God Is in Control

On May 13, 2026 By vickleaIn Scripture6 Comments

In my daily struggles with moving around and just living, I find myself talking myself into doing things. I’m sure you know what that is like. I say to myself, ”Self, it’s only a few steps so you can do it. You just have to balance yourself and move forward.” I also find myself talking to God and asking Him to help me remain upright. Before my feet touch the floor in the morning, I am already expressing my dependence on God to help me get up and moving.

I go to a lot of different specialists, but never have I entertained the thought that they are the answer to all of my problems. They PRACTICE medicine, but God IS our help. He made me and He can fix me, and if He doesn’t, then He will help me keep on keeping on in this earthly frame. I appreciate the doctors and their attention to details and their advice, but ultimately, God is my source of strength and healing.

The battle is always the Lord’s, whether it is in your marriage, for your children, in your neighborhood or for the world. I think sometimes that I am fighting this battle all alone, but then God reminds me of the scriptures where angels were all around, just not visible to the servant until God showed them to him. As the Bible says, “we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.” Can you imagine their jubilation when we make the right choices and persevere instead of turning away in frustration?

This is the lesson that God is bringing to my mind frequently these days. I just need to be still. God will give the doctors wisdom and give me peace. God will fight the battles. God is my help, all the time and in every situation.

I am sure many of you are facing temptations, battles and maybe even an uncooperative body as I am. God is all we need during this time. Praying friends help. But they aren’t the answer. Attending church and hearing the wise words of the pastor and leaders help, but that is not the answer. All of these things contribute to our waiting, but they don’t provide the source of life that we need to press into. Only God has the final answer…He always gets the final word in our lives if we are just still and waiting. I’m not going to pretend that waiting is easy because it isn’t. But I have found through decades of serving the Lord that waiting for God’s answer is worth it since His answer is the only one that will actually help and carry me through to the end.

May God bless and keep you close to Him as you persevere and wait.

Storms Are Coming

On March 16, 2026 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.

God Is On His Throne

On November 6, 2024 By vickleaIn Scripture, YouVersion App2 Comments

From the YouVersion Bible App: Devotional by Max Lucado, “Anxious for Nothing”

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Anxiety is a meteor shower of what-ifs. What if I don’t close the sale? What if we can’t afford braces for the kids? What if my kids have crooked teeth? What if crooked teeth keep them from having friends . . . a career . . . a spouse? Anxiety is living life in a minor key with major concerns.

Is your heart weighed down with worry? Could you use some calm? If so, you aren’t alone. Conquering anxiety and worry requires some work on your part, but it is not God’s will that you lead a life of perpetual anxiety. God loves his children. He oversees your world. He monitors your life.

In Philippians 4:4, Paul offers what could be considered a “prescription” for anxiety and worries. Interestingly, this prescription begins with a call to “rejoice in the Lord always.” Paul used every tool in the box on this verse to get his readers’ attention. First, he uses a verb tense so they would hear, “continually, habitually rejoice!” And if the verb tense wasn’t enough, he removed the expiration date: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” And if that wasn’t enough, he repeated the command: “Again I will say, rejoice!”

But how do you obey this command? By recognizing the sovereignty of God. The most stressed-out people are control freaks. The more they try to control the world, the more they realize they cannot. Life becomes a cycle of anxiety, failure; anxiety, failure; anxiety, failure. But when you recognize heaven has an occupied throne, you allow the Lord to be in control. God then calms your fears not by removing the problem, but by revealing his divine power and presence. Your anxiety decreases as your understanding of God, your Father, increases.

The next time you fear the future, rejoice in the Lord’s sovereignty. Rejoice in what he has accomplished. Rejoice that he is able to do what you cannot do. Fill your mind with thoughts of him. Where others see the problems of the world and wring their hands, see those problems and bend your knees. Intentionally lift up your mind to thoughts about your king. Don’t get lost in your troubles. Dare to believe that good things will happen. Examine what sustains your belief, and make sure your belief in God is founded in trusting that he is in control.

Also realize that God has freed you from the guilt and quagmire of regret that may be causing you anxiety. Unresolved guilt can turn you into a person who is hiding, running, denying, and pretending. Guilt can suck the life out of your soul. But grace restores that life and allows you to trust God’s forgiveness. The result is the ability to rejoice unhindered, confident in God’s sovereignty.

Your Father’s hands are open, so place yourself entirely in his care. As you do, you will find it is possible—yes, possible!—to be anxious for nothing.

Respond

How is rejoicing a choice? What does rejoicing in the Lord look like to you?

How would you describe your confidence in God’s control over your life? What are some ways you have seen God’s sovereign hand at work in your life?

How can spending time each day in God’s presence help you rejoice in the Lord always?

My Thoughts

I need to read this devotional every day, along with God’s Word that tells me not to worry. I wake up every morning and say thank you to God and then I proceed to worry. I worry about small things (an earache just beginning) and big things (car repairs). But God says He is on His throne and I need to let go. So, I am working on it. As a Type A Control Freak, this is not easy for me, but since it is a command, I will call on God to help me to do better about not being anxious. I am spending more time with God every day and that is helping. Do you have any secrets to letting go of worry? I don’t think that there is a “magic bullet” but I do know that there is a powerful God who is watching over me.