The Heart of A Lily Pad

 

Dear Family and Friends,

I wanted to take a moment to share an experience I had a couple of weeks ago—one that deeply touched my heart and reminded me of the empowering presence of the Lord. In that moment, I felt His love, His promises, and His gentle overshadowing presence in such a tangible way. It was as if He was whispering, “I am with you.”

My prayer is that this message and the words that follow will also speak to you—right where you are, in whatever season of life you find yourself in.

As many of you know, I serve as the Director here at Freedom House, and with that role comes a great deal of responsibility. We may not be on national television or have large-scale programs, but Freedom House has been growing and expanding—and with that growth comes new stretching, both in the ministry and within me personally. Every time we grow, my faith and trust in the Lord must grow, too.

To be honest, there are moments when it feels overwhelming. There are days I find myself asking, “Lord, can I really do this?” Between counseling people from around the world, mentoring, teaching, leading our training schools, and now writing the full curriculum for our eight-month Training 201, there are times when the weight feels very heavy. Sometimes I feel very small in the vastness of what God has called me to.

I have found myself crying out to the Lord: “Lord, I need You to reassure me in this moment of time, that You are with me in all the places I’m serving You, serving others in Freedom House, and serving in the body of Christ.” I lingered there for a while, just pouring out my heart before Him.

So, in those very moments, the Lord faithfully reminds me: “I have called you for such a time as this.” Esther 4:14 Then it’s there—in that place of quiet reassurance—that I find peace again, holding tightly to His promises and resting in His strength.

 

As I often do, I ended my time of worship with one of my favorite hymns. It was actually my grandfather’s favorite—In the Garden. Every time I sing that song, my sanctified imagination takes over, and I find myself dancing in the arms of my Father. In that sacred moment, He’s holding me firmly and securely. My eyes are closed, my head resting on His chest, and I’m moving gently with the rhythm of His heartbeat. I can almost hear the sound of His love vibrating through me.

In His arms, I feel safe. His embrace is strong, steady, and filled with affection. There’s something about those arms—arms that hold, protect, and reassure that remind me I am never alone. When the last notes of the hymn faded, I stayed still in that holy silence, just soaking in the presence of my Father and the warmth of His love.

I also heard the Lord whisper to my heart, “Mari Anne, your heart is full of lily pads.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, Lord,” I said, “I guess… thank You? But You’ll have to show me what that means.”

You see, one of the things I love about God is that He often speaks in pictures and parables. Jesus was famous for doing that, wasn’t He? He invites us into what I call a spiritual treasure hunt. I always say that part of our walk with the Lord is becoming a private investigator with the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to uncover hidden truths and letting us discover the depth of His rhema word, so that we can have those Eureka moments, those divine aha revelations that only He can reveal.

Sure enough, as I began to study what a lily pad is—its function, its purpose, and its design—I was absolutely blown away. Every part of it spoke of spiritual truth and divine symbolism. And so, I want to share with you what the Lord revealed to me through this journey. Because the truth is, we’re all walking this road together, this journey called life.

As I began to study the lily pad, I was amazed by how something so simple floating upon the water could hold such deep revelation. Every part of the lily pad—the roots beneath the surface, the leaves upon the water, and the blossoms that rise in beauty – spoke to me of our walk with the Lord. It was as if the Holy Spirit was whispering, “Mari Anne, this is how I’ve designed you to live: grounded in faith, resting in My presence, and blooming in My glory.”

First of all, the roots of the lily pad are anchored deep in the mud beneath the water. Though unseen, they draw up the nutrients that give the plant strength, stability, and life. The Lord began to show me that this is the picture of our faith: faith that is rooted not in what we see, but in the unseen reality of God’s Word—the Bible that we hold in our hands each day.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught,

and overflowing with thankfulness.  Colossians 2:6–7

There are seasons when our roots must go deep into the “mud” of life—the messy, hidden, and sometimes painful places. Yet it is in those very places that our faith draws strength. Like the lily pad, we are nourished in secret.  We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 When we stay grounded in God’s Word, our roots anchor us even when the waters around us seem unstable. We are sustained by His unseen hand.

Secondly, the large, circular leaves of the lily pad rest upon the surface of the water, perfectly balanced. They don’t sink under the weight of the waves; they float. This is the picture of trust—a life that rests on the surface of His promises, not striving, not sinking, but abiding.  Being still and knowing that He is God.

These leaves are positioned to receive the sunlight. In the same way, when we rest in Him, we are positioned to receive the light of His presence and revelation. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. Psalm 34:5

There is such beauty in letting go of control and simply resting—trusting that the One who holds the waters also holds us.

Lastly, there is the flower the radiant lily that blooms above the water. The lily flower opens each morning and closes at night, responding to the light.  To me, that speaks of renewal, transformation, and intimacy with the Lord each and every day as we walk with Him so we can reflect His glory.

So, in conclusion, the lily pad is a living symbol of faith, rest, and divine design. Beneath the quiet surface of still waters, it tells our story: that our roots, though unseen, are grounded in faith; our leaves rest and trust upon the waters; and our blossoms reflect purity, transformation, and the beauty and glory of a life surrendered to God.

This humble plant is not only a marvel of God’s creation but also a living parable of the spiritual life of God’s sustaining power in our lives.

I now see this lily pad much more than just a plant. It has now become a picture of my faith in the Lord, a place in which I can rest, trust, and be still in knowing He is my God.  And in every stage of my journey I am anchored, resting, blossoming and bringing life to whatever God leads me to do serving in Freedom House and in the Kingdom of God.

Wherever you are in your own season, whether it’s a season of stillness, of loss and grief, of stretching and growing, or of stepping out in blind faith, my heart’s desire is that this word would breathe hope into your spirit, faith into your heart, and trust into your soul.

 

As Psalm 92:13 declares

Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

My Prayer for You

Dear Heavenly Father,

You see every heart and every life reading this. You know the places where we need our roots to go down deeper into faith, into trust, and into Your steadfast love. Lord, let our faith be anchored in who You are: a good and trustworthy Father.

I ask that Your radiant love and transformative power would bring fruitfulness into every life connected to Freedom House. For those with needs—whether spiritual, physical, financial, relational, or emotional—I ask that You come in a mighty way to release Your glorious love to capture each heart so that they can lean into YOU with faith, trust, and hope. Let each one experience how deep, how wide, and how glorious Your love truly is.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

An Invitation to Give

If this message has blessed you, I ask that you prayerfully consider supporting Freedom House. As you know, we are not a church, so we do not receive tithes. We also don’t get paid when we are not able to counsel due to circumstances with our counselees who have to cancel or ourselves due to emergencies or illness.

What sustains this ministry and allows us to keep reaching, serving, and sharing the love of Christ are the generous gifts from friends and partners like YOU.

I would like to candidly share with you that at this time that we need to bring in $8,000 to continue all the work of teaching, counseling, mentoring, training, creating curriculum, and ministry traveling that we are now doing.  This is actually FHM’s monthly budget and need.

Freedom House funds are very low right now, so I need to be very direct with you. In fact, there’s isn’t even enough right now for my November salary. Here are a few specific suggestions as to how you could see yourself helping Freedom House reach this goal as you seek the Lord’s leading in your donation:

• Could you be one of 2 people to give a one-time gift of $1,000?
• Could you be one of 10 people to give a one-time gift of $500?
• Could you be one of 5 people to give a one-time gift of $100?
• Could you be one of 20 people to give a one-time gift of $25?

Although these are one-time donations, monthly pledges are also needed so I could know what is coming in each month to help us plan where to place money with ongoing needs and requests for our prayer counseling services and training.

Finally, trusting FHM with your hard-earned money is such a blessing that I do not take for granted. I am enormously thankful for your support at this time. And remember that your gift is tax-deductible.

Thank you for all your prayers!  We are a praying ministry first and foremost.

From my heart I thank you for your love, your prayers, and your generosity.

You can donate today: