Those are some of 76 00:04:46,800 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 3: the best times to practice, though. Now take a minute 77 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 3: to identify the suffering it's causing you and or your 78 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 3: loved ones. Then give it over to God in prayer 79 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 3: and ask for him. 80 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 1: To reveal the gift. 81 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 3: This is so that you may rejoice in your suffering. 82 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:11,520 Speaker 3: Just imagine the fullness of life and the testimonies that 83 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 3: will evolve from this simple habit of choosing joy. Let's pray, 84 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:23,560 Speaker 3: Dear Heavenly Father. It's so easy for me to react 85 00:05:23,839 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 3: and lament and wonder why you allow me to endure 86 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 3: hardships when they come. Help me build up a first 87 00:05:31,279 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 3: responsive prayer so I can seek you out in those 88 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:37,239 Speaker 3: moments and choose joy. Guide me in leading my family 89 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 3: well through our tough seasons so they too experience your 90 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 3: divine joy and provision and Jesus's name Amen. 91 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,719 Speaker 2: May is the month to celebrate moms, and we've updated 92 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 2: our mom shop just in time with some of our 93 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,279 Speaker 2: favorite resources. Be sure to check out our updated shop 94 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:59,559 Speaker 2: at Million Prayingmoms dot com, forward slash shop, or click 95 00:05:59,600 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 2: shop from our homepage. 96 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:02,720 Speaker 1: Until next time. 97 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 2: Friends, the Lord bless you and keep you. Make his 98 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,000 Speaker 2: face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May 99 00:06:09,040 --> 00:06:11,719 Speaker 2: the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.