Month: February 2019

Psalm 23:3 He restores my soul…. (ESV)
This morning, one of my devo readings took me to Psalm 23:3, a verse I’ve read many times. When I reached my prayer time, kicked back in my recliner, and closed my eyes to pray, I remember thinking, “I am exhausted. If only I could get a little more sleep.” And my precious Savior sent Psalm 23:3 roaring to mind. Sleep won’t restore my weary soul. Only my Shepherd can do that. Thank You, Jesus.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.
I feel like I live in a state of perpetual exhaustion. My mind is going all the time. There is always something else to grade, plan, do, clean. Downtime is more “ignoring all the things I ought up be doing right now” instead of “time to relax and renew my soul.” I love this wording of Isaiah 40:31. When I trust in the LORD, I find new strength, His strength. My strength is just not enough for this life. Jesus, Help me.
Matt 11:28 “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the invitation to rest in You. Help me to fully comprehend what resting in You is and looks like. Help me to lay my burdens at Your feet and to wrap myself in Your amazing, transcendent peace. Restore my weary soul, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 23:3 He renews my strength…. (NLT)
Have a blessed day. 

Romans 8:11 The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.
Romans 8:11 takes my breath away. To think that the power that resurrected Jesus lives IN me is mind blowing. It is also incredibly convicting. Do I live my life as though I have that kind of power inside? Sadly, I do not. 
Romans 8:6 …letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.
How desperately I want His peace in my life instead of the troubles of this world. I want to focus on Him instead of everything that could go wrong. Lord, Help me get out of Your way. Help me to allow Your Spirit to guard and guide my mind so that I can walk in Your peace.
Romans 8:15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves….
Lord, Thank You for this day and this message. I know I can do all things through You, ALL things, but I am so often shacked by limitations imposed by my own mind. I want life and peace, Lord, and those things can only come from You. Thank You for giving me access to Your Spirit, which helps lead and guide me daily. Help me to get better at listening to Your still, small voice within me, to tune out the chaos of the world so I can hear You more readily. Draw me closer. Amen.
Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Have a blessed day. 

2 Cor 4:16 Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
God is so good to me. He sent me to 2 Corinthians this morning because He knows I’m weary. I needed the reminder not to lose heart, the reminder that He is with me, He is at work in my life, my circumstances. Thank You, Jesus.
2 Cor 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
I know that He is with me, that He is at work, that I must focus on Him instead of the thousands of daily little annoyances that are currently driving me bananas. I know I need to shift my focus and also that I need to do things differently to have a different outcome. I know that I can’t allow myself to devolve into worry and fret but I also can’t not do anything. Jesus, Help me to know how to proceed.
2 Cor 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for seeing my weariness and reminding me that You are in this with me. Thank You for the reminder to not lose heart and to keep my eyes on You. Help me to know how to move forward in a positive direction, Lord. Help me to see how to honor You in this situation. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Have a blessed day.

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored….”
Standing at the top of Springer Mountain Georgia yesterday, at the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, it was incredibly easy to be still, to breathe in God’s presence, grace, and love. Standing beside my husband as he began this journey of a lifetime, as he took the first steps toward fulfilling a dream that he’s had since youth, it was easy to feel God’s presence with us. I was full to overflowing with awe and gratitude. Thank You, Jesus!
1 Cor 10:31 Therefore whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all things to the glory of God.
And as I drove home, I was thinking about how they will be surrounded by God’s presence everywhere on this journey, how at the end of a long day, they will rejoice in their rest, in the simple pleasures of scenery, food, warmth, comradery. Then this morning, it hit me that that’s the task for all of us—to find and celebrate God in our daily lives, to thank Him for our blessings and for His steadfast presence—through a life well-lived for Him. Thank You, Jesus!
Ecc 2:24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for the journey the hubs and our oldest are embarking on, for the opportunity for our youngest and I to find You and celebrate You in our daily lives as well. Help us all to seek You, to see You, to celebrate You in every aspect of our lives, whether hiking in Your magnificence or toiling at home. Draw us closer to You and to each other. Amen.
Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Have a blessed day.

Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
I have tons of pictures of gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, and when I read this verse last week, that is immediately what came to mind, but perspective is a beautiful thing. It has been raining for what feels like an eternity in the past week, and this morning, we awoke to blue skies. Psalm 19:1 was the verse that immediately sprang to mind.
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.
Ironically, when I first looked outside, I was excited and thankful simply for blue skies. There was no amazing sunrise in the works. In fact, when I first looked, there was just a patch of blue amidst the clouds, but my God is so good to me. Within moments it seemed, He had swept away most of the gray and treated me to a spectacular sunrise. Thank You, Jesus!
Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for being steadfast and true even with our fickle natures, for Your grace, mercy, and love. Thank You for the glorious sunrise this morning and for the amazing journey before us. Help us to lean in to You, to trust You, to be still in Your presence, to wait patiently for You, and to enjoy the journey. Draw us closer to You and to each other. Keep us safe. Amen.
Psalm 62:5 Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him. 
Have a blessed day.

Matt 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life….”
When God’s working on my heart, I am rather like a dog with a bone—I keep gnawing and chewing, trying to get to the marrow of the matter. That is why so often the same or similar verses will pop up in my reflections—those are the verses that need to take root. Those verses hit the heart of the issue at hand. And when it comes to my propensity to worry, I know God’s working on me, urging me to lay my cares at His feet and rest in His peace. Jesus, Help me!
Matt 6:27 “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
One of my devotionals this morning contained this gem: “Rather than constantly worrying about what you will face, your great challenge is to continually release every area of your life to God’s control.” In other words, I’m not trying to quit worrying, which feelings like an impossible task, I’m trying to be more mindful of constantly and continually turning everything over to God. I know He’s got me. Perhaps, with this mindset shift, I can finally be successful at loosening worry’s grip. Jesus, Help me.
Phil 4:5-6 The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your infinite love and mercy. Thank You for pursuing me relentlessly and for keeping after me to turn my worries over to You instead of fretting and stewing to no avail. I know You’ve got me Lord. You’ve got us all in the palm of Your hand. Help me to rest securely in that trust. Draw us closer. Amen.
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Lord, I stand in awe of You—Your mercy, grace, and love—and I thank You for this journey we are poised to begin—a journey we prayed about and that we truly believe is Your will for our family at this time. We are all nervous, anxious, and excited, Lord. Help us to breathe in Your grace and peace. Calm our anxious hearts and minds. Draw us closer to You. Help us to lean in to You and to rest our weakness in Your strength.
Isaiah 41:10 Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Lord, We know this journey will not always be easy. Some days our only option will be to tell our feelings to “stuff it” and to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Help us to feel Your presence even more keenly on those days. Help us to lean in to Your strength more fully. We know You are with us, Lord. You have promised never to leave us nor forsake us. Help us to rest on Your promises.
Phil 4:5-6 …The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything….
Lord, Thank You—for this day, for this path, for the deep trust that this is Your will for us, for the confidence that You are walking with us. Help us to experience You on this journey in ways that would not have otherwise been possible. Help us to lean in to You and to trust You. Draw us closer to You and closer as a family. Keep us safe and help us to shine Your light. Wrap us in Your peace. Amen.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Have a blessed day.

Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
It feels like it should be much easier for me to rejoice in the Lord always, since He is my hope, my anchor, my refuge, my port in life’s storms. So what keeps me from rejoicing always? My fear, my doubt, my confusion. These are my issues, not His. They don’t change the fact that He is holding me, that He can use all things for my good and His glory. They only keep me from resting in His peace. Jesus, Help me!
Phil 4:5-6a …The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything….
I usually don’t look at Phil 4:5 and 6 in conjunction with each other because they are separated by verse numbers and punctuation, but the two lines fit perfectly together—there is no need to be anxious. Why? Because the Lord is near—He’s got me, holding me, shielding me, guiding me. I do not need to be afraid.
Phil 4:6b …but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the reminder of why I don’t need to be afraid—You are with me. You’ve got me. You are in control. I want to lay all my fears at Your feet, Lord, and wrap myself in Your mantle of transcendent peace. Draw me closer. Help me to trust. Amen.
Phil 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.

Rev 21:6 …”To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.”
You’ve probably heard the expression, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” In this world, we don’t believe in something for nothing, so when random acts of kindness happen, we are either skeptical, amazed, or dumbfounded. “Why would someone do something nice for me, for no reason, expecting nothing in return?” We just can’t wrap our heads around it.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all of you who thirst, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk, without money and without cost!
And yet, this is what our amazing Savior offers to us freely and repeatedly—Come, eat, drink. It’s ok if you don’t have money. This is My gift to you because you are My beloved child. One commentary on Rev 21:6 posits, “All the unsatisfied yearnings of the heart may find satisfaction in Him.” What a precious, undeserved gift. Thank You, Jesus.
John 4:10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
Lord, Thank You for this day and for Your inconceivable, unconventional, radical love and generosity. Thank You for Your ability and desire to satisfy our every need and for giving us streams of living water that we could never acquire on our own. Help us to shower others with radical acts of kindness that mirror the abundant blessings You share with us daily. Draw us closer. Amen.
Phil 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Have a blessed day.

Matt 6:1 Be careful not to perform your righteous acts before man to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
I have tried to be very transparent about my struggles with the upcoming adventures of my family. Fear, for me, is huge—there is so much that is unknown and at this point unknowable. I continue to ask for prayers for all of us because I definitely want people praying. But this morning has me pondering whether I am giving too much attention to my fear. It is so very loud. I am so very apprehensive. But I know, unequivocally, that we will be ok. God’s got us securely in the palm of His hand. I believe that with every fiber of my being.
Matt 6:2 So when you give to the needy, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to be praised by men….
The fear is part of the world—What if something happens to them? What if something happens to us? What if? What if? What if? I feel like, perhaps, my ready and repeated acknowledgement of that fear, which I intended as me handing it over to my Savior, was instead my handing a bullhorn to the world’s chaos, saying, “Let ‘er rip!” That was NEVER my intent.
Matt 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men….
Lord, Thank You for this day and for continuing to work on my heart, weeding out what needs to go, and drawing me closer to You. Our situation is not unique, Lord—fear, uncertainty, apprehension—there are so many struggling with the same emotions. I do not want to give in to the clamor and chaos of this world or my fear. I trust You. I believe in You, that You have us, that You will hold us, no matter what. Help us all to lean into You and Your promises, Lord. Draw us closer. Amen.
2 Cor 12:9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.”…
Have a blessed day.