Daily Prayer

Loving God, thank you for this day of new mercies and new possibilities. Thank you for keeping us safe from dangers seen and unseen. We acknowledge that you are great and greatly to be praised. We lift your name on high.

We come confessing our sins and asking for your forgiveness in all the ways we have fallen short. We thank you for your faithfulness even when we have been unfaithful.

Merciful God, you already know our wants and needs even before we ask. So, we pray that you will meet us in our needful places. We pray that you will move in our lives and in our circumstances with your powerful presence.

We love you, Lord. We worship and adore you. We give you thanks today. And in all things we give you the glory.  Amen.

Scripture for Reflection:

Psalm 103:17 (CEB) But the Lord’s faithful love is from forever ago to forever from now for those who honor him. And God’s righteousness reaches to the grandchildren.

The Mustard Tree

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Matthew 13:31-32 (NKJV)

Hannah’s mother had planted in her the seeds of faith. Life nourished those seeds and tested their resilience. Through good times and bad, winds and rains her seeds of faith stretched upward. And the sapling grew strong, standing like a pillar of hope in an open field. Others wondered how she had survived the storm. Her faith had given her the courage to stand.

Inspired by Near to the Brokenhearted, available oh Amazon.

Steal Away

Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He said this because so many people were coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat.

Mark 6:31

Many people like me find ourselves following Jesus’s example of stealing away to a secret place, a quiet place, a safe place where we can reflect on the big picture and think about the promises of our God in times like these. For us, it is a place where we can find peace and restoration. Scripture talks a lot about peace. The prophet Isaiah (26:3) said that God would keep them in perfect peace whose minds stayed on God because they trust him. The prophet Jeremiah talked to God’s people about peace right before he sent them into exile (29:11). God said: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” The Apostle Paul (Philippians 4:6-7) talked about the peace of God that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. All we have to do is make our requests for peace made known to God in prayer.

From Near to the Brokenhearted Available on Amazon.