ruminating

Thursday, June 30, 2022 (4:27 a.m.)

Holy God,

THANK YOU!

I’ve made another mistake. I broke another’s confidence. Completely unaware of it at the time. Albeit unintentional, others were hurt by it nonetheless.

Ruminating on the negative aspects of my failing has done nothing toward reconciliation. Addressing it has opened a door to the light of Your Truth. Thank You God.

Mm, yes. Thank and praise You!

Thinking earlier, You reminded me the importance of ♪Counting Every Blessing♪ Seeing. Living. Redeemed. Found. Changed. Given. Hope. Future. Blessed. Beyond all measure.

These key words and phrases point me toward ruminating on the Truth of Your Word rather than pointlessly chastising myself. Lord God, how I thank You for the freedom we have in You.

Turning to Zephaniah (3:17). “The Prophet of Universal Judgment” (Illustrated Bible Handbook). I am blessed by the reminder of Your promises and provisions.

The Life Recovery Bible introduction of this prophet tells us, “The people of Judah were in need of major changes… They needed to be shocked out of their denial and spiritual indifference. ♪I am counting every blessing… Surely every season You are good to me♪

Yesterday I learned a new-to-me phrase representing Your Truth found in Galatians 6:4. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” Hallelujah Jesus!

Contemporary English Version puts it this way, “Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others.” Continue Your fining and refining work in me Dear Lord.

(6:31 a.m.)

Today I am blessed with different. Different schedule. Different people. Different approaches. I am asking you to go before, behind, beside, beneath, above and within me through it all.

I want to BE different! Embrace the differences. Not fear them. ♪Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path♪ (Psalm 119:105). Oh! Look at this. There are verses to this refrain.

♪When I feel afraid, and I think I’ve lost my way, Still You’re there right beside me. Nothing will I fear as long as You are near. Please be near me to the end♪ Thank You that You will!

Your Word is Truth. Your promises are true. Thank You that we get to trust in and depend on You.

Thank You for taking me deeper into the words of Zephaniah. And his description of “an age of blessing marked by honest and pure worship of God” (3:9-20 The Life Recovery Bible).

I look forward to You removing “all dysfunctions from our personalities and relationships; [where] sorrows and burdens will no longer exist.” I stand on the Truth of Your Word Dear Lord. Asking. Seeking. Knocking (Matthew 7:7) for the wholeness that only comes in, with, by, through and for You.

“For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17).

Now THAT’S what I want to be ruminating on today! Thank You. Praise You. I want, need and love You. Use me throughout this day as only You alone know is best. ♪Counting Every Blessing♪ as I go. Amen.

(545 words ~ 6:57 a.m.

emotions

 Wednesday, June 29, 2022 (6:56 a.m.)

Thank You God.

I get to come before You exactly as I am. Curious. Wondering. Disappointed. Fearful. And You remind me. I’m Yours. Safe. Loved.

Blessed God, I want You to talk with me about the myriad of emotions I’ve been experiencing recently. Confessing to You my propensity of judging my feelings as either good or bad. Right or wrong. You are reminding me of the error in that way of thinking.

Thank You for helping me remember the importance of being aware of all I’m feeling. Without painting it either positively or negatively. What would that be like? Will You guide and direct me into Your Word on this very topic?

(7:47 a.m.)

Lord God I acknowledge to You the joy I find in patterns. 6:56. 7:47. There’s a delight in them that makes me smile. Every time. Thank You!

Thank You too for providing me various translations of Psalm 4:1. The Voice, “For the worship leader A song of David accompanied by strings. Answer my prayers, O True God, the righteous, who makes me right. I was hopelessly surrounded, and You rescued me. Once again hear me; hide me in Your favor; bring victory in defeat and hope in hopelessness.”

What a wonderful Truth! Victory in defeat. And hope in hopelessness. I confess to caving in both of these areas. Far more often than not.

Thank You for Your reminder that we are to “continue” in our hope, faith and trust in You. Memories of a parking lot Pastor come rushing back. Repeating just this one word. “Continue!” Believing. “Continue!” Praying.

Oh, how I thank and praise You Dearest Father. I don’t know if my physical wellness is being affected by my emotions. Or is it the emotional aspect that’s distressing the physical? Either way, I’m trusting You. You lead. I’ll follow.

Easy-to-Read Version, “…God, you showed that I was innocent. You gave me relief from all my troubles. So listen to me now when I call to You for help. Be kind to me and hear my prayer” (Psalm 4:1).

Mm. Yes. Thank You that You are [kind to me]. And You do [hear my prayer].

Today I ask Your presence with me Lord. Going before us. Behind. Beside. Beneath. Above. And within. Every single step and breath we take.

I love You. Need and want You. Do all You must in using me to Your good and to Your glory. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(425 words ~ 8:11 a.m.)

Counting Every Blessing

 Tuesday, June 28, 2022 (5:16 a.m.)

Holy God,

How blessed are we?! Thank You Lord.

One minute I’m reading the words “counting my blessings” and the next I’m singing ♪Counting Every Blessing♪ Thank You for such a quick and easy find to the lyrics and the story behind them as well.

Described as “a battle cry, an attitude to carry us through the darkest of nights” again I thank You God. This song, brought about “after going through a season of depression” details what it is to lose focus of the blessings we have.

Looking at what the song’s writer didn’t have allowed him to realize, “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

"the glory of Your goodness"

 Monday, June 27, 2022 (6:45 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. You readily provided the identity to the phrase with which I awoke. Now I am asking for a better understanding of the meaning behind it.

(7:40 a.m.)

Reading in Exodus, Ephesians and Habakkuk, I find references to both Your glory and Your goodness. I am seeking a better understanding of experiencing “the glory of Your goodness.”

From the lyrics of ♪Holy Spirit♪ I want desperately to ♪become more aware of Your presence♪ To ultimately ♪experience the glory of Your goodness♪

Holy Spirit, You ARE welcome here! Our desire is that You would ♪Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere Your glory, God, is what our hearts long for To be overcome by Your presence, Lord♪

Tearfully led in prayer yesterday by a member of New Hope Oahu’s worship team, the “overwhelming circumstances” of this “scary world” were cited. As was the plea for THY will to be done. Along with the call to acknowledge Your presence.

Mm, yes Dearest God. ♪Let us become more of Your presence Let us experience the glory of Your goodness♪

Looking at my notes from “Divine Intersections - 5 secrets to receive from Jesus” I again read of the importance of repentance and reconciliation. Of finding common ground in broken relationships. Of bringing Jesus in and allowing Him to breathe life.

The after service take away was for us to be aware of how You are speaking to us. To not miss You in our lives. To remember that You are still on the throne. And “the fleeting rightness of time” [KAIROS - a time when conditions are right for the accomplishment of a crucial action; the opportune and decisive moment].

Lord God, I am relying on the Holy Spirit [who truly IS welcome here!] to flood this place and fill the atmosphere. Taking my heart, soul, mind and strength and helping me in my weakness (Romans 8:26a).

Truly not knowing what You want us to pray for (v. 26b). I ask the Holy Spirit to ‘pray for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words’ (26c). Trusting that ‘at the right time You will bring everything together under the authority of Christ - everything in heaven and on earth’ (Ephesians 1:10).

Quoting, with hope, Your second reply to Habakkuk’s second complaint. “Just as water fills the sea, the land will be filled with people who know and honor the LORD” (Habakkuk 2:14 Contemporary English Version).

Rephrased in Easy-to-Read Version. “The people everywhere will know about the Glory of the LORD. This news will spread just as water spreads out into the sea.”

Not understanding the full impact of Your Truth, I stand on it. Trusting. Hoping. Believing. Reading more.

The Life Recovery Bible RECOVERY THEMES for Habakkuk describes The Value of Doubt, God Never Changes, and God Is Our Source of Hope. Understanding is not the prerequisite. Trust is (Proverbs 3:5).

While I still don’t know the steps to ♪experience the glory of Your goodness♪ I have every belief that You will show me. There truly is ♪nothing worth more That could ever come close No thing can compare You’re our Living Hope♪ Thank You that You are Dear Lord.

Use me this day. Exactly as You alone know is best. I love You. Need and want You. Do all that You know is best for us to truly ♪experience the glory of Your goodness♪ Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

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

Ultimate Guide Book

 Sunday, June 26, 2022 (7:10 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You!

(7:29 a.m.)

Yes Father. Thank You!

Thank You for Your Word. Our “Ultimate Guide Book.”

Searching to learn more about my thinking of life as the definitive ‘choose your own adventure’ book, I’m led to Psalm 25:4-5. Thank You God.

“Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your Truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.”

Mm, yes Father! All day, everyday I put my hope in You! Direct and lead me by way of Your Ultimate Guide Book.

I love You. I need and want You. Do all You must in teaching us to be obedient to Your perfect plan for our lives. I want to follow where You lead. Empower and embolden me to Your good and glorious end.

Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(167 words ~ 8:39 a.m.)

Jehovah Rophe

 Saturday, June 25, 2022 (6:42 a.m.)

Holy God,

I love You. You are great. Glorious. Good. Gracious. Loving. Kind. Jehovah Rophe - The God who has healed, is in the process of healing and will heal and restore to health (Exodus 15:26).

Mm. How I thank You Father. Thank You for healing that is to come.

We get to look to You. Come before You. With our every need. Whether physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, relational or environmental. You are here for it all. Thank You for Your provisions.

Thank You for the ready access we have to the history of Your care. Reading back at Moses’ Song of Deliverance (Exodus 15:1-21) how I thank You for Your victories. Thank You for Your faithfulness.

We, Your people, are fickle. You are constant. Thank You that You are. At Marah, You set before Your people “a standard to test their faithfulness” to You (Exodus 15:25).

You told Moses, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, obeying His commands and keeping all His decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the LORD who heals you” (v. 26).

Father God, thank You that You ARE Jehovah Rophe!

Directed over to Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth (Ephesians 3:14-21) again I thank You for providing our every need. Your glorious, unlimited resources empower us with inner strength through Your Holy Spirit (v. 16).

Jesus makes His home in our hearts as we trust in Him (17a). Our roots grow down into Your love and keep us strong (17b). Paul prayed ‘the power to understand, as all Your people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep Your love is’ (18).

He wanted “to strengthen the believers in Ephesus in their relationships” with You and each other. Praying they would “experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” (19a). Then they would “be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (19b).

Yes please Lord. I come before You. Looking to You for healing of what I do not understand. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (20).

I am asking Your healing Lord. In myself. And for others. We love You. Need You. Want You. Worship and adore You. Use me in Your process. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(439 words ~ 7:37 a.m.)

the attitude and character of God

 Friday, June 24, 2022 (6:38 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

Thank You. Praise You. You are doing a mighty work in each of us. And we are grateful.

Thank You for the blessings You provide. Thank You for the Truth and promises of Your Word. Thank You for the opportunity of seeking You first. Above all else.

Songs are singing in my mind. ♪Seek Ye First♪ (Matthew 6:33) and ♪Trust In The Lord With All Your Heart♪ (Proverbs 3:5). The smile on my face reaches both my heart and my soul. Thank and praise You Lord.

Hmm… I thought I was here to explore the encouragement I find in Psalm 139:14. Coming to believe myself as being “marvelously made” (The Message) as well as “wonderfully complex” (The Living Bible) is completely life changing.

Learning to truly ‘let go and let You [God] be God’ is absolutely a sight to behold. A genuine thing of beauty. Trusting. Believing. Hoping. Accepting. Being honest, open and willing with You is such a gift.

Thank You for changing me Lord. Thank You for Your tirelessness in Your work in, with, by, through and for each and every single one of us.

Even here, as I thought I was focusing only on Your Truth found in Matthew 6:33, I continue reading the surrounding verses. And smiling contentedly as I do.

Father God, thank You! Quoting from a Serenity Prayer devotional in The Life Recovery Bible for Matthew 6:25-34 I am uplifted by Your Truth.

“Jesus said, ‘Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?… Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today’ (Matthew 6:27, 34)… Since God’s grace comes in daily doses, that’s the best way to face life.” Yes! Amen to that!

♪So Here I Am to Worship Here I am to bow down Here I am to say that You’re my God♪ Yes! You ARE my God! And it is You I seek! You. Your Kingdom. And Your righteousness.

Amplified Bible says “But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His Kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right - the attitude and character of God], all these things [every thing we need] will be given to you also. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:33-34).

And just like that? One more song!

♪Oh, Happy Day… When Jesus washed… He washed my sins away… He taught me how To watch and fight and pray… And live rejoicing every day… Oh, Happy Day♪

Thank You. Praise You. Use me Lord. Exactly as You know is best this very happy day. I love You. I need You. I want You. And I seek You. Your Kingdom. And Your righteousness.

You are great. Glorious. Good. And gracious. Thank You that You are. Amen.

(495 words ~ 8:21 a.m.)

taking responsibility

 Thursday, June 23, 2022 (5:45 a.m.)

Holy God,

Can we talk about forgiveness?

Looking out at the world I see so much blaming and shaming taking place. What would it take for all of us to drop our guards? To truly care more about another than ourselves?

Guide me in Your Word this morning I ask.

(6:05 a.m.)

Thank You Father that You answer when we call out to You.

Matthew 7.

(6:40 a.m.)

Father, thank and praise You for Your Word of life giving Truth. Thank You that You have always known what we would face each day. Thank You that You provided our every single need, long before we knew to ask.

Mm. Thank You for reminding us of the importance of asking You (Matthew 7:7; James 4:1-3; 1 John 5:14-15). Thank You for Your willingness to hear our every hurt and desire.

(7:38 a.m.)

Dearest God, 

(7:55 a.m.)

Thank You for the work You continue doing in changing our hearts and attitudes. I ask You to bless us and keep us (Numbers 6:24-26) as only You are able.

(9:01 a.m.)

As I keep going away and eventually coming back here this morning, Father, again I ask You to continue Your life changing work in me. Preparing to focus on the tasks of the day I ask You lead and guide my every single step.

You alone are good. Great. Glorious. And gracious. I want to live this day glorifying and enjoying You.

Having read so very much this morning, I end with Psalm 139:23-24. Asking You to “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”

Yes Dearest Lord. Continue Your work in teaching me the ultimate freedom there is in taking responsibility for my thoughts, words and actions. I love You. I want to serve You well this day. Do all You must to Your good and glorious end. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(360 words ~ 9:54 a.m.)

Supplier of all our needs

 Wednesday, June 22, 2022 (6:03 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy God,

Thank You. Praise You!

I’m here. Actively asking. Seeking. Knocking (Matthew 7:7). Wanting “grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, Courage to change the things which should be changed, and the Wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.”

It’s so true Dear Lord. We want to live “one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, Taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it. Trusting that You will make all things right if [we] surrender to Your will, So that [we] may be reasonably happy in this life, And supremely happy with You forever in the next.”

Mm, yes Blessed God. You are the Supplier of all our needs! Thank You.

Father, there is a tendency toward blaming and shaming surrounding us. It has seemingly become the rule, rather than the exception. Work in us as a culture Lord.

(7:03 a.m.)

Reading. Singing. Wanting. Thinking. Praying. Knowing. Trusting. Believing You to be the ♪good, good Father♪ Your Word teaches us You are. Thank You God.

Lord, we are in actual need of Your presence within us at every single moment of our lives. Thank You for Your faithfulness. Your attention to every detail. Be with us this day as we seek to make difficult life enhancing changes.

Having awakened singing ♪You’re the First, the Last, [Our] Everything♪ my thoughts went straight to the Truth of Revelation 22:13. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Continue Your work in changing us Dear Lord. Doing all You must. In. With. By. Through. And for us. To Your good. And to Your glory. We love You. We want You. We need You. We thank and praise You. Honestly. Openly. Willingly. Amen.

(325 words ~ 7:37 a.m.)

knowing the Truth

 Tuesday, June 21, 2022 (4:34 a.m.)

♪Who the Son sets free Oh is free indeed I’m a child of God Yes I am♪ (John 8:36).

Thank You Lord. For music. Your Truth. Hope. Faith. Love  (1 Corinthians 13:13).

(6:59 a.m.)

And more sleep. That was most unexpected!

(7:42 a.m.)

Here I say, “Wow!” “Hallelujah!” And “Thank You Jesus!”

So many times! “Wow!”…

Holy God, taking the cue from Your Truth, I searched “being set free” and found a sermon by Ray Pritchard [Keep Believing Ministries]. His lesson title asks the question, “Do You Want to Be Set Free?” Oh! Thank and praise You blessed Father.

Because of Your love for each and every single one of us we have the opportunity of truly getting to know Your Truth and being freed by it (John 8:32). Layer upon layer of sin and deceit is pulled back the more we learn to trust and obey Your teachings. Thank You God!

This lesson provides much information about Joseph’s decision to forgive his brothers for having sold him into slavery (Genesis 44-45). Introducing us to our own misguided attempts to protect ourselves from the pains of our past. The speaker points out our tendency of denying the behaviors that keep us stuck in the hurt. How grateful I am to realize I am not alone in many of my ways.

Being angry. Stubborn. Bitter, greedy, arrogant, filled with lust, self-willed and unkind do NOT lead us toward knowing the Truth that will ultimately set us free.

Confession. Repentance. And reconciliation are brought about by forgiveness and grace. How I invite You to continue Your work in growing and maturing us with Your Truth.

Father. You are good. Holy. Kind. Forgiving. Loving. And we want to be like You. Representing You well.

Do all You must to keep teaching us what it is to truly love well (Philippians 1:9 The Message). Provide us the courage to wholeheartedly face the Truth about ourselves. Our behaviors. Honestly. Openly. Willingly allowing You to change us from the inside out.

Thank You Father. I love You. And I genuinely want to serve You well. Do all You must. In. With. By. Through. And for us. To Your good and glorious end. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(388 words ~ 8:48 a.m.)