Tag: prayer

Devoting Yourself

On By vickleaIn Admonition, God’s blessings, prayer, Scripture, YouVersion App1 Comment

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.

A Troubled Nation

On By vickleaIn grief, News Notes and Observations, prayer, Scripture8 Comments

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.

Coffee and Covid

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.

Traveling Mercies

On By vickleaIn God’s blessings, praise, promises, Scripture5 Comments

This year has been one of a great deal of travel for me and my family members. Our grandson went to Japan while our granddaughter went to Ireland and then on a cruise around the Greek Isles. Our son went on a business trip to Germany. The trips my husband and I made this year were not as distant, but there were a lot of them. Starting with four graduations in May, we stayed on the road for almost three weeks that month. It seemed that we barely got home when we packed the car again and headed to Myrtle Beach, SC, to see my brother and his family who had flown in from Colorado. Returning from that trip, we spent a few weeks at home, then headed out to Maryland to see our son and his family. And this past weekend was our last trip of the summer. We went to Williamsburg to the Great Wolf Lodge to spend the weekend with our other son and his family. I would not trade any of those hours in the car for anything since my husband and I both got so much pleasure from seeing our children and grandchildren.

One of the things that I purposed to do this year is memorize more scripture verses. One of those became like my mantra for the year.

There was a lot of going out and coming in this year for ourselves and our children and grandchildren. They are still on the move, with one in college at Liberty, one actively seeing employment and one employed and traveling for work. This Psalm has been on my lips as a prayer for us and for our family members as they travel. The promise of traveling mercies is real. Harry and I put a lot of miles on these old bodies this year, and God was with us the whole way, just as He promised. Did unexpected things happen while we traveled? Of course, but nothing that God could not help us handle. When God promises, you can count on His acting on your behalf!

How about you? Did you go anywhere special? Did you pray before, during and after your trip for the traveling mercies that God provides?

Tired of Doing Good?

On By vickleaIn Admonition, prayer, Scripture4 Comments

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.

Ready to Fight

On By vickleaIn Admonition, Scripture3 Comments

At any given moment, we may be expected to defend our faith to others. I have generally found that when someone is asking me a question about my faith, it is not usually because of their genuine curiosity, but rather in order to mock or deride my beliefs. Nevertheless, God wants us prepared because we never know whose heart and lives may be touched by our answer.

One thing that keeps returning to my mind as I go out into the world each day (and I consider the whole world a battleground these days) is that the victory is God’s, not mine. I am a tool in His hands, not the only tool He uses and probably not the best one, but a tool, if I am only willing.

When Joshua was getting ready to go into Jericho and defeat it for the Lord, He met up with a spiritual being.

The commander of the army of the Lord is right there with Joshua. He would not have noticed him if he had not looked up. He didn’t immediately recognize him as friend or foe, but once the man identified himself, Joshua bowed in reverence and asked for the message that God had for him. How often have we faced insurmountable odds or people who present themselves as enemies and we forget to look up and recognize that the commander of God’s army is right beside us? We never go into battle alone!

God is the One who fights for us and He is the One who brings victory. We are expected to show up for battle, ready, with the sword of His spirit as our stalwart weapon. But we can know in advance that God goes with us, before us, beside us and behind us. He fights the battle as we, in obedience, go into a world that is increasingly anti-Christian. We don’t need to fear what the enemy can do to us; rather, we need to be praying for the souls of those we encounter because God will not always be mocked before He takes final action against them.

Our “horses” are ready when we have prayed, hidden God’s Word in our hearts and received the command from our Commander-in-Chief to “go.” His Word goes with us, His victory is assured. After all, the Lord’s army surrounds us, if we will only open our eyes to see.

Happy Inauguration Day!

On By vickleaIn Admonition, prayer, Quotation and Citations, Scripture1 Comment

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.

Spread Peace

On By vickleaIn Christmas, Holidays, promises, Scripture, YouVersion App8 Comments

From the YouVersion Bible App Devotional, “Advent, Day 8”

Peace Helps Us Belong

The holiday season is special for a number of reasons. For many, it’s an opportunity to gather with family and loved ones to celebrate Christmas together. It’s a season for belonging. 

At the same time, we all have those family members or friends who put us on edge, even just a little bit. If we’re not careful, our differences and tensions bring division and crush unity. 

However, there is a source of deep, unbreakable peace. As followers of Jesus, we are part of the family of God. We have a kind of belonging that cannot be taken from us by others because it was given to us by God. 

When we remember the ultimate family we’re in, we’re able to empathize with the people around us—even the ones who sometimes rub us the wrong way. 

Peace is a state of wholeness, calm, and renewal between us, God, and others. So when we experience peace, it has the power to fight division and bring wholeness to all of our relationships. 

From the very beginning of the Bible, we see how God works with and through people to lead everyone to be at peace with one another. One example of this is the story of a shepherd named Abraham. 

In Genesis 12, we see God promising blessings to, and through, Abraham. 

“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3 NIV (emphasis added) 

Still, like nearly everyone in the Bible, Abraham had moments of conflict with his family and with others around him. But these moments didn’t disqualify him from God’s promises or God’s family. 

It was from Abraham’s family line that Jesus, our ultimate Peacemaker, would be born. Through Jesus, we’re able to be made whole and complete in our relationship with God. 

And in Revelation 14:6, we learn that this good news and invitation to God’s family is a free gift offered to everyone—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. 

Today, we can have peace because we belong to God’s family. 

Pause and Pray:

God, thank You for Your love for humanity. You have always been gracious to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. Thank You for blessing all people, including me, through Your one and only Son, Jesus. Please give me Your peace that surpasses all understanding. In Jesus’ name, amen.

My Thoughts

I don’t know about you readers out there in the blogosphere, but I do know that I have not been feeling much peace this week. I have felt anxious about decorating (and I really only put out a few things and decorate the tree). I am even now anxious about completing my shopping. Why do I wait until December to shop? Well, that’s when I have the money all saved to do it and I anticipate the first of December every year. But then, I have to wait for people to give me ideas about what to buy and then when I choose things, I find out that they will be shipped later than Christmas. It just seems that one thing after another blocks my good intentions and the result is anything but peace.

When I read the definition of peace in today’s devotional, I read it again…and again. I highlighted it in red above just in case you need to read it multiple times, too. I am made whole by God. I can feel peace even during turmoil because He gives me His peace. And every day is a new day to establish better and renewed relationships between me and God and others. I don’t have to wait for my sister to give me “permission” to call her. I can call at any time and just express love and concern for her. Peace is a hard thing for me in this season of busyness, but I am finding if I just sit quietly for a little while I can get more accomplished than if I frantically try to do everything in a short period of time.

It is a real consolation to me that I am a part of God’s family and that I can share things here with my brothers and sisters online, knowing that you will not judge me but will pray for me and perhaps even identify with some of the same issues that I have. God sent His Son in order to adopt us into His family, a family that doesn’t judge but rather offers love and acceptance.

Today is a day of rest for me. I didn’t sleep late, but I do get to go to church and fellowship with others as I learn more about God. Then, after church, I can rest and not work on lists of things to do. In that I find peace.

A Tool for God

On By vickleaIn promises, Scripture, YouVersion App4 Comments

From YouVersion Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, Day 3

When Jesus first called some of the disciples, they were casting their fishing nets into the water. They were mending nets on the shore. Dry ground was underneath their feet. When Jesus said, “Come follow me,” they followed. “I will make you fishers of men,” he told them. We would imagine following Jesus sounded fun. Exciting and full of adventure. It probably seemed like a great work, a work of God, they were signing up for. A lot like when we first believed. We gladly received God’s love. We felt his presence. He gave us new identities as sons and daughters. We could see his goodness and faithfulness. Like those first disciples, early in the journey we, too, were excited.

Or maybe Jesus calling the disciples was like when God first called you to a new ministry, a new job, or a new season in life. And yet this journey of following Jesus is full of surprises, isn’t it? The path is not always straight. The terrain is not always smooth. Sometimes there is water. And storms. Interruptions, we might say.

But we discover Jesus not only wants to work through us but needs to work in us. And this is no secondary work of lesser importance. He doesn’t just want to get us from one side of the lake to the other. He uses the “middle.”

The storm we are facing is never a threat to God’s work; it is often a tool for God’s work. Suffering might feel like an interruption to us, but it is instrumental to Jesus.

Undoubtedly, suffering was not God’s plan. He hates evil. All of the sickness, pain, disease, loss, and death we experience is the result of Adam and Eve’s first sin (Gen. 3). Things are not the way they once were in God’s original creation. And they are not what they will one day be when Jesus renews all things and does away with the messiness and brokenness and sin we are all living with. But God can and does use suffering in this life for his redemptive purposes.

Note that I added the emphasis.

My Thoughts

Well, I can and do believe that God can and does use our suffering as a tool. I don’t think He causes it, but He can use it to teach us and draw us closer to Him. What I have difficulty with is “rejoicing in my suffering.” I am more likely to be whining a little bit, praying a lot and hoping that it will all be over soon. But, if I see things the way God sees them, then I am seeing the end result, that I will be better off after having gone through whatever pain it is I am suffering. I want my character to be more like that of Jesus and if the only way to get there is suffering, then, I’m okay with that. Not thrilled, mind you, but I can submit to it and wait for God to strengthen me and make me a better person from it.

My father was a mechanic, and he was all about having his tools in the right place for him to be able to access them quickly and use them. He didn’t use them to make the car break down more. He was using those tools to repair the car and to make it run better. That is what God is doing every time I go through trials or suffering. He is helping me to run the race to the end better.

Right now, I have another infection. Sinus, bronchitis? I don’t know what I have right now but I know I am using my inhalers, nebulizer and other OTC meds until I can be checked by the doctor on Monday and hopefully get the antibiotics I need to fight it off. Meanwhile, I am a little discouraged, just to be honest. I was giving thanks that I had made it through the month of October without getting sick and then…bam! Sneezing, coughing and wheezing. Not fun, but it’s part of my life since I was born with asthma. Can God heal me? Yes, I know He can. But that doesn’t seem to be His plan for me. Like Paul with his thorn, I just have to accept it and do the best I can living with it.

Meanwhile, I am praying that I will learn what God wants me to learn and be a good witness to others about His faithfulness and loving care. The tools He uses are to make me a better person, not to destroy me. I truly believe that, and I hope that you do, too.

Final Reality

On By vickleaIn prayer, Scripture, YouVersion AppLeave a comment

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.