Day 225 – You can’t miss the Glory of God.

Today’s Reading: Lamentations 4-5 and Ezekiel 1

Ezekiel 1:28 “Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”

How will I know it’s Him? This is the question of the hour.

When Jesus comes back will you know it’s Him? When the Lord appears to you will you recognize Him? Yet their’s no mistaking the Glory of God.

Over the years I’ve seen some of God’s most magnificent sites which have me reflecting on God’s undeniable Glory. Some years back, I was out for my morning run when a ball of light shot through the trees. My eyes searched, my feet ran, my heart pounded, and no source of this light was in site. A few steps later I was out from under the trees and what looked like a star shot across the sky. There was scurrying and discussion from 2 women in front of me and I asked them if they too saw the shooting stars. One of the ladies turned and said those were shooting stars, what I was seeing was the Perseid Meteor shower. Then 5 minutes later another ball of light dropped from the sky. And I thought, Is this what it will be like when Jesus comes back?

I could’t peel my eyes from the sky, hoping and praying God would let me see more. Yet, when He comes back it won’t be like a ball of light, a quick and sudden light, no His Glory will shine across the sky and light up the whole world for all eyes to see. His Glory will be like the brightest Rainbow, stopping me in my tracks, dropping me to my knees in worship before Him. With the meteor shower starting off my day, what could be even better, but to close out my day with the brightest Rainbow I’ve ever seen. Reflecting on God’s greatest promise to us, the rainbow pushes through the storm, bright and magnificent, and God’s Glory is the end of every storm in our life.

We can’t miss Jesus in this thing we call life or when He comes back again riding across the sky. He will be brighter than the brightest meteor shower and more vibrant than the most amazing rainbow. His Glory will abound!

Day 224 – Hope is always Alive!

Today’s Reading: Lamentations 1 – 3

Lamentations 3:20-26 “I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

On days like these, you would never know how my inner self is feeling. I’m nostalgic, reminiscent, and reflecting on what only my mind can see of the past. Is it the True past? It is to me. May things have been different? Absolutely. But what I remember is better than what is, however, this is a seldom thought because what I look forward too is better than what was before.

On my days of day dreaming I walk with a heavy heart, awakening my grief, yet I still have Hope. As I read the newspaper and skim the social media feeds, it’s scary and worrisome, yet I still have Hope. As I turn on the news and check instant messages, the burdens compound and the weight of the world sits on my shoulders, yet I have Hope.

Nothing can take away this Hope.

This hope, is easily accessible. Even when the world looks to be at its worst, your neighbor packs and leaves with her children and the husband’s now alone, the results come back Stage 4 Cancer, and the accident took another young life, HOPE is available. Hope is linked directly from Jesus to You. It’s the gift from salvation that keeps on giving. It’s His Promise of His unceasing Love. His mercy isn’t just knee deep, it is new every morning. He forgets the past and looks past the present to the future. So, even when I’m saddened by the end of what seems like a season, I am Joyful because of the opportunity that lays ahead. Eternity is our future and Hope lives there. Living for the past will drag us down, but hoping for the future will lift us up!

Day 223 – Never give up on teaching your children the ways of the Lord and how to fight off the ways of the world.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 50 – 52

Jeremiah 51:11a “Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields!”

In Proverbs, an abundance of children is like a quiver full of arrows, and in Ephesians, a shield of faith is to be taken up against the fiery schemes of the Devil. We, parents, caretakers, and teachers of children are to take advantage of the opportunity we have to sharpen our children by the wisdom of the Lord and take up our shield of faith in the battle before us.

Over the past week, as I saw all of the beautiful pictures of everyone’s first day of school, I was reminded how quickly life passes and how children will be under our roof for only a short time longer. I think about the parents, schools, and world out there that are fighting over the attention of our children. I have spoken with mothers who are at their wits end with their children, wondering if they should just let their children do as they please and hope it all turns out alright. Absolutely NOT!

The job God gave us was to raise children in the light of God’s Word and in the way of the Lord. Teach, teach, and teach some more the Word of God so they know Truth. Guide them in the way of righteousness and love to sharpen them as arrows. When we shoot them into this world we want them to pierce the darkness with light. It will get hard, and our children will make bad decisions, but we too are flawed. However, let this encourage us to never give up. Instead we should take up our shield of faith and help our children fight off the evil of the world.

My husband and I constantly take up the shield of faith for our children, but we also falter on sharpening the arrows of our quiver. We may do ok for a time, but at some point Satan makes us think we’re to busy to read and go through prayer requests and pray. That’s why as school comes back in session we commit to pray, wake our children every morning with enough time to read the Bible, open discussion over the dinner table to sharpen the arrows of our quiver and take up our shield of faith.

Day 222 – Nothing is more trustworthy than Our God.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 47 – 49

Jeremiah 48:7 “Since you trust in your deeds and riches, you too will be taken captive, and Chemosh will go into exile, together with his priests and officials.”

If we trust in our finances it could all be lost right before our eyes; if we trust in our job we could lose it in a second; if we trust in our car we could be the next one sitting on the side of the road by ourselves; if we trust in the roof over our head it could be demolished by a fire in the night; But when we trust in our God , nothing and no one is more powerful! He can’t be taken away!

This God of Ours, Our Heavenly Father, the Great I Am, He is Sovereign. Even in my weakest moments, my lowest valleys, I have trusted in Him. With just the utterance of His Name, He has answered my prayers. He has never left me or forsaken me, and would never do this to you either. He is the only one worthy of all Our Trust.

Over the past few years some hard prayers have been whispered in my ears, a young mom diagnosed with cancer, a 5 year old hit by a car and died, and a friends mom suffering from a massive heart attack and in ICU. These are really hard things. No amount of money or stuff can take the hurt away, heal the heart, or bring a child back to life, But Our God….Oh But Our God!

He is Sovereign, He is Trustworthy, He will Heal and Help us, He is Sweeter than the sweetest Treat, He loves us Well, and He will be near to the Broken-hearted! He can bring Hope in all situations, even when all you can do is utter His Name …. Jesus.

Oh Jesus, Our Lord, be near to the broken-hearted, comfort those who mourn their child, strengthen those who are scared, heal those who are hurting. Please comfort them as you have comforted me and my family; Fill them with your Peace as you have filled us to overflowing; Shoot a light through the darkness with your Love that is so contagious. Father, Love them as I know you Love us. I trust in you Jesus. You, God, are my Heavenly Father. Nothing and I repeat, Nothing, will come before you! Amen.

Day 221 – Don’t fear the “what’s next” when you already know who will be there to save you.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 44 – 46

Jeremiah 46:27 “Do not be afraid, Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, Israel. I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no one will make him afraid.”

We see the storms brewing all around us, the rain even starts to come down, but as yet, no lightning has struck. Our heart beats harder and harder, our legs run faster and faster, and we don’t even know what will come or what to expect but we are scared! All we want is to feel safe and secure, but we are out in the environment and the environment doesn’t look very good.

In reality, the world actually seems to be getting scarier and scarier. Yet God says, don’t worry, be anxious about absolutely nothing; no matter what may come, I will save you. And God continues, I won’t just save you if you are near to me, I’ll go after you and save you from afar. Wherever you are taken into captivity I will set you free, as long as you are my child.

This world isn’t getting any better, and honestly, it probably won’t until Jesus comes back. But since we have to wait, we need not worry, God is all around us, He will save us. God is stronger than any storm and will one day clear them all away.

Day 220 – Pray until you get an answer.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 39 – 43

Jeremiah 42:7 “Ten days later the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.”

Whenever there’s an issue, a tragedy, a decision to be made, a friend in trouble, someone lost, or some other reason you need to pray, I’m going to assume you pray. However, maybe just maybe, you hear the prayer request or you feel the anxiousness over your own troubles and you pray, but then you don’t pray again. I’ve been there, I’ve stopped. Why don’t keep praying? Why does it only come back up when we see that person again?

Jeremiah 42:4 “I have heard you,” replied Jeremiah the prophet. “I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.”

We need to commit to prayer when we commit to pray. I don’t tend to reveal what I’m praying for, so no one knows what I was lifting up to the ears of The Lord every morning. I could easily stop praying, no one would know, but once I committed to pray for something, my heart won’t let anything deter me. So I pray and pray until The pray is answered. It’s truly the greatest day, not because the prayer is answered the way I want but because God reveals himself to me by answering my prayer.

We should never give up praying until our prayer is answered. My recommendation if you have a hard time remembering your prayers, keep a journal, keep pictures of those you are praying for up around you, it’s important to pray so we can be in relationship with God, and it’s important to pray so those we are praying for will also feel those prayers.

Over the years, I’ve felt the prayers of so many. Your prayers have encouraged me in my prayers for others. Your prayers are being answered. We have been comforted, filled with peace, and restored with Joy.

Day 219 – Why do we listen when the world speaks, but not listen when God talks?

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 34 – 38

Jeremiah 35:16 “The descendants of Jehonadab son of Rekab have carried out the command their forefather gave them, but these people have not obeyed me.’

First things first, even if you’ve never audibly heard God speak, everyone can see God’s spoken Word in the Bible. This alone is proof that any excuse of not following God because you don’t know His will is inexcusable. So, why is it that we don’t fear God if we have the opportunity to know who He is and what His Word says, Yet, we listen to the world when it’s speaking lies.

Jeremiah 36:24 “The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.”

As you can see, this isn’t a new problem. This has been a problem since the beginning of time. God told Adam what to do and what not to do, but Adam listened to the words of sin.

Why do we do what we shouldn’t do, but don’t do what we should do? We absolutely listen and obey the rules of the world and agree with their free spirited opinions, and yet completely falter on the truth. When we hear Truth and ignore it, we are showing we don’t fear the one that had the power to create us for this world and can take us just as quickly out of this world.

Here’s the Truth of the matter: there is the Word of God and there are words of the world. God speaks to us through His Word the Bible because He loves us, cares for us, and doesn’t want us to falter, hurt, or struggle. The words of the world are created by evil intent; evil comes from Satan and Satan doesn’t want us to prosper at all. Actually, Satan would love for us to follow the words of the world so we WILL fall, struggle, and hopefully turn our back on God. Is this what you want?

We are like the flowers in my garden. If I leave them in their pots they will never grow any bigger than the pot their in, and eventually could fall over or wither away. But if I take them out of their pots and plant them in good soil, their roots can grow deep and their flowers more beautiful, and the Glory of the Lord will shine out from them.

Day 218 – God will gather to Him all those who are perfectly imperfect.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 31 – 33

Jeremiah 31:8 “See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return.”

God’s not looking for those who are perfect, he’s not even looking for those who are nearly perfect, He’s just looking for those who know Him to call them back to Him. After the abuse I experienced as a child, every part of me wanted to be perfect. I believe because I knew I was now flawed, I realized perfection was not in my present, but I would surely try for it to be in my future. And try I did, at everything I attempted.

Whatever I tried I wanted to be the best I could be. I never wanted anyone angry with me or disliking me. This focus halted me for years in growing in my faith because I never thought I was good enough to show up in church or profess His name as my King. But at some point God got a hold of my hand and brought me alongside Him to show me I was good enough to be His child, His Chosen one, His perfectly imperfect to Glorify Him.

That’s just it, NO ONE is perfect; NO, only Jesus was perfect, and we are not Him. So that makes one thing for sure, we aren’t God, and He wants us just as we are. He doesn’t want us to first change, then come to Him, we never will be perfect. The Lord wants us perfectly imperfect to see His goodness in the Perfection, and Jesus is our only example. Don’t wait to seek the Lord until we’ve changed, Seek the Lord just as you are and watch as His imagine transforms you into a new creation.

Day 217 – God has a mighty plan for each one of us.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 28 – 30

Jeremiah 29:11 “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.”

Sometimes it’s hard to see past the dust and the ashes to see that there is any plan for our lives at all. Nothing seems to go just as we dreamed it. We start with such great aspirations for who we’re going to be and what we’re going to do; we lay out how many children we’ll have, who we’ll marry, where we will live, what car we’ll drive all from a folded up piece of paper in the 4th grade. Yet, this never comes to fruition. We never become the doctor, our marriage falls apart after 30 years together, one child’s in rehab, one is lost, and the other won’t even speak to us. Where is God’s plan in all of this?!

But God does have a plan for us, a BIG AND BEAUTIFUL plan at that. Each one of us has been thought about, and the outline of our life has been drawn out. We didn’t become a doctor because God wanted to move us to meet the man of our dreams, give us 4 wonderful children, and place us where His Purpose and Glory could shine forth.

Each unplanned piece of our plan was just a step toward God’s great plan for our future. It’s highly possible we just don’t see it right now. Everything may seem a little blurry in the moment from our point of view, but let’s let the dust settle, keep moving forward, and watch how God works it all out for the betterment of our future and His Glory.

Day 216 – One way or another every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb.

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 25 – 27

Jeremiah 25:30-31 “Now prophesy all these words against them and say to them: “‘The Lord will roar from on high; he will thunder from his holy dwelling and roar mightily against his land. He will shout like those who tread the grapes, shout against all who live on the earth. The tumult will resound to the ends of the earth, for the Lord will bring charges against the nations; he will bring judgment on all mankind and put the wicked to the sword,’” declares the Lord.”

The lion, is one of the most ferocious and feared animals in the world. He is mighty, the end of the circle of life, and King of the Jungle. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the lamb. An animal with extreme peace, a humble heart, a follower of the shepherd, and beloved by all. These 2 animals couldn’t be more different, yet filled with the traits of Our God. Even greater than this is that Our God in comparison is a combination of both. As the lamb, He will rule with a gentle hand and peace in His heart to share, but as the Lion, He will use His mighty voice to get the attention of the world and lead by example all the way into Eternity and beyond. We can either bow to the Lord now out of obedience and a humble heart by the example the Lamb gives us, or we can fall before Him out of stubbornness by the Lion’s mighty roar. Either way, one day, every knee shall bow before Him.

Desiring to control your destination and not give up control to the King of Heaven and Earth will cause you to live in constant stress. But freely setting down your life, your plans, your control, your “self”, to the lion and the lamb and following Him will bring peace for all of your journey. What will it take for your knee to bend, to give up your control, and bow down before The Lord our God? He is the Lion and the Lamb.