Post #100! Woohoo & Thank You!

First of all, I want to thank you for joining me on this journey that started as an idea, turned into a dream, & was nudged & helped along by God’s working things out—my Blog.

Today marks my 100^th post! I never thought I could EVER be consistent in something that didn’t have any real, solid deadline, a paycheck resting on it, or a boss checking in on me… But through MANY prayers for God’s help on the days I just wanted to forget it & do what I wanted, no matter how lazy on that day, & through your encouragement & support to keep going, GOD HAS SEEN ME THROUGH IT!

Praise God! I am amazed at how strongly He has been a part of every step as I turned it over to Him in times of my self-focused, lazy, “wanna quit” days. He is Good.

Only By & Through Him

This celebration of reaching blog post #100 is a GREAT Segway into our topic this week- “Why Pray When God Already Knows?” because it was only through leaning into God for help & motivation & wisdom that got me to this point where I can celebrate!

It is a celebration of His faithfulness & strength in the face of my own humanity.

Anyone Else?

I am by no means an expert on prayer. I oftentimes am HORRIBLE at even REMEMBERING to pray.

I seem to like to try & fail until I am ready to quit before I reach out to Him.

I seem to like to try my own wisdom before asking for His.

I seem to wait until I am overwhelmed & full of anxiety before I realize I can reach out to Him for help.

I also seem to think sometimes that because I am a Christian, it is the same as praying & I should just succeed because of that… before realizing He still asks me to ask Him when I need something (otherwise I am too tempted to credit my own “righteousness” or works as the reason He helped). Anyone else guilty of this??

I mean, there are countless Bible verses that discuss the urge/command/need for prayer & for ASKING God, versus just expecting Him to do it because we want it.

The How to & the When to Are Also Important, But a Subject for Another Day

HOW TO pray, in being humble & coming to God with the sense of “You are God & I am not, please help me,” could be a whole separate topic.

WHEN TO pray is also its own topic—beyond the simplified command of “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to focus on what that could encompass of areas of our lives we tend to forget to pray most often.

but today’s focus is on the WHY.

Why Pray?

WHY pray? Why pray when God already knows what you’re thinking at every moment, even more clearly & distinctly than you can even perceive, with even all of the traumas & fears & insecurities that can influence exactly what you are thinking at every moment.

He knows your prayers before you even speak them, so why do it?

He Wants to Hear from YOU

First, I would like to share a simple illustration to help us get started with the first reason I want to highlight: He wants a strong RELATIONSHIP with us, which requires communication.

Imagine having a child where every day, before they come home from school, their teacher writes you to share every single thing the child did or faced or accomplished that day… but when your child gets home & you ask about their day, they share nothing. Was it enough to already know? Or would you long for your child to see how much you CARE about their day & to share it TOGETHER?

God may know it all, but He wants to hear it from YOU. He wants you to know HOW MUCH He cares about you. He wants to be a part of the little things. He wants to be a part of your life, supporting, encouraging, growing, strengthening, comforting, & helping you along the way.

Abba Father

One of the names given for God in the Bible is Father. And He is the BEST Father that WILL EVER exist. He loves you SOOOOOOO much & He wants to hear all about your day & be a part of every moment that matters to you (whether crushing or wonderful) & everything in between.

So, talk to Him! About everything. He is listening.

Stronger Than Superman, by FAR & He Wants to Help You in Life & to Live for Him

Other than wanting a relationship with us, He wants to help.

When we talk to Him & share our woes, we can ask Him for comfort & strength & wisdom.

When He asks something of us or tells us to do something for our good, He wants us to ask Him to help us do it, versus us relying on sheer willpower.

There are so many things that we miss out on regularly simply because we fail to even rely on Him & ask Him for it!

How Often Do We Miss Out on All He Offers Us in Life?

He offers peace, wisdom, guidance, strength, joy, hope, growth, resources, & power to accomplish what He asks of us—it seems almost stupid not to ask, but I can’t even count how many times I forget!

He goes before us & sees the entire timeline of humanity. He already knows what will happen, is not caught off guard, & already has a plan in place if we but ask Him.

So, (& I am also talking to myself here, too), remember to ask Him for all things & talk to Him about your life & your thoughts & concerns & doubts & worries & insecurities & fears & hopes & dreams & cares.

He is waiting to hear from you.

Shine HOPE by building your relationship with God our Father & by leaning into Him through prayer in your tasks, worries, etc. He is able & willing, so lean into Him in all things. (Even if things don’t work out the way you wish, trust Him to work His plan out in an even better way than you can dream up. He’s got it covered & wants to let you work alongside Him in His plan.)

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week!

A Note from Michelle:

If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox, along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Weekly Special Spotlight:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Chelsie Necklace

(One of my personal FAVORITES!-MH)

This curved bar necklace features gold and rose gold tones. Hanging from a gold colored chain, this piece was named after one of our co-founders because of her golden & modern style, along with her passion for using sustainable business to end poverty.

Artisan Information:

The women we partner with in India do so much more than just create beautiful products. With every purchase, another woman is empowered out of poverty to be self-reliant! Women have the opportunity to earn an income, attend financial management classes, & receive education & healthcare. These women are now able to give their family a promising future because of your purchase!

Purchase this piece & empower a woman in India!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!

Not a New Question

This question of “where is God when I am suffering?” is not a new question.

In fact, it is asked by David in many of the Psalms as David is crying out, hurting, feeling alone & betrayed & attacked from everywhere all at once.

It is a human question, one that every person is tempted to feel at one point or another. (I can’t tell you HOW MANY TIMES I have cried this same question in my hurts.)

It’s a hard question to answer, I will tell you that. But one thing I am certain of, just like David always came back to this Truth, that when my help comes, it will be of the Lord.

He Never Leaves Us Nor Forsakes Us… Even When We Are Hurt

Does that mean He is ignoring us or forgetting us in the meantime? … Although it may feel like that sometimes, the answer is a strong “no”.

He will never forget or ignore us in our troubles. He loves you too darn much.

Our Blessings Can Also Come in the Form of Difficulties

Have you ever felt so caught up in life that when God jolts you out of your spiral, everything finally makes sense? God can use our difficulties to right our path.

A beautiful song that I like to think of when I consider this question of “WHERE ARE YOU, GOD!?” is “Blessings”, by Laura Story. (Go have a listen!)

Our blessings are not just in the absence of trouble, but in the peace, grace, comfort, strength, & power in the MIDST of that trouble.

And even more than that, as we lean into God through our struggles, God grows our character, faith, courage, peace, strength, & wisdom.

So Many Troubles. But, God.

Our troubles can come from many different places for many different reasons & His actions are always according to His perfect Wisdom in every situation (which we usually can’t see in the midst of our struggle).

He knows our needs. He knows our doubts. He knows our struggles & weaknesses & insecurities & fears & scars. And He knows what we need better than we know them ourselves.

He always answers our calls for help in His perfect Wisdom. ALWAYS. 100%.

Oftentimes we are missing out simply by begging God for the end of the trouble instead of clinging to Him & asking for His strength, love, peace, wisdom, hope, etc. to help us THROUGH it!

No matter the source of our troubles, whether it be in trying to keep our fast-spinning world in control in our own strength & wisdom, whether it be the results of living in a broken, sinful world, or whether it be the result of our own sin… He is good. He loves you. He hears you. He is able to bring you victory. He forgives. HE is able to bring you victory (worth repeating, WITH emphasis)… Not you believing harder or proving it more or being better… But HIS love, HIS grace, HIS wisdom, HIS strength, & HIS Almighty POWER.

Oh Hello… A Wake Up Call

I know that sometimes I need troubles to remind me to stop looking to myself or others as my answer. I need to remember He is there. He hears me. He is able. I need HIM.

Our troubles can sometimes come from our own self-focused (doing-it-my-way) actions… a stress that rears its ugly head when we are trying to keep it all together, weighing us down… & God often allows friction in our lives to remind us that we are NOT in control of our own lives & that He is KING.

We are loved by the King & because of this, His desire is not for us to scramble through all of life always trying to maintain control when He already holds perfect control. He wants us to know we can rest in that & have perfect, unmovable peace.

We usually cannot understand that peace until we are faced with a situation beyond our control & we then turn to & lean into God as our help. When we turn to Him instead of ourselves, we are able to be profoundly introduced to or reminded of the fact that God has it completely under control (even when it seemed impossible to us).

He is waiting for us to fall into His arms so we can know the fullness of His power & sovereignty, & love for us through it all.

It’s a Broken World We Live In… A Temporary Home

Secondly, God doesn’t promise us a life of ease & comfort, (even though we really think we want that).

In fact, God knows we will face pain because that is the direct result of sin in the world. In other words, He tells us what not to do because He knows sovereignly that those things hurt us, whether we get that or not… but we live in a world of those wrong choices. We live in a world broken by sin….

As a result, life is just HARD sometimes. Unbearably so, even, sometimes. Another reminder that we need Jesus… & to look at this earth as our temporary home, longing for the day we enter into eternity with our Savior where there will be no more tears & only LOVE & PEACE & JOY.

We Have an Enemy… But, God.

On top of that, the Bible tells us that Satan spends his time prowling the earth, looking to whom he may kill & destroy. We have a spiritual enemy at odds against us, wanting to watch us crash & burn, or at least to convince us to doubt God & to turn from God’s hope & grace through Christ (resulting in US paying our own penalty to sin—DEATH aka HELL, instead of having Christ cover us with His payment on our behalf!).

Don’t let your doubts & bitterness become so poisonous that Satan convinces you that you’re better off on your own. You’re not.

Our Only Taste of Hell… or Heaven… Your Choice

A pastor once made it clearer this way, (paraphrasing here), “If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior to cover the payment of your sin, your time on earth will be the closest thing you experience to Hell because it is broken by sin. If you reject Jesus, earth will be the closest thing you experience to Heaven, because on earth, God still blesses the righteous & the unrighteous, but in Hell, you will be completely separated from God’s love & goodness.”

What a clear reminder!

And We Can’t Forget Our Own Sin/Fault

And still is the subject of our own sin… our own wrongs.

No one can claim a sinless life except Jesus Christ who paid our debt before God on the cross!

And we should ALWAYS remember that while we are breathing, there is ALWAYS an opportunity for grace, mercy, & HOPE… & VICTORY.

A wonderful quote I read recently said that because we ALL SIN, our DEFAULT destination is Hell… & that we ALL NEED a Savior who will pay our debt on our behalf aka JESUS.

Sin Has Consequences, Now & in Eternity… Trust in Jesus & Ask for Grace

I also heard the wonderful quote that “the question is not, “why would a Good God send anyone to Hell?” but rather, “why would anyone CHOOSE Hell over a Good God?” because God gave a way out for EVERY SINGLE PERSON, through Jesus, to ALL WHO CONFESS their sins & ACCEPT Christ.”

Sin has consequences, & all of them hurt us, others, AND God. But eternal consequences can be covered by Jesus & God forgives & gives mercy now when we turn to Him.

Hurts from our sin is inevitable (that’s why God commands us to avoid them!)

Turn to Him, Cry Out to Him, Ask for His Help THROUGH the Storm

So, if you are hurting right now, maybe even feeling like the world is crumbling around you, confess what you need to confess, ask for God’s forgiveness & mercy & grace. If you know you haven’t sinned, then consider that God is in the midst of the hurt with you & He will help you THROUGH it IF you ask Him for His help in it.

So, ASK HIM!

Don’t let Satan convince you that the way to solve your problems is to turn your back on the only One who has any chance to truly help you overcome, heal, & carry on in victory!

Shine HOPE by taking your pain to the feet of Jesus. Confess &/or Ask for help from our Almighty GOD.

Coming Next Week

Join me every Monday morning, EST, for more encouragement.

As God grows me, may it encourage you to seek Him & know Him & love Him more every day.

Share with friends & Subscribe by Joining My Tribe, so you never miss a week!

A Note from Michelle:

If you would like to hear more of my story, check out the “About Me” page. And if you would like to hear how I found my lasting source of HOPE, read the “Hope Is Found” page, on this site. I hope they are an encouragement to you! <3

Also, make sure to “Join My Tribe” by adding your email to the top bar & clicking “Join My Tribe”. This gains you access to an extra weekly dose of encouragement from me in your inbox, along with the link to each week’s new post! I can’t wait to do this journey together!!

Weekly Special Spotlight:

Each week, I feature an item that is changing lives for women around the world. These hand-crafted pieces are offering job creation opportunities for women artisans in impoverished nations all around the world! Check out this week’s featured beauty!!

Northern Lights Bracelet (& Earrings)

Layered in natural labradorite stone, this timeless style will add elegance to any outfit.

Artisan Information:

The poverty cycle in India continues primarily because of the lack of education. Most schools are not free or affordable. Therefore, many children never learn to read or write & grow up with limited opportunities. However, every purchase of this product empowers women to provide for their children & send them to school! You have the opportunity to end poverty & create an impact for generations to come!

Purchase this piece and empower a woman in India!

SHOP Here, OR, Email me at michelle@michellehydeonline.com with any questions, & I will message you personally with more information!! Thank you for inspiring HOPE around the world, Lovely!