poured blessings

Sunday, July 17, 2016 (6:31 a.m.)

Holy God,

Good morning. And thank You. Thank You for the blessings You pour into us.

(9:29 a.m.)

Oh praise You God!

Bless You and praise You for the nuggets of Truth You keep providing me.

First a call to pray. Then a pertinent, completely unexpected section of Scripture to offer to a much loved one. Isaiah 26: 3-4, “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock.”

I confess to having qualms about sharing the verse that immediately follows. “He humbles the proud and brings the arrogant city to the dust. Its walls come crashing down” (v. 5).

Father God, I trust You to lead and guide me. What do I do with my own reluctance? How do I know all You would have me share? And when is too much?

I look to You. Asking. Seeking. Knocking. And just as I am ready to turn away and take an extra rest, You bless me again.

Isaiah 44:3. “For I will give you abundant water to quench your thirst and to moisten your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit and my blessings on your children.”

Father, I am taking You at Your Word! Standing on Your solid ground. Truly craving Your blessings on our children.

Oh bless You and praise You, most dear and precious God. Your Word. Your promises. Please. Bless as only You are able.

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

(266 words ~ 10:07 a.m.)

time together

Saturday, July 16, 2016 (6:49 a.m.)

Most Dear and Loving Lord God,

Thank You! Thank You that at this very moment I am feeling exhausted. Sleep was illusive. Hard to come by. Practically non-existent. And I am here with You because I desperately want to be. Thank You for helping me know how extremely important our time together is.

Time together. Hmm. Yes. Blessed God, Thank You that as tired as I am and as busy as this day is supposed to be, I want so very much to spend time together with You!

Be with me this day as I prepare to line my ducks up in their row. Yes. Things need to be organized well. Our house is long overdue of being put in order. And I look to You.

You are my need. You are my source of strength and energy. I am feeling quite tired and am asking You to fill me with Your vitality. Punch. Vim and vigor. Stamina. Power.

Thank You for time together to read in Your Word. Isaiah 55:6 says...

best choices

Friday, July 15, 2016 (5:45 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You for some quiet time to be alone with You. I have definitely not been intentional about that this week. Forgive me Father. Forgive my thinking and reasoning. You know, things like “I need more sleep”. “I shouldn't make too much noise.”

Yeah. Not my best choices. Hmm. Best choices. Yes. I definitely am coming before You asking that You would improve my decision making process. Provide me with everything I need to respond well, making the best choices possible. Hmm. Yes.

Holy, Holy God. Once again You amaze me and I am truly grateful. I came before You because I knew I needed to. Half efforts of lying in bed and thinking to You between snoozes seems even worse than trying to drive a car that way.

You deserve my full attention! Thank You for reminding me of this. Thank You too for taking me to Isaiah 66:3 in Your Word this morning.

The Life Recovery Bible comments for verses 2, 3 and 4 begin by stating, “God will respond to us when we demonstrate these key recovery principles: the humility to acknowledge our faults, the willingness to turn from and deal with our sins (contrite heart), and a desire to do what is right no matter how difficult (tremble at God's Word).”

I confess to barely resembling that statement!

“God is not fooled by our religious games.” Oh how well I know this.

“If we 'play church' and have no desire to follow God but choose to go our own way, we will be judged. God's deliverance comes from honestly seeking His will and honoring and obeying Him.”

I confess my need for You. I can not continue pretending my way through trying to feel, be, think and do all I believe You would have of me. I truly love You so very much. Work in, with, by, through and for me this day. It is You I long to see glorified and enjoyed.

The closing sentence of these two comments states, “The process of recovery will succeed when we learn to really depend on God, not just go through the motions of following Him.”

Yes! My best choice? Coming before You. Adoring. Confessing. Thanking. And supplicating. Thank You Father. Praise You. Be with us this day providing every single thing we need to make the best choices possible.

I love You. I need You. I thank You. Amen.

(411 words ~ 6:38 a.m.)

receptivity

Monday, July 11, 2016 (7:47 a.m.)

Good Morning Blessed Lord,

Mm. Yes. Good morning.

(8:38 a.m.)

Yes. Again. Good morning.

Father, thank You for the opportunity of taking a slower than usual approach to our morning. We are preparing for a big week of swimming and playing outside with two much loved children. Thank You!

Thank You for the opportunity of sharing all we have with them and learning all they have to teach us. Blessed God, I am here this morning asking You to tune me into Your channel. Yes Father, fine tune and make me receptive to what YOU would like to teach me this week. This day. This moment.

Holy, holy Father God. I love You. I love sitting with You and following as You lead me into Your Word. This morning it's to Matthew 13:11-15 in The Message. Jesus answering His disciples' question of always telling stories when He talks to the people (v. 10).

“Whenever someone has a ready heart for this [gift of insight into God's Kingdom], the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears” (v. 12).

It is absolutely to You I turn this morning asking that You would make me keenly receptive to Your message. I love You. I long to know and serve You. Lead me. Guide me. Do all You must. I love You. Thank You. Amen.

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

ASKING

Sunday, July 10, 2016 (6:25 a.m.)

Holy, Holy Father God,

Thank You. Thank You for time to come and be alone with You. Thank You for an opportunity to be together with family members yesterday. Thank You for added information to an already confusing family tree.

Mm, Father. Yes. Thank You. Thank You that nobody knows us like You do. Thank You for the desire to know more about You. Your Word. Your will. Your way.

(7:04 a.m.)

Most Blessed Holy God,

I start reading in one direction, thinking I know for sure where we are headed. As I continue reading I realize that I am once again attempting to steer the ship. Here I stop Blessed Lord, asking instead that You would lead and I would truly follow.

I love You Father. I really, truly love You. I love that we get to come to You exactly as we are. I don't have to have any answers as to how that love is to look.

In fact, isn't it far more to Your liking that I would come before You this morning ASKING how You would have Your love look through me this day.

Mm, yes. Your love.

Holy, Holy God. I look to You. Asking You to love others through me. Yes. That is my prayer this day. Love others. Through me. Please. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(231 words ~ 7:45 a.m.)

constant

Saturday, July 9, 2016 (6:53 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You that You are so good. Thank You that You provide us the opportunity to readily read of all the things You are.

Oh and thank You even more for knowing my heart! Because I believe You know every single thing that's going on with me, I get to choose to be honest with You.

Right now I confess to feeling fickle. Changeable. I want to say what I believe are the “right” things. All with the “right” attitude. And the truth is, my attitude is not matching up with all I am reading in Your Word.

Forgive me as I tell You straight out what my heart and soul and mind are screaming. “It's not right.” “It isn't fair.” “Where are You God?” in the midst of all the shootings and the death and the carnage. “How much longer?” “How much more?”

That being said, that underlying every single word I say to You, I believe You to be a good God. I believe Your Word when it says that You “so loved the world” that You sent Your only Son to die “so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Blessed Father, an antonym for fickle is constant. Thank You Father that You are constant. Thank You for this privilege of coming to You with a VERY fickle heart. Believing, absolutely depending on You to love me even when the things I say and think and feel are anything but lovely.

Thank You for Your constancy. Thank You for the extremely subtle smiles that keep gracing my face every time I find a verse in Your Word that corresponds with my thoughts and fears.

I confess that it is not my place to ask You “When?” as I read Your promise in Psalm 12:5. “The Lord replies, 'I have seen violence done to the helpless, and I have heard the groans of the poor. Now I will rise up to rescue them, as they have longed for me to do.'” Yes. I confess.

Again and again I confess my fickleness. I know You are good. And just for right now, this very moment, I am going to breath deeply. Allow Your peace to wash over me. Asking You to not let the negative thoughts take root in me.

Blessed, Holy God, use Your constancy in my life this day. As I pray to You my true, fickle self, I ask that You would entrench Proverbs 3:5-6 deeply into my being. Let me truly, “Trust in the Lord with all my heart; to not depend on my own understanding. Seek Your will in all I do, and You will direct my paths.”

Yes Father. Please. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(471 words ~ 8:27 a.m.)

breathing deeply

Friday, July 8, 2016 (7:23 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Get my head in the game please. I keep making mmistakes. [See what I mean?]

Deep breath. Mm. Yes. Deep, cleansing breath.

Holy God, thank You for always being here to remind me to stop what I'm doing and look to You. Breathing deeply.

Thank You that every single time I take the time to “Stop!” and breath deeply, a calmness settles in. Would this be a direct link to Paul's promise to the Philippians (4:6-7)?

“Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Mm. Yes. Peace! Your blessed, precious peace.

Thank You Father. Thank You that while insanity seems to be running amuck in America, there is still peace to be found in You.

The practice of breathing deeply takes me to The Message to the Church in Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6). The apostle John was tasked “To give hope to believers and warn them not to compromise their loyalty to God” (The Life Recovery Bible THE BOTTOM LINE).

Many of the translations for verse 2 tell the believers in Sardis to “Wake up!” and “Strengthen what is left, or it will die.”

Blessed Dad, when I take the time to stop and breath deeply, I liken my spirit to a flame that is just getting ready to fade completely out. The added oxygen sparks a flicker that reignites the hope that is necessary to trust You in all things.

The Message tells of John's encounter with the Glorified Jesus on the island of Patmos (Revelation 1:17-18). Writing down Your words to him, he penned “I see right through your work. You have a reputation for vigor and zest, but you're dead, stone-dead. Up on your feet! Take a deep breath! Maybe there's life in you yet” (3:1-2a).

How is it that we get so sidetracked that we forget to put You first? 

“But I wouldn't know it by looking at your busywork; nothing of God's work has been completed. Your condition is desperate. Think of the gift you once had in your hands, the Message you heard with your ears – grasp it again and turn back to God” (2b-3a).

Yes please. As the peace of Your presence reminds me to ever look to You, equip me to 'be strong in Your mighty power' (Ephesians 6:10).

I love You Father. I need You. I want You. And I thank You. Use me this day. Exactly as You wish. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(462 words ~ 8:38 a.m.)