Month: October 2018

Lord, I want to be filled with Your joy and peace. Putting my faith in the things of this world is like trying to walk on shifting sands—frustratingly impossible. Some days it feels like the only thing I can count on is the fact that nothing will turn out the way I planned. Thank You that I have more to count on than this world, that this world is not my home. Thank You for Your love and mercy.

Lord, Help me to overflow with Your confident hope. Help me to focus on the beauty that I know is coming, even as I’m slogging through the ashes. Help me not to get tripped up in the trappings of this life. Help me to keep my eyes and my heart focused completely on You.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your love, joy, and peace. Thank You that the confusion and disorder of this world are not my fate. Thank You for the clarity and joy that can only be found in You. Help me to always rejoice in You and in the hope that comes from You. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

As I was proofing yesterday’s reflection, I realized that the trio said that God is ABLE to deliver them from the fire, but that He WILL deliver them from the king’s hand. The implication, it seems to me, is that God might deliver them from the king’s hand THROUGH the fire, but regardless, He would deliver them from the king. And that regardless of HOW He chose to deliver them, they would remain faithful.

This morning I spent some time reading commentaries of Daniel 3:17. One of them mentioned that the trio’s attitude was that “God will deliver us, either from death or in death.” They were not assured that they would live, but they absolutely trusted that God was in control and that He would deliver them from the king’s hand in the way He felt best. They honored Him with their faith in His sovereignty, and they were unafraid.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the example of the unwavering faith of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daily I am faced with the choice to comply with the ways of the world or stay Your faithful course. Help me, regardless of the magnitude of the obstacles in my path, to choose You. Help me to always have faith that You can and will save me in the way You see fit. Help me to trust Your sovereignty and love and to faithfully praise You. Help me not to be afraid. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Several things strike me about this section of Daniel 3. Both verse 13 and verse 19 describe the king as furious, with 13 articulating that he was furious with rage. I have learned in my own life that when anger, fury, rage enter the equation, I’ve got to take several steps back and breathe. Nothing good happens when I function in anger. The other thing that strikes me here is the utter calm of the trio facing the irate king.

The king has the power of life and death over them, and they know it, but that aren’t afraid because God is their defender. They are confident that He CAN deliver them and He WILL deliver them, but the next verse is what really gets me. “But even if He does not….” They recognize in His sovereignty that He may choose not to deliver them from the fire but that regardless, He will be with them and He WILL deliver them from the king’s hand. Lord, give me that level of strength in my faith.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the mighty example of faith shown in Daniel 3. Help all those who feel like they are walking through the fire to feel Your mighty presence with them. Help them to understand that even if deliverance does not come in the way they hope or expect, that You are still in control, that You are still present, that You WILL deliver them. Help us all to have the level of faith that we see in these verses. Draw us closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I am seeing God’s grace with new eyes thanks to an illuminating conversation with a friend. 2 Peter 1:2 shows that grace is dynamic, not static. We are not given a set portion of grace that must last us through eternity. As we grow in our knowledge of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in One, we are given more grace and more peace. Perhaps that is because as our knowledge and understanding of our Creator and Savior grows, we are able to be more like Him as we deal with the situations of life? I don’t know, but I’m thankful that learning more about Him allows me to tap into more of His grace and peace.

I love the idea that I can grow in grace. I was never very graceful as a child, nor as an adult. The worldly trait of gracefulness is not within my reach, and while the concept of God’s grace is wholly different than the world’s gracefulness, I’m eternally thankful that not only does He cover me with His grace, giving me more and more as I grow in my knowledge and understanding of Him, but also that I can grow in His grace. On those days when my weakness tries to overtake me, when what He is asking me to do or endure seems too far beyond my reach, I can rest in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient, that it covers me in my weakness, that if I allow, He can help me grow in His grace. Thank You, Jesus!

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your amazing, unending, expanding, strengthening grace. Thank You for conversations that compel me to explore Your concepts further. Thank You that Your grace is beautifully multifaceted and freely given. Help me to grow in Your grace, peace, and love as I seek to know You more. Help me to shine Your light. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

A friend and I have been talking recently about grace—what it is, what it means, what it encompasses. I’ll admit I probably haven’t given the matter as much thought as I should in the past, and I’m thankful for our conversations. God’s grace is, in part, His unearned favor, freely and lavishly given to me even though I don’t deserve it. It is a multifaceted gift.

1 Peter 4:10 stopped me in my tracks this morning. Not only is His grace a gift, freely and unreservedly given, but He also makes me a steward of His grace through the gifts, talents, and abilities He has bestowed upon me. I am a caretaker of God’s grace. The gifts that He has given me are part of His grace, which I am them responsible for sharing with others as freely and lavishly as He shared with me. Jesus, help me to be Your faithful steward.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the gift of Your saving grace. Thank You for the gifts, talents, and abilities You have given me so that I could share them with others. Help me never to forget that I am a caretaker of Your grace. Help me to give the job of faithful steward of Your grace the attention and care it deserves. Draw me closer. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I am a rule follower from way back. If you give me the rules, clearly lay them out for me, I can play by them and enforce them, no problem. And there is much to be said about being able to follow and enforce the rules. It can be a very good trait to possess.

But the Pharisees and Sadducees show another side of rule following. When you get so caught up in following the rules to the letter, when the goal becomes mindless adherence to the rules with no heart for what or why, it is definitely problematic.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder that while rules and laws are important and necessary, it is crucial that my heart is always involved when I seek You, strive to do Your will, and observe Your statutes. I am really good at following the rules, Lord. Don’t let me ever forget that first and foremost, I am following You with all my heart and soul. Help me to earnestly seek You daily, Lord. Draw me closer with every breath. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Yesterday, I called on my Savior out of my sickness and my general inability to control certain aspects of my life. Trust me when I say that I understand, in the grand scheme of life, how trivial my current concerns are in light of the struggles many others face. But here’s the beautiful thing about my Savior—He knows me. He knows my struggles. And He cares, even if my sinus headache and congestion are not earth shattering. If I earnestly seek Him, I will find Him. Thank You, Jesus.

And when I come to Him, He doesn’t make me prove my need. I never hear, “Seriously, Beth? I’ve got important things to do. There’s real suffering in this world. I don’t have time for your trivialities.” If I seek Him, earnestly and wholeheartedly, I WILL find Him. Thank You, Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your radical, all-encompassing love. Thank You for the ability to approach Your thrown boldly, regardless of my need, and for the grace and comfort I always find there. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Help me to love with Your love, so all can know You. Draw us closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

I have a raging sinus headache, and my lungs are clogged with phlegm. To speak is a struggle. To think is a struggle. And it feels like so many areas of my life, once seemingly so organized, are falling into a pile of rubble at my feet. My cry this morning, soul-weary and heart-felt, is Acts 9:6 …”Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” And my sweet Savior lays the balm of Joshua 1:5-9 on my heart. He pulls me close and whispers, “I am bigger, stronger, greater, more sovereign than your feelings, than your sinus issues, than anything in your life. I am with you. I am holding you. Trust Me.” Thank You, Jesus.

What I want is a divine action plan guaranteed to make my life feel like it is back under my control. What He’s given me is a reminder that He is with me, that I am not alone. He seems to be saying, “Keep on keeping on, one foot in front of the other. I am with you, guiding you. I am in control. I have a plan for all of this. You are deeply loved, and I am holding you even now.” Thank You, Jesus.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your love, Your presence, and Your reassurance. Thank You for seeing me as a treasure, even when everything around me and inside me tries to convince me I am worthless. Thank You for the reassurance that You are with me and for now I just need to stay the course, trusting that You are in control, that You are guiding me. Draw me closer, Lord. Use all of this for my good and Your glory. Amen.

Have a blessed day.

Last night I dreamed of my mom. In the dream, I got to hug her close and tell her how much I missed her. As I was doing my prayer and devotional time this morning, I remembered a tiny snippet of that dream and was flooded with a sense of longing to see and love on those who have gone before. I’m am thankful that this world is not my home and that someday there will be no more tears or sorrow.

Somehow, and who knows how the mind works, I went from longing for my loved ones to thinking of how God longs for a relationship with His beloved children—all of them. He wants it so much that He sent His Son for our sins to restore us to a right relationship with Him. He knew us before we were born, knows everything about us, and still He loves us unconditionally and wants a relationship with us.

Lord, Thank You for this day and for the ability to have a close relationship with You. Thank You that this world is not our home and that a better place awaits us. Thank You for the family and friends with which we share our lives and the fact that we will see them again some day. Draw us closer to You. Amen.

Have a blessed day.