Rivers of Living Water

Saturday, October 31, 2015 (7:27 a.m.)

Holiest, Awesome God,

Thank You for the singing that started this morning even before I opened my eyes. ♫Anxiety in the heart of a man weighs it down But a good word makes it glad♫ (Proverbs 12:25). Thank You for musicians (1992 Integrity's Hosanna!Music /ASCAP) willing to put Your Word to music.

Thank You that it really is easier for me to remember Your Scriptures when they are sung. Especially when the tune is catchy. Thank You for providing the opportunity for us to enjoy and learn from the teachings of others through the years.

Blessed God, how very grateful I am for Your Truth. Thank You for the privilege of coming to It and You every single day. Thank You that we are able to breathe in deeply and drink of Your rivers of living water (John 7:37-39).

Thank You Father for Your Invitation to the Lord's Salvation, Isaiah 55. Thank You for offering us to “Come and drink – even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk – it's all free!” (v. 1)

Praise You Father. Thank You. Thank You that every time I come to Your Word there is a deeper understanding, or a new question. I find verses I don't remember having seen before. Or I look at them more keenly than in the past.

Thank You for the easy access we have in our searches. Thank You for the availability that we far too often take for granted. Thank You for the privilege of looking up Proverbs 15:13 just now and learning again that, ♫A joyful heart makes a cheerful face But when the heart is sad the spirit is broken♫

Oh most dear and blessed God, whether sung musically or quite simply read, Your Truth encourages.

(10:06 a.m.)

Following one verse to another, I even get to share with the dear husband the “secret” to the success of our marriage. Proverbs 12:4. The Living Bible paraphrase, “A worthy wife is her husband's joy and crown; the other kind corrodes his strength and tears down everything he does.”

It is YOU Blessed God working in, with, by, for and through us all these years. Reminding us repeatedly of the importance of coming to You and freely drinking of Your Rivers of Living Water.

Thank You Father. Praise You. Use us this day. To Your good and to Your glory. We love You. We thank You. We praise You. Amen.

(410 words ~ 10:33 a.m.)

'planetary dance'

Friday, October 30, 2015 (7:01 a.m.)

Amazingly awesome God,

Thank You! Thank You for the opportunity of hearing ♫Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee♫ ringing out of our dear neighbor's wind chimes this morning. Just as I was going out for a better view of the 'planetary dance' You have going on between Jupiter, Venus and Mars the wind caught the chimes just right and they pealed out praise to You. Thank You Father.

Thank You for the chance reminder to bring all aspects of our attention back to You. In the recognition of the first few notes I remembered to “Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others” (Philippians 4:8 The Living Bible).

(8:57 a.m.)

Oh most Dear and Blessed God, this early morning encounter with You was brought on primarily because of the 'planetary dance' mentioned above. Thank You for the willingness to answer Your invitation to meet You outside in the predawn darkness. Thank You for blessing me with a musical score with which to begin singing praises to Your most holy name.

Holy Father, I am here asking (Matthew 7:7) You to guide and direct me in a social encounter later this afternoon. Please go before me and lay the groundwork You would have me follow. I long to “Speak Your Truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 13:1).

Rather than shrink in fear, I want to “Stand Firm” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14) on Your Word. Enable and empower me to:

F-ully

E-steem

A-nd

R-evere

You (Revelation 14:7).

I love You Blessed Father. I deeply desire that You be glorified and absolutely represented well in the words and tones I use this day. Thank You for the exquisite 'planetary dance' with which we began the morning. Be here with me. As You also go before, beside, beneath and above me – fully encompassing me in Your loving, perfect presence.

Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(327 words ~ 10:02 a.m.)

unexpected opportunities

Thursday, October 29, 2015 (6:11 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. Much time was spent together between a brother and sister yesterday and Your Word was shared freely, openly and often. Thank You.

Thank You for the unexpected opportunities of sharing Your Truth with each other. Thank You for the freedom with which The Life Recovery Bible went back and forth between us.

Thank You Father for the chance of having an unbiased, third party express to a genuinely hurting man the blessing it is to have people in his life who care so much about him that they want to help. Thank You for the many joys we experienced in the various people we met throughout the day together.

Blessed, Holy Father God, You are absolutely amazing! The work You have been doing in each of us these many years is beginning to take root. The unexpected opportunities of experiencing You and Your love for each of us still never ceases to amaze me. Thank You. Thank You so incredibly much.

Take just now for instance. I was looking in Your Word for one thing [unexpected opportunities] and was met instead with Paul's Prayer for Spiritual Empowering (Ephesians 3:14-21). Exactly what I didn't know I really wanted/needed. Thank You.

Thank You for the blessed reminder that where we as Believers are to place our faith is in “the only solid foundation for healthy living – God” (The Life Recovery Bible introduction to Ephesians). Mm. Amen!

Blessed, Holy God, You have a multitude of unexpected opportunities for each of us. Everyday. Make me keenly aware of them. Using each one to Your ultimate good and glory.

Father, we adore You. Appreciate and admire You. Enable and empower us in accepting and adapting to life Your way. I love You. I thank You. And right here I ask (Matthew 7:7) You, “Make it so Blessed God, make it so!”

Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(321 words ~ 7:13 a.m.)

great care

Wednesday, October 28, 2015 (5:36 a.m. )

Most Holy God,

I love You. I haven't been taking great care of myself recently. Thank You for reminding me of that just now.

Thank You that You have given us so very much. And with all You have provided it is still up to each of us how we will use it all.

Thank You for the desire to do things differently. Make better decisions. Plan. Work. And first of all, pray.

Blessed Father God, thank You that You invite us to know and to love You. This is an invitation I far too often take for granted.

Thank You that I get to sit here, looking out at the beauty of Your early morning sky and be awed by it. By You. Thank You for the decision to move my place of prayer back to one of our east facing windows. Such beauty. True delight.

As I contemplate the anticipated events of today, I am here asking You (Matthew 7:7) to go before us. Into the traffic, the various medical appointments, the familial interactions. Set the pattern You would have me follow.

Recognizing and agreeing with the need of taking greater care of my health, I look to You. Precious Lord, I ask You to provide the follow-through that is required for me to not just think of this as important. But to actually make the necessary changes.

Blessed God, I love You. I long to follow after You. And I want to make the great decisions You would have me make.

Thank You for loving me Dearest God. Use me this day, to Your good and to Your glory.

2 Timothy 1:13-14 speaks to me this morning. Tell me more of all You would have me learn. Thank You Blessed God. I love You. Amen.

(302 words ~ 7:07 a.m.)

rare occurrences

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 (6:18 a.m.)

Awesome, Holy God,

Thank You! You kept me company through much of the night. There were hours I was awake and praying was definitely the thing to do. Thank You Father.

Thank You that You are ever present. Always available. Thank You for Your goodness. And Your grace. Thank You for Your mercy. Your kindness. How I ask (Matthew 7:7) these things for loved ones. There are trials. Problems. Pain. You are needed. Thank You that You know all You are doing.

Thank You for the privilege of waking up with the words and tune for which I looked yesterday. Being able to wake from a spectacular dream about angels, many visible angels, while singing ♫I feel love, I feel safe, I feel Jesus in this place♫ was beyond comforting.

Every aspect of the sadness which seemed to envelop me yesterday had long since passed as I lay there humming the added chorus of ♫Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord♫ before going back to ♫Glory to the King♫

The tears in my eyes this morning are those of long-suffering [patient] hope. There are huge examples in the early morning sky of our reasons to hope in You. Our God Who never changes.

And see? There's another song. ♫Your Love Never Fails... There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning♫

Thank You Father. Thank You for music. Thank You for hope. Thank You for such a rare occurrence as the full moon lighting up the cluster of Venus, Jupiter and Mars.

(8:07 a.m.)

Mm, Father. Yes. Thank You for rare occurrences.

Thank You that I get to come before You. Often. In awe. And gratitude. Thank You that Your Word even speaks of rarities. Such as “Your thoughts – how rare, how beautiful! God, I'll never comprehend them!” (Psalm 139:17).

Holy God, I ask You to use us this day in rare and beautiful ways. We love You and we long to share Your love with others. Teach us. Empower and embolden us. Use us Father. We love You. Thank You. Amen.

(352 words ~ 8:13 a.m.)

rebuilding

Monday, October 26, 2015 (6:10 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

I am confessing to You that I feel a huge sense of sadness right now and I'm judging myself unmercifully for it. I'm looking to You to right my thinking.

Thank You Father. Thank You that we even get to bring our sadness to You. It is honestly what I have right now. Thank You that I'd rather be open with You about what I'm feeling than try to run from it like I've done in the past.

I love You God. I like to try and show You my better side. Thank You that You accept all of me. Thank You that I get to smile at thinking that You love and accept all of me. You are SO much bigger, better and far more wonderful than I can even begin to imagine.

(7:24 a.m.)

More than an hour of searching. Avoiding. Coming back. Trying again.

I started by looking for a song we sang in church yesterday. Thank You for allowing me the satisfaction of not giving up until I found it. Thank You for the numerous versions of ♫Glory to the King♫ I came across before finally discovering the one by Chris Lizotte. Thank You God, thank You VERY much!

Thank You that in the process of awakening this morning I've been able to see bright stars straight up in the darkened sky. The brilliance of a near full moon to the west. Unusually staggered planets high to the east. Followed by beautiful pinks and oranges on the horizon.

Still I confess the remnants of the sadness remains. But I know You to be our good and awesome God, so I am willing to accept it. For now. Until it lifts. I won't fight it. Try to understand, explain or change it. Just let it be what it is. A feeling.

And in so doing I read of the sadness Nehemiah experienced over his concern for Jerusalem. It was this same sadness King Artaxerxes noticed (2:2) that allowed Nehemiah to oversee “the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem and the continued spiritual rebuilding of the people” (THE BOTTOM LINE The Life Recovery Bible).

Blessed Father, I look to You with awe and wonder. I give to You these feelings and ask (Matthew 7:7) only that You would use me as You wish this day. Let my heart, soul, mind and strength love (Mark 12:30) as You would have me love. I am Yours and I long to reflect the love You have for each of us.

It is in Your love and in Your Son's most holy name that I ask that You would work in and through, by, with and for us this day. I love You, Father. Rebuild us as only You are able. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(474 words ~ 8:46 a.m.)

revitalization

Sunday, October 25, 2015 (6:39 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

Thank You. The sky is colorfully gorgeous. With two easily seen, very bright planets. The air is crisp. Refreshing. Revitalizing.

Mm. Revitalize – to give new life or vigor to. New life. Hmm...

Blessed God, thank You for the privilege of sitting here. Breathing in deeply. Considering life. New life. In You.

Thank You that with such easy access to Your Word, I get to be here with You, reading Dr. Luke's book (Acts) to Theophilus [whose name means “lover of God”]. How awesome to sit here, reading, learning, wanting to know more.

Blessed Father God, I love You so very much. Use me to help others get to know and love You as well. Reading Luke's words in Acts, chapters 10 and 11, I find myself sitting here nodding my head and asking (Matthew 7:7) You to enable and empower me as well.

Send Your Holy Spirit as You did on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2) that we [Jews and Gentiles alike] may truly live and love as You would have us. Blessed, blessed God, how I thank You for the opportunity of being revitalized by Your Word. Your morning. Your beauty. Your wonder.

Acts 11:18 was my starting point in this history lesson of hope this morning. “When they [the circumcised believers] heard these words [of the Holy Spirit's work], they said nothing more. They thanked God, saying, 'Then God has given life also to the people who are not Jews. They have this new life by being sorry for their sins and turning from them.'”

Most Blessed God thank You for giving us Your Truth. Thank You for new life that indeed revitalizes us. Let me us this revitalization to Your good and to Your glory this day. I love You. I thank You. Amen.

(308 words ~ 8:29 a.m.)

joy comes

Saturday, October 24, 2015 (6:04 a.m.)

Most Dear and Holy, Blessed God,

Good morning. Yes. Good morning and thank You.

Thank You that it is morning and according to Your Word, that's where [or is it when?] Your joy comes (Psalm 30:5).

(11:15 a.m.)

Mm, Awesome God,

Thank You! You just reminded me of the importance of intentionally glimpsing evidences of Your grace.

I confess, I was starting to get bogged down my negative emotions. I noticed it the moment I saw the date.

Interesting that I knew today was the 24^th of October before I even got out of bed. But it wasn't until I saw it spelled out above that it immediately connected to being a date of extreme significance. The forty-fourth anniversary of a patriarch's death.

It's easy for me to think of saying that everything changed for us that day. Truthfully speaking, everything changes for us every single day. I just need to be reminded to look again and again for the glimpses of Your grace in every circumstance.

Take this morning for instance. There was a phone call I had considered avoiding. I wasn't sure how to address an awkward situation. You provided me the word that was needed.

Upon answering the phone, rather than going through any pretense of niceties, I immediately introduced the opportunity we had of honestly exploring some nearly hurt feelings from a previous conversation. Your grace covered the entire dialogue.

Words like “brave” and “I'm so sorry” and “Thank you” were used. All the energy I had used up these past two days wondering how I would approach and react to the call was generously restored to me as I took the opportunity of allowing You to work it all out for us.

It was Your grace interspersed throughout the entire conversation that enabled two friends to each be heard, acknowledged and appreciated. Thank You Father.

Thank You that You are so incredibly good to sinners such as us. Thank You for rescuing us (Psalm 30:1). Thank You for restoring us (v. 2). Thank You for keeping us from falling into the pit of death (3). Thank You that we are to sing to You and praise Your holy name (4).

Thank You that Your “anger lasts for a moment, but [Your] favor lasts a lifetime” (5a). Thank You that “Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning” (5b).

Blessed God, I confess to You right now, this is not the prayer I had planned to offer to You six hours ago, but it is the one I have. As good and gracious as You are, my focus far too often shifts over to the negative details of every day happenings.

Thank You for even using this prayer to point me once again to the apostle Paul's words to the Romans. “If your sinful nature controls your mind, there is death. But if the Holy Spirit controls your mind, there is life and peace” (Romans 8:6).

It's Your mercy and grace that continues leading and guiding us through our choices, giving us EVERY opportunity to make another great decision. Blessed, Holy Father God, thank You!

Thank You for never leaving us alone in our own destructive thoughts. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit's intimate friendship (2 Corinthians 13:14 The Message) reminding us to check back with what Your Word has to say on things.

Just up from this verse in The Life Recovery Bible is Paul's Final Greetings (13:11-14). “Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Rejoice. Change your ways. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet each other in Christian love. All the Christians here send you their greetings. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

The comment at the bottom of the page for verse 11 acknowledges these to be “worthy challenges and goals to pursue”. Paul “admonished the people to open their minds and hearts to personal change and the healing of relationships.”

I experienced exactly that by following Your lead earlier in the day. The comment continues explaining that “spiritual growth and interpersonal harmony can be fueled by faith in God, the ultimate source of healing love and peace.”

Oh, “Amen!” to that Blessed God! It is so incredibly true!

I met joy coming earlier this morning and then got lost in the pursuit of negative remembrances. Continue working with me in acknowledging glimpses of grace as I come across them.

Thank You, Father. Praise You. I love You. Amen.

(780 words ~ 12:31 p.m.)

blessed and kept

Friday, October 23, 2015 (5:52 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You for loving us. Thank You for blessing us. And keeping us (Numbers 6:24). Thank You that You constantly give us choices.

I can go on here with the benediction You told Moses to give to Aaron and his sons for blessing Your people of Israel all those years ago. Or I can stop and really think about what is still being said. All these years later.

Hmm. What does it really mean to be blessed and kept by You? I see evidences of it all around me. The New Life Version of Your Word uses the phrase, “bring good to you” instead of “bless you”.

Other translations have the words “protect, sustain, guard, watch over, take good care of” rather than “keep”. Blessed God, how I thank You for the great care You take with each of us.

Continuing with the verses that follow, I breath in deeply and contemplate what it would truly mean to experience Your face shining upon me. So many times I've attempted grasping the idea of You smiling down on me (Easy-to-Read Version). In my head that translates to You being happy with me. Blessed God, I would love nothing more than to make You happy with me.

Be with me here this morning as I toss all these wonderful phrases around. I am leaning toward a very childlike wonder of what it all means. And in the midst feeling extremely emotional.

Tears are just beneath the surface of my soul. I want to hold them in because I don't understand them.

loving God

Thursday, October 22, 2015 (6:01 a.m.)

Holy God,

I love You.

Of all the things I could think to say to You this morning that's what I want to lead with. Thank You for working in our lives to remind us of the importance of loving You.

Mm. Yes. Help my focus stay on You this day. Yes, Blessed Father. You. The importance of loving You!

Another deep, cleansing breath. A conscious release of any tightness in my shoulders. And a genuine plea that You would continue working in each of us that we would come to love You with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength (Mark 12:30).

Every time I come back to this command, I marvel at the fact that it does not change. Through all the millennia, Your Word, Your Truth never changes.

♫I know I still make mistakes But You have new mercies for me everyday (Lamentations 3:23) Your love never fails (v. 22) You stay the same through the ages Your love never changes (Malachi 3:6) There may be pain in the night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5)♫

Thank You Blessed God. Thank You Holy Father. Thank You for sending Your Son to teach us. Thank You for allowing us to be saved by Him.

I get to sit here and be blessed repeatedly with every verse to which I turn. Your deep, never-ending love provides for us the courage, the strength, the desire, the will to take yet another step toward loving You as You so rightly command.

I love You, Father. I get to say that because others have taught us that it is good and right to do exactly that.

“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 straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right” (2 Timothy 4:16). Amen!

“For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are” (Hebrews 4:12). Oh, Hallelujah and thank You Jesus!

Thank You that with all the fearful, dreadful thoughts I brought with me here this morning, it was the pure and simple “I love You” that changed all of my thinking. Thank You that You have so very much to teach us. So much for us to learn.

And it all begins with knowing that “The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength” (Mark 12:29-30).

Thank You Father. The Lord my God. Continue Your work in me I pray. Teaching me to love You exactly as You wish to be loved. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(440 words ~ 8:25 a.m.)

made in God's image

Wednesday, October 21, 2015 (6:25 a.m.)

Awesome, Holy God,

Thank You that You are indeed awesome. And holy. Thank You that we are made in Your image (Genesis 1:26). And here is where I ask (Matthew 7:7) again that You would teach me exactly what all that Truth entails.

Power-filled

Tuesday, October 20, 2015 (5:10 a.m.)

Mighty, Holy God,

Thank You! What a blessed and glorious day You gave us yesterday. Seamless, Power-filled fun. From start to finish, a tentative plan began the night before. A perfectly simple strategy of how to approach a day of movie viewing and amusement park hopping.

Prayer preceded the execution and as I sit here I am still in complete awe of how well it all turned out. Father, You provided every single detail for us to utilize. All the way down to when and where to eat our lunch.

Thank You Father. Thank You for preparing us to truly enjoy such a Power-filled day. My plea to You here is that I would take that very same Power with me into today.

Last evening I believed my fight song for today would be ♫The Battle Belongs to the Lord♫. This morning it seems more appropriate to sing ♫There Is Power in the Blood♫.

I saw You work in me the other night. I felt the prodding. Obeyed Your prompting. And I followed Your lead. Effortlessly. It wasn't a struggle. Just pure and simple obedience. And it was glorious. Joyful. Peaceful. Profound. Power-filled.

My desire is to breathe in Your Spirit again this day. Blessed Father, I desperately long to live a life of pure surrender. Lead me. Guide me. Bless me. Protect me that I would bring glory and honor to Your most holy name.

The battle IS Yours Blessed God (2 Chronicles 20:15)! I trust You to protect us from ALL adversity. Fill me with Your Power. The Power that comes directly from ♫the precious blood of the Lamb♫ (Revelation 12:10-11)!

I love You. I trust You. And I thank You. Oh, how I thank You. Use me well this day in showing others what it is to life a truly Power-filled day. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(318 words ~ 6:44 a.m.)

bounding

Monday, October 19, 2015 (6:43 a.m.)

♫Yes, Lord, Yes!

♫To Your will and to Your way. Yes, Lord, yes I will trust You and obey...♫

Holy God, when is the last time I awoke truly hopeful? Singing? Bounding out of bed?

Sleep was hard to get to. Initially intermittent. But once it happened ~ restorative. Hope inducing. Truly mind [heart and soul] changing.

Blessed God, thank You for the opportunity to listen to Your cues yesterday. Thank You for mistakes I made in childcare. Thank You for every single time I have to try again.

(7:53 a.m.)

Mm, yes! Trying again.

Holy God, we cannot thank You enough for every single time we get to try again in saying ♫Yes, Lord, Yes♫ How many times is my very first reaction to most everything “No, Lord, NO!”?

(8:46 a.m.)

So, here again I am before You ASKING (Matthew 7:7) that You would provide every single ounce of all that is needed for me to wholeheartedly put into practice what I continually tell toddlers. “When you are told to do something, your first reply must be, 'Yes'.”

I want to be the example with You of what I am expecting from them. Not questioning. Nor whining. Grumping. Complaining. No, Father [see? I did it again!]. I long to come before You bounding with eager and excited obedience. Enable me in this vein.

After the death of her beloved brother Lazarus (John 11:17) Martha answered, “Yes, Lord!” (v. 27) when Jesus asked her if she believed that “everyone who lives because of faith in me will never really die” (26).

Truly, Father. Do all You must in turning me into the obedient child You created me in Your image to be. I love You. I long to serve You. And my heart's true desire is to do it with a complete sense of being absolutely and utterly AGOG with You! Thanks Dad. I love You. Amen.

(321 words ~ 9:11 a.m.)

desperate to believe

Saturday, October 17, 2015 (6:55 a.m.)

Holy God,

You know what You're doing. I'm not questioning that. You know the plans You have for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Watching news reports of weather devastations, individual acts of violence and the seeming randomness of every day life leaves me even more desperate to believe that You know exactly what You are doing.

Blessed God, thank You that we have You to turn to. Trust in. Lean on. Thank You that all that is going on in the world today does not get past You unnoticed.

Thank You Father that we get to come to You, to Your Word, and be reminded of all that has gone on before. We have Your promises on which to stand. Your love in which to believe.

Mm, yes. Father, we are desperate to believe that You love us. Care for us. Have a plan for us. A plan for good and not for evil. A plan to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

I read Your Word. Believe Your promises. Trust that You really, truly know all You are doing. I don't pretend to understand. Too often I question. Even doubt. And then I remember to breathe deeply. Relax my shoulders. And hope.

Yes Father, thank You that when all is said and done my hope is in You Lord!  

And, and, and ...

Friday, October 16, 2015 (7:37 a.m.)

Holy, Blessed God,

I love You. Thank You for rest. And safety.

(8:51 a.m.)

And options. And choices. And, and, and …

Holy God, my mind is currently all over the place. Not on You. Nor the blessings. Not even on overwhelming doubts and fears.

Ah, that's what this is ~ apathy! Forgive me Father. You provide our every need. And I don't even have what it takes to offer You a wholehearted “Thank You”.

And even here You give me another “Aha” moment.

Blessed God, THANK YOU! Thank You that You do not want me to come before You in pretense. All this time I have been attempting to present You with a grateful heart. But in reality, what You want from me is truth. Honesty. Passion.

And for the last 24 hours the truth I have been avoiding showing You is fear. And awkwardness. Sadness. Really, truly, profound sadness.

Holy God, THANK YOU that I get to be this honest with You. And why? Because I was reading in Your Word. And about Your Word.

Psalm 39. King David was honest with You. The Life Recovery Bible comments for this psalm pointed me to the apathy I have been using to mask my own disappointment with myself.

Ah, there it is. I continue to think that because You have given me so very much in my life that You must be as completely disappointed with the way I use Your blessings as I am. I berate myself for not doing and thinking and being all that I think would be most pleasing to You.

Get me out of Your way I pray most Blessed God! It IS in You I trust. Not me. Not circumstances. Not my opinion of myself. You. YOU!

And I am here asking You to provide me the ability to use Your blessings to Your good and to Your glory. Do all You must to change my heart, my soul, my mind (Mark 12:30) to loving You as You desire.

I DO love You, Father! Use me as only You knows is best. Thank You for loving me exactly as I am. Enable me to do the same. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Son. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Amen.

(381 words ~ 9:41 a.m.)

encouragement

Thursday, October 15, 2015 (4:37 a.m.)

Holy God,

How I thank You for teamwork. Encouragement. Baby steps. And, again, encouragement.

Father, I confess to You the HUGE mess we have going on here. Disorganized storage of way too many things. Thank You that You are so much bigger than all the stuff I think I need to keep.

Thank You that You are truly working in my heart to evoke change. Thank You for the differences You've made in relationships, desires and priorities. It's because of Your love for each of us that communication, patience and understanding continue to develop.

(7:19 a.m.)

And as much as You do for and in and with us, You know far better than I how very much my thinking edges toward negativity. No matter how much is done, how much progress is made, the critical side of my nature rarely ceases to point out how very much more there is to do.

Blessed God, thank You for providing me the spouse who does not see things as I do. Thank You for his never ending attempts to encourage me. Thank You for his kind words of support and encouragement.

Yes. Encouragement.

Thank You Father for the opportunity to spend time this morning in Paul's second letter “to encourage the Thessalonian believers to fulfill their day-to-day responsibilities while anticipating Christ's return” (The Life Recovery Bible THE BOTTOM LINE).

Thank You too for the time to learn even more about Paul's reason for writing it. “To correct his audience's misunderstanding”. How cool is that? Way back when, believers misunderstood!

Blessed God, I love and thank You so very much. Today I am looking to You yet again asking (Matthew 7:7) that Your Truth be manifest in my life.

Here I quote the J. B. Phillips New Testament of Paul's words, “May the Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father [who has loved us and given us unending encouragement and unfailing hope by His grace] inspire you with courage and confidence in every good thing you say or do” (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17).

Mm, yes Father. Courage. Confidence. Good things. Empower me to use Your Truth well this day. I love You. Be easily seen in me I pray. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(378 words ~ 7:55 a.m.)

a new plan

Wednesday, October 14, 2015 (6:40 a.m.)

Awesome God,

We need a new plan. I said it several times yesterday. We definitely need a new plan!

I'm looking to You. You, the Creator of all things. You, the Master Planner. You, the One who changes hearts and empowers us to “do all things through Christ, who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).

This I know to be true. I've seen You work in me through the years. I am grateful to be loved by You. As I breathe in deeply, I truly believe You to be 'able to bring us through danger into Your very presence without fault. All this is due to Jesus Christ, who sums up in Himself the majesty, the power, and the authority of God' (Jude 1:24-25; Illustrated Bible Handbook).

So again I say, with my heart desperately asking (Matthew 7:7), we need a new plan! Lifelong patterns are difficult to break. I'm going in now to work on a sorting and discarding project that will prove to be FAR bigger than myself. Ah, but not You!

You are so much bigger than anything we can ever come across. I turn to You. Asking. Seeking. Knocking.

The Life Recovery Bible has a comment for Jeremiah 29:11. “In our despair, we must remember that God has a special plan for each of us; He wants to bless us.” I believe this. It continues reminding us that “Our challenge is to act on that knowledge.”

Blessed God, it is absolutely my desire to trust You. Believing that You 'can do much more than we ask You to do, or we even think of. You do it by Your power which is working in us' (Ephesians 3:20, Worldwide English). Use Your power in me this day.

A new plan? How about I just embrace the one You already have for us? Thank You that You love me God. Help me use that love to Your good and to Your glory. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(334 words ~ 8:12 a.m.)

invited

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 (6:41 a.m.)

Most Holy and Loving God,

Thank You God that You are holy and loving. Thank You that we are invited. Mm, yes. Invited by You. Into Your presence. Into Your love.

Blessed Father, I can't even begin to describe the joy that You have brought into our lives. As I sit here reading of the invitations in Your Word, I ask You to make it so that I would come joyfully into Your presence.

Father, I absolutely love You. You have provided us so very many blessings. We are on our way to spend time with two of them this morning. How I ask You to bless this time together. Bless us with Your presence. Keep us in Your goodness. Smile down on us and show us Your kindness. Answer our prayers and give us Your peace (Numbers 6:24-26, Easy-to-Read Version).

We love You Father. And we long to serve You well. Thank You for inviting us into Your family. Enable and empower us to use Your invitation to us to Your good and to Your glory. We love You. We thank You. Amen.

(190 words ~ 7:57 a.m.)

rein me in

Monday, October 12, 2015 (7:39 a.m.)

Blessed God,

I'm here. In body. Not spirit. Or mind. My thoughts are all over the place. So here I am, asking (Matthew 7:7) You to rein me in to Your way of thinking.

I confess to not wanting to feel any more emotions. Sleep continues to be irregular. I absolutely know how blessed we are, yet I have senses of fear and foreboding as well.

Forgive me Father. I talk a good game. I claim to know and love You. And then I want nothing more than to run away and hide from discomfort.

Blessed God, guide me in Your Word. Lead me in my feelings. Enable and empower me to embrace the changes we are currently experiencing.

I do love You Holy Father. As I read (Romans 8) of Your power and goodness, I sense hope start to rise. Tears form readily while I begin internal arguments with You. There's hope. Then fear. Trust. Followed by all the “What about...”s of the past my mind keeps recycling.

We are a hurting people Blessed God. Children of Yours who don't necessarily know how to love and forgive as You would have us. We are jaded. Used to shutting ourselves off to keep from experiencing further, deeper pain.

I want to live this day surrendered to You. To Your will and to Your way. Take the fear, apprehension and distractions. They are what I have to offer You right now. My desire is to live freely in You. Your Word tells us repeatedly that is possible.

I'm choosing again to believe You. You are good. You are holy. You keep Your promises and through the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 13:13) I choose to trust that You will continue to rein me in as You know is best.

(9:35 a.m.)

Rearrange my thinking. Re-prioritize my efforts. Readjust my attitude. I give You all that I am; asking, seeking, knocking (Matthew 7:7) that You will make me into all that You would have me be. I love You, Father. Thank You for loving me. Use me I pray. To Your good and to Your glory. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(380 words ~ 9:39 a.m.)

well

Sunday, October 11, 2015 (6:03 a.m.)

Awesome God,

I'm going with the truth right here. I feel tired. A little grumpy. Even my body is a bit out of sorts. What shall we do with this scenario?

(6:59 a.m.)

And back to bed I went.

Father, thank You that we have options. Choices. Decisions. Wonders. Guide me this day in making them well.

Mm. “Well”. Tears are sliding. Thoughts are darting. Antonyms are: badly, poorly, barely. And I get to turn back to Your Word for words like “truth”, “healthy”, “strong”. Mm, yes. Father continue speaking to me.

New Living Translation, 3 John 1:2, “Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.” Blessed Father, it is You Who restores our strength. Our hope.

Father, thank You that every where in Your Word I look this morning I am encouraged. Reminded that You alone are God. You are good. You have a plan. You know all You are doing.

When Your apostle John wrote this letter to Gaius he wanted to commend him for his hospitality and to encourage him in his faithfulness. As I read his words, I ask (Matthew 7:7) that You would continue Your work in me to this end.

There are questions I have of past circumstances. Doubts. Fear. I look to You to present truth to me. John continued his letter with these words, “Some of the brothers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living in the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children live in the truth.”

Oh most dear and blessed God, how desperately I long to live in Your truth! Make it so blessed God. Make it so. I love You. I thank You. And I ask You. Amen.

(318 words ~ 8:45 a.m.)

just in time

Saturday, October 10, 2015 (6:56 a.m.)

Awesome, Amazing, Blessed Holy God,

Thank You. Most memorable words of greeting heard this morning? “You're just in time for color.” And I was! Thank You Father. The variety. The clarity. Such beauty.

Thank You that so very often we are just in time for so many things. Thank You that You are teaching me to look for these times.

Amazing God, how awesome of You to use the words “just in time” to teach me so much that I have never known about Your judge Gideon (Judges 6:1-7:25). How incredible that I get to sit here. Smiling. Shaking my head while thinking, “I never knew this”!

Thank You Father that You never fail to provide hope. Inspiration. Connection. I love that in The Learning Bible (Contemporary English Version) “Gideon answered [Your angel], 'Please don't take this wrong, but if the LORD is helping us, then why have all these awful things happened?'” (Judges 6:13a).

Without actually using those words, does not my attitude often present such little faith and hope to You? Thank You Father for showing me another side to Your warrior who “acted on his growing convictions, even when his faith wavered” (The Life Recovery Bible).

Thank You for spelling out for me to see, “Gideon was afraid to trust God because of his personal limitations.” Thank You too for the words, “His [Gideon's] first step toward success was to see himself as God saw him – a mighty warrior. Then he was able to hope in the possibility of freedom.”

Reading further in this devotion I sit up straighter as I breathe in more deeply to fully absorb the impact of Your Truth. “We, too, must begin by finding the courage to see ourselves in a new light and to summon up hope for a better life. Then as God gives us the strength, we can set about pursuing freedom from the bondage that surrounds us and our family.”

Blessed God, thank You that The Message paraphrases Judges 7:13a as,“Gideon arrived just in time to hear a man tell his friend a dream.” Thank You that I arrived 'just in time for color' this morning.

Thank You Father for all of the 'just in time's You provide us. Let me use them well today. To Your good and to Your glory. Thank You Blessed God. I love You. And oh, how I thank You! Just in time. Every time. Thank You. Amen.

(412 words ~ 10:39 a.m.)

cries of my heart

Friday, October 9, 2015 (7:50 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

Thank You. Not only did You heard the cries of my heart yesterday, You answered them. Profoundly. Thank You!

Thank You that in choosing to be absolutely honest with You tears flowed freely. Often. And cleanly. Some just rolled. Others were choked by sobs. But when all was said and done at the end of the day, my soul felt cleansed of guck tracing back some fifteen years.

Thank You Father. Thank You for the ability to be that honest with You. Thank You that we are free to come to You exactly as we are. Hurt. Afraid. Raw. And You accept our pain, our fear and You grow us from there. Thank You.

Thank You that in turning to Your Word again I ask, “May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to You, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14). As I inch my way back up to the beginning of this chapter, at each verse I find myself adamantly agreeing with the psalmist.

Father thank You that You are so incredibly good. Thank You that Your Word is Truth. It is vital. Living (Hebrews 4:12).

And would You just look at this! The Life Recovery Bible comment for verses 4:12-13. “During hard times our faith tends to dwindle; we may grow angry and harden our heart to the truth about ourself. The antidote to this problem is the living Word of God, which has power to penetrate even the deepest denial.”

I am evidence of this! Thank You Father.

“This is good new for those of struggling to overcome a dysfunctional lifestyle and having a tendency to distort reality. God knows everything about us, even the things we try to hide from ourself. We can count on Him, through His Word, to expose the problems and needs we will face in recovery.”

It is Your Living Word that allowed my thoughts and feelings to bubble forth yesterday. In a “highly emotional” way. Thank You, Father. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Holy Spirit.

Use me today to Your good and to Your glory. I love You. And I desire to serve You. Well. Thank You Blessed Father. Thank You. Amen.

(380 words ~ 8:50 a.m.)

"Just for today"

Thursday, October 8, 2015 (5:33 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

Help. Please. Change is coming. Quickly. Full force. And I don't know which way to turn in it. Serenity? Courage? Wisdom? All three? At once?

At once. At the same time. I get to look to You. To Your Word. And want desperately to fear not. To not be afraid. But just for now, this very moment, I am confessing fear to You. Fear of change. Pain. Inaction. Indecision.

And in that fear I am asking (Matthew 7:7) Your guidance. Your leadership. Your wisdom. Yes, Father, Your wisdom as it is described repeatedly through Your Word.

(7:08 a.m.)

Thank You Father that You are so incredibly good to us!

Thank You for setting the sky on fire with oranges and purples and colors we rarely see in regards to our sunrises. Thank You for beauty. And hope. And courage. And the decision to look at circumstances differently.

Thank You Father that I get to cry out to You with actual tears and sobs and anguish and fear. Knowing that You alone are God and good and have Your very best to offer each of us.

I'm telling You right now, I don't always want what You give us when You give it to us. Often times it takes me much longer than others to come around. Thank You that right now I am making the decision to ask You to help me want what we have. Wholeheartedly.

There's pain. And different. And mess. And confusion. And brand new territory. And fear. SO much fear, coupled with so very many tears. AND there's Y-O-U! Wonderful, powerful You!

Father, thank You that You do NOT leave us alone in our struggle. Thank You that there is indeed GROWTH in the struggle.

Thank You that You give us choices. Deuteronomy 30:19 spells it out so very clearly.

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live!”

Yes! Today... Choose life.

Thank You Father that I can fear. Yes. Be very afraid of people, places and things. OR I can fully esteem and revere YOU!

I can choose to try to eat or sleep or busy away my fearful thoughts and feelings. OR I can ♫Turn my eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace.♫ Matthew 14:29-31; Hebrews12:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

Yes. Just for today, I can choose to hope and have faith that You really, truly DO know exactly what You are doing. AND that You are going to give us the courage and the strength and the wisdom to carry it out.

Provide every single ounce of courage and power I need to be able to live this day with faith, hope and love (1 Corinthians 13:13). I love You Father. I need You Jesus. I want You Holy Spirit. Empower and embolden me for Your good and Your glory. Just for today!

Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(535 words ~ 7:40 a.m.)

peace of mind

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 (4:45 a.m.)

Holiest God,

Good morning. Thank You. It's beautifully clear outside.

(6:05 a.m.)

And distractions prevail. Focus my mind, heart, soul and strength (Mark 12:30) back to You. Holy God, I love You. I want to serve You. And I want to do it well.

The sun is rising. There is much beauty. And still my mind wanders. There are concerns. Apprehensions. Unease. I look to You for the opposite. Peace of mind.

I spoke of it yesterday with a much loved one. Referencing Philippians 4:7. Oh, and would You just look at how The Message presents it! Tied, of course, with the preceding verse.

“Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

Mm, yes! “A sense of God's wholeness”. Christ displacing worry. Yes! Please. More of that.

(7:10 a.m.)

Another diversion. A great conversation. With YOU as the focal point. Thank You God. Thank You Jesus. Thank You Holy Spirit.

The Life Recovery Bible's comment for Philippians 4:4-9. “True happiness can be found in every situation of life when we recognize that God is at work and always in control. Because Christ is with us and His return is certain, we can act calmly in pain and difficulty. Peace and joy come when we focus on those things that provide lasting value to our life. The more we commit ourself to knowing God's will through prayer and study of His Word, the better prepared we are to help ourself and others in the process of recovery.”

To this I add only, “Make it so Blessed God. Make it so.” I love You so very much. And I thank You for the blessings You continue providing. Thank You for being the incredibly good God that You are. Use me as You wish this day. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

(353 words ~ 7:18 a.m.)

today

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 (6:14 a.m.)

Holy God and Father,

Thank You. Thank You

(7:08 a.m.)

that You truly blow me away!

I started here thinking I wanted to talk with You about You being holy. And God. And Father. I mean, that's pretty incredible stuff when we stop long enough to think about it.

Then I gave thought to my heart for marriages. And wondered if perhaps we would go off in that direction. Nope. That wasn't it either.

Hebrews Chapter 3:1-4:13. Hearing God's Voice (Illustrated Bible Handbook)

Your voice. Your presence. Your rest. All here in our present day. And once again, I am so excited [AGOG!] that my head is swirling. With hope!

I read. I hope. Read more, hope more. To the point I wonder if I could explode. Implode? Short circuit? All from the excitement of what Your promises hold. For us.

Each and every single one of us is invited into Your presence. Because Jesus came and did all You created Him to do. It's like I'm reading this for the very first time.

Father God, I truly cannot thank You enough for the love You shower upon us. Continue Your work in teaching us to use Your love well.

Paul's words to the Philippians (1:9) as told to us through The Message. “So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately.”

You will teach us. I've experienced You teaching me. Continue Blessed Father. Continue Your holy work in each of us.

New International Reader's Version tells us, “So God again chose a certain day. He named it Today. He did this when He spoke through David a long time later. Here is what was written in the Scripture already given. 'Listen to His voice today. If you hear it, don't be stubborn.' (Psalm 95:7,8).”

Don't be stubborn. “Do not harden your hearts.” Important words Blessed Father. Let us use them well this day. Today. Yes. Provide our every single need, as You so perfectly do, that we would live today in glory and honor to You.

We love You Holy God. Thank You for all Your time and patience with us. We thank You. We love You. Use us. Amen.

(383 words ~ 8:02 a.m.)

God's wisdom

Monday, October 5, 2015 (5:43 a.m.)

Blessed Holy God,

Thank You. We took a day yesterday and did very little with it. Some would say wasted. Others? Regroup. Rest. Relax. And You? What are Your thoughts?

(6:39 a.m.)

Sometimes it seems the questions are too big. Not for You, of course. For me.

I do the wondering if it's okay to take a day to just replenish. And parts of me think, yes. Of course. But the critical side comes along with harsh judgments. So I bring it all back to You.

(7:19 a.m.)

And where do we end up? Your Word! Thank You.

Searching, “the mind of God” I got to read more of Your wisdom. Starting with 1 Corinthians 2:16. “... For, 'Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give Him counsel?' But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”

And now I release a heavy sigh. Inhale a truly deep and cleansing breath. Relax my shoulders and choose once again to lean into and trust You.

Father, thank You. I can scold myself repeatedly for the story I tell myself about myself. Or I can come to the wisdom of Your Word.

One verse at a time I inch myself back up the pages. CHAPTER 2 Paul Preaches Wisdom. Right before that, The Wisdom of God. Reading over in The Learning Bible, the subtitle above 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 is Christ Is God's Power and Wisdom.

So I read. And hope. I get excited. And my head starts swirling. Blessed Father God, how I thank You for Your wisdom. Thank You that “The message about the cross doesn't make sense to lost people” (1 Corinthians 1:18a).

Thank You that when Paul wrote “To encourage the believers living in Corinth to resolve their problems and honor God” (The Life Recovery Bible THE BOTTOM LINE) he quoted Isaiah speaking Your Words to Your people.

I tend to find myself in such good company when I read, “I will destroy the wisdom of all who claim to be wise. I will confuse those who think they know so much” (1 Corinthians 1:19; Isaiah 29:14). I smile and again breathe in deeply as I remember that my job here is to follow Your lead.

And would You just take a look right here? A comment (The Life Recovery Bible) for 1 Corinthians 2:14-15, “People who refuse to turn their life over to the care of God cannot understand God's truth or His plan. That's why recovery begins not with understanding but with a decision to follow God. Prior to that decision, God's way may seem like madness. Only when we face the fact that our life is insane can we open ourself to God and His good plan for us.”

Blessed, Holy God I absolutely believe You have such a good plan for each of us! As much as I long for others to see Your wisdom, I must confess to doing such a poor job of advocating for It. Enable and empower me to this end.

I love You. I long to serve You. And I ask You to continue destroying my human wisdom. It's You and Your wisdom I want to share. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(547 words ~ 8:51 a.m.)