Recent Devotions
“I will extol the Lord at all times; His praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:1–4 Praising the Lord at all times can feel easy in seasons of joy, but much harder in moments of pain. There are times in life when circumstances don’t make sense. When expectations fall apart, when loss feels overwhelming, or when questions arise that don’t…
“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. There are seasons when it can feel as though prayers go unanswered and hearts are…
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:4 Have you ever stood before something so breathtaking that it silenced you? The vastness of the Grand Canyon, or the thunderous beauty of Niagara Falls can make you…
Readers Loved
“To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24, ESV) When my now college-age grand was still pre-school age, she was a very determined child. She wasn’t pushy or mean, just very firm in her likes and dislikes. When she liked something, she really, really liked it—to the point of holding onto her favorites forever. I discovered this when I…
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:2. Before God ever filled the earth with life, He first gave it form. The Spirit of God hovered over chaos, and then God began to separate, to define, and to bring order. On the first day, he divided light from darkness. The second day, He divided the waters from the sky. And, on the third day, He separate the land from the sea. It was only after He established…
Everyone has their own signature coping mechanism to deal with stress, grief, and the general chaos of life. Some people take the healthy route, like journaling, praying, or making a strategic action plan. And then, there’s me in my early twenties. I typed into Google’s search engine what I do to deal with stress, and it told me that I lean toward maladaptive coping, also known as the art of avoidance and denial. Now, if you’re someone who faces your problems head-on, you deserve a gold star, and maybe a TED Talk. As for me, I am making progress slowly…
“Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer.” (Romans 12:12, CSB) When we pray for a need in our life, do we pray once? Twice? Three times? When do we give up? Do we have the persistence to hold on until the answer comes? Is our trust in God strong enough to leave the answer and the timing up to Him? When we’ve cried out to God for the same situation for weeks, months, or what sometimes feels like forever, it’s easy to become discouraged. Yet, a parable of Jesus in Luke 18 teaches us to hold…
