Make a way in the wilderness…. (devo reflection)

Isaiah 43:19 …I am making a way in the wilderness….
This verse takes me back to March of last year. I am sitting in the driver’s seat of my husband’s truck, outside the doctor’s office. The hubs is in the back of the ambulance parked in front of me. The EMT comes to me and says, “Your husband has had a heart attack. We are running him in with lights and sirens. Don’t try to keep up.” Lord Jesus, make a way. Please, God, make a way. Make a way through this wilderness. Make a way. Please, make a way.
Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts….And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”
Almost a year and a half later, the hubs has no permanent damage and is preparing to hike the Appalachian Trail. I’m so thankful He made a way that allowed the hubs to heal here. But that’s not always the case. I could list many times where His way involved calling loved ones home to Him for healing. Or times when they were allowed to remain but now have to deal with health issues on earth. I don’t understand, quite frankly, but I implicitly trust the One who does.
Psalm 61:2 From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that You are making a way for us, Your perfect way, through whatever wilderness we face. Thank You for my absolute trust in Your love, Your goodness, and Your sovereignty, even when I don’t understand Your ways.  Continue to make a way through the wilderness of this life, LORD, a way that draws me closer to You. Amen.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Have a blessed day.

An anchor for the soul…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 39:7 And so, Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you.
As a child, I had a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea that I was to love God first and my family second. I didn’t really understand how I was supposed to love God, whom I could not see nor rely on in the way I did my parents, more than my parents who were physically with me and loved and cared for me daily.
Hebrews 6:19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.
As an adult who lost both parents unexpectedly and long before I was ready, I get it. God is my anchor. The hope I hold in His fierce love for me, the hope I hold in Heaven, anchors my soul. It allows me to weather heartache, pain, and loss. Don’t mistake this as an easy task. Letting go of loved ones when God calls them home is one of the most painful experiences on this earth. For each loved one I’ve had to say goodbye to, there is a deep ache of longing to see them again. But I WILL see them again one day and in a far better place than this earth.
2 Cor 3:12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we are very bold.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your fierce love. Thank You for being the hope that anchors my soul, that allows me to weather the trials of life. It isn’t easy, Lord, but my hope is in You, always, and for that gift, the gift of Your love and grace and my hope in You, I am thankful beyond words. Draw me closer. Amen.
Phil 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Have a blessed day.

Commit to the LORD whatever you do…. (devo reflection)

Proverbs 16:3 Commit your actions to the LORD, and your plans will succeed. (NLT)
I find various translations of bible verses fascinating, perhaps because of my teaching background. I will often go to BibleHub to see the different translations as I’m deciding which most closely matches what God has placed on my heart each morning. Usually, the difference is so slight, most any translation will work. This verse, however, really struck me.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans. (NIV)
I’m currently working through some online professional development in preparation for the new school year. One of the motifs I’m noticing is the idea of living and teaching boldly, which also means being prepared, at times, to fail boldly. I sincerely believe that just because the LORD has established my steps does not guarantee I will meet my own definition of success in the venture. Sometimes He needs me to fail spectacularly so that I can learn the lessons He needs me to learn.
Romans 8:37 No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for leading me to ponder the idea of success when it comes to Your will for my life. I sincerely believe that if I lay my plans at Your feet each day, asking for Your guidance, that You will direct my path. I also believe that if my path brings me closer to You and helps me to shine Your light in this world, then I will indeed achieve overwhelming eternal victory, even if I do not achieve my personal definition of success. Draw me closer, LORD. Amen.
John 16:33 “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Have a blessed day.

A Life in Progress…. (devo reflection)

1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.
In my head, I hear a fragment of song from my childhood about the difficulty of humility in the midst of perfection. (Any Mac Davis fans out there?) My instinct is to laugh at the idea of perfection. I am the ultimate work in progress, trying every day to be a little better than the day before. What I want is to live a life that allows my Savior to say to me when we meet face-to-face, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But I know that some days I get a little too big for my britches. Jesus, help me.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.
Part of humbling myself is casting all my anxieties on Him because He cares for me. Sadly, handing my cares to God, putting them at His feet and leaving them there, is an area where I continue to struggle—not because I think I can handle my own anxieties, but because I tend to be incredibly stingy when it comes to handing them over to my Savior AND LEAVING THEM THERE. I tend to keep a white-knuckled death grip on them, thinking that somehow that allows me to remain in control of them instead of them controlling me. Jesus, help me.
1 Peter 5:8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that I am a work in progress, Your masterpiece in the making. Thank You for the reminder to humble myself, to give my worries and fears to You. Thank You for cautioning me to look out for anything that separates me from You, including my ego, my anxieties, and my fears. Help me to live a life pleasing to You. Help me to remember that You are always fighting for me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 14:14 The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.
Have a blessed day.