greater praise?

 Tuesday, September 8, 2026 (5:39 a.m.)

Holy God,

(5:48 a.m.)

I confess the reticence with which I approach You this morning. Reluctant. Disinclined. Yep! That’s the word right there. Unenthusiastic. Ill-disposed. Not in the mood.

Thank You for my interest in words Dear Lord.

(5:59 a.m.)

Mm, yes. That interest which takes me to their synonyms and antonyms. Origins. And the ways meanings have changed through time.

Thank You that in being honest with You I get to learn even more. Thank You that this honesty often leads me to searching [and finding!] verification of my own thoughts and feelings through the writing of others.

Left to my own devices I would tend to harshly criticize my reticent reluctance toward coming to You. Disheartened. Downcast.

Instead, with a willingness to just be honest with You, I am blessed by learning I am not alone in my thinking. Sometimes dragging our heels in obedience can lead to greater outcomes.

Moses called to speak to Pharaoh and Jesus’ obedience to the cross are referenced in my reading.

(6:38 a.m.)

And right in the midst I was beckoned outside to witness Your photo worthy glory in this morning’s sky (Psalm 19:1). Father, thank You for the ways You provide for us.

A stirring toward wonder and awe truly does lead to greater praise. Thank You for allowing me to sit with You in spite of the moodiness that has been surrounding me here of late.

I love, need, trust and want You Blessed God. Do all You must that I will serve and represent You well. Use me as You alone know is best. Thanking and praising You as I go. Amen.

(286 words ~ 6:47 a.m.)

foundational firmness

 Monday, September 7, 2026 (4:32 a.m.)

Holy God,

Good morning. Thank You. So many thoughts. About so many things. Lots of scrambled thinking. Exhausting dreams. Good coffee. Sounds of a distant motor bike shifting. The refrigerator running. Clocks ticking.

Mm, thank You Father for our senses. And just how many do we have?

(4:41 a.m.)

Oh! Look!! Here’s my mind blowing up again! Thank You Father.

♪I call You, I call You Healer♪

(I Know A Name)

(4:56 a.m.)

♪Dead things come alive

Dead things come alive

In the name of Jesus♪

Psalm 34 (again!)

Psalm 147:8

Psalm 150:6

♪Let everything that has breath…

Praise the Lord♪

(5:18 a..m.)

So the music that I continue trying to follow is more of a distraction than a help. Thank You for pulling me back to the exciting information about the number of senses scientists have identified. 

Starting with the original first five. Expanding to nine. Then 21. All the way up to 53. Father, thank You that I fall into many of these. How fun for me to learn that I’m not nearly as weirdly different from others as I have believed myself to be the majority of my life.

Thank You for giving us such a firm foundation in You.

(5:32 a.m.)

Yes Father! Yes. And yes!

I left the music to You while I read more about building on the spiritual foundation You provide and here came more bits and pieces of lyrics.

♪… through the eyes of the Father…

…the most high God…♪

Thank You that when we are willing to leave things with You we are far more able to receive what You have for us.

♪Who I Am in the eyes of the Father

Who I am His love set free

Who I was I left at the altar

I am Yours Lord, I believe ♪

Oh thank You Father. Praise You so very much!

I want to live and love as You would have me. Being particularly aware of the gifts You continuously provide.

Continue Your work in teaching me to recognize and use Your blessings for Your glory. I love, need, trust and want You Dearest God. Do all You know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(383 words ~ 5:45 a.m.)

surprising sleep

 Sunday, September 6, 2026 (5:30 a.m.)

Monrovia, CA

Wow! Thank You God!!

Sleep. Many hours of surprising sleep. A dream within a dream. And practice of lengthening my muscles and redistributing my weight.

Father God, thank You for loving encounters with others. Thank You for clarity of mind. Awareness of awkwardness. And a willingness to stick with some situations. And to leave others.

Thank You especially for ideas. Some that worked out well. And others that took a completely different turn. Father, thank You for the ease with which I was able to take steps back and observe, rather than force my will and my way.

Hmmm… isn’t that what You do with and for us? You know what is best. You do all You can in helping us choose You and Your best. How trying it must be for You to watch us grow - one mistake after another.

Father God, You have blessed me repeatedly. Continuously. Thank You that You still completely amaze me.

The love You have for each of us. Shown through various interactions with others.

I ask (Matthew 7:7) You Dearest Dad to continue making me keenly aware of Your presence. Your will. Your way. Your goodness. Your grace. Your mercy. Your love. Your power. And forgiveness.

Blessed God, I love, need, trust and want You. Use me exactly as You know is best. Representing You well. In all I think, say, do and am. Be glorified Dear Lord. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(5:59 a.m.)

peaceful quietness

 Saturday, September 5, 2026 (4:05 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You so very much. There’s such a peaceful quietness I enJOY with You. Thank You for inviting us to come to You. Just as we are.

♪… out of sadness…

… broken hearted…

… Lay[ing] down burdens…

… shame…

… hurt…

… heart…♪

(Come As You Are)

(4:31 a.m.)

The phrase “warts and all” just came to me. Changing one word, I am immensely grateful to be invited into Your presence “thoughts and all.” Thank You Father!

Because of Your perfect love (1 John 4:16-21) I don’t have to right myself before approaching You. Oh! This just got WAY deeper than I imagined!

Father, thank You for Your perfect love!  That love which enables us to trust You (v. 16a). Live in You (16b). And You in us (16c). And as we do, that love grows more perfect (17a).

Lord, I’ve read these verses before. This morning they’re having such an intense impact on me. One of those “Aha!” moments to be sure.

It’s Your love that keeps us unafraid on judgment day (v. 17b). Without fear (18). Helping us love one another because You loved us first (19).

Blessed Father, how I ask (Matthew 7:7) You to continue Your work in empowering us to love, rather than hate, those we see (1 John 4:20). Following Your command that we not only love You, but also each other (v. 21).

Yes! Holy God, continue Your impeccable work in, with, by, through and for us that we will come [there’s that word again!] to love as You would have us love. You with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30). And others as ourselves (v. 31a).

Tall orders to be sure. But like everything else in this life, “Nothing is impossible for God” (Luke 1:37 Common English Bible).

Let my responses to Your commands mirror Mary’s. “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me as you have said” (v. 38).

Mm, yes Father. Continue inviting me that I will keep coming to tell of Your greatness (Psalm 34:3a). Exalting Your name (v. 3b). Tasting and seeing that You are good (8a). Experiencing the joys found in taking refuge in You (8b).

Thank You Father. Use me exactly as You know is best. I love, need, trust and want You. Do all You must. Praise You Lord. Amen.

(412 words ~ 5:18 a.m.)

learning and practicing

 Friday, September 4, 2026 (3:44 a.m.)

Most Dear and Holy God,

There is so very much to learn. And to practice. How I ask You to continue leading and guiding me as only You know is best.

(4:23 a.m.)

Father, thank You for the various people You have put in my life who help me learn Your Truth. Thank You for songs that sing of Your love and faithfulness.

My tendency through the years has been fearfully stiff-necked. How interesting to me that even this is a biblical term. Thank You Father that there is nothing I experience that You haven’t seen before.

How I ask (Matthew 7:7) You to continue making me pliable. Softening, while strengthening me. Shaping me.

(6:06 a.m.)

Thank You for leading me to Psalm 32. Particularly verses 8 and 9. Then over to the prayer of Moses, Psalm 90.

Mm, yes Lord. Once again I am reminded of the brevity of life (v. 12a). Oh, let me grow in wisdom (12b). Using this time You have afforded me (v.10) in glorifying and enJOYing You forever!

I love, need, trust and want You as absolute Guide of my life. Use me as You alone know is best. Loving You, others and myself with all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30-31). Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(228 words ~ 6:15 a.m.)

equally important aspects

 Thursday, September 3, 2026 (3:19 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for sleep. And waking. More sleep. And even more waking. Mm, yes. Both equally important aspects.

(3:45 a.m.)

Thank You for this very early morning opportunity of being up and out. Exploring various predawn details in our yard.

Holy Father, I love who You are. And the principles on which You stand.

That being the case, I want and need to know what those principals are. Thank You that You are such a loving, willing Teacher.

You provide us lessons and ample time to practice them. Thank You that You do.

(4:01 a.m.)

Right here, let me exclaim the “Wow!” that’s bubbling up inside! Yes! WOW! Thank You Father God.

You never cease to amaze and confound me. I bring the simplest first thoughts of the day and You take me to the wildest areas. Places I never expect to go.

Thank You for these past decades of learning to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). I confess. Like most every thing else I encounter in any given day, sometimes I succeed at this command better than at others.

♪They say sometimes you win some

Sometimes you lose some

And right now…♪

(Even If)

Right now, because of Your great love for every single one of us I am blessed by the hope we have in You. Thank You for the ways You have used MrecyMe’s music through the years to help center and guide me more deeply into Your Word.

♪They say it only takes a little faith

To move a mountain

Well, good thing

A little faith is all I have right now

But God, when You choose

To leave mountains unmovable

Oh, give me the strength

To be able to sing

“It is well with my soul”♪

Yes, Father! It is because of You and the faith, hope and trust we have in You that we are able to sing at all. Thank You, Lord.

The apostle Paul’s prayer for the church at Rome continues summing it up nicely for me. “I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

Yes! Dearest Dad! Talk about equally important aspects!

Joy and peace. Confident hope and power. 

I turn in Your Word to the fruit that is ours [love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control] when we live by Your Spirit’s power (Galatians 5:22-23). Such equally important aspects. 

Also over to Paul’s directions as to where we are to “fix our thoughts. On what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. [We are to] Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Philippians 4:8).

Father, again I ask You to continue Your work in me that I will be better able to follow Paul’s teachings. I want very much to learn to leave outcomes in Your fair and mighty hands (2 Timothy 4:14).

(5:33 a.m.)

Thank You for this extended opportunity to sit in Your presence. Reading in and of Your Word. Wanting desperately to absorb as much as possible.

I love, need, trust and want You Dear Lord. Do all You must that I continue learning and practicing what it is to be Yours. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(584 words ~ 5:37 a.m.)

 

much loved

 Wednesday, September 2, 2026 (4:59 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

It took until just now to remember it’s the day to celebrate the birth of a much loved one. Mm, Father. Thank You for the many things we have learned through these years. Many of them because of this fine young person.

Thank You God that You have so very much to teach us. Thank You for softening my edges. Making me more pliable. Willing, even eager, for more knowledge and understanding.

Thank You for the opportunities You provide for us to trust in You and not our own judgments. Mm, yes. Your provide. You make ways where there seems to be no way.

Thank You for directing me just now to the powerful Truth of the apostle Paul’s final letter. Sent to encourage Your faithful, yet discouraged, young minister Timothy. Thank You for their faithfulness. Their courage. Their examples.

Thank You Father for the love You have provided. Far before the beginning of time. Here again, I ask You to continue teaching me to live in, with, by, through and for Your love. Mm, yes Father. Yes!

We, like Timothy, are to remain faithful to the things we have been taught (2 Timothy 3:14). “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right” (16).

Mm, yes please. I absolutely want to learn and do what You know is right.

(5:46 a.m.)

Thank You for time to sit and be with You. Go before, behind, beside, below, above and within me that I am able to do and be all that You know is best.

I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Use me as You have planned. Loving. Caring. Praying. Glorifying and enJOYing You. Thank You. Praise You.

Happy Birthday to and thank You for our very much loved one! Amen.

(333 words ~ 5:50 a.m.)

♪Something Better♪