I am a Christian, a retired teacher, a mother and a grandmother. I love to read and I love the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless otherwise specified ,all visual illustrations are from the YOU VERSION APP of the Bible.
Many of us respond to hard times by crying out to God, but for me, and probably for a lot of you who are reading this, asking God for help was a “last resort” kind of response. What do I mean by that? Let’s say you have a serious illness. First, you call the doctor, go to the doctor, get tests, see specialists, get more tests, even undergo some kind of treatment. Then, when you have done all that you can via human means, you remember that you should be praying and you cry out to God for help. I confess that I am guilty of playing out that very scenario for years. I am learning (progressive tense because God is still working with me on this) that if I pray first, the other things that I have to do suddenly lose their threat of overwhelming me. It’s all about in whom you place your trust. I have a mantra that I have even told to the doctors…you are treating me for this sickness, but God is healing me. Doctors practice medicine, but the Lord who created me truly knows exactly what I need to be well. I am not saying don’t go to see doctors, but I am saying to depend on and trust God first and foremost. When I go to see physicians, I pray for God to give them the wisdom they need to properly treat me. Our circumstances in life and how we approach hard times depends on our reliance on God.
If we really believe, then there is only one place to run when life seems to be assaulting us from all sides. We run to the Lord, the One who has always been there over and over again and who will always be there for us. We have to remember to call on Him first. The red phone that connects us to the Lord is always right there, always available and He is ready and waiting for our call. Psalm 27 and Psalm 91 are two of my favorite Psalms, one I have frequently read and quoted during challenging circumstances. What Scripture comforts you in your troubles? I encourage you to write it down, put it where you can see it daily and memorize the lines that speak to your heart and comfort you. There is no greater comfort than to have God’s Word right there in your heart and soul when you need it.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms and the stand-in moms! It may be a tough day for you because your mom is no longer there to call or visit. Or maybe your mom was not a good and nurturing mother. Call on the Lord to comfort and be close to you today…He will.
We live in an era in which the mantra seems to be, “Do whatever feels good to you.” Feels good? Really? It might feel good for me to slap the person who is annoying me by being rude to the clerk in the store, but that doesn’t mean I have the license to do it. It might feel good for me to rob a bank and have lots of money to spend on a lavish vacation, but I don’t follow through on that thought…consequences, right? Unfortunately, in society today, people have decided to do things based on feelings and there are no consequences, at least none that are readily apparent. The Hamas-supporting protesters keep the Jewish students from attending class. What is their consequence? But they “feel” that they are justified in their wanton destruction and hatred, so it must be okay. After all, no one is stopping them. But I digress…this post is not about the poor choices of students. It’s about choosing faith over feelings.
I may be afraid to step out and witness to someone that the Spirit clearly tells me to speak to. If I go by my feelings, I will walk away (and honestly, I confess that sometimes I have done that). But if I go by faith that God will give me the words to say and the courage to say them, then I speak.
In this devotional, David is used as an example of faith. I have just read in another devotional about Absalom and his betrayal, David’s journey away from from Jerusalem and his cries to God. He was not blaming God for his troubles; rather, he was calling out to Him in faith to restore him to his throne and to keep him safe from the traitor. Would that we would have that kind of faith that continues to call out to God in the midst of betrayal and a real wilderness experience! Instead, we have a tendency to say “I’m just not feelin’ it today.” What if you were praying to God and His reply was, “Yes, I hear you, but I’m just not feeling it today.” God doesn’t go by feelings because He knows they change constantly, with outside influences and inner thoughts at war inside us. He expects us to choose to live by faith, no matter what the outside circumstances are and no matter how we feel about them. The Bible teaches us that it is impossible to please God without faith. Time to get off the feel good train and hop on the faith train that takes us to the throne of God. One is a bullet train that speeds us on an out-of-control path to wrong choices. The other is slow and steady, taking us in the right way to the right place, in God’s time.
Do you remember as a child noticing your shadow? Did you have fun trying to make your shadow merge with someone else’s? I vaguely remember that game I played, but since I have young grandchildren and I have watched them playing the same game, it reminded me of the joy I had in such a simple game.
Life isn’t a game in which we chase shadows. The challenges are real and as we grow older, reality sets in and we stop playing the shadow game. I think it’s past time for us to recall our youth and apply it to hiding ourselves in the shadow of God’s protective wings. Do you remember how when your shadow merged with another larger one, yours was no longer visible? God hides us completely if we will allow Him to do so and take shelter there. The world and all of its troubles continue, but we are safely surrounded by the peace of surrendering to His protection.
We can sing for joy in spite of the problems, trials, or news stories that dismay us. God is right there, hovering over us, and protecting us from the things that threaten to overwhelm us and destroy our peace. If you remember, you had to pursue that other shadow and make an effort to stay within it in order to have your shadow hidden. Pursuit of God is the key to peace; meditating on His truths brings the help and joy that are so needed in order to rest in Him.
Let this song remind you that God holds on to you and is right there when you need Him.
I heard a pastor say once (or probably more than once) that Satan doesn’t bother attacking the non-believers because they are already on his side. On the other hand, those of us who are Christians can sometimes feel as though we are under constant attack. We get through one crisis and the next one is just waiting on the horizon. But there is good news! Have you read the end of the Book? We win! That is why Satan’s desperate ploys to divert our attention from God and get us too discouraged to worship won’t work. God wants us to be prepared for the attacks, so He gave us His Word, but He doesn’t want us to be defeated by them. The trials test our faith but they can’t destroy our firm hold on God unless we let go. Sometimes, I feel as though God is holding me tightly through the circumstances because I get too tired to hold on. Lauren Daigle sings a song called “Hold On To Me” that speaks to my heart when I face that dilemma. I recommend you listen to it with an open heart; at times, all we can do is know that God who began this faith trip with us will see us through to the end. The resistance is real, but so is the victory!
Wake up, America! Please go to the original site and follow David and Zion’s Hope. Lots of information here that is scary but it follows prophecy so well that it is like reading parts of the Bible.
Brynn Haywood’s impulsive marriage to a man she’d known less than 24 hours leaves her with deep regret. She flees to Cape Cod, finding refuge with her loyal friend, Dawn Dixon. As Brynn grapples with her emotions, Dawn acts swiftly, eager to help secure a lawyer for her through her mother Marnie’s good friend, Lincoln Hayes. However, Lincoln’s preoccupation with his daughter’s lavish wedding brings unexpected challenges.
The arrival of Lincoln’s estranged son, Bear Hayes, stirs the waters further. Alarmed by his father’s extravagant generosity toward the Dixon family, Bear ignites friction between Marnie and Lincoln. As the wedding day arrives, Lincoln vanishes–and an unwelcome guest makes a surprise appearance.
My Thoughts
This book had me captivated by the story and the characters. Brynn Haywood’s unconventional marriage to a man she just met in Vegas and her escape to the cape to ponder what she had done absolutely mesmerized me. I wanted to know who this mystery man was and how it came about that level-headed engineer Brynn would even consider such a thing. Once she gets to the cape with her friend Dawn and Dawn’s mom Marnie Dixon, Brynn can reflect on what she did and Dawn assures her that she will help her dissolve the marriage. But Brynn gets too busy helping Linc Hayes prepare for the wedding for his daughter to think too much about her hasty choice. In fact, Brynn loves baking so much that she begins to consider leaving behind her degree in engineering. There are twists and turns in this complicated tale of choices, consequences, honesty and forgiveness. I really loved all of the characters, but I was especially drawn to Bear Hayes, Linc’s son who is in town for the wedding. Bear doesn’t approve of anyone in town except his mom and his sister and seems determined to make his dad’s life hard. I didn’t love him for his actions which were at times reprehensible. I loved him for his heart that seemed to be wounded and unready to accept anything new. In contrast, Brynn is embracing new things in her life, perhaps a bit too quickly. The story is compelling, filled with wit and wisdom. With each chapter starting with a saying about ice cream that gave me a clue about what would happen in the chapter and also a thought to ponder, this book is memorable and one to share and discuss with others. The subplots about Dawn and Marnie dovetail perfectly with the story about Brynn and all are concluded in a very satisfactory way, with a few surprises, too. This is contemporary Christian fiction at its best and deserves to be savored just like ice cream! Disclaimer Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Partr 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Christian Fiction, rated G, according to the reading level of the reader
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bestselling author Suzanne Woods Fisher wrote her first novel in sixth grade, about Pompeii, a dog, and the erupting volcano (terrible ending!) and, from that point on, she was hooked on the writing life. Curiously, she doesn’t remember anyone, ever, telling her she was a talented writer. She just loved to write. (And she worked hard at the craft. She still does.) College happened, work, then marriage, children, a sprinkling of corporate transfers, and Suzanne kept plugging away at freelancing for several magazines. (Four kids = lots of great material.) As her children headed off to college, Suzanne had the time to get serious about writing. She wrote a little World War II love story, Copper Star, which was published by Vinspire, a small royalty press. The novel won some awards, and it also caught the eye of a wonderful agent. And that’s when things started to happen. Joyce Hart of the Hartline Literary Agency knew of an editor at Revell Books who was looking for an author who had a genuine connection to the Plain People. Knowing that Suzanne’s grandfather was raised Plain, Joyce connected her to that editor. The result was Amish Peace: Simple Wisdom for a Complicated World, a finalist for the ECPA Book of the Year. Thirty-some books later (in a variety of genres—historical fiction, contemporary women’s, and Amish fiction), Suzanne is still writing for that same editor at Revell Books. And she still loves to write. For more information and a list of the author’s books visit her website at suzannewoodsfisher.com
When the storms of life inevitably come, we have to already have established a pattern of focusing on Jesus. He is our calm in the storm and has given us a peace that the world cannot understand. It is up to us to claim that peace and know that Jesus is right there with us in the middle of our circumstances. If you are like me, you may have the tendency to first look at the raging storm and then look at Jesus. I am trying to train myself to look at Jesus first and then the storm doesn’t look so bad after all. There are plenty of reasons in the world to be anxious, but there is one big reason to be calm…Jesus! Not one time in all of the Biblical accounts of Jesus’s life on earth did we see Him wringing His hands and saying, “Oh, no! The people are still sinning! The Pharisees are plotting against me! What shall I do?” He was in touch constantly with His Heavenly Father, knew what was coming and was ready for it, in His heart and mind. He maintained calm in the storm because He knew that in the end it would all work out for God’s glory. That is what our focus should be. Fixing our eyes on the Master of the storm and not the storm itself tells our heart that we can trust that it will all be okay and God will get the glory in the end.
I have a tendency to magnify the bad things that happen instead of focusing on the blessings. When I started choking and coughing so hard yesterday that I could not attend church for the second week in a row, first I was discouraged. Then, I spent time with God and was thankful that our church streams the 9:30 service, so I was able to join them in worship and listen to the pastor’s message as if I were there. The Lord calmed my spirit so that I could spend time focused on Him instead of on my coughing. I wish I could report that the coughing spasms miraculously went away, but they didn’t. Paul had his thorn in the flesh and I have asthma, which makes it harder for me to breathe when I get sick. I have learned from experience that the condition is exacerbated when I am anxious or upset, so staying calm is a must for me since I like breathing. I have learned and I am still learning not to focus on my gasping breaths but to focus on the One who gave me the breath of life to begin with and to be thankful for each breath I can take.
The key to breathing for me is to focus on the Lord, not on the problem. When I focus on Him, just like Peter walking on water, I can continue to walk and not sink. It’s when I take my eyes off the Lord that I begin to panic and my breath comes in short gasps. I am blessed to report that the panicking is less frequent and the thankfulness for each breath is more common. I am a little dismayed that I have been sick for two weeks so far, a period of time that is longer than usual, particularly after I have started antibiotics and a steroid dose pack. But I am waiting for God to heal me; the doctors help, the medicines help, but God does the healing. Meanwhile, I am working on staying calm in order to keep my focus where it belongs.
The interpretation of one little preposition makes all the difference when we are in difficult circumstances. We are not giving thanks FOR the difficulties; rather, we are thanking God IN them, knowing that He is walking that journey with us. That perspective keeps us from getting bitter and blaming God for all of our hardships. The blame lies squarely on the sin that occupies the entire world, the fact that the world has fallen and the diseases that are part of a fallen world have overtaken us. God does not send the pain, but He does allow it. When we acknowledge that His control is absolute and that He will be with us through the suffering, then we can continue to journey through it, not wallow in it and just stagnate there. Being thankful in the midst of suffering is not always easy, but it is always necessary in order to get a handle on how much God loves us, even when we are hurting.
www.bible.com/reading-plans/44512/day/1
www.bible.com/reading-plans/540/day/4
www.bible.com/reading-plans/540/day/3
www.bible.com/reading-plans/540/day/1
www.bible.com/reading-plans/12309/day/2
www.bible.com/reading-plans/12309/day/1
www.bible.com/reading-plans/23192/day/21
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 