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Resting in Jesus…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 62:5 (NLT) Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

I have mentioned the Jesus Calling devotional before. This morning I was met with these two lines: “Rest in Me, My child. Give your mind a break from planning and trying to anticipate what will happen.” These lines resonate deeply today. As a scholar, teacher, wife, mother, planning plays an integral part. It can be exhausting. Resting in Jesus sounds delightful. I don’t do it enough.

Psalm 62:5 (NIV) Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

And the reminder couldn’t have come on a better day. We celebrate our graduate today, now that he has diploma in hand, rough outline for his future. I need to remind him, in my words and in my actions, that resting in Jesus is a crucial part of a successful life, that planning is important, but resting in Jesus is more so.

Psalm 62:5 (BSB) Rest in God alone, O my soul, for my hope comes from Him.

Lord, My mornings with you, waiting quietly before You, listening to You whisper to my heart, these quiet morning moments are essential for my peace of mind. Help me to take that peace with me throughout each  day. Help me to teach my children to wait quietly before You each day. Before You is the only place hope can be found. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Psalm 62:5 (CEV) Only God gives inward peace, and I depend on him.

Have a blessed day.

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The effects of this constant gathering….(devo reflection)

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

I am the queen of squirreling things away in case I need them for later. I do it with food (a random bag of chips, a “sweet treat” that I don’t want now but might at some point, a bottle of water that I know I’ll drink…eventually). I do it with things–things that I don’t need, don’t want, but I might….someday.

Exodus 16:20a However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning…

I don’t know how much I’ve ever paid attention to the effects of this constant gathering, this constant fear of being without, this constant, self-reliant squirreling away. But it feels terrible, the emotional equivalent of manna being full of maggots and stinking.

Exodus 16:20b …but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

Lord, You are my Shepherd. I lack nothing. I know this is true, and yet, I fear, I scrounge, I squirrel away manna that was never meant to be kept. Forgive me. Lead me beside quiet waters. Refresh my soul. Help me to fear no evil, Lord, because You are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me (Psalm 23:1-4). I don’t want to be a grumbling Israelite, hoarding manna that You freely provide because You love me. I want to be Your faithful, trusting servant. Help me, Lord. Amen.

Exodus 16:21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 

Have a blessed day.

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Cease striving and know…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NIV)

When life gets overwhelming, I often take the advice of Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God. Usually that involves sitting in my recliner, maybe listening to ocean waves or rain shower nature sounds. I breathe deeply, usually in to one part of the verse, out to the next, breathing and being until Christ’s peace begins to penetrate the shell of worry and stress.

Psalm 46:10 “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (NASB 1995)

But the words “Cease striving” hit differently for me. Cease striving is less about getting still and breathing and more about stop trying to do everything just to fill the void in life. There’s only one way to fill that God-shaped hole. Cease striving and know….

1 John 3:2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder to be still, to cease striving, to see You, recognize You, know You. Help me to breathe in Your peace, mercy, and grace. Help me to immerse myself in Your love, Your presence, until there is no room for worry and stress. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 

Have a blessed day.

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How God shows up…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 94:18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

I am truly awed at how God shows up in my life when I am paying attention. (He’s always there, reminding me of His presence, His love. I just don’t always notice.) This spring, as my heart cries louder and louder in worry, fear, and anxiety, God continues to show up in so many ways, reminding me that I am His, that He sees me, knows me, loves me so very much. He does the same for you, too.

Psalm 94:19 When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.

So I want to encourage you to pay attention to the little ways that God shows up today. This text you are reading from a hot mess on the struggle bus trying to shine His light? That’s God. The sunshine? The cool breeze? The kind word? God. And YOU can help Him shine today by passing along a kind word, a smile, an encouragement, by lifting someone up in the smallest of ways.

Psalm 94:22 But the Lord has become my fortress, and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You are with us and in us, that we can shine Your light just by being kind to others. Thank You that when I am paying attention, I can see You, Your love, Your goodness, everywhere. Thank You that I can help lift others up in Your name. Help me to see Your love today. Help me to be Your love today. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Have a blessed day.

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Full of emotion…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 47:1 Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.

I love the Psalms because they are so full of emotion, just like I am. Some days, I am so overjoyed that every word out of my mouth, every thought in my head, is a shout of praise to God for all the good things in my life. Some days those good things are abundantly evident. Praise comes easy. God is evidently, abundantly good to me.

Psalm 47:2 For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.

But the Psalms are also gritty, angry, and real. Some speakers are struggling mightily, they are questioning earnestly, they are accusing and grappling and so very angry. I love that God is big enough for all those really hard emotions. Psalm 46:10 reminds us that even in the midst of chaos and destruction, He is still God. He is still in control. We can trust Him, even when we are angry and afraid.

Psalm 47:5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

Lord, Thank You that so often I look around and all I can see is Your beauty and goodness, Your presence and blessing. Thank You that on those days, Your praise is abundantly flowing from my lips. Thank You also that on the hard days, the days where I am angry, bitter, struggling, You don’t try to quiet and redirect me. You allow and invite me to work through my emotions, You show me that You are there, You are good, through all the chaos. You draw me closer through my struggle and doubt. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Psalm 47:7 For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.

Have a blessed day.

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Be still and know…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 46:7 The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.

“Be still and know that I am God” is a verse that resonates with me and with many. It says to me, “Hush. Be still. Take a break from all the noise. Just breathe. Just listen. Just be. And once you are still, know–really know, that I am God.” However, this morning, I truly notice verse 10 in context with the verses around it.

Psalm 46:8 Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth.

There is a lot of chaos imagery in Psalm 46: mountains fall into the heart of the sea, earth gives way, waters roar and foam, mountains quake, desolation, breaks bows, shatters spears, burns shields. And yet, through all of this upheaval, we are told, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.

Lord, Thank You that You are God when life is calm and composed as well as when life is chaotic and falling apart. Thank You that no matter the circumstances in my life, You command me to “Be still and know that” You are God. Help me always cling to that truth. Amen.

Psalm 46:10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Have a blessed day.

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An ever-present help…. (devo reflection)

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

I have always liked Psalm 46. There are so many verses that speak to me here, like verse 5. I know the verse is not literally talking about a woman, but I like to apply the verse to myself–God is with ME, I will not fall; God will help ME at break of day. There is much power in claiming a verse in that way.

Psalm 46:2-3 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

It doesn’t mean that there won’t ever be troubles, missteps, darkness, wilderness. Just look at verses 1 and 2. What it means is that God will be with me through whatever earth-shaking trouble I encounter. I will be able to take one slow, faltering step at a time because of His ever-present help.

Psalm 46:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.

Lord, Thank you for this reminder that You are our refuge and strength, that You are ever-present help no matter what trouble we face. Thank You for the reminder that because You are in us, even though we may stumble, we will not fall. You’ve got us. Thank You. Amen.

Psalm 46:5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.

Have a blessed day.

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The good things in our lives…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 118:23 This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.

I had lunch with a dear friend yesterday, and we were talking about how easy it is to overlook all the good things in our lives because the things that worry us loom so large. We joked that if either of us figured out how to stay present in the now and appreciate the little things, we should let the other know. That conversation is what brought me to these verses today.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

I don’t believe Jesus was aiming for toxic positivity here, but I think He was reminding us that He IS with us always, that He DOES shower us with blessings daily, even on the hard days, that He understands “the anguish of [our] soul,” that His joy can be our strength if we allow.

Psalm 31:7 I will be glad and rejoice in Your loving devotion, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the anguish of my soul.

Lord, Help us to learn how to be present in each moment, how to see the beauty of Your world, the joy of all the little things that let us know You are here, You know us, see us, love us, even in our pain and doubt. Help us to rejoice and be glad in this day, this moment because You are with us. Amen.

Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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This promise of presence…. (devo reflection)

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

My pastor says often that the worst thing is never the last thing. How can he be so sure? Because God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Why? Because God is with us. No matter how bad, how chaotic things are, God is with us. Always.

Psalm 46:2a Therefore we will not fear… 

But Psalm 46 goes deeper than that. This promise of presence isn’t just for when the answer is no or when something doesn’t go our way. We do not need to fear even though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the sea, even though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake. We don’t ever need to fear because God is with us. Always. Especially when the world feels like it is falling apart.

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

Lord, If I could just put unwavering trust in You, the constant worry and doubt that eat at me would be no more. Forgive me that I have such a hard time trusting. Thank You for the progress I’ve made.  Keep working with me, on me, as I learn to trust You always. No matter what happens in this life, Lord, I know You’ve got me. I KNOW it. I believe. Help my unbelief. Amen.

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

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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My refuge and strength…. (devo reflection)

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

Psalm 46:1 brings to mind Jesus’s words in Matthew 28:20, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus is our refuge, our strength, our ever-present help in trouble because He is with us. Always. We learn that truth in religious education, but it doesn’t really become rock-solid faith until that’s all we have left to hold on to.

Psalm 46:2a Therefore we will not fear… 

Here’s my big issue: When I ask for help, I have a really clear idea of what that help should look like. I’m a planner. I have lots of ideas about how things should be. But God’s thoughts are not my thoughts. His ways are far beyond anything I can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). So while I’m freaking out because things are not as they should be, Jesus, my refuge and strength, my ever-present help in trouble is working all things for my good and His glory (Romans 8:28).

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

Lord, There are so many things in this world that I don’t understand. But You don’t ask me to understand. You ask me to trust You. Help me to trust that You are with me always, even to the end of the age. Help me to trust that You are my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Help me to trust that the worst thing isn’t the last thing and that Your ways are far beyond anything I could imagine. Help me to trust You. Always. Amen.

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

Have a blessed day. I love you.