♫Be glorified...♫

Tuesday, November 30, 2010 (6:27 a.m.)

Blessed Lord God,

How I ask this morning that You would come and be glorified in my life. What a glorious thought to wake up to. Thank You Lord.

I tried everything I could in my own power yesterday to continue holding another cold at bay. Soup, plenty of liquids, extra vitamin C… Rather than looking at myself as a wuss, a failure, or a great big baby Lord, I am coming straight to You asking that You would indeed ♫be glorified♫ in this cold,

For the first time in quite a few weeks the husband and I have again turned our attentions to making healthier choices concerning food and exercise. I don’t want this little blip in the radar of our whole-hearted attempts to derail us with a ‘too little too late’ attitude. No Lord, I come before You longing to see You ♫be glorified♫ in all aspects of our beings. Sore throat, sniffles and all.

Most Dear and Holy God, this is a relatively new approach Lord. Usually I come before You in such a situation whining about the inconvenience. Today, instead, it’s a gift of grand proportions to be able to ask instead that You ♫be glorified♫. Thank You Lord.

Reading the various verses that mention You being glorified encourage my heart. I even smiled in John 11:4 where You said of Lazarus, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

It was in Isaiah (49:3) that I started singing another song as well. ♫Light of the world You stepped down into darkness Opened my eyes let me see Beauty that makes this heart adore You Hope of a life spent with You So here I am to worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You’re my God Your altogether lovely Altogether worthy Altogether wonderful to me♫ Lord how I thank You for another opportunity to sing of Your glory.

As I leave here to begin whatever You have for me this day how I ever so humbly ask that You would indeed ♫be glorified♫ in it. I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(376 words ~ 7:41 a.m.)

♫Sing Hallelujah♫

Monday, November 29, 2010 (6:10 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

How I thank You! I’ve been making mistakes lately. Some are bigger than others. But You know what’s really cool? Just as I was waking up and beginning to think about them, I immediately started singing ♫Sing Hallelujah to the Lord♫ instead. Each time my mind begins to replay the concerns of wishing things had been done differently for better results, another verse comes to mind. ♫Sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah, sing hallelujah to the Lord♫ And then I smile!

Thank You Lord. Thank You that even now as I was going to focus on searching for ‘mistakes’ in Your Word, I found myself looking up ‘sing hallelujah’ instead. And this smile of peace and contentment comes directly from the truth of Psalm 33. “Let all the joys of the godly well up in praise to the Lord, for it is right to praise Him” (v.1).

Looking to learn more about the word hallelujah I see that it is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “Praise God”. Again I thank You Lord that instead of waking up to think of the mistakes I’ve been making, I was immediately directed to praise You instead.

♫Sing Hallelujah to the Lord…♫ Mm. Sing hallelujah indeed! Reading a commentary note regarding this psalm You are described as 'powerful and worthy of our trust. You spoke the universe into existence and are able to re-create each of us. You are filled with tender love for all of us. You can remove the defects that bring destruction. And all You ask is that we turn our life over to You so You can work these changes in us.'

Excuse me Lord as I go now and continue singing hallelujah to You. I love You so much. Thank You. Amen.

(296 words ~ 7:28 a.m.)

Christ as Head

Sunday, November 28, 2010 (6:37 a.m.)

Most Blessed Lord God,

How I thank You Lord. Thank You for order and structure and accomplished tasks. Thank You for experience and examples. Thank You for teamwork. Especially with You as our leader. Mm. Lord. You as the Head of our household! How perfect. How wonderful. FINALLY! The truth of Ephesians is noticeably playing out here in our home.

Wow God. I can’t even think of all there is I want to thank You for. Let me instead read and then quote Paul’s words to his dear Christian friends at Ephesus. “Blessings and peace be yours” (Chapter 1:2) “God chose us to be His very own-” (v.4) “-we who stand before Him covered with His love.”

Oh most holy God, there’s far too much truth and love here for me to even try to condense it. Every single verse speaks to Your “wonderful kindness to us” (v.6). It’s all here Lord. The way You would have us live. The blessings that are to be found when we turn from the death and destruction of our old life without You to that which You have always planned for us. New life through Jesus Christ.

Oh most dear and blessed Lord, how I thank You for sparking us to life! Turning these pages I keep nodding and uttering, “Yes! Thank You. Praise You.” Paul wrote of the greatness of Your love. “When I think of the wisdom and scope of His plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God – some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth – that out of His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you the mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself” (3:17-19).

And see? Every single time I think ‘Yes, this is what I want to say to You’ there truly is more! Verse 20, “Now glory be to God, who by His mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes.” You amaze me Lord.

Each time I actually find myself walking in the power of Your loving grace I am amazed. I look around and take note. I want to be ever aware of becoming “equipped to do better work” for You (4:12). “Then we will no longer be like children, forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth. Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times – speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly – and so become more and more in every way like Christ who is the Head of His body, the Church. Under His direction, the whole body is fitted together perfectly, and each part in its own special way helps the other parts, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love” (vs. 14-16).

How could I possibly ask for any more than that? Lord Jesus, be the head of this family. This household. This community. This nation. This universe. Christ as Head and we Your body. Mm. Life as it was meant to be. Thank You Lord for working in us in such an incredibly powerful way. Please dearest Lord, keep us mindful and obedient to Your will and to Your way this day, as well as all those that remain. We love You Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(704 words ~ 8:00 a.m.)

learning

Saturday, November 27, 2010 (7:13 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Thank You! I’m learning. And I love it. [As well as You!] I keep smiling big so far since being out here with You. It’s been almost a week that I’ve been trying to figure out how the lyrics to a Beach Boys song could possibly relate to You. Looking them up just now again affirms that You will cease at nothing to bring a parable to life.

I forget the exact words Pastor Ed uses to explain the meaning of the two words that make up the Greek word parabole. Strong’s Greek Dictionary says, “from paraballo; a similitude (‘parable’), i.e. (symbolic) fictitious narrative (of common life conveying a moral), apothegm or adage – comparison, figure, parable, proverb.”

I have to admit Dearest Lord, this is the very first time I’ve ever linked Your provision of me to that of a motor bike. But You know what? Not all that many years ago I DID come across a story about You and me on a tandem bike. http://www.inspirationalarchive.com/texts/topics/God/tandum.shtml

Being with You on a ♫Little Honda♫ isn’t that big of a stretch after all. Just look at the words! I can fit You in from the very first one. ♫GO! [You tell Your people that all the time J] I’m gonna wake you up early [You do that often!] Cause I’m gonna take a ride with you [You never leave us alone] We’re going down to the Honda shop [clearly a parable here!] I’ll tell you what we’re gonna do [You always have a plan for good] Put on a ragged sweatshirt [we don’t always have to dress our best for You] I’ll take you anywhere you want me to [as long as it’s Your best for us] First gear… it’s alright Second gear… I lean right Third gear… hang on tight Faster it’s alright♫

Lord, I don’t know why I let the idea of being on a motorbike with You seem disrespectful. Is spending time with You supposed to be ♫more fun than a barrel of monkeys♫? ‘Cause I KNOW I can trust You to ♫ride on out of town to any place You know I like♫ I’m learning Lord. You ALWAYS have my best interest at heart!

♫It climbs the hills like a Matchless [or the deer mentioned in 2Samuel 22:34, Psalm 18:33, Habakkuk 3:19] Cause my Honda’s built really tight [You designed all of us to perfection] When I go into the turns Lean with me and hang on tight I better turn on the lights So we can ride my Honda tonight [Blessed Lord, You cover all the bases!] First gear… Faster it’s alright♫

Perfect Blessed God, thank You that I really truly AM learning to trust You with ALL parts of life! You are so good. So holy. And just so darned much fun! Thank You Lord. I love You. Let’s ♫GO!♫ J Amen.

(487 words ~ 8:24 a.m.)

lovely

Friday, November 26, 2010 (8:13 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

You blessed us again yesterday. We got to enjoy Your presence. And surprises. There was joy and laughter and WAY too much food. Mostly there was love and order and just enough momentary chaos to add some spice. Truly God, I do not remember a more lovely day. It was real. Effortless. Lovely.

That’s the word I used repeatedly Lord. It came naturally. Not forced. Just there. Like You! I sit here basking in the memory of it. People coming together because they wanted to. There was laughter. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. Self-control. (Galatians 5:22)

Holy, Loving Lord, would You just look at that verse in The Message? “But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard – things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” How cool is that? Isn’t that exactly what I had prayed for yesterday?

Lord thank You! Thank You for the tremendous amount of loveliness You have provided to my life! Thank You for the opportunity to come out here this morning singing a song about things that are lovely. Associating it with Psalm 104 as well as Philippians 4:8 I am just amazed at Your goodness Lord. You are amazing. And I am again grateful.

♫Think, think, think on these things. Think on the things that are lovely. Think, think… Think on the things that are good♫ Most Holy God, thank You for reminding me of the things that really truly matter. You. Your Son. Your Holy Spirit working in our lives. Lovely things. Lovely times. Lovely days. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(339 words)

Thanksgiving

Thursday, November 25, 2010 (6:38 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

How I thank You Lord! You provide truth, hope, love. For a few days my heart was hurting. A small misunderstanding turned into a lot of gunk. I refused to care. I wouldn’t let go of my own way of thinking. But You were here with me through all of it. Harsh words and tones were squashed in difference to Your loving ways. I couldn’t care. Even when I wanted to, I chose hurt over healing. But yet You stayed. It truly was You at work opening the lines of communication. Thank You Lord!

Today is a national day of thanksgiving. Blessed Loving Lord in many ways it has turned into a day of overindulgence instead. I confess to struggling with it Lord.

Oh but how my heart [and face J] are smiling right now. Just as I was thinking of how things used to be, I remembered a devotion entitled “Removed, Not Improved” in The Life Recovery Bible. Related to Step Six [of the original twelve] regarding being ‘entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character’ it is tied to Romans 6:5-11. In turning to the page Lord, my smiles broaden. The title of this section is “Sin’s Power Is Broken”. How I thank You Lord.

Here too You remind me of the ways You are changing the way I see and do things. I used to be tied to the Norman Rockwell ideal of what holidays were supposed to look and be like. I wasted far too much time and energy attempting to create what I wanted them to be instead of just enjoying them for what they were – opportunities to be together with loved ones.

Most Dear and Bless Lord God, how I thank You for another day to live in the glory of Your love. I admit that I don’t often do that as well as I’d like. It’s a day like today when the unexpected wind is blowing a gale that I ask You for Your power and strength to accept today exactly as it plays out. Yes Lord. On this particular Thanksgiving Day when things have never been so different for us, I am asking for ‘the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference’.

Jeremiah 33:10-11 says, “The Lord declares that the happy voices of bridegrooms and of brides and the joyous song of those bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord will be heard again in this doomed land. The people will sing: ‘Praise the Lord! For He is good and His mercy endures forever!’ For I will make this land happier and more prosperous than it has ever been before.” NONE of this is possible without You!

It’s definitely not going to be a day like a Norman Rockwell painting. No Lord. It’s going to be REAL! And blessed. And whatever YOU make it. A day where we ‘go through Your open gates with great thanksgiving; enter Your courts with praise. Give thanks to You and bless Your name. For You the Lord are always good. You are always loving and kind, and Your faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation’ (Psalm 100).

And that’s exactly what this is Lord. A succeeding generation! Teach us to be so very much more like You and way less than our hopes of Mr. Rockwell’s depictions.

Beloved Lord God I love You so very much. On this particular day of giving thanks, how thankful I am that when all else is stripped away “There are three things that remain – faith, hope, and love – and the greatest of these is love” (1Corinthians 13:13). Thank You Father. I love You. Happy Thanksgiving! Amen.

(640 words ~ 8:42 a.m.)

gr... words

Wednesday, November 24, 2010 (7:38 a.m.)

Awesome God,

Thank You. Thank You that You let me get just as mad as I want to. You permit me to be willful and stubborn, stiff-necked and just plain unpleasant. Thank You that I even get to enter Your gates with grumbles [instead of thanksgiving] in my heart. You are going to just stand [or sit J] by and allow me to continue making this mountain of resentment out of the original molehill of misunderstanding until I finally come to the end of myself and turn to You instead.

Okay. I’m here. Grumps and growls and grumbles and all. Lord God how I thank You for this opportunity to come before You with all the negative gr... words I can possibly think of. Thank You that when I finally planned to come here and really give You the lowdown on my low mood the very first gr... word I came to was grace.

Wow God! That changes everything. Rather than choosing to continue in the negative vein I had fallen into I turn to You Dearest Lord asking Your forgiveness of my selfishness. Truly Lord, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! I look to You and quickly turn away with another grumble or growl. Tears fill my eyes as I declare my unworthiness, yet I don’t change my ways.

You are so good Dearest Lord. So perfect and wonderful. Please forgive me for taking You so much for granted.

I’ve been running away from caring about most things these days. I don’t want to care. There’s risk. My feelings might get hurt. The cost is too great.

Oh wow, would You just look at that. You gave Your very life for me and I completely withdraw from the price of potentially hurt feelings. You absolutely have Your work cut out for You Lord!

I don’t have hope anywhere but in You Lord. I can look around at all the external things. I can make up lists of things to do. But the real work needs to take place inside me Lord. YOU can change my heart and soul and mind and strength with each little flicker of truth You provide. Your truth. Your hope. Your grace.

Thank You Lord that even here You provide the hope and truth I need. ♫There is a balm in Gilead, To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead, To heal the sin-sick soul♫ (Jeremiah 8:22) And as though this isn’t enough there’s an early version of the chorus in “The Sinner’s Cure” by Washington Glass in The Revivalist, 1854. ♫How lost was my condition, Till Jesus made me whole; There is but one Physician Can cure a sin-sick soul… At length this great Physician How matchless is His grace Accepted my petition And undertook my case… Come then to this Physician His help He’ll freely give He makes no hard condition ’Tis only look and live There is a balm…♫ I can’t make myself care Lord. You can! Help me let You.

And even here Lord, in looking up the verse in Jeremiah (8:22) I read the verses before and found another gr... word. Verses 18 and 21, “My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. I weep for the hurt of my people; I stand amazed, silent, dumb with grief.”

Ah, but even in my dumbed silence Lord, there is grace and hope for ♫There IS a balm in Gilead♫! Thank You Lord. Your gr... words are SO much better than mine! I love You. Thank You. Help me care today. Amen.

(596 words ~ 9:12 a.m.)

♫Praise God♫

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 (7:26 a.m.)

♫Praise God♫

What an incredible way to wake up Dearest Lord! Literally singing Your praises! Thank You. Thank You that as I still lay stretching my very first inclination was to start singing. And the song that immediately came to mind? ♫Praise God! Give thanks to the Father for all that you say and do. Well, amen, amen, Sing glory hallelujah! Christ the is risen [second verse is ‘coming’] for you♫ Amen, amen, indeed!

Lord how blessed am I that I get to come right out here and find the exact song I am looking for WITH Bible verses to boot! Looking in the Psalty Bible for the song, I find it in relation to Colossians 3:16-17 under the title ‘Rules for Holy Living’.

Mm God. How blessed indeed! What an honor it is to come before You right now experiencing scriptural overload. Every single page I turn has pertinent verses jumping off the pages at me. Oh most Blessed Lord, thank You.

As I turn the pages on my way to Colossians I see my own writing in the margins of 1 Thessalonians 3, dated over four years ago. “Joy = delight in life that runs deeper than pain or pleasure”. Underlined words have other words next to them helping me understand their meaning just a little better. Strengthen – establish, make stable… blameless and holy – cleansed of sins… holy ones – saints. Mm Lord. Thank You.

Next to verse three, where Paul is telling the people of Thessalonica that Timothy had been sent to strengthen and encourage them in their faith so that no one would be unsettled by their trials, I have written “John 16:33”. Turning there, it has been encircled by me. Jesus was telling His disciples, “I have told you these things, so that in me you would have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” And all this before even getting to Colossians!

Lord, how I thank You for the bold exclamation point I made some time ago in the margin drawing my attention to the underscoring I’d done for truth of Colossians 2:6-7, “just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Mm Lord. Yes! Thankfulness!

How I thank You Lord for Your Word. Thank You for drawing me to these particular pages. Thank You for even more underlined verses and penciled in words used for even more understanding. Verse 10, “you have been given fullness in Christ”. Next to verse 16 I wrote ‘guilt’. In chapter three, “set your hearts” (v. 1) is underlined as is “Set your minds”. Above verse five I have written “inner civil war”.

Across the page almost all of verses twelve through fifteen are noted, as well as the words “Choose the highest good for the other guy” written in. I wrote, “Always choose God!” next to verse 18. “Remove bitterness with forgiveness” between 19 and 20. And “Ambassador” is written down the side of verses 23 and 24.

Lord God, how I thank You for such a powerfully hope-filled time with You as this. So much to see [and do and remember! J]

I’ll close now with the verse that honestly started all this to begin with. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” (Colossians 3:17)

♫Praise God! Give thanks to the Father for all that you say and do. Well, amen, amen, Sing glory hallelujah! Christ the is risen [second time sing ‘coming’] for you…♫ Mm. Praise God indeed! Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen!

(639 words ~ 8:36 a.m.)

enspirit

Monday, November 22, 2010 (2:15 p.m.)

Most Dear and Holy God,

How I thank You Lord! Thank You that as early as 6:23 this morning I recognized that I was feeling out of sorts. It was pretty much the very fickle ‘I don’t care’, ‘I don’t want to’ attitude You know I so often experience. It took another hour for me to realize that the feelings weren’t changing of their own accord. How cool it has been for me this particular day just to allow them.

Okay. Well maybe I have judged them a little harshly. Really just wishing they were different. You know, happier. More joyful. Less sad.

But the joy really DID come! On it’s own. Not forced by me. Subtly. Almost imperceptibly. One minute I was feeling rather down and the next I was humming. I thought the song was an odd choice. I couldn’t even track back its origin. It made no sense as far as I could tell.

Not until I started putting You in as the singer and me as the recipient. That’s when the smiles started for me. The all out grin came the moment I turned the Dayspring “A Fruit of Life” daily calendar. “Come near to God and He will come near to you …” (James 4:8)

Lord God, how very much I thank You for not only having my back, but every single fiber of my being! From the moment I read the word for the day this morning I started praying that You would do that for me. Enspirit – encourage and enliven. And You did!

I noticed it was You the moment I paid closer attention to the words of the song I was humming. ♫Come and sit by My side if you love me Do not hasten to bid Me adieu But remember the Red River Valley And the Father who loves you so true♫ Ah, Lord. NOBODY loves me like You! “Come near to God and He will come near to you…”

Enspirit – to infuse spirit or life into; enliven. And You did. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen!

(355 words)

Surprise!

Sunday, November 21, 2010 (7: 15 a.m.)

Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino (#132a)

Primm, NV

Blessed Lord,

♫I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever I will sing. I will sing… And with my mouth will I make known Thy faithfulness… to all generations♫ (Psalm 89) Wow! God! What a surprise! Your plan is so much better than mine! Mine was to come here and mope about my own indecisions and difficulty with confrontation. Yours? So much better!

Looking out the window to such a GLORIOUS sunrise ~ complete with an intensely blue sky, bright white clouds, nearly white appearing sun with just a smattering of rain clouds. Put altogether I just naturally started singing of Your mercies instead. Your loving-kindness.

Again looking out the window, I watch a woman on her way to work stop and feed five cats. The system she has, complete with providing ample water in this desert place, makes me think this is not her first time doing this.

Going back to reading Psalm 89, verse six starts me singing ♫Whom have I in heaven but You…♫ ♫Angels bow before Him Heaven and earth adore Him…♫

Tender. Blessings. Love. Kindness. Forever. Truth. Enduring. Solemn agreement. Chosen servant. Oath. Praise. Miracles. Angels. Mighty One. Character. Rule oceans. Fearful storms. Speak. Lie still. Awesome power. Strong. Glorious strength. Justice. Righteousness. Mercy. Truth. Protection. Surrounded with Your love. Father God. Rock of Salvation.

Words of this Psalm give me pause to think of You. Thank You Lord! Just now two women leaving work bring food to these same now very full cats. You can almost see the givers wonder why the receivers don’t come rushing to partake in the offering. Is that how it is with You Lord? We fill ourselves up with other stuff and don’t have room left for You?

Back to Your Word. Love forever. Kind always. Covenant will never end. Endless. Sworn. A holy God can never lie.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 (9:51 a.m.)

Lord God, as we left the premises to journey home that particular morning You graced us with even more surprises! How I ask You to always help me remember the joy we had when the rain turned to snow for those several miles, lightly dusting the desert in white. As the sky grew darker and darker still over the miles, what a thrill it was to see a practically three-dimensional portal open up straight in front of us. I honestly don’t remember ever seeing anything quite so captivating. What a surprise blessed Lord! Thank You that You are so very good to us. I love You so much. Thank You. Amen.

(444 words ~ 10:00 a.m.)

imperfection

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino (#132a)

Primm, NV

Blessed, Loving Lord God,

I am here before You this morning confessing my imperfection. I have trouble setting and maintaining healthy boundaries. I don’t take the time to clearly identify my desires and expectations. I let a lot of irritants slide because I don’t know how to deal with them appropriately. All this leads to my feeling alone, afraid and far too often taken advantage of ~ “overworked and underappreciated” to quote a phrase from the past!

So Lord, in a sincere effort to change my old pattern of negative behavior I am coming right straight to You. At first I thought I was approaching You rather cowardly, but with the Truth of Your Word on my side I see a boldness I didn’t expect! ♫If God be for us Who can be against us…♫

On my own I FEEL cowardly Lord. I want to withdraw and hide from grown up responsibilities. I’d much rather ignore than confront hoping that problems will right themselves of their own accord. Pulling the blankets up over my head and pretending I’m not afraid doesn’t help.

So, where do I go from here Lord? How do I confront problems in the spirit of Your love?

I fear being taken advantage of. I believe that can only happen if I allow it. I know Your power and Your strength. I know I can trust in You and be delivered of all fear and doubt. Teach me Lord. Take me deeper into Your Word. Comfort, guide and correct us as needed. I don’t want to be afraid of nouns [people, places and things J]. I want to fear You! Fully Esteeming And Revering You in all my imperfection (1Corinthians 13:10) as You continue working Your perfection in and through me.

I can do NONE of this on my own Dearest Lord. I need You every single step of the way to give me the courage and strength promised by Paul to Timothy in his second letter to him. It is Your Spirit ~ Your gift that doesn’t want me to be afraid of people but to be wise and strong and to love them and enjoy being with them (2Timothy 1:7). And it is this inner power [read here by me as BOLDNESS] when stirred up will let me never be afraid to tell others about You (v.8).

Work in me Dearest Lord. Work through me, developing the character traits You know I need to stop being afraid of ministering to others. I love You so very much Dearest Lord and I need You even more. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(447 words ~ 9:36 a.m.)

♫O Happy Day♫

Friday, November 19, 2010 (6:23 a.m.)

Most Blessed Lord God,

Thank You! Thank You for rest and sleep and remembered dreams. Thank You for eagerness with which to rush out here to You this morning. Thank You especially for the opportunity to sing out to You ♫O Happy Day♫

Just the melody itself got me smiling! Looking up potential verses in Your Word and reading about them once again cemented Your goodness in our lives. You don’t change. Circumstances change. Cultures and rulers change. You stay firm. Unmovable. Unchanged. Thank You Lord.

Reading Psalm 104 I am again reminded of Your perfect plan. You had it all figured out from Your own very beginning. You spoke the physical universe into being. ♫O Happy Day♫ Wow Lord! Thank You that Your plan even included our much needed rescue from the sins You knew we’d make.

Lord, I don’t pretend to understand most things about You. How grateful I am that You were fully aware that we would be in constant need of reminding of Your goodness, Your grace, Your perfection. Thank You that even in researching the origin of this particular song this morning, I am again reminded of the importance of being ever in tune with the prompting of Your Holy Spirit.

Lord God, I first started out this morning in the book of Habakkuk being reminded of ‘the value of doubt’. Your prophet was appalled by the evil that surrounded him and he didn’t hesitate in bringing his honest concerns before You. These three chapters again affirm the truth that not only do You never change, You are our true source of hope.

Lord, may I just say right here and right now that You crack me up? Yesterday, I had jokingly thought that I would come before You this morning titling this “Deer In the Headlights”. Immediately I thought I would end up with a verse that assures You will make our feet like hinds [deer J] feet (Psalm 18:33). Sure-footed.

And what do I find right here in the very last verse (19) of Habakkuk’s prayer affirming his faith in You? “The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to go on the heights”. ♫O Happy Day♫ Dearest Lord, ♫O Happy Day♫!

Now. All the way over in the book of Acts (8:26-39) Philip leaves a revival in Samaria to follow the directions of Your angel and witness to an official in the court of Ethiopia’s queen. He was obedient to Your leading and another person was saved because of it. ♫O Happy Day… When Jesus washed… He washed my sins away… He taught me how to watch and fight and pray… And He’ll rejoice in things we say… We’ll live rejoicing Every day… Oh happy day… He washed my sins away♫

Blessed, blessed Lord ~ there is SO much more here than I ever could have imagined! Thank You for giving me such an amazing gift as this ♫O Happy Day♫ Help me use it well. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(517 words ~ 8:37 a.m.)

November 18

Thursday, November 18, 2010 (5:13 a.m.)

Most Dear and Awesome God,

You are wonderful Lord. Before even opening my eyes just now I was keenly aware of the difference between thinking things beginning with ‘me, my, I’ and those that start with ‘You’. You are wonderful Lord! Powerful. Jesus is Your name. How very grateful I am for the privilege of coming before You this morning.

I confess to having my thoughts all over the place. Rather than sit here trying to force sense out of what I’m trying to think. I am going back to bed to see if we can start over. I love You Lord and will be back here soon.

(8:02 a.m.)

Blessed Lord, I am back. Much more rested. With a confession… I was startled when I saw the date spelled out earlier. And even now I don’t know how to proceed with You.

Thirty-eight years ago today I stood in a house of worship. Your house. At the tender age of eighteen I took vows to love, honor and obey a man that I didn’t respect. Lord, I have had a lot of things to say to a lot of people regarding that short-lived marriage. But I don’t know that You and I have ever really discussed it.

I don’t want to make any excuses. You know what happened. I took vows I had no business taking. Through the years I have honestly believed that it was Your Holy Spirit that tried to bring us to our senses that day we sat on a curb at the side of a road considering calling the whole thing off. I absolutely know that it was the pride and potential embarrassment of canceling a wedding to which the announcements had already been sent out that got in the way of good common sense.

Lord God, how good and incredibly holy You are! Thank You Lord for Your love and forgiveness of my sins. Thank You that You not only allow me into Your presence, You invite me. Truly Lord, I do not have the words to thank You for Your powerful love and absolute forgiveness.

In recognizing once again that “it is against You and You only that I have sinned” (Psalm 51:4) I came upon this included sermon http://www.pbc.org/files/messages/7696/4595.html and I thank You Lord.

Thank You that You love each of us so very much. Thank You that it is Your love that provides the forgiveness that is “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). Thank You Lord for love so amazing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSnYTjHmiY&feature=related

I can never even begin to thank You enough. I love You. Amen.

(446 words ~ 9:02 a.m.)

exactly

Wednesday, November 17, 2010 (6:34 a.m.)

Awesome, Glorious, Wonderful God,

Thank You! Thank You that this morning there is hope. There is joy. And peace. And acceptance. Thank You that just now upon awakening I realized that I was not judging myself. There were no immediate ‘should’s for me to attend to. Such as ‘should get up’. No Lord. This morning there has already been a lot of excitement for me. Eagerness. Joy.

Thank You Lord. In recognizing exactly that, I’m asking You to guide and direct my time here with You this morning. Take me in Your Word exactly where you want me.

(7:17 a.m.)

Yes Lord. Exactly! Bibles surround me and I am digging into them. Reading particularly the various translations of 2Corinthians 1:24. Here Paul wrote again to the people of Corinth explaining his reason for sending his first letter to them. He calls God as his witness (v. 23) that he is telling the truth in wanting to keep from being hard on them. He reminds that it is God who “makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also who chose us and put His Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong to Him” (vs. 21-22).

“But that does not mean we want to tell you exactly how to put your faith into practice. We want to work together with you so you will be full of joy as you stand firm in your faith” (v. 24).

Stand firm in my faith? Ah, yes Lord! That is EXACTLY what I long to do! Faith, often meaning trust in God, is also translated from Hebrew as “Amen”. To rely on what is firm and dependable. You Lord are exactly that.

Work in and through me this day Dearest Lord that I can accomplish exactly what You have for me. Continue growing and strengthening me in and through Your Word. I love You so very much and I want to become exactly what it is You have for me to be. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen!

(350 words ~ 7:49 a.m.)

glad

Tuesday, November 16, 2010 (6:34 a.m.)

Awesome God,

What a gift Lord! Thank You that the very first word I thought this morning was “glad”. What an absolutely great way to wake up! Glad. And it just got better from there when I starting to sing ♫You have made me glad, You have made me glad, I will rejoice ‘cause You have made me glad♫ (Psalm 92:4). Lord, how I thank You for another gift of gladness.

Thank You too for the rather complicated way it took for me to find out what other song was trying to sing to me. Looking up snippets of words I thought might be it didn’t work. I only had one section of the melody and I wasn’t even too sure about that. But right there, in the middle of looking up ♫You have made me glad♫ ended up being ♫How lovely [not ‘blessed’ like I thought] is Your dwelling place Oh Lord Almighty, For my soul longs and even faints For You… Better is one day in Your courts Better is one day in Your house Better is one day in Your courts than thousands elsewhere♫ (Psalm 84:10).

Thank You Lord that as distracted and sidetracked as I can get, You are always here to guide me right back to Your Word. One minute I can be so glad about waking up and seeing the sky practically on fire and the next I’m practically lost in the search for a song I’m humming. Lord, thank You that every single time I confess to You that I don’t know what I’m doing, You are right here to pull me to safety. MUCH like when Peter ‘looked around at the high waves, was terrified and began to sink’ (Matthew 14:30). When he shouted, “Save me, Lord” You instantly reached out Your hand and rescued him (v.31a).

I’m always impressed by this verse Lord. You didn’t scold first and rescue later. Nope! Different versions of Your Word list the keyword of Your action here as: “right away”, “didn’t hesitate”, “immediately”, “at once”. You amaze me Lord. Every single time I think I have You all figured out, just like my waking up glad this morning and assuming nothing could touch me today, You have more for me to learn. I HAVE to keep my eyes on You!

When I let my focus shift over to concerns (instead of prayers!) for friends and loved ones I start to sink just like Peter did. Each time I cry out to You and You reach out Your hand to rescue me You are well justified in asking, “Why did you lose your nerve, baby-faith?” (31b) “Oh you of little faith, why did you doubt me?”, “Faint-heart, what got into you?”

Just waking up glad isn’t enough. I have to stay right here with You. Constantly ♫Turn(ing) my eyes upon Jesus Look(ing) full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, In light of His glory and grace♫

Thank You Lord for lessons hard in learning. As glad as I woke up this morning, let me return to rejoicing and being glad in You! You know the concerns and prayers of my heart for those in desperate need of Your loving and peaceful presence. Surround them each with the blanket of Your Holy Spirit. Your perfect Comforter!

Thank You Lord. I love You so very much. And now, on the extremely selfish side, be with me this morning as I attempt to make order of our MUCH neglected, avoided and long overdue filing problem. I’m looking at YOU here Lord. Full in Your wonderful face… I love You Lord. Thank You that I really truly AM glad to finally be ready to get started. Thank You God. Amen.

(636 words ~ 9:14 a.m.)

thoughts

Monday, November 15, 2010 (7:57 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

It’s been over an hour that I’ve been sitting here trying to get started with You. There’s a phrase from a song singing to me again and I cannot find it anywhere. I concede defeat and just come unto You readily acknowledging that Your thoughts are indeed higher than mine!

Thank You Lord that several hours ago, in the predawn morning, I was extremely aware of my own thoughts. What peace and rest it gave me to just accept the truth of Your Word and go back to sleep. I was actually preparing to do battle with my own thinking when I calmly remembered bits of Your promise to the people of Judah. Isaiah 55:8-9, “This plan of mine is not what you would work out, neither are my thoughts the same as yours! For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than yours, and my thoughts than yours.”

Lord God, I trust that! Today I trust YOU! Thank You for this honor. This privilege. This opportunity to just come before You untroubled, fully trusting and believing that all You say is true. I can fuss and worry any situation. OR I can relax and at the oddest moment [like in church Saturday night J] realize that without even being aware of a date or state of mind I can find myself ‘fuzzing’ the ribbon of my journal between my thumb and forefinger much like my mom used to tell me that I would ‘fuzz’ the ribbon on my teddy bear when I was very small.

Lord, everywhere I turn this morning I am finding reminders of Your love for me. There’s the calendar my mom bought me one year for some occasion, “God’s Promises to Laura”. Thank You God that she even signed it “Your loving Mother”. You keep gifting me Lord. Take for example today’s reminder of Your love and precious promises. “Dear Laura, ‘Never forget My words… do not depart from My wisdom for it will protect you and watch over you. My wisdom and understanding will honor you and present you with a crown of splendor.’ Your Heavenly Father PSALM 4:5-9”

I choose to believe You Lord! Today I choose to rest in You. Trust in You. Lean into You and ask that You would do the things in and through me that I have not yet been able to do for myself. Guide and direct all of my heart and soul and mind and strength this day so that I will ultimately love You with all of them (Mark 12:30) and my neighbor as myself (v. 31).

Thank You Lord that Your thoughts are NOT the same as mine! Thank You that they are so much higher than mine! I love You Lord. Thank You. Amen.

(478 words ~ 10:11 a.m.)

tears

Sunday, November 14, 2010 (7:16 a.m.)

Thank You Lord!

Thank You that You not only have my back, You have my front, my sides, my heart, my soul, my mind and all of my strength! Thank You Lord that You truly have all of me.

Blessed Lord, how great it is to not be okay and to be able to come before You exactly as I am. Thank You Lord! Thank You that tears have been flowing freely since the grocery store yesterday. Thank You that I have no intent of trying to stop them. Thank You that the emotions I am feeling are raw. Uncensored. Not even harshly judged. [I was going to say ‘not judged’, but I realized that I HAVE judged them and found them to be completely appropriate J]

Thank You God! Thank You that eight months to the very last Saturday I spent with my mom was the day I finally broke. Thank You that it was something as unexpected as just seeing the produce man who was always so kind to my mom that would cause me to practically run out of the store in tears.

Thank You God that I’ve known I haven’t been okay for quite awhile now and couldn’t figure out why. Thank You that just by being honest, open and willing with You, You took perfect care of me! My mom died eight months ago today. I made her recipe for enchiladas for the very first time without her yesterday and tears were appropriate. Feeling this sad is appropriate!

To FINALLY miss my mom this much is truly a gift from You most blessed Lord. Thank You. In You, I am safe to cry. Yesterday I was present. In the moment. Feeling what I was feeling. Not afraid of making anyone else sad. Not wanting to fix anything for anybody else [well, expect the enchiladas for my brother J]

I’ve had a lot of smiles already today Lord. Starting way back at 6:00 a.m. I was somewhat disappointed with the rather generic view of the sunrise from our front room window, only to be completely OMG’d [my EXACT words at the time] by the spectacular view from the kitchen. God’s Astonishingly Superior Plan at its best!

You are good Lord! And I am completely safe in Your loving hands. Songs have been singing to me since before fully awakening. ♫Beloved, let us love one another…♫ ♫I’m on the outside looking in♫ ♫All of me, why not take all of me♫ Lord God how I thank You for allowing me to not pretend to be anything but what I am. Your precious child, who happened to take eight months to finally shed the tears that desperately cry out, “I miss my mommy!”

I love You Lord! Thank You for letting me be exactly who and what I am. Yours. Absolutely, completely, 100% Yours! Tears and all. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(491 words ~ 8:22 a.m.)

blessings

Saturday, November 13, 2010 (7:10 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Forgive me. I’m coming to You, but this morning it is NOT with an attitude of gratitude. I’m sneering and snarling and just being an all around jerk. That’s not cool!

Where’s the applause for You? The gift of laughter? The singing? The thanks and praise and worship? (Psalm 100) I’m sure it’s all here in my heart somewhere but there seems to be a pile of junk covering it up.

Thank You Lord that I don’t have to pretend with You. Originally I had planned to come in singing about ‘counting my many blessings and naming them one by one, counting the blessings and seeing what You have done.’

I don’t know where the gratitude turned to grumbling but I thank You Lord that I don’t have to pretend to feel something I’m not. Thank You that just last week our blessed pastor [there’s a blessing! J] urged us to remember that “feelings are fickle”. Thank You Lord that he used the illustration of a train with faith being the engine and feelings the caboose. He cautioned that we not get the two confused! With faith pulling the train, feelings fall in line. Thank You Lord. Thank You!

(7:55 a.m.)

I found the words to ♫Count Your Blessings♫ right off the bat but I wasn’t “feelin’ it” so I went on a search for the snippet of something trying to sing itself. Looking through the Psalty songs I’m not finding it. ♫…if you follow me…♫ Is it “Fishers of Men” from yesterday? Whatever it is it has me searching Your Word, not willing to just mouth words of thanks and praise because I’m supposed to.

How stubborn and brat-like can one girl be Dearest Lord? Oh but here is the pay off! Here comes the acknowledgement of Your many blessings on our behalf. John 1. “Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God… Eternal life is in Him, and this life gives light to all mankind. His life is the light that shines through the darkness – and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light… And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us… We have all benefited from the rich blessings He brought to us – blessing upon blessing heaped upon us!”

While I may not be singing the words of blessings to the song right now Dearest Lord, thank You that I am singing Your praises! Smile on my face. Peace in my heart. Ready to see what the day holds. Asking only for knowledge of Your will and Your power to carry it out!

There’s the applause! Here’s another gift of giggles! ♫I WILL enter Your gates with thanksgiving in my heart, I WILL enter Your courts with praise! I WILL say this is the day that the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice for You have made me glad! You have made me glad… I WILL rejoice for You have made me glad!♫

Thank You Lord for the blessings You continue pouring out upon me ESPECIALLY when my attitude does not warrant them. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(546 words ~ 8:28 a.m.)

fishing

Thursday, Veteran’s Day, November 11, 2010 (4:00-ish p.m.)

Big Bear Lake, CA ~ Carol Morrison East Boat Ramp (38˚)

Blessed Lord ~

Hallelujah! Thank You! Thank You for friends and fun. Thank You for laughter and new ideas. Thank You for twenty-four hours of sharing food, housing and warmth with loved ones.

Parked right now along the side of the road on our way home, watching my husband fish, I wonder Lord, what it truly is like to become fishers of men. Turning in Your Word, I read more about Simon Peter.

Watching the sun go down behind a mountain and feeling the air grow colder by the minute, I continue to read and to wonder. Reading Luke chapter 5 I see Simon struggle with his own sinfulness (v.8). Just a few verses earlier (5) I am aware of his obedience. Lord how I thank You for loving us at our very core.

Using my husband’s Bible right now, there is a devotion relating to this very chapter. In verse 10 Jesus told Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”

Friday, November 12, 2010 (7:35 a.m.)

Most Dear and Holy God,

What a privilege it is to wake up singing ♫I will make you fishers of men… If you follow me♫ What a joy. What an honor. What a privilege!

Yesterday at the lake Lord, I was introduced to the idea of Simon Peter as a “reed man”. I didn’t have the first clue as to what that meant. In doing a little bit of digging just now, I see that it relates to being swayed by the surroundings. I definitely fit into that category! I even found a webpage that speaks clearly [after having been translated from Korean?] to this very thing http://english.fgtv.com/sermon/ser_text.asp?data=1a060312

Lord, as I continue nosing around wondering what else there is for me to learn about Simon “the reed man” and Peter “the rock” I am again filled with the hope that comes from realizing that I am not alone in my starts and stops with You.

Blessed Lord, You know my heart. My thoughts. My hopes and dreams. As well as my limitations. Thank You that You are not put off by any of them! In fact, in verses 31 and 32 You address this as well. “It is the sick who need a doctor, not those in good health. My purpose is to invite sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think themselves already good enough.” Thank You Lord that You know us each so very well.

I come before You this morning asking that You would improve my fishing skills. Teach me how to faithfully follow You that I would truly become a fisher of men.

I love You so very much Dearest Lord. Yesterday I also read, “Love people and see how God intends them to be.” Work in me on doing that as well. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

501 words ~ (9:10 a.m.)

forgiveness

Wednesday, November 10, 2010 (6:11 a.m.)

Awesome God,

How I thank You Lord. Thank You for forgiveness. Thank You that You do not keep a record of sins (Psalm 130:3). Thank You that You forgive “so that we can, with reverence, serve You” (v. 4b). If not for Your forgiveness of each and every single one of our mistakes we would truly be lost.

Thank You Lord that You are such a loving God and Father. Thank You that it is Your plan that we would live our lives to the fullest (John 10:10). Far too often we get lost, like the one sheep who wanders off in Your parable (Matthew 18:10-14). Thank You Lord that You come looking for us every single time.

This morning Lord, my heart is alternating between breaking and soaring. Every single time I think of the feelings of others that inadvertently get hurt and ultimately locked away, there’s another chink at my heart. Reading in Your Word of the hope and joy that is found when we choose to let go of our pain and forgive others as well as ourselves, it becomes lighter and starts to lift up to You.

Dearest Lord, thank You for the choices You allow us. Choices that lead either to life or death (Deuteronomy 30:19). Lord You are so good. Thank You that You know what is best for us. You know what You would have us do. Thank You that You have given us Your Holy Word to comfort and to guide us through all the mishaps life on this earth has to offer.

We get to choose to believe You. Or not! Too often I forget that very thing. I get caught in the trappings of this life and don’t act on Your promises. Thank You that You never take away my opportunity to turn to and choose You.

Lord, I love You. I thank and very humbly ask that You would continue reminding me that while it is very true that there are many things I just can’t do on my own, “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power” (Philippians 4:13 TLB). Sometimes that even translates to the power of forgiveness.

Lord, thank You that “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength” (NIV). I’m not in this alone. You are right here with me. Offering me choices. How I ask that You would keep guiding me to choose those things that bring life and blessing. Such as forgiveness! Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(439 words ~ 7:48 a.m.)

buckets

Monday, November 8, 2010 (9:54 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

You are awesome and I love You. I keep wanting to get started here with You this morning and I truly don’t know how. It’s not so much that I keep getting distracted. There’s just so much You have to offer!

Once again I’ve turned to the internet to find the references the pastor made in church yesterday. I remembered something a friend shared with me the other day about hurts and unforgiveness being stored in a bucket.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 (6:49 a.m.)

I got more than a little lost yesterday Lord. I kept looking for what it was I thought I wanted to find, a reference to a bucket filled with the stones of unforgiveness and one filled with the cool water of forgiveness.

I got lost in the song ♫Cool Water♫ that my daddy used to sing. Lost with the thought that it was 17 years ago today that we had the doctors disconnect the machines that were keeping him alive. Lost just now in the tears streaming down my face at my decision to use the name “Daddy” instead of the usual just plain “dad”. Funny how two little letters can change everything!

Lord, thank You that I get to ramble on with You. Thank You that You’d rather have me here blathering along than out there on my own trying to figure it all out. I’m here Lord. Having found many stories about buckets of stones but not the one I wanted, I’m here again reading about Balak and Balaam (Numbers 22-24). I’m here because chapter 24, verse 6 says, “buckets will brim with water”.

Balak was a king, afraid for his kingdom, who sent for Balaam, a ‘prophet for hire’ to curse the Israelites crossing through his land. Some writings refer to Balaam as a ‘trafficker in magic’, a diviner. Throughout these two chapters Balaam is presented both favorably and unfavorably. His plan is to keep his contract with Balak and curse Your people. Thank You God that Your plans are so much higher than any of our own!

For every curse he attempted, You provided a blessing instead. Thank You Lord that Your ways are so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Thank You that You are not swayed by our own spiritual blindness. Thank You that You can even make a donkey see [and speak! J] more than we can.

Lord, I have no idea what today holds for me. Thank You that You are absolutely in charge of it. Of this I have no doubt. Thank You for the true gift You have given me these past two mornings of a deeply rooted connection with my daddy. As I continue thinking about the buckets of blessings available to us, I just got the biggest “Ah-ha!” moment of the month!

All those years I heard my daddy sing ♫Keep a movin’ Dan, don’t you listen to him Dan, he’s a devil not a man and he spreads the burnin’ sand with water… Cool water♫ I never knew Dan was a donkey.

Leave it to me to let my mind wander around collecting all these dots and coming back asking You to number and connect them properly. I started out thinking about buckets, which led to a story about a donkey who saw an angel. In the midst of that story I thought of ♫Cool Water♫ and a much loved and missed daddy. And just now I thought even further into a desert and a twenty-mule team on which my daddy’s daddy worked. Was he the original teamster in our family?

As the tears gently fall, I close here thanking You for all the love and grace and mercy You provide. You never give us what we deserve. Your buckets are full of Your loving forgiveness. Thank You Lord. Help me have eyes as spiritually keen as Balaam’s donkey this day. And thanks for reminding me of all the times my daddy drew attention to our “family” members [donkeys! J] on the sides of the roads of my childhood.

Thank You Lord for growing me into a woman who can laugh and cry at the very same time! I love you so very much. Thank You for loving me more. Oh look! Even there! The memory of my daddy’s voice telling me the distance of loving me to the moon and back. Thank You Lord for buckets full of memories! I love You. I need You. I want You. I trust You. And I am so very grateful to have You in my life. Thank You Lord. Amen.

(773 words ~ 9:00 a.m.)

expectations

Sunday, November 7, 2010 (5:50 a.m. PST)

(6:22 a.m.)

Ha! Finally!

I sat at the front window for well over 45 minutes. Waiting. Waiting for the words of praise and worship to come. Waiting for the name with which to even begin this time with You. I waited Lord. Ah, there it is. Lord.

Thank You Lord! It was when I noticed that I had expected different that I was finally able to turn again to YOU! I had dutifully opened my Bible. I had looked up ‘time change’ because it seemed most relevant. That took me to Daniel 7:25, where I looked ahead and immediately caught sight of “Ancient of Days” and started looking into that.

Lord, there is so very much about You that I don’t understand. And even more about myself. But the coolest thing just happened for me. It was when I noticed myself pondering that this morning was not what I had expected it to be that I realized I had once again approached You with expectations.

The time had changed. I was truly eager to get up and see what kind of majesty awaited me outside the front window of the house this morning. And it was dark. Dreary. Not at all what I had expected. I thought I was going to see bright, vivid colors like the past few mornings. I didn’t anticipate gray. Gloomy.

Thank You Lord, that You are not about to be put into a box of my own expectations! Thank You that it is here in Your Word that I am finding all my “oohs and ahs”.

I confess Lord. I continue looking outside to see what’s taking place. But it’s the three entries for “expectations” that is really holding my attention.

Lord, how I thank You that this morning “Lord” is what comes naturally to me. Every time I have referred to You so far it has been pure and simply “Lord”. Here again. Not at all what I expected.

How I ask You to take this day and me along with it, teaching me all the things that my own expectations get in the way of. Help me look past what is easily visible. [Even if it is as awesome as a brilliantly beautiful, brightly colorful sunrise J] Help me dig deeper than is obvious. Deeper into Your Word.

This morning I got to learn just a little bit about the misguided expectations of King Solomon’s brother (1 King 2:15) that immediately resulted in his death.

Turning over to Proverbs 10, specifically to read verse 28, I am immediately aware of by my own pencil drawn star at the bottom of the page. The commentary note for verse 25 reiterates the importance of “our readiness to drop the anchor of faith” during the storms in our lives. While the anchor will never stop the storm, “it will hold us firm so we don’t drift to our destruction.” The author goes on to speak about the importance of learning what God is teaching us about our own personal growth as we struggle being content while weathering our storm.

And finally over in Isaiah (64:3) we are reminded, “So it was before when You came down, for You did awesome things beyond our highest expectations, and how the mountains quaked!”

Thank You Lord that Your acts are so superior to my expectations! Thank You that this morning’s sunrise didn’t pan out for me the way I had originally anticipated. No. Your gift for me was once again found in Your Word!

Digging just a little deeper and reading one more commentary I find “two key elements in this passage (Isaiah 64:1-4) that are essential to recovery: faith and patience. The people of Israel looked at the awesome nature of their glorious, powerful, incomparable God. This increased their faith. Then they patiently waited for Him to bring about their deliverance.” It goes on to say that these things don’t happen instantly or according to our timetable. It’s when we persevere in doing our part, that You bring about results in Your good time.

Thank You Lord that You are faithful. Flawless. Perfect. Indescribable. This morning I bring all my hopes, dreams and expectations to You asking only that You will do with them as You wish. You are trustworthy. Holy. Mighty. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(729 words ~ 7:34 a.m.)

gasping again!

Saturday, November 6, 2010 (7:03 a.m.)

Blessed, Beloved God,

God’s Astonishingly Superior Plan! I knew there was an acronym in there somewhere. How I ask that from now on, from this very day forward, every single time my breath is suddenly taken away from me I will remember that Your plans are always superior!

Laying in bed, truly not wanting to get up yet, actually thinking the words, “You might miss the sunrise”, immediately countering with, “There will be another one tomorrow.” Thank You Blessed Lord that I indeed did NOT miss this one!

God’s Astonishingly Superior Plan! With Bibles in hand, I sit here truly transfixed as I gaze out at the ever-changing beauty of the moment. It’s fleeting. Here one moment. Gone the next. Thank You God that YOU are not like that! ‘For You are the Lord, You do not change’ (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Lord, thank You for this astonishingly beautiful morning. How I ask Your presence throughout the day. Keep my heart and soul and mind and strength centered and focused on loving You, others and myself (Matthew 12:30-31) as Your astonishingly superior plan commands. I DO love You so very much. Help me do it better. More regularly and consistently. As You so rightly deserve!

Thank You Lord for Your beauty and grace and Your astonishingly superior plan. I love You so much. Thank You. Amen.

(243 words ~ 8:15 a.m.)

Gasp!

Friday, November 5, 2010 (6:51 a.m.)

Most Blessed, Holy God,

Thank You! It just keeps getting better out there! Having dark curtains in our room and trying something new with the clock, I had no idea what time it was when I first got up.

Coming down the hallway I still had no idea what time it was until I caught the first glimpse of Your glorious morning. The dark mountains outlined by an intense shade of pink against the brightest blue sky. No wonder I gasped! Just sitting and watching Your majesty unveil was phenomenal Lord. Another gift. A genuine, true gift from a most generous God. Thank You Lord.

(9:12 a.m.)

Lord, You never cease to amaze me! From the sheer joy of watching Your morning unfold, to the heartache I feel over a dear friend’s pain it is still to You I turn. And not just turn. No. Run! I RUN into Your holy presence, pleading that You would accompany her through this process.

Father God, how I thank You for Your plan. Your plan for good and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

When I initially gasped this morning at the beauty and wonder of the morning sky I didn’t expect to find ‘gasp’ in Your Word. What a surprise that was for me. I like when You surprise me Lord. It’s like Your mercies which are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). You aren’t one to be taken for granted. There is no outguessing You!

Isaiah confronted the people of Judah with their sin and denial, inspiring them to rebuild their lives based on Your promises. Now THAT’S something worth gasping about! No matter what it is that we do, you never stop loving us. Gasp! Thank You!

Even in Your fury against Your disobedient people You follow up Your proclamation with a promise. “For a long time I have kept silent, I have been quiet and held myself back. But now, like a woman in childbirth, I cry out, I gasp and pant” (Isaiah 42:14). Verse 16, “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”

“Gasp!” There HAS to be an acronym for You in there somewhere Lord. Until I find it, I will just rest in the promise of Your goodness and Your grace. Thank You Lord for the privilege of loving You. And I do! Love you!

Be with Your people, dearest Lord. All of us who so desperately need the comfort of Your magnificent presence. We love You. Thank You. Amen.

(462 words ~ 9:51 a.m.)

flooded

Thursday, November 4, 2010 (7:42 a.m.)

Glorious God,

You are awesome. Thank You for working in and through us around here. I ask that You would continue doing exactly that. Again I am asking for ‘the strength of Your mighty power’ to be within us (Ephesians 6:10).

This past half hour I have already been flooded with thoughts. I started out being excited once again by Psalm 100. Without realizing that to be the impetus of my singing, sure enough, here I was drawn to ‘bringing You a gift of laughter’ (verse 2, The Message). I must confess Lord, the freedom that floods over me at the thought of coming to You with a lame ‘knock, knock’ joke opens my heart up to pure joy! Here I am, flooded with freedom to truly enjoy Your company! Thank You. Look, there’s that ‘password’ the psalmist told us about in verse four.

I’m not sure which came first [I think You created the chicken before the egg J] but as my singing continued I recognized the verse from another translation. ♫I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart I will enter His courts with praise I will say this is the day that the Lord has made I will rejoice for He has made me glad He has made me glad He has made me glad I will rejoice for He has made me glad…♫

Everywhere I turn in Your Word this morning I am flooded with hope. Romans 8 speaks of “Life Through the Spirit”. This reminds me of my having thought just yesterday that I HAVE become ‘a brand new person inside! I am NOT the same anymore. A new life HAS begun!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Lord all of this is real. It is true. It is happening. We are changing. By the strength of Your mighty power within us we are getting to experience first hand Paul’s blessing to the Romans (15:13). “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Over in his letter to the Ephesians he again put out a call that You would strengthen the believers in their relationship with You and with each other. “I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to His people.” (1:18)

Lord, You are giving exactly that. Every time we turn around, we are seeing evidence of You working in and through us. How I thank You. How I praise You. How I ♫rejoice for You have made us glad, glad, glad…♫ Thank You Lord. We love You. Amen.

(474 words ~ 8:52 a.m.)

change

Wednesday, November 3, 2010 (8:18 a.m.)

Most Blessed and Holy God,

How I thank You! Thank You for change and for routine and for changes in a routine. Lord, You are doing such a mighty work around here, the kind of work that truly comes from the inside out. Oh how I thank You Lord!

(9:37 a.m.)

Where did the tears come from? I’ve been sitting here reading and wondering, praying silently and contemplating Your Word and suddenly my eyes are stinging. Lord, I truly am speechless when it comes to the change You have brought about in our lives.

The Book of James is just trouncing me right now. I truly don’t know which way to look! So I go to the introduction of it to find out more about who James was and why he wrote this letter.

James was a half-brother of Jesus, writing to a young church of only Jewish believers. This book is probably the earliest of the New Testaments letters. It was written to the family of God, encouraging believers to live out their lives in ways that honor God, making Jesus the center of their (our!) lives, honoring Him in all we do.

Wow! Talk about change Lord! You give us this desire and every modicum of ability to continue going forward in our walk with You. You change us. Life in and through You allows us the opportunity to feel and be and think and do all the things that life without You denies. In You we are free. Through You we are forever transformed.

James was initially a hard sell to believe Jesus’ claims. He knew first hand what it was like to hear Your Word and not put it into practice. Thank You that he came to believe. He came to trust. He came to write this letter.

“So don’t be misled, dear brothers. But whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God, the Creator of all light, and He shines forever without change or shadow. And it was a happy day for Him when He gave us our new lives through the truth of His Word, and we became, as it were, the first children in His new family.” (James 1: 16-18)

Thank You Dearest Lord. Change surrounds us. Without You as Master of our lives, we can feel overwhelmed by it. Thank You that in and through You we need not fear nor be destroyed by change. People change. Government officials change. Circumstances change. You don’t! “For Jesus doesn’t change – yesterday, today, tomorrow, He’s always totally Himself.” (Hebrews 13:8 – The Message)

Praise You Lord. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(447 words ~ 10:21 a.m.)

Election Day

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 (4:48 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

It’s Election Day. The sun will soon be rising. Then the polls will open. Countless dollars have been spent campaigning. Hands were shaken. And mud slung.

I have no idea how much time has been spent by others in prayer about it. But right now Dearest Lord I am here with an earnest plea.

You appeared to Solomon after he dedicated Your temple all those years ago and told him, “… if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7: 14) Most Dear and Precious Lord God, this is my prayer. Forgive our sins. Heal our land.

How I pray Dearest Lord, that Your people will seek to honor and glorify YOU this day. Guide and direct the outcome of this election. We are in dire need and desperate straits for people of integrity to be put into office.

This prayer to You is short today. Short, but fervent! James 5:16 tells us, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

I can’t attest to my own righteousness here Dearest Lord. But I come before You once again singing of Your Son’s! ♫My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness♫

Oh most dear and blessed Lord, how I ask You to use the outcome of this election to heal our land! I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(281 words ~ 5:43 a.m.)