Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Connect Hopelessness to Hope

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Songs in the Dark (Daily Refresh, 6-01-26)

Even in life’s hardest and most depressing seasons, God is with us and is listening to us. 

One purpose of a song of lament, or lament psalm, is to be honest with God. It’s about expressing vulnerability by telling God exactly how we feel. We should never be afraid of God or how we speak to Him, because He is able to handle our deepest emotions and complaints. And lament psalms are our model in Scripture on how we can be honest with Him.

Psalm 42 is a lament psalm. It is a song about the hopelessness of the writer’s current condition. It speaks to deep sorrow and grief that is experienced in life. The writer of Psalm 42 does not know why he is depressed. He’s not sure why certain things are happening to him. And so he goes to God in prayer and song, expressing the deepest parts of his soul.

Another purpose of lament is to connect the hopelessness of life with the hope that God gives. Laments act as a bridge between our present situation and the promises we’re waiting on. 

The writer of this Psalm speaks to his own soul and encourages himself to continue to hope in God. He knows that no season lasts forever, and there will come a time when joy returns to him.

We will all go through seasons of sadness and grief. And we will have Psalms as a guide. The first step is to come before God and honestly express yourself to Him. Tell Him exactly how you feel.

Next, remember the promises that He has given you in His Word. Recount how much He loves you and cares for you.

And lastly, encourage yourself to put your hope in God. Move towards songs of praise in spite of your current circumstances.

My Thoughts

Today’s devotional was perfect for me, and I pray that it will speak to your heart, too. You see, I have been awake since 2:30 a.m. I wish I could say I was earnestly praying or praising or anything besides what I was doing. I spent four hours coughing, using my inhaler, pacing and trying to get my breath as I spoke to God about how awful it felt to have difficulty breathing. I finally got up at 6, fed our cat, used my morning meds which included my inhaler again as well as other asthma meds, and called my pulmonologist at seven, when the office opens. I now have a Telemed appointment this afternoon since my meds are not kicking in as they should.

Am I discouraged? A little, but mostly, this devotional spoke to me because I am hopeful that God’s answer is on the way. After all, torn rotator cuff, spinal issues and now asthma flare, too. Instead of complaining to God, I am choosing to praise Him and know that He is helping me through this time of my life. In the middle of the night, when the coughing was so bad that it rattled my already unstable bones, I knew that God was hearing me even when I could not take a breath to speak a prayer.

God is not just the God of the mountaintop experiences, although we would all like to stay there and just look down into the valley. He is there with us in the valleys, too. I think that He is especially close in the valley times because it is quiet and there are no interruptions to distract us from our time with God there. We may choose to let things distract us, but I think that is a wrong choice. We need the quiet so we can hear His voice gently whispering His peace and loving words to our troubled body and spirit.

God may seem distant, but He isn’t. Even as I struggled to catch my breath, I knew that He is the One who gave me the breath of life and He will be the One with me when I take my last breath. If He wants me to continue to live, He will provide the strength, healing and hope that I need to face each new day.

I hope that you find peace in the Lord today and that He gives you a reason to praise Him. My being alive is enough reason for me. What’s leading you to praise the King of Glory today?

Sunday Worship

On By vickleaIn Scripture3 Comments

Before I share worship songs with you, I just want to add a disclaimer of sorts. I call this post Sunday Worship since Sunday is the day of corporate worship for me. But we should all be worshiping God every day. I’m sure you know that but I wanted to just put it into words to remind myself as well as others.

O Worship the King-Grace Community Church

God of Wonders-Third Day

Great Is the Lord-Michael W. Smith

If you have a favorite worship song, please share it with us. We enjoy worshiping God and declaring that He is worthy!

Sharing Your Story

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

I remember being lonely and discouraged when I left home for my first teaching job. I didn’t know anyone in the new town, although my boyfriend planned to come visit me there since I was close to the navy base where he was stationed.

One late afternoon as I was unlocking the door to my apartment, the lady who lived next door greeted me with a smile and just chatted with me for a few minutes about what I was doing in the little town and how things were going for me. After that, Verna seemed to arrive home about the same time I did every day, so our conversations got longer as we shared about our lives and what was happening. That day, Verna invited me in, we had a soft drink together and she shared the gospel with me. She wasn’t pushy or demanding. She just shared that Jesus made a difference in her life and He could make a difference in me, too. Then she gave me a copy of The Way Bible and told me to start reading in the Book of John. I remember that it was a Friday night and Harry couldn’t come that weekend for a visit since he was on duty. I must have made my solo dinner as I did every night and then I settled in to watch some TV. Since nothing seemed to interest me, I decided to go to bed and read. I picked up the new book that Verna gave me, found the table of contents, found John and started reading. I read the entire book and then I fell on my knees next to my bed and prayed for God to come into my heart and life and save me. I know that I was crying and had no idea if my prayer would be heard, but as I prayed a peace came over me that I had never felt before, a feeling of being loved and accepted. A virtual stranger shared her story with me and thus began a journey that has lasted over five decades.

But my story doesn’t end there. Verna discipled me, inviting me to go to church with her where the pastor told me about baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit. When Harry came to visit a few weeks later, I told him about my salvation experience and he brushed it off, telling me that I could choose Jesus or him. I don’t remember exactly what I said, but I do know that I told him that if I had to choose, I would choose Jesus because He died for me.

That made Harry start thinking and Verna and her boyfriend Chris invited him to go to church with us. He did, the pastor talked to Harry for hours afterwards and Harry gave his life to Christ. I became a Christian on February 28, 1973; Harry, on March 10 that same year. We got married in April by the pastor of our new church and Verna and Chris came to our wedding, a trip of about five hours for all of them.

Now, my question to you is, who are you going to tell about Christ? With whom will you share your story? You don’t have to be an evangelist or a pastor? You just need to share your story to someone who needs to hear it. The Holy Spirit will go before you and tell you who to tell and then that seed that you plant will start growing, with God’s help. Jesus started with twelve disciples and now there are millions of Christian believers worldwide. We may not believe in the same doctrine, but we are all related to each other, brothers and sisters in Christ. And we all have a unique story that someone needs to hear today.

Fearful No More

On By vickleaIn Scripture1 Comment

From Fearful to Fearless (Daily Refresh, 5-21-26)

Think of a time when you were fearful of others. For some, this might look like fearing harm or violence from a specific person or group. But for many of us, we can get sidelined by a different kind of fear…

Maybe you’re worried that someone won’t like you—your personality, your looks, your opinions, or your work.

Maybe you’re afraid that speaking up for what’s right could cost you—your job, your reputation, your comfort.

Maybe you’ve felt misunderstood, and the narrative has gotten twisted—with a little bit of truth and a whole lot of exaggeration. There’s more to the story, but it’s challenging to explain.

Maybe you’re so busy and preoccupied, making sure everyone around you is happy, that you’re neglecting your own life and calling in the process.

Maybe you say “yes” to any and every opportunity or event—because you don’t want to let anyone down, or get left out.

There are many ways in which we might live in fear of others. But the result is always the same: striving for man’s approval leaves us anxious, exhausted, distracted, and disappointed. When we fail to trust God, it shows.

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”
Proverbs 29:25

We cannot trust God if we’re living in a constant state of fear, because fear is the opposite of a faith-fueled trust. God’s approval, after all, is the only approval that matters.

Pleasing God matters more than pleasing people. Being accepted by God matters more than being accepted by people.

The great news is, we don’t have to earn His acceptance! We don’t have to prove that we are worthy of His time, attention, or love. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection did this for us. We are now considered worthy because He is already worthy! When we belong to Jesus, the Holy Spirit helps us to become more like Him.

Acceptance and inclusion from others will never give us the true safety and security we desire. But God’s acceptance of us is unconditional, and it transforms us from the inside out. We simply need to receive Him—allowing His love to change the way we think and act.

As the knowledge of God’s love increases in our lives, the fear of people decreases.

When we trust in God, we can rest in the assurance that we are secure for eternity. We are loved by our gracious Savior. He alone has the power to change the course of our lives.

Take some time to survey your own heart. Are your thoughts, words, and actions a result of fearing man—or trusting God? Consider a few small ways you can begin to place your trust in God rather than living in fear of what others might think.

My Thoughts

I have always been a people-pleaser, much to the detriment of my health and mental well-being at times. I think this deep longing to be accepted stems from my childhood experiences when I was not accepted by my mother. Nothing I did was good enough to win her approval and love. It wasn’t until I accepted Jesus as my Savior, only a few short months after moving away from home and into my own apartment, did I find the love and approval that I had sought my entire life. I still find myself saying “yes” to too many obligations because I don’t anyone to think badly of me. That ends up making me angry at myself at times and exhausted a lot. I am striving to pull back from yes and knowing when I really have to say no, or not right now. God is helping me to understand that there is nothing I can do to lose His love for me since He sees me through the grace and mercy provided via His Son. I could never be good enough for my mom, but I am always good enough for Jesus to have sacrificed Himself for me. There is absolutely no fear in God’s love, only peace and acceptance.

Thankful Thursday

On By vickleaIn Scripture, Video3 Comments

Two words in this scripture jumped right out at me this morning during my devotional and I am sure you can guess what they are.

First is that word ALWAYS. I am fairly sure that I know what always means, but I took time to look it up online. According to Merriam-Webster , always means: at all times, forever and in any event. Now, let’s think together about these definitions. At all times means in good times, bad times, regular times, so-so times, when you feel well, when you don’t feel well and whether you feel like it or not. Forever is just what it says: for every moment, for every day, from now until you take your last earthly breath and enter eternity to praise God. And “in any event” means to me that no matter the circumstances or what is happening to us or around us.

The second word that jumped out at me is EVERYTHING. Back to Merriam-Webster for another definition. “Everything” means: all that exists and all that is important. What exists in my life may not be what exists in your life, but whatever exists is part of everything for that individual. And, of course, what is important to me may not be important to you in any way, but we both have things in our lives that are important.

So, we are to at all times give thanks to God the Father for all that exists and all that is important in our lives. I am not seeing a “when we feel like it” or “when all is going the way we want it to” in this verse, are you?

As you thank God today for all things, remember that the good and the bad and the ugly are things, too. They exist and they impact your life. I am not saying, and I don’t think that the verse is either, that you thank God for being ill or for tragedies that occur. You are thanking God that He is with you during the bad things that happen and that you are not alone and forsaken ever. God knows our hearts and knows when we are unhappy about our circumstances, but we can always thank Him for taking us through the difficulties or challenges we face and not just leaving us there. I generally add to my prayers for God to help me learn from the hard things so that I can then help others in similar situations. I also pray that I can continue to shed His light even when I feel as though I am surrounded by darkness.

I hope today’s post resonated with you. I will close with my Thankful Thursday List (or the start of it) and a song for you.

Note that this is a short list of the many, many things I am thankful for. It’s a beginning of my thankful journey for the day.

Give Thanks-Don Moen

A Good Listener

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

Do you have someone that you enjoy talking to about anything and everything? Someone with whom you can be totally honest and don’t have to fear judgment or advice that makes you wonder why you shared with them in the first place?

I talk to my husband a lot, but these days I can be pretty sure that he only hears about 50% of what I say and responds accordingly. He doesn’t want to admit that he has a hearing deficit, so instead, he generally responds to what he thought he heard. Sometimes, his responses are humorous and other times they upset me because they are so off topic that I knew he couldn’t hear and didn’t tell me until I had finished talking.

But there is someone in my life who always listens, always hears, and gives the best advice ever.

I can pour out my heart to God at all times of the day or night and He is always ready to listen. He doesn’t half listen as he is actually tuned into the latest from BBC News. Nor does he tell me to “wait a minute” while He finishes what He is doing. He listens each and every time as soon as I call on His name.

I can vent to God and tell Him how frustrated I am. He listens and generally responds with a scripture to help me get out of my funk and back on the road to hope. I can tell God about my dreams and things that I want to do before I die. He is attentive and listens. Again, the Holy Spirit gently reminds me of scripture verses to encourage me, usually that my life isn’t over yet so it’s still okay to have dreams. I cry to God when I am hurting, raise my voice to Him over the pain I am feeling and speak softly to Him when I feel so totally unworthy to even come into His presence. I walk away from my sessions with God with newfound energy and hope that He is handling everything in His time and in His way so I can just let it go. He is my totally trustworthy refuge, never too busy, never hard of hearing and not once has He given me a ridiculous response that tells me that He didn’t hear me or had tuned me out.

In defense of my husband, he has been a good companion for over fifty years and we have been through a lot together. I still talk to him when the TV is silenced and I am willing to speak more loudly for long enough to have a real conversation. Growing old together has its challenges. I have health issues and Harry has hearing and mobility problems, too. It’s just that I know He is a man who has weaknesses, just as I do, and he won’t always meet my need as a good listener. I don’t think it’s because he doesn’t want to listen but because physically it is frustrating for him to see my mouth moving and have no idea what I just said. That is why God is my first resource and if God tells me to take time to talk to Harry about things, I do.

Who is your listener? I hope you have God as your trustworthy refuge who won’t judge or ridicule but who will always encourage and offer sound, scriptural advice. He wrote the Book and He is very good at sharing the right verses at the right time to the right person.