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.
Do you remember carrying your children around when they were young? I vaguely remember doing that, but I actually remember carrying around my grandchildren. The youngest is three now, and when he was four months old, I stayed with him for four months to take care of him while his parents worked. And, of course, I had to carry him because he wasn’t walking yet. In fact, he had just started trying to crawl when I returned home again. Anyway, sometimes I was a little afraid to pick up that little one because I am not always steady on my feet, but I prayed that God would help me carry Nathan safely, and He did.
I cannot imagine anyone carrying me these days. I am “pleasantly plump”, elderly with aching bones and don’t like to be touched much, not to mention carried. But the Bible says:
God is carrying me, in His heart and mind, all the time. He is ready and able to sustain me and rescue me, and He is the One who knows me best, since He created me. So, I am content in my Father’s arms.
Of equal importance is that Jesus is our High Priest and carries our names before the Father, right into His presence. Remember when Aaron, the High Priest and Moses’s brother, wore an ephod with the names of the twelve tribes on it. When he entered the holy place, he was bringing them before the Father. So, not only is God carrying us, but His Son carries our names with Him before the Father, letting God know that we are part of the family, grafted in or adopted as His children. What wonderful word pictures I had this morning in my devotional! I am old and gray…God is carrying me! I am a child of the King, and Jesus bears my name before His Father. How blessed I am to be carried, with no worries about God’s ability or stability. He is able and willing!
Do you at times want to lay down the burdens of life and just be carried away to a place of peace and joy? Then, imagine God doing just that. He wants to, and He will, if you will surrender those burdens to Him and allow Him to pick you up right where you are and carry you to a place where He can minister to you. It is in His arms that I find comfort, solace, rest and strength. I hope you find that, too.
I believe that solitude is hardwired into the human experience. If you are a believer in something greater than yourself, you would say that God created us with solitude as a major pillar in our existence.
But we have wiped it out.
And you know what? It’s not necessarily our relationship with our phones that is the problem. Dare I say that the root of the problem is our relationship with solitude? It’s like when you hire a nutritionist, and after two days of eating great you slip back into old habits. And suddenly you begin avoiding this nutritionist at all costs. Even though you know this person is bringing you advice and accountability that’s necessary and good for you, you would just rather be numb and lazy. Just like we know that a conversation with our nutritionist is going to call attention to our poor eating habits, we all know that time spent in solitude is going to call attention to things in our lives that we really don’t want to confront.
Do you think that maybe we don’t know what to do with the wrestling that solitude brings? A life without wrestling feels like a safer life, right? Well, maybe it’s safer in some respects, but I can tell you that it’s a dangerous threat when it comes to your ability to simply be. . . .
Reclaiming some sort of solitude in your life may seem almost impossible. But let me tell you something, . . . not only is solitude available to you, it’s going to produce more living your life instead of your life living you.
My Thoughts
Since I am retired now, I do have quite a bit of alone time. My husband stays up very late and gets up usually after noon sometime. I, on the other hand, go to bed early and get up early. I think the whole early thing is hard-wired into my system because even when I try to stay up late, I still wake up early. Anyway, I always have about four hours every morning of solitude. That is my time when I can do my devotionals, talk to God and listen to Him and start my day right. I think I would like to do more of walking around in His beautiful world while I think and pray but I physically cannot do that much anymore. So, I have to be content with what God has provided, a chair with a window next to me where I can see outside.
I agree that solitude is hard and not my first choice. I used to play Christian music as I prayed and read my Bible. But, I found that was distracting me from really hearing from the Lord. I really want to live all of the life that God wants me to live in the best way possible. I think this author’s advice is spot on. Sometimes we don’t want to be alone and hear what we think and what the Holy Spirit is prodding us to do. But in His great mercy, God will provide the time for solitude if we will just use it the way He wants us to. Even Jesus needed time alone with His Father. And He told his disciples to come away and rest. That’s what I think solitude should be…just resting in God’s presence.
From YouVersion Bible App, Devotional, “In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake”, Day 5
God wired us for home. And to a certain degree, our earthly homes are supposed to be miniature Edens. For many of us, home is where we first experience what it means to be loved. It’s where we discover the security of belonging. Homes don’t just define where we live, but in many ways, they define who we are. Which is why leaving home can be so hard. But even these homes we have to eventually leave.
So it’s no surprise that we all experience homesickness in different ways and in different seasons. Eventually we leave our home, but our longing for home, the one God made us for, never leaves us. We all live with that “memory.” We never outgrow homesickness.
We were not born in Eden but outside of it. And as beautiful as this life is, it’s not enough. It’s temporary. A prelude of sorts, of what is to come. It’s why the New Testament describes us as “exiles” and “foreigners” (1 Peter 2:11).
God has made us to hunger and thirst, long and wait, for a new home. A greater home. A restoration of what went wrong in the Garden of Delight. The road to this home is bumpy. It’s full of suffering and weakness and pain. But the weeping is meant to be like a welcome mat. Instead of feeling homesick for the place behind us, we begin to long for a home that is ahead of us.
You might be in a boat in the middle of a lake. But you are not alone. And that lake has another side. One Jesus has promised to get you to. “Let us go over to the other side,” Jesus said. There will be many storms. Some smaller. And maybe some bigger. But there is a shore. We’ll say it again: there is a shore.
The promise of safe arrival.
Rest.
Renewal.
Victory.
Home.
God’s presence. . . .
So let us press on in the storm. Let’s continue to trust the God who meets us in our storm.
Your chaos will cease. It will not last. You have a future. We have a future. And it’s a future filled with God’s goodness and love and beauty. It’s a future filled with God himself
My Thoughts
I am not sure anyone can understand the life of a military wife except another military wife. In a little more than thirty years, we moved twenty-five times. We would stay at a base for two-three years and then move on to the next one, as my husband pursued his career and a higher rank. I hated that lifestyle but I really loved the people that I encountered and the lessons that I learned from all of that change that I was forced to make, not to mention the independence that I had to learn since I was alone a lot of the time. You see, we didn’t just move. Each time we moved, each new place generally required a new school for my husband to attend while I stayed in the new location and took care of the children. When Harry was in the navy, it meant months (almost a year sometimes) of being alone in a new place. And one year, there was a remote tour to Iceland for a year while the children and I stayed in South Carolina. Lots of adventures, but no real home!
I remember telling my husband in Arkansas that I just wanted a stable home, a place that I could build memories for me and the kids. Alas! That never really happened! We did eventually purchase a home in Pennsylvania when Harry was getting ready to retire, but I couldn’t find a teaching job there, so once again, we moved, this time for me. Suffice it to say that I have been a little perplexed about what God’s plan for me has been. Until I met and married Harry, I had lived in one town all of my life and one home for most of my life. Now, suddenly, I felt uprooted, a stranger in a strange land…over and over again.
Today’s devotional pointed me in the right direction and reminded me that all of this time I have been moving around, Jesus was right there with me. He is still working to bring me safely to shore and to my “forever home.” We have a home now that Harry and I live in alone since our children are grown and have their own families. It does my heart good to know that they are settled into homes of their own and have been there, in the same place, for over a decade now. That is what I wanted so badly for them and for me when they were growing up. But Jesus was gracious to keep me through all of those moves and to grant the desire of my heart for my children to have what I considered a “real home.”
I am grateful for each new experience that the Lord has allowed me to have and for His mercy that He has shed on me, even as I whined and complained about more boxes and another new place. I had the opportunity to go to places I would never have chosen to see, much less live there. I have seen how people lived in the cotton fields in Arkansas and in the bitter winters of northern Maine. I have made friends in eleven different states and met people from churches who welcomed me wholeheartedly, even though they knew I would only be there a short while before the military would move us. I learned acceptance, resilience and how to adapt even when I was a reluctant learner.
I like the word picture of “safe to shore” No matter what life’s circumstances, there is a shore we are headed for, and all of the trials of today will be worth it. We just have to hold onto that hope that He placed in our hearts on the day of our salvation.
We all know that life sometimes gets difficult, but God wants each of us to look to Him. We are not supposed to hold tightly to our possessions or the people we cherish. When we go before the Lord, our hands should be open, letting go of all that could hold us back from giving everything to God. He has each of us, holding us in the palm of His mighty hand, and we can rest assured of His love and that He will work to fulfill His purpose for us.
In my morning devotional, I have been reading the book of Jeremiah and pondering how much alike Israel was compared to the U.S. today.
God continually warns us to make right choices. If we study His Word, we will know the Godly way that we are supposed to take. Unfortunately, many people in the U.S. don’t know God’s Word and don’t want to read and find out what it says. As a result, instead of finding the rest and peace that their soul needs, they are continuing on the “road to perdition.” Satan generally makes his way look attractive, the “easy way” or the “way to riches, fame and glory.” We (and when I say we, I am referring to the people in the U.S.) typically choose any way but God’s way these days. Thus we are lost on a road of our own choosing.
As Christians, we are not lost but we are seeing more lost people every day. At least, I know that I am. I see them in the stores, on the roads and on the little snippets of media that I watch. They are all going their own way. What can we do? Put God’s Word out there for them to read. They may pay no attention to it, but at least they have been warned. Speak God’s Word into their hearts. Again, they may pay no mind to it, but at least they have heard. We cannot change people’s hearts; only God can do that. So, as we sow the seeds of His Word, we need to make sure that we have prayed and asked God to open hearts and minds to Him and to his Godly ways.
As I continue to read Jeremiah, I tend to get discouraged over the state of our nation and how comparable it is to Israel. False gods, a pretense at religion and a lot of pride. But I trust that God knows what He is doing and will make all things right in the end. After all, God has a plan and He is working to fulfill that plan. Jesus already died. Now we are awaiting His return and praying for as many people as possible to take the right path to God. We have to do our part; God has already done His.
These days it seems like the world just constantly wants a piece of me, or at least a piece of my mind. With various medical tests and a cardiac monitor that I have to wear 24/7 for thirty days, I don’t seem to have a lot of time to actually pull away from the chaos and just be. That’s what I need most, to just be with the Lord, telling Him my thoughts, fears and praising Him for all He has done. So, this morning, in my devotional time, God has given me extra time alone with Him so that I have spend time in the quiet place that I need.
Even Jesus needed to withdraw from the demands of life sometimes. Once His reputation for healing people spread throughout the land, there were crowds everywhere He went, pressing in on Him and just wanting to be close to Him. I don’t pretend to know what Jesus was going through, but I do know that His intention was to go to a quiet place away from all of the people. But when He got there, the people had found out where He was headed and met them there. I can honestly say that if that were me, I would have been outraged that I could not find a moment’s peace. But you know what Jesus did? He showed compassion and taught right there, even providing for the people’s hunger by multiplying five loaves and two fish. Jesus did not say, “This is my time! Now go away and come back after I am finished having some peace and quiet.” No, that is what I would have done and probably you would have done the same, too. Jesus needed quiet time just as much if not more than we do, but He put the needs of others over His own. In doing so, He set the example for us.
So, when I am feeling pressured by too many people wanting time from me, I will come back to the Bible and remember that Jesus gave the people time that they needed from Him. He sacrificed everything…family, a home and even His precious time with His Father. Why would He do that? Love, just love. I think He spent plenty of quiet time with the Father in the late night or early morning hours when there was no crowd. I also think that the Father spoke with Him constantly, guiding and directing Him and showing Him the love that only a Father can have for His only Son. Quiet time? Yes, we all crave it. And it is important. But so is meeting the needs of others and putting them above ourselves and our own desires. Jesus showed the way.
I have had my quiet time this morning and I am ready to face the challenges of a new day. We are taking a trip to the mountains of Virginia where we will meet our daughter and her daughters. Harry and I get to care for the “littles” while Hope takes the older girls to tour the local Christian college and to the meetings for prospective students. Will there be a lot of quiet time there? Probably not. But God can still speak to me if I take time to listen. That is a skill that Jesus had mastered…He listened to the Father and then followed through with what the Father wanted Him to accomplish. I want to be like Jesus, don’t you.
May your day be blessed with peace in the chaos and quiet listening to the Father speak to your heart.
This promise was made to Moses and the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. God doesn’t say “you will rest.” He says firmly, “I will give you rest.” God says the same thing to each of us as we wander through life, sometimes aimlessly and without any notion of where the end will bring us. It is up to each of us to receive the rest that God offers us. His Holy Presence provides the security and comfort and total protection that we need no matter what we are facing, but we have to take time to just rest in Him and accept that He is there with us. This is particularly appropriate for me right now as I just returned from an extended stay in Maryland with my son and his family. I dropped a lot of balls that I have been juggling while I was there because my priority was caring for an active and mischievous toddler. Book reviews were put on hold. In fact, reading novels was mostly put on a back burner as I was usually too tired to read much when I headed to bed at the end of my long days. However, God promised me rest and I got it, in spite of illness, cold days and colder nights and general feelings of being too tired to rest well. God’s presence never left me, and I was ever aware of the strength that He was providing to help me to watch over little Nathan.
Now that I am home again, the pressure of book launches is there but it isn’t as stressful as it could be. Why not? Because God has promised me rest. I read a little when I go to bed but I don’t stay up late to do so. I turn off the light, pray and fall into a deep and restful slumber knowing that God is with me. And if He gives me a new day to serve Him and to do the work that I have committed to do, He will also be with me and help me to fulfill the commitments that I have made. His very presence gives me a calm peace and rest that can only come from Him.
Today, as you go about your busy day, I hope that you take time to acknowledge the presence of God and the peace and rest that will follow. His rest is the kind that will sustain you through all of the day’s challenges.
Sometimes I just get tired, long before my normal bedtime and before I really want to retire. My brain gets kind of foggy and I stumble a little as I walk, so I know that it is time to rest. Every time this happens, God provides me with total rest, a night in which I sleep peacefully without constantly awakening. My mind has its own way of dealing with stress and at times it just won’t stop whirring. That is when I call on God to give me the rest and peace that I need.
It is in resting that my mind and body and most especially my soul are refreshed. I wake up ready to tackle the new day, with energy flowing from deep within me. That is no small feat for someone who is in their seventies, but it happens each time I honestly admit to God that I need Him to provide a restful night for me, one without insomnia and constant wakefulness. And each night, He gives me rest and I awaken refreshed, with a clear mind and thoughts that are organized and orderly. It is so much easier to walk on the right path when I am guided by the Lord!
I am so thankful for God’s refreshing me when I sleep. But He also refreshes my soul when I am fully alert. He gives me His Word to read that provides water to my thirsty soul, like a fountain in a desert place. God is always willing to refresh me, but most times I get too busy with life to take the time to sit quietly and wait for the refreshing. After all, one does not go to the soda fountain, order a nice big soda to quench one’s thirst and then walk away. I have been guilty of doing that in the past. I tell God that I need refreshing and then I get busy, my thoughts wander and I walk away before He has provided the refreshment. I am so thankful that He doesn’t give up on me and my pettiness but continues to provide for me when I come back to His fountain and tell Him that I am ready to sit, listen and receive.
May you have a wonderful day filled with God’s blessing and refreshing!
I am thankful for the hope that I have living in me that helps me to get through each challenge of each day. This morning when I awakened before six, I thought to myself that I would get up, go to the bathroom, take care of the cat’s needs and go back to bed. After all, I did not fall asleep until after midnight and knew that I needed more rest. All good intentions aside, that is not how things happened for me. I did get up and to all of the aforementioned tasks, but I could not fall back to sleep. My mind, restless thing that it is sometimes, decided to remind me that I had to post my book review that would not load yesterday. And it reminded me that today is my laundry day. And it reminded me that I have a library book out that I have not seen since my husband carried it into the house from the library two weeks ago. And…and…and. The end result was that I got up, put the laundry in the wash, made my morning beverage of flavored water and got my book review posted. The satellite decided to work today, so that was a blessing in itself. Now, I am pondering what I am particularly thankful for today and I am thankful for hope. As long as I have breath, there is always hope. (I may even find that library book once my husband awakens and we think of where he may have put it.)
My mind may be galloping away with me at times, but my soul remains at rest. I know that I can totally count on God because He has never failed me yet. Sometimes my hope is stalwart, standing like a child on Christmas morning, absolutely sure that good things are coming. But most days, my hope is just a calm assurance from deep within me that everything will be okay, that God is working on me to rest in Him and put my hope in Him.
Over five decades ago, I was walking around without the hope that lives in me today. I had no idea that Jesus loves me or that God has a plan for my life. Now, I know for absolute certainty that God’s plan is one that I can count on working out because He is in the center of it and His great love for me means that I can fully trust Him. The hope that I have is not something that I can easily explain. After all, I am older and have a lot of aches and pains (some days, more than others), and I have retired so some friends tell me that I have finished my days of being useful so I should just enjoy the rest of my life quietly waiting to pass on to eternity. Well, that “friendly” advice is not for me! I don’t mind dying when God calls me home, but I am occupying this space and time until He does and all of my hope is in Him, that He will continue to mold me and use me, just as He has been doing for the last fifty years. I will ACTIVELY hope for as long as I am alive and my desire is to spread the reason for my hope to others.
Today, I am thankful for hope. I am grateful for God who is with me today and every day and who gives me hope for today, tomorrow and all of the tomorrows that are to come.
May you have a day blessed with hope that springs from within and that waters your soul with peace and the assurance of God’s great love for you.
My husband and I both got sick this week. We have some kind of flu, with coughing and sneezing and a low fever. In short, we have been pretty miserable. Harry got sick first, starting with symptoms on Wednesday night. My heart clutched once I heard him coughing because I just about always catch any germs that float around me since my immune system is compromised. Well, I lasted until Friday and then came the drainage down my throat and the plethora of asthma meds that I take so that I can breathe without struggling.
As I prepared for bed last night, I was concerned that I would not be able to sleep since breathing is more difficult once I lie down. I left my husband in the den watching his game and taking his med, used my nebulizer and headed to bed. It was amazing! After praying for all the Lord brought to my mind, I said a simple prayer asking God to give me the rest I needed to get stronger. I was amazed (I guess I should have not been so surprised) when I awakened this morning after having more sleep than I normally get when I am well. Rest is a gift from the Lord, just as each breath we take.
I awoke coughing, but I also awoke feeling rested. Praise God for His answer to prayer!
God gave us the example of resting and knows that our bodies need it. As I have aged, I have found that by late afternoon just about daily, I need a nap. It’s not just that I want to take a nap. I get a little fuzzy brained and I know that I really need to lie down and refresh my body. Yesterday, I tried to take a nap but I coughed too much and couldn’t really rest. So, I was somewhat surprised that I was able to rest all night without choking and grabbing my rescue inhaler. God is so good! He answers prayers for the weak, the weary and even those who don’t have high expectations for the answer.
My testimony is that of Jeremiah the prophet. God satisfied me with a pleasant sleep and I feel better today. I am still taking all of my meds, using my nebulizer and inhalers and nasal spray, but I am feeling stronger. I am so thankful that the Lord who created me knows what I need and provides it for me. Peaceful rest, away from the feelings of gasping for air and gagging on mucus. God loves me, even when I am too weary to exercise my faith properly.
May the Lord bless you with His rest and His peace today and throughout the week.
Vickie's Book Nook and Meditation Corner 