Praise God, Now & Always.

Today I was reading in James Chapter 5 about the Power of Prayer..

"Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops."

-James 5:13-18 (NLT)

As long as I continue to pray, fervently, then the results will be marvelous! God answers all prayers, big or small! I cannot believe how much of my life I wasted relying on my own strength. When all I had to do was ask The Lord for it! It's hard when you don't get the answer you were seeking. God's plan is always greater than our own. But sometimes our eyes are fixed on the here and now, rather than looking at The Big Picture. 

This past weekend I met a wonderful woman named Sarah, and she had a perspective that I couldn't help but take notice! When I told her about what we offered for her, things that we had done getting her set up, after EVERY THING she said two little words.... "Praise God!"  She didn't just say this once or twice, but she said this at least seven or eight times, every time we spoke! (Which was very often). I love to Praise God just as much as the next person.. But this was impressive! She had such a sincerity about this as well, you knew that it came from the heart! Her joy in thankfulness was infectious!

I think there is something we can all take away from the story of Sarah; her mindset. We should be Praising God consistantly! Our love for Him, and the joy we find, should all come from Him. Shouldn't we thank Him more often? I know that I should. It's so easy when something good happens to get excited, then quickly dismiss our joy and completely forget to thank the maker of joy. 

In just 22 days I will be back in Michigan. The thought is bittersweet! I am so blessed to be supported with 70% of my goal, $2,415 a month. God has been so good! I have been so blessed to have a few jobs set up for when I return to Michigan. They are for families that I am close with and understand that I needed something short term to help me out while I was in Michigan, WHAT A BLESSING!

Praise God.. I'll say it again.. PRAISE GOD! I pray that I will never forget to say a thank you to God for creating Joy.