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.
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.
My thoughts on this prayer are yes! and amen! I am not a bold person, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, I can be. I love that I can fight fear with faith. That is what I leaned on while we were traveling so far these last few weeks. I leaned hard into the Lord and he calmed me. I even fell asleep in the car yesterday, and I never do that (you can ask my husband). I’m usually so anxious about traffic and weather and the car in general that I just can’t relax. But I actually snoozed. Thank you, Lord! I needed that!
I am praising God that we are home for a while now and we can both rest and recover. Our daughter is traveling home today, my brother and his wife are going to see my sister in NC and then home to CO, so I am still praying for them and their safety.
I know many of you don’t need this prayer on a daily basis, but I confess that I do. I was raised in an environment where worry was a part of everyday life and it was almost like it was expected. As a result, I joined in at an early age, worrying about mundane childish things. As I got older, my worry increased. I wanted to make good grades and was anxious that I wouldn’t be able to, that I would disappoint my perfection-demanding mother. So, I strived, oh, how I strived! College was the same. Then, after college, I became a Christian, but I still did not let my worry habit go. If anything, it increased as I faced the challenges of raising children, working a full-time job and having my husband constantly deployed with the military. Nevertheless, I did pray, probably almost unendingly, to the point that I felt as though I was having a conversation with God all day and that He was the only One keeping me going. Nowadays, I still fret, I still worry, but I have learned a new habit. When a worrisome thought comes in, I counter it with a scripture verse or a prayer of thanksgiving for all God has done and is doing. Does that mean I “have arrived” and I don’t worry anymore? I wish I could say that is true. What it means is that I am leaning into God a lot because I am a worrier. I can blame it on genetics, family habits or whatever, but it is a habit that I don’t want to have but can’t seem to break. Thus, I pray, I memorize and cite scripture verses. I don’t think there is a “magic bullet” to cure me of this malady, but I do like this part of the prayer from today’s Daily Refresh Devotional on the You Version App, so I am making it mine.
“Please replace worry with peace, anxiety with hope and concern with confident trust.” May we all press into God as He will also draw closer to us. May He be as close as our next prayer and shape us into the confident, worry-free and hopeful children He created us to be. ~Amen.
At the top of John chapter 5, John explains that anyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ—the prophesied Messiah—has become a child of God.
When we become children of our Heavenly Father, we not only inherit a forever kingdom and an incorruptible legacy, but we’re also granted the privilege of approaching the King of all kings.
John said it this way:
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”
1 John 5:14 NIV
As the text continues, John reiterates the fact that God loves to give us what we ask for—when it’s asked with the right motive.
Think about it this way: is a child concerned about approaching his loving parent for a snack, for a hug, for advice, or for help?
When we come to God with a similar childlike confidence—in sincerity, humility, trust, and even desperation—we can be certain that He hears us. When we submit a request, we might get a yes, we might get a no, or we might get a not yet. But regardless…
We can know that God hears us as we trust Him with our prayers.
The author of the book of Hebrews put it eloquently: “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)
Whether you need wisdom, direction, or practical help, you can come boldly to our gracious God. You can come to God with your praises and doubts, opinions and concerns, thankfulness and questions.
My Thoughts
I hate to write this because I don’t want you to misunderstand what I am saying, but I John 5:14 is one of those scriptures that I don’t like to share. For years, this particular verse was what I call the “prosperity gospel” of “Name it and claim it” fame. I am not a proponent of this particular method of trying to attract people to the Lord because I think it twists God’s Word and tries to get people to come to the Lord for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, as the writer of this devotional in the YouVersion points out, if we ask according to His will, then we can indeed expect answers. The caveat is that the answer may not be what we wanted or expected, but He will answer.
The problem I have with sharing this scripture verse is that people don’t always seek God’s will before praying and then get disappointed when He doesn’t answer. Or they don’t really want to know God’s will before their petitions because they already have a vision of what they plan to ask for. A bigger house, a powerful position or anything material is not promised in God’s Word. He says He will give us all that we need, not all that we desire. The only way to find out God’s will is to spend time with Him and His Word. The time we spend with God molds our will to be more like His and then when we pray, we can do so with confidence and expectation, knowing that what we are asking is something that God really wants to do for us. For example, God wants people to come to know Him, so we can certainly expect that praying for hearts to be open to Him is in His will. But, we also have to be aware that God is not going to make that person we pray for into some kind of responsive robot. They have to want to know Him, choose to know Him and repent. God can create situations in which the sinner comes face to fact with the reality of their sins, but He does not change their heart just because we ask for it; the sinner has to change. God has already provided the sacrifice, once for all, and He waits patiently for the sinner to come to His throne of grace. So, although we pray for salvation for a friend or loved one, once we pray this prayer that is part of God’s will, we have to accept the fact that God can do all things but He chooses to limit Himself to the individual making the correct free will choice. We cannot just “name it and claim it” because there is a lot going on in the spiritual realm that we may not be aware of.
The steps are not to see the shiny new toy and then pray that you will get one just like it. Absolutely not! We spend time with God in Bible study and reflection and then we pray according to His will that He has revealed to us in our time together. The final step is the hardest one. Then we wait, confident that God is working out His will in His time and for our good always.
Thus, with all that being said, I have difficulty sharing and telling you my thoughts about this verse since I don’t want you to take the verse out of context or misunderstand my words. Do I believe God answers prayers? Without a doubt! Do I believe that God answers every prayer just the way we expect? That answer is a firm “no” because I believe God answers prayers according to His good will, not mine and not in my established timeline.
The last few days have been long and sad. First, there was the plane crash in D.C. Investigations are ongoing, but it is enough for me to know that there were almost seventy people who died within minutes of the collision between the plane and the helicopter. You have probably seen the horrifying photos and videos for yourself.
I was still struggling with the “why” for the first tragedy when another tragedy happened. The second aircraft that went down over Philadelphia was a medical transport, carrying a young girl who had been sponsored by the Shriners to have her procedure in the U.S. The plane was taking her and her adult companion, two doctors and two pilots back to Mexico. The news reports said that the hospital had given her a “going home” party. Once I heard of the second crash last night, I was devastated, but I knew that my heart was not aching as much as those involved, both in the plane and on the ground.
So, how do we as Christians react to such tragedy? I will tell you first what I think we should not do. We don’t need to be pointing fingers at air traffic controllers, their training or their abilities. I am confident that they were doing the best they could. Nor do we need to start blaming DEI or the previous administration. Wherever the fault lies, there are a lot of innocent people who died and they need hope, not shaming and finger wagging.
We can offer that hope to them in the name of Jesus Christ. He came to give hope and comfort. I don’t think we will ever really understand why such tragedies occur. The FAA and the DOD may issue statements with what they think is the answer, but the real answer is we don’t know. What I do know is that God was waiting for these victims who knew Him with open arms and reassurance of His love. They went from death to His presence as long as they knew Him as their Lord and Savior.
The urgency to tell others about Jesus and the free gift of salvation that He offers has been stirring in me for a while. These tragedies brought this need to the forefront. How many did not know the Lord? How many went to be with Him while others will never see His face? Those thoughts kept me awake and desperate to tell others about the Lord. I pray that each person on each flight had someone in their lives who cared enough to tell them about Jesus and the eternity with Him that could be theirs.
My reaction to the tragedies is a burning desire within me to not allow others to leave this earth without the opportunity to know grace, mercy and forgiveness. I could care less about the politics and who is blaming whom. Souls are worth more than bitterness and opportunities to point to the other guy. Shame on anyone who takes advantage of these tragedies to push their own agenda! And bless those who see this sadness as an opportunity to stand in the gap and go and tell.
In the meantime, while I wait for God to tell me what to say and to whom, I am waiting. Just as the Israelites did not move until God led them, I am not speaking or posting online or condemning anyone. Rather, I am waiting for God to give me the words to speak and to point me to whomever needs to hear them. I am waiting and listening for God to give me directions even as I pray for the families of those who died. Please join me in praying for their comfort, peace in their hearts and provision for each of them spiritually, physically and mentally.
Sometimes God answers our prayers right away, but I have found that most times, I am waiting for an answer and feeling a lot like David in Psalm 13 when he asked God this question. He didn’t expect a reply from God. Instead, he kept on being faithful. I think David knew that the answer would come in God’s time.
Sometimes it does feel as though God has turned away from us, but He never does. He is watching us all the time while we deliberate how we will respond to his delay. He is looking for people who will be faithful.
We have to keep trusting and in that trust, we need to rejoice. We are not rejoicing because all of our prayers are answered right away. I have said it before, and I repeat it here again. God is not a magic genie who instantly grants our requests. He has a reason for all He does and He has a plan for us. We rejoice because we know ultimately we have salvation and will live with Him for eternity. I keep reminding myself that this life is temporary. The aches, pains, heartaches and trials will all pass. God and salvation are forever!
While we wait for an answer, a good use of our time would be to praise God and remind ourselves of all that He has already done for us. God has been good to me! My life is a living testimony of His goodness, grace and mercy, and for that I can sing even as I wait. So, how long? As long as it takes. Because when the answer comes, I can rest fully assured that it will be the right answer at the right time and for the right reasons.
My prayer is for the healing of our nation as we turn back to God. We need to look forward and not back, forgiving as the Lord forgave, and pray for our new leaders. The new President may not be the one you wanted in office, but he is the one that God allowed to be there, so the commandment is to pray for those who lead us. It doesn’t say to pray for those you like and agree with…pray for the leaders.
I spent the last four years praying for President Biden even though he was not my choice. I believe God had a purpose in allowing him to be in office. And since I don’t have God’s mind, I cannot tell you what that was. But I prayed, sometimes begrudgingly and sometimes half-heartedly, but I prayed.
Today is a new day and a new administration. I hope that you will join me in praying for President Trump and his family, for Vice President Vance and his family. May all they do be for the good of the nation and the people that God loves.
From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Daily Power by Craig Groeschel, Day 3”
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t go back to sleep. My mind spins with thoughts of appointments, responsibilities, and obligations for the following day. I worry about my kids, my friends, and members of our church. When everyone seems to be doing okay, I worry that I can’t think of anything to worry about! The best thing I do, though, is simply pray about all that’s weighing on me.
Sometimes people say, “All we can do now is pray.” It’s tempting to treat prayer like it’s a last line of defense. In actuality, though, prayer is our first line of offense.
We all have so many people depending on us that it can be hard to feel strong enough to do all that needs doing. We want to keep standing firm in our faith, but we become weary and feel so exhausted. That’s when we have to cry out for help, just like the psalmist says in today’s verse. We have to put our hope in the promises of God’s Word.
When you wake early because your mind and heart are troubled, you can rest in remembering what your Father has promised. He is with you and will never abandon you. He is in control and devoted to your growth for his good purposes. You don’t have to do everything that’s spinning around in your mind.
Today you can rest easy knowing that your hope is in God and not in your own efforts.
Power Lift: Today I cast my burdens before you, Lord, and trust that you can handle all that weighs on me and more. My hope is in you and I trust your timing to meet my needs as you show me my next step.
My Thoughts
I come from a family of hand-wringers and worriers. So, you might say that I have been perfecting this art of worrying for decades. I have also been learning (for fewer decades) how to let go and trust in God. I am not there yet because I still awaken in the middle of the night with my mind spinning. But I have learned to take deep breaths, release the troubles to God and go back to sleep. For me, that is good progress. I also recite scriptures that I have memorized to myself and sing praise songs in my mind. Sometimes it takes longer to go back to sleep, depending on what the issue is. But my belief is that I am awakened to pray, so I do and fall back to sleep when I feel comforted and the reassurance that God is taking care of things for me.
From YouVersion Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, Day 2
There is one thing we don’t want you to miss. We want to encourage you that our deepest hurt is also where our greatest hope emerges. While we experience pain and loss, those circumstances are also the fertile soil for new beginnings. For new life. For a new day.
Accepting hurt never means you are over the hurt. It means you’ve come to grips that this reality really is yours. It’s your boat. Your lake. You’re coming to terms with the fact that, with every death, there is new life.
This is one of the things that is so beautiful about this short and sad book of Lamentations. Right in the middle of the hurt and pain there is the promise of new life. Like a protest to the pain, there is this proclamation of God’s goodness and the newness of life in him.
We know it might seem impossible to envision right now. We know there may be things we’ve lost that we’ll never get back. But biblical hope enables us to see differently. To see our pain, feel it, but not be consumed by it. To see through it and see God’s purpose for it.
Hope reminds us that our current reality is not our final reality.
“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope,” the writer of Lamentations says. This reality, this season, these circumstances, this hurt will not last forever. It doesn’t have to last forever. God wants to give you hope. His hope.
Here’s the good news. Even Jesus experienced pain; he entered pain for us and felt the weight of our pain in a way that we will never know. He lamented, cried, questioned, and even asked God to change the plan.
“Abba Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Mark 14:36).
Jesus accepted the pain and endured it. He was crucified for us. But he was also raised to new life for us. There was glory in the pain and glory on the other side of the pain.
There can be the same for you. Today. Right here, right now. It’s okay to not be okay.
My Thoughts
I am always thankful that my current situation is not my final reality. It’s not that my current situation is awful or anything. It’s just not what I really want in my life. I would like to be closer to children and grandchildren, but I am thankful that I get to visit them or they visit me. I would like so many repairs done around our old house, but I am thankful for the shelter it provides and the warmth and comfort I find here. I find myself looking back in my life and all I have been through and knowing that, without a doubt, God was right there beside me in that rocking boat or walking in the wilderness. A childhood that was not ideal. God was there, even though I didn’t recognize it at the time. A marriage that was rocky at times. God was right there, and during those times, I knew it and prayed to Him for resolution and reconciliation. A stroke that could have taken my life…God was there and I was praying to Him, even though I could not speak aloud. I am still learning the lesson that my timing is not God’s. It does no good for me to point to my watch or my gray hair, explaining to God that the time is short and He needs to act faster. He acts according to His timetable and His timing is always perfect. I may not understand it, but I can trust in His love for me. I am thankful that whatever happens, the final reality of my life will be so much better than I can ever imagine!
Here is my prayer for each of you today. God bless you in your current circumstances and help you hold onto the hope that wherever you are is not your final reality.
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