Right this way, please

" ... when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)


I have a confession to make. I am part of a book club and had been putting off and putting off this month's selection. But next Wednesday was quickly approaching so I went online and got a 26-page summary and analysis on the book and read that yesterday morning. I figured it would give me enough information to participate. Then guess what happened? I had the date wrong and book club was that very night! (Thank goodness I wasn't scheduled to be hostess and that it was being held at a neighbor's house!)

"Lord, I need to be grateful for Your loving involvement in my yesterday. How wonderful of You to have me read the book summary so I could be prepared at some level last night. I had no time to be anxious. In big important things, and such trivial little things, You take care. Thank You."

I really need to acknowledge and have faith that God takes care of me. Every day, I need to take a more faith-based approach to the unknown. God is not anxious. Ever. God always knows what to do. God is the best Preparer, Organizer I know. Seek Him. Trust Him. Lift it all up to Him in prayer.  "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Will He find people praying? Cry out day and night is what it says in  Luke 18. No "woe is me, what is going to happen and how will I ever be able to do it?" God will not keep putting you off (Luke 18:7). Do you believe this about every situation or not? Is God attentive, or not? Then your prayers should not be with the wrinkled brow, wringing of hands and clenched teeth. When you lift your concerns of the day up to the Lord, close your eyes, open your hands - palms up and control your breathing. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever (Psalm 106:1).

It is good for my overall well-being to believe God will always show up and to believe He is always at work beforehand, lining things up. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He has seen it all. He knows it all. He expects it all and in His supreme all-sufficiency, He can handle it all.

"Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonders He has done ..." (Psalm 105:4-5)

All things

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be  the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)


This morning, God, I am grateful for all Your love and attention and participation in my daily life. For all the obvious things that come to mind; for all the generous, loving things that go unnoticed and all the miraculous involvement / work that is unseen by the human mind. Thank You for it all. For very provision; for every supply on every level. Thanks and praise to You, my Sustainer. Thank You for faith and belief though I have not seen. Thank You that all this awareness should bring hope and security to this new day. Thank You for a love of Your beautiful nature, especially the sky. The fresh air. Thank You. Thank You for this quiet time when I am not yet asking for anything, but just dwelling on how good and wonderful You are. As I look out my window, I am amazed to think You created all this and maintain all this day in and day out and throughout the nights. More things needing constant attention than I could ever count. You keep the worlds perfectly spinning and balanced. Each kind of weather is ordered by You in its due time. The calling birds, the racing squirrels and my own little kitties - all get fed by Your hand at the proper time. All of them. Nothing moves or breathes or has its being without Your knowledge, without Your hand upon them. How wondrous are Your thoughts, O God! How wondrous Your capabilities! You hear every whimper in the night and every clap of joy during the day and You are present in it all. Your love and caring know no bounds. You are in the desert places, the jungle places, big city skyscrapers and this little village. You are fully present and residing in posh apartments, farm houses, up north cabins, trailers and tents of the washed out and homeless. There is no place we can go where You are not already there. Ready to bring comfort and peace - anywhere. So I drink my coffee and pet my kitty and watch the sun rise and declare this a beautiful life. Because of You - and all this evidence of You loving, caring, giving presence.

Decisions, choices and fresh starts

With Your help, I can ... with my God I can scale a wall. (Psalm 18:29)


Well, I am here, Lord. Maybe just out of habit more than real seeking You. For I am once again ashamed of who I've been - fearful of my weakness and lack of leadership skills; knowing I should be trusting You more. Worrisome over my words, my feelings, my responses now and in the day ahead and I am certainly upset that I am here whining to You once again about this stuff. How You must tire of me. Why don't I dig my heels in and live right? I don't want to be in this frame of mind. With You again, I recognize my weakness but I don't see Your power. Forgive me, my attitude. Forgive the doubts and fears. Forgive my claim of being Yours when I still live as a boat tossed about by every wave. And my waves are nothing compared to those living with real trauma. Forgive. I want to ask for backbone but I think I'm still seeking some sort of self-reliance in doing so. I want to gain self control. I want to have the wisdom to make automatic good decisions without first asking the help of You, God. Must I first acknowledge my weakness and inability every time? Is not giving thanks and praise afterwards enough? It's probably irreverent to talk like that. I want a fresh, perfect start to start over with. There is only today to work with. What do I need to know for this fresh start?

"All your sins have been forgiven. Every one of every kind, even those you have repeated quite often. In Christ Jesus you have a clean slate beginning right now. You have come to God in prayer, you have confessed your sins. You have asked forgiveness. A fresh start for you is here. Amazing grace - it is sweet! So what do you need to know? Life is a series of choices. You are constantly making one choice after another. Sometimes it may seem as though you have only one possible way to go but that is not true. Something else is running alongside. Did you even see it? Consider it? Which one is God pleasing? Do you know which one is God-powered? Which one is wise and acceptable in your own eyes? Which one seems more of a challenge of time and skill than you think you can muster - but somehow there is a "sense" that that's the direction God wants you to go? And do you have excuses? What about your time? You'll have it to obey God's call if you ask for it. Do you lack the wisdom and skill? You'll have it if you ask God for it. There is promise after promise in the bible that God will equip you for every good work. Good choices are not impossible with God. You are not a helpless victim to your circumstances. There is a way - with God. You are making choices: I can ...  or I can't. But don't blame your human weakness. All things are possible with God - through Christ Who gives you strength."

Thank You, dear Lord, once again for taking hold of me in my desperate frame of mind and realigning me with Your truths. Thank You for bringing power filled scripture to mind. Thank You for meeting me where I am, meeting my greatest need with the power of Your love for me. What have I learned? To come to You in prayer even when I don't feel like it; when I'm ashamed and don't want to talk about it. When I feel unworthy of being in Your presence. Like a parent with their child, You have tenderly kissed my forehead and with a loving pat on my bottom, have sent me on my way and got me moving again. Lord, You are wonderful. You are my everything. More than I could hope for or imagine.

Bless the Lord, O my soul ...

Rejoice, give thanks and sing

He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:3)

You take charge. You take care of all things ...

Do not worry. I know how to get ahold of you. I know how to reach you. Do not be afraid. I AM with you. Don't stop believing. Relax. I've got this. Do not be afraid. I know the way. I have you by the hand. I AM with you. Be still in this moment. Nothing has to be handled right now. You are just here - with Me - gaining strength for the day. I am filling you with confidence and assurance because I fully intend to be with you all the way. You are free to sigh, release, and take another breath. There is nothing I can't handle; nothing I won't deal with. You are My precious one. I care deeply about you and your well-being. Nothing in heaven or earth or any spiritual realm can take you from Me. I keep you in the palm of My hand and close to My heart. My eyes never leave you. You can rest here with Me. Nothing is going to happen that I can't make right. Something divinely amazing is right around the corner. My supreme blessings lie straight ahead. Some may only be revealed in hindsight. So don't become frozen in fear or pain. The glory of the Lord is within your reach. It is. Even now, are not your ears perked? Your senses on full alert, seeking Me? I AM here. I AM present. I AM with you - right now. Your Protector, Your Power, Your Savior; your greatest Joy. Come to Me. Come, receive. Just as you are. I will give you something to sing about ...

With you the whole time

I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)


"Lord, again, I want to be better for You than I have been. I pray  I will turn to You for strength and discipline in every hour of need. I pray I move past just acknowledging my weakness and throwing my hands up in the air. Because I belong to You, there is a power available to me if I but cry out for it. At my point of weakness, I need to acknowledge You, my Savior, in every circumstance as my help. At the fork of every temptation You are there to guide me in the way I should go - if I would listen, I'd have the power to get through the challenge. Listen. Trust. Obey. All key elements to a greater relationship with You and to the life You desire for me. Listen. Trust. And obey in this moment and then the next. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Where does my strength come from? Where does my intellect, discernment, and great ideas come from? The Maker of heaven and earth! Where does energy and passion and completion of the mundane? And perseverance, steadfastness as well as joy, delight, satisfaction. There is much that can be done today. Can I find joy in the journey, in the living of it? For a satisfied sense of accomplishment - will I seek the Lord? Will I realize the Lord's presence in the midst of it all? Will I offer up thanks and praise? Will I see it as jobs checked off my to-do list or will I really realize that I've been with the Lord the whole time? The Lord! Does that thought stir up some kind of anticipation for the day instead of dreading all I haven't gotten done? I look forward to seeking God in my weakness and to expectantly watch for His amazing power to guide me through. Apart from Me you can do nothing. But abide in Me and you can do much - you will bear much fruit (John 15:5) Thank You , God, for Your awesomeness right here and right now. I sat down thinking nothing is coming to mind to meditate about. But I stayed and you ended up writing a message to me. I stand in awe of You ..."

Complete Joy

The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. (John 3:29)


Life can be hard, especially when you're wanting to live the right, righteous life. Wanting to do right by God. The more I want to get it right, by day's end, I see the greater I struggled and the less success I actually had. I want to do it. I want to gift God with good behavior, good responses - good "doings". Isn't that from a heart that loves Him? Is it so wrong to want to bless Him the way I want? Does He not give me the desires of my heart? When are good "doings" from me - and when are they from God through me? Aren't all good doings - well, good? What is my real inner motive for the good deed? To please God or to please man? Will I be patting myself on the back for a job well done? Or will it be because I listened and heard His voice? And in complete joy, see and share that God is good. Is it enough for me to experience the glory of God? Can I truly surrender to the lifestyle of, "Look! The Bridegroom! A glimpse of the Bridegroom!" My whole attitude this morning is about to change. The excitement of catching a glimpse of Him; my eyes are darting around, my pulse quickening, a smile spreads across my face ... whether I remember my own bridegroom or look ahead to my son's upcoming nuptials (and him in his dress army uniform!) - oh, how my heart fills from the sight! Realizing what God does through you and that He does the "doing" through you can feel like that. God is great! What joy! What love! Complete.

My many hats

I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

I am worried about too many things. When only one thing is needed. One thing. Abiding with Jesus in every circumstance - in every hat. As house cleaner. As Sunday School teacher. As a wife and mother. As a dieter. As a friend with a listening ear.

Capture and recapture the warmth, security, peace, rest, love and acceptance as when you are deep in prayer and nothing else matters. You can sense Jesus' love washing over you when you really settle in to prayer and you unburden yourself of all the worries on your mind. You can be still and hear His voice saying, "I'm going to take care of that. I'm going to take care of it all. Why don't you just stand alongside Me and enjoy the warmth of the sun, the gentle breezes and the waves lapping at your toes. Breathe. Your burdens, every one - of every kind, have been lifted. I'm going to take care of it all."

Peace, my friends.