I’ve been thinking about blessings lately and the different forms it can take. This excerpt from Divine Appointments… talks about blessings and the different ways it might show up in our lives.
“Some blessings come after the hurt and wounds. The Divine often shows up in miraculous ways, turning devastation into glory, failure into victory, wounding into strength, and the impossible into something to be remembered in awe and reverence because there seemed to be no good ending, yet there was.
To live blessed, we need to be alert and seek it out. It won’t always show up immediately. Blessings may not be dressed up in blissful happiness and a cute outfit. Blessings may come dirty, scuffed up, straggling, and a bit off-kilter, but they will come. I have seen them come in both forms—equally holy, sacred, and consecrated. Blessed.
I want to live with an extravagant hope expecting blessing. I want to bloom where I am planted and thrive, no matter what it looks like. Holy, divine, sacred, and blissful happiness is all around, waiting with open arms for us to slow down and seek it. What is sought will be found.”
Psalm 62:1 NLT “I wait quietly before God, for my victory comes from him.”
I don’t know what’s weighing heavily on you tonight. But I do know what it’s like to wait on the Lord for answers, for victory, for healing. I know the weight of fear, uncertainty, and soul deep exhaustion.
And…
I know that He is the God of healing, hope, and victory. God of the impossible!
I want to remind you tonight that you are seen. He knows every detail of what happened, what is happening, what is coming, and He is right there in the midst of all of it, working things out for your good. So calm your mind and breathe. Rest your eyes on Him, talk to Him, and wait quietly for Him to redeem, heal, save, and overcome. He has healing in His wings and a plan to prosper you, not to harm you. Be still….
“And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20 NLT
‘Tis the season for gratitude and being thankful. I admit that sometimes it is hard to count my blessings and be thankful in all things. Sometimes, it takes slowing myself down, breathing deeply, and just being for a bit.
Some things are so easy to be thankful and grateful for like, shelter, food, warmth, answered prayers, good friends, deep conversations, and beautiful nature.
Other things…not so much…like waiting for that prayer to be answered, waiting on a test result, the resolution of an argument, or losing a friendship.
In the moment, I can’t always find it in myself to be thankful and grateful, but I have found that some things I am able to be thankful for after the fact – for the lessons learned, the hindsight that allows that thing/situation to make sense, the wisdom to recognize that the friendship wasn’t healthy, and the understanding that God’s “no” was His divine wisdom and protection.
May we choose to take a few minutes each day to remind ourselves of His goodness and power, to see how He is working all things out for our good, and to bless us. He is the God of the impossible and He does hear our prayers. We can’t always understand His timing and that’s hard. But we know His character. He will never fail us. You are loved. Peace be with you.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27 NIV
There are many competing voices clamoring for our attention. Trying to listen to them all is exhausting, confusing, and frustrating. It is easy to be caught up in trying to decipher truth, people-pleasing, and following the “correct” church or political leaders.
There are worldly voices that shout and demand but there are also Christian voices that confuse, lead astray, and exhaust the spirit, insisting you must “Do this!” “Do that!” “Pray this way!” “Follow this Bible reading formula!”
If we really listen to what Jesus is saying in this scripture, it isn’t condemning. His words aren’t angry, accusatory, or dividing. There isn’t a rote way of how things must be done and how we must act. He doesn’t endorse one Christian leader over another or one political party over another. He simply says to listen to HIS voice and follow HIM. Imitate Him.
In order to do this, we have to KNOW His voice. His. Not the loudest voice, the condemning voice, the voice that divides, the voice that appears to be strongest, or the voice that wounds others.
An easy way to know His voice is to ask Him to speak to you. Ask Him to drown out every other voice that seeks to confuse, disorient, and cause chaos. That isn’t His way. If a voice doesn’t align with God’s character and fruits of the Spirit, it likely isn’t His voice we are hearing.
This verse was comforting to me this morning. Jesus is giving us permission to simply be sheep that follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. The One who leads with kindness, compassion, and authority into green pastures, and along paths of righteousness where we rest and heal in His presence and invite others in to do the same. You are so loved. Peace be with you.
“Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.”
As we start off on today’s journey, let’s be quick to ask Him for help, guidance, patience, and strength to navigate those things that lie in front of us. There is no shame in admitting the need for help, healing, and hope. We were designed to live in constant communion with God – He is our Shepherd and He knows the lay of the land.
His peace gently blankets us when we seek direction, and wait in trust while He opens the way before us. There is beauty strewn along our path. These hidden gems of joy wait for us to take our eyes off of the uncontrollable circumstances and focus Jesus. One step at a time. He’s got us. You are so loved. Peace be with you.
Proverbs 19:21 NLT “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
Are you a planner? I am. I love plans and lists. I like to know what’s coming. It makes me feel safe and secure, as if my plans and schedules can keep blindsiding circumstances, conversations I’m not prepared for, or situations that require a quick response at bay until I can rehearse, plan, and plot how to circumvent or control it all.
I love this verse, but it’s also challenging and it is hard to wrap my mind around it. Of course I want the Lord’s will to prevail in my life and the lives of those I love. I know all the reasons why His will is best. He’s omnipresent, omnipotent, and omniscient. He knows the number of hairs on my head, the deep, inner workings of my heart, and the wounds I carry in my spirit. He had a plan and divine purpose for me before I took my first breath. He is never far from me and I am deeply loved. Yet…
My need for control and protecting myself from chaos is strong and tightly woven into my heart. I have experienced quite a few blindsiding situations and each was devastating in its own way, leaving scars and fear in the aftermath. However, through these situations, I have learned and embraced that God’s presence never left me in those times. His will and ways were always perfect, shaping me into who I am now. These things allowed me to live out my purpose albeit with scars; reminders that I pushed through things meant to derail, wound, and cripple me.
I treasure in my heart the lessons learned. Above all, I discovered that Jesus is safe. He is good, He is compassion, He is my Warrior and Protector. I learned, and am still learning, that I can trust Him with me and that is a lesson I would not trade for a smoother life-road. His ways and thoughts are higher that ours. His plans are good and perfect, but not without scars that are a constant reminder of our healing. We can plan, be wise, and discerning as we look ahead, but ultimately His plans and His purpose for you and for me will prevail and it does bring comfort, peace, and rest for a plotter and planner. Trust Him. He won’t fail you. You are loved. Peace be with you.
Psalm 141:3 NIV “Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.”
The imagery of words bubbling up and out of my mouth from what is stored in my heart has always been fascinating, yet convicting for me. I like to think that my words are always lovely and inspiring, flowing from kindness, but they aren’t always. I don’t like to envision my heart filled with poisonous words and thoughts that leak and spill over onto other people, but I know that they have and they do. They likely will again.
The only way I know to keep these knife-sharp words at bay is to ask Jesus to examine what’s in my heart. It’s not pleasant. Most of us don’t relish having our hearts and deepest thoughts laid bare before God.
There are things deep inside these hidden places in each of us that are not nice, not kind, and in desperate need of healing, and cleansing. Secret things and painful wounds that we have tried so hard to heal, clean up, and bandage on our own with weak, frail bandages that are temporary and fleeting. Our self-made bandages never stop the seep and stain that taints our hearts and souls with pain that spews up and outward. That depth of exposure and healing can only come from Jesus and His mercy, compassion, and power to bind up and heal our soul deep wounds. He will do it, if we invite Him in to do that hard work.
As we go about our lives and intersect others life-travelers, I hope we keep fresh in our minds that our words contain so much power – the ability to heal, lighten, inspire, and spread kindness. I want to be known for that – kindness, acceptance, compassion. Everyone we set eyes on is deeply loved by God.
Father, please keep a guard over our mouths. Let kindness, mercy, joy, and compassion be what bubbles up from our hearts, out of our mouths, splashing all whom You place in our path. Keep watch, Lord, on the door of our lips, so that hatred, condemnation, judgement, and cruelty have no room to pierce and wound those we come into contact with daily. Let us not give the Enemy a foothold to weaponize our words. Fill us with Yourself – Your name is enough to silence all thoughts and words that are not of You. You are good, You are love, You are peace. In Your name, Jesus our Healer, amen.
“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.”
This pond in my neighborhood is one of my favorite places to walk and get a bit lost in nature. I love how the trees and flowering bushes change with the seasons. It’s something constant in an ever changing, rushed, and often chaotic world. I have had many conversations with God here. It feels a sacred and holy. I know I will find Him here under these sweeping, sheltering trees with the beautiful filtered light that shifts and shades.
How comforting and safe it feels knowing that every morning Jesus has a new, unchanging, unfailing love for me and for you. It hasn’t diminished overnight or faded away. He hasn’t moved on to the next best thing or lost interest. Every morning without fail He is there and He always will be. Through stormy seasons of doubt, fear, anger, and unexpected changes, and through seasons of peace, calm, and joy. Unfailing.
If we trust Him with us, if we give ourselves, and our plans into His hands, He will be faithful to hold, guide, and deeply love us. He will show us where to walk. His staff clears the way of obstacles that tempt us to give up, go around, or follow the wide, easy way. In the freshness of the morning, we can hear His voice calling out to come and talk to Him, and walk with Him along the pathway He’s laid out just for us.
I pray you will find a sweet place where you talk to Him, listen to Him, and choose to trust Him as your guide and best friend. Unfailing love. It’s yours, if you choose to lean into it. You are so loved. Peace be with you.
Extravagant Hope 