Wait For God's Reply~

"Each morning You listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to 

You and wait for Your reply" (Psalm 5:8).

Greetings,

I read Psalm five today and paused on verse three for a few moments.  The beauty and simplicity of the statement really touched me.  It dawned on me my morning routine needs to change.  I'm still going to let the dog out, drink one cup of iced coffee, eat a protein bar, catch up on the latest news, read the Bible, and pray.  But I am going to add "wait for God's reply" to the queue.  

After all, when I pray it's because I believe God cares, God hears, and God answers.  And when I "wait," it's my way of letting Him know that I have hope, faith, and confidence that an answer is coming my way.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we bring our requests to You today. Thank You for listening to our voices. We need You and Your power.  We wait eagerly for your reply. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

I Am Leaving You a Gift

Greetings,

A large portion of our great nation is about to experience something known as the polar vortex.  It means that extremely cold weather is headed their way with some temperatures dipping to -50 degrees.  What?  Here in Miami it’s 100 degrees warmer, literally, and it feels so chilly. I, who never wear socks or closed-toe shoes (if I can help it), am wearing red slippers with non-skid soles, I haven’t taken off my bath robe in two days, and no more iced-coffee for the time being.   Even Hershey Pie has taken to snuggling underneath his doggie blanket.  I cannot even begin to wrap my head around how my neighbors to the north are feeling!

And yet, I read a Bible verse that warmed me right up this morning: “I am leaving you with a gift – peace of mind and heart…” (John 14:27).

Jesus is the one speaking in this verse, and He, the Prince of Peace, has very lovingly and generously decided to share.  He wants peace to settle over us like a comfortable, covering, blanket.  He wants to keep the chill of fear out of our lives.  He is very precise in describing the gift He has left us too.  He did not say He was leaving us money, fame, or even joy.  Could it be that He left peace because without it, noting else in life is enjoyable?

So how do we avail ourselves of this peace? It seems so elusive at times, maybe most of the time. 

Peace comes through constant, proactive fellowship with our Lord.  When we are in harmony with God, seeking Him, calling on Him, inviting Him into our lives, doing things His way, then peace becomes a natural and welcomed part of our life. 

All the peace we will ever need to live a blessed life is already available; we just have to unwrap it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we seek You now and every day because we need peace.  We need to know that You are in control. That You have a wonderful plan for our life. That You have a solution for every difficulty we face. That You have us covered.  In other words, thank You for the privilege of prayer whereby we talk things over with You and walk away comforted knowing that Your ways are ways of life and peace.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.

Look Up

“Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3). 

Greetings,

I have a morning routine that’s about to change.  I am still going to let the dog out, drink one cup of iced coffee, eat a protein bar, catch up on the latest news, read the Bible, and pray.  But after reading this Psalm, I am going to add “wait expectantly” to my customary behavior.  

After all, when I pray it’s because I believe God cares, God hears, and God answers.  And when I “wait expectantly,” or “look up,” which is how the King James translation words this verse, it’s my way of letting God know that I have hope, faith, and confidence that an answer is coming my way.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, we all have different requests which we bring to You.  Listen to our voices, Father. We need You and Your power.  We look up to heaven and wait eagerly for Your help.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.