God reads the petitions of the Heart

I am usually pretty good at taking pills... but this vitamin was on a mission! It tried to choke me! ack! (I am ok now - conquored the vitamin!)

The question of the day:
Does God acknowledge the petition of my heart whether it is spoken or unspoken?

The answer to that question is answered in 2Kings 4... There is a nameless woman in the Old Testament that is only known as "a notable woman" (2 Kings 4:8). Thoughts of personal desire did not distract this woman; rather, she wa a woman of deep spiritual contentment. She also possessed the gift of hospitality. Her thoughts were on the prophet Elisha and his need for a comfortable place to rest as he frequently traveled by on the road near her house. With her husband's permission she built a special guest room onto their house just for Elisha. The prophet was so grateful that he wanted to repay the woman's kindness. He offered to present her to the king, but she wasn't interested in social status. It was tclear that the Sunammite woman was perfectly content with caring for her husband and servign the prophet.
But Elisha was determined to repay her kindness and hospitality. He consulted with his servant Gehazi: "'What then is to be done for her' And Gehazi answered, 'Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old'" (2 Kings 4:14).
This woman bore the mark of barrenness. She endured social disgrace in her community. But she never complained or attempted to use her relationship withthe prophet Elisha to help her fulfill the void in her life. Instead of focusing on what she needed from God, she focused on how to faithfully serve the Lord. Throu Elisha, the Lord answered this woman's secret petition. One year after she added a new room onto her house fo the prophet, she joyfully made room for her new son.
What lesson can I learn from the 'notable woman'? No matter how desperate my need, I can't allow delays or the passage of time to make me think that God does not acknowledge the desires of my heart. It is when life seems barren and unfulfilling that God teaches me to let go of feelings that create stress and anxiety. Finally, I need to learn to rest in him: "rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7)
Delays, confusion, and rejection are exercise equipment that God uses to build my faith. "And not ony that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverence; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Romans 5:3-4).

Papa you know what my future holds... you are the beginning and the end... you saw my yesterdays, you see my today, and you hold all of my tomorrows... help me to be like the notable woman whose 'work' in life was building your kingdom... sometimes I tend to think that building your kingdom means being a preacher or a missionary or something grandioso... but I want to be like the notable woman... who built your kingdom where she was, with what you gave her... sometimes all it takes is just letting people know they are loved... afterall, isn't that what you do for me? sigh... I never get tired thinking about how much you love me... and find it amazing that you don't either... I sure can be a pest... smiles - let's just sit a while...