"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." --Matthew 6:6
There was a time when I thought I could not turn to God. I became pregnant after a weekend with a friend, I thought this disqualified me from God's love and help. But my fear got the better of me, and I had nowhere else to turn. I've written about other aspects of this time in my life before, but what I want to focus on today is how God responded when I confessed my situation to Him and asked for help.
One of the things I was most concerned with in my initial fear was how this pregnancy would be received by those who knew me, and by those who didn't. Would I be judged? Would the baby be judged, perhaps be considered less of a person because of my marital status?
So when in answer to my prayers for help I only felt God's great love, I gained the courage to bring up this question. What could I do to protect my baby from being hurt by my mistake?
And God's response was, "You made a mistake then, but you're not making one now."
I had decided to keep the baby, you see. In my heart of hearts, I felt this was the only option. I wanted my child from the moment I knew about the pregnancy.
And the passage above from Matthew came to mind. I think this was the first time I really had prayed to God in secret. I had told no one about the pregnancy yet, not even the father. I had thrown myself into God's care first, and He was strengthening me.
From this prayer, I got this clear comforting message that God could see into my heart. He knew how I really felt about this baby, and He knew my deep desire to do right. He knew the sincerity of my internal promise to stop the self-destructive behavior that had gotten me into this situation, and He accepted that as enough.
I felt the truth of the words, "Thy Father who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
To me, this meant that everything would be okay. I'd be able to support us, I'd be able to handle whatever came my way from friends and family, and I'd be able to make the changes I needed to give my child a stable, happy home. There would be open acknowledgement of my secret connection to God.
This is over 14 years ago now, and it's all come true. The self-destructive behavior dropped away, I don't even miss it. I couldn't now ask for a better life; each day brings new occasions for gratitude.
All because of that simple spiritual law that Jesus shared with us so long ago.
Laura Matthews is a spiritual healer in the US Northeast. Visit her Website at: http://www.lbmatthews.com
housekeepers near Buffalo Grove ..When God first unveils a business or ministry vision that... Read More
Being a Christian does not exempt us from having to... Read More
Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United... Read More
When the storms in your life are raging, just believe,... Read More
Being"You have taken yourself to be something that you are... Read More
It doesn't matter what magazine or newspaper you pick up... Read More
As more and more alternative and spiritual healings are being... Read More
There is light at the end of the tunnel, but... Read More
Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 (NIV) We... Read More
What really binds us to any negative emotional state in... Read More
A few men and women are universally successful but such... Read More
Do you think it's acceptable for people to make millions... Read More
An acrostic prayer poem.The Lord loves me and is gracious... Read More
What is a Christian? According to The American Heritage? Dictionary... Read More
"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisors... Read More
I know eyebrows are probably raising about now, but let... Read More
Since my departure from the traditional "Corporate Life" almost 8... Read More
In a recent article entitled "Our Virtual Reality Reality" I... Read More
Many consider anger a normal human emotion and continue to... Read More
Faith is the remarkable force that gives us the empowerment... Read More
Spirit - All Around Us, All of Us, Every One... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
Today I was in rather a whimsical mood, and so... Read More
An etheric body, also known as the aura, surrounds every... Read More
There's nothing new about "the new age" except the attitude... Read More
custom home cleaning Mundelein ..Attachment... Bondage... Moha... state as we may but the meaning... Read More
For we do not have a high priest who is... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
His name sounds as Finn. He has beautiful blue eyes... Read More
There is so much going on in the world around... Read More
Who is God? This question would sound awkward to 80%... Read More
The more we worry about money, and who's asking for... Read More
One cannot make a decision in the moment of now.... Read More
Last NAN I explained how to petition the female Saints... Read More
Among those arriving to the stadium early were two old... Read More
Some say praising Jesus is just singing. Others say it... Read More
Aristotle referred to happiness as the most we can achieve.... Read More
I honestly am not sure why this hit me so... Read More
Until recently, miracles were usually credited to a supernatural power.... Read More
Though closely akin and sometimes used synonymously, John Rawls distinguish... Read More
(Channelled)Roy, what a marvellous job you are doing on your... Read More
Five verses specify that we are to live by faith.... Read More
Many look outside of themselves for an experience of the... Read More
Last week I talked about the need to practice emotional... Read More
In Habakkuk, the prophet cries out in a lament complaint... Read More
Although spring is just around the corner, there have been... Read More
As soon as he saw me I saw him. It... Read More
When we find spirituality, or it finds us, the experience... Read More
An acrostic prayer poem.The Lord loves me and is gracious... Read More
Matthew 1:1-17The Genealogy of Jesus Christ1 The book of the... Read More
Spirituality |