Category: Scripture

From the Holy Bible

Overwhelmed

On By vickleaIn Scripture8 Comments

Have you ever had one of those “I Love Lucy” days in which one unforeseen circumstance follows another? If you remember those episodes, which were frequent, Lucy generally cried at the end.

That was sort of what I looked like yesterday after a really rough day.

Harry and I had to get up very early to get to an appointment with my ophthalmologist in town, over an hour’s drive away. We did that, made it to the appointment a little early and I was delighted that the tech took me back to check me early. I needed to finish this appointment on time because I had an early afternoon appointment with my neurologist about my leg going numb. The game at the ophthalmologist became one of waiting. I was taken back, did a test and returned to the waiting room. Multiple times. Finally, I got to see the doctor and he gave me the good news that my macula hasn’t changed in the last year and all is good with my eyes. I was happy about that since I had been anxious about the results.

We then headed to my neuro appointment and we made it there on time, too. I really like my neurologist who has been my specialist since my stroke eleven years ago. Anyway, he asked questions, put me through a battery of uncomfortable tests and concluded that I likely have a pinched nerve in my back causing my leg’s numbness. He gave me a referral to a spinal specialist (another specialist!), a referral for an MRI of my spine (another MRI!), a referral for physical therapy (again, a repeat), and an order to return for an EMG on April 8th. So, I left his office feeling overwhelmed.

Now, let’s get this straight. I prayed before each medical appointment and Harry prayed with me. I knew that something was wrong, of course, but I was just not ready to hear another diagnosis of something else broken in my body. I just got my second cortisone shot for my torn rotator cuff in my shoulder a week and a half ago, so I am still dealing with that pain daily (mostly nightly, when I try to sleep). And now this diagnosis. I wish I could say that I was praising God on the way home and thankful that I had an answer to the numbness. Instead, I started crying and Harry couldn’t console me with his words about our just getting older and things break down.

On the way home, the “idiot lights” came on in the car. I must say that we drive an older car (it wasn’t old when we got it, but it is now) so this was not new. It was just one more thing. So, the crying continued and Harry tried to console me with the fact that the car is also old. Not helping!

We made it home, Teya was there and had just gotten back from her run that she tries to do daily. She was getting ready for a shower and I was getting ready to lie down since I got up before 5 and it was not almost 4 in the afternoon. Suddenly, I heard Teya call for me rather frantically, so I rushed to find out what the problem was. The hot water faucet was detached and hot water was spewing everywhere in the bathroom. It was too hot to try to re-attach the faucet and turn it off, so I went to find the main water valve and shut it off. I located it behind a hatch of sorts, moved the things out of the way that Harry had decided to place there and got the hot water off. Yay! All the while, I think I must have been thinking, “Are you kidding me, God? Don’t I have enough on my plate right now?” Harry, of course, was nowhere to be found since he was wandering around the yard planning his garden. (He deals with stress by gardening, I do so by reading.) I found Harry, told him what was going on and Teya tried to reattach the faucet. She did so successfully and then Harry checked it and said it seemed to be okay for me to turn the water back on. I did and that seemed to work.

By that time, I was really overwhelmed with everything and planned to rest, but I had to eat to take medicine, so I ended up staying awake for several more hours, not really happy about life and its circumstances that day.

I have to confess that I cried myself to sleep, telling God honestly that I was just “up to here” with problems. I have always known that God knows how I feel anyway, so I may as well be honest with Him. I woke up at 4, and prompted by the Holy Spirit, I prayed for my niece who is in premature labor and tried to go to sleep again. I was still feeling overwhelmed, like I just did not want to face a new day. When I finally rolled over about 6 or so and decided to get up, I followed my usual pattern of thanking God for a new day and praying for a few minutes, waiting silently for Him to speak to my heart. He spoke a song into my heart that I haven’t heard or sung in many years. So appropriate for me!

God Will Make a Way-Don Moen

The bottom line is that circumstances have not changed. I have not changed. My shoulder hurts, my leg is numb, my back hurts and I am getting older even as I type this. What is changing is that I haven’t lost hope. As I talked to God this morning, not only did He give me a song, He also showed me a vision of my hanging onto a rope that was breaking and as I swung precariously over a cliff at the end of that rope, I looked up and there was the Lord holding on to the other end. God is still right there. He knows what is happening, and He is holding me as steadfastly as possible, even at the end of my rope, in high winds and with a cliff below me.

If you need a lifeline today, just know that God,who loves everyone equally, can be your source of hope and strength too. As I said, my circumstances haven’t changed, and if I focus on what is happening, I again feel overwhelmed. But I know deep within me that God is in control of the outcome, so I can let go of that rope. He will catch me…and you!

When I Am Afraid…

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Fear has been a presence in my life lately as I face one challenge after another to my health. But I have made the choice to trust God. He has always been faithful and He will continue to show me His faithfulness. I may not always get the answers to my prayers that I want, but God makes sure that I get the ones that I truly need.

I Will Trust in You-Lauren Daigle

May you all have a blessed and faith-filled Sunday!

The Psalm of Moses: Psalm 90

On By vickleaIn Scripture9 Comments

I didn’t realize it until I read in my devotional this morning that Psalm 90 is the only Psalm written by Moses. It is one of my favorite Psalms, so I will quote all of it and then show you my favorite verses.

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, “Return to dust, you mortals.” A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night. Yet you sweep people away in the sleep of death— they are like the new grass of the morning: In the morning it springs up new, but by evening it is dry and withered. We are consumed by your anger and terrified by your indignation. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. All our days pass away under your wrath; we finish our years with a moan. Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. If only we knew the power of your anger! Your wrath is as great as the fear that is your due. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen trouble. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children. May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90‬:‭1‬-‭12‬, ‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.90.1-12.NIV

God is eternal, infinite and everlasting. He has always been and always will be.

Our lives are finite, established by God. Since we have a limit to our days, we have good reason to use each day wisely.

Every morning should start with a song of joy, knowing that no matter what has happened before or will happen that day, God’s love never fails.

God is the one who gives us favor so that whatever we do each day will be “established.” To me, that means firmly and rightly done, and even possibly remembered by other generations.

Moses’s work was indeed established and even though he died in the land of Moab without crossing over the Jordan into the Promised Land, what he had done has been remembered and spoken about for generations.

What speaks to you from Psalm 90 or from Moses’s life and his leadership of the Israelite people? What can we learn from Moses?

Wisdom from God

On By vickleaIn Scripture5 Comments

Wisdom from God (Daily Refresh, 3-17-26)

If you’ve ever gone on a trip somewhere you’ve never been before, you know how important a map is. Maps help us navigate unfamiliar terrain and the unknown areas ahead. Similarly, God’s Word helps us navigate the unknown seasons of life.

God’s Word reveals God’s wisdom, which is a trustworthy guide. And Proverbs is a book of wisdom found in God’s Word—with knowledge that can help us live according to God’s will.

The book of Proverbs begins by acknowledging that everything begins with God. Because God is the creator of life, He knows how life works best and what direction our lives should go. Our role, according to Proverbs, is to seek Him and to trust Him. Trusting God means believing that He knows what’s best for us, and proving it by surrendering our lives and decisions to Him.

The more we trust in God and submit our lives to Him, the more we’ll live according to His will. Proverbs 3:6 says that when we submit to God’s wisdom in all our ways, He will direct and guide us. And thankfully, God has given us Scripture to show us what His will really looks like. 

That’s why it’s important to read God’s Word daily and get familiar with all that He says, so that in every area of life, we can trust Him to direct our paths.

Take some time today to pray about the direction your life is headed. If there are situations you’re unsure about, ask God to give you wisdom. Allow Him to direct your paths. And as you talk to Him, get in the habit of reading His Word every day, so that you can grow in His knowledge and wisdom.

My Thoughts

Have you ever been traveling somewhere and thought you knew the exact route you should go to arrive on time to your destination? Then, that annoying sigh appears, DETOUR! That’s what life is like sometimes. We are going along cheerfully, following the road that we think we should be on and suddenly, you are faced with something unexpected. I don’t know what you do in that case, but the first thing I do is pray and ask God to lead me. Maybe I got off the correct path somewhere because I was not being fully alert. Or maybe God just wants me on a different path. Whatever the reason, the Maker of the Universe knows me best and knows the best way I should go, every day of my life. That’s why I think it is so important to start every day with reading His Word and praying. I don’t know everything, but God does. And I don’t always know what is best for me, but God does. So, I am trusting Him to get me safely where I need to be, in spite of twists, turns, and unexpected detours.

Storms Are Coming

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

I went to bed late last night, or rather early this morning, after receiving numerous warnings about today’s impending storm. First, there were the texts from our Bible Study group that meets tonight telling us that they were watching the storm and would probably have to cancel the meeting. Then, there were the weather alerts, including this one.

Our schools in our district are closed since the time for dismissal would be when the storm might hit. On the map, we are south of Williamsburg, somewhere between the orange and the red zones.

You know, it’s good to have warnings that storms are coming so you can get prepared. I think my husband and I are as prepared as we can get. We live in a modular home, so it’s not a particularly safe structure, but it is not our home that we depend on to keep us safe. God will watch over us or bring us home to be with Him. Am I anxious? Well, yes, some. But at the back of my mind is the faith that I have leaned on for over 54 years now. God is always God, no matter what storms do.

Storms in our lives come and go. They are not always high winds, hail, thunder snow or even possible tornadoes. Sometimes, the storms come with advance notice. A loved one has an incurable disease and is going to die sooner rather than later. Financial problems arise when cars break down, houses need repairs and prices continue to rise. Unemployment is affecting the livelihood of someone in your life and you want to help but don’t have the means to do so. Your own health is not what you wish it was, and you are concerned about your ability to take care of yourself in the future. The list of possible storms is impossible it enumerate, isn’t it? Many storms come to suddenly and without any warning. Are they to be more feared or is God ready to carry us through them? It is a strong relationship with God that takes us through the storms we know about in advance as well as the surprise ones. Just think of some storms that you have weathered lately or are weathering now. What’s the answer? What do we do when the storms of life toss us around and there seems to be no end? Where do you go to take shelter?

We go to the One who spoke to the storm and told it to “Be still.” Whatever storm is raging within us or around us is subject to the Lord of the storm. The One who is the Lord of our lives is also the master of the winds, the water and the hail. He speaks to our hearts and tells us to “Be still.” He wants us to trust that He has us in the palm of His hand and as I have said before on previous posts: Nothing will happen to me today that God and I cannot handle together. Do you believe that? Do you know in your heart, mind and soul that God is in control? Storms come because that is what storms do. But they also go and leave us with a sense of our humanity and gratitude for God who knows and meets our needs, even in the midst of the storm.

So, even as I sit typing this post and waiting for the storm that the weather forecasts say is coming, I am hearing Jesus speak to my heart to have peace, to be still and to know without doubting that He is Lord. Not just of this storm outside, but of all of the storms in my life that rage and try to toss me around and to take my eyes off the Lord. God is and always will be the Lord of my life.

I pray that you may have the peace that comes from knowing that truth that God is your Lord, down into the depths of your soul and in so knowing you will trust God to calm the storms in your life and to bring you safely to the eternal harbor of your soul. May your day be blessed with the assurance of God’s love and protection.

Paying a Debt

On By vickleaIn Scripture4 Comments

God warns us in His Word not to go into debt because then we are a slave to that person to whom we owe money. After decades of working on paying bills, getting out of debt and then falling right back into it again when an emergency of some sort arises, I know without a doubt that debt is not a good thing.

It’s always a good feeling to pay off a loan or a bill and know that money can be used for something else, hopefully a better choice than another debt. I don’t know many people who have had their loans and credit card bills paid off by a friend or family member. The rule seems to be that you get into and out of debt by yourself. But there is a huge exception.

Our sin is a debt that we can never repay, a chasm between us and our Creator who did not create us to be separated from Him by our own foolish choices to sin. So, He Himself provided a way for our debts to be paid once and for all. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our debt is paid in full. We can go boldly before God’s throne, knowing that the price is paid and that we are accepted by Him because of the sacrifice of Jesus. When Jesus said, “It is finished,” He was saying that the debt was paid in full. There is no daily sacrifice or burnt offering necessary for us. He paid it all, so to Him we owe our lives, our everything that we will be and all that we are able to do to accomplish His purpose for us…we owe it all to Jesus. He is not a slave master but calls us His friends and His brothers. We are the children of God because He stood in the gap and paid the high cost of sin for us. Thanks be to God for His plan, His willingness to give His Son to sacrifice for us, and His great love for each of us!