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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.

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Being called out on my mess…. (devo reflection)

Amos 2:13 “Now then, I will crush you as a cart crushes when loaded with grain.

Today’s scripture brought to mind the adage, “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” It deals with being so narrowly focused on one way, one solution, one thing, that you miss any other possibilities. Except, instead of viewing life through the hammer/nail lens, the people in Amos 2 are blinded by their own pride.

Amos 2:14 The swift will not escape, the strong will not muster their strength, and the warrior will not save his life.

The people spoken of in today’s scripture are so proud, so confident in their own abilities, that they don’t feel the need for God. This is another account of God bringing them to task for their pride, of God humbling them before His power. It’s not pleasant, but if they will repent, true growth can occur.

Amos 2:15 The archer will not stand his ground, the fleet-footed soldier will not get away, and the horseman will not save his life.

Precious Savior, It is really uncomfortable to be called out on my mess; however, if I will take the time to examine my actions, real growth can take place. I want to grow closer to You always, Lord. Forgive me when I fall short of that goal. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Amos 2:16 Even the bravest warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

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Are you repaying me for something I have done?… (Devo reflection)

Joel 3:4a “Now what have you against me, Tyre and Sidon and all you regions of Philistia? Are you repaying me for something I have done?…”

I’ve got a lot of thoughts spinning through my head this morning. But what jumps out at me in verse 4a is this idea of repaying God for something He has done. He isn’t asking in a positive way, asking are you going to reward me for the good I’ve done for you?

Joel 3:7 “See, I am going to rouse them out of the places to which you sold them, and I will return on your own heads what you have done.”

It’s a sobering question. God asks one thing of us for all the many, many, many things He’s done for us. He wants relationship with us. Part of that is praise. Part of it is acknowledgement. Part is seeking to know Him more, better. It’s not much to ask in repayment for daily, hourly blessings, but I’m sure I’m not living up to my end of the bargain.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.

Precious Savior, Thank You for who You are and who You are to me. Forgive me for being so caught up in my own mess that I don’t seek daily, hourly, to draw closer to You with thanks and praise. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me (Psalm 51:10). Amen.

Joel 3:21 Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged? No, I will not.” The Lord dwells in Zion!

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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First and always…. (devo reflection)

Joel 1:7 It has laid waste my vines and ruined my fig trees. It has stripped off their bark and thrown it away, leaving their branches white.

Today’s chapter brought to mind versions of church signs I’ve seen that have always bothered me. The first is: When all else fails, pray. The second is: When all else fails, read the instructions (meaning the Bible). I’ve always wondered why in the world anyone would wait until all else has failed to do either.

Joel 1:12 The vine is dried up and the fig tree is withered; the pomegranate, the palm and the apple tree—all the trees of the field—are dried up. Surely the people’s joy is withered away.

Joel 1 seems to provide a little bit of an answer: humans are proud. We like to be self-sufficient, often to the point of absurdity. When we get stuck in self-reliance mode, it often takes huge, uncontrollable things for us to realize that God didn’t intend for us to shoulder it all. He is our strength, our very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1), but we have to turn to Him, to invite Him into our struggle.

Joel 1:19 To you, Lord, I call, for fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness and flames have burned up all the trees of the field.

Lord, Thank You for allowing me to choose You. Forgive me for all those times I let pride and self-reliance get in the way. Help me to turn to You first and always, no matter the situation. Help me never to forget that You are my strength. Draw me closer to You. Amen.

Joel 1:20 Even the wild animals pant for you; the streams of water have dried up and fire has devoured the pastures in the wilderness.

Have a blessed day.

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Return, maintain, wait…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 12:1 Ephraim feeds on the wind; he pursues the east wind all day and multiplies lies and violence. He makes a treaty with Assyria and sends olive oil to Egypt.

The imagery of feeding on and pursuing the wind speaks to me. I feel I’ve done my fair share of both, with just as little to show for it as Ephraim. The wind is intangible. It cannot sustain, it cannot be caught, yet we can spend our whole lives caught in its pursuit if we lose sight of our center, our foundation, our portion and our cup, the One who makes our lot secure (Psalm 16:5).

Hosea 12:4 He struggled with the angel and overcame him; he wept and begged for his favor. He found him at Bethel and talked with him there—

Ephraim, the Israelites, lost sight of Who their center was. They chased after the wind, they tried to lean on worldly powers. They completely lost sight of Hosea 12:6: “But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.” And even as I’m tempted to chastise them for their actions, I am powerfully aware that there is little difference between them and me when I examine my own willfulness and pride.

Hosea 12:5 the Lord God Almighty, the Lord is his name!

Lord, I continue to be humbled by Your love and care, by Your desire for me to realize and live Hosea 12:6. Returning to You and waiting for You is so much easier said than done for me in my quest for self sufficiency. But when I lose sight of You, maintaining love and justice become selfish activities because I am at the center. That is Your place, Lord. Help me. Amen.

Hosea 12:6 But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

Have a blessed day.

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Pay attention to what’s important…. (devo reflection)

Hosea 7:2 …but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.

Hosea in this chapter is describing a completely oblivious Israel. They don’t realize, they don’t notice, they don’t care. “Their sins engulf them; they are always before me.” As I search for connections in my own life, the chapter brought to mind Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”

Hosea 7:9a Foreigners sap his strength, but he does not realize it….

I’ve been struggling this week with the hurtful actions of a friend, analyzing and over analyzing what’s done and undone. I feel Jesus gently calling me here to pay attention to what’s important: Him, to focus on actions I can control—my own, and to let the rest go, to find my center, my comfort, my peace in Him alone. Thank You, Jesus.

Hosea 7:9b …His hair is sprinkled with gray, but he does not notice.

Lord, You are my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2). Forgive me for taking my eyes off of You. Forgive me for worrying about things outside of my control. Thank You for forgiving me of my iniquities and remembering my sins no more (Jer 31:34). Help me to keep You as my center and my focus. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.

Hosea 7:10 Israel’s arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him.

Have a blessed day.