Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Four Years and Counting: My Favorites!

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Winding down the month long celebration of four years blogging, I thought I would share my favorite posts with you, and what they have meant to me. This final stroll down memory lane (until next year, that is) reminded me again how thankful I am that the Lord has called me to write. I have met so many great friends, had so many opportunities, and been the first to know about wonderful new books, that it seems like picking favorites of my own blog would somehow end us on a low note.

When I began considering which are my best loved posts, I realized it’s the ones that tell a story – my story, God’s story. Stories of growth and faith. Stories of His faithfulness in my life. And, I hope, stories that encourage you and make you smile!

One of the first posts that I published is called Faith Walk. It’s a favorite, because I laughed and laughed when I wrote it, remembering the story. But the hard truth at the core of this story is that sometimes, you have to stand on the edge of the cliff of obedience to see God’s beautiful picture of love and faithfulness. I hope you enjoy reading this again!

Blogging enabled me to “write through” the death of my mom. In May of 2011, Mama suffered a stroke, and passed away two months later. To be honest, I never felt God during those two months. I knew He was there, because I believe the truth of His word (we have Christ in us; He will never leave us). But I couldn’t FEEL Him. Of course, our feelings are so wishy washy, amen?

When I wrote the post Grace, Grace, God’s Grace, I saw for the first time that God had been right there with me. He was there in the hands of the cashier who gave me a wad of paper towels to dry my tears. He was there in the strength I had to make hard decisions, and to sit with my mom, knowing she may die at any moment. He was there. Perhaps mountain top experiences aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Maybe still, small kindnesses shown, and strengths gained are what we need to look for when we’re looking for Jesus in in our everyday. Maybe, instead of drowning in our circumstances, we need to see when we’re flooded with His grace.

Sometimes true bravery is in admitting our weakness, and in letting go. Read about this lesson I learned from a lizard (Yes, a lizard) in When We Are Weak. This little fella taught me we can free fall right into the powerful arms of Jesus. Amazing the lessons we learn from nature!

It’s funny how silences bother us. But not so funny when that silence is God, during our quiet times. Here’s a different slant on those silences in Is Your Quiet Time…Quiet? Perhaps the reason we don’t hear God talking, is that He trusts us. Yep, that’s what I said. Hop over and read the post. I think you will like it!

Finally, from this year, I had a bad cast of The Don’t Wants and Can’t Help Its, and I was led to be still and listen. I found that when my words quieted, I could hear His more clearly. I hope you enjoy it.

Y’all, really, there were so many more posts that I enjoyed writing: All the anniversary posts, celebrating mine and John’s marriage, many of the Christmas posts. But you know, I have to draw the line somewhere!

I pray these posts have blessed you, encouraged you to soak in God’s Word and helped you sprout seeds of faith! I thank you, that you take the time to read the stuff God lays on my heart. Thank you for allowing me into your inbox!

It amazes me that I don’t “have to” do this, I “get to” and I am so thankful to God for that.

Grace be with you,

Praying Like Jesus

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There are so many situations that I find myself in, and I’m thinking “I don’t want to be here. I really, really don’t want to do this.” And yet, I know it must be done. Lately, I’ve found that when I pray like Jesus in Matthew 26, my heart is eased at the circumstances I’m facing.

Most how to articles on prayer use the Lord’s prayer as a template (Matthew 6:9-13). After all, it was the answer to the apostles request:

“Lord, teach us to pray…”

It is a beautiful example of how to pray, especially the “forgive” part in verse twelve. Trust me, I’ve prayed those words a time or two or ten thousand. Matter of fact, I’ve prayed it in all caps and personalized: …as I forgive THOSE WHO HAVE TRESPASSED AGAINST ME.

But that isn’t the prayer of Jesus’ that I’m writing about today. It is the prayer He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before He was arrested and crucified (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44-46, HCSB, emphasis added). In this prayer, we see Jesus’ humanness and utter desperation:

39 Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”
42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, Your will be done.”
44 After leaving them, He went away again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.
45 Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the time is near. The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.
46 Get up; let’s go! See, My betrayer is near.”

Jesus has a reverent and submissive approach to God: He falls facedown in prayer. He also calls God “My Father.” In His time of deepest need, Jesus ran into the loving arms of His Daddy. Jesus was grieved at the suffering He was about to endure on the cross.

Jesus’ first request to God says, in essence “If it’s possible, don’t make me walk through this. Take this hard thing away.” But He still says “Not My will, but Yours.”

He’s saying what I’ve said in many a prayer “Please don’t make me do it!” Sadly I don’t include “Not my will but Yours, sweet Lord…”

The second time Jesus prays, He says “If You can’t take it away, if I must walk through it, let Your will be done.” He knows that anything is possible with God, that His Father CAN take it away, but also that God’s will must be done. And if it’s God’s will that this should happen, then Jesus must walk it. There’s a slight shift from “let it pass from Me” to “if it can’t” – almost as if He is saying “So be it.”

The real change of heart comes the third time Jesus prays. We see that God’s will became Jesus’s will. Jesus had reconciled His heart to the will of His Father. Not only that, He embraces God’s will for Him: The time is near…Get up! Let’s go!
May we all pray with a heart ready and eager to change to the will of our Father in heaven.

Lord, most days I ask You to bless my will and my plans. God, change my heart! Give me an attitude of reverent submission to embrace Your will, not mine. In Jesus’ powerful name, Amen.

Grace be with you,