~~~

Day’s Verse:

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

1 John 5:14

~~~

Picture: Port Townsend apparently has a problem with deer wandering through people’s yards and eating their gardens. This deer was actually laying in the beauty bark in our house’s back yard (driving Carmel wild), and I couldn’t resist a picture. Click the picture for a few more I took on that trip.

About the Verse: We know that He hears us if we ask according to His will, but how do we know what that will is? He answers our prayers, and sometimes says yes, but how do we know we’re talking to Him about the right things? Naturally prayer isn’t all about asking for stuff; nobody would exclusively ask for gifts from their friends, but instead work on cultivating a true friendship. It’s easy to slip into the whole “God is the big Santa in the sky” idea in which we only call on Him when we’re in “need”—or what feels like need. And the Bible says that when we ask for something according to his will our prayers will be answered… But it never says “your prayers will always be answered ‘yes’,” or “you will get your heart’s desire by praying to God.” Sometimes, though, it is difficult to tell the difference between God saying no and silence…

My apprehension continues to mount as Monday draws nearer. On the 13th we start house-sitting for Jan Garner, so fewer updates will come (you’ll really notice Ian’s posting rate dropping off). But that’s not so big of a deal—what’s watering a few plants and not making a mess while living away from our families compared to starting both math summer school at BCS *and* my “job” helping for a week at NWABR? They both begin Monday, and I’m very nervous about them: what if I don’t even remember algebra? What if I miss my bus into Seattle? What if I don’t have anything to do at NWABR? What if I make horrible mistakes and they hate me? What if it’s just horribly awkward while I’m there, if I don’t have enough to do or I don’t get what they want me to do or—or—a thousand other things in which I feel totally inadequate. The first week is the worst they say, but I only have one week: I suffer for nothing! I hate feeling nervous and stupid, incompetent and useless. I wish…

God is good. Everything happens for a reason, according to His divine plan. But that doesn’t alleviate the two-ton butterflies in my stomach.

– KF –