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Psalm 23:2

He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

You have no idea how much I needed this verse today! Life around here is upside down and inside out! From one moment to the next I am not sure if I am going to scream or cry. Heck, I might even just do both for the fun of it!

Don’t worry, no one is dying or anything. My house is under construction. I am sure I will be writing more about it as the week goes on if I can find a clean spot to write! A little info about me, I am rather OCD. Once upon a time I was medicated and saw a therapist for it. I am much better now until my world is really rocked and then LOOK OUT!!!! So, you can imagine what my brain is going through right now.

Throughout the day, I am having to find little pockets of clean and “stable” areas. Then I repeat Psalm 23:2, “He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters.” My meditation is on those still quiet waters. For a moment, the world falls away from me. No chaos, disorder, dust, or loud noises exist. Nope, the moment is all about God, me, green pastures and quiet waters. Yes, when I open my eyes the world comes rushing back in, but I know it will never take away what my peace I gain in those moments.

Lord, thank You for Your green pastures and quiet waters. ~ amen

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Isaiah 55:6-7

Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

I think I am going to get all theological on you today. Ok, we all know that is not going to happen, but I am going to give you my thoughts on Isaiah 55:6-7. I am concentrating on the first part, “see the Lord while he may be found”. I see this thought in three different time frame ideas in this verse.

First, this is part of the prophecy of Jesus coming. So, Isaiah could have been referring to the physical aspect of Jesus being there and then leaving during His ascension. Second, it could be talking about searching for Him while you are still alive. This is the time you have your chance at salvation. The last one is a little more out there, but it could refer to the end of time. Honestly, I am not sure which is true, it could mean all three. The most important thought is to seek Him.

The rest of the verse is actually a prayer for our enemies. Yes, I said enemies and not just our lost loved ones. Although that is important also. If you really want to release yourself of all that hatred you have boiling inside of you (like me), start praying this over those who have hurt you. I mean really in the end wouldn’t you rather make amends and see that person change his or her life? Revenge is a strong thing, but love is stronger. So, let’s seek God and pray for others that they may find Him so we can all be rescued!

Lord, today I want to pray that my enemies seek You and find You so that You may rescue us all. ~amen

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2 Peter 1:5-9
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

I know today’s reading is a little longer than usual, but I had to get it all in so we could take a look at verse 9. I am sure you want to know about all the good stuff before we discuss the not so good stuff or at least the ouch stuff.

God has a pretty simple recipe for getting closer to Him. You take a little faith and add goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. The recipe is simple and the ingredients are easy to find. Our problem begins with the actual mixing them together. The other problem is if we don’t, we definitely end up with a big old mess. It is kind of like making pancakes and finding out you added salt instead of sugar. Not that I have ever done that or anything. . . LOL!

Now, let’s just look at that salty pancake, I mean verse 9. Without these ingredients, we can become pretty nearsighted and blind. It becomes very hard to see people when you are on that high horse and looking down your nose at them. I am not saying you don’t have the right to get angry or feel hurt. I am saying you walk through it and let it go. Replace those feelings with the ingredients God gave you. I am SO thankful He is never nearsighted or blind. Believe me, He has EVERY right to sit on that high horse and look down His nose at us. Instead, He grabs the sugar and makes the best pancakes ever!

Lord, thank You for the perfect recipe for success! ~amen

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1 Corinthians 13:6

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

I am not going to lie. Today’s verse is hard to swallow sometimes. It is really hard to not rejoice when someone who has hurt you gets hurt. Let’s get real for a moment though. In all actuality wishing harm on someone else is vengeance. And we all know what God says about vengeance in Romans 12:19-21.

So the next time those thoughts creep into your mind, why not concentrate on some truths about the good the Lord is doing for you instead of what evil you want Him to do to others. Here are a few to get you started.
– The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9).
– The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).
– The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (Psalm 23:1).
– The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid (Psalm 27:1)?
– The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him (Psalm 28:78).
– The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed (Psalm 28:8).

Lord, I don’t want to delight in evil. Help me count my blessings when those thoughts creep into my mind. ~amen

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Esther 4:14

For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?

I can only imagine how hard Esther’s heart was beating. She was not being asked to go to the king without being called for herself. She was not even going to stand there for her family. She was to stand there for her entire nation. A nation that the king did not even know she came from. A nation that recently had been named an enemy to the king, by a very evil and tricky man. That man was the king’s right hand, his number one if you will. Now she was being asked to go to the king and speak against him. The king would have every right to ask for her head if it did not go well.

I lied. I can imagine how hard her heart was beating. No, I have never faced a king and evil assistant. But I do face down many situations that I would much rather not. Places, circumstances, and yes even people can very easily overcome me. When I become very still and listen carefully, I can hear Uncle Mordecia’s words, “And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” I take a deep breath. I know if God puts me there, He will also equip me for the moment. I know the battles may not be easy but I know I will come through them because I was made for just a time as this. Time to straighten my crown.

Lord, I know You won’t send me where You won’t equip me. I know you made me for such a time as this! ~amen

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Isaiah 25:1

LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for in perfect faithfulness
you have done wonderful things,
things planned long ago.

Do you want to know a secret to moving forward when you are afraid? Look back! No, I don’t literally mean look behind you, but if you are in a haunted house or some scary movie, that is always a good choice. No, I remember all times in the past that God got you through.

Think of all those moments in your life you stood in this place. Yes, you may be facing a new enemy or circumstance, but the feelings are not really new. You have felt the overwhelming, fear-filled, overly anxious, feelings before. They wore a different mask but look closely and you can see right through it. Now, remember your prayers and pleas you set out before God. Most important remember the release you felt as He got you through it. It may have not been a path you would have chosen but you took it and now you are on the other side looking at a new adventure.

Yes, I did use the word adventure. You see a circumstance has been placed in your path. The Goliath in front of you is nearing, but like David, you look down and see your stones. God has already helped you defeat lions and bears. Now it is time to throw these stones again. Go ahead take aim. God will give you the victory again!

Lord, I thank YOU and praise You for all the adventures you got me through in the past. Today, I am facing a new one and I know you will get me through again. ~amen

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Philippians 1:6

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Today’s verse reminds me of a song we use to sing at church when I was a kid. The words still resonate with me every single day.

He’s Still Working on Me
by The Hemphills

There really ought to be a sign upon my heart
Don’t judge him yet, there’s an unfinished part
But I’ll be better just according to His plan
Fashioned by the Master’s loving hands

He’s still working on me
To make me what I need to be
It took him just a week to make the moon and stars
The sun and the earth and Jupiter and Mars
How loving and patient He must be
‘Cause He’s still workin’ on me

In the mirror of His word
Reflections that I see
Makes me wonder why He never gave up on me
But He loves me as I am and helps me when I pray
Remember He’s the potter, I’m the clay

Lord, thank You for not giving up on me! ~amen

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Psalms 91:1-2

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

We are preparing for a new season in life around here. Major changes are in motion in our household. My mother keeps telling me to look at it as a new adventure. Some days I can do that pretty easy. On other days, I have to go seek shelter with the Most High for some rest. It is not the overall change that I am dreading it is all those little details that come with the change. You know the unknowns lurking around every corner just waiting to jump out and attack. OK maybe I am getting a little over dramatic, but logistics can be frightening sometimes.

I cannot imagine how I would get through all of this without God. He truly becomes my refuge and fortress. Life can become so overwhelming and then we tend to stress out even more about being overwhelmed. It is a never-ending circle, or is it? I am going to tell you a secret. It does not have to be like that. You can put a stop to that vicious little circle. You can find refuge and rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Today you can yell, “STOP THE WORLD I WANT TO GET OFF!” God is there waiting for you to fall into His arms. Let Him handle the chaos. Take a nap in His shadow. Besides, we all know we work better when we are well-rested!

Lord, today I choose to rest in your shadow when the world becomes too much for me to handle. ~amen

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2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

I love this verse in 2 Timothy. It is quite often a go-to verse when I am feeling fearful. That is because I like to never get past the timid, powerful, and love part. Hey no judging here if you are in the same boat. Who really wants to deal with that self-discipline one? I am sure we would all love to magically have self-discipline. Of course that would put the diet industry out of business . . . LOL!

I want to take a look at why I turn to this verse. I recite it when I am afraid. I say it to remind myself that God has given me what I need to face the situation. Notice I said when I am afraid. This verse is a tool. God is saying I have what you need when you find yourself lacking. Yes, that even means that bad habit you seem to fall into time and time again. When you find yourself falling, God is there with self-discipline. It is just like when I find myself afraid, I can turn to this verse to remind myself I don’t have to be.

So when I am trying to improve my health and just feel weak, I can turn to this verse to remind myself God has got me there too! Isn’t it great God never expects us to be perfect? He has us covered!

Lord, thank You for giving me power, love, and self-discipline when I am weak. ~amen

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1 John 3:18

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

I recently had a go-a-round with someone. When it was over, he came to apologize. I looked him straight in the eyes and said don’t bother telling me, show me. Words are important, but how you say them is much more important. Even more important than that are the actions you take.

I am sure we have all heard horror stories about slippery salesmen. You may have even fallen victim to one of their schemes. Their words sound wonderful, maybe even a little too good to be true. In the end, their actions showed you just how ‘too good to be true’ it was.

Unfortunately, we see this in politics all too many times. The politician will make promises he has no intention to keep. Well, to be fair he may have intended to, but something happened along the line to change his mind.

The point to all of this is love is an action verb. You can say I love you all day long but in the end, it is just words. You want to really show your love for your neighbor? Put some action behind it. After all, Jesus didn’t just say it. He climbed up on a cross and died for you!

Lord, give me opportunities to share my love today through actions and not just words. ~amen

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