wonderful balances

                                                                                                                          Saturday, May 31, 2025 (6:17 a.m.)

Blessed, Holy, Father God,

Thank You!

From the simplest, “ I love You, LORD; You are my strength” (Psalm 18:1 New Living Translation) to the more detailed and complex of other translations. Thank You for the wonderful balances You bring into our lives.

Balances of love and respect. Easy and difficult. Simple and complex. Challenges and successes. Attempts and failures.

Father, thank You! Thank You for providing Your Truth for us to embrace. Or choose to ignore. Thank You that You do allow us choices.

You present us opportunities to share Your Word, Your Truth, Your promises. How I ask (Matthew 7:7a) You to empower, embolden and enable me to do exactly that. Being true to You and Your teachings.

I want to ‘remain faithful to Your teachings, knowing the truth and being set free’ (John 8:31b-32). Learning to truly “speak the Truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15a).

Father God, these are balances I desperately want to master. Do all You must Blessed Lord. To Your good and faithful end. I love, need, trust and want You. Use me exactly as You alone know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(197 words ~ 7:26 a.m.)

pondering

 ♪Our God is greater, our God is stronger

God, You are higher than any other

Our God is healer, awesome in power

Our God, our God♪

Friday, May 30, 2025 (4:39 a.m.)

Father God,

Thank You. Thank You for singing me awake.

(6:40 a.m.)

Thank You for time to sit here. Pondering many things.

I want to glorify and enjoy You Dear Lord. How best do I begin?

Thanking and praising. Not being afraid. Rejoicing and being glad. Your Word tells us Your Truth.

Treat people the way we want to be treated. Matthew 7:12. Luke 6:31. Ephesians 4:32.

Oh! This [Your Word!] is good stuff!

The Life Recovery Bible comment for Ephesians 4:31-32 takes the pressure of change off of us and puts it firmly on Your grace. “… since it is God’s grace that helps us conform to His will, we need not despair. As we obey Him, He will teach us to live without bitterness, anger, or harsh words.” Yes! Please. Thank You Father.

“God is in the business of healing our relationships. When we do things His way, we are well on the way to reconciling… and building solid foundations…” Yes Lord.

Do all You must that I would live as You would have me. I love, need, trust, want, thank and praise You Lord. Use me as You know is best. Loving. Kind. Respectful. Amen!

(234 words ~ 7:02 a.m.)

free

 ♪You picked me up

You turned me around

 You set my feet

On solid ground…

I thank the Master

I thank the Savior

 I Thank God♪

Thursday, May 29, 2025 (3:45 a.m.)

Yes! I thank You God.

You healed my heart. You changed my name. Because of You I am not the same.

(5:45 a.m.)

♪Hell lost another one

I am free, I am free♪

Two hours later. I’m trying again.

Still thanking You. Upright. Out of bed. And feeling a bit lost. Unmotivated. Sad. Unmoored. Unsettled. Downcast. Adrift. Untethered.

And here’s a smile. A tiny sense of contentment. A word in the thesaurus for adrift is free. As in, ♪I am free I am free♪

Thank You for continuing to remind me of the freedom I have in You! “And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free… So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:32, 36).

♪Who the Son sets free

Oh, is free indeed

I’m a child of God, yes, I am♪

(6:39 a.m.)

Thank You Father that I can come to You with every form of discontent and You accept me anyway. Thank You for the freedom You provide us.

(6:50 a.m.)

Thank You for the freedom to choose where we will put our focus. On hurtful, painful things? Or on YOU! Your Word. Your Truth. Your promises. And be truly free.

Yes!

♪In my Father’s house

There’s a place for me

I’m a child of God, yes, I am

I am chosen, not forsaken

I am Who You Say I Am 

You are for me, not against me…♪

Blessed Lord God, use me exactly as You know is best. “I love You, Lord. You are my strength” (Psalm 18:1). I want to depend on Your Truth and truly live free.

Do all You must in, with, by, through and for me making the apostle Paul’s words to the Romans “alive and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). Lord God, I want to “be considerate” able to “live in complete harmony… giving praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 15:1, 5-6).

Fulfill Paul’s prayer for the church at Rome on my behalf. “…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 please Lord. Knowing Your Truth sets me free to experience the confident hope, joy and peace You provide. Empower and embolden me in using it well. I love, need, trust and want You Lord. Thank You. Praise You.

(450 words ~ 7:17 a.m.)

roller coaster riding

 ♪Get up, get up, get up 

Get up out of that grave♪

Wednesday, May 28, 2025 (4:10 a.m.)

Yes! Blessed God,

♪I thank the Master

I thank the Savior

I Thank God♪

Thank You that we have so many reasons and opportunities to thank You.

♪Hell lost another one

I am free, I am free♪

(4:26 a.m.)

What Truth!

(4:56 a.m.)

How quickly I branched off to my next search. Roller coaster riding with You. Father, thank You that You don’t leave us alone in this great big scary world.

Thank You that other people have similar wonders. And experiences. Thank You for tears that come quickly to my eyes and to my very core.

(5:11 a.m.)

Thank You Father for providing food and shelter. Thank You for Your Word (Mark 1:9-15) and other people who point us to Your Truth.

Blessed Father God, I make so very many mistakes. Am absolutely certain I am going in the right direction one moment and then am filled with doubt the next.

It’s been an extremely emotional season for me. Tears come easily. Unexpectedly. And often. Oh, look! Here come some more. Thank You for them Lord. Thank You for reminding me that You would have me “live as long as I’m alive and not die until I’m dead.”

You are good Dear Lord. Great. Gracious. Glorious (Psalm 145:5-8). And I am truly grateful (Psalm 107:1-2). Not because I’m supposed to be (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Because I am!

Doubts. Fears. Unknowns. Surprises. All the twists and turns that this roller coaster ride of my life is throwing at me. I thank YOU for being my stronghold. My shelter. My firm foundation.

Father God, I ask (Matthew 7:7a) You to keep me present. Considering the things that You would have me consider (Philippians 4:8). Things that are “true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise.” 

The Message says, “… the best, not the worst, the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not to curse.” Yes Dear Lord, keep teaching me to do that.

I love, need, trust and want You as absolute Lord of my life. Do all You must to this very end. Thank You. Praise You.

♪You picked me up

You turned me around

You placed my feet on solid ground

I thank the Master

I thank the Savior

Because You healed my heart

You changed my name

Forever free I am not the same♪

Thank You Father. Use me as You alone know is best. Amen.

(430 words ~ 5:44 a.m.)

thoughts and attitudes

 ♪O Come to the Altar♪

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 (5:43 a.m.)

Yes!

Come to You Blessed Jesus.

Awake. Asleep. Awake again. Wanting more sleep. And now this agogness. “How the Spirit enables us” (1 Corinthians 2:11).

(6:43 a.m.)

Holy Father God,

I absolutely need Your Spirit enabling and empowering me. “I love You, LORD. You are my strength” (Psalm 18:1). Thank You that You are.

My thoughts have affected my mood. Remembering to point them back in Your direction (Philippians 4:8) helps. Thank You Lord.

And herein You guide me again. Philippians 4. The Heart of Paul. Work on your thoughts and attitudes

"The Power and Wisdom of God"

 Memorial Day Monday, May 26, 2025 (6:49 a.m.)

Holy, Awesome God,

Thank You that You truly are holy. Awesome. God. Thank You for blessing us with Your presence. Your Spirit. Your love.

Thank You for sending Your Spirit to live in us (1 Corinthians 3:16). Thank You for ALL the saints You have sent throughout time who point and direct us to Your way of living our lives (1 Corinthians 1:24).

(7:22 a.m.)

Mm…Such TRUTH is found in Your Word. The apostle Paul writing to the believers living in Corinth, “God has taken this seemingly contradictory path [an absurd way to stump the wise, a way of weakness to stop the powerful (v.27)] so that no person can boast to God about his abilities and achievements” (29).

“But God Himself has placed you in a relationship with Christ who is our source for everything - wisdom, right relationships, wholeness, and ultimate fulfillment” (v. 30 The Heart of Paul).

living power

 Sunday, May 25, 2025 (6:42 a.m.)

Holy God,

Sleep. Shelter. Safety. Psalm 91:4. “He will shield you with His wings. He will shelter you with His feathers. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

Thank You Father. Thank You that I get to say, “I love You, LORD; You are my strength” (Psalm 18:1). My Rock. My fortress. My Savior. My shield. The strength of my salvation. My stronghold (v. 2).

Verse three starts me singing

♪And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes upon the waves

When OCEANS rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours

And You are mine♪

Holy God, You have blessed me with and in Your presence - Your embrace - all these many years. Even before I knew You I was blessed by so many earthly examples of Your love.

Flawed examples though they were, a foundation was being laid. Thank You that Your Truth smooths and levels all that was distorted by satan in the Garden (Genesis 3:1-8).

Thank You that Your Word is Truth and full of living power (Hebrews 4:12).

♪I won’t be quiet, my God is alive…

PRAISE the Lord♪

Yes! Thank You God.