Today’s
scripture: Romans 8:24-25
I don’t know about you, but I’m a hands-on kind of gal. I learn best by
touching and feeling. Don’t try to explain it to me. Don’t give me a manual.
Let me sit down and try it myself.
And it’s easy for me to talk about hoping in things I can see.
I hope you feel better.
I hope you can come to the party.
I hope that my team wins.
I speak this way, and I don’t think I’m alone.
But then I read verses like this, and I stop and think.
“Hope that is seen is not hope.”
What does this mean?
One of the definitions of hope is “to believe, desire, or trust.” It’s easy for me to believe or desire or trust something I can see,
so is there any real hope in that?
Real hope does come in hoping for what we do not see. We don’t see Jesus
with our eyes, but we can hope for the future when we remember that Jesus is
real, and He’s alive today.
Thank Jesus that He’s your living Savior. Thank Him for the hope you can have,
even when you can’t see Him with your eyes. Ask Him to let you see Him with
your heart.
Today’s scripture: 1 Peter 5:5-7
These verses begin with Peter’s exhortation to younger men respecting elders,
but the real truth is mutual humility. As children of God, we should always
“esteem others better than” ourselves (Philippians 2:3). None of us is
greater than another in the eyes of God. Some may have more notoriety or fame
in the world’s eyes, but to God, we’re each one of His precious children.
God loves humble hearts
because, with humility, we take our focus off of ourselves and on to Him, the
Sovereign Creator, the Almighty God.
Then Peter throws in
this little gem. In our humility, we can trust God. Where does it say that, you
ask? Read the very last part: We can confidently cast every anxiety (the NKJV
says “care”) at the foot of the throne. And why? Because God cares for us. He
loves us unconditionally with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). We can
trust Him with every single circumstance, good or bad.
I’ll leave you this
morning with The Message paraphrase of verse 7: “Live carefree before God; he
is most careful with you.”
Be blessed this day!
Today's scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:15-19
Sometimes I read several verses, and I see all kinds of application. Words that
affirm. Phrases that convict. Other times, just one or two words jump out at
me, and I spend time meditating on just those few words.
Such is the case today. Paul makes a good point about not vacillating when
moving forward with God’s plan, but the words that speak the most to me today?
God is faithful.
It seems like there is so little in this world in which we can put our faith.
People let us down. Governments crumble. Things fall apart. Stock markets
crash.
Nothing or no one is worthy of our trust, and so we just don’t trust anyone or
anything. Then we won’t be hurt.
But that’s no way to live ... and that’s not how we were created to live. God
created us for relationship with Him and with others. And yet, if people and things let us down, if they prove to be unfaithful, in
whom or in what can we put our trust? Who will be faithful, no matter what?
Our God will be. Always.
He will love us everlastingly. He will never, ever leave us alone. He will be
by our sides through the good and will carry us through the bad.
He is faithful, when no one or nothing else is.
In God we really can trust!
Today's scripture: 1 Corinthians 13:7
Love believes all things.
I spoke at an event a while ago, and I said that the one attribute of love
that was missing from Paul’s list was, “Love is trustworthy.” After meditating
on the words we’re focusing on today, I think I may be wrong. Today’s attribute
is close.
If I love someone—truly love him—I’ll believe the best of him. I’ll believe
he’ll do his best. He’ll be loyal and kind. He’ll be faithful to me. In fact,
I’ll believe he’s worthy of my trust.
In return, I need to be the same for him. This is the relationship I’m blessed
to have with my husband. I know he’ll be faithful to me. I know he’ll love me
through sickness and health, good times and bad, riches and poverty … because, in 27 years of marriage, he has.
So I can believe he’ll be the same in the next year or five or ten.
Love isn’t blind. That’s certain. If someone has clear issues—anger, a tendency
to belittle, a history of infidelity—you should avoid an intimate
relationship. However, if he has proven
himself to be faithful, then you can trust him.
You can believe in him.
Today's
scripture: Psalm 40:4
Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has had idols. Some idols have
been of wood or gold or bronze. Others have been of flesh.
We still have our idols today. We hoard our stuff. We pay homage to our credit
cards. We revere celebrities or sports icons. We respect the successful in
business. We spend more time worshipping at the altar of television or the
Internet than we do at the foot of God's throne.
We don't trust God; we trust our things or other people.
Then we wonder why we're so discontent.
One of my favorite talks I give is called "Joy Stealers" It's about
those things that are lurking about every corner that want to steal our God-given
joy. One of those "thieves" is discontent. No matter how much we
have, we find ourselves wanting just a little bit more. We envy those with a
bigger house, a better car, or a more prestigious career. I told those moms
that there are a couple of ways to "arrest" discontentment.
The first is to spend time with those less fortunate than we are. For example,
it's difficult to be discontent with our more-than-adequate houses when we
volunteer at a homeless shelter.
The second is to trust God. If we believe His word and trust that He has a plan
for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11)—and we surrender our lives to that plan—then
we can rest in the knowledge that whatever we have, whatever we do, is part of
that plan.
We really are blessed when we "make the Lord [our] trust." He is
faithful and will never let us down. Never.
Today's
scripture: Psalm 25:1-3
I mentioned a couple of days ago how I revisit my journals each time I start a
new one, and I'm in that process right now. One constant theme has been how
trustworthy God is.
As my journey has gone from the highest mountains to the lowest valleys, He has
been with me. Protecting me. Providing for me. Blessing me. Comforting me.
As I write these words, I am convicted. I am so unworthy of His everlasting
love and never-forsaking presence. Even when I have neglected Him or ignored
Him, He has continued to be trustworthy.
I read the next words in today's scripture, and I pray along with the psalmist:
"Let me not be ashamed." So often, I fail to share God's truth with
others. I don't always seize those moments to tell of His love and grace. To my
credit, it's not because I'm ashamed of God; rather, it's because I'm ashamed
of my own inadequacies. "What if I say the wrong thing?" or
"What will they think?"
My constant prayer should be—must be—to give the Lord all glory, honor, and
praise. To joyfully and unashamedly share His truth with others. To surrender
everything to Him.
For He is worthy of my trust.
Today's scripture: Psalm 4:5
"... put your trust in the Lord."
Sometimes, this is very easy. When things are going well, bills are paid, and
the kids are healthy. When you're working at the perfect job or dating
"the one." When you're on the winning team or just closed escrow on
your dream home. Then it's easy to put your trust in the Lord.
But life isn't always perfect, is it? In fact, more often than not, things
don't go well. You find yourself doing some creative financing just to get this
month's bills paid. Your child is down with the flu ... again. You just
tolerate your job. Your boyfriend just said the dreaded words, "It's not
you. It's me." Your team is 9-0 or your house is in foreclosure.
Or even worse, your doctor says, "I'm sorry. It's cancer."
Can you trust in the Lord even then?
I've been journaling for over 20 years, and each time I start a new journal, I
read the previous. The last 20 years' journey has been a combination of ups and
downs, twists and turns. Times when I've been on top of the world; times when
I've been in the deepest valley.
Trusting God hasn't always been easy, and over the years, there have been times
when I cried out in confusion and frustration, "Why?!"
Fortunately, I've learned that God's ways really aren't mine, and His thoughts
are so far higher than mine (Isaiah 55:8-9). I've learned that His plan for me
really is one of hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).
No, my life isn't perfect. My health continues to decline, slowly but surely.
My everyday pain isn't going away nor am I suddenly infused with energy. More
days than not have me asking for strength—just to make it through the day.
I don't understand why God has chosen not to heal me, and I certainly continue
to pray that He will one day. But even if I continue to live in pain, even if I
get to a place where all I can do is lay in bed ... well, then I can still
trust Him because I know how He loves me. I trust in His grace and mercy and
compassion.
Trusting God isn't always easy, but I know that it's the only way I can live my
life: trusting Him that all things really do (and will) work together for my good and His
purpose (Romans 8:28).
Today's
scripture: Psalm 40:4
Since the fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has had idols. Some idols have
been of wood or gold or bronze. Others have been of flesh.
We still have our idols today. We hoard our stuff. We pay homage to our credit
cards. We revere celebrities or sports icons. We respect the successful in
business. We spend more time worshipping at the altar of television or the
Internet than we do at the foot of God's throne.
We don't trust God; we trust our things or other people.
Then we wonder why we're so discontent.
Last week, I spoke at a "MomsNext" group about "Joy
Stealers," those thing that are lurking about every corner that want to
steal our God-given joy. One of those "thieves" is discontent. No
matter how much we have, we find ourselves wanting just a little bit more. We envy
those with a bigger house, a better car, or a more prestigious career. I told
those moms that there are a couple of ways to "arrest"
discontentment.
The first is to spend time with those less fortunate than we are. For example,
it's difficult to be discontent with our more-than-adequate houses when we
volunteer at a homeless shelter.
The second is to trust God. If we believe His word and trust that He has a plan
for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11, AMP)—and we surrender our lives to that plan—then
we can rest in the knowledge that whatever we have, whatever we do, is part of
that plan.
We really are blessed when we "make the Lord [our] trust." He is
faithful and will never let us down. Never.
Today's scripture: John 16:23-24
I've written about this often: We can pray for anything we want as long as we
pray in Jesus' name and within the Father's will.
God will answer prayers. He will.
You've probably heard the phrase: God always answers prayers; sometimes, He
answers "yes," sometimes "no," and sometimes
"wait." I've experienced all three; I'm sure you have as well.
The "yes" answers are wonderful, encouraging, and affirming. Those
are the prayers that, when answered, cause us to go around telling everyone how
great God is. We pray for healing, and the tumor disappears. We pray for a job,
and the phone rings. We pray for a specific need, and it's met the next moment.
Oh, we do love those "yeses"!
What about the "no" answers, though? We pray for something, quoting
scripture after scripture that promise answers to our prayers (including
today's), and then the answer is a clear and final "no!" The door
firmly—and sometimes loudly—closes. When Russ and I had been married for about
four years, we decided it was time to have a baby. It's a long story, but
during that season, I recommitted my life to the Lord. I prayed for months to
get pregnant. Finally, it became clear that God's answer was "no."
Because I prayed for His will, I accepted that answer. Even in that
"no," however, there was a "yes." I had begun to pray for a
baby or for peace if that was not His will. That
was the prayer He answered.
Finally, we're often asked to "wait." Those are the hardest of all, I
think. I've been praying for almost 20 years for an answer to a specific
prayer. I pray within God's will, and I firmly believe this prayer will be
answered with a "yes" some day. But for now, He's asking me to wait. In
some ways, these are the most faith-building prayers of all. I have to trust
that God is in loving control. I have to trust that He truly is working all
things out for good.
The key for answered prayer is asking for God's will and trusting Him to
accomplish that will in His time. If that's how you're praying, you can be
confident that you can "ask and you will receive, so that
your joy may be made full."
