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God is our refuge and strength…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Precious Savior, Forgive me that I often feel alone when difficult times assail me. Help me to remember that You are with me, You are my refuge and strength, You are an ever-present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:2a Therefore we will not fear…

Loving Savior, Help me to cling to who You are and who You are to me so that I can live without fear, no matter my circumstances. I know You love me. I know You are with me. I know You hold me securely in the palm of Your hand.

Psalm 46:2b …though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…

Hope-giving Savior, You know that hope is vital to my life and my outlook. You have given me in Your word all the tools and reminders I need to remain hopeful in You, no matter what. You have shown up again and again in my life, when things are dark, when things are so incredibly good. You are with me. You are my refuge and strength. You are an ever-present help. Let me not be afraid. Amen.

Psalm 46:3 though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Have a blessed day.

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All that burdens my heart…. (devo reflection)

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 

This morning this verse fills me with joy. Why am I rejoicing? Why am I unafraid to let my gentleness be evident to all? Because the Lord is near. He is with me. He promised never to leave me nor forsake me. How often do I lose sight of that fact?

Philippians 4:5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 

When anxiety is great within me, God’s comfort brings me joy (Psalm 94:19). I allow myself to be overwhelmed and anxious at the least provocation, yet all I have to do is present my requests, my worries, my doubts, fears, resentments, all of it to God. Give them to Him. Put them at His feet. Leave them there. Be prayerful and thankful.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

Lord, I make life so difficult at times. I stew in anxiety and fear, when You are with me, right beside me, waiting, hoping, that I will turn to You, that I will give my worries and fears to You, that I will come to You with thanksgiving and prayer and give all that burdens my heart to You. Help me, Jesus. Allow me to give my burdens to You so that my heart and mind may be guarded by Your peace, which transcends all understanding. Amen.

Philippians 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.

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Humbling myself…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 37:39a The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord…

In my mind, when I read these verses, I see two groups fighting each other–verbally, physically, doesn’t matter. Each group thinks it’s right, it’s righteous. There is righteous anger, righteous indignation. God doesn’t seem to be present anywhere, but attitudes of righteousness abound. That is not what God has in mind.

Psalm 37:39b …he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

“[S]alvation…comes from the Lord….he is their stronghold…The Lord helps…and delivers them…because they take refuge in him.” If we are to cling to His words, then it (life, the fight, whatever) can’t be about us. If there is an attitude of “how dare you treat me like this,” the fight is not for God. Humility has to come into play. God is bigger, greater, more important than our pride.

Psalm 37:40a The Lord helps them and delivers them…

Lord, I know that I must humble myself before You, and yet, my pride, my desire for acknowledgement and recognition keep getting in the way. In order for You to be my stronghold, I must take refuge in You. In order to take refuge, I must give up my pride and humble myself. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 37:40b …he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.

Have a blessed day.

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Only in Christ…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 37:34a Hope in the Lord and keep his way…

As I begin to set my cap for a new school year, I feel the familiar anxiety of needing to perform, of hoping that others recognize and understand all that I do for my students, how much I truly care about them, and I know that yet again I have fallen short of what my Savior is calling me to do, which is rest in Him alone.

Psalm 37:34b …He will exalt you to inherit the land…

Colossians 3:23 reminds me that, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters….” This anxiety I already feel? That is not from God. And the perfectionist in me wants to berate myself for Still. Not. Getting. It. But the beloved child of God knows that I can’t do this life without my Savior, so there is no need to even pretend I can.

Psalm 37:34c …when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it….

Lord, Once again I find myself trying to measure up in the eyes of the world. I can never measure up in that way, and I truly don’t want to. Help me to focus on You. Help me to work at all things as though working only for You. Help me to find my value, my worth, my peace–not in this world, but only in You. Amen.

Psalm 27:14 Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!

Have a blessed day.

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Stumbling through life…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 37:23 The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

I so desperately want to hear, when I meet my Maker, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” though when I look at myself, I see all the human, fallible, messy parts. On the one hand, I don’t think I ever have to worry about getting too far away from God because I need him so desperately. On the other hand, shouldn’t I be better able to navigate life on my own by now?

Psalm 37:24 though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Verse 24 brings me hope because it makes me feel like stumbling isn’t failure. I’ll be honest, at this point in life, I don’t consider falling failure as long as I keep getting back up. And it never takes me long to realize my need for my Savior as I stumble through life. I know I can’t do this life by my own strength.

1 Samuel 2:9 He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness; for by his own strength shall no man prevail.

Lord, Thank You for reminding me that stumbling happens, that falling happens, but that You are upholding me, so as long as I keep getting back up, You will help me move closer to You. Help me, always, get back up–no matter how long it takes, no matter how bad the fall, no matter what. You’ve got me. You are with me. Thank You. Amen.

Psalm 40:2 He lifted me up from the pit of despair, out of the miry clay; He set my feet upon a rock, and made my footsteps firm.

Have a blessed day.

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Commit, trust, be still, wait patiently, refrain, do not fret, hope…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 37:5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this…

Commit, trust, be still, wait patiently, refrain, do not fret, hope…. I feel like this is a mantra I need to commit to memory. Today’s reflection began with the words “Understanding will never bring you peace.” Frustrating but true. Peace comes from committing, trusting, being still, waiting patiently, refraining, not fretting, hoping….

Psalm 37:7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…

Lord, Sometimes I cause myself such heartache by trying to understand. Help me to navigate the line between digging deeper, seeking, understanding and trusting, being still, waiting patiently, refraining, not fretting, hoping. You created me to ask “Why,” but You also created me to rest in You. Help me to understand when I’m going too far in the questioning and not resting in You as intended.

Psalm 37:8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.

Lord, Thank You that Your word brings me peace. Thank You that every day I feel like I draw just a tiny bit closer to You, that I understand You and myself just a little bit better. Help me to be who You created me to be. Help me to seek and question while also trusting and hoping in You. Amen.

Psalm 37:9b …those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.

Have a blessed day.

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Content in the Lord…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of those who are evil or be envious of those who do wrong;

“Do not fret…or be envious….” “Trust in the Lord….” “Take delight in the Lord….” If I could just heed those words right there, I would be able to breathe freer, rest easier. It’s not even that I’m fretting over those who are evil or envious of those who do wrong. I feel….forgotten, unnoticed, and that leads to all kinds of bad things mentally.

Psalm 37:2 …for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.

A wise friend would tell me to get over myself, and she’s not wrong. I would do well to take Colossians 3:23 to heart: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” What I need is to be content in the job that I am doing, no matter what. I know I am where God wants me. I know I am doing good work for Him. That’s all I need.

Psalm 37:3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

Precious Savior, It’s when I feel I need acknowledgement from human masters that I get myself in trouble. That feeling that I need recognition makes me fret and causes me to be envious. I want to trust in You and delight in You, Lord. I want to encourage others and to not be envious. Help me to focus solely on You and what You would have me do. It is enough. Amen.

Psalm 37:4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Have a blessed day.

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Traveling Mercies…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 90:12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

As I’m typing this, I’m sitting in the airport. We boarded a flight in Anchorage at 1am this morning, and we’ve finally made it home-adjacent….four time zones and a lot of hours later.

2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with
the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

And as I sit here waiting, I’ve thought about this long travel day and all of the blessings sprinkled throughout: a man who had an upholstery business for 40 years and fixed my bag’s busted zipper, a gorgeous pink sky as we flew our first leg, so many smooth flights, the sweet little toddler who smiled and waved as I was stewing about how stinking long it was taking to retrieve this checked bag.

Ephesians 5:16 Making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Lord, Teach me to number my days. Give me a heart of wisdom. Help me spend and invest time wisely, with an attitude of grace and love. Thank You for reminding me to pay attention to You, always, because You are always there. Amen.

Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Have a blessed evening.

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God’s glorious handiwork…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 29:1a Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings…

I have seen some of the most amazing views this past week—mountain peaks, blooming flowers, rushing streams. I have had the time, I have taken the time, to slow down, to marvel and appreciate God’s amazing handiwork.

Psalm 29:1b …honor the LORD for his glory and strength.

Vacation often works like that—allowing me to slow down, to marvel. But God is present in my everyday life, too. Sometimes I marvel—rainbows, sunrises and sunsets, but more often, I am so busy doing that I fail to notice and appreciate like I should.

Psalm 29:2a Honor the LORD for the glory of his name….

Father of all Creation, Thank You for Your glorious handiwork on this earth. Help me, daily, to marvel and appreciate Your goodness. Amen.

Psalm 29:2b …Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

Have a blessed day.

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God’s thoughts…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 139:17a How precious to me are your thoughts, a God!…

Lord, I wonder what you think about. I know from scripture that Your thoughts are nothing like my thoughts. I know that You care about things on a much larger scale than I can imagine.

Psalm 139:17b …How vast is the sum of them!

But I also know that You care about each of Your children. You’ve got Your eye on the sparrow, so I know You care about me, too.

Psalm 139:18a Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—

Lord, it’s easy to feel like I can get lost in the shuffle, like with all You’ve got on Your plate, there’s no way You have time to think about me, too. Thank You for the certain knowledge that You care deeply for me. Help me to care for Your people the way You care for me. Amen.

Psalm 139:18b …when I awake, I am still with you.

Have a blessed day.