Devotions of the Heart: Book One

Lorna’s beautifully written words convey the benefits of embracing a kind, merciful, and loving God. Daily taking time to mediate on our Creator strengthens our inner being and increases hope.

—Cecilia Quist, Mental Health Therapist

Lac La Biche, Alberta

Lorna’s devotional is a collection of scripture verses and teachings straight from the heart of God to you. Lorna’s prophetic insights have helped and encouraged everyone who knows her, so I know each page in this book will delight and strengthen you in the same way. Jeremiah 15:16 (AMP) says, "Your words were found and I ate them, and Your words became a joy to me and the delight of my heart…"

—Debbie Lee, Teacher

Lifeway Christian Academy, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

DEVOTIONS OF THE HEART, VOLUME ONE

Copyright © 2019 by Lorna Hanishewski

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

Scripture marked AMP taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved. • Scripture marked AMPC taken from the Amplified® Bible, Classic Edition, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. • Scripture marked CEB taken from the Common English Bible, Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible. • Scripture marked CEV taken from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright © 1991, 1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission. • Scripture marked DARBY taken from the Darby translation, which is in the public domain. • Scripture marked ESV taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. • Scripture marked GNT taken from the Good News Translation, Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. • Scripture marked GW taken from the GOD’s WORD Translation, Copyright © 1995 by God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. • Scripture marked HCSB taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved. • Scripture marked ICB taken from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a division of Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. • Scripture marked JUB taken from the Jubilee Bible 2000, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010 by Life Sentence Publishing, Inc. • Scripture marked KJV taken from the King James version, which is in the public domain. • Scripture marked MEV taken from The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. • Scripture marked MSG taken from The Message, Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. • Scripture marked NABRE taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. • Scripture marked NASB taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. • Scripture marked NCV taken from The Holy Bible, New Century Version®, Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. • Scripture marked NET taken from the New English Translation, NET Bible®, Copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved. • Scripture marked NIRV taken from the New International Reader’s Version, Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.®. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. • Scripture marked NIV taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. • Scripture marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. • Scripture marked NLT taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. • Scripture marked TPT taken from The Passion Translation®, Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC. Used by permission. All rights reserved. thePassionTranslation.com

Print ISBN: 978-1-4866-1781-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-4866-1782-1

Word Alive Press

119 De Baets Street Winnipeg, MB R2J 3R9

www.wordalivepress.ca

Cataloguing in Publication information can be obtained from Library and Archives Canada.

I would like to dedicate this book to my children, their spouses, and my grandchildren. I love you all!

Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward. (Psalm 127:3, TPT)

I would also like to dedicate it in loving memory of my mom, Erma Ileen Gardner, September 7, 1935–October 3, 2018,

who is now enjoying her heavenly reward.

Acknowledgements

Foreword

Author’s Note

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

Week 12

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15

Week 16

Week 17

Week 18

Week 19

Week 20

Week 21

Week 22

Week 23

Week 24

Week 25

Week 26

Endnotes

Other Books by Lorna Hanishewski

Acknowledgements

With a grateful heart, I would like to thank and acknowledge Pastor Catherine Randall for her continual encouragement in my writing of this book. Catherine, thank you for collecting together reflections and devotions that I had previously written and exhorting me to rewrite them into a book. I’m also grateful for the many, many hours you spent assisting me in checking the accuracy of scripture and readability of the manuscript. You have gone above and beyond with your help and encouragement. I thank God for you. You are a dear and precious friend. May many blessings abound to your account.

Foreword

I’ve known Lorna for over thirty years and I have to say that she is one of the most positive, joy-filled people I know! She has faced difficult moments with remarkable grace and peace, and Lorna’s ability to hear God’s voice in the everyday moments of life has been a blessing to me on so many occasions. Many years ago as I taught on prayer in a children’s class, I asked the kids what they wanted to agree on in prayer. The answer was unanimous—they wanted a party, so we prayed together for just that. The very same day Lorna told me that the thought had come to her to have a party in class. I realized that at the time we’d agreed in prayer in the morning service, Lorna had heard God’s encouragement to give the children a party in class. I can’t tell you how often such moments have happened throughout the years of our friendship.

In recent years, Lorna began posting daily on Facebook and many friends liked or commented on what she had written. It became obvious that her posts were engaging people in a deep way. Her unshakeable trust in God’s goodness and her ability to hear Him in the most difficult time of her life blessed and encouraged so many people. Over time, many responded by saying Lorna, you should write a devotional book, and the idea was born. We realized that she had already written her devotional on Facebook, and we just needed to put it into book format. We’ve spent much time together getting it ready, and it’s been a fun, inspiring, and exciting process to finally see it go to print!

I pray that many are blessed and encouraged and gain a desire to grow closer to God through reading your devotions, Lorna! Well done! You’re an inspiration to us all!

(P.S. Lorna, did you notice all the exclamation marks?)

—Pastor Catherine Randall

City Centre Church, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Author’s Note

Dear Readers,

I pray these devotions will encourage and bless you, inspiring you to grow in your relationship with God. They have arisen out of my own personal times with the Lord, and they draw on what He has revealed and taught me over the past several years—a time in which He has brought me joyfully through a very difficult and challenging season of my life.

This volume represents the first half of a year’s worth of devotions, and is meant to be read in conjunction with Volume Two.

—Your sister in Christ,

Lorna

Devotional

Day 1

Never Quit Praying

Sometimes we want to give up and quit praying when situations don’t seem to change, yet by praying we send the Word of God into those very situations. Nothing can overcome God’s power working through the words we pray—our prayers are what will bring change! Never think that your prayers are useless or a waste of time. God always finishes what He starts through the words you pray.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. (Isaiah 55:11, NLT)

…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6, NIV)

Day 2

Only the Desperate

Will Cry Out

…for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. (Isaiah 66:8b, KJV)

This might seem odd, but at times I find myself praying about prayer. This practice comes from an intense desire to see God’s purposes achieved. In our prayers, most of us have never gone to the place of travailing, lamenting, groaning, and weeping.

Not many enter this kind of prayer. The Bible contains a few examples: Hannah, who prayed for a child, and Jesus, who prayed with such intensity that he shed drops of blood. In this kind of prayer, we pour out our hearts to God. However, we can’t pour out our hearts unless they are broken for the people we are lifting up in prayer. Although few will labour in prayer to such an extent, we must fight our battles in the Spirit. It is hard work, but the results are worth it—even more than we can imagine.

Hannah continued to pray to the Lord for a long time, and Eli watched her lips. She was praying silently; her lips were moving, but she made no sound. So Eli thought that she was drunk, and said to her, Stop making a drunken show of yourself! Stop your drinking and sober up!

No, I’m not drunk, sir, she answered. I haven’t been drinking! I am desperate, and I have been praying, pouring out my troubles to the Lord. (1 Samuel 1:12–15, GNT)

As we travail, we bring things forth in the Spirit. Through prayer, God has given us the ability to be mountain-movers and hell-shakers. Only the desperate will cry out!

Day 3

He Is All We Need

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that God is all we need! He is our all in all, and more than enough. It’s what God says about us that really matters, and nobody else—we need to trust in Him alone. As the Word of God states, we should always focus our attention on Him, no matter the circumstances.

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. (2 Chronicles 20:12b, NIV)

Just like a deer that craves streams of water, my whole being craves you, God. My whole being thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see God’s face?

…Why, I ask myself, are you so depressed? Why are you so upset inside? Hope in God! Because I will again give him thanks, my saving presence and my God. (Psalm 42: 1–2, 5, CEB)

Day 4

Why Serve God?

Often, we look at the world around us and think, Why am I serving God when those who are living for themselves seem to be doing much better than I am? Until David took time to be with the Lord, he thought that way too! But David finally realized that those who were living for themselves would be destroyed in the end.

I tried to think the problem through, but it was too difficult for me until I went into your Temple. Then I understood what will happen to the wicked.

You will put them in slippery places and make them fall to destruction! They are instantly destroyed; they go down to a horrible end.

…When my thoughts were bitter and my feelings were hurt, I was as stupid as an animal; I did not understand you. Yet I always stay close to you, and you hold me by the