Today’s scripture: Psalm 48:1-3
When I pray, I often begin with the first sentence of today’s verses: Great is
the Lord, and greatly to be praised.
And He is!
He is the sovereign Creator of the universe. He is the beginning and the end.
He is the giver of strength, peace, and comfort. He is merciful and gracious.
He loves us everlastingly and abundantly.
He is everything!
So, how can I be anything other than joyful? I am a daughter of the Most High
King! He is my Savior, my Redeemer, my Comforter, my Refuge. He is my Abba on
whose lap I can crawl.
I find so much joy in knowing Him, in learning more of Him, in knowing He has a
plan for my life.
Stop a moment. Think about how very blessed you are to know the Great God. Find
joy and give praise to Him.
Today’s scripture: Job 33:26
The story of Job never fails to amaze me.
This faithful man whom God has abundantly blessed loses everything … just
because Satan, the enemy of our souls, challenges God saying Job will curse God
if he loses all he has, including his health.
Job receives dubious “counsel” from so-called friends, and even questions and cries out to God
himself. Yet, never does he “curse God and die” as his wife claims he should
(2:9).
Amazing.
Now, even though his friends’ counsel is not always helpful, one does give a
splash of wisdom in today’s verse, and this wisdom is true for us as well.
When we “pray to God” with sincere and repentant hearts, God does “delight” in
us. That too amazes me. The God of the universe delights in each of us! Even more, we
can “see His face with joy …”
Imagine gazing into your Father’s face. Your Abba, who adores you. Imagine
looking at that loving face with joy.
How can you feel anything less?
Today’s
scripture: Hebrews 4:16
When I’m feeling down, I imagine myself crawling onto my Abba’s lap. I feel His
loving arms around me, and I know I’m going to make it through one more day.
Our God is the King of kings, and He sits on His throne. And yet, He also
invites us to call Him Abba—Daddy. Because we are children of the King, we are
princes and princesses, and we are welcome to “come boldly to the throne of
grace …”
We don’t have to be shy. We don’t have to wait to be invited. We don’t have to
fear.
No, we can be bold and confident.
And we can know that the King will listen to our pleas, and He will shower us
with mercy through His grace.
Today’s
scripture: Psalm 16:8-9
It’s an amazing thing to think that God is right beside us, isn’t it? Right
beside you. Right beside me.
I love the thought that I can reach out my hand, and He’s right there, through
the good times and through the bad times. In fact, knowing that has helped me
get through some pretty difficult times, those times that caused my soul to be
restless.
My husband and I had been trying to have a baby for several years, and I was
finally diagnosed with endometriosis, which ultimately caused infertility. In
the darkest hour, when I realized that I would never be a mom, the only thing
that gave me hope was the confidence that God was with me and that I could find
rest in Him.
Because I know that God is at my right hand, I have hope that everything that
happens will be according to His plan, including things that are painful.
And because I know that God is at my right hand, I can be glad. I can rejoice
in God’s plan for my life. And my soul can find rest.
Is your soul restless? Do you sometimes wonder how you’re going to get through
the dark times? Remember that God Himself is with you. He’s at your right hand.
Ask God to give you rest . . . and hope.
Today’s scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
So many times I need comfort. Either I’m in pain or I’m lonely or I’m
uncertain. And I just need someone to give me a hug.
And sometimes—oftentimes—I feel very weak. Physically. Emotionally.
Spiritually. And I just need a bit more strength.
Guess what? I have the great Comforter as my Abba. I have the Giver of strength
as my Savior.
I’m never alone. Never.
When I hurt, I can crawl into my Abba’s lap, and He’ll comfort me. When I’m
lonely, I can cry out to Him, and He’ll wrap His arms around me. And when I’m
uncertain, I can pray for His guidance, and He’ll lead me.
And when I just can’t get out of bed because my body is so very weak, I can
lift my hand and ask, “Lord Jesus, please hold my hand just a little
more tightly today.”
And He does.
