Hope.

 Sunday, October 22, 2023 (7:08 a.m.)

Thank You Lord.

Sleep. Rest. Songs. Smiles. Hope. Mm, yes. Thank You for the hope we have in You.

(7:49 a.m.)

Father God, how grateful I am to be Yours. To have You and Your Word on and in which to turn. And stand.

Reading Your Truth to Jeremiah (17:5-10 Wisdom from the LORD) I am smiling. Trusting. Believing You at Your Word. Thank You, Lord.

Turning over to 1 Peter 1:3-7, I center in while poring over more promises. The Life Recovery Bible The Hope of Eternal Life verse 6. “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.”

Hoping in and standing on Your promises Lord. That’s where I ask (Matthew 7:7) You to continue turning my attention.

“But blessed are those who trust in the LORD and have made the LORD their hope and confidence” (Jeremiah 17:7). Yes, please!

I want to be “like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit” (verse 8).

Oh dearest God. Keep the leaves of my heart green. That I truly never stop producing fruit for You!

Use us as You know is best. Rejoicing. Being glad (Psalm 118:24b). Loving as You would have us. You, others, and ourselves. With all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength (Mark 12:30-31).

Yes Father. Do all You must to Your good and perfect end. We love, need, trust and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(294 words ~ 8:22 a.m.)

Again. And again!

 Saturday, October 21, 2023 (6:00 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You. Again. And again. Yes, Father. Thank You.

You have blessed us with Your eternal, internal presence. We are coming to recognize You more readily. Easily. Often. Thank You.

Yes. Thank and praise You Lord.

Taking “again and again” to The Voice I am directed to Psalm 23. The end of verse 5. Peace and contentment wash over me as I consider Your Truth.

“You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil, filling my cup again and again with Your grace.” Father, thank You!

Gratefulness is coming more and more effortlessly. Without thinking. No longer as rehearsed as it was some years ago.

You’ve done this Lord. It IS Your grace that leads, guides and satisfies our every need. Thank You for this new to me approach to our overflowing cups of blessings.

I want to use them for Your good and Your glory. Pointing to You as our eternal Shepherd. Our Best Friend (The Passion Translation). Providing our every single need (Psalm 23:1).

Thank You for the unexpected joy that sprang from reading the Shepherd’s Psalm in more modern language this morning. Casting You right off the bat as “The Eternal” who “cares for me always.”

Keep us in You care Dear Lord. Using us as You alone know is best. We love, need, trust and want You. Thank You for all You provide us. Again. And again! Amen.

(247 words ~ 7:10 a.m.)

Who is in control?

 Friday, October 20, 2023 (6:54 a.m.)

(7:04 a.m.)

Thank You for Your Word Dear Lord.

It took awhile for me to turn to It. Well, open It actually.

(7:25 a.m.)

Trepidation is the first word that came to mind just now. Followed by dread.

Father, thank You that we have You and Your Word to turn when we are afraid. Trust and belief in Your promises leads to such peace. Thank You Lord.

Directed to Isaiah in The Voice. I find immediate hope [and smiles] as I read in chapters 51 and 56. Father, how I thank You for the ways You amaze me.

Turning to The Life Recovery Bible Chapter 51 A Call to Trust the Lord, I sit up straighter. Smile growing with each encouraging verse. “Listen to me, all who want deliverance - all who seek the LORD!” Promise after promise. Thank You God.

Comment at the bottom of the page. “51:12-23 God is in control of our life, yet we don’t fear Him as we should. Instead, we fear people - people who don’t really have any authority over us. We are tempted to retreat from God’s ways and lapse back into dysfunctional patterns, just to please others. We should strive to please God because He has the power to bless us for seeking His will or to discipline us for disobeying.”

Father, I confess right here that I continue falling back into fear. Fear of the opinion of others. Instead of standing firm on all You continue teaching us.

“Be[ing] on guard… Be[ing] courageous. Be[ing] strong. And do[ing] everything with love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14). Allowing You to undoubtably be in control.

Thank You for calling to us from the depths. Leading us deep into Your Word. Do in, with, by, through and for us all that You alone know is best. Teaching us to truly “…Be just and fair to all. Do what is right and good…” (Isaiah 56:1b).

We love You Lord. We want to serve You as You desire. Use as to Your good and to Your glory. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(355 words ~ 8:22 a.m.)

just different

 Thursday, October 19, 2023 (5:12 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You. You made me different. Than all the rest. Not better. Or worse. Just different. Thank You that You are teaching me to appreciate these differences.

Thank You that I get to turn to You. In every instance. With no attempts to hide anything from You. Or others.

(6:26 a.m.)

Lord God, how truly I thank You for all the differences You have placed in my life. All the uniquenesses. And the wonders. The marvels. As well as the mistakes. And every single error in judgment.

I can’t even begin to name them all. Oh, but I am so aware of the impacts they’ve each had on me. And here again I say, “Thank You Lord.”

Thank You for knowing every single thing there is to know about me. From the time “I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb” (Psalm 139:15). All the way to numbering the very hairs on my head (Matthew 10:31; Luke 12:7).

Trusting You to use my being different than others is freedom in its purest form. Asking (Matthew 7:7) You to keep growing me into the woman (A Wife of Nobel Character Proverbs 31:10-31) You originally created me to be is life in itself!.

Father, I love You. I need, trust and want You as absolute Lord of my life. Continue Your work in, with, by, through and for me Dearest God. That I will accurately represent You.

I want to honor You as the apostle Paul wrote to the believers living in Corinth. Encouraging them to “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14).

Yes Lord. In all my unique, wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14) just plain different ways of thinking and being continue teaching me to love as You would have me love. You. Others. Myself. With all my heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12:30-31).

Father, I ask to be included in Paul’s prayer for the Philippians (1:9-11 Easy-to-Read Version). “This is my prayer for you: that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love; that you will see the difference between what is important [excellent, vital, superior, really matters, best, highest, essential, of most value] and what is not and choose what is important; that you will be pure and blameless for the coming of Christ; that your life will be full of the many good works that are produced by Jesus Christ to bring glory and praise to God.”

Yes please. What he said! Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

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

welcomed and heard

 Wednesday, October 18, 2023 (6:00 a.m.)

Blessed God,

Thank You.

(6:26 a.m.)

Inattentive. That’s the word for me right now. Distracted. Unfocused. Unmotivated. I’m asking (Matthew 7:7) You to lead me way past myself.

(6:58 a.m.)

Thank You God. I ask. You answer. That [snap!] fast.

(7:17 a.m.)

Again, I say thank You God. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You.

You provide us the privilege of being completely honest with You. Sharing our thoughts. Feelings. Limitations. Hopes. Dreams. Wants. Loves. Hates…

Thank You for the desire to speak truthfully with You. Not wanting to blow smoke. I come before You simply. Once more thanking You for this opportunity.

Looking to You and into Your Word, again I find myself smiling. Thank You God.

Turning to Matthew 7:7 to read about asking, I was directed to Luke 11:9. Reading in Illustrated Bible Handbook Chapter 11:1-13. Jesus on Prayer …(see Prayer, NT,…).

On the very next page I’m reminded of “Model NT Prayers. Matt. 6:9-14; John 17; Acts 4:23-31; Ephesians 1:15-22; 3:14-21; Colossians 1:3-14.” This Theology in Brief points out that “In Jesus we are children of God, and God to us is always ‘Father.’”

Again I’m saying thank You, God! Instead of using empty recitations, I am ‘free to come to You in the confidence’ that I am “welcomed and heard (Heb. 4:14-16)...”

Blessed, Holy, Father God. You know the prayers of my heart and soul. The concerns. The doubts. The praises.

And here’s a song. Finally! ♪He lives within the praises of His people He loves to hear you call upon His name So set Your mind on Him And let your praise begin And the glory of the Lord will fill this place Praise the Lord…Don’t You know It’s Time to Praise the Lord In the sanctuary of His Holy Spirit…♪

Thank You Father. It took all it took to drop my distraction and funnel in back to You. Your goodness. Your grace. Your glory. And Your greatness (Psalm 145:5-8). How easy it is for me to look elsewhere. Thank You for the sincerest desire to want You more.

Use me this day. The one You have made (Psalm 118:24a). That I will truly rejoice and be glad in it (v. 24b).

I love You Lord. I need, trust and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Truly. Amen.

(415 words ~ 8:10 a.m.)

glimpsing glory

 Tuesday, October 17, 2023 (5:36 a.m.)

Blessed God,

You are good. Thank You that You are. Thank You for loving us. Teaching us. Blessing and keeping us.

1Peter 1:3-9

Numbers 6:24-26

Psalm 121:7-8

Jude 1:1-2

Ephesians 2:4

(6:20 a.m.)

Here, I say it again. Lord, You are so good! Thank You that You are.

Having the opportunity of exploring Your Word I find so many reminders. Of Your goodness. Your grace.

A walk outside to admire the beauty of the early morning sky we glimpse Your glory. Thank You Father.

I confess to waking up with a half-hearted approach to coming before You. Forgive me Lord for the disinterest with which I first began.

Thank You for the change that took place with the very first words acknowledging who You are. Blessed. God. Good. Loving. Teacher. Provider.

Father, I ask You to use us this day [that You have made (Psalm 118:24a)]. Rejoicing. Being glad (v. 118:24b). Exactly as You know is best.

We continue going outside. Glimpsing Your glory in the colors of the sky and clouds. We are blessed by You Lord. We want to represent You well.

Thank You for loving us that we in turn love one another (1John 4:19). Do all You must in perfecting us to Your likeness.

We love, need, trust and want You. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(243 words ~ 6:56 a.m.)

morning

 Monday, October 16, 2023 (6:00 a.m.)

Good morning Blessed God,

Thank You that You are! Good. Blessed. God.

And what’s left? Morning. Let’s talk about morning, Lord. You know? Where Your mercies fall afresh everyday (Lamentations 3:23).

(7:05 a.m.)

Father, how I thank You for the opportunity to sit here with You. Reading. Thinking. Ruminating on Your goodness. Your grace.

Jeremiah’s words of hopefulness. “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’” (Lamentations 3:19-24).

Yes! Hope in You. Your mercies. Your faithfulness.

Use me. As You know is best. Rejoicing and being glad (Psalm 118:24b). Singing. Smiling. Standing firm and staying my mind on Your Truth. Your promises.

Trusting Your steadfast, compassionate, enduring, loving-kindness to never cease (Lamentations 3:22). Thank You Father. Praise You Lord.

We love You. We need You. We trust and want You. Do all You must to Your good and Your glory. Teaching us to love You, others and ourselves as You would have us (Mark 12:30-31). Amen.

(233 words ~ 7:39 a.m.)