Hey there, Christian Ladies Fellowship ladies! We are taking a moment in this Thursday’s new devotion to give you some much-needed encouragement and to share with you a perfect opportunity to receive more encouragement in person..

I know, for myself, it seems the months just keep piling on, then flying past. I load my idea plate with juicy plans to do things I have really been wanting to do, as if I expect an upcoming pause in all the busyness. Then, once again, the weeks are gone, leaving me to wonder why I thought I would have time for that still-undone project.

One particular thing I find hard to schedule amidst life’s hubbub is fellowship. Our church is a busy-in-the-work church, which is a wonderful thing! Serving God with the people I love may provide the happiest life possible; however, I find it difficult to make time to relax, have fun, and enjoy some sweet fellowship. We all are going dozens of different directions, juggling a million things but still craving some quality time with other Christian ladies.

We know fellowship is an essential part of our spiritual well-being. Without time together, how will we be able to fulfill completely the command in Titus 2 for ladies to teach ladies? Plus, we need each other to survive. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us: Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. I know that there have been many tough times in my Christian life when God has used the encouraging words and kindnesses of other Christian ladies to help get me through and keep my head above water.

On that note, I would love to have you join me and all the other ladies of Immanuel Baptist Church as we host our 3^rd annual North Florida Baptist Ladies Conference on April 10-11, 2026! Our theme this year is “Beauty Under the Big Top: Juggling Life with Grace.” Life often can feel like a three-ring circus, but as we gather for this “main event,” we will discover how to find perfect balance by trusting the true Ringmaster.

Let me share the exciting details of our “Big Top” activities:

On Friday, April 10, the “Opening Act” will be a mouthwatering dinner at 6 p.m. Then, at 7 p.m., join us in the “Center Ring” (the auditorium) for the Grand Opening. Get ready for a parade of special speakers, music, hilarious skits, and—did someone say giveaways? Yes, we have those, too!

The next morning, Saturday, April 11, the acts begin at 9 a.m. with a lineup of breakout sessions custom-designed for you. Whether you are navigating marriage, child-rearing, Sunday school teaching, or the empty nest, these sessions will be exactly what your heart needs. We also have “Spotlight Sessions” specifically for our teen ladies!

At noon, we will refuel with a scrumptious lunch and enjoy more fellowship. After lunch, we will wrap up with our “Grand Finale” in the Center Ring with our afternoon session.

Important Details To Note:

• Tickets: Step right up and claim your ticket early! Register by March 20 for the low cost of $30. After March 20, the fee is $40. Your cost covers meals, all sessions, and a welcome bag.
• Registration: Register online at www.immanueljax.org/lc or by phone (see below.)
• Attendance: All ladies, from 7^th grade and up, are invited! All sessions will be interpreted for all deaf ladies in attendance.
• Childcare: We are unable to provide childcare. Children in 6^th grade and younger may not attend.
• Hotel Options: Exclusive rates are available at the local Hampton Inn and other hotels listed on our website.
• Materials: Be sure to bring extra funds for our resource area, where books, journals, music, and snacks will be available for purchase.

If you have any questions, our registration host, Erin Montgomery, is happy to assist by phone at (904) 716-2160 or via email at [email protected].

We cannot wait to see you in April for a memorable time of fellowship and encouragement. Let us learn to juggle life with grace together!

by Tracie S. Burns

As a mother of three, I have said numerous times, “Y’all be good!” or “Be a good girl!” or “Be a good boy!” One day, as I said one of these statements, I was struck with the thought, “What does it mean to be good?” Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the word “good” as, “complete or sufficiently perfect in its kind; having the physical qualities best adapted to its design and use.” Therefore, being good means fulfilling the purpose for which we were created. Throughout the first chapter of the Bible, we find the statement, …and God saw that it was good. God looked over all the things He had created each day and noticed that they were fulfilling the purpose for which He created them. Then, in Genesis 1:31 after He created man, the Bible says, And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.

In the last chapter of Genesis, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers who had done him evil many years prior. They were fearful that Joseph would take revenge on them for the evil they had done. However, Joseph said in verses 19-20, …Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good,… Joseph had no intention of seeking revenge on his brothers because he understood that everything that happened in his life was meant for his good and to fulfill the purpose for which God had created him.

This leads us to probably the most famous verse in the Bible on this subject. Romans 8:28 states, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. This verse is not saying that everything that happens to us in our lives will be good. Instead, everything that happens in our lives works together for our good to fulfill the purpose God has for our lives. I can testify to the fact that the trials, storms, and battles I have faced in my life have not been enjoyable, but when I have surrendered them to the Lord’s will, He made them all work together to fulfill God’s intended purpose for my life.

I enjoy using acrostics to help me learn and apply things to my life, so as I was doing a word study on the word “good,” I came up with the following acrostic to help me to be “good.”

G – Give God first place.

Matthew 6:33, But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The first way we can be good is realizing Who we are serving with our lives. He is the One Who created us; therefore, we should give Him first place in our lives in order to fulfill His will for us.

O – Obey your authority.

Hebrews 13:17, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. We must place ourselves under the authority that God has given us. As a child, my authorities were my parents, my school teachers, and my pastor. Now, my authority is husband, and after that would be my pastor and my employer. Our ultimate authority is God’s Word, but we are instructed in God’s Word to follow our leaders and submit to them as they follow Christ.

O – Overcome temptation.

I Corinthians 10:13 says, There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. One way the devil tempts us is by making us think that the unpleasant things that happen to us are our fault. He tries to beat us up and make us feel worthless in the work of God when we are enduring a trial. We must learn to overcome this temptation by continuing to serve the Lord, even through hard circumstances. God will not give us more than we can bear.

D – Deny yourself.

In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, …If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. One way that we can be good is to realize that what happens to us is not just for our benefit. Others are watching us and how we react to hard times. We must deny our selfishness and allow God to use our lives for His good and His glory.

Being “good” is not just for our good but for others. Let us determine that no matter what God allows in our lives to be good. Our testimony may be exactly what another Christian who is struggling needs to see to keep moving forward for Christ.

by Erin Montgomery

In today’s society, it has become commonplace to gripe, complain, and murmur about everything. The sad truth of the matter is that it has become such a habit for people that we do not even realize we are doing so. We complain about the weather, food, finances, government, others, and the list continues.

The reason why we are compelled to murmur, gripe, and complain is that we are carnal; we are allowing our flesh to have control. Even though we are saved, we often fail to let the Holy Spirit have control of our spirits. In Romans 7, Paul explained the internal conflict between the flesh and the Spirit.

If the Spirit of God lives within us because we have trusted Christ as our Saviour, yet we are consumed with murmuring, griping, and complaining, it is because we have failed to put on the mind of Christ. (Romans 7:23-25; 12:2) We are saved but are still giving place to our flesh.

The children of Israel were guilty of this very thing. They were delivered from the bondage of slavery in Egypt. They had so many reasons to be thankful, yet they earned forty years of wandering in the wilderness because of their murmuring, griping, and complaining. Their ungrateful spirits resulted in a curse—none of them, except Joshua and Caleb, were allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Obeying God’s Word will result in His blessings, but disobedience to His Word will always result in a curse. When we murmur, gripe, and complain, we are disobeying His Word. Philippians 2:14 says, Do all things without murmurings and disputings: The Bible continues this thought in verse 15 by telling us that when we refrain from murmuring and disputing, we are found blameless and our lights shine in the world. Perhaps the saddest curse that results from this disobedience is that our lights will not shine. When our lights do not shine, others may miss Heaven. Could there be a worse curse?

We live in the greatest country on Earth. We have food to eat, clothes to wear, shelter to keep us warm and safe, cars to drive, resources to meet our medical needs, and the list continues. How could we possibly have any reason to murmur, gripe, or complain? Perhaps our current national moral and economic situations are a result of our ingratitude. We can only expect it to get worse if we do not learn to put Philippians 2:14 into practice.

Once we get saved, a constant battle takes place between our flesh and the Holy Spirit. The winner is determined by which one we feed the most. We will never be able to put Philippians 2:14 into practice if the Holy Spirit is not the winner.

Matthew 15:18 says, But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart;… Our words reveal the condition of our hearts. Constant griping and complaining reveals that the flesh is in control, just as constant praise and thanksgiving reveals the control of the Holy Spirit.

You may be saved, and I hope that you are, but who has control of your spirit?

by Crystal Collingsworth

Happy Monday. …Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. – Matthew 6:9

Our God has many names, and each one describes a different character trait or aspect of Who He is. No matter the situation, He is the One we all need.He has filled so many roles in my life at different times and during different trials and heartaches.

He always manages to be Who we need and What we need exactly when we need Him!

To the artist, Jesus Christ is the One Who is Altogether Lovely.

To the architect, He is the Chief Cornerstone.

To the baker, He is the Bread of Life.

To the banker, He is the Hidden Treasure.

To the biologist, He is the Life.

To the builder, He is the Sure Foundation.

To the doctor, He is the Great Physician.

To the educator, He is the Master Teacher.

To the farmer, He is the Sower and the Lord of the harvest.

To the florist, He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.

To the geologist, He is the Rock of Ages.

To the horticulturist, He is the True Vine.

To the judge, He is the righteous Judge of all mankind.

To the juror, He is the faithful and true Witness.

To the jeweler, He is the Pearl of great price.

To the lawyer, He is the Counselor and the Lawgiver.

To the newspaper reporter, He is the Good News.

To the philanthropist, He is the Unspeakable Gift.

To the philosopher, He is the Wisdom of God.

To the preacher, He is the Word of God.

To the sculptor, He is the Living Stone.

To the servant, He is the Good Master.

To the statesman, He is the Lord of all nations.

To the student, He is the Living Truth.

To the theologian, He is the Author and Finisher of our faith.

To the sinner, He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.

To the Christian, He is the Son of the living God, the Saviour, Redeemer, and Lord.

Think of Who the Lord has been for you throughout your days. He is always exactly what you need; He can fill the void and give you the love and peace you crave today!

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

In the midst of my self-doubt, as I navigate the murky waters of motherhood, I cling to this life raft of hope. It is the simple statement found in III John 1:4 which says, I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth. Little things truly can mean a great deal, such as hearing my daughter’s Sunday school teacher remark on the progress she has made since first coming to her class or discovering that my son answered two Bible memory questions faster than the older kids in his class. These little moments of joy are the happy rays of sunshine in my day. Knowing my children are finally “getting it” means so much to me as a mother.

With that in mind, I wonder what the opposite type of comment does to us as mothers? Are we quicker to complain and criticize what another child did or said than we are to compliment and congratulate him to his parents? Do we make a conscious effort to encourage a frazzled mom who may be at the end of her fast-fraying rope? Maybe we think, “That mom looks like she has it all together. She doesn’t need any encouraging words from me since I’m over here struggling.” Do we think we are helping by pointing out her child’s flaws to “keep her humble” so she will not think she is any better than we are? May that thought never cross our minds! We ought to be quicker to compliment than we are to complain. We ought to have a kind word that helps rather than a cross word that hurts. If we see a child walking in truth, why not tell his parents about it?

Recently, my nana passed away. My own pain from loss was magnified at seeing how my daughter, who had loved playing piano duets with “Great Nana,” was hurting. A teenage girl at church saw my daughter’s grief and took the time to write her a little note of encouragement telling her in part that, “God does things we might not understand, but it’s all a part of His plan for you.” Reading that note, my heart nearly burst with joy. Even now, it brings me to tears just thinking of that sweet note. I would want to know if my daughter had done something that thoughtful for someone else. I made it a point to tell the young lady’s mother about how her daughter was so kind to my girl at such a difficult time.

As I was working alongside a college-aged lady in the ministry this past week, I was amazed at how spending time working with her made the normally time-consuming task seem to fly by! After being around her sweet spirit and can-do attitude, I was sad when the task came to an end. We went to grab coffee afterward, and I sent a quick text to her mom to share that working with her daughter was an absolute pleasure; it had been a joy to serve the Lord with her.

By reaching out to those mothers, I hope they were given some of that greater joy to know that their …children walk in truth. Have you seen someone’s child walking in truth? Your kind words may be exactly what his parent needs to hear today. Do not hold back on spreading that …greater joy…

by Beth Payton

For the most part, I am not really a fan of onions. Their smell can be pungent, and the taste can certainly bite. Yet, I love cooking with them. Once the onion begins to be caramelized by heat, it transforms into something sweet and savory, adding a deep richness to whatever dish it touches. For similar reasons, I will never turn down a good, crisp onion ring. Let us be honest, almost anything deep-fried is delicious!

As I thought about how my opinion of onions changes depending on how they are prepared, it struck me that onions can teach us something about how God views us. We, too, have many layers, much like that onion. Onions come in all shapes and colors: round or oblong; thick or thin; yellow, white, or purple.

I remember once selecting a thick, beautiful onion to slice into a stew. My mouth was already watering, imagining how flavorful the broth would become. However, when I peeled back the outer layers and cut into the onion, I found nothing but rot. The outside looked perfect, but the core had already begun to decay, with the corruption working its way outward.

We see a similar instance in Scripture when Samuel was looking to anoint the next king. Samuel looked at Eliab and thought he was the perfect choice, but God told him, …Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. (I Samuel 16:7)

Friends, true beauty must begin on the inside. Oh, that we would devote as much—if not more—care to nurturing our hearts and spiritual lives as we do to tending our outward appearances. I echo David in asking God to Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

May we remember that, while others may see only our “outer layers,” the Lord sees straight to the core of who we are. Just as that onion looked perfect until the layers were peeled back, our own lives can appear polished while our hearts tell a different story. God calls us to tend the inward man with diligence, inviting Him to search us, cleanse us, and shape us into vessels that honor Him. Proverbs 4:23 reminds us, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. When our hearts are right before God, the beauty that flows outward will be genuine, lasting, and pleasing in His sight.

by Melissa Caperton

One morning recently, I was having a little conversation with God before I got out of bed. Honestly, I was complaining a little bit. One of my sons had been sick for a week, and I was just worn out from caring for him, along with all of my other responsibilities. I told God, “I can’t do it today. I’m exhausted, and I just don’t think I can get up to do all the things I need to do today.”

Then, God reminded me that I was exactly right in my assessment. I could not do it. The verse came to mind in John 15 that ends in, …for without me, ye can do nothing. God reminded me that I could not do it in my strength. He then reminded me of another verse, Luke 1:37, For with God nothing shall be impossible.

So many times, we try to live our lives without God. We may read our Bible and pray, but we fail to depend on Him for our strength. We acknowledge God, but then we go about our day, trying to accomplish everything in our own strength. This is exactly what the devil wants us to do. He does not have to get us to go the bar or even make us skip church; he merely has to bring us to a place of self-sufficiency to make us unproductive for God.

One of the assistant pastors’ wives at my church made a statement during a devotion that was shared with her by our former pastor’s wife many years earlier: “Don’t just read the Bible; need the Bible!” We should start every day with the acknowledgement that we cannot do it. Only God can do it through us. He is the Vine, and we are the branches. Without His life-giving power, we are powerless. We are powerless to make a difference in the lives of those around us. We cannot be the influence He would have us to be. When we get plugged into His power, however, there is nothing we cannot do!

The tasks of life may seem impossible, but we serve the God of the impossible! He is just waiting for us to realize one thing: “I can’t do it, but God can!”

By Vicki Voorhis

Proverbs 31:26 – She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness

In this passage, the Bible describes the Virtuous Woman. She chooses wise words as she speaks. Her words are not only kind but also the exact law of what is kind.

Ephesians 4:29 – Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

That word corrupt is a strong word. It means rotten; depraved; venal; bad; putrid.

          Edifying means improving; teaching; enlightening.

We must consider these questions:

• Are our communications – our words – spoken to our family, friends, co-workers, and those we encounter in our day-to-day lives considered to be corrupt?
• What would others say about us when they hear how we speak to others?
• Are the words we say considered encouraging, sweet, uplifting, Christ-honoring, helping to improve, and display the example of a Christian lady?
• Would others say that our words are critical, never serious, unkind, negative, and using humor to be cruel to others?

I come from a long line of sarcastic people. I love to laugh, have fun, and tease my friends. Unfortunately, I have found myself needing to apologize for crossing that narrow bridge from “funny” into “unkind.” I have also been on the receiving end of jokes that hurt more than I may have shown to others. I have even had to console my daughter, who has a super-soft heart, when friends have unknowingly (and maybe knowingly, as teenagers can be) crushed her with words. I have said this and have found myself having to abide by my own words: Being cruel is never funny or appropriate.

We must keep in mind that just as the Virtuous Woman had the reputation of sweet words, we should strive for the same! We must choose words that epitomize encouragement, gracefulness, kindness, and sweetness. We should use godly discretion to avoid speaking words of hurt, insensitiveness, tactlessness, or inappropriateness.

Let us go out of our way to encourage those around us. Let us take an interest in others and their needs. Dr. Jack Hyles did a daily radio broadcast that he ended with the statement, “Be kind to everybody because everybody is having a tough time.” Let us show the world that in our tongues is the law of kindness!

by Tracie S. Burns

Happy Monday. What is your seat assignment in life today? As long as we are still in this life, we are on God’s flight path and are ever learning.

Could this be a time of “smooth sailing” when life is good? Wonderful! It will be easy to coast along or perhaps become lazy. For some, this may be a rough journey. Turbulent times are here and cannot be avoided. Some might be trying to get out of their seats or abandon their flight path.

This reminds me of one of my favorite sermons that my husband preached titled, “May I Change Seats, Please?” In this sermon, Dr. Hyles told of how he was seated in an uncomfortable situation on a long airplane flight. He summoned the flight attendant to ask for a change of seats. She could not and would not accommodate the change because the plane was full. She instructed him to stay in his seat and make the best of it. By the way, this sermon will make the listener laugh and learn.

Some may be asking today, “May I change seats, Lord?” There may be discomfort, fear, weakness, uncertainty, or pain, and they want out of it. However, God is our wise Pilot Who says, “Stay where you are. The only way out is through. I see your situation from a different perspective, and you need to trust Me.”

When these testing times come, we see how weak we are and turn back to the One Who said in Isaiah 43:2, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;… We may not always be as comfortable as we might like to be, but that will not prevent us from reaching our destination. Trust the Pilot! Stay the course! We will make it through!

by Beverly Hyles

From the Mondays with Beverly blog. Reprinted with permission.

Have you ever been in a place in your life in which you wondered, “Does Jesus care?” Perhaps you have experienced a tragedy, gone through a trial, or experienced any other number of circumstances that have caused you to doubt whether Jesus actually cares for you. I have been there myself. I have had times in my life when I have wondered why it seemed that everything around me was falling apart. I have experienced moments when I have cried out to the Lord while wondering if He even cared.

As we get ready to take our oldest child to college, things in our home and family are rapidly changing. I find myself overwhelmed with a plethora of emotions. I have felt a sense of depression taking control. I am thrilled that our daughter is going to college and that she is in God’s will for her life, but that does not take away the sense of loss I feel knowing I will not see her face or hear her voice every day. With my daughter going away to college, we have some different circumstances in our home that need to be addressed. There are things that she used to do in our home and for our family that she obviously will no longer be able to do. This is in addition to the extra finances that are needed.

To put it simply, I am feeling quite overwhelmed right now. I wrote previously about how I changed my perception and how I am excited to see how the Lord is going to provide for these new circumstances. However, I would be lying if I said that some of my worry is not returning as the deadline draws nearer.

The devil has started whispering in my ear, “Does Jesus care? What makes you so special that He would take note of you? He has bigger, more important things to care for.” The Devil is a master of creating doubt, worry, and fear. The Bible says in II Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. In order to overcome the whispers of the Devil, I need to draw closer to the Lord. I need to drown out the voice of the Devil with the voice of God.

As I sat in church yesterday, my friend sang the song “Does Jesus Care?” Tears filled my eyes as I remembered that He does, in fact, care! Then, last night before church started, His care for me was made tangible. A former Sunday school student of mine from many years ago approached me and handed me a Reese’s peanut butter cup. She said that she was standing in line at the store, saw it, and thought of me. She remembered that it was my favorite candy, then she bought it and gave it to me before church. I absolutely love Reese’s cups, but it was not the candy that touched my heart. When she gave me that Reese’s cup, I cried because I was reminded that Jesus cares. I knew that the Lord spoke to her and that He was sending me a tangible reminder that, yes, He cares!

The next time you are confronted with the Devil’s whispers as he tries to convince you that Jesus does not care, just look around. I would bet that God has sent or is sending you a reminder that He cares. Perhaps it will come through a sermon, a song, a note, a kind gesture, or some other way to let you know that, yes, He cares!

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. – I Peter 5:7 

by Crystal Collingsworth

I think the sunrise is better than a sunset. Now, some may say this is a controversial statement. However, I am a “sunrise person”—a morning person who is well-caffeinated. Most people gush over the beauty of a sunset, and I must agree that sunsets can be pretty. For me, though, there is just something about the sunrise—the breaking of the dawn, the first streaks of light that pierce the darkness and scatter light across the horizon.

Several years ago, I used to work for the Jacksonville Zoo. (Now, as a mother, I feel like I still work at the zoo when chasing around my two little crazies, but that is beside the point!) After the initial shock people experience when they find out that I worked for the zoo, the first question people ask is, “What was your favorite part of working at the zoo?” My quick response without fail is always the morning walk toward the sunrise.

I would arrive at the zoo around 5:30 a.m.—long before my shift was scheduled to begin—and begin walking the zoo grounds. I would hear the high-pitched cries of the birds in their aviary, the calls of the peacocks that freely roamed the meandering zoo pathways, the skittering of our smaller creatures awaiting their feedings, and the duets of the Siamangs as they called out, letting each other know they made it through the night. I loved listening to the zoo as it stirred and came to life while I walked. As I reached the end of the trail, just before the bend in the pathway toward our Asia loop, I usually had timed it well enough that I could watch the sunrise at the Trout River.

That sunrise was my favorite. Working at the zoo, I fed giraffes, rhinos, and okapis. I went behind the scenes in the reptile houses, elephant barns, and aviaries. I gave zoo tours and introduced our smaller animal ambassadors to dozens of children daily. I enjoyed all of that, but that early morning spent walking toward the sunrise? That was my favorite part of my “zoo days.” I imagine that morning zoo walk to be a bit like what will happen when the Christian enters Heaven someday.

John 8:12 says, Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. When I consider how Jesus is the ultimate Light, I imagine that celestial homecoming for the believer. When we enter into Heaven, the patriarchs, the prophets, the disciples, the discarded, the baby Christians, and the veterans of the faith all will start to stir at our presence. There will be no talk of our failures and shortcomings because those were covered by the same Blood that covered all sins. There will be smiling and cheering for us—one more child of God that has finally come home. We will continue down that pathway with our face toward the Son. A few more steps, and then I imagine the Son will rise. He will run to us and embrace us. That Sonrise will be the best sunrise of all. I look forward to it. I long for it and am ready for it.

Are you ready, too? Just remember, if the shadows of life are long and dark today, turn your face toward the Son and walk in His Light.

We are not walking this life toward our sunset years. We are walking toward the eternal Sonrise. He cannot wait for us to come home, where He is the Light, and in Him is no darkness. There are many beautiful sunsets out there, but as for me, I will take the Sonrise over them all.

by Beth Payton

As a fairly new Christian in my early 20s, I started asking the Lord if it would be possible for my parents to move closer to us. This would allow me to spend more time with them and allow them to spend more time with our children. My prayer went something like this: “Lord, if it be Your will, please let my parents move closer and possibly start attending our church.”

A few years passed as I continued to pray this prayer. During that span of time, my parents had moved twenty-five minutes from us. I asked myself, “Could the Lord be continuing to answer my prayer?” I was overwhelmingly thankful that we all lived closer to each other. However, God had bigger plans that I could not see yet.

I was still working a part-time job at that time and had decided that it was more cost efficient to quit working and to stay home instead. A couple months after quitting my job to stay home with my children, my mother was diagnosed with stage III cancer. My dad was still working a full-time job; therefore, I knew it was my turn to help care for my mother. During those two and a half years of taking care of my mother, there would have been no possible way for me to work a full-time job and be there for Mom in her last days.

After Mom passed away, there was a very large void in my heart and in my life. I did not understand all that God was trying to do, but I knew He was working in my life. I remember asking God to answer my past prayer. I continued praying, “Lord, if it be Your will, let my dad come to our church.” My dad soon began attending our church and, shortly after that, became a member. I may have cried a little the day he joined. God had answered my prayer!

I knew that God had answered my prayer and that He had done more for me than I had asked, but He was not finished. If God would have just stopped there, that would have been amazing and would have been enough for me. As I grieved over losing Mom and Dad grieved over losing his spouse, God brought someone into our lives who would help both of us. God allowed my dad to remarry a special lady who not only loves my dad but also loves my children and our whole family. She is someone who has been able to help and to comfort me, and God has used her to fill a void in my heart. God has answered my prayers and has exceeded my expectations. When I first prayed that prayer so many years ago, I did not know all the things that would take place. God would answer my prayer, but He would do it in His way and in His time.

The Bible says in Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Sometimes when we ask God for things, He answers our prayers right away in the way we want them to be answered. Sometimes God allows us to go through trials, grief, heartache, tough situations, tears, pain, and years of praying before He answers our prayers.

When I quit my job to spend time with my children and my parents, I did not realize that I had quit to be able to take care of my sick mother. God meant it for good. When I asked God to move my parents closer so we could spend more time together, I did not realize that I would be driving to and from appointments while my mom was going through cancer treatments. God meant it for good. When I prayed, “If it be Your will, let my parents possibly start attending our church,” I did not know that only my dad would join and that my mom would be in Heaven. God meant it for good. During the grief, heartache, and times when I needed God’s comfort, God still came through and answered my prayer. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:… God even brought someone in my life to help comfort me, to fill that void, and to be a “mother” to me. He makes everything beautiful in His time.

When there is something we just do not understand, we can take hope in God’s Word. He makes all things good and beautiful in His time. When God answers our prayers, it will be good and beautiful because it will be His perfect will.

by Mandy Harper