Chapter five takes a little different approach in that it isn't about what to
expect during pregnancy or how to get through labor and delivery.  This
chapter focuses primarily on the message God has hidden within the
body of a woman during pregnancy as it might relate to His plan of
salvation.  Comparing the events of pregnancy and how they align with
the seven feasts of Israel is a fun and intriguing way of searching for the
voice of God in everything we do and are.  Proverbs 3:5-6 says "Trust in
the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding.  ***In all
of your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."  This
chapter acknowledges the hand of the Creator in pregnancy, and takes a
non-dogmatic approach to looking for God in all you do.


When we do seek God in everthing and then find Him, our faith begins to
increase.  We also can see that God has taken the time to make Himself
known to those who will look for Him.  And we feel an overwhelming love
and a sense of importance to Him, which increases our trust.


Father, awesome and glorious God, Creator and best friend, we come to
you now and ask you to open our eyes of faith so that we might see You
in everything we do.  Lord, flow through us like a river of love and light
and fill us with Your precious life overflowing.  Redeemer, be real in our
life, be apparent in everything, and help us to have discerning spirits so
that we may not be distracted by that which is not You.  Build our faith,
Lord, and make us your champions of faith and ministry. Your kingdom of
love is what we desire, Your embrace surrounds us, Your holiness covers
us, You fulfill our need.  Help us to know You are here, and that we are
safe in the tight grip of Your right hand.
In Your Son's precious name,
Amen
I believe it is important to have an active relationship with God, which
includes conversation.  Jesus would get up before the light of day and go
and "talk" with the Father.  When you speak to a person, it is always nice
when they participate and speak back to you, contributing to the
conversation.  In prayer, it may sometimes feel one-sided and perhaps
empty.  It is my prayer that we all learn to hear the voice of God.  


I am reminded of the famous scripture, Psalm 46:10 - Be still and know
that I am God..."  May we begin there, to quiet ourselves before the Lord
and learn to listen for Him.  May we begin to consider the things that
stand out to us and find interpretation in them.  May we examine all of
this in the light of scripture, as God would never speak a word to us that
contradicted the Bible.  


The voice of God manifests in many ways, and we would do well to be
listening.  As a polite member in this conversation with God, we quiet
ourselves for a time to allow Him to speak.  After all, we wouldn't be a
good friend if we always did all the talking!


Here is an example of finding God in everything, even the Saguaro
Cactus.
Driving through the desert to my brothers home, we had the blessing to
observe many saguaro cacti on the way.  You know the kind, the famous
Arizona cactus that stands 10-20 ft tall with the arms coming out the side.
 I asked God to reveal Himself in those.  I felt that He was saying, don't
look for Me in them, look for yourself.  So I pondered them as they sped
by me on my way.  I saw this:


What are some things about the Saguaro?
They absorb water like crazy.  No matter how often it rains, they will soak
up as much as they can and retain it.  Water is a picture of the
scriptures, so God was saying, "Make sure you drink in as much scripture
as possible, and see to it that you retain it well."
Most of them have "arms" lifted.  He would say to me, "Be in a constant
state of prayer, with hands lifted in praise.
They point to the sky.  God says, "Don't forget to always be pointing
others to Me. May those who just gaze on you, see you pointing to Me
simply by the way that you live."
They are riddled with little holes that birds have carved out for shelter.  
God says, "As a Christian, be a refuge for those needing shelter from the
heat of the desert of their lives.  Bear one another's burdens."
Any lost soul in the desert can tap into a saguaro and get water out of it
to survive.  God says, "Allow the lost to have access to the living water
that is Me within you.  Help save others with the scriptures that you have
saved within your heart."
Saguaros live a really long time. They begin to grow their first arms at
65-75 years of age.  God says, "Abide in Me, and you will live forever."
Many people use the wood that is inside them for crafts and decoration
after they have died.  God says, "Live your life so that you might leave a
legacy for your family and perhaps many others so that it might be a
blessing/decoration to them."
They only grown in Arizona.  Perhaps God was saying to me and my
teenager who was also helping interpret the saguaro, "I placed them in
Arizona because I knew there would be two driving through the desert
one day, looking for my voice in them."  God always has a way of making
us feel special and loved.  Just as any loving husband, our Heavenly
Husband (Isaiah 54) is always ready to show us His love in any place that
we look for it.
So taking advantage of a drive through the desert to hear the Lord, He
spoke through a most unlikely source, the prickly tall cactus.  Practice
hearing from the Lord in situations like this, and then you will begin to
learn to recognize His voice in this way.  God speaks many ways, and this
being only one of them.  


Lord, we humbly come before You and ask your forgiveness for running
through life without stopping to hear from You.  Help us to understand
how important our relationship is to You.  Help us to be still and stop our
good works for a second and tune into You.  Help us to know that we now
have this Holy Spirit because of the sacrifice of the cross.  You said,
"When I go, I will send you another Comforter, the Spirit of Truth."  Thank
you for that, Lord.  Thank you for the Holy Spirit who communicates Your
love to us on a daily basis.  Thank you for the love you have for us, a
love we could never comprehend.  Fill us today with that so that we might
be able to go then and share that with those around us.  Help us to forive
those who have hurt us, Lord.  Sometimes we as Christians can go
around like the saguaro and poke each other with our prickles, never
allowing others to get close.  Lord, may we be a refuge and not a burden
to others.  May we join together as Your bride and bless You.  May we
always be in search of Your voice and learn to quickly recognize it from
all the other noise that surrounds us.  Lord, receive a holy kiss on your
cheek from us this morning. May you be blessed by us today, in Jesus'
name, AMEN!
Cascade Christian Childbirth Association
Chapter Five
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