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.
Just think…we are children of God. Isn’t that an amazing thought? God, who is love, is our father. He loves us. We who love are his children and we know him. It seems there is a command in here, too, right? Love others. Love comes from God, so we, his children ought to love others.
Lord, I know I need your counsel on how to love others. Teach me, guide me, your child. Show me how to love others as you love them.
Early in the morning before the phone starts ringing and the demands of the day begin pressing all around, I love to curl up in my favorite glider rocker and just think. Pre-dawn darkness covers everything, but a soft light gradually steals into the room. The house is quiet, not yet fully awake. With my back to the lace-covered bay window, I gaze out the sliding glass window to the south. The branches of the mulberry trees arch toward earth, heavy with their fruit. A bright red cardinal hops from one branch to another, calling to his mate. A small, sky- blue birdhouse, its door flanked by two birch twigs, hangs from the mulberry tree. A tiny wren flits about, and then dives into the miniature house. The potted plants on the patio steps provide a splash of color: red, trailing geraniums, brilliant against the white pots. Arching asparagus ferns reach toward the patio. Bright yellow moss roses, a hint of red at their centers, peek from beneath the greenery. My cat Tigger prowls, seeking prey. The birds chatter and chastise him, but they need not fear. He is too fat to catch them.
As I sit, still and quiet, contemplating the early morning peace and the beauty of nature, I sense the presence of God. It is in this setting, when I sit quietly and let my mind wander, that I can hear God’s still, quiet voice speaking to me. In this calm, contemplative state, I open my heart to hear His voice. In the quiet, before my mind races with obligations and responsibilities, I watch. I listen. He responds. He makes His presence known.
Some mornings I meditate on His greatness. Other mornings I listen to worshipful music. As the beautiful notes wash over my soul, and the words seep into my heart, they speak volumes of God’s power, majesty, and grandeur. When I open my Bible, God speaks to me through the written word. Passages I may never have noticed before nearly jump off the page. “Listen to My words,” God says to my heart. “These words are my special message, just for you, just for today’s circumstances.” As I ponder the words, I feel Him in the room, His love washing over my entire being. I cherish this time with God.
Too soon, it is time to scurry about and prepare for the busy day ahead. I would love to take these special moments with me and live in this state forever, but I know I cannot. Even though I wish I could, I am unable to have this lengthy quiet time on a daily basis. Too often, my quiet time with God is far too short. But I realize that He does not intend for me to live entirely on the mountaintop experiences of His love; He wants me to spend time in the valleys. For it is only in the valleys that I can share these experiences with others. It is only in the valleys that others can see God’s presence in me. It is only in the valleys that I can learn and grow. So I go about my everyday tasks, longing for insight into more of God’s grandeur. Someday I know I will see Him face to face; someday I will behold, in full, His glory; someday I will go to the mountaintop where I will bask in His presence for all eternity. In the meantime, I obediently walk in the valleys and try to stay content with occasional glimpses of His glory.
Lord of my life, thank you for the mountaintop experiences and for the walks in the valley. In your wisdom, allow each experience to mold me into your image.
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
“The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead.
-Joni Eareckson Tada.
I love the imagery from this quote. Oh, the joy to have that peek into God’s glories that await us. In the meantime, he calls us to serve others and to reflect his glory to them so that they, too, may know and understand the joy that awaits them in their Father’s home. May we all peek through that knothole and view God’s glorious kingdom.
This verse is so reassuring, especially during difficult times. It is such a wonderful reminder that God is still in control, even when the world appears sad, ugly, and in Satan’s control. God will achieve his will.
Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness and for your power over evil. Teach me to trust that power and remember your faithfulness. Keep me looking to notice the many ways you are accomplishing your purpose and reigning over evil.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Romans 15:13
Today, my friend, my you place your trust in God so completely that he engulfs you with joy and peace. May that joy and peace radiate outward so others can see and recognize God’s spirit within you. May the power of his overflowing spirit fill others with his power.
This week, my friend, will you pray the prayer of Romans 15:13 over others?
Thank you, God for sending your son, Jesus, to bear the burden of our sins. You have enabled us to approach your throne and receive your mercy and grace, even though we are not worthy.
Yesterday my husband had hip replacement surgery.
Today I have so many reasons to thank the Lord.
Thank you, Lord, for enabling capable men and women to perform his procedure so he doesn’t have to live the rest of his life in pain.
Thank you, Lord, for giving others compassionate hearts and the ability to care for him while he recovers from the surgery.
Thank you, Lord, that the simpler procedure was done so that my husband could recuperate more quickly.
Thank you, Lord, for a husband who honors and worships you and was willing to pray with and for the surgeon just before the surgery.
Thank you, Lord, for medicines to ease his pain.
Thank you, Lorde, for family and friends who take the time to check up on both of us and offer to help.
Thank you, Lord, for loving us, in good times and bad.
Thank you, Lord, for your great love and amazing grace in all circumstances.
“I know of nothing that speaks louder for Christ and Christianity than to see a man or woman giving up what they call their rights for others, and ‘in honor preferring one another.”
– D.L. Moody
Lord, teach me to love others the way you love them. Teach me to humbly honor them as you would and to see others through your eyes.
Thank you, Lord, for your wisdom, grace, and perfect plan for salvation.
Here’s a Friday challenge for you. Pray the words of the following scripture this week. Pray the words for someone different each day. Pray for your loved ones, your church, your neighbors, your enemies, your country, those who are lost and lonely. You get the idea. Here’s the scripture.
Philippians 1:9-11
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Today, I am praying for you, my readers, Father, I pray that you will grant abundant love to all who read these words. Fill them with your wisdom and insight to they can understand what is right and that they may be pure and blameless until your return. All praise and glory to You, our God and Father.
Growing Our Faith Together 