Nature

The Forest Knows…

~ Extravagant Hope ~ Leave a comment

The forest knows her name. She feels it’s gentle pull and call. Come and rest, re-center, and decompress. Melodies and harmonies of peace, joy, and ancient things.

Busyness, worry, and overthinking also know her name and they’ve been calling – shouts, demands, and confusing voices. Chaos circles looking for a crack, a chink, a tiny fissure to slink into.

It’s hard to let go of worry and expectations. Fear tells her that if she rests, breathes too deeply, and allows expectations to sit awhile, all sorts of disasters and sinister things may happen. What-if…

Lately there is a restless feeling that pricks and swirls in her mind and soul; a sensation of something just ahead slipping out of sight, waiting around the next bend in the path. Not as a fear-based shout, but a whispered song to come, explore, release – seek, find, and be blessed. Be healed.

She listens and makes her way to the forest. Her favorite path winding through Redwoods – so old, so wise, so healing – invites a quieted mind and tender heart open to the Divine whispers held in creation. Golden silence alive with the sounds of nature. Everything interwoven with His breath, His hands, His healing, and His peace.

The safety and wisdom she’s seeking seeps into her soul. There is rest and healing here. No expectations. Creator and creation singing to her spirit of love, rejuvenation, and acceptance. Supernatural, holy, ancient things are all around. Healing, mysterious, and deep.

The cracks and fissures from living life are filled in with His love, protection, and compassion. She won’t be the same when she leaves here and that is a divine and beautiful thing.

Deep calling to deep in the midst of Divine creation. He knows her name – she will always be welcome, always be healed.

Hidden Delights

~ Extravagant Hope ~ Leave a comment

I hope you have a lovely day seeking and finding all the hidden joys, blessings, and sweet moments with Jesus that are carefully placed along your path today.

How He loves to delight you with Creation!

Peace be with you. You are so loved.

Isaiah 30:21 Prayer

~ Extravagant Hope ~ Leave a comment

Father,

I pray for the one who is wrestling with uncertainty. They are at a crossroads right now and have choices to make. Voices of friends and family are coming at them from all sides. Noise, chatter, and strong opinions are overwhelming, and they can’t hear themselves think. They want so much to do the right thing, to follow You, and please You.

I pray that You will silence the noise and bring them out into a spacious place where they can rest their mind in stillness and peace. Give them a safe place to truly hear Your voice. You have guided them in the past, and You will do it again. Please speak to them in the unique way that You created them to hear Your voice. May they encounter You in intimate and startling ways as You reveal their next steps and show them how to proceed. Remind them that You are the Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end. You see their entire journey laid out before You. You know the way.

I pray this beloved one will trust You, will believe that they hear You calling them forward, and will respond with belief that You are for them. Thank you for filling them with confidence and purpose. Thank you for guiding them along the life-road You created for them.

In Your beautiful name, Jesus,

Amen

Isaiah 30:21 NIV “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”

Photo credit: James Wheeler

Rest

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Let your shoulders drop, your jaw unclench, your heart breathe, and lean into Jesus. He’s got you. He knows what’s ahead of you today. He knows how it will all turn out.

He says that His presence will go with you wherever your path leads you. He will give you rest, He will hold you up, and He will speak heavenly, healing things to your mind, body, and spirit.

Divine Series

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Good morning! If you haven’t checked out my 4 devotional books, The Divine Series, I invite you to click the link below ⬇️ and check them out.

Discover the God who meets you in every moment—compassionately, powerfully, and always with love.

The Divine Series by Melissa Giomi is a collection of devotionals inviting readers to slow down, breathe deeply, and encounter God in the midst of everyday life. Through poetry inspired by nature, engaging storytelling, and vivid imagery rooted in Scripture, each book offers a fresh way to discover His presence—in a rushed morning routine, a peaceful hike, a whispered prayer, or the chatter of a mountain stream.

Whether you’re overwhelmed by busyness, longing for peace, or simply seeking a deeper sense of connection, the Divine Series becomes a spiritual sanctuary—your invitation to be present and rediscover the beauty of a life lived with God.

This series guides you back to the truth that you are never alone. God is here in the whisper of the wind, the warm glow of a sunset, or the solace of hike in the Redwoods.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G2G2ZJSD

His Temple

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I always find God in Nature. Standing under the towering Redwoods that have been there for thousands of years is so humbling.


God’s hands that formed these majestic trees–His presence still lingers, and swirls, and fills my lungs with heavenly breath. Supernatural, ancient, wise.


This is His temple. His creation, His wisdom, His joy. I feel Him closer here than most anywhere else.

A Place to Pray

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1 Thessalonians 5:17 NLT “Never stop praying.”

Isn’t this encouraging? God wants to hear from you! He knows we need Him. He understands that we struggle to give Him control and to trust Him with ourselves, especially those we love.

You are never too much, not enough, too loud, too quiet, too sensitive, too talkative, or too excitable. You are beautiful, worthy, enough, and He delights in you.

I hope you have a place to meet with Him. Somewhere that feels sacred, safe, and that just “fits” with how He made you.

For me, it’s in nature – soaking up His Presence in the woods, the wind, the beach, or a gorgeous mountain meadow. The timeless, ancient, mysteriousness of creation draws me to Him.

Where do you feel closest to God? He is patiently waiting there for you to just come and talk to Him.