“But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.” Psalm 13:5 NLT When my daughter was younger, she learned the power of yelling “help” when she needed me. As a mother, my first instinct when I heard her desperate plea was panic. The thought of her needing help would make me move faster than I normally could. When I would finally reach her, she was usually in a box she couldn’t get out of, or she had fallen over on her trike and needed help getting up. The fact is, she knew to yell…
“When the humble see it they will be glad; you who seek God, let your hearts revive.” Psalms 69:32 ESV Have you ever felt tired? I have two daughters, both of whom have been terrible sleepers since birth. They were most needy during the night, waking up anywhere from 5 to 6 times for a bottle, diaper change, or just some snuggles. At first, you are kind of okay with the lack of sleep because you’re surviving on the new baby high, but eventually, it catches up to you, and you crash—hard. Something similar can happen in our spiritual lives as well. If we aren’t regularly going to the well to be filled, we will run dry. Exhaustion will set in, and the journey will no longer look exciting and promising, but rather impossible and hopeless. We must always pursue God and the things of God. Seeking requires patience and diligence, but our hearts will be revived. The Bible is filled with stories of ordinary people who went to great lengths to find what had been lost. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the retrieval of the missing item. In our daily lives, nothing else must matter more than…
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV It is easy to trust in what I believe and feel, but the above scripture reminds me that it is unwise to do so. I have opinions like everyone else, but they don’t change the world or the atmosphere around me; only God and His word can do that. Too often, people hide behind computer and phone screens, harshly giving their opinion for the sole purpose of giving their opinion. How often have we seen someone change their mind or perspective on something because of this? I’ve yet to see it. God’s word is clear and unyielding when it states that we should not lean on what we understand. According to Blue Letter Bible, to lean can also mean to support one’s self or to trust in. As humans, we cannot see beyond the moment we are in, but God knows the beginning from the end and vice versa. He does all things well and has a beautiful plan for our lives. If we acknowledge (recognize, accept, profess)…
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. The Lord has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.” Proverbs 16:3-4 ESV I am so thankful for the strength and assurance in God’s word. Life can often be confusing, but I have learned through the years that only God remains constant and steadfast. His majesty has never been and never will be diminished in any way, and He is always near to us. According to Dictionary.com, one definition of “commit” is “to give in trust or charge, especially for safekeeping.” This…
“This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God’s way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities.” Ephesians 3:7-8 MSG A few years ago, God began to speak to me about connecting with others. I’ve always relied on my husband or others to begin and carry the conversation, but I could feel God gently giving me a nudge to do it myself. I’ve never been a great conversationalist, and I do genuinely struggle when starting a conversation with someone new. When I began this journey, I felt very unqualified. I was nervous, awkward and really had to depend on God to give me courage and the right words to speak. Looking back, I can see that God was equipping me with what I needed to grow during the process. Oftentimes we feel as though we aren’t qualified enough…
. “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:11 All week we have been looking at the Psalms and gleaning insight from them to help us in our walk with the Lord. Now, as I am writing the final message for this week, I feel impressed to emphasize verses in the Psalms that speak of the joy of the Lord. Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 30:4-5 “Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Psalm 35:27 “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” Psalm 43:4 “Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God…