God, please turn the chaos into calm in the city of Paris tonight. Be near to hearts that have been crushed and confused by the chaotic commotion that is taking place. People are scared Father. Fear permeates borders and rattles hearts and minds all over our world. Despite it all, 365 times Your word commands us to fear not. That seems impossible on days of destruction such as this. New wounds have been created while old, seeping wounds perforated. Turn us from the presence of panic to a posture of prayer, God. Remind shattered hearts tonight that when we have an assurance of our eternal destination it is possible to find respite in our existent situation. I know you are gently caressing every fallen tear. Nestle the hurting in Your healing hands tonight. I pray we, your children, do not let toxic terrorists prevent us from persisting. Help us to hold on to the truth that it is far better to die living in faith than to live dying from fear. May the lacerated feel Your lavish love tonight. Soothe our splintered hearts as we process the abundance of agony that is taking place. May we, the worn watchers, lay our heads down tonight with our palms in prayer for the persecuted, security in our souls of our salvation and praise for our people sleeping safely under shelter. Amen.
Tag: hope
Prayer for the Suffering This Morning
Jesus in a world of evil that produces the likes of Ashley Madison convict us to lay down our stones of hatred and stretch out our arms in help. Give us the strength to be peace planters, not problem perpetuators. Families are being ravaged by sin. Suffering is no surprise to You, Father. You are not shaking your head in disbelief or seeing us with disparagement. The world says we are doomed, but with confidence You say, ALL, can be delivered. In Your economy Lord, the redemption starts at the moment of the wreckage. Help us remember that you are in the business of restoration, not ruination. You represent redemption, not retaliation. You are a fountain of mercy, not misery; and You Lord are a grace giver, not grievance granter. Lend comfort to the hurting Father; the innocent, the condemners and the condemned. May we go and sin not, but when we do, remind us that in repentance and rest is our salvation. In quietness and trust is our strength.~ Isaiah 30:15. Amen.
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Let It Be You, Jesus
Jesus let it be your heart not headlines that capture us. Some days discouragement seems the easier option. Remind us you are in the business of deliverance despite destruction. Your mercy and grace reach the biggest of mess ups, the deepest of deceptions and the grandest of griefs. I ask you to encourage us in our brokenness today, Father. Amen.
ALL THINGS
Dear friends,
Remember every situation that comes your way today, tomorrow, and beyond, God has a promise for it that is ALL encompassing for those who love Him. There are no exclusions, and it is so steadfast that it is substantial enough to console, energize, revitalize and sustain us through every valley we walk. Romans 8:28. ALL THINGS. That one little, three letter word, ALL, makes my life so much lighter when I keep my gaze focused there. It is not a promise of instant relief, but infallible redemption. May you find rest there today.
We Do Not Understand, but Someday Will
Have you ever had that experience where you board an airplane a little nervous because of rain, snow or ominous clouds invading the skies surrounding the runway? I have many times. Every time, I have come to learn that if I can just persevere through the take off endure the turbulence, the jolts, the drops, the bump and the jerks; relief awaits. We have to make it through the facets of the storm, and once above it, the sun is shining and the skies are beautiful. The view from above the storm is peaceful and beautiful. It stands in stark contrast to the perspective from below.
This morning where I am, it is misty and gray thus far. The weather matches the tone of my heart as I wake to news of more violence against innocent people. We are all Charleston, North Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Lafayette, Louisiana because we are all Americans. They hurt, and we hurt. We grieve their grief. We are in the remnants of their storms with them.
What I have to focus on is that above the storm is a very different picture that I cannot see; one scripted by The Author of the universe. If I don’t focus my mindset here, the news of more violence and evil becomes too much to bear.
Jesus said in John 13:7 ~”You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
As we wake to every tragedy, and there will be more, John 13:7 has to be enough for us today and tomorrow and every day as long as we call this world home.
Stay rooted in truth, friends. It is only by living as we say we believe that we can live at all.
You Complete Me
Am I finding life in my current success or my eternal security? My answer makes all the difference.
Father, you know I am bent towards a fallen nature of performance based righteousness. By my power, in my own eyes, I will never be enough. Thank you for sacrificing your Son to complete me. Help me to find significance in Your sanctuary, not my success. Amen.
Father, you know I am bent towards a fallen nature of performance based righteousness. By my power, in my own eyes, I will never be enough. Thank you for sacrificing your Son to complete me. Help me to find significance in Your sanctuary, not my success. Amen.
Courage
Still young in her years; a beautiful mind but bruised body from fighting the cancer she has wrestled far too long. Without adequate explanation, something was undeniably prompting me to ask her the difficult question. Maybe I needed to know she was okay? I suppose I was searching for an ounce of self-comfort, too. Not expecting such brave, candor, I leaned into my fear and asked, “Are you afraid?” “You mean to die, she asked?” “Yes,” I replied with an awkward hesitancy. “Not anymore. “I had a dream not too long ago and God told me everything was going to be alright. I have not been afraid since then.” I am ready to go. I cannot do much in this body anymore. I can do a lot more good as an angel than I can down here.”
She could have understandably complained. Her circumstances are grueling, but she demonstrated to me that God’s grace is sufficient even in the most sorrowful places.
And that friends, is Courage worthy of being honored!
A Happy Ending
Young and beautiful, she struggled through the door of a conference room I was sitting in yesterday; walking with great effort and the assistance of a cane. I knew she had a story. We all do. I could not help but wonder what her’s was. “Does this story have a happy ending,” she asked? “I just have to know before we get started.”
What a picture she represented to me. I, a daughter of the King, struggle and limp through life often needing assistance to be steadied. All along asking my Father, does my story and that story and those stories, do they have happy endings? And I imagine my loving God smiling as he says to me, all my stories have happy endings, my child. You may relax and enjoy the journey. Rest in this truth today friends. If you know Jesus as your Savior, your story has a happy ending, too. If it is not happy, it is not the ending.
Freedom in Jesus Alone
I have to be honest even when honesty feels scary. Today I feel an incongruence in my heart about celebrating our freedom. The tone of our world right now feels more about imprisonment and fear than independence and freedom.
Are we free? We are burning one another’s churches. Are we free when we are judging and persecuting one another’s sin with a blindness to our own? Our young women and children are being sold into slavery and Americans are committing unthinkable crimes against Americans. Are we free?
I saw an add this morning that said, “freedom is never given, it is won. Many brave men and women have sacrificed immensely, some everything, to keep us safe. They are true heroes, and I will never forget their loyalty, courage, and dedication.
From a different perspective, though, if we are followers of Jesus, the story reads a little different. Our freedom was both won and given. If I look at our world, I often become discouraged and angry. This world feeds us a lot more fear than freedom. Only Jesus gives us the freedom from that fear.
Today more than ever, it is crucial that we fix our eyes on Him. Today more than ever it is vital that we base our hope and our future on our providential creator, not our presidential candidate. Our power, our protection, our purpose and our plan does not come from anything or anyone authentic to this world, but the Author of this world. We must ask Him to use us as vessels of his peace and His purpose. All of us individually must decide to get out in this world and make a difference. We cannot afford to wait for someone else to do it.
We must put idol aside to pursue intentional.
I don’t think our presence in this world is to lead people to delight, but disturbance colored in shades of hope and kindness.
Until we are confused, we will always be content.
There are a lot of good people doing a lot of good in this world. Today I pray we highlight more of the good that is pervasively present than the evil that is persistently pursuing. Darkness can take many things away from us, but not our choices. An inactive light cannot be seen. We must shine our lights! Let’s celebrate the freedom to pursue purposeful paths today.
Fixed and Fastened On You, Lord
Remember dear friends as you wake today to the news, the diagnosis, the trial or tragedy; none of it has the power to make us spin without our permission. We alone choose our thoughts and perspectives. That is one thing that may not be taken away. Also, no matter what the circumstances, as Christ followers we have this great hope of a perfect eternity. This world is not our home. As James 4:14 says of our life, so it is true of this world; it is like a morning fog, here today and gone tomorrow. Do not let your hearts be burdened. Keep your eyes fixed on the eternal and your thoughts embedded in the truth. May we all anchor ourselves in the life-giving words of Philippians 4:6-8 today and all the days we occupy this life: Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Lord, let your word not just be the song of our lips, but also the symbol of our lives. Amen.