Buzzings of a Busy Bee
Mary E. Powell
At Yorktown Waterfront
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Do You KNOW??
Monday, February 3, 2025
Does He Hear Faith From Me?
While driving to an appointment today, the song Awake My Soul sung by Hillsong Worship came next on my playlist shuffle. I heard two lines, like they were sung with the microphone on, much louder than the other lines.
"Where we hear praises, He hears faith... and "Where we hear worship, He hears faith."
I know there are lines in between them, but these were the two lines that stood out.
It really hit me.
It could have been from being a little out of sorts from hearing the news earlier today that a young man that we have known at church for about 7-8 years, at the ripe old age of 17 1/2, had a heart attack while playing football, and passed away. But, I believe it is a much needed reminder, at least for me.
I am aware of the scripture that says, "...that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18: 1b)
So, I have a list of people, and concerns and situations that I pray for often; like most people do, right?
Mark 11: 24 tell me, "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (NKJV)
Or the Passion Translation says it this way, "This is the reason I urge you to boldly believe for whatever you ask for in prayer - be convinced that you have received it and it will be yours."
Am I praying with that attitude? Do I pray boldly believing?
It can be overwhelming when I pray and the answer doesn't come how, or when, I thought it would.
In praying for loved ones that are sick- do I boldly believe?
In praying for those in need- do I boldly believe?
Do I have faith, believing that what I ask for will come to pass?
I am reminded of reading a book years ago, written by Merlin Carothers, called Power in Praise. The basic message was not only do we take our requests to the Lord in prayer- but thanksgiving should be part of the prayer.
Psalm 100:4 says, "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name." (NKJV) or in the Message it says it this way, "Enter with the password: "Thank you!" Make yourselves at home, talking praise. Thank him. Worship him."
Sometimes, the way the Message says it, hits me between the eyes. He says that "Thank you!" is the password. The posture of gratitude.
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
He makes all things new!
When you wake up in the morning, on New Year's Day hearing the words "Hallelujah, Hallelujah! He makes all things new, all things new!" with a melody playing... what do you do?
Me? I search for it, thinking it is a current song that I've heard somewhere; but NOTHING comes up.
So, I sit and wait for anything to come that would go along with it. So, this may ramble a bit; but this is the process to see where it goes. So please bear with me through this one.
I keep hearing the tune, and words rolling over and over in my heart and in my head... like a song on "repeat".
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
He makes all things new, all things new!"
As I hear them, and ponder just this part, I am overcome with awe and gratitude!
I mean, I was born with all the needed parts of who I was meant to be, because my Father and Creator knows exactly what I need to be part of me to do all I was created to fulfill. Somethings I will gain through learning and through life experience but in my DNA and in my person the natural parts are there.
Walking through the ups and the downs of the journey of life, I am molded and shaped even more. Lessons learned through hurts and through celebrations. Examples in life that we follow and learn from, and have to learn again if the example may have been incorrect. Remember that God knew who my parents would be, he picked them! Remember that God knew every moment of my life, the choices I'd make and the circumstances that would come from those choices.
Remember that God knows!
Last night, my husband and I actually stayed awake until after midnight! Who would have guessed?!?! It's the first time we've done that for quite a few years. =) We listened to some ministry, and then we worshipped as the old year passed and the new one started.
We have had a full year of new...
Evans in school for a new career, and getting a new license in real estate, the end of his 42 year career, and the beginning of the new one. Lots of learning - learning a new rhythm, in the house, in working together, in seeing how each day will work now.
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
He makes all things new, all things new!"
When I think of the above lines, I think of 2 Corinthians 5: 17 - "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (NKJV)
I love the mental picture that I get, in reading this verse. Coming to Christ, my old self (the part that doesn't line up with His plan for me) dies to make room for the "new".
Father, as I begin 2025, I know that there are things in my life that still need to be made "new". Some of my thoughts, some of my speech patterns and habits, sometimes it feels overwhelming. BUT I know that You have made me new, and I know that Your plans for me are good, and You bring me from the old into the new, every day. Help me to walk as I have learned as I've walked with you, and help me to rejoice in all You have done for me. Amen.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Forgotten prayers?? Don't stop praying!
This week I heard a clip of someone speaking, and the basic idea is that there are prayers we have prayed so long that we feel that answer was "No"; so we have stopped praying it/them. (At least that we know of.) He mentioned that he believed our spirit continues to pray about them, and it wouldn't surprise me.
It reminded me of the story in Luke 1: 5-22. It tells of the couple Zacharias & Elizabeth. It is his turn to burn incense in the temple, and while he's in there Gabriel visits him. The passage says that he and Elizabeth are well advanced in age, and then Gabriel tells him that his prayer is heard. I can almost imagine Zacharias. He is tending to his duties, he's older and the record states that he and Elizabeth blameless and walked in commandments of the Lord. I know that I would probably start mentally scrolling through the prayers I've prayed, so that is what I picture Zacharias doing. I also believe that if an angel is giving you a message from the Lord, when he points it out it comes with a knowing of what he is speaking about.
Zacharias responds asking how, with the knowledge that he and Elizabeth are both old. It costs him the ability to speak for a while; but it doesn't keep the prayer from being answered. Verse 22 tells us that the people perceived that he has seen a vision.
This all made me think a bit...
1- Are there prayers that I prayed for a while, that I have not seen answered and I may have allowed to fall off my prayer list?
2- If I was told the prayer was going to be answered, how would I respond?
3- If I had a vision/encounter like Zacharias did, would I respond like he did, or like Mary did? And would people know if I had experienced it?
I am reminded of two things, the passage Luke 18: 1a "One day Jesus taught the apostles to keep praying and never stop or lose hope." (TPT) In The Message translation it says this, "it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit."
This speaks to the thought asking myself if there are prayers I have "quit" praying. If I quit, did I quit from being hopeless? Did I quit praying thinking the answer was "no"?
Today, I was watching a show and it showed a team being broken up from mis-trust seeping in among them. Then, the one team member that had left the group, disappeared. That person is captured is missed by the team, and they work off the book to search hi and low to find their friend. They go on a mission to the rescue. In this mission, they are willing to potentially die, to save this person. All the while, they are basically taking up time, because the team leader has been notified when they didn't check in, and is going to come in to save them all. The boss does what is needed and rescues his full team. It brought tears to my eyes- as I saw such a picture of the Father in this.
My circumstances, or those circumstances I am praying about, may look hopeless and dire. When I pray, do I pray from in the right position? Do I pray until I get peace about it, or do I pray until there is no hope and quit or give up?
This past weekend, I was in a class and reminded of the importance of finding a "Sacred Place", some people refer to it as a "Secret Place". Is there a place where I meet with Him, not just to take my requests to Him; but to sit with Him, to hear His heart and get to know Him better? How do you get to know someone? You have conversations- you talk and listen.
It is too easy these days to allow life to keep me running in a thousand different directions. It is easy to get sidetracked, it is easy to allow the phone, the family, the FULL schedule to shorten my time with the One that matters most, the One that loves me most, the One that gave it all for ME to get to know Him. What am I giving my attention to? What am I listening to?? When I was in the class, and we were encouraged to find the Sacred Place, the next part was very simple. "Sit down, shut up, and listen!" It was repeated a few times. This doesn't mean we don't bring our requests. This doesn't mean now speaking. It just means to spend time waiting for a response. In "praying through" we pray until there is a release.
There is this verse, Proverbs 13: 12, "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life." In the Message it says it like this, "Unrelenting disappointment leaves you heartsick, but a sudden good break can you life around." I've had those times where it feels like everything is going wrong over and over. I know that God has always come through for me and He never changes, so He will always come through.
I am reminded of the chorus to the song by Matthew West, Don't Stop Praying.
"Don't stop praying
Don't stop calling on Jesus' name
Keep on pounding on heaven's door
And let you knees wear out the floor
Don't stop believing
'Cause mountains move with just a little faith
And your Father's heard every single word you're saying
So, don't stop praying".
He is my Father. I know that as a parent, I love to spend time with my children/grandchildren. I miss it when I do not see them for long periods of time, or when the visit is just too short. If I feel that way, I would think that He is, too.
Father, thank you for the way you remind me that You are always listening. Thank you for reminding me that just because I forget, or don't see answers, it does NOT mean that you have forgotten or not heard my prayers, it simply means I don't see all that is happening. Help me not to take for granted time with you. Help me to find that Sacred Place and the time to "Sit down, shut up, and listen" to all that you want to share with me, as I get to know You better and more closely. Thank you that You are still working on the prayers that I may have forgotten about and make me ready for any encounters You want to share with me, and help me to carry Your presence with me out to the people. Thank you!! <3
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Am I a crashing cymbal, or do I ring His voice to those around me?
Monday, July 29, 2024
What Am I Speaking Over Me?
Do you feel like while life is going on, some things seem to be on repeat? Maybe you feel like you are in a rut? Or like there are certain things that just keep on happening, over and over? I can relate, and I believe that many of us go through times like that.
I was reminded this week of a truth that I have known before, and just needed a reminder of it again.
It all started with a video I saw on Facebook, that started out talking about getting a song stuck in your head. Have you ever experienced that? I know I have, and our son used to do his best to get "It's a Small World" stuck in my head as often as he could. However, he couldn't get the tune right, so it usually didn't work. (Whew!)
The most effective way that I have had work the most often, is to sing another one. Occasionally, I have to be more persistent in the intentionality to replace the old, usually annoying, song with the new one. However, it is time for a new sound, a new song.
Monday, July 15, 2024
Release the Sound
Well, it has been too long since I have taken the time to process the things the Lord has shown me and write them out. Life has been quite crazy, and I have missed taking the time to "talk" it through this way.
This past week was a wonderful trail of nuggets from the Lord.
It started with waking up a couple of times to the beginning of a poem the Lord gave me at the end of June. Now, normally, when I get a poem, I write it, share it some, and keep it in a file.
This poem I had a quick title that I gave it, but within a short time, I knew I needed to change it.
Here is the poem:
Release The Sound
Do you hear it?
Do you hear it?
It’s a sound brand new, a sound brand new
From where is it coming?
From where is it coming?
From me and you, me and you
What is the sound, and what is the source?
The sound is growing, it is welling up inside
It is a sound that comes as our heart’s cry
It is a sound of praise & a sound of prayer
That is growing even louder in the saints
It is a cry of hunger for more of the Father
It is a cry to see more
It is a cry from His children
For the “more” that’s in store
It is a deep cry of love to the Lord God Most High
Knowing that more of my self has to die
It is the deepness of a “thank you” that seems hard to express
Knowing without Him, I would be a huge mess
His grace and His mercy have covered my sin
His love and His peace gifts I get from Him
This cry is two-sided
It comes from the deep
It comes as I learn more about You, my King
This sound it is growing in the heart of His Bride
As she longs to walk and be by His side
So let us respond as deep calls to deep
And let us release the sound that’s inside! – June 30, ’24, Mary Beth Powell
Then on Thursday morning, I was listening to Give Him 15, as I was having my morning quiet time, and Dutch Sheets read some dreams that Gina Gholston had sent him. There was a line in it, that reminded me of the poem, so it caught my attention. In her dream, it speaks about “a redemptive sound coming that will provoke a redemptive movement”. The minister that is speaking to Gina in the dream picks up a large rock and drops it in the fire as an example of what the movement will look like. He said that it would come “once the sound is released”.
This really hit me…
What is the sound?
The first thing I wanted to do was to check the definition of the word.
Webster’s Dictionary, online, defines it this way:
Noun
- A particular auditory impression
- A sensation perceived by the sense of hearing
- A mechanical radiant energy that is transmitted by longitudinal pressure waves in a material medium (such as air) and is the objective cause of hearing
- A speech sound
- A meaningless noise
- An impression conveyed
And then the definition of “release” from the same source is this:
- Set free from restraint, confinement, or servitude
- Let go
- To relieve from something that confines, burdens, or oppresses
In many churches it is not uncommon to hear someone mention the phrase “Release the sound” or “release Your own song”, and often this happens during the worship time.
Then while I was thinking about the definitions of it, different stories in the Bible started coming to mind.
The story about the Israelites marching around Jericho and the walls coming down.
The Lord tells Joshua the plan. Israel is to march one time a day for six days around the wall of Jericho, and then on the seventh day, they are to march seven times around it. Oh- and they are not supposed to talk at all! No sound until they hear Joshua give the order then they shout!!
This was two sounds… the sound of the walking/marching, and the sound of the shout! I can almost image the visible sound waves causing ripples in the air.
The story of Gideon and his small army surrounding the enemy’s camp, with a sword, and a lit torch covered in a pitcher.
Gideon had an army of 32,000 men, before the Lord had him use a two-step process to get the army to the size He wanted it. Then the Lord gave the battle plan to him. He and the 300 men surround the enemy camp. They are armed with only a sword, and a torch that is lit, but in a pitcher. At Gideon’s example, they break the pitcher and shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”.
This is a breaking sound, and a victory shout!
In 2 Samuel 5 after David has been made king, the Philistines have attacked, and David seeks the Lord. He asks if he should go up to battle, and the Lord says for David to go. He goes, gets the victory. Fast forward a few verses, and the Philistines are attacking again. Again, David seeks the Lord to see if he should go up to battle. He gets different plans from the Lord. He is to go down and around and wait for the sound of the wind in the top of the mulberry trees. Once he would hear that sound, David would know that the Lord had gone before him.
David asked- God gave the sound- wind/angels in the top of the mulberry trees!
Hannah in the temple
Hannah is barren and being teased by her husband’s other wife, that has had many children. They go to the temple for their yearly trip, and Hannah doesn’t eat with them, she goes to pray. Eli, the high priest, sees her moving her mouth but no audible sound. Her tears were her prayers, she prayed heart to heart with the Father.
This sound- tears streaming, falling. The Bible tells us that our tears are collected. They are prayers.
Prophesied in Jeremiah 15, and fulfilled in Matthew 2-
Lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.
The sound- weeping, deeply felt painful sorrow.
Romans 8: 26-27
“Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” (NKJV)
The sound- intercessory prayers so deep that we can’t speak words. It is deep groans, because the Spirit is moving.
Acts 2- the upper room.
The disciples are gathered waiting for “the promise”. I am sure the buzzing sound there was some conversation, and some praying, and maybe some snoring, occasionally as they waited. Then in comes the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and there are tongues of fire over each head, and the new sound that they didn’t understand- but they were speaking in tongues.
The sound- prayers, mighty rushing wind, fire, and speaking in tongues.
But then sometimes the sound is me, speaking to myself… David did it!
Psalm 42:11-
“Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God. For I shall yet praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God.” (NKJV)
“So, I say to my soul, “Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be disturbed. For I know my God will break through for me.” Then I’ll have plenty of reasons to praise Him all over again. Yes, He is my saving grace”!” (TPT)
So, for so very long, I have often always related “the sound”, to simply prayer, praise, and worship. I am now realizing that “the sound” is so much more.
It is my footsteps/walking.
It is my dancing.
It is my marching.
It is my moving/actions.
It is my breath.
It is my tears.
It is my speaking.
It is my shouting.
It is my groaning.
It is my singing/worship.
Father as I walk through each day, help me to hear Your voice, and to see what You are doing. Help me to move, to breath, to speak, to cry, to groan, to sing, or to do whatever it is to release the sound You have put in me to impact those around me for You! I want to make a difference in the lives of those around me for You, Lord. Amen.
(All images came from a Google search).