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.
This prayer is part of my devotional today and I really needed it to remind me of God’s constant presence. Life keeps throwing darts at me and so far, I have been able to dodge them, but honestly, I am weary.
Yesterday, I had to return to Ortho Virginia because of a shoulder problem that has been building for the last month. It has gotten so painful that I cannot extend my right arm, either forward or up without excruciating pain. When the doctor checked me yesterday and had me do all kinds of movement that hurt as well as pressing in places that almost caused me to defend myself, he concluded that I have a problem with my rotator cuff. He cannot say definitely that there is a tear because I have not had an MRI yet, but he did say the symptoms point to that as the issue. I received a steroid injection and a referral for physical therapy for the next six weeks.
While I was doing my deep breathing to get through the injection into the bone of my shoulder, I was thinking to myself, “Seriously, God. I have only been out of the boot for a fractured foot for less than a month and now my shoulder is giving me problems. I mean, really. Couldn’t we face this particular battle another time?” God didn’t speak audibly, but He continues to speak to my heart that He is walking this valley with me. He hasn’t gone anywhere, but He has stepped closer to me, to comfort me during the diagnosis, the injection and the feeling of absolute despondency.
God has never walked away from me, as He so lovingly reminded me yesterday and again this morning in this prayer. And since He doesn’t play favorites, He hasn’t walked away from you, either. He is right there, waiting to answer your prayers and to be by your side until whatever the battle that is taking place in your life is over. There will always be a battle to fight, but the good news is, there is always God there to protect you, heal you, comfort you and reassure you of His presence.
What does the word “devote” mean? According to the American Heritage Dictionary, devote is defined as “To give or apply (one’s time, attention, or self, for example) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person.” Now, read that again slowly and think as you read to what or whom you are devoted.
I am devoted to God, my marriage and my family. How do I know? Because I pursue them daily, making them priorities. I get up early each morning and start my day spending time with God in His Word, praying and asking for insight into what I should share on my blog and into what I need to do to follow Him more closely. You know that the Bible says that where your treasure is, that’s where your heart is. What you devote your time to says a lot about your priorities, doesn’t it?
Today’s scripture verse in the Daily Refresh on the YouVersion App says this:
So, we know that this means to apply your attention and time entirely to prayer. What does that look like? I think it means to focus on praying. What are you watching for? I am watching for God to move in my life as I listen for Him to speak to me. And I am always thankful for a new day that starts with prayer.
Prayer doesn’t have to be a long speech to God about all that He has done and all that you want Him to still do. My prayers are actually very simple. I start by naming a character trait of God that I am particularly thankful for that morning. Then, I confess my sins and ask for forgiveness. Then third part of my prayer is to again thank God for something special that He has done for me. And the next part of my prayer is to ask God for mercy and grace for various family members who have needs. I end my prayer with thanksgiving and praise. I know it sounds complicated, but it really only takes less than ten to fifteen minutes. I don’t look at the time, but I know it isn’t too long. But it is a vital part of my day, to just focus on the Lord and have a conversation with Him. It’s a “good morning” greeting to my Maker. Then, I pray to Him throughout the day as any need or thought that I need His guidance comes up. And I always end my day with prayer, too. The time I spend with God in prayer is all His time, no interruptions or conversations. The phone is on silent and away from me. The books I need to read for that day can wait. The chores can wait. That time is God’s and I try very hard not to be distracted or hurry through my time with Him.
God is always there, waiting for us to notice and to spend time with Him. How important would you feel in someone’s life if they never spent time talking to you and then listening to what you had to say? After a while, that kind of relationship would break down. We need to nourish and cherish our relationship with God as it is the foundation for all of our other relationships to which we are devoted. So, devote yourself to prayer? That is a definite “yes” and a resounding praise for time to spend with the Creator of the Universe who always has time for us.
I want you to notice a very important word that begins this verse, the conjunction “when.” The verse doesn’t say “if” but “when.” God knows that we will be afraid at some time in our lives and David encouraged us in this Psalm to put our trust in God when it happens. I liked what my devotional on the YouVersion told me this morning. Instead of letting fear become a master in your life, let it be a messenger to remind you to run to God.
Have you ever been really afraid? Since I spent a lot of time alone with my husband deployed, I was afraid a lot. Afraid of new places, afraid of being alone at night in a brand new home, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle taking care of the kids by myself. God addressed my fears by always, always, always being there for me. I think my greatest fear was when I had a stroke and was on my way to the hospital, strapped to a gurney in an ambulance with the paramedics talking to me and inserting various needles and other medical devices on me and in me. My husband wasn’t with me because the nurse hadn’t been able to contact him yet. So, I was afraid. I couldn’t move or speak, but I could pray. I couldn’t say words, but I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit praying for me and with me. In fact, one of the paramedics noticed my lips moving but no sounds were coming out and he told the other one that he thought I was praying. He was right! I was afraid and God knew it and was right there.
We can panic when we are afraid and try to distract ourselves with other activities or in ways that are not good for us. Or we can run to our Heavenly Father, knowing that He is right there and He is trustworthy. Let Him speak words of comfort and love when you are afraid. I know it sounds other-worldly to say that, but I have experienced God’s presence and His words of assurance more times than I can remember. That’s why I can tell you that He is real, He is concerned about you and your fears. He doesn’t say that He requires that we be fearless. Rather, He says WHEN we are afraid, we can put our trust in Him, the only one who is always there for us, who never leaves us and who knows what is best for us.
Do you communicate with anyone in your life? Of course, you do? Your spouse, your children, siblings, people you meet at the store and others, just to name a few. How do you communicate with them? Do you duck your head, avert your eyes, cross the street and keep on going? Of course not! That is not the definition of communication in any society that I know of. You communicate by thinking of words and then saying them. (Hopefully, you think before you speak.)
When we pray, we are communicating with God. Some people think that in order to pray, they have to be in a certain posture, like prostrate or kneeling. I used to kneel frequently to pray, but my current age and the condition of my knees won’t allow that. So, I don’t worry about the position of my body. I am more concerned about talking with God, with reverence, awe and love.
Many years ago one of my Sunday school students asked why we pray when God already knows everything. I had to tell her that I would get back to her with an answer. The short answer to her was that we pray in order to just talk to God. We aren’t doing it for Him, but in order to establish communication with our Creator. To use today’s lingo, we cannot “ghost” God and then expect Him to follow us around begging us to communicate with Him. Think about it. He created everyone in the world and if you are the one remaining silent before Him, He doesn’t like it but He won’t force you to talk to Him.
Some of my best times of reflection about myself happen when I am taking with God. Prayer helps me to be honest with God and with myself, even when I think that I am hiding things well.
I have learned through decades of knowing God as my Father that when I start my day with prayer, I don’t just stop there with a hearty “amen” and move on. I open the door to communicate all day. I talk to God as we travel down the road to another medical appointment, as I work on making dinner or even when I am in the shower. He is always right there with me, ready and willing to listen if I will just speak to Him.
I like what Nicky and Pippa Gumbel had in their One Year Bible devotional today about prayer. Here is the quotation:
Prayer is the most important activity of your life. It is the main way in which you develop a relationship with your Father in heaven. If you love someone, naturally you will want to spend time in their presence communicating with them. Like any relationship, communication can take many different forms. Lancelot Andrewes (1555–1626), was one of the great theologians and preachers of his day. After he died, his private notebook on prayer was discovered and published. In it he had written two lists: First, he wrote a list of *times* of prayer in the Bible: ‘Always… Without ceasing… At all times… Three times a day… Evening, and morning, and at noon… Seven times a day… In the morning, a great while before day… At daybreak… The third hour of the day… About the sixth hour… The hour of prayer, the ninth… The evening… By night… At midnight…’ Next, he wrote a list of *places* of prayer in the Bible: ‘In the assembly… and in the congregation… Your closet… An upper room… A housetop… The temple… On the shore… A garden… On their beds… A desert place… In every place…’ There is no limit to the times, places and different ways in which you can pray.
Read that last sentence again. There is NO LIMIT to the times, places and ways you can pray. Don’t limit yourself to a certain time, a certain place or a certain way you have to pray. Just talk to your Heavenly Father.
I use ACTS when I pray, which means I start with Adoration for who God is, not what He has done for me. Then I confess my sins to Him. He already knows them, but I need to tell Him what I have done and ask for forgiveness. I know that if I omit anything or forget something, He forgives regardless, but confession is good for me and releases me to get closer to the Father. Then, I thank God for all He has done in my life and the lives of those I love or have been praying for. Finally, I lay my requests before God. The “s” is for supplication. I tell God honestly what I need and ask that His will be done in the situation(s). You don’t have to use this formula but it is helpful to me to make sure that I don’t jump right in and start with a list of demands that I want God to meet. I have found that if I do things in this order, by the time I get to my supplications, I am calm and at peace with whatever God wants to do, so my list is not a “wish list” that I want Him to fulfill but rather a heartfelt cry for His help in various challenges I am facing.
So, that’s it. Prayer is communication with God, just talking to Him as if He is seated next to you on a bench or a sofa or wherever you find yourself. It is a necessary part of our relationship with God, not because He needs it, but because we do. When you pray, don’t forget to listen. Don’t spend so much time rushing through your talk with God that you don’t give Him time to talk to you. Communication is always a two-way street. You don’t monopolize the conversation. It’s not all about you! It’s all about a relationship with God, so stop and be quiet and listen. That’s the hardest part for me, but I have to take the time to listen in order to let my heart know that God is right there with me throughout the day.
I am going to ask you a question, but I don’t expect you to answer me. I just want to know: Do you pray daily? Reflect on the answer to that as you read this blog post again. And think seriously about how important prayer is to your relationship with God.
Jesus came to suffer and die, willingly. His attitude was one of submission to the Father and acceptance of the sacrifice He had to make for us. He didn’t whine, moan or threaten. He just knelt in the Garden and prayed.
We all learned division in elementary school, and we found out that it was hard and sometimes tedious. Our nation is divided along political and religious beliefs. And it’s hard and frightening. The era of civil discourse has ended and we are entering an era of violence against those with whom you disagree. If you don’t believe me, check out Blue Sky, an app for liberals that is calling for murdering Republicans. What did Charlie Kirk do to make someone want to kill him? We don’t know yet because the killer(s) have not been caught yet. But there is plenty of speculation about the assassination being politically motivated. In my opinion, that is probably accurate, but I think that the murder goes beyond that and reveals the heart and soul of America right now.
Years ago, I can’t even remember when it ended, the proper way to respond to those with whom you disagreed was to just walk away, knowing that you had agreed to disagree. You would continue with your opinion and they would continue with theirs. Nowadays, though, the evil minds of a few are vocally calling for violence when the other side does not agree with them. The issues are as numerous as the people who propagate them, but the ones that immediately come to mind are abortion, transgender rights, and illegal immigration. Those of us on the right say abortion is murder, there are only two genders and illegal immigration is, well, illegal, so those who crossed the border illegally should return to their homeland, or at least come across the border the right way. Charlie Kirk was a conservative Christian who would debate anyone about his views, not in a manner of “in your face” and “I know you’re wrong and I will prove it.” No, he reasoned with the people who confronted him and some listened and even changed their beliefs while others were angry that he was expounding on those beliefs. May we be mindful to respect the opinions of others and to disagree with love, not with hatred.
What will be the outcome of yesterday’s murder of a young family man who loved his God, his family and his nation? We don’t know, but we can be certain that things will change. The god of this world is alive and active and dedicated to destroying the truth. As Christians, we need to be ready to stand up for our beliefs and not to back down.
I subscribe to a Substack blog called Coffee and Covid. Here is today’s post that spoke to my heart about what is happening these days and prompted me to write this post.
I will close with a photo and a scripture verse that brought me comfort and peace yesterday.
Charlie’s wife and two small children need our prayers. Our nation needs our prayers. Our leaders need our prayers. And our “enemies” need our prayers. I am comforted by the fact that God is still on His throne and although the enemy might have won this skirmish, the victory belongs to the Lord! Pray for our nation on this anniversary of 9-11. May we never forget the unity at that time and may the memory of all who sacrificed their lives on that day ever keep us true to our faith, our family and our nation.
It is very easy for me to get up and right away declare that I am tired. Sometimes, it’s because I didn’t sleep long enough, and other times it is because I didn’t sleep well enough. But that is not the tired I am talking about today. Today I want to address the walking away from those who have needs that we can do something about because we are just too self-centered to want to step out of our comfort zone and lend a hand. God’s word tells us not to get “weary in doing good.” For me, I find myself weary of helping others when I don’t feel appreciated. But that is not what the verse says. It doesn’t say to stop doing good if you don’t feel appreciated and no one thanks you. I remember the ten lepers whom Jesus healed and only one came back to thank Him. What if the Lord had said, “That’s it! I’m done. I did all of this and one…only one thanked me. It’s just not worth it!” But He didn’t. Jesus continued to reach out and touch and change lives all the way until the end of His ministry. In fact, even on the cross, He reached out to the thieves on either side of Him. Always selfless and ready to sacrifice. He is our model for doing good and how long we should keep doing it. We may never see people change or show gratitude towards us or to the Lord, but we have to keep doing because the harvest is coming one day, even if we don’t see it.
A prayer from the YouVersion today. I hope you will join me in saying this prayer wholeheartedly, mean it and look forward to ways to be like Jesus so that others see Him in you.
When I was growing up, my dad ran a gas station, which in the south we called a “filling station.” It was also during a time when the employees filled up the gas tank and the customer didn’t even get out of the car unless they wanted to go into the station and grab a soda or a pack of cigarettes. I actually worked at my father’s filling station for several years when I was in high school. I was his unofficial bookkeeper and worked in the office, which was really a desk inside the station. Since there was no air conditioning there, the door usually stayed open and I would hear the bell ring as the cars ran over the alert that there was a customer. I also got used to hearing, “Fill ‘er up!”
Today’s scripture verse reminded me of my time at the gas station. No one ever said, “Just give me a little, please. I just have to make it home.” Some people did ask for half a tank, a feat that I had no idea how the employees figured out how much to put in, but I didn’t ever hear a customer complain that they got too much in their tank. Keep that in mind as we explore today’s verse.
This is a promise to be filled, but did you read what is required in order to be filled? You have to actually hunger and thirst for righteousness! I know food cravings as every day just before dinner, I really want a snack but I know I should not have one because it will spoil my appetite for dinner. I am hungry but not to the point that I just cannot do without it. This last week has been a really hot one here in Virginia, with temperatures in the 100’s daily and humidity high. That has resulted in my feeling extra thirsty. I always keep water with me, next to my chair or in my hands as I travel from room to room. My nephrologist has advised me to drink at least six cups of water a day, and I have been meeting his expectation all week without any problem because I have been thirsty. Physical hunger and thirst are not what the verse is talking about though.
So what does it mean to hunger and thirst for righteousness? I think it means a soul-deep craving to have a closer walk with God, a longing for others to have a relationship with Him, and a deep desire for Jesus to come again and set everything right in this topsy-turvy world. It means that when I am tired and irritable, I open my Bible and read. Or I go to my memory verse cards and work on them. Or I listen to praise music. I need to know that God is close, so I move closer to Him because I am hungry and thirty for more of what He offers, a right-standing and acceptance from Him. I don’t know that I have all of this correct, but it’s correct enough for me to say that I think I am on the right track. I cannot know all things, but I can know what I learn daily from God’s Word, and I know without a doubt that spending time with the Lord gives me peace and gives Him pleasure. So, my words to God are, “Here I am again today, Lord, at your filling station. Fill ‘er up!”
Lord God, I thank you for who you are and for all you have done for me all the days of my life. I bless your name for your goodness and mercy that you have showered on me abundantly. I thank you for your gifts of children, grandchildren friends and other family. These relationships have taught me so much, Lord, about your character and how you want people to be. Thank you, Lord, for being there for me when I was lonely or afraid. Thank you, Father, for being a father to me when mine was not there. I am overwhelmed by your goodness, Lord and your unimaginable and deep love for all of your creation, including me. May I ever be aware of your presence and your desire to bring everyone to you. In Jesus’s Name.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 