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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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No matter what this mess looks like from my angle…. (devo reflection)

Romans 15:13a May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace… 

I’m struggling with the fact that people whom I love and care about are struggling. I want to help, want to fix it, and I can’t, which makes me frustrated, makes me feel helpless. But God says He will never leave me nor forsake me, so I know He’s with me now, too.

Romans 15:13b …as you trust in him… 

Romans 15:13 reminds me that joy and peace come from the God of hope. The goal is not the *I* can fix it, not the *He* can fix it according to my idea of what it *should* be. The goal is to remember that God is sovereign and in control, and no matter what this mess looks like from my angle, God’s got it. He’s already made a way. He is victorious, and we are victorious through Him. Trusting in Him (and you know how I struggle with trust) means trusting that even though I can see no way of the situation being ok, God’s got it. That trust in Him, in His power and love, sovereignty and compassion, will allow me to overflow with His hope.

Romans 15:13c …so that you may overflow with hope… 

Precious Savior, I want to overflow with Your hope. I want to be surrounded by Your joy and peace. The only way to do that is to surrender to You, to trust–fully trust–in You. I do, Lord. I trust You. But I feel like I should be *doing* as well as trusting. And that way leads to misery, I know. Help me to trust in You. Help those I love and care about who are struggling to trust in You, too. Help us, Lord. Please. Amen.

Romans 15:13d …by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Have a blessed day.

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Love one another…. (devo reflection)

John 13:31-32 When [Judas] was gone, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.

These verses occur shortly before the crucifixion. Judas has just left to betray Jesus. Jesus knows His time on earth is short. He wants to be sure that His disciples are ready, that they are prepared for life without Him, for the work He has for them to do.

John 13:33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.

Jesus knows these are some of His last earthly words to His disciples. And I find it fascinating and telling that twice, in verse 34 and 35, He reminds them that they are to love one another. And not only that, they are to love as He has loved them–past faults and failures that haven’t even happened yet, through silly fights and serious issues, through mistakes and missteps. We are to love others as He loves us. That all-encompassing love is the way others will know that we are His.

John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 

Lord, I want the world to know that I am Yours. I also want to love others well as You command, as You love me. People can be so unlovable sometimes. I know because I can be, too. Help me to love as you love, especially when it’s difficult. Help me to shine your light. Always. Amen.

John 13:35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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The struggle…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Lord, The picture you create here is so clear, so vivid. Those who trust in man, in themselves, are “cursed,” doomed to wander in “the wastelands,” “parched,” dried up, abandoned. No part of that picture is appealing, and yet, even though I *know,* I KNOW You are with me always, You are working all things for my good and Your glory, even though I know these truths, I struggle to trust, I struggle with doubt and fear.

Jeremiah 17:6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

Lord, I do trust You, I DO, and yet I am so consumed by doubt and fear at times. We have dealt with this very issue again and again and again, You and I. My inner critic wants to beat myself up for my inability to “Let go and let God,” but I know that’s not helpful. You are my refuge and strength, Lord, my ever present help in times of trouble. My head understands this, as does my heart, but still I am afraid.

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

Lord, I know “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). I want Your peace so desperately. And I know *I* am the one who has to fully surrender this fear so that I can take up Your mantle of peace. Help me, Jesus. Help me. Amen.

Jeremiah 17:8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

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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Faith as small as a mustard seed…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 17:19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

I read an incredibly interesting piece by Nadia Bolz-Weber entitled “It’s a low bar (thank God)” this morning on this section of scripture. (I encourage you to google it. It’s worth the read.) She, like me, has always read this scripture as a rebuke from Jesus about the lack of faith in the disciples. Yet she talks about the significance of Greek grammar tenses and comes to see this scripture in a new light, as a reminder of the importance of the foundation of faith that we *do* have, no matter how small it feels.

Matthew 17:20a He replied, “Because you have so little faith….

My internal critic is really loud. She is mean and caustic. She berates me at every opportunity for all the things I cannot do well….and there are so many things. But Jesus, with His quiet voice of truth, is always there, whispering to my heart that He is with me, that I am His, that I am enough simply because I am His. That truth is my mustard seed, and it’s big enough to sustain me–He is big enough to sustain me–no matter what trials I face. Thank You, Jesus.

Matthew 17:20b …Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move….

Lord, This world is so loud, my doubts are so loud, my failures are so very loud. Help me to cut through the noise and chaos of life to hear You whisper to my heart–I am Yours, Your grace is perfected in my weakness, when trouble comes as it always does, my teeny, tiny, mustard seed of faith, of belief, in You can see me through. I just have to hold on. Amen.

Matthew 17:20c …Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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In thriving, we honor Him…. (devo reflection)

Colossians 1:9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. 

This morning I was looking for verses about finishing well. We are in the last weeks of the semester, but it feels like being on mile 10 of a half marathon (13.1 miles)–We’ve gone too far to stop, but the finish line is still so very far away. But my precious Savior knows my heart, He knows my need, and He sent me to Colossians to be strengthened this morning.

Colossians 1:10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

Living, working in survival mode does not honor God. He understands it. Just like with Doubting Thomas, He knows why we are struggling. He strives to give us what we need so that we can thrive because in thriving, we honor Him. Sometimes we have reasons for slipping into survival mode. Sometimes we are just exhausted and trying to keep our heads above water. Regardless of how we got to survival mode, God’s got us as we catch our breath. He wants us to live rich, full lives so that we can honor Him through them.

Colossians 1:11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, 

Lord, Forgive me that I have slipped into survival mode. Thank You for the reminder that that is not where you want me to stay. I can’t flourish here. I can’t honor You well here. Help me to move past survival. Give me knowledge and wisdom and understanding so that I can honor and please You well. And thank You for loving me enough to see me here, to hold me here, and to help me move past this place of just surviving. Amen.

Colossians 1:12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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I am here. You are not alone. I am with you. Always…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

Today I want to focus on Matthew 28:20, the last part of the verse: “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus says this to the disciples after His arrest, after their denial and betrayal, after His crucifixion and resurrection, after He sends them out in His name. He has already been with them through all of these trials. He knows that what He is asking of them now–Go and make disciples of all nations–will involve even more trials, and He promises to be with them. Always. No matter what.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

Just like every human on the planet, my life has had its ups and downs. There have been times when nothing made any sense, my pain, anger, and bitterness were through the roof, there were no answers, there seemed to be little comfort. I was angry and bereft. And in my darkest times, when I felt nothing but the pain and hurt, when I desperately wanted answers that weren’t mine to have, Jesus sat with me in that silence, whispering to my heart, “I am here. You are not alone. I am with you. Always.”

Matthew 28:19-20a Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Lord, I want answers, comfort, smooth paths. You don’t promise any of that. You promise to be with me. Always. In my doubt, in my fear, in my pain and questioning. Thank You for understanding that I need You more than I need anything else. Thank You for helping me to learn that truth as well. You are with me. Always. You are all I need. Amen.

Matthew 28:20b  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.

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The doubters in the Gospels…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 28:16-17 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 

As someone who doubts and questions and examines as a routine part of life, I appreciate hearing about the doubters in the Gospels–why they doubted, how they were received, how they learned to move forward. I grew up believing (and whether I came to this conclusion myself or was taught it, I still don’t know) that doubt was weak faith. So hearing in multiple Gospels that the original disciples doubted brings me comfort that it’s not just me.

Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 

And I know with certainty that when I come to Jesus with my doubts and fears, when I lay them before Him, when I surrender those doubts and fears to Him again and again and again, wrestling with myself to surrender them completely, my faith is strengthened, my relationship with Christ is strengthened.

Matthew 28:19-20a Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand. There are so many things that bring me doubt, fear,  grief,  pain, bitterness. Thank You that I can freely come to You with my doubts, without fear of rejection or worse. Thank You that I can be honest with You about how I am feeling. Thank You that You are bigger than my feelings, bigger than my fears, bigger than my doubts. Help me to trust You always, even when I don’t understand. Amen.

Matthew 28:20b  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.