Shouts of Joy

"Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:"'The Lord's right hand has done mighty things'" (Psalm 118:15)!

Greetings,

Last night I moved the bed over in the guest room to make a safe play area for my grandbaby.  And as I was measuring and researching the vast variety of child gates and indoor yards that are available, I was filled with joy just thinking about how much fun Ms. Ellie will have in her new little rumpus room. 

I was even more delighted when I read the verse above.  I immediately adapted it to say, "Shouts of joy resound in Ellie's playroom!"

There is something so powerful and inspiring about praying the Bible over ourselves and those we love.  

Ask the Lord to show you how to do it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we shout for joy because You do and are doing mighty things in our lives!  Give us a new and deeper appreciation for Your peace-giving Word, and show us how to pray the precious verses over our lives and the lives of those we love.  In Jesus' name, AMEN. 

   

Open Up!

“…Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things” (Psalm 81:10).

Greetings,

I love being my little granddaughter’s caregiver, and it has been such a joy watching her grow up.  She has already learned to identify her bottle, and when she’s hungry, get out of the way.  Ms. Ellie likes to lunge forward and clamp down on it with a death grip.  The funny thing is that as soon as she even hears me start preparing it, her mouth opens – wide!  That’s how I know she’s eager for the slushy goodness inside.

God will also give us good things – things that nourish our mind, body, and soul.  But we must desire it.  We must do our part.  We must open our mouths, big and wide.  We must praise and pray and worship.  We must pour out our hearts to the One Who is willing to fill us.  That’s how God knows we are eager for the good things we need; among them, peace, provision, guidance, hope, and protection.    

PRAYER: Dear Lord, You have asked us in Your Word to open our mouths wide, so we do – right now.  We bless Your holy name.  You are worthy of praise.  Time after time You have helped us and guided us.  You have protected us and given us hope.  We love You, and we love that You are always so willing to fill us, generously and abundantly, with Your goodness.  We receive it. Hallelujah! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hold on Tightly

Greetings,

What is white, dented and dinged all over, and has traveled over 300,000 miles? Jorge’s work truck!  Yesterday his old Ford hit this remarkable milestone, and to quote my husband, “I am holding onto her (why is this seasoned, scratched up clunker a she?) to the very end.”

His reasoning is simple.  This is the truck that has been there since the beginning of Jorge’s business 15 years ago.  She has faithfully hauled stuff from over 3,000 trips to the Home Depot.  Not once, ever, has that bucket of bolts ever broken down on the way to a job site.  She has cordially waited until rush hour traffic on the way home.

And even though I won’t set foot inside her any longer, (i.e. plumes of dust that rise from the seats when you sit, ant hills, and owl nests in the back seat.) I admire Jorge and his sense of loyalty.  He won’t let go, and we can learn from that.

“Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise” (Hebrews 10:23).

There are moments in our lives when we feel like letting go of hope, faith, and trust in God.  We wonder where He’s at.  If He’s even listening or cares about our struggles.  God knew we would be tempted to loosen our grip when troubles come, so He wrote this verse.  No matter what, He wants us to clasp, clench, and clamp down firmly, deeply, and securely on our faith.  A half-hearted hand holding will not do.  We must dig in our heels and refuse to move from His presence.  We must decide that GOD CAN BE TRUSTED.  We must pray and keep on praying.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, sometimes life does not make sense, but we tighten our grip on You today.   We will not waver; we will trust. We will not despair; we will affirm our hope.  We will not doubt Your goodness; we will assert our faith.  Thank You that You can be trusted to keep Your promise of taking care of us in this life and the eternal one to come. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

He Lifts our Spirit!

Greetings,

Back in the 70s, there was a famous commercial where a frazzled, harried, stressed out working mom would say, "Calgon, take me away!"  Next thing we knew, she was chilling in a warm bath with a smooth voice in the background saying, "Lose your cares in the luxury of a Calgon bath...it lifts your spirits..."

Somehow I remembered this well-known line, and to this day whenever I need a break I think of it..."Calgon, take me away!"  

But between you and me, I am not necessarily stepping into a relaxing bath that promises to soften my skin as much as I am admitting that I need a break.

What do I do when I need to get away from the madness and mayhem?

"I call on the LORD in my distress, and He answers me" Psalm 120:1.

So many many times I have started a prayer worried, afraid, or upset about something, only to breathe out the "Amen" and feel encouraged and ready to get back in the swing of things. 

Nothing will lift our spirits the way the LORD will. 

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I pray right now believing You answer.  I come to You and I indulge in Your presence.  I lose my cares in You.  I leave my distress in Your capable hands and thank You for answering me.  I receive Your peace.  In Jesus' name, AMEN.

What Kind of Traveling Companion Are You?

“By yourself, you’re unprotected. With a friend, you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped” (Ecclesiastes 4;12).

Greetings,

Years ago, I chaperoned an overnight field trip with Rayray's soccer team all the way to glorious Tampa Bay, also known as the Lightning Capital of the World!

The bus trip was loads of fun – for her and her buddies. For me not so much. One of the other chaperones sat next to me and complained about EVERYTHING the entire time.

The bus smells, the girls are loud, the seats are uncomfortable, why can't we use the on-board bathroom? the driver swerves too much, these snacks are stale...on and on it went for four torturous hours. When we finally arrived at our hotel, I was exhausted but also immensely relieved to know that each of the chaperones had been assigned a private room. Glory!

That experience reminded me of what my fabulous Pastor Bill once said: “The quality of your journey depends on the people you travel with.”

I wondered afterward what kind of traveling companion have I been? Am I pleasant? Fun? Considerate? Easy going? Faith-filled? Encouraging? Loving? Would others want to sit next to me on the bus?

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we want to be the kind of people who others love to travel with. We want to have the right attitude and say the right thing. We want to love at all times and take things in stride. We want to keep negative comments to ourselves and enjoy life.  When we make the effort, we will make friends.  And when we make friends we can face life’s hardships together.  In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Amen!

"Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the Yes of Jesus. In Him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s Yes and our Yes together, gloriously evident" (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Greetings,

I have a bunch of favorite words, and right at the top of the list is “Amen.”  I say it every day, several times a day, and as per dictionary.com it means, “so be it,” “may it be so,” and “is used after a prayer to express solemn agreement.”

And don't you love that God's willingness to bless us is as simple as our willingness to receive those blessings? And it’s all because of “amen.” When we say ‘amen,” we’re letting God know that we want and expect to receive everything we have just prayed about. We admit and agree that we need His love and provision to enjoy our lives. It's our little seal of approval on His generous grace and goodness.

Think back over all the prayers we have prayed at the end of these DEVOS; I hope you find tremendous joy and peace in knowing that each one has been heartily sealed with our "So be it," to God's unparalleled desire to fulfill every one of His promises.

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, we have prayed so many times for blessings in our lives and the lives of those we love. How wonderful to know that every single promise has been stamped with the Yes of Jesus and all we have to do is respond with our Yes. So be it! May it be so! It is so! In Jesus name, AMEN!

A Wise Habit ~

Greetings,

Back in 2005, a dear friend of mine gave me a book, which I recently fished out of the closet to re-read. On the inside cover, she wrote a beautiful dedication based on Psalm 36.  It is so powerful and totally in keeping with our wise habit of praying the Psalms over our lives. Let's bless ourselves today!

PRAYER:

Dear Lord, How precious is Your constant, faithful, gracious love for me.  It reaches to the heavens; it extends to the skies.  I take refuge and shelter in the shadow of Your wings.  You feed me with blessings from Your own table, and I am satisfied.  I drink from Your rivers of delight, and I am refreshed. You are the fountain of life, the light by which I see.  Pour out Your unfailing kindness and mercy on me.  Never stop giving Your blessings to me because I long for Your goodness in my life. AMEN~   

Praying the Psalms

Greetings,

I find such joy and peace in praying the Psalms for three reasons: (1) The words I read there are exactly what I am feeling, (2) I find comfort in knowing that I am not alone in the way I feel, and (3) I love the boldness of the requests; I consider it God’s personal invitation for me to pray with the same determination and confidence.

Today’s prayer is based on Psalm 55.

Dear Lord, Listen to me and do not ignore my cry for help! Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by my problems. So much so that I start to shake. I wish I had wings like a dove because I would fly away from all the trouble.  I would fly far away and rest.  I really need to rest. I long to escape. So I will escape in You. I call on You now to rescue me.  Thank You that You hear my voice.  Thank You for keeping me safe. Thank You that when I give You my burdens, You take care of me and everyone I love. Thank You that You will not let me slip and fall. I trust in You. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.