God's provisions

Wednesday, May 15, 2019 (6:15 a.m.)

Most Dear and Blessed God,

Thank You. Yes. Really, truly thank You.

You provide for us. Always.

(7:11 a.m.)

I search Your Word and I am reminded repeatedly of Your provisions. Thank You Father.

The other day I confessed to You my careless approach to healthy living. You immediately opened doors of clearer thinking. Opportunities to step back into Your guiding light. Thank You Lord.

This morning I am seeking Your will. Your way. Not mine.

I’ve already had the chance to sing to You. Read of You. Be reminded of the multitude of ways and things You provide. Father, thank You.

I am eternally grateful for Your provisions of grace. And hope. Truth. Love. Mm, yes. You provide all these and so much more.

Guide me in Your Word this morning that I would have a better understanding of how best to share all You have provided.

And here it is. Proverbs 6. Lessons for Daily Life. Father, thank You. I ask, You provide. Verse 6, “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and be wise!” (The Living Bible).

Mm yes Father. Put my focus back on You. Looking to You for Your guidance. And Your provisions.

And now I’m reading of human weaknesses in 2 Corinthians 4, where the apostle Paul encouraged the church at Corinth to “Never Lose Heart; 4:13-18 ”. He knew first hand that deep within, “where none can see, God the Spirit is at work” (Illustrated Bible Handbook).

Thank You Father. Thank You Blessed God. Thank You for every single way You provide for each of our needs. 

I ask You Father to use Your provisions in, with, by, through and for me this day. That I will live it to the fullest. For Your glory and the good of others. I love Your Lord. I thank You. Amen.

(321 words ~ 8:30 a.m.)

welcomed by God

Tuesday, May 14, 2019 (7:49 a.m.)

Most Holy God,

Thank You that You are SO good! We get to be honest with You. Coming to You with every single one of our flaws and foibles.

Take right now for instance. I come before You knowing only some of my faults and weaknesses. Fully aware that I don’t measure up to Your standard. Thank You that still You welcome me.

Hmm… just thinking of being welcomed by You fills me with such hope. Thank You Father.

And even here, I am sent all over Your Word. First to Luke 18:9-14. Then, Romans 3:10-12. And back to Psalms. 14:1-3 and 53:1-3.

Father, thank You. It’s a comment in The Life Recovery Bible that has stirred my smile into me sitting up straight in full agreement.

“53:1-6 Believing in God is essential in the recovery journey. Ignoring God’s plan for healthy living brings only trouble and suffering. We have become prisoners of our own desires, powerless to escape without God’s help.” I have a huge “AMEN!” to that experience.

Continuing, “Seeing the damage that rebellion has done should cause us to spend time in prayer. Our own powerlessness should serve as a constant reminder of our need for God’s powerful presence in our life.”

And there it is! Our powerlessness and Your powerful presence in our life.

Father God, I love You. I need You. And I thank You for Your standard. For Your presence. For Your welcoming of me and all my weaknesses.

Work in, with, by, through and for me this day Lord. Exactly as You know is best. To Your glory and the good of others.

Yes, Father. Your glory and the good of others. Do all You must. Praise You. Amen.

(301 words ~ 9:36 a.m.)

confessing

Monday, May 13, 2019 (6:26 a.m.)

Holy God, 

I am asking You to come and do a work in me. I’m confessing grumpy to You right now. Mm. Yes. What better thing to do with an ill will than to confess it to You?

Yes Father. Thank You that we get to bring all of ourselves to You. And in so doing, let You shine Your light on our dark areas.

Deep exhalation. Sitting up a little taller. Breathing in more deeply and admitting what I’ve known for awhile. I’m pretending again. Going through the motions. Acting as if I’m okay when I’m really not.

Blessed God, thank You that we can always come to You exactly as we are. No pretenses. Yes Father. Thank You that You love us. Faults and all.

I have fallen again into that cycle of not taking care of myself with the foods I eat. Choosing instead to ignore all the warning signs that develop with random, mindless, out of control eating.

Father, I love You. Thank You for the prompt to confess my careless attitude concerning my health.

Holy God, thank You that in following Your lead in confessing, I land at James 5:15-16. International Children’s Bible, “And the prayer that is said with faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will heal him. And if he has sinned, God will forgive him. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. When a good man prays, great things happen.”

Yes Father! My soul is sick. My heart. My mind. My strength. It happens every single time I take this inattentive approach to my well-being.

The Life Recovery Bible has a comment for this section of Scripture. “5:13-15 Since God has the power to heal us spiritually, emotionally, and physically, prayer is one of the most powerful tools available to us in recovery. When we pray to God, we call upon that power and display our faith that He can help us.”

Oh yes Blessed God! Your Truth just keeps being affirmed in this comment. “Prayer is essential in the process of putting our broken life into God’s caring and capable hands. He is more than able to help us and guide us to blessings and peace. When our life seems out of control and we are in despair, we can begin the healing process by bringing our problems to God. He is listening, and He has the power to rebuild even the most shattered life.”

Yes! Father, YOU have the power! It is that power on which I rely.

Do all You know is necessary in making me willing to commit my choices with Your best for me. I love You Father. I long to serve You with my entirety. ALL of my heart, soul, mind and strength.

Yes Father. Do all You must. I love You. I thank You. I ask You. Amen.

(501 words ~ 7:58 a.m.)

ready and willing

Saturday, May 11, 2019 (6:11 a.m.)

Holy God,

(6:41 a.m.)

Okay. I’m ready now. And willing.

Yes Father. Ready and willing to be thankful. Grateful. Filled with appreciation. Mm. Yes.

I didn’t want to come here saying empty “thank You”s just because I’m supposed to. I want to give You the praise and glory You so rightly deserve.

Thank You Father. Thank You that You are good.

Right here I stop to say, “WOW!” Wholly. Completely. “WOW!”

Yes Father. You continue to amaze me with the ways You get my attention.

A desire to learn more about glorifying You, I turned to 1 Corinthians 10:31. Wanting more understanding I read Freedom to be Used Constructively; 10:23-11:1. Illustrated Bible Handbook.

Quoting it here, I find myself in awe and wonder of Who and All You are. “Paul now returns to his basic theme. Freedom is to be used for the benefits of others (24).” You knew we would be in need of Your Truth. And You provided. Thank You Father.

Continuing, “In his summary, Pauls suggests that ‘rights’ are really irrelevant. God has called each of us to live for His glory. God gains no glory by our being right. He is glorified when we do not seek our own good but the good of others (31-33). In choosing the way of love we will be following the path in which Paul walked - and he tried only to follow close behind Jesus our Lord (11:1).”

Yes Father! Following this section over to a comment in The Life Recovery Bible I read more about Paul’s desire to balance our tendencies toward legalism with a genuine love for others. Thank You Lord that You were behind his teachings.

“The balance can be found by being willing to give up any of our rights that might cause others to fall while also not forcing our standards on anyone else.” He did not teach or preach codependency. No. He strove for healthy relationships. Interdependencies!

“Paul sought to please others for the specific purpose of leading them to salvation. If [when] our actions are governed by our love for others, we will be well on the way to developing strong relationships and overcoming the problems that drive our addiction or compulsion. God will also use us as powerful instruments to help other hurting people.”

What could be better than that? Being used by You to help others. Yes Father! Be glorified in my thoughts, my words and my actions this day.

Holy Blessed God, how I thank You. Truly!

Use me. Exactly as You know is best. For Your glory. And the good of others. Thank You Father. I love You. Amen.

(457 words ~ 7:25 a.m.)

the name of Jesus

Friday, May 10, 2019 (7:02 a.m.)

Most Blessed God,

Thank You.

I had another series of really scary dreams. All connected to an evil man. And similar to stories in the news everyday.

Father, how I thank You that they were only dreams. As terrifying as they were I was able to call out the name of Jesus. And rest, knowing that I was safe. Scared. But safe.

Hmm… yes. Jesus we are safe in You. Thank You!

♪… The Name of Jesus Christ my King… What a beautiful / wonderful / powerful name it is… You have no rival You have no equal… Yours is the name above all names… The Name of Jesus♪

Thank You Lord for all You have done to keep us safe. I look to You. Call out to You. Depend on You. Thank You.

As I considered my options ♪Trust in the Lord With all your heart And lean not on your understanding In all your ways acknowledge Him And He shall direct Your path♪ sprang to mind.

Proverbs 3:5-6. Yes! Trust in You. Not our own understanding. Yes Father.

It is so easy to get [and stay] focused on the news of the day. Thank You that we are called again and again to stay our minds on You. Thank You Father. Thank You Jesus.

♪… Death could not hold You The veil tore before You You silence the boast of sin and grave The heavens are roaring The praise of Your glory For You are raised to life again♪

Oh most dear and blessed Jesus, how I thank You for the Truth that is Your name! I get to read and sing of it!

♪You have no rival You have no equal Now and forever God You reign Yours is the kingdom Yours is the glory Yours is the Name above all names♪ Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

Quoting The Message,“Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the One who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to GOD! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life! Honor GOD with everything you own; give Him the first and the best” (Proverbs 3:5-9).

Oh that I would! Trust You. Listen for Your voice. Run to You. Away from evil. Honor You will everything. Giving You the first and the best.

Teach me Lord. Just like in that horrifying dream. I ran to You. Away from evil. Thank You Father. Thank You Son. Thank You Holy Spirit.

I love You. I need You. I choose You. I want You. I thank You. Use me this day for Your glory and the good of others. Thank You. I love You. Amen.

(486 words ~ 10:04 a.m.)

firm foundation

Thursday, May 9. 2019 (6:37 a.m.)

Good Morning Lord,

I just had a rather disturbing dream. Lots of details. Subtle specifics. A lingering after-effect. Thank You for the parts of it that were truly delightful. Contrasting all that made little to no sense.

Thank You for the reminder just now that it is not our job to make sense of insanity (situations and circumstances). The Preacher/Teacher [Solomon?] of Ecclesiastes tried.

(7:10 a.m.)

Mm, yes. Thank You Father for these writings. Thank You for the opportunity and privilege to read and learn more.

I confess to You most Holy God, the more I read the harder I search for understanding. There’s a deep sense of frustration coupled with the absolute freedom I experience as I once again accept there are just certain things I will never understand “under the sun.”

Thank You Father for Your Word. Your Truth. Your plans. Your promises. The firm foundation that we only have in You.

(11:02 a.m.)

Yes Father. Our firm foundation IS only in You. I read Your Word. I trust It. Depend on It. And then get lost in wanting to figure out why things are the way they are. Thank You God that that is not my job.

Just for today, this moment, I can turn to You in trust. Believing You at Your Word. At the very same time confessing that my thoughts are all over the place.

This is where I ask You to take charge of them. Of me. I love You Father. I long to do and think and say and be all that You know is best for me. You are God. And I am Yours.

(12:31 p.m.)

Do all You must in, with, by, through and for me Blessed God. Corralling my thoughts. And reminding me of the power of Your spoken Word (Proverbs 18:20-21)!

Oh yes most Blessed Father, do all You must for Your glory and the good of others. I love You. I need You. I want You. I choose You. Thank You. Amen.

(347 words ~ 12:42 p.m.)

"God's presence"

Wednesday, May 18, 2019 (6:52 a.m.)

Blessed God,

There are needs of Your presence Lord. Family. Friends. Loved ones. Yes. Father, we are all in such need of Your presence.

Blessed God, thank You that we have Your Word to turn to. Old Testament. New. Psalms. There is no end to the number of people who have come before You in need.

Thank You Lord. Thank You for the variety of verses that speak of Your presence. Thank You too for the Theology in Brief I just read in Illustrated Bible Handbook.

Entitled Faith and Feelings it teaches that “the psalms provide a unique perspective on our emotions.” It goes on to say, “While feelings have subjective reality, they are not our ultimate reality!”

Blessed, holy Father God, we need You so desperately. “Our feelings can and do change. Through relationship with God we can move from fear to trust, from alienation to comfort, from envy and jealousy to joy. Many of the psalms actually trace the process by which feelings are transformed and brought into harmony with reality.”

Oh most holy God, this is what I pray. That You would continue working in, with, by, through and for each of us that our feelings would be “transformed and brought into harmony with reality.”

Father, You are God of all. God of facts. And feelings. You created and love us. ‘We are free to share our feelings with You and express them without hesitation or fear.’ Thank You for this privilege.

“While feelings will surge, at times our feelings may not be appropriate. By consciously relating ourselves and our situation to God, we will change our perspective on the situation. As a result, our feelings as well may change to reflect a release and joy that are found through faith.”

Yes Blessed God! How I truly pray Your presence with each of us. Changing our feelings to reflect the joy we have in You.

Continuing to quote from this teaching on Faith and Feelings, I ask You to provide all that is necessary for us to grow in You. “Human frailty guarantees we will each be subject to the whole range of pleasant and unpleasant emotions…

“… we are never to judge the strength or validity of our faith by our feelings. Instead we are to let God shape our feelings as we relate to Him. We cannot change our own feelings simply by willing them to be different.” Thank You for Your Truth Father!

“… as we focus on who God is, and the meaning of our relationship with Him, God will graciously work in our emotional life as well as in our understanding, and shape us to His image.” Yes please Father! Work in us, shaping us to Your image.

Do all that You must in turning our hearts, souls, minds and strength to loving You (Mark 12:30) as You know is best. We are Your children and in absolute need of Your presence. Let us truly get to know and trust You as our God and Father.

I love You Lord. I need You. I want You. I choose You. I ask You. Do all You must. Thank You. Amen.

(535 words ~ 8:42 a.m.)