Month: March 2020

“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness” (Psalm 115:1).

Let us ask God to bring glory to Himself as we:

• Limit our travel
  • Home school the children
  • Care for the sick
  • Comfort the grieving
  • Call someone who needs encouragement
  • Pray for those, especially the Christians, around the world, who are also dealing with this problem
  • Find creative ways to connect with family and friends
  • Pray for government leaders, both local and national
  • Pray for those who may not be allowed to work their jobs
  • Do whatever you may add to this list

God is still on His throne and is not surprised by any of this. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His faithfulness never ends—let His name be praised through it all.

“The Lord remembers us and will bless us” (Psalm 115:12a)

I’m praising God for the week my daughter and grandson spent with me. Praying for their safety as they return home today. Let’s praise God for something every day! God bless you, my reader.

I am tired of hearing about the COVID-19 and maybe you are too. Every headline on the front page of my newspaper today is about the virus. Yes, I know there are risks, and precautions should be taken, but I, for one, don’t think this is a national emergency. I’m more concerned about getting the flu than COVID-19. I’m choosing to focus on God’s Word and the promises and encouragement found there.

Reading through the Psalms has helped me to trust God through all this craziness. Psalm 103: 1-5:

 “Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Look at the benefits the Psalmist tells us not to forget:

1. Forgiveness of sins
2. Healing of diseases
3. Redemption
4. Love and compassion
5. Desires satisfied with good things
6. Our youth renewed

Whether or not we receive the completion of these benefits in this life we can still trust the God who created us to never leave us. He’s the same God who directed the lives of Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Daniel, and so many other faithful followers of God Almighty. He is faithful and trustworthy!

I saw the new movie, I Still Believe, and I recommend it. (Take lots of tissues.) It is not only a wonderful love story of Jeremy Camp and his beloved, but it is also a story of commitment to one another and trust in God when the “whys” are not understood.

Keep trusting. God is bigger than our troubles!

“He who 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.’ Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday” (Psalm 91:1-6).

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2 

When I read those verses my heart is convicted. Do I desire to meet with God that much? Do I “pant” for the living water of God’s Word? Do I want to be close to God? I’ve been reading through the book of Psalms and find it easy to identify with those writers when they speak of their troubles and their cries for God’s help. Their strong desire to stay near God—not so much!  

I recently drove a 10-hour trip from my daughter’s home in TN to my home.  I know I didn’t drive that alone. God was with me. I like to imagine God sitting in the passenger seat as I drive. It helps me obey the speed limit, but it also helps me remember I can talk to Him while I travel. It is a comforting feeling having that visual in my mind, but it goes behind feelings. God is always with me and sometimes, I think, He must feel ignored. I forget to acknowledge His presence! 

The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 84, “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.”  My dictionary defines the word “yearn” as “to feel a longing or craving.” Well, I sometimes crave chocolate more than God. I’m trying to be better at craving God. I keep my Bible on my breakfast table so there is no excuse for not opening it and reading what God has to say to me. And, yes, some days I feel a genuine longing to hear what He has to say.  I long for Him to sit near me and hold me with His strong arms. 

This journey of life is hard and without God’s presence it would be harder. Acknowledging His presence gives direction to my life. Listening to His Word and speaking with Him in prayer bring strength and peace to my life. Psalm 84 mentions the sparrow and the swallow building their nests near God’s dwelling place.  Can I do less than the birds? God, help me yearn to be near You and to thirst for Your Word as the deer pants for water! 

“Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you” (Psalm 84:4).