“When your soul is famished and withering, He fills you with good and beautiful things, satisfying you as long as you live. He makes you strong like an eagle, restoring your youth.” (Psalm 103:5) If you expand your reading to see the context of this verse in Psalm 103, you…
Payphone or cell phone? MP3 or antique gramophone? Computer screen or chalkboard? No contest. We are a technology generation.High-tech wins. It’s great but has one major flaw. Technology produces impatience. If the internet connection doesn’t open in less than ten seconds, we tap our fingers or click the mouse. Email or text messages beg for immediate reply. Do we treat prayer the same way? Pray. Click. Send message heavenward. Pace the floor waiting for instant message reply. Frustration follows when there’s no immediate response. God anticipated this reaction. He responded long before you asked. His answer? Waiting produces strength.
“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint,” (Isaiah 40:31, Holy Bible, King James).
Prayer : Lord, I have faith but little patience. Strengthen me while I wait. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
“Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people!” (Psalm 66:5, Holy Bible, New Living Translation).
Awesome! This overused word is interwoven into conversations to describe anything above average. It’s linked to fashion, talents, gourmet foods, websites, gadgets, and travels. The King James Version translates awesome as “terrible.” Imagine this scene. We’re looking over the splendid Grand Canyon. I wave my arms and shout out “Terrible!” You wouldn’t understand my comment. If I said “awesome” you would know I’m impressed with God’s creation. That’s what the psalmist meant—full of awe, awesome—when he recognized God’s magnificent miracles. Awesome! That word belongs to God.
Prayer : Lord, when I see Your creations and witness miracles You have given to us, they are awesome! Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
Baby takes its first breath, lungs filling with air and cries at being thrust from the safety of the womb into bright light. That first cry brings life, hope and dreams. When the baby’s mother is wheeled to the curb at the hospital, going home, optimism blossoms. She visualizes her baby in the future. First tooth. First steps. A smiling kindergartner in cap and gown. She sees happy days with a bright future, not thoughts of tragedy awaiting the warm bundle of life cradled in her arms. Although death begins at the moment of birth, the mother acknowledges only life and hope. Jesus, recognizing His destiny to die, said “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10, Holy Bible, King James Version).
Prayer : Eternal God, between the first breaths of life and the last before death, there is hope for each of Your children to make a difference. I pray for an expectant mother who has little hope to dream big, pray and nurture her child to be a winner for you. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18, Holy Bible, King James).
We are born with mental reasoning capacity for everyday living. Along the way, we make advance choices that affect our long-term goals. In extreme situations where quick decisions are required, adrenaline powers the human body to do extraordinary feats on a moment’s notice. Knowing we would have questions about eternity, God reminds us to listen to reason—His reason. He has created the one-size solution for all.
Prayer : Eternal God, I am blessed by these ancient words that provide a reason for eternal hope. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7, Holy Bible, New King James).
A visiting minister taught our congregation the precepts of being a kingdom keeper using Joash, the keeper of the oil, as an example. Although one of David’s mighty men of valor, Joash was appointed as Oil Keeper. Apostle Paul, orator, writer, and missionary, summed his position as Keeper of the Faith. That position is always open for new volunteers.
Prayer: Lord, whatever I can do for You, never let me forget that keeping the faith is a top priority.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day (Genesis 1:5, Holy Bible, King James).
My writing friends journal in notebooks, recording daily events that may blossom into a memoir. I don’t journal, but I carry a small notebook to jot titles and thoughts for devotionals. From those brief scribbles, God inspires me with Scriptures and themes, a reverse approach.
In the beginning, God used a straight-forward pattern, separating light from darkness and naming those divisions day and night. Although God created light first, He switched to a reverse order, calling the evening and morning as the first day. With that decision, God established a reverse pattern for the universal law for time. Each day begins in midnight darkness, not sunrise. Read about it in the Genesis, God’s memoirs penned by Moses.
Prayer:Eternal God, creator of the universe, You established time recognized by every nation. Even those who do not believe in You live by this pattern of time. You are omnipresent in light and darkness. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
“Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’” (Mark 8:27-29, Holy Bible, New King James).
Opinion surveys are effective in local issues. Online surveys assess consumer habits. Instructors distribute printed surveys at the close of workshops and seminars to determine if the experience met the teacher’s expectations. When Jesus asked for public opinion, His disciples replied with a variety of responses. When Jesus asked for personal understanding, Peter had the correct answer, “You are the Christ.”
Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for asking me this same question. Like Peter, I know You are the Messiah. Amen.
Devotion by Violet Carr Moore
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.” (Psalm 19:14 in the King James Version of the Holy Bible.)
You’re never too old to learn something new. I’m proof of that at age 70. I pray this familiar scripture on a daily basis. As I read it again, I realized the approval process starts with my mouth. My mouth sets me up for God’s approval or His disdain.
The psalmist prays to God to keep him from sin, and then begs that He would accept his performance. If we excuse our sins, we cannot expect God to ignore what we have done. He is an all-knowing God. Nothing is hidden from Him.
Prayer: Dear Lord, more than anything I want you be pleased with the words that come from my mouth and the thoughts I meditate on in my mind. This is my prayer today. In Jesus Name, Amen!
Devotion by Kaye Singleton