Dear Lord; Happy Friday Father! Well Lord, it’s seemed like a terribly long week here for some reason. I’m very much looking forward to the respite of some down-time with my family and friends over the next couple of days, and to some Stillness for You and I to spend some “quality time” together as well.
To finish up the week Father, I’d like to share a couple of things that have been on my heart the last several days. To start with, I’ve had a song running through my head very consistently all week. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt tune written and performed by JJ Heller called “What Love Really Means” :
This is a powerful song Lord, with an amazing message of Hope and Faith that touches me each time I hear it. It’s always wonderful to hear Your Voice through music. 🙂
Secondly, as I mentioned before Father, I’ve felt very drained this week. Searching for encouragement and focus this morning, I came across a passage from Isaiah which spoke to me :
“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:28-31
Heavenly Father, You are our Hope, and our Strength. In Your Powerful Hands I lay my Trust, my Love and my Burdens. You are indeed a Wondrous God. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father. Well, the storm came and went Lord and while those North of us got hit quite a bit harder, we were spared the bulk of it’s magnitude. We got just enough snow to keep the kids home from school and for Shannon’s workplace to close for the day, but not too much for me to make it out to the office. Thank You so much for that balance!
As you know Father, I’ve had quite a bit on my mind and in my heart as of late so I thought today I’d use our time together to cover some of those thoughts in prayer.
Heavenly Father, several days ago a friend of some friends of mine and his family suffered a horrendous house fire and lost all their earthly possessions. While I don’t know them personally, several of my friends know him quite well and are working diligently to try and help them with getting the necessities his family requires. Please provide Your Comfort and Healing to this troubled family Lord, and Bless those working to help them get back on their feet.
As we’ve discussed quite a lot recently Lord, many of Your Children are living with heightened levels of financial and occupational uncertainly in their lives. Please send them Your Strength and Fortitude, and help them quiet the “noise” that fear and doubt places in their minds so that Your Voice can guide them down the proper path.
An old friend of my wife is fighting a battle with ALS, and has suffered one setback after another the last couple of months. This is a truly terrible disease Father, and has caused him and his family significant pain and turmoil. Please give them the Comfort and Peace that can only come from Your Presence Lord. Help him see Your Light, and know Your Love in this difficult time.
As always Father, thank You so much for being the guiding light in my life and for listening to my prayers. In Your Loving Hands I place all my hopes, dreams and burdens secure in the knowledge that Your Path is righteous and just. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father! Well Lord, based on the weather forecast it looks like we’re going to get hit with a good bit of snow over the next day or so. We’ve got sleet and rain now, to soon be followed by piles of the white stuff apparently.
I have mixed emotions about this kind of weather Lord. On one hand it’s a beautiful, cleansing white blanket laid over everything. It brings to mind thoughts of purity, and visually a fresh snowfall is one of my favorite sights to behold.
On the other side of the coin, snowstorms make traveling more dangerous, can cause people to sustain injuries and make it difficult for the business community to function. It’s not uncommon for power to be interrupted from weather-based damage, and those who are shut-in can easily become isolated from necessary services. For many, snowy weather brings on nothing but feelings of fear and frustration.
Recently, another blogger posted on her site after a snowfall that it reminded her of You. She said : “We come to Him dirty with all our messes and past mistakes and He washes us white as snow.“ I love this analogy, and plan to focus on that thought when it starts falling. Thank you for the perspective Lisa. 🙂
Heavenly Father, thank You for the Care and Spiritual Cleansing You bring to us each day. Please comfort those who are fearing the oncoming conditions, and let them feel the warmth of Your Protection. Help us all focus on the newness, and the beauty of this earthly blanket and not on the negatives that can cloud our vision. Amen.
Dear Lord; Good morning Father. Today Lord, I’d like to spend some time talking about discouragement. As You well know, I’ve been dealing with this particular feeling quite a bit recently and it can be an extremely overwhelming emotion if not kept in check. I’ve also received messages from many others struggling against similar demons, so I thought it was worth discussing today.
In my case, the bulk of my challenges with discouragement are centered around running a business in a radically depressed economy. While we’ve persevered through what I hope is the ugliest part, I was forced to make some very unhappy, but necessary decisions for the survivability of the company. On top of that, the road that always seemed reasonably obvious for me has been clouded by a wide variety of uncertainties, leading to deep feelings of doubt, fear and discouragement. I know that when the dust settles that we’ll be the better for our trials, but in the meantime not allowing Satan to use these moments of earthy weakness to attack my spirit can be a difficult task.
Of course, there are many other forms of discouragement as well. Each day I see and speak with people struggling with these feelings over problems with schoolwork, dieting, quitting substance addiction and a plethora of others. These situations lead to moments of emotional weakness which can truly leave us vulnerable and wanting, and keep us from hearing Your Voice clearly.
So Father, how do we combat these attacks on our spirits in times of turmoil? Looking to Your Book for guidance, I find quite a bit to focus and encourage me :
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9
“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” – 1 Peter 5:6-8
We were never promised an easy life on earth, but we’re fragile creatures Lord and it’s easy to forget that sometimes. You did promise us however that if we follow in You and honor You, that You will never leave our sides. What an amazing Gift! You’re there celebrating with us in our moments of joy, and You’re there to comfort us in our times of need… We simply need to quiet the “noise” in our minds, and open our hearts to Your Voice.
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Guiding Presence in our lives. Please help us filter out that emotional “noise” and focus our hearts on Your Will. Bring comfort and direction to all those struggling with feelings of discouragement and depression, and let them know the true worth they have being one of Your Children. Amen.
Dear Lord; Happy Monday Father! To start off with Lord, I want to thank You for yet another lovely weekend. It was a hectic couple of days, but we were able to be productive and yet still have some fun in the process. I went into Friday night still on a “God High” from the release You’d given me that morning, and it carried my spirit through much of the weekend. My heart felt cleansed, and it very much let me recharge my batteries for the challenges that lie ahead.
Along with the concept of a “fresh start”, I spent quite some time this weekend working on reinventing the phatherphil.org web site as well. It’s been quite a process in planning and implementing, but with Your Guidance (and a lot of help from Google) I’m quite happy with what we came up with. It’s obviously still a work in progress, but It feels like a good start. 🙂
Heavenly Father, I thank You for Your Presence and Guidance in my Life and for the Love You’ve shown myself and my family. We are indeed Blessed and renewed each day by Your Grace. Please let all those who yearn for meaning, for purpose and for understanding find Your Truth and be emboldened and encouraged. Lead us through this week in Courage and in Strength so that we can see past our earthly worries and focus on Honoring Your Glory. Amen.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day.
Hi, I’m Phil Malmstrom, a.k.a. Phather Phil. I’m self-employed, father of two wonderful young men, an ordained minister who delights in spreading Jesus’ Message of Hope and Love, a science-fiction junkie, an aspiring photographer and above all that one of God’s Children who rejoices in His Blessings each day. 
