Good morning weary friend. I know the road you are traveling feels lonely, exhausting and at times unbearable. Sometimes you are so ready for peace and it feels like God is not answering your plea for help. This week The Lord has been reminding me that often I am more disappointed and disillusioned by the failure of my arrangements than His answers. He is answering, but probably not within the parameters of the controlled, nice, tidy box I frame those answers in. His plans are so much higher than we can imagine, and silence does not mean absence, but very often action. It is in the reticence of our trials that the resurrection is awakening. Just remember, not to put that outcome in a box; God does not fit there. Keep looking up. Take the next right step and remain faithful. I love this quote and hope it encourages you this morning:
The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.
Elisabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart
You are loved!
Tag: God
One Nation Under God, Not a Woman or Man
Let there be peace in our great land and let it begin with me. Let love ignite every heart and shine for all to see. Let there be one race, with no divisive mutiny. May we all respect the multitude of opinions with quiet dignity. Let us pray for our country in committed unity. No eye has seen; no ear has heard the breadth of His love for you and me. We are all called to one thing, love one another as our God loves you, me and our neighbor, Republican, and Democrat, all three. Let the violence end, hatred cease, and peace and harmony reign free. I pledge allegiance to one nation under God, not a woman or man, and it is in He where my security will stand. Please, Father calm restless, weary souls and whisper in our ears until it flows from our heart’s, let there be peace and love on earth and let it begin with me. Amen.
Where Are You
We each are a micro part of a macro world; but even in our smallness, God calls to us like he did to Adam in the garden in Genesis 3:9~Then the Lord God called to the man, “where are you?” He is not asking about our coordinates but our condition. He loves us so much that even as we are one person in a sea of millions standing small against backdrops of majestic mountains, lush lakes, towering trees that seem to reach the Heavens and all His glorious creations, He still cares about the condition of our one broken heart. No matter how small you feel today, and how overwhelming that crushing circumstance you are facing appears, can you listen to your Father calling you today? Where are you, D’Anna (insert your name); and with a confident heart reply with raw honesty because He already knows, and He wants to be the soother of your searching, sleepy soul. Will you answer Him today? Will you let God be your rescuer instead of the things of this world? We do not have to be victims because we belong to the ultimate victor who calls us his beloved, his child, his chosen one. He has ransomed me and you from yesterday, today and tomorrow shall she come to be. Unlock the bars and walk out, friend. You are a His, and He delights in you! You are loved!
Give Me Grace
Jesus when loved ones are struggling, relationships are shaky, people are ailing, help me resist the desire to fix what is. May I remember that scrambling for solutions can become a form of control and unbelief. Keep me cognizant that it takes more courage and faith to release my most precious treasures to You, free of my clinging hands. Allow me to care without control, hold without hovering and support without suffocating all people and situations I encounter today and each day forward. Jesus grant me the grace that enables me to rest not carefree, but confidently in your sovereignty amidst the backdrop of a broken world. Amen.
I Am A Sinner
It is not until I fully grasp the depth of my sin that I can be forgiving of the sins of others, and I tend to forget and need reminding of that. Forgiveness in some cases does not look like best friends or even a relationship, but it is the freeing of our hearts from the bondage of resentment, ill-will, revenge and all their destructive relatives. Do I do this perfectly? No, but I am seeking progress, not perfection.
I prayed A LOT leading up to last night’s debate. To be honest, there were moments I wanted to throw something at the television. However, those moments were less than the first debate, and this is why. My sins though they look different, at the root, they are the same. I have lied. I have been a hypocrite. I have said things I would not want other people to hear. I make mistakes every day. You might say, but you are not running for President, (and praise God for that!). Even if we had two different candidates to choose from, not one of them would be justified in picking up, much less cast a stone; and neither am I!
It is so easy for me to become a Pharisee by traveling this road, “well, at least I haven’t done what he/she has done.” That is the slogan for self-righteousness at its best, and I have been there. Jesus said, “I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:32.
My prayer is that we can all lay down our stones and turn our prosecution into prayers. Unless The Lord acts in a mighty way, and He may, one of these two candidates will become the next president. We need to be accepting of that and fight in those difficult moments to remember that God will still be on the throne on election night.
Yes, both DJT and HC are very imperfect, but so am I. They are both sinners, but so am I. Here is the good news for me, and I hope for them and you, there is no sin too big that the grace of God does not cover in a heart in which He dwells.
Also, we can take ourselves off duty right now because we are not the judge of the state of one’s heart today, tomorrow or ever.
As our pastor told us if you cannot vote for a candidate, vote for a platform; the one that most aligns with your views. I am praying for our country, and you are all loved by me!
The Party of Our Master, Not Man
We can choose to fuel the loud, petty noise of the world or we can commit to fold our hands in prayer for the faith of Abraham, the convictions of Daniel, the courage of David, the peace of James, and the joy of a father whose prodigal son has returned home. Circumstances either reveal or re-make us.
Father in such a time of chaos, hypocrisy, untruths and high emotions, let us put aside the fruition of our agendas and embrace being one over being offended. May we respect the opinion of each of our brothers and sisters while realizing that we can choose the need to be right or respectable.
Entitlement is fueling anger and tensions among our people. May we put off the lie that we deserve, (fill in the blank), and put on an attitude of, what can I do for you rather than what you should be doing for me.
May all the anger, unrest, and dissension be eased with our remembrance that you are on the throne every day. You take no vacations, and you do not rest. You are at work even when we cannot see or understand the commotion swirling around us. Please let us be motivated to encourage and engage one another peacefully.
Above all, Jesus, we represent your party and your platform. May we remember the virtues and characteristics of your master vision for America, not man’s. Amen.
You Do Not Have to Be Perfect Today
Good morning, friend. You do not have to be perfect today. You are only called to be who God has created you to be in each circumstance He places you. Sometimes that looks messy and sometimes manageable. It may look like wrestling and it may look like rest, but always fighting to honor the hope we have in the One who sees, knows and loves you just as much at your worst as He does your best. You are loved!
To Believe Or Not Believe, That is the Question
I made a commitment to myself at the end of the primaries not to comment on politics on social media because I did not think it was wise or helpful and I am not well versed enough to be credible. do feel led to say this, though. I went to bed last night, and I am pretty sure my blood was boiling. I was anxious; my soul was very unsettled, and I was angry. There are things in both candidates that bring out anger in me that I shutter to know is there when stoked. They both succeeded in different ways at fanning those flames last night.
The hypocrisy and arrogance, from both parties, last night, along with the barrage of social media posts lamenting our choices, sent me to bed a mess of emotions and feeling despair. I was praying and talking to Jesus in an attempt to calm myself. There in the dark last night, The Lord reminded me of something very critical that I think we all need to remember, myself included! All my anger, anxiety, lamenting and despair is just a form of UNBELIEF in who God is and the character that He possesses.
Tim Keller says many of us believe in God, but do not believe God.
Last night I had to ask myself that question. I believe in Him, but am I going to trust Him? If I am going to choose His word, which I am, then my terms can not be conditional. Even when things look dreadful, and circumstances appear unredeemable, God is good, faithful, sovereign and working good in the midst of our gaffes. He has plans for the good and prosperity of his children, and He can do immeasurably more with a mess than any of us can begin to imagine.
Today friends, I pray that if you believe in God, you will choose along with me to fight to believe God. There is a very critical difference in the two. When we intentionally make a choice not just to believe in him but believe Him, our lives will reflect that is our posts and our peace. I love you all!
Tomorrow is Only a Possibility, Not a Promise
Friend, you have only been given enough for right now. Every moment you are being given just enough to get you to the next step. Looking from today towards tomorrow will only offer you anxiety and worry.
This second, tomorrow is only a possibility, not a promise.
Stay focused on your now, not your later. Life is supposed to be lived in the present tense, but that is so hard for our minds that are prone to work so feverishly in the future. Looking back while trying to walk will likely cause us to stumble while looking forward leads our life to stall.
Don’t lose the fascinating presents of today worrying about the fallible probabilities of tomorrow. Embrace the treasures of today. No matter how much we try and figure tomorrow out, it is in the capable hands of our Creator not in the clingy hands of our control.
You are loved.
Why Lord, Why?
Time and again I ask the Lord, why Lord, why? In his gentleness, he answers, because my child, I love you, and I know you do not understand, but I do.
We do not have to figure it all out, friends. Steady scrutinizing lends unstable souls; while restful residence under the shady sovereignty of God brings a peaceful silence to our searching hearts. Because He knows, we do not have to. Because He loves us, we can trust as children that He is holding our best securely in His sacred hands.
If you find yourself searching for answers today, dear one, remember Deuteronomy 29:29~ The Lord our God has secrets known to no one. We are not accountable for them. And when you feel the uneasiness of uncertainty knocking at your door, invite in the assuring promise The Lord has given us in Jeremiah 29:11~ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
You are loved.