This blog is designed to create community for believers and provide support for seekers. I encourage all readers to share their faith in an effort to lift and encourage one another.
Psalm 10: 16-18 “The Lord is King for ever and ever, The nation will perish from his land. You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted, You encourage them, and you listen to their cry, Defending the fatherless and the oppressed, So that mere earthly mortals Will never again strike terror.”
How reassuring is this? No matter who is leading a country, “The Lord is King.” So in times of turmoil or dissension, we know who is in charge. Our King hears ours desires when we are “afflicted.” His listens to our cries and defends us in times of difficulties. What a beautiful promise to cling to.
Thank you, Lord, for keeping your promises. Thank you for hearing our cries in times of oppression and problems. You are still the King of kings. Hallelujah!
This morning I cleaned my stove. You know, took out the burners and the drip pans and cleaned all the accumulated gunk. Most of it wiped up easily, but a few spots took a little elbow grease and some steel wool pads. Before long, the stove looked shiny and (nearly) new.
As I worked, my mind meandered, as it tends to do. I thought about all those meals I’d cooked on this stove. Would you believe it? Thirty-one years’ worth of meals. That’s a lot of years and a lot of meals. Any botched meals were the fault of the cook, not the stove. It endured boil-overs, splatters, occasionally burned food, and spills on the burners.
As my mind wandered, I couldn’t help but compare myself to that stove. Thurty-one is pretty ancient for a stove. Now I don’t consider myself ancient, but I am retired, and I am on Medicare. Even though I don’t like the title, I am officially classified as elderly.
In all my years, I’ve botched many things, said or done the wrong thing to the wrong person. I have boiled over in anger, regretting words that came out of my mouth. Over the years, there have been countless occasions where I’ve just made a mess of things. I haven’t always followed God’s recipe for my life. I’ve been spiritually careless and taken things and people for granted.
I am so grateful that God is always willing to clean up my messes. No matter what I have said or done, or how often I have ignored his suggestions, He is willing to forgive. Even when I make a huge mess, He helps me clean it up, He forgives and offers me grace. He opens my eyes to truth and wisdom in His word, and He shows me a better way. Are you ready to ask Him to help you clean up your messes and offer you grace?
Father, thank you for cleaning up my messes. Thank you for sending your son to offer grace to all of us that we may be sparkling clean in your sight.
“The literal translation of the words ‘pray always’ is ‘come to rest.’ The Greek word for rest is hesychia, and hesychasm is the term which refers to the spirituality of the desert. A hesychast is a man or a woman who seeks solitude and silence as the ways to unceasing prayer. The prayer of the hesychasts is a prayer of rest. This rest, however, has little to do with the absence of conflict or pain. It is a rest in God in the midst of a very intense daily struggle.”
~Henri Nouwen~
I love this description of prayer. In spite of circumstances, desirable or awful, through praying always we come to rest in our Savior.
Thank you Father, for letting us speak with you and listen to you. Thank you for giving us spiritual rest.
Psalm 9: 7-10 “The Lord reigns forever, He has established his throne for judgment. He rules the world in righteousness And judges the peoples with equity. The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, For you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”
There is so much content in these few verses. It all touches on who God is. Just look at the verbs in the first four lines: reigns, established, rules, judges. Read those four lines again and catch a glimpse of the magnificence of our God. The next two lines show us a small part of who our Lord is: a refuge, a stronghold. What words to cling to in times of danger or despair. In the last two lines, the psalmist speaks directly to our Lord about those who know and seek Him. With confidence, we can trust Him and know He will never forsake us.
Lord God, I am amazed at your power and might. Yet, with all that strength you are gentle enough to provide us refuge when we seek it. Thank you for your faithfulness.
This devotion is the first one I ever submitted, and the first one I published! Was I ever excited when I first saw it in “The Secret Place. “
Ahh, Spring!
Spring is in the air, and the sunshine draws me to the nearby nature trails. As soon as I enter the park, serenity covers me like a blanket. The trees, still black and bare of leaves, stretch high above my dirt pathway. The winds blowing up over my head sway the trees, causing their bare branches to clack against one another. On either side of my path, green shoots poke tentatively from the ground. Frogs in the nearby pond seem to sing, “Spring is coming.”
Soon these trees will wear lush canopies of green, and flowers will dot the countryside. Suddenly, I encounter a white-tailed deer staring at me. A mere ten yards away, her huge brown yes watch me gingerly pass by. Then I notice two more keeping watch. As my peaceful walk draws to a close, I exit the park through the overarching branches. The city streets loom hard in a barren contrast to the park. Walking home, I vow to take the beauty and serenity of God’s world with me, allowing it to awaken spring in my soul.
Precious Creator, let the springtime around me awaken the springtime in my soul. Let my heart know that you are God.
“The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Scatter sunshine, forget self, think of others. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”
― Norman Vincent Peale
Lord, help me to keep my focus on all the is pure and lovely. Help me to keep my mind on you and your glory.
Wishing you all a beautiful Tuesday. Enjoy the tulips. I took this phot last year at Botanica. They always make me smile.
Want to be closer with God? The psalmist is clear. All we need to do is call on him. Earnest prayer and quiet time with God is the path to closeness with him.
Have a blessed Monday, my friends, and take some time to draw closer to the Almighty today.
Growing Our Faith Together 