Yes ~ God hears our Prayers

We have such a blessed assurance from the Scriptures 

that God hears and answers our prayers in His time.

We can have the confidence in knowing that as we turn 
to the One who gladly listens to us as we pour our hopes 
and fears our joys and concerns out in prayer,
those precious moments will bring us very near to the heart of God.

As I was reading John's birth announced to Zacharias

in the book of Luke chapter 1 certain words leaped off the page;
not that I had never read those words before, as I most certainly had,
but they spoke differently as God's Word does each time we read it;
Because it is the Living Word of God.

"But the angel said to him [Zacharias] 

"Do not be afraid Zacharias, for

Your prayer is heard;

and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,

and you shall call his name John."

Chapters 1-3 are so exciting because they speak of

John's birth, Christ's birth announcement, Mary's visit to Elizabeth 

and the song of Mary.

But...it was those words "your prayer is heard"

that spoke so strongly to my heart this particular day.

The angel Gabriel, stood in the presence of God,

and was sent to bring Zacharias good tidings. WOW!

"But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself  him who is godly;

The Lord will hear when I call to Him."
~ Psalm 4:3 ~
Psalm 4 speaks of why we should pray ~
In God's infinite love and wisdom, God always knows
what to give us in answer to our prayers.
I think we can all attest to the fact that our prayers
do not always change our situation,
but they should always change us.
As we bring our anxieties to our all-wise, all-loving,
and all-sovereign God, we can be assured,
He is enough!
♡
Four years ago when my dad was undergoing triple bypass surgery 
I called upon many of you for prayer,
and you were faithful.
I knew that you were faithful in your prayers, because I could sense 
the presence of God in that time of great burden.
There was a peace that was unexplainable, 
a peace that passed all understanding for what was taking place.
One evening during those last days when dad would be with us
mom and I were ready to rest our weary heads upon our pillows 
when mom said to me ~
"Debbie, I'm exhausted... yet I do not believe I will be able to sleep"
Mom was worried...it wasn't looking good for dad.
I too was exhausted...
But ~
I knew that I could lay my weary head down and sleep peacefully
because you see, there had been people from all around the globe
praying for our situation throughout the day.
Now it was evening for us, but not for those across the world,
 we had prayer warriors who would be holding us up in prayer 
while we slept, because for them, it was daytime.
What an incredible peace that was to my soul!
We had prayer warriors around the clock,
it doesn't get any better than that!
I reassured mom with that very thought,
and she slept like a baby in the arms of a Loving Heavenly Father,
while our many prayer warriors covered her in prayer.
Did our situation change?
No, God took my dad to his heavenly home.
But ~
I know that I changed.
God hears our prayers and answers our prayers
in His time and according to His will.
How we would have loved for God to heal dad,
but that was not His will.

"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you.
And you will seek Me and find Me,
when you search for Me with all your heart."
~ Jeremiah 29:12 & 13 ~
The Lord would restore His people when they turned back to Him
and sought Him with all their hearts.
When we earnestly seek God anywhere and everywhere 
with our whole hearts, He will meet us at every crossroads 
of our lives, and through pain and victory 
with each step we take with Him, we will come to know
our God who hears and answers our prayers
in a very real and personal way.

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire,
and it shall be done for you.
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit,
so you will be My disciples."
~ John 15: 7 & 8 ~
In our relationship with God, His words abide in us
and our branches abide in Him.
A natural outgrowth of that abiding relationship is prayer.
Chapter 15 goes on to say that Jesus wants 
the Christians joy to be full.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer
and supplication, with thanksgiving,
let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which passes all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
~ Philippians 4: 6 & 7 ~
When we take our anxieties to God in prayer,
we discover the peace of God.
We are also promised something better: the God of peace Himself,
His protection, presence, comfort, and encouragement.
God seeks our prayers.

"Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus
from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 
make you complete in every good work to do His will,
working in you what is well pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever."
Amen.

To God be the Glory!
Debbie


My photos were the last days of our spectacular colors
before the blanket of snow covered their glory

I Will Sing and Give Praise ~

"O God, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Awake, lute and harp!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples,

And I will sing praises to You among the nation's.

For Your mercy is great above the heavens, 

And Your truth reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, 

And Your glory above all the earth."

~ Psalm 108 1-5 ~

O Lord, You are so worthy of our praise!

❤

Glory to God in the Highest!

Debbie

Sincerely from your heart ~ Rejoice

  Sincerely, from your heart rejoice in the Lord

and forget not His benefits throughout the year.

Our God is a Great God and deserves our heartfelt 

praise for all He does for us.

~ ~ ♡ ♡ ♡ ~ ~ ♡ ♡ ♡ ~ ~

"Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice 
of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips,
giving thanks to His name."
~ Hebrews 13:15 ~

 In the Old Testament ~ Hosea 14:2 speaks of God's people 
offering Him "the sacrifices of [their] lips" 
in contrast to the animal sacrifices under the Old Covenant system.
As Christians we now offer sacrifices of praise and worship to God.
Whatever season awaits you outdoors where our loving God
has placed you ~ be it a gorgeous autumn afternoon ~ a day blanketed 
in beautiful white snow ~ a bright spring day ~ or a hot summer afternoon ~
everyday is a day of Thanksgiving.
Because those of us who love God, it is! 

"I will praise You, O Lord, among the peoples.
And I will sing praises to You among the nation's."
~ Psalm 108:3 ~

"But I will sacrifice to You
With the voice of Thanksgiving 
I will pay what I have vowed
Salvation is of the Lord."
~ Jonah 2:9 ~

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ~

"For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the humble with salvation.
Let the saints be joyful in glory;
Let them sing aloud on their beds.
Let the high praises of God be in their mouth."
~ Psalm 149 4-8 ~

Heavenly Father, 
Give us a heart to rejoice always, pray continually 
and give thanks daily for Your goodness to us.
Amen and Amen.

Joy!
Debbie

The photos were taken last week when we received 7 1/2 inches of snow
 I have so enjoying my new camera
 capturing some of God's beauty close to home.
Friends, have a most glorious day and be blessed!

Around the Home ~

A cheery HELLO precious friends!

Thank you for taking time out of your own busy day for a visit.

I appreciate each and every one of you

and I always enjoy hearing from you.

~ ~ ☆ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ☆ ~ ~

While we are enjoying the Fall season, which comes and goes so quickly,

winter will soon be knocking at our door here in the mountains 

and this is the time we finish off splitting and stacking 

our winter's supply of firewood.

We usually have 5 to 6 cords to see us through the winter and early Spring.

While we do have electric heating, the wood burner is our preference 

of heating for our home, it's warm and cozy.

Here's our stacked pile, nearly there, phew!
You can't really tell by this photo,
but there are four rows and more to come.

We stock the front deck making it easier to get on those blustery winter days.

That glow on the glass front door is from an Aspen tree in the yard,

isn't that spectacular?!

Our colors this year have been amazing, they really have been.
This is our humble home, much larger than it looks from the outside.
This home was built in the early 1900's, same structure with some remodeling.
We have been blessed abundantly!

This cute little guy is my backyard buddy,
he likes to sit on the brick ledge right beside me
when I am outside enjoying the sunshine.
He too, is getting ready for the winter
by hauling his pine cones to his home.
He, as well as others are quite busy right now
knocking the pine cones from the pine trees
and then hauling them off. These critters are in no way slothful.

 During these months there's something wonderful about pumpkin,

pumpkin anything as far as I'm concerned.

I could eat pumpkin right out of the can,
of course the real deal beats all. 
Why is it that pumpkin with spices tastes so much better this time of the year?

Pumpkin pie...yes please...and thank you!

My grandmother (dads mom) made the very best pumpkin pie.

Sure do miss her...

Lazy days here at home for my sweet Donatella,
come to think of it... 🤔 this is about what her days usually consist of
when we are not out for our daily walks.
Now don't you mind her tummy...its just the way she's laying.😉

Isn't she just precious?

I love that girl S-O-O-O-O much!

As much as I hate it, the motor home has to be winterized

and put away this time of the year.☹

We had a wonderful time in the Spring when we went to Canada,

and enjoyed my husband's side of the family.

We all parked our RVs together on my sister-in-laws beautiful property 

while we went through the things from my husband's parents estate.

It's hard to believe that this month marks one year since

my father-in-law went on to glory.

Donatella is doing her part while we winterize the motor home.🐾

I wanted to share some gorgeous flowers with you,
 flowers that always look their best in the Fall.
Wished I could say they were in my flower garden, but they are not.
Look at them just showing off their vibrant color!
It's funny, if my flowers get the frost in the Spring they never make it,
but for some reason the frost when it comes in the Fall
causes my flowers to flourish.
Sadly, they have to be pulled up and cut back 
in order to get the beds ready for winter;
Although, I do hold off as long as I possibly can as
it's a sad day when I have to put all the patio furniture away
and dig up those flowers that have given us such joy over the last few months.

Speaking of pulling up, my husband's little garden is finished.

He enjoys his little garden of potatoes and carrots.
The carrots are strictly for our rabbit Binx.
His potatoes didn't do well this year, he's thinking
it was due to the cold and snow we were getting late into Spring,
though he did reap nearly 30 pounds of potatoes.
Having a garden at our altitude isn't that good, but it's fun for him.

Awe...Cherry Delight.
Donatella and I took her out a number of times this Summer
and had some beautiful drives together.
I feel as though my dad is riding alongside of me 
and telling me stories of how Cherry Delight came to be his.
Dad had a great personality and easy to talk with,
there were no strangers in his life.
 Dad was a good man and an awesome father!
You can read all about Cherry Delight here.

After returning  home from Arizona I dug into the house
and did a major deep clean! 
I enjoy giving our home a good deep clean
both in the Spring and in the Fall.
Looks great! Smells great! Feels great!
While I'm on the subject of cleaning ~ I was pulling a book off
of the book shelf the other day when I came across a vintage magazine dated 1987
"Household Hints Almanac"
"The world's most useful guide to solving everyday problems"
It's been years since I had this little helpful magazine out.
I was reading it and you know, there's some great tips.
"Serve fluffier mashed potatoes by adding a half teaspoon
of baking powder to them as you whip them"
♡
"A stick of spearmint gum placed in your flour canister 
will keep the weevils away"
♡
"A drop of oil of wintergreen in the refrigerator 
will keep food odors from mixing"
♡
"Rub molasses over grass stains, wash as usual,
then allow to dry in the direct sun"
♡
Left over tea - the stronger the better - makes an excellent final rinse 
for brunettes. It adds shimmering highlights 
and removes soapy film, leaving hair shining"
These are just a few of the hints.
Has anyone ever heard of these helpful hints before?

~ ~ ☆ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ☆ ~ ~

So many things to do on a daily basis with a "To Do" list
that is never ending, but God wants us to trust
our tomorrows to Him. He wants us to rest in Him,
knowing He is in charge and holds each day
safely in His loving hands.
Having a "To Do" list is fine if we seek God's leading 
when we make those plans and hand them over to Him
at the start of each new day.
God has each day covered according to His perfect will.
"Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not 
what a day may bring forth."
~ Proverbs 27:1 ~

~ ~ ☆ ~ ☆ ♡ ♡ ☆ ~ ☆ ~ ~

Mom was going through some of her things and was letting go
of a Life Principal Study Book by Charles Stanley
and I latched on to it!
"Developing a Servant's Heart"
~ Give of yourself and receive from God ~
This is going to be my next personal Bible study 
that I'm planning on starting soon.
I love to look into God's Word and find what He has for me.
Lord...
Let me wake each morning with a deep hunger for Your Word.
Woo me to Your side, and teach me your Word.
Fill my mind heart, and soul with Your marvelous Truth.
That is my prayer. ❤


Joy!
Debbie