Month: December 2023

God Delights in Us

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This is what God delights in…

What do you think about when you think about God?

Do you feel love and acceptance? Shame and embarrassment? The temptation to run away, to show off your accomplishments, to question your Creator, or to prove yourself worthy?

To understand the context of today’s verse, we need to read two verses:

“His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor His delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”
Psalm 147:10-11 NIV

God is not after earthly strength. It’s not about who’s the strongest, bravest, richest, smartest, or who has the most social media followers. It’s not even about who has the most consistent church attendance or YouVersion streak. If you want to please God, it’s pretty simple:

“… the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

God loves you unconditionally, but He also delights in you. Not because you’re perfect, or because you never mess up, or because you’re constantly faithful—no one is. This verse tells us that God delights in you as you fear Him—you acknowledge He’s God with a holy respect for His power, and you put your ultimate hope in His unfailing love.

During this season of Advent, a time of reflection, contemplate who God is. Reflect on His power and His love. Then, devote some time in this season to worship God for who He is and align your heart with His.

God’s Love

On By vickleaIn ScriptureLeave a comment

This is a busy time for almost everyone, especially those of us who have gifts to buy, a house to decorate and other seasonal errands to accomplish. As I read my Scriptures this morning, I confess that my mind was wandering to the next thing I had to get done and how long it would take me before I could move on to yet another task. God got my attention when I came to this verse and He stopped my mind from wandering away from focusing on Him.

Nothing., not one thing, can separate us from God’s love and that is all that is important, in this season and in all seasons. We can busily rush around checking off items on our “to do” list, but loving us is God’s to do list. It’s the only thing on His list. We matter to God, not the chores or the gifts or the baking, cleaning or even beautiful tree we plan to decorate in His honor. He wants our time, our love and devotion, just as wholeheartedly as He gives these precious gifts to us.

A Mother’s Thoughts

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Song1 Comment

Since we moved so frequently as a military family, I have memories of each of my children in different places. I used to be upset that I didn’t have one home with all of my memories safely stored there with me. Nowadays, after suffering a stroke and losing part of my memories, I am thankful for all of the moves because I can see an image of a child in a place and know where we were and what was happening then. Tokens of their childhood are stored safely away in various places in our current home…the first haircut, the first tooth lost, the first report card. And each token carries a memory of being a young mother with a lot of love and not much knowledge about what I was doing.

That brings me to the Bible verse and a song for today.

The angels sang, the shepherds came to worship and Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus, treasured these memories in her heart. It boggles my mind that a simple girl was chosen by God to give birth to the Savior of the world. It mystifies me that Mary was a mother, just like me, with hopes and dreams for her child but also knowing that He had a destiny to fulfill and she was only a small part of it.

“Mary, Did You Know?” by Pentatonix

This is my absolutely favorite Christmas song because it incorporates the love of a mother for her newborn child and the love of the child for the entire world.

Cherish your memories and hold fast to to your faith that God has a plan for your life, just as He did for Mary, and that He will bring it to pass.

Not Afraid

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Last week as I struggled to breathe, I must confess that I was fearful. All kinds of doubts assailed me. The problem with growing up as an asthmatic is that I have learned all of the things that can go wrong and when I should head to the hospital. Once I was diagnosed with Influenza B, I knew I had to start my breathing treatments because this virus attacks the respiratory system. So I did…but I didn’t get better. I was up most of every night coughing and doing breathing treatments every couple of hours as I wheezed my way through the nights. After four days of that, I returned to my doctor, was diagnosed with bronchitis and received antibiotics and steroids. Praise God for a doctor who listened to my lungs and was not afraid to approach me! Anyway, I have not gotten better right away. It’s. a process, but God has constantly reassured me that He has not left me and since He gave me the breath of life to begin with, I can depend on Him to continue to help me breathe until He calls me home. This verse today in my devotional is a reminder of where I was last week and where I am now. Still coughing a little, still using breathing treatments several times a day, but so thankful that God has not abandoned me and for His promise that He will always be with me.

Confidently Cling to God’s Promises

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Faith in God’s Promises

Many seasons in life can be scary. You might be asked to step into something new and uncertain. You might walk through a difficult situation or face insurmountable opposition. It is easy to feel discouraged or fearful of seasons like this, especially in the midst of the unknown.

But God’s Word says that faith is needed in every season of life. Faith means putting our trust in God and taking the next step, even if we don’t know what is ahead.

In Deuteronomy 31:6, God encouraged them to be strong and courageous in the midst of facing their greatest fears. And, He even gave them a promise to ease their fears: He would never leave their side.

Often, in seasons of difficulty, all we have left to hold onto is a promise from God. But regardless of how everything changes around us, we can always place our faith in God’s promises.

During this season of Advent, and time of reflection, think about the seasons of your own life. Every situation you face is an opportunity to grow your faith in God and trust in His promises. So, if you’re feeling discouraged or fearful of the future, spend some time in prayer, asking God for courage and peace.
Remember that you are never alone in life. God is always with you. Not only will His presence never leave you, but His love will never be taken away. He will never forsake you. There is nothing that can separate you from the love of God (Romans 8:38).

Thank God for His love and presence during this season of reflection. And confidently cling to the promises that He has given you.

Renewed Strength

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Our True Hope

Life can be difficult sometimes. All of us go through seasons filled with difficulty, grief, or loss. And even if you haven’t experienced those things yet, you’ve probably had moments where you’ve grown tired of doing good. As much as we want to live well and do good to others, the truth is that we will all grow weary of it at some point.

In Isaiah 40:31, Isaiah says that those who hope in God will find renewed strength. The key to perseverance in difficult seasons is not simply pushing through and trying harder. Strength isn’t found in simply hoping our circumstances will change.

God’s Word says that true strength comes from placing our hope in God. Because God is all-powerful, He alone has the power to change our circumstances. But God also knows that as humans, we grow weary and restless. We often place our hope in temporary solutions when we should be relying on God, who can truly help us.

But when we place our hope in God alone, Scripture tells us we will find renewed strength to endure life’s challenges. Hoping in God means trusting in His promises—even if we don’t see them fulfilled in our lifetime.

During this season of Advent and time of reflection, how can you allow the Lord to renew your hope in God? Allow Him to search your heart. Pray that you will be filled with the strength and hope that only God can provide.

Waiting on God: Advent Devotional

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Wait On The Lord

When the world around you seems wild, or the heart inside you feels weary, you can still count on God.

The psalmist said it like this:

“I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭130‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is one of fifteen psalms known as the Pilgrim Songs, or the Songs of Ascent (comprising Psalms 120-134)—sung by Jewish travelers making the trek to Jerusalem for annual festivals.

If you read the rest of the chapter, you’ll notice a heaviness, a tenderness, a tone of repentance. The psalmist cries out “from the depths”—wanting to be heard, begging for mercy, longing for the redemption of His people, all the while hoping in and waiting on the Lord.

The NLT translation says, “I am counting on the Lord…”

If you’ve ever wondered who—other than you—has had to hope in, wait on, and trust in the Lord, it’s everyone. It’s all of us. Every person in biblical history, from Noah to Moses, Rahab to Ruth, Peter to Paul… down to us, living in this modern day.

Those who lived before Jesus Christ were waiting on the Messiah to come and rescue a fallen world. Those who live after Jesus, like us, are waiting on Him to come back and redeem everything that’s been lost—once and for all.

The season of Advent reminds us that regardless of who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve done, you can cry out and wait on God.

He is trustworthy, He is faithful, and He always makes good on His promises.

As you wait upon the Lord during this Advent season, know that He wants you to come close—so that He can be your strength so that He can give you comfort, and so that He can provide everything you need.