Grudges

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Mark 11:25

I like peace. But lately I seem to foster angst. I turn negative comments over and over in my mind. Other people's sins become something for me to figure out, to change, to make right. Lord, I'm pretty sure You have not asked me to take Your place as God, Creator, and Savior! So why do I try to be the one in ultimate control?

I allow hurts to fester and slights to separate me from Your goodness. Release me from the grudges that keep my heart in shackles. Give me the strength to release the desire to control everyone and everything.

You Are The Source

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."

Matthew 6:14

It is from You, the source of all that is good and holy, that I am finally able to draw the strength to forgive those who cause me pain. Some know they have hurt me; some don't. Some are not in the wrong, yet I want to blame them.

I finally realized that my anger turned me away from the well of forgiveness often. But You called me to return with the pail of my heart. You asked me to lean over, extend the vessel, and fill it because the supply from you is endless. Now I am more eager to return to Your heart and draw my reserve of forgiveness. I want to share it with everyone.

Tomorrow I Rest

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

Today is about perseverance. Holding my head up. Keeping things in order when I would rather nap or holler at the sky. Today is about smiling when I would rather cry; ignoring indifference when I crave attention.

Today is about moving forward with my eyes focused on the future rather than the past. Today is about working through whatever You place on my plate so that I can rest tomorrow. Your plan will not break me. It will guard my steps so that I can take refuge in the hopeful future You declare for me, Your child.

Temporary Weakness

"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalm 73:26

It takes little to overwhelm me these days. Yet it takes so much to hold my strength together. Why is it so difficult to remember it is not my human strength that sustains me in this time? So quickly I fault my body for its weakness and my mind for its lack of full participation!

My wholeness comes from You. I need not depend on my body and my mind to carry me. I feel my heart strengthening with hope and power as You take charge. My temporary weakness evaporates when I consider Your eternal strength.

Fearless

"Whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm."

Proverbs 1:33

I can feel my muscles grip with tension and fear each time I think of the uncertain things in my future. It is useless, this worrying. Yet I invest much time and energy toward it. I cannot know what is around the bend, but I am under the care of the Once who does know what will come and what will happen.

Lord, Your voice envelops me, and I am ready to listen to Your words of peace and security. You do not reveal secrets of what is to come, but You say, "Continue without fear. We take the next steps together." Thank You for that comfort.

Comfort Overflowing

"For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows."

2 Corinthians 1:5

When I encounter troubles, I know I take them to One who understands my pain. Suffering flows over into my life, but through Christ comfort overflows.

The abundance of Your compassion exceeds my trouble. With that abundance I am bound, in love, to comfort others. Thank You for the unending, enfolding circle of Your love.

Waiting Before the Lord

"Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes."

Psalm 37:7

Waiting is so difficult, Lord. Especially during the dry and difficult times. Being still while waiting? Even harder! I want to pace, point out injustices, even question Your ways. But the psalmist says, "Be still before the Lord."

I am humbled. When I consciously draw into Your presence, I cannot fret and flail about. Your gentle, patient spirit quiets mine. When indignant words and feelings well up, remind me to draw nigh to You and surrender all my troubled thoughts.

Be Still

"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

Exodus 14:14

Lord, in illness, sadness, and life's battles, You are there for me. I don't need to sound the trumpet or send runners to alert You to my needs. I need only be still. It's within that stillness that I can be watchful - an observer of Your deeds. It is in stillness that I sense Your presence - personal, magnificent, holy.

Keep the distractions from my mind. Let me experience the stillness that leads to Your presence.

Bearing Up, Bearing With

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2

Be completely humble and gentle! Bear with one another in love. How peaceful Your way is! How far it is from the ways of this world. Thank You, Lord, for patiently bearing with me as I struggle to live more like Christ. You are gentle and loving when I fall short. As I face my trial, it is You who speaks with love and kindness to encourage me and to help me stand and bear my part of this load.

May my lesson be found in Your graciousness. Merciful, comforting God, help me uphold others as You do me - always, with no conditions.

Refreshed Understanding

"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

1 Peter 3:4

So much of my worry and stress stems from outside pressures to be, do, or look a certain way. Lord, refresh my understanding of beauty so that I may see myself and others through Your eyes.

Today the world clamors for my attention, but I choose to give it to You. I listen for Your quiet quiet voice and claim Your definition of unfading beauty - that of a gentle spirit!

The Whole of It

"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Romans 5:21

Through Jesus Christ I am restored to wholeness before God. It's like a gift I get to unwrap every morning. I have peace with God today. I have peace with God tomorrow.

Help me remember this, Lord, and see with the eyes of faith in the midst of life's inevitable ups and downs and joys and sorrows. Yours is a peace that cannot be disturbed or taken away. Amen!

Saved from Striving

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

You offer Your yoke, Lord, as an invitation to journey with and learn from You. You, Creator God, make of heaven and earth, say let's pull this load together. Some days it feels so heavy - too heavy. But I am not made to carry it alone. I am created to partner with the Creator.

Yoked under Your care, Lord, I am saved from striving. Rest and peace - thank You for these priceless, eternal gifts.

Touching His Cloak

"She said to herself, 'if I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.' Jesus turned and saw her, 'Take heart, daughter,' he said, 'your faith has healed you.' "

Matthew 9:21-22

A woman trusted in God's power to change her life. She'd been ill for years. She was being pushed away from Jesus by a noisy - and perhaps equally needy -crowd. But she didn't yell, "Hey, hear ME! Heal ME! She didn't hang onto Jesus' arm for emphasis. She spoke in her heart and reached only for the hem of His cloak.

Lord, thank You for this amazing story. Help me remember that getting Your attention requires nothing more than knowing I deeply need it.

The Opposite of Envy

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."

Proverbs 14:30

Lord, help me appreciate my life - the people in it and the circumstances that shape it.

Contentment is so underrated in our society, yet when I meet someone whose life exemplifies it, I am amazed at the joy I experience in his or her presence.

In a culture that encourages envy and continual striving, let me be a "heart at peace" - the fruit of a personal relationship with You, the Prince of Peace.

Take Heart

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

John 16:33

"In this world, you will have trouble." Thank You for Your plain-speaking honesty. Trouble will come; trouble has come. I cannot avoid pain and misunderstanding in this world. But You have over come the world and given me, Your child, access to the peace that passes all understanding.

Let me put aside fear and take up that promise, not as words I have to make myself "feel," but as something solid, something to stand on, act on, and live out.

Pursuing Peace

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

Psalm 34:14

How often is the source of my unrest the result of my own inaction? I cling to bad habits and unfruitful thoughts when I could be actively moving toward goodness and peace. I ponder the failings or the possible pitfalls when You ask me to trust You and to keep going in faith.

Turn. Do. Seek. Pursue. Your directives are plain and challenging...and exciting. I accept, Lord! Keep me vigilant in the way of peace.

Receive Me

Take words with you and return to the Lord. Say to him; "Forgive all our sins and receive us graciously, that we may offer the fruit of our lips." Hosea 14:2

Receive me, Lord. Take my enthusiasm, my questions, my willingness, and shape them into someone who seeks only what is of You and from Your hand. Receive my efforts and clean away the sin that can taint the good things that can come from my life.

Receive my words, hear them within Your sweet grace so that they are pleasing to You. May my expressed thoughts and prayers be my promise of ongoing dialogue. My desire to reach You and to be held in Your hand has become a longing. My heart is full as You receive Your child's simple words, faltering praises, and pleading inquiries.