Prayer Archives - Nikole Hahn

Walking in God’s Promised Tomorrow

The Lord says, “Forget what happened before, and do not think about the past. Look at the new thing I am going to do. It is already happening. Don’t you see it? I will make a road in the desert and rivers in the dry land. – Isaiah 43:18-19 NCV

Isaiah 43 speaks of comfort, of suffering that won’t last forever, of promises that God is all powerful and able to provide. The exile the Israelites were in would not last forever, and the passage encourages the Israelites to look forward to the new thing, a release from exile.

The phone call came early in the Summer of 2020. It was a phone call I spent five years waiting for, and I would go full time with WorldVenture that August. In that moment, it almost felt like a physical door closed and locked behind me, shutting out the past permanently, and a warm comforting affirmation of a future of serving with the Lord right where He wanted me. A loud and clear message, “No turning back now.”

We can and should lament the past, shed the tears, express the pain, and then move on, forgive, and embrace the future with the lessons learned from the past. God is doing a new thing, and in this passage, it is clear: You can’t move forward if you are mired in the wreckage of the past. The shadows will keep you from seeing all the good the Lord is doing in your life. Grief can visit, but it shouldn’t stick around. There’s too much living to do!

In contrast, Joshua 4:19-24 talks about remembering the past, but remembering what God has done. Twelve stones memorializing how God dried up the Jordon River so the people of Israel could safely cross were placed in the camp. “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” (vs. 24)

God wants us to remember what He did for us, but not dwell on the darkness of the past or the present hardships. The Bible talks about festivals and feasts, and stones because we need physical reminders to jog our memories, and if we truly see what the Lord has done and remember, it can bring relief. This changes our focus.

*Amy suffered from depression, grew up in an abusive family, and had major health issues. One day, she asked me, “Why didn’t God rescue me from them when I was young?” In our ensuing conversation, she discovered that God had provided a way out – her music. Amy loved to play the piano. Music made her feel close to the Lord. She worshipped and forgot her present circumstances.

Isaiah 43 is a comfort in a world where people want you to stay broken and ineffective. Instead, take intentional steps to move forward. Note how Isaiah 43:19 uses the words, “Look at the new thing I am going to do.” He said, “Going to do.” That’s a promise! And God always keeps His promises.

* Name changed

Photo: Yosemite in the Fall (Copyright Nikole Hahn)

Dressing The Inner Woman

Women put a lot of effort into their outer appearance. When I try on a new outfit in the dressing room, the mirror tricks me into believing I really do look great in it, but the mirror at home will tell a different story. The right outfit gives us confidence, but it will never dispel the voices in our heads that say we’re not good enough. That’s where we need to work on our inner woman and study Scripture.

Using the right words in our heads is as important as what we write online, in our journals, or for devotional pieces like this one. We will read them again and again, the words imprinting upon our hearts, and Facebook will remind us of posts from a year or more ago.

Proverbs 18:21 ESV says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.” The previous verse talks about making a living off words. This verse speaks to the power of words. Words can help another person find the confidence to serve or totally crush someone from their full potential. Likewise, the words we hear in our heads about ourselves are not valid. When I feel anxiety or put myself down, I must confront those words. Jesus loves us so much as women, and women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb.

We are creatures that crave deep connections. It’s no wonder that most women are active on social media. Our words matter to ourselves and others, whether in person, online, or in private conversation. That’s why it’s so important to pay closer attention to how we dress the inner woman. Go ahead, fix your hair, perfect your make-up, and wear an outfit that exudes confidence to people around you, but don’t forget your heart.

Start the day reading Scripture and write something positive on your social media. Let this imprint your heart so it’s more than just surface confidence that radiates from you, but the light of our Lord instead.

3 Ways to Make Room for God

“Since I cannot govern my own tongue, tho’ within my own teeth, how can I hope to govern the tongues of others?” – Benjamin Franklin

Taking a stand doesn’t mean being the loudest person in the room, especially on social media. Follow God in making a positive impact in your community and stick close to Him during this time. Trust Him.

I know it’s hard with everything going on to feel like you have no control over what is happening in the world, and that speaking out gives you a feeling of control. But, like this flower, you can bloom. We’ve been so blessed as a country to live in a prosperous nation, and maybe now we see the reason why we are here? It’s been so easy to live here versus other parts of the world (from what I read). I wonder sometimes, as we chafe against what is happening, why we still want our old habits?

Let God use this time to change you into a new creation and set aside the old. On this 4th of July may we look at ourselves and see what God wants us to do going forward (and not the God we have invented for ourselves, but the God as represented in the Bible). Maybe it’s time to start a new Bible reading and prayer habit?

Here are 3 suggestions to help you form new habits:

Get up earlier than your normal hour if your day is full. A story from missionary history reminded me that spending time with God means rising early for some people. When my work schedule changed after I started a new job, I continued rising at the same hour each morning to make sure my relationship with the Lord wasn’t neglected. Maybe you are an evening person? Stay up late. Perhaps your lunch hour works best for you? Bring your Bible to work.
Use Your social media to stay accountable to your walk with God. The first sentence in this blog was, “Taking a stand doesn’t mean being the loudest person in the room.” This followed a quote from Benjamin Franklin. What you write on social media is what you are and reflects your heart. The posts online can either make you bitter or you can start controlling your dietary intake of what you read. Keeping your heart healthy means learning how to use social media in a way that benefits both you and your readers, followers, and friends. Perhaps share what you are learning on Sunday, in Bible Study, and don’t be afraid to ask questions about the Bible online. Be discerning in whose answers you accept by comparing the answers to what you are reading. Commentaries can be helpful in this.
Bible apps are wonderful. You can fit them on your phone and your phone can fit in your pocket. Grab a bottle of water and take a walk with God. Find a quiet place to sit and read a chapter. Ponder that chapter. Focus on it for the rest of the day. What did you read? What did you just learn about Bible history? How can you apply it now? What did it mean then?

Take care of your heart during this time and make God a priority. Talk to Him. As Benjamin Franklin said, you can’t control what others post (or how their posts make you feel), but you can control what you post.

*Picture taken on a trail in Arizona.

How to Pray When You Can’t

Every Monday, we get on Zoom to meet with people across the country and study the Bible. A thought-provoking question stirred our hearts and minds two weeks ago, and it was around Colossians 1:9a, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you…”

Paul’s struggle in Colossians 1:29 caused Gaye Austin, our teacher, to ask, “Paul says he is struggling for them but he is in prison…Paul’s purpose for his struggling: Paul wanted them to be unified especially now that the ‘heretics’ had sought to disarm their faith.” She asked us if we struggled for others.

The screen sharing paused. I turned off the recording. Normally, I don’t record our Bible Studies. The space is sacred to encourage sharing in a secure environment. We recorded this one for those who were out for Memorial Day.

Silence followed on the heals of the question of prayer. Some shared their heart on how they struggled to pray and asked their questions about how to pray

Prayer is worship. It’s a conversation. A lot of great resources exist online to guide you deeper into a prayer life. Here are some of my suggestions:

Daniel Henderson runs a prayer ministry. A former pastor taught me to start with praise because God is praiseworthy and make your asks last. You can check out Daniel Henderson on Facebook and here on his website. He wrote a book called, Transforming Prayer.
Meditate on the Bible. When you have no words, think of Romans 8:26: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. It’s okay to sit in a dark room before the day begins and just listen to what God might say to you. Just sitting in His presence, He knows our hearts. He knows our needs.
Some amazing people shared how God gets them up at 3 AM. They didn’t know why. The Spirit led them to use that time to pray for the names He put on their hearts. What’s amazing about this act are the answers to prayer in those situations.
Pray the Psalms.

One my all-time favorite ways to pray is…

Grab a backpack with water and snacks. Pack a Bible or make sure you have a Bible App installed on your phone and plenty of battery power. Budget in a few hours off from your day and hike to a place that you love. Sit a few hours in the presence of God and read the Bible. Have a conversation with God.

Zoom is one of many ways to use video conferencing to have face-to-face meetups in this 24-hour world, post-COVID19. I have attached a printable Zoom how-to guide to this prayer guide. It includes visuals and suggestions, plus links to Zoom. You can print it and keep it nearby. The guide answers some of the common problems that happen during a Zoom call from the invitees’ point of view.

Free How to Zoom Guide

Download Zoom Guide Here

5 Ways to Use Social Media to Help You Through COVID19

The first time I went shopping during April’s COVID-19 shut down was like a scene out of M Night Shyamalan’s Signs. The family went to town to get out of the house after their strange crop circle and encountered surreal face-to-face conversations. The only thing normal in April for me was being home and hiking. Going out to do errands added stress to my life due to several factors, including the mask or no mask people, the shortages of food or toilet paper, and the many rules associated with some shopping centers. Fear felt like a dark cloud over our small town and impacted social media. Afterall, social media is a visual expression of a person’s heart.

What if the only thing you can control is you and your environment? And, what if doing that helps other people fight their fears and live a faithful and fruitful life?

It starts with your social media.

Post statuses that remind you what God has done in the past and what He is doing now to keep your heart focused on the only calm in the storm. “Joshua also used stones to help God’s people remember His goodness. After wandering in the wilderness for 40 years, the Israelites experienced the power of God to roll back the waters of the Jordan River, enabling them to cross over and take possession of the Promised Land. Joshua then commanded them to build a memorial of stones as a public testimony of what God had done for them … stones that would remind them to keep on praising Him.” (The Stones of Remembrance)
Snooze or unfollow sources that contribute negatively to your mental health. At least, severely limit your exposure to that news cycle if you wish to stay informed. Stay informed to only know how to pray or how to help. Change your reason for watching updates as fuel for you to exercise your faith in the community. A great example observed online was how a church dropped by goodies to an older couple suffering from severe exposure to the COVID19 virus.
Get outside. In some countries, rulers have greatly restricted people’s movements. If you can get outside, it’s important to make the time. While outside, use your pictures to capture God-moments, like a bird, a family, or something that makes you smile. Post about it online and tell people why this was a happy moment for you. Post about it slowly. Don’t photo dump. Instead, use the photos on your phone to post each day and to share about that photo. This goes back to the first point in this list.
Use technology to build connections both new and old. Use video conferencing to just hang out with your church friends, to read together, cook together, or just hang out and talk. Watch a movie together. Use this time to go to your friend’s social media and comment on their stuff. Participate in your church’s page or group’s online conversations. Your words can disciple at this time. If you are focused on others, you are less focused on what you cannot control.
Mind your own business. Resist the urge to post about what other people are or aren’t doing. Resist the urge to comment on posts that complain. Snooze them.

How can I support you in prayer? Leave a comment or message me on social media.

Pray for TRC Magazine

TRC Magazine gathers online on October 28, 2017 to discuss Christmas. We aim to engage in authentic community, especially after so much tragedy.

What does this mean? Unlike other ezines, TRC Magazine’s mission is for writers to engage in meaningful online conversation with readers, and to publish stories that may not always bring in lots of website traffic, but are God’s stories. Stories we publish reflect the diversity of the biblical Christian belief. We are united from different denominations to share Christ with the world and to talk about what it means to live as a Christian. The meeting with our volunteers and intern will need your prayers as we plan our social media strategy.

People will be missing their loved ones this year, and we want to walk with them through that grief.

Pray for…

Volunteers and Interns not to be too busy, too flustered, or weighed down so that they are kept from serving with us.
Pray for our intern who, not only assists in managing the website, writes articles, and learns social media marketing as ministry, but he is a family man with a day job.
Pray for God’s protection on all of us as we serve online.
Pray for some of us to water and some of us to harvest.

What Did You Learn This Morning?

Even though my hours have changed, I still get up at 5:30 a.m. to make time to read a chapter in the Bible. My body is already used to rising early after 11 years as a church secretary with Solid Rock Christian Fellowship that continuing this habit wasn’t so difficult. The hours at my former employer were too early for morning devotionals, but my new job allows me an extra half hour Monday through Wednesday that I can get in some quality time with the Lord. In thinking about this, I recall what my friend shared with me the other day.

Her pastor asked her, “What did you learn in your morning devotions?” This challenges her to think about what she is reading in context. I challenge myself the same way. Reading the Bible should not be a check mark on your day, but an immersing experience. It’s quality time with my Father before the day gets crazy. I read the chapter and work all day on focusing on what I read. How can I apply it to myself? What is God trying to teach me this morning? What does it mean? Are there rabbit trails to discover? Sometimes, I’m dead tired from a week that never ends or raising support leaves me barely able to think.

“In the same way, the Spirit comes to help our weakness. We don’t know what we should pray, but the Spirit himself pleads our case with unexpressed groans. The one who searches hearts knows how the Spirit thinks, because he pleads for the saints, consistent with God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27)”

Spending time with God is more than just a feel-good exercise, but a desire to stay, “…consistent with God’s will.” I love what He is doing in my life, though it can be painful at times. This life has not left me bereft of joy from all the effort, but excited for what God has planned for my future. It does have its challenges, but I know when to rest. I know when to step away and stop doing and just be.

Continue to pray with me as I raise 100% support. My desire is for the church to reawaken from its slumber and become intentional with its social media uses and understand what God is doing in the world with technology.

Lamenting and Wrestling

When I run, all I can hear is the pounding of my feet on the trail nearly in sync with the rhythm of my heart. I feel the heaviness of the sun on my skin and the sweat dripping into my eyes. I do not wear ear buds on the trail for safety reasons so I am aware of every snap of a twig. Running is more than just healthy exercise.

It’s my time with God.

It’s where I wrestle with my emotions; even lament.

Lamenting is a new word learned from a book I finished reading this year called, No More Faking Fine by Esther Fleece.

She says about Lamenting, “Lament is defined as an expression of grief. As I take a look at Scripture, I see that God seeks out those of us who are in need of him. He meets people with his comfort, and with his peace. So for the purposes of this book, and this movement, we’re defining lament as an expression of grief that God meets us in.”

Samuel Gill, a former worker with WorldVenture and now Life Coach in the Prescott area says this on his blog, “Most of us know that each snowflake has its own unique pattern. But do you know why? Each crystal acquires its unique pattern in its flight from the clouds down to earth. It is the result of a battle. As snow flakes pass through the atmosphere in their flight down to earth they encounter particles of dust and dirt. Thus the beauty of each snow flake is the result of conflict and pain.”

Have you ever pined for something? Have you ever pursued that something in spite of “conflict and pain?” God is the King of patience–the long-suffering kind of patience. It’s about the journey.

The journey is one where Seth Godin says in No Way Out, “The best long-term approach might be to learn something, to tough it out, to engage with the challenge. Because once you get through this, you’ll be different. Better. We always have a choice, but often, it’s a good idea to act as if we don’t.”

When I run, I don’t see the curving trail, hugged by scrub oak and trees. I see my support journey, and the distant mountain peak as the end of one journey to begin another–reaching those online who, unlike Esther Fleece, may not share in the comfort of knowing our Lord.

Thank you, friends and supporters. Your gifts and support are, “…a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. (click here to read full verse).”

Starting Out Right

Crazy schedules and a lifestyle of doing will wear you out. Creating new habits means starting the week out right. Every Monday and Tuesday of my new job and new schedule, I start out with reading a chapter in the Bible and sitting quietly. I want to listen to what God would tell me rather than fill the silence with my words.

In my mind, it’s not how often you read the Bible, but how you spend quality time reading the Bible. I do deeper study through books and leadership development courses, but something about simply reading the Bible in prayer and listening helps me keep peace. Monday and Tuesdays are my intimate times with the Lord.

How do you spend time learning the Bible and listening to the Lord?