I pray for the one who is seeking You—searching for Your guidance and compassion. Be with them as they seek and find the treasures You have hidden for them to discover throughout their day. May discernment and wisdom help them navigate what lies ahead.
I pray they will be aware of Your presence as You walk with them, hemming them in behind and before. Prepare them for all they will encounter today as they seek you with their whole heart. Give them strength and protection as they follow You, Your staff clearing the way of obstacles and things wishing to entangle and ensnare them. The day can take a drastic turn when fear engulfs and invades their heart and soul, causing their mind to spin. Please hide and shelter them with Your wings. Banish fearful thoughts the enemy pokes and prods them with, and fill them with Your peace.
Father, remind Your child that just the whisper of Your name causes a shift in the heavenlies beyond anything they can imagine. You never leave them; You never forsake them. Your promises are sure and solid.
Thank you for being all-powerful, yet full of compassion. Give them patience and a holy determination as they seek Your face and navigate this day. May they lean on You and bask in the songs of love You sing over them. Those who seek You will find You.
In the name of Jesus Christ our Shepherd,
Amen
Jeremiah 29:13 NLT “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”
It’s a beautiful late summer night. The bright, cold moon shines down like a beacon; the pin prick stars glow.
Lying on the well-worn hammock strung up between two old oaks, Eric lets the quiet wrap around him. The country air blankets him as he looks up at the night sky; deep and black like velvet. Vestiges of warmth seep up through the sunbaked grass in the little meadow behind the barn. He can hear the animals shifting and snuffling as they settle in. It’s restful here and Eric needs some rest.
He remembers the excitement he once felt looking up at the night sky, pointing out planets, and learning the constellations in the bright, winking stars. His Dad and Grandpa Bo bringing out the trusty telescope to search the sky is a cherished memory. He’s forgotten the peace he once found in the mystery of the night sky.
Life is hard right now. The struggle to make ends meet and keep the legacy of his little farm going is such a heavy weight to carry. Generations of Simpsons worked this land providing for their families and those in the little towns just down the road. He’s so afraid he will be the one to let it go under, let people down, and not be enough.
Looking up at the star strewn sky, Eric begins to pray.
“Lord, it’s been a while and I’m sorry for that. I’m out of options and I see no way out. I remember Grandpa telling me that You always make a way and always provide. Will You please make a way now? Please, Jesus. I need You.”
Pouring out his heart to the Father releases tension that’s been pent up and stewing in his body and spirit. He feels softer inside; he feels seen. Safe.
A cool breeze picks up and ruffles the meadow grasses, shushing and sweet. Is that a whisper he hears? “Way maker…”
Under the same stars, Sophie walks her faithful chocolate Lab, Pete, through the neighborhood as it quiets for the night. These late-night walks always calm and soothe her spirit. As she breathes in the fragrant night air, Pete’s nails clip along the concrete in a steady and soothing rhythm. The measured sound gives Sophie’s scattered mind something to focus on. There are too many decisions to be made and too much piled on her shoulders! She desperately needs a respite; something to settle and silence the clamor.
What if she makes the wrong choice? What if they reject her? What if she ruins everything and they laugh behind her back?
If she can just sort out it out, prioritize, be decisive, be enough…
Around the corner and down Vista View Lane is a small neighborhood park with a little pond. This pond is her happy place. Tucked in and cozy, there’s a gravel path leading around the pond, winding through the willows and aspens. The wooden bench sits nestled under the drooping willow branches.
As she and Pete stop to sit for a few minutes, Sophie notices the cold, white moonlight tracing a path across the dark pond. Its edges are smudged and feathery, but the light is sure, steady, and bright. A clear path. A lamp for her feet.
It’s lovely and so peaceful.
As Sophie gazes up at the inky, star-filled sky, she gently runs her hands over the silky fur on Pete’s soft neck and back. The soothing moonlight and shimmery constellations make her feel safe. For how many thousands of years have other humans who felt lost, insignificant, and alone, looked up for guidance and direction, for peace and answers? That thought brings her comfort. She’s not alone.
Listening to the cricket song and chorus of frogs, her mind is quiet and her thoughts no longer seem so jumbled and frantic. Clarity, like moonlight, illuminates the choices she needs to make, as answers and a plan take shape.
“Thank you for seeing me, Lord. Thank you for Your wisdom. You are my shelter and my shepherd, my help in time of need,” she breathes.
As Sophie and Pete make their way around the pond heading for home, a gentle breath of air shushes in the aspens behind her; is that a whisper she hears? “Way maker…”
Under the same stars, the Spirit of the Lord hovers. Wisdom and truth, protection and healing are in His wings. Grace and mercy, love and acceptance flow from His mouth. New life and abundant joy, victory and peace swirl around Him, cascading down and over His beloved. He sees each one and answers the cry of their hearts.
Under the same stars, prayers are answered, lives are redeemed, bodies are healed, souls are refreshed, and supernatural battles are won.
He still sees and hears as He has for thousands of years, and as He will continue to do for thousands more. There is nowhere you can go that He will not find you.
Under the bright moonglow and scattered stars of any given night, each of our souls are seen, known, and deeply loved by the Lord of Heaven.
Psalm 116:1-2 NLT “I love the Lord because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
I asked God to go with you today–opening doors that you need to walk through, closing the doors not meant for you. I asked Him to shelter you from evil and bring you out into an open space so your heart feels lighter and your spirit at peace. I prayed that He would fill you with His wisdom and discernment to make the decisions you need to make. I asked Him to bring you joy and laughter because it’s good for the soul.
I don’t know what you have on your plate today, but I do know that Jesus is right there with you.
He’s your stronghold, comforter, warrior, healer, provider, mender of broken hearts, and your best friend. He intimately knows every situation you are facing.
Just say His name. Ask for His presence and His help. He hears you. No need for long-winded, big-worded monologues. He’s with you and He’s already working things out, making things right, and putting people and things in their proper place.
If you can’t see it or feel it right now, that’s okay. I pray that hope and trust wrap you up tightly, speaking the exact words you need directly to your heart.
Life is unpredictable. We go into each day not knowing what is waiting for us. Will that prayer finally be answered, will that hard conversation go the way we want it to, will this health issue be resolved, can we just get some peace, will our loved one be safe?
Right in the center of this unpredictability is Jesus. He’s good, steadfast, true, and omnipotent. He has everything concerning you well taken care of.
The chaos that swirls and looks for a way into our hearts is held at bay when we reach out and take His hand. Fear must bow, anxiety must quiet, control must release its vise grip.
The lovely, gentle, glimmering thread of Hope that binds us to Jesus is protected and cherished. It can’t be broken or snipped by the vagaries of life. It is our strong and holy connection to the heart of Jesus.
Hope trusts that He’s got you, will never leave you, is always with you. You can’t be snatched up.
The holy, sacred, mysterious thread of Hope is tethered in His power, compassion, and deep love which cannot be taken away.
When I envision the Lord being my shield, it transforms how I imagine myself walking through this day of unknowns.
I think we are often completely unaware of the pitfalls, near misses, and battles going on around us that we are protected from daily. The Lord shields us from so much.
The fender bender that ruins our day, makes us late, and costs us money…did the Lord shield us from something far worse?
The random encounter with an unsavory stranger that left us shaken…did the Lord block the evil intentions that could have gone a different and terrible way?
The beautiful and precious time spent with Him that was uninterrupted…did He shield us from distractions so we could be filled up, loved on, and encounter Him?
This verse really spoke to me. It’s been a hard around here lately. We’re tired and rough around the edges. I wonder what else Jesus has shielded us from?
I am so grateful that the Lord of Heaven, Prince of Peace, and King of Kings sees me and chooses to shield me and lift my head when the harder days come. It’s a beautiful and comforting thing to be seen and deeply loved by Jesus. He loves you, too. Peace be with you.
“For forty years I led you through the wilderness, yet your clothes and sandals did not wear out.” Deuteronomy 29:5 NLT
Something about this tugged at my spirit as I read it.
The Lord led the Israelites for forty years through unforgiving desolate places. How exhausting, how defeating, how infuriating it must have felt a lot of the time as they battled sand, wild animals, and exhaustion on every level. They didn’t want to be in this fierce and untamed wilderness. It isn’t what they thought it would be when the Lord said He was rescuing them.
Yet…the goodness of God. For forty years He kept their shoes and clothing from wearing out. An absolute necessity for the areas they were traveling through to have good clothing to protect their skin and solid shoes to protect their feet as they walked the road He laid out for them.
He had to remind them of the ways He had protected them and looked out for their basic well-being.
Reading this verse gave me hope. Hope that this season I’m in has divine purpose. That I’m not forgotten in an untamed, desolate wilderness. I’m walking through what He knows I need to walk through whether or not I see the merit or understand the big picture of what this season will produce once I’m on the other side. There is another side. He is going with me, He’s before me, and surrounding me on all sides. He’s there for you in this way, too.
Hope and gratitude bubble up in my heart as I see that my shoes and clothes haven’t worn out yet. My feet can still move me forward, even at a limp sometimes, on this path that I often don’t like or want to be walking.
Looking beyond the frustrations, fear, and disappointments, I know without a doubt that He has shielded and protected me from far worse things. I’ve gotten glimpses of those things, people, and situations and I am so grateful He loves me enough to block, rebuke, and protect me from them. He filters every single thing that touches me or those I love through His scarred hands.
Wherever we are on our life journey, perhaps there’s room for some hope for what’s to come, and gratitude that our provision hasn’t run out, even when it doesn’t look like what we think it should. He is providing for us. Maybe we can look at where we are today with a different lens and find glimpses of His goodness, His kindness, and provision in unexpected places. Not to minimize or dismiss the hard things, but to bring hope, peace, and the knowledge of how deeply we are loved into the mix.
