by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks





There are days my heart weighs so heavy I wonder how my body can carry it around. I listen… and people share. They share their heartaches: a cheating husband, an impending divorce, an abused child, money issues… oh so many money problems. Health issues: cancer, surgery, allergies, flu, autoimmune system problems, depression, chronic pain. Interpersonal problems: meddling parents, non-listening children, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, alcohol addictions… the lists are endless. Oh my goodness, those are just the tip of the ice berg. I have not even touched on the world issues such as hunger, diseases, natural disasters, man-created disasters….

Have you ever been so overwhelmed you could not even pray? What is the use? The world just keeps going and gets worst by the day. What can my little prayer do? Why would God even listen to me? Is He a God who interacts with us or is He just the great chess player in the sky?

How do I reconcile all these questions, doubts and concerns in order that I can continue to function and have peace, even joy in life? I may not have answers and may have more questions than I have paper but I have peace. The peace comes from the Lord. It comes from trust. In God’s word it tells us that he who is faithful in little things will receive much.

"Well done, good and faithful servant!
You have been faithful wit
h a few things; I will put you in charge of many things."
Matt 25:21

I found it worked that way with my relationship with the Lord too. As I began to acknowledge how God was being faithful to me in little things, in spite of my sins, I began to trust Him. I was not an instant truster (I don’t think that is a word but it works for me). I saw God answer prayers before I was convinced that I needed Him or really wanted Him in my life. I knew He was there but was not convinced He cared about me.

"What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God's faithfulness? Not at all!"
Romans 3:3,4

One night I was at my sister’s house in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and we got a call that my dad was in the hospital in Arkansas with a gall stone. We decided that we would travel down there (an 18 hour drive) after he came home from the hospital to help my mom with him. I thought it would be best for us to head home the next day which would put us 6 hours closer. I remember that night clearly, it was beautifully peaceful with crisp air, a bright moon and lots of stars. I was out in my sister’s back yard (40 + acres) loading the van praying for my dad halfheartedly (because I doubted God really cared about gall stones nor was I convinced He was listening) when I felt something like a gentle hand on my shoulder. At the same moment I heard or felt a voice telling me I did not have to pray anymore, everything was alright because my dad had just died. Somehow this all was very comforting and reassuring. Strange isn’t it, being told your dad died but everything was alright and finding that comforting? But it was.

I walked into the house and told my sister we ought to call the hospital but did not tell her why. We called and it was confirmed my dad had just died moments before. This was such a strange event to me that I did not share it with anyone for years.

God was faithful to me even before I was faithful to Him. His comfort came before I asked for it. He is God, He does not need to prove Himself to me or anyone but He chooses to. Amazing, isn’t it? God chooses to reveal Himself personally to each of us.

"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son
and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
Luke 10:22

Have you seen Him do this? Have you felt His hand on you? If not, maybe you are not looking because each day, I see Him repeat His faithfulness in some way, shape or form to me. It could be in something as simple as the smell of a lilac, in the hug of my grandchild or the beauty of a butterfly.

The only times all those overwhelming burdens get to me is when I do not give them to Him. When it is all about me. Then I am “so weighed down” by it all that prayer seems useless. In reality, I am never “so weighed down” unless I choose to be. It is my choice. God has proven His faithfulness… it is I who need to accept the gifts He gives me… including the gift of peace – the peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The peace that He knows the end from the beginning and He is in control. God tells us to pray about everything and He will give us peace.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Phil 4:6,7

So I can give it all to Him in prayer and I pray because He tells me to… not because I feel like it but in obedience to Him. When I am obedient to Him, I am not weighed down. I find that joy. It infiltrates its way into my being... sometimes ever so subtlety, other times powerfully!

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Here are some selections from our awesome CAST Team members. Please check them out and give them some hearts!











Comments (17)

On May 30, 2010 at 11:18 PM , Art and Sew Forth said...

Phyllis...this is your best post yet (I think, anyway!) What an inspiration to pray and believe the Lord at all times, especially when you feel least like doing so. Thank you so much!

 
On May 30, 2010 at 11:26 PM , J Honda said...

Pfd - thank you, thank you ~♥
my heart and inside are warmed and filled when I read your posts and His words - thank you

 
On May 30, 2010 at 11:51 PM , Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
 
On May 31, 2010 at 7:44 AM , MYSAVIOR said...

This has truly touched my heart.

Thank You!

♥♥♥
Sue

 
On May 31, 2010 at 7:51 AM , sweetybird09 said...

Thank you for such a beautiful post, I will look more and feel more for the hand of God in my life...

Love Joyce

 
On May 31, 2010 at 11:10 AM , SoSaje said...

Phyllis,
Thank you for a beautiful message and reminder! God IS so good, even when I'm not looking for Him - He has never forgotten me. ♥
SoSaje

 
On May 31, 2010 at 11:35 AM , Burlap and Vine said...

Great message.Thankyou for the encouragement.
Man's plans fail but Gods will prevail.

Thankyou also for featuring my purple butterfly bag.

 
On May 31, 2010 at 11:56 AM , Alesha said...

Phyllis,

It has been a very difficult week for us. We lost a lady in our church suddenly, my sister-in-law's grandmother passed, my best friend is in the hospital dying and our co-pastor's wife was hospitalized for the third time this month due to complications from previous surgeries.

I have, indeed, felt very burdened, especially after days and nights of intense prayer.

Thank you for putting it into perspective. You are so right. If we are trusting Him, we can't feel the burden - it's on Him, not us!

Thank you for this post.
Alesha

 
On May 31, 2010 at 3:38 PM , Jan said...

Thank you for sharing your heart and your life. God is using you in mighty ways.
Continuing to follow the Shepherd, even though the path isn't always what we would choose.

 
On May 31, 2010 at 7:07 PM , Deb (Two Cheeky Monkeys) said...

Thank you once again for an encouraging read. :)

 
On June 1, 2010 at 4:21 AM , Julie Riisnaes said...

Some lovely shop choices and, yes we have such a loving God who meets our needs even when we are at the end of ourselves! Thank you for sharing

 
On June 1, 2010 at 8:16 AM , Angela's Heartwork said...

Thank you for sharing from your heart! What a beautiful post. Some times it is so difficult to pray but I have learned, even when my lips do not move, He hears what is on my heart. Praise God for HIS faithfulness!

Counting it all joy,
Angela
Angela's Heartwork

 
On June 1, 2010 at 1:14 PM , Sandi K said...

I haven't had much time to read the CAST blog lately. Stretched to my limits at work, my husband's grandmother just died, three teenagers in the house - I'm sure many can relate. I just lost my job this morning, and if I hadn't read the Phyllis' email telling me my painted heart was in this post I never would have read this message. God always has a way of making His Word known - just when it's needed.
Thanks for acting on His behalf, and for sharing my heart with everyone. I really needed to hear this today!

~Sandi
RockPrairieDesigns

 
On June 1, 2010 at 10:23 PM , Mulberry Lane Folk Art said...

Amen! He does give us the peace that passes understanding! I've found it so, many times!

 
On June 2, 2010 at 1:43 PM , FoxyMomma said...

Thank you so much for posting this! I really needed to hear this today. I'm feeling overwhelmed and feel like I have no one to turn to, so I started praying today, and God led me to this post.

 
On June 3, 2010 at 12:34 AM , HeArts Ministry said...

I love how you post so much truth from the Word and let that inspire your work! This blog inspires and encourages me so much!

 
On June 3, 2010 at 8:27 AM , pfd said...

Thank you all for your comments. They inspire me!