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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.

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In the midst of my trials…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Watching the sun rise over the ocean, for me, is a holy experience. The stillness. The quiet anticipation. The gradual lightening of the sky. The incredible pallet of colors—oranges and yellows, the deep blue of the ocean and the pale blue of the sky. I am in awe of His beauty and majesty. Every. Single. Time.

Psalm 59:16 But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress.

I have found, though, that the most glorious sunrises are the ones where there are some clouds in the sky. Clouds allow the light to bounce and reflect. Beach sunrises are glorious. Beach sunrises with a few clouds are magnificent because the sun’s light has more to reflect off of. And so it is with us.

James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds….

Lord, I do not embrace trials joyfully, but just like Your light reflects more gloriously off the clouds in a beach sunrise, Your love shines more brightly when I see Your presence in the midst of my trials. Thank You. This is the day that You have made, Lord. No matter what it brings, help me to rejoice in it because of Your presence. Amen.

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

Have a blessed day.

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Jesus wants to make us whole…. (devo reflection)

Psalm 10:1 Why, O LORD, do You stand far off? Why do You hide in times of trouble?

One of the pearls from today’s reading is this: “Jesus wants to make us whole.” The only way to do that is for us to fully surrender to Him, fully dying to ourselves and our need to be in control and to understand. Enns described the process of surrendering control as a process of dying to self, and that dying to self is crucial if we want to live Galatians 2:20, “…yet not I, but Christ….”

Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

Jesus lived on earth, fully human and fully divine. He, the human side, had to come to the end of Himself, trust God, and surrender, literally giving up control of the situation, trusting God’s plan, His wisdom. Jesus gave us a model of the process, and showed that while it is difficult and painful to let go of control, of our vision of what life should be, that when we trust God on that soul-deep level, He will make us whole and wholly His.

Matthew 27:50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

Lord, The need to be in control feels hardwired into me. Help me to let go of control, to die to self, so that I can be complete in You. I know You have a plan for me. I know Your plans are far beyond anything I can imagine for myself. Help me to die to self so I can live fully in You. Amen.

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Have a blessed day.

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God is calling me to seek Him always…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Yesterday, when I finished reading Revelation 22, I completed my first entire read-through of the Bible. I read roughly one chapter per day, and it took me three years, three months, and nine days to complete. Each day I read a chapter, I read commentary, I sat with the material, I asked God for guidance.

Deuteronomy 4:29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

I realized during this time that God is calling me to seek Him always. I am not a Bible expert now, but I am definitely stronger in my faith. I don’t have answers to life’s difficult questions, but I absolutely have a stronger biblical base to pull support and encouragement for myself and others.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Lord, As I ponder next steps after reading the Bible through, I absolutely know that I will continue to seek You. Thank You for the myriad ways You continue to show up in my life. Thank You for the reminder that it’s the seeking—seeking You—that is important. Your face, Lord, do I seek. Amen.

Psalm 27:8 You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”

Have a blessed day.

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The vine and fig tree…. (devo reflection)

Habakkuk 3:17a Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines….

Micah and 1 Kings both mention the vine and fig tree. They seem to be symbols of safety, prosperity, and peace. I think Habakkuk is using them to say that even when life isn’t safe, prosperous, and peaceful, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,” he will still praise God because God is his strength.

Habakkuk 3:17b …though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls….

I have been at that point in life before, where every single thing is going wrong, when you’ve lost so much and you live in fear of the next blow. It is a terrible place to be, but there is great freedom in being able to say, “I don’t understand what’s going on, Lord, and I absolutely hate it, but I know You love me, and I know You are in control, and I know You can somehow bring beauty from these ashes. I trust You.”

Habakkuk 3:18 yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Lord, It is hard to rejoice when life feels like it’s falling apart. Help us to remember that we aren’t rejoicing in life, we are rejoicing in You. You are our strength and our shield; our hearts trust in You, and You help us (Psalm 28:7). Thank You. Amen.

Habakkuk 3:19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Have a blessed day.

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Be utterly amazed…. (devo reflection)

Habakkuk 1:2 How long, Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save?

Lord, I am so tired, and it seems the more exhausted I am, the more I try to “get all up in Your business,” trying to be sure You see, You know, You understand all that is going on in this world. Forgive me for my arrogance.

Habakkuk 1:3 Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.

Lord, I don’t often understand what You are doing. Help me cling to Isaiah 55:8: “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.” Help me to trust You always, even when I am exhausted.

Habakkuk 1:5 “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.

Lord, I pray the words of Psalm 25 to You: 1 O LORD, I give my life to you. 2 I trust in you, my God! Do not let me be disgraced…. 4 Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. 5 Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Hear my prayer, Lord. Amen.

Habakkuk 1:6 I am raising up the Babylonians, that ruthless and impetuous people, who sweep across the whole earth to seize dwellings not their own.

Have a blessed day.