Have you ever had a God sighting or an incredible blessing from Jesus that you wanted to share with the world? Well, this is the place! The goal of this blog is to know God better, to love Him more, and to give Him praise. If you share how you’ve discovered God or experienced His work in your life, you amplify Him to others.
I organize my praise posts by using alphabet letters. The letters are a tool to help me record past praises and find them to reread when my faith falters. Your praises can be in whatever manner you like—from the Bible or from your experiences—using all forms of language: nouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives . . . The word limit is two hundred words.
You can create a post in the comment box located at the bottom of this page. Or write a reply to someone else’s praise. Or, simply, read the praises and we’ll exalt the Lord together!
Whatever you choose, you are invited to:
Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together. Psalm 34:3
O – God is a God of order.
I Corinthians describes two forms of God’s order. Verse 14:33 says. “For God is not a God of confusion, but of peace. Churches and people should get along. We needed that one during the differences over Covid.
Verse 14:40 admonish us to “let all things be done decently and in order.” I am begging God for order these days. I’m moving from my home of 45 years to a very small home and my son is moving to a group home. My life and all the homes are in chaos. But God keeps whispering to me that this present chaos will end soon and He has delivered me to a home and a future with all new opportunities and blessings.
That almost sounds like a metaphor for heaven: present chaos . . . future blessings.
H – God is Holy.
Holy may be my least favorite of God’s character, but also my favorite. My least because it shouts of my unholiness, that unwelcome reminder of my sin.
But it is my favorite because after researching God’s Character these many years, I consider the only all-encompassing attribute of God to be his holiness. He is perfect in all His attributes (love, forgiveness, goodness, justice, mercy . . .), but only Holiness is the total of what He is. His holiness makes all His attributes fit together and work as One.
N – Jesus is the Name above all names. Philippians 2:9
K – God Keeps. He is the Keeper.
God Keeps His promises. Genesis 46:27 Collecting a 3×5 card list of God’s promises is a very good commitment. As I face various challenges and begin to falter, I have quick at hand and mind a promise that covers the situation. This has been a great way to increase my faith over the years as He has never broken one promise.
God is the Keeper of the hedge of protection. Job 1:10 When I go into my days I often take my arms and physically redraw a hedge of protection around me and ask God to shore up that hedge of protection.
God is the remnant Keeper. Psalm121:4-8; Numbers 6:24 He Keeps vigil. Exodus 12:42 He keeps me safe. Psalm 4:8 He is my Keeper. Revelation 2:10.
God Keeps my lamp burning. Psalm 18:28. “Father God, please keep my zeal for You bright.”
M – God Made me (us) in His own image. Genesis 1:27
A – God is always Available.
How great is that! Every minute, in every situation God is available to talk to, to seek wisdom, to strengthen, to comfort, to lean on . . . .
All this is available, but not always appropriated. APPOPRIATE: to take (something) for one’s own use.
God’s availability is His gift to His children. Appropriating is our choice to receive His gift and be the best He created us to be.
L – Jesus is Lord of Lords.
D – God is my Default focus.
Or that is what I want Him to be, what I’m trying to make Him be. My life is a swirl of demands and challenges that I can hardly keep my focus. I’ve finally made separate pills of paper down my hallway of the information needed for the various demands. I ask Jesus which pile to address each day; then for His direction and sufficiency to carry me through. As distractions, mis-directions, and unexpected problems assault me, THAT is when I need Jesus as my Default focus. I whisper to myself (often yell to myself) that God is in charge. He knows what I can do. He gives me time and strength. He never asks of me what I cannot handle.
As I practice my self-lecture, God has increasingly become my Default focus. The challenges have not gone away, but they have become increasingly easier to handle.
Thank You beloved God, for always being there.
K – God was Kind and good to find a wonderful new home for my son and for me.
P – God is my Protector.
I invited friends to my new home and, before them and with them, I dedicated and anointed it to God’s Glory and Honor and Purpose.
When God instructed the Israelites to mark their doorposts with blood, He was promising to protect them. The doorpost represents the separation from the outside world. Through my anointing with oil I claimed God’s protection for my new home And His blessings for it’s use.
I praise God for his guidance, decisions, and protection!
D – God is Decisive.
I’ve never used that word to describe God. But I looked it up in the dictionary and it gives “decisive” as an adjective meaning: settling an issue; producing a definite result.
I’m claiming that descriptor for this week when I face significant life changes.
I will be making decisions for the future residences for my aging self and my adult son
who has Williams Syndrome. I’ve done my homework, seeking God for His discernment all the way. But this is the week of the final choices. And I’m asking my Decisive God to guide us to His choice for us.
J – God is Jehovah and Jesus.
H – God Hems me in.
You hem me in behind and before, and You lay Your hand of blessing upon me.
Psalm 139:5
I have another image of that incredible comfort of knowing that the God of the Universe hems me in. I do not sleep well at night. And I often direct my thoughts to remembering God’s character. During that time, the word hem came to me as a noun. The hem of a robe.
Isaiah 6:1 says the hem of God’s robe fills the temple. That description refers to two concepts: the length of a monarch’s robe reflected how great was his power and, referring to God, it represented His defeat of every enemy.
For some odd reason I’ve always been drawn to that concept of this huge, beautiful, luxurious, warm and safe robe. Laying awake at night, I often picture myself crawling under God’s robe, finding a cozy place, curling up beside God’s other children, and finding rest and sleep in my wakeful night.
I – God is Immediate.
God is ALWAYS available to me, every minute of every day, in every situation and circumstance. But do I turn to Him? If not, I’m basically wasting His presence, His sources, His power, His everything. It is heart-breaking that by ignoring Him, I’m rejecting His offer of immediate and abundant love and care and sufficiency.
Oh, Lord forgive me! May I always seek YOU, because You are always seeking me.
H – God is High above the heavens and yet Here within me. Oh, the wonder of it all!
R – God Removes stones (Lazarus)
The image, the faith, that our God removes stones comes to me when I have the courage to pray for what appears to be the impossible–taking away barriers, conditions, or situations. Praying that way can be scarry, because what if God doesn’t remove the stone? Then I cling to the firm knowledge that HE CAN and that His will is best and He sees the whole picture.
G – God is GOOD!
This is my go-to mantra when the world seems so evil and there is so much calamity. But I KNOW God is good and He will have the victory. I will keep-a-going and keep the faith.
F – Our God fights for us!
He fights against the enemies of His righteousness. He fights against Satan and his minions. He fights for salvation for His children. He fights for justice . . .
And He fights WITH us when we are seeking His will in how we chose to live our lives.
I sometimes forget I am in a battle. That there really is an enemy sneaking around to snare me. I Peter 5:8
It’s a challenging and delicate balance to be on guard in an ongoing battle yet still cling to the Joy of the Lord, praising God in all things. But God calls us to do just that. So let’s keep trying!
F – Jesus is the Fullness of God: the Creator, the Father, the sovereign, the author of the plan of salvation, the forgiver, the victor!
B – Jesus was a Baby. And the Beginning.
A baby is a beginning. The beginning of new life–physical life. But our Jesus, come down to us in human form, is our Immanuel and was a beginning for humankind. He brought the beginning of salvation, an ever-present salvation and eternal salvation.
Not just a temporary salvation after a visit to the temple in Jerusalem, but a permanent salvation. One that is there for us every moment of every day. When we claim Jesus as our savior, His salvation is with us until we walk into His arms!
E – Jesus Endured . . . the cross. Hebrews 12:2
P – God is my Purifier.
I have such precious time with God each morning when I come to Him in confession. I thank Him for creating the plan of salvation and for sending Jesus as our Savior. I ask for forgiveness and I receive it because of Jesus. And then I celebrate, basking in the pure lightness and brightness and peace and joy of purity. My slate is wiped clean! I think of God as my slate-cleaner, but that seems a bit awkward and sort of like I’m calling the Almighty God of Forgiveness my janitor. So, I decided “God My Purifier” was the better descriptor.
What do you think? Is that a good name? Is He your purifier? I hope so!
D – God is my Dew. Hosea 14:5
He refreshes and renews me.
L – Jesus is Living Water. John 4:10: 7:37-39
Christ’s Living Water is described as the “ministry of the Spirit, flowing out of a heart redeemed by God, that blesses believers and, through them, brings life and light to the world.” It brings life to the believer first. And then, through them, Living Water spreads to others.
This image of Christ as living water became more realistic to me through a habit of mine. The habit is that each time I awake in the middle of the night I take two swallows of water. As one ages, the body begins to dry out. I picture these nighttime sips of water entering all the parts of my body and giving it hydration and refreshment during the usually long period of dryness.
And isn’t that the similar image of taking drinks of Jesus’ Living Water as I commune with Him throughout my days and nights? May I never run dry of Jesus, but come to Him often and regularly, that I may always be filled with Him.
C – Jesus is my Comfort and my Comforter. 2 Corinthians 1:3
When it seems like the whole world has left me, Jesus has not. He will always be with me and He will always be enough!
O – God is a God of order. 1 Corinthians 14:33
When I’m scattered, disoriented, confused, or overwhelmed, I’ve learned to slow down
. . . stop . . . breathe deeply of God’s Spirit . . . then ask God for HIS order to my life. I ask Him to give me His priorities and tell me what to do next.
It has never failed. I’ve learned from long experience that God never asks more of me than I can handle (1 Corinthians 10:13). So when I’m overwhelmed, I must seek His order to the assignments I’ve been given. (Oh yes, and His strength helps too 🙂
B – God is my Breath. Jesus is my Breath.
God breathed the breath of life into Adam. And He breathed the breath of life into me.
I would not have life if God had not done so.
And Jesus breaths the breath of life into me every moment of every day. He is the Spirit that carries me from one moment to the next. I feel so very weak and inadequate to face the challenges of daily life, but then I remember the TEAM I have: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And my body stands upright to face the day. My chest fills with the breath of “Yes, We can do this!” And into another day I (WE) go!
C – Jesus is my Choice-Maker.
The beauty of age is that our track record with God’s faithfulness becomes longer and longer. Always unfailing! In John 14:16 KJV Jesus called Himself The Comforter that God would send. Turning ones’ choice-making over to Jesus is one of the greatest of comforts!
A – Jesus is almighty. Exodus 6:3 Thank heavens!!!
D – God destroys strongholds. II Corinthians 10:4
Today I have a major change in my life: selling my family home and downsizing to a townhouse. Only once have I experienced buying a home. That was forty-five years ago and my husband took care of it all. This time I’m on my own. The stronghold that threatens is anxiety.
But I’ve prayed through every step of this major decision. And I’m not alone! I am claiming God as my stronghold against anxiety and doubt! Though so much is unknown, I picture God continuing to use me in my new setting.
As long I have a pulse, I have a purpose: to serve my God! He is my stronghold, wherever I go and whatever I face.
Z – Jesus is my Zoe.
Experts on Biblical scripture define “zoe” as eternal life or life that is possessed by a divine being, such as God. In simpler terms, Zoe can refer to anything or anyone who is full of life.
S – God is the God of the Small-Things.
I know God can handle all things. We cling to Him for the big challenges. But when we recognize Him directing and blessing the Small-Things, our awe of how very much He cares for us and watches over us increases.
That awareness is most often what brings me to tears of love and thankfulness. Over time it has made me keenly aware of what a shallow and joyless life I would live if I wasn’t constantly looking for His touch on my life. I’d be chugging along as if I was in charge and it all just happened, missing God’s handprint. That handprint gives value and purpose to my life.
Father God, may I be ever mindful of your abiding touch!
Y – Jesus is my YES!
From the great gospel hymn:
I’ll say, “Yes, Lord, yes”
To Your will and to your way
I’ll say, “Yes, Lord, yes”
I will trust You and obey
When your Spirit speaks to me
With my whole heart I’ll agree
And my answer will be, “Yes, Lord, yes”
F – God is faithful.
God’s faithfulness is the foundation of His character. So it almost seems common or redundant to repeat it. But this has been a week where I’ve witnessed it in significant amounts and many times over. So now, as my whole being overflows with praise, I shout: OUR GOD IS FAITHFUL!
X – God be eXalted!
H – Jesus is my first Hello in the morning.
I heard a comment early in my fledgling faith. It was from Dale Ebel, founding Pastor of Rolling Hills Church. It greatly impacted how my faith would grow. Dale was asked what the quickest way was for one’s faith to grow? He answered: to talk to God all day long.
I’m a talker by nature. My inner talk changed from talking with myself, to talking with Jesus, all day and often through my wakeful nights. So, some forty years later when I wake in the morning, I say, “Hello Jesus. Thank you for a new day.” I’m really just carrying on our ongoing, comforting, evaluating, guiding conversation from the previous day.
And as I write today, it is early morning and I say, “Hello Jesus, my God and Savior! Thank you for Your creation and for creating me to enjoy it. How may I serve You today?”
W – God Waters.
God waters the deserts of life. He waters my soul. He is the water of life.
The water He gives becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within, giving eternal life.
John 4:13
C – Jesus is my Constant Companion.
It seems presumptuous to claim that the God who created the universe and the God who saved me, would also walk with me as my constant companion. But it’s so! I have experienced it and lived in the wonder of it. And if I doubt, the Bible assures me that it is so. Deuteronomy 31:8
But even with that amazing gift and joyous reality, I can forget He’s there. I can become so consumed with my thoughts and my challenges that I lose His abiding strength and the Joy and the comfort that carries me through anything I face.
Oh, my God, forgive me. May I walk in the celebration of Who You are, all that You are, and that You actually chose to be my constant companion.
V – Jesus is Victorious. Right now and eternally, Jesus has the victory. That is my comfort and my encouragement to make it through today and to finish this race of life with grace.
S – God is my Sufficiency.
It’s been a rough week with unexpected, seemingly overwhelming, challenges. Yet I’ve made it–not fun and not easy–but WE made it, together. HE + me. I am ever impressed with how our God keeps His promise that He will not ask of us more that we can handle, if we only claim His Sufficiency.
U – Jesus Unites the Faithful
Then make My joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Philippians 2:2
Our pastor talked about adoption into the family of Christ, uniting two very different populations: the nation of Israel with the gentile believers in the promised Messiah. (Romans 8:15) And that message spoke to my present-day heartache: the divisiveness of God’s children caused by politics and. Covid.
Father God, if you could unite Your chosen nation of Israel with Gentile believers, then You can also bring your present-day believers together too. Oh, our uniting God, preserve Your remnant! May we together cry, “Abba, Father!”
S – God has Sealed us with His Holy Spirit. Ephesians 1:13; 4:30 ESV.
God offered you His free gift of salvation through the Holy sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ on the cross. You reached out and received the gift. You are saved. You have been granted eternal life. This is confirmed by the Holy Spirit coming to indwell you. That is your proof! You are sealed! Don’t ever doubt! You are sealed for eternity into the family of God! Nothing could be better!
T – Jesus is my priceless Treasure.
F – My God is Fun.
Does that seem irreligious, or demeaning to God? Maybe it could because God is so much more. Awesome, magnificent, majestic . . . way beyond our understanding. But He is also fun. You can laugh with Him . . . often about yourself. He can lift your dark mood. He walks with you and lightens your step and your load. He loved the little children, and they surely know how to have fun. And remember, David danced before Him.
As we desire to honor and fear and be in awe of our God of wonders, let’s also enjoy His company. Delighting in Him is our, and His, fun. Let’s not leave Him out of our fun.
A.W. Tozer wrote in Delighting in God:
“It is one thing to have a lot of information about God, but it is another thing to bask in the warmth and reality of His presence.”
“The great secret of the Christian life is to begin experiencing God as He desires me to experience Him. God’s greatest delight is to bring me into His presence.”
S – Christ is my Savior, Sanctifying God.
C – Jesus is the Center and Circumference of who I am.
Isn’t that the best! I am still the unique “me” God created me to be, but I’m the best me I can be when Jesus is at my core and a part of all that I am. It is a total miracle to believe and then experience the condition that makes no sense at all: when you give your all away to Jesus, you become the “all” your Creator God intended you to be.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
R – God Re . . . . .
I believe my Re words that describe and praise God is my longest single list. The following is my ten-year list. Can you add another? Please send in new ones:
risen! : Mark 16:6, reigns: Exodus 15:18; Psalm 93:1 & 146:10; Isaiah 52:7; II Timothy 2:11-13, returns (the second coming – the rapture): Matthew 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-26; John 14:25-29, regal, my refuge: Psalm 46:1a, 31:4, 91:4; Jeremiah 16:19; Joel 3:16, reliable, our redeemer: Job 19:25; Psalm 103:4a; Isaiah 41:14, 48:17; Luke 2:38, and our redemption: I Corinthians 1:30, reachable, gives rest: Matthew 11:28-30, is my rest, reconciles: II Corinthians 5:19, our reconciliation: Colossians 1:19-20, refiner: Malachi 3:2b-3, resurrected, the resurrection: John 11:25-26, receiver of honor and glory, receiver of my punishment, ready-ever ready, real, my rear- guard: Melody Miller, “God goes before me and is my rear-guard.” , regards the aged, rewards the diligent, the rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him and my reward: Hebrews 11:6, repairer-of marriages-of relationships-of computers , rescues, , God rebirths and recreates us when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, receives the repentant, received my sin, relentless for my soul, the greatest of recyclers (of men), recorded all my days: Psalm 139:16 TLB, revives: Isaiah 57:15, renews: Psalm 103:5b, refurbishes, restores: Acts 3:19-21, restores my soul: Psalm 23:2, regenerates, reestablishes, renovates, refreshes: Philemon 1:20, repairs: Isaiah 58:12, reliable, relevant, relieves, reconciles, removes (sin, obstacles, satan): Isaiah 57:4, removes my sin: Psalm 103:12, remembers that we are but dust: Psalm 103:14, (Dusty Donna ), remembers His promises, He rewards: Hebrews 11:6, recalibrates, reestablishes, rehabilitates, reenergizes, reconnects, renews the weak: Isaiah 40:29 and my strength: Isaiah 103: 31, redesigns, reassures, reaffirms, revealer: of sin-of beauty-of His way, reveals his secrets to me (not all but some precious ones Deuteronomy 29:29), refines, rejoices: Luke 10:21, rejected: Isaiah 53:3; Luke 17:25, refused, remains
Q – Jesus quells my anxious, doubting spirit.
N – God is Yahweh Nissi. The LORD is my banner – Exodus 17:15.
As the Israelites returned to their promised land, Yahweh Nissi was the name the they gave to God when they went into battle and when they left victorious. As I begin a new day, I sometimes feel like I’m going into battle. Do you feel that way too? We, God’s children, have the LORD as our banner no less than did the Israelites fighting their way back from Egypt to their promised home. We all have different battles to fight, but we have the same source for victory.
For me, remembering God as my banner causes my chest to swell, my breath to deepen, and my fighting spirit to grow stronger with the confidence that HE plus me will have the victory. My Yahweh Nissi goes before!
P – God is my Provider. Exodus16:4; I Chronicles 29:12; Matthew 6:26
G – God Gives Grace. God embodies Grace.
Willingness with a gracious, positive, accepting attitude? Now that’s a high level of sainthood! It’s not so hard when I like God’s assignments, but what of the many times when I don’t want to do what I’m being asked to do. It’s too hard. I’m tired. Haven’t I done enough?
The definitions of grace: 1) gift of God to mankind, freedom from sin 2) a generosity of spirit, a pleasing quality or attitude.
I can be saved, my salvation is permanent, yet still act like a whiney brat. I can do God’s will, but reluctantly, grudgingly, resentfully. Or I can lean into each assignment, giving it my all, trusting Jesus, eager to see what He will do. That is an attitude I can’t crank out on my own.
For that I must pray for Christ’s Holy Spirit to fill me and grant me gracious willingness.
P – God is Present. Psalm 139:7-18
H – God Hears. El Shama. Genesis 16:11; Psalm 17:6
My morning devotion emphasized that “any” prayer counts–whatever the style “Jesus will always be present to hear you.” That comforts and reassurances me. I often ask God to speak to me. I long to hear His voice so I can know His will and feel Him close. But I’m also asked to step out in faith even when I’m not sure of His will. Stepping out comes easier if I know that God always hears the yearnings of my heart.
El Shama, thank You for hearing me when I speak, when I whisper, even my thoughts.
(Psalm 139:2)
O – God Opens eyes.
God opens our eyes to recognize Jesus and, also, His messages. Luke 24:31
A – God Gifts.
Often, I awake dreading the new day, whether it promises challenges or boredom. Negative and listless emotions threaten to rule. Recently God put me in my place by telling me that each morning He has given me two gifts.
And we all know we should receive gifts with joy and thanksgiving, especially those from God our Creator.
God’s two gifts are: 1) the gift of life and 2) the gift of a new, fresh day to live it. That revelation changed my attitude. How dare I grumble through my day when it is God’s precious gift to me!
Beloved God, thank You for today.
N – Jesus was Nailed to a cross . . . so that we could have new life in Him.
C – God Chose. He chose me. He chose you.
I’m thinking each of God’s saved children are chosen twice. Once God chose to create us. And second He chose us for family when we embraced His son Jesus as Savior.
Do you feel special? I hope so. I am ever amazed and joyous and thankful that He chose me!
M – Jesus is Meets my needs.
And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:9
S – Jesus is my sufficiency.
I always pictured aging as getting better, knowing all the answers, and experience making life easier. That has not been the case. Reality is that there are challenges all along life’s path and we need Jesus with every step and every stage of life.
Even with the full strength of the Lord, I can doubt and fall short. It’s reassuring that Jesus knows my situation, understands my weaknesses, and His sufficiency will keep me going. He will have the victory, even victory through me, because He is sufficient.
L – God lifts me. Psalm 147:6
S – Jesus is my Sweep.
I understand “the sweep” to be a person who travels behind boaters and hikers. He/she is sort of the rear-guard. It comforts me to know Jesus is always there in that position.
He keeps me on the safe and right path, guiding me back when I’m not paying attention–and even when I willfully go off on my own. If I fall, He gently lifts me back to my feet. When my legs are no longer able to keep me upright, He picks me up and carries me. He whispers as I rest in His strong arms with words of encouragement and renewal until I can return to the path walking on my own.
And if I can no longer walk, He will carry me to the finish! Praise You, my beloved Sweep!
B – God Blesses.
Today I celebrate that God blesses my beloved country with lyrics from Irving Berlin.
God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home
Irving Berlin was born in czarist Russia. His family moved to New York and at age 13, his father died. His family lived in poverty–Irving one of eight children. He took to the streets for work. He was a proud Jewish-American his entire life. White Christmas is one of his 1,500 songs. Berlin exemplifies America, a melting pot and a land of opportunity.
Oh, my Jesus, my God, please stand beside us and guide us back to a “land that we love.”
K – Jesus is my Kindred spirit.
He knows what it’s like to have a headache. Be discouraged and ridiculed and misunderstood. And, most certainly, unappreciated.
Jesus may not have experienced the exact same challenges, but he possessed the same emotions, reactions, and weariness in meeting them.
My Lord, please continue to be patient with me, You know what I am going through and that I am trying.
F – God Forgives.
I’ve committed to begin each day by going before the Lord, asking for forgiveness. It’s refreshing and encouraging to start my day purified and renewed, with a clean slate and a fresh, new beginning.
But sometimes, I’m ashamed to confess, it can become rote.
I should hunger for forgiveness for my spirit as I hunger for bread for my body. Like the manna in the desert, forgiveness is not automatic or a carry-over from the past. Lord, I pray my hunger for You and Your forgiveness stay intense. And may I never take it for granted, but always remember the price You paid for my salvation.
J – Jesus is my Joy. The joy of the Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10. .
My strength is inadequate. His in not
F – Father God.
I never felt especially loved by my earthly father. So how wonderful it is to know my Father God loves me in my worst of times and my best. He is my safe place. My place of refuge. My source of unconditional acceptance. My encourager. My place of rest and renewal.
Happy Father’s Day, Father God.
A – God is “ardently active.”
I thank Sally Auguston in her devotional Meet My God for that wonderful praise. I haven’t written in my blog for two weeks. I traveled one week (for the first time in four years) and I’ve been fighting Covid the second week. A light case, yet very discouraged to still be testing positive along with my son. So, the words I read from Sally this morning were a bright light of hope and encouragement.
I am assured and empowered with the knowledge that God is “ardently active” in my life. Even with my head still on my pillow, healing. Even when things do not go as expected, planned for, or wanted, He’s in charge, ever aware of my situation, always working for my best, building me up to meet all challenges: ardently active.
Yes, my beloved God, You and I can do this!
I – God Illuminates.
One definition of illuminate is to light up, to brighten. And I love that He brightens my life and the world around me. That quality lifts my mood. The second definition is to explain, to clarify, to inform. That helps me understand my world, my choices, my situation, the path I am on. Both qualities guide me.
S – God is the Same.
Sameness. Sounds a bit boring. Humans like variety and new things to look forward to. But we want, we absolutely need, our God to remain the same. We need to count on every aspect of His character–love, faithfulness, trustworthiness, holiness, forgiveness, patience, goodness, all-powerful. Always. Every time. In every circumstance.
Beloved God, we praise You and thank You that you do not change. Malachi 3:6, James 1:17 You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Hebrews 13:8.
H – God is my Hope. Revelations: 21:4
A – God is my Anchor of hope. Hebrews 10:23
My birthday gift to Jesus (my way of making New Year resolutions) this year is to practice fierce hope. With the unending on-slot of challenges over the last three years, normal hope has not been enough for me. I need to practice fierce hope, intentional hope, purposeful hope, over-the-top intense hope, don’t even think about giving up hope. I need to claim it when I hear the news, when I hear of overwhelming need in prayer requests, and especially when I question why?
But I cannot crank out this level of hope that I so need. God must supply it. He is the Anchor for my hope, the anchor that holds me through the storms. The Anchor that continues to assure me that He WILL have the victory. That He understands the challenges. And that He will bring me, will bring us, through the storms, the fires, the diseases, and the unknown.
And when even my fierce hope falters, I sing the magnificent song by Ray Bolz: The Anchor Holds .
G – God is Good. It can never be repeated enough.
P – God Pursues.
God pursues many things. But right now, at this point in time, when I want to give up, He is pursuing me. Holding on to me. Telling me, for the umpteenth time, that He never tests me beyond what I can handle. (I Corinthians 10:13) That I need to persevere and WE WILL! have the victory. (Psalm 20:7,8)
God pursues me, whispering His encouragement (I Kings 19:12), guiding me forward, telling me when to take a break and rest and breathe deeply. I love that I can’t get away from Him. (Psalm139:8) Somehow, knowing that He cares enough about me to pursue me, gives me courage to carry on and continue to fight the good fight. (II Timothy 4:7)
F – Jesus is my Fresh start.
Every morning I reach my arms wide apart and ask God to forgive my sins as far as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 Then I savor the feeling of forgiveness. Joy and strength and courage pump into me. And I am anointed with a fresh start on my day and on life itself!
C – Jesus is my Celebration.
What I described above, forgiveness pumping joy and strength and courage into me, is just part of Jesus/God being my Celebration. He is my hope for the future. My confidence in His holiness and goodness and sovereignty. My complete assurance that He will have the victory, despite what things might look like at the moment.
We often have a celebration of life when we die. But our God does not die. He is our ever-present, eternal, every day, never-ending Celebration.
E – Jesus is my enabler.
D – God is Dependable.
To prove that God is dependable I must release my tight hand on my life and chose to depend on Him to guide it. My strength, insights, decisions, and patience will fall short of what I can be and what I can do when Christ’s Holy Spirit is in charge.
Message to self: Donna, remember to depend. Practice dependence.
D – God discerns my thoughts from afar. Psalms 139:2 ESV
O – God is The One Who . . .
I just read in The Hiding Place a line from Corrie Ten Boom’s father, Casper, who describes God as: “the One who set the atoms dancing and who keeps the great currents circling through the sea.” I was intrigued with the idea of each of God’s children, you and I, making a
“The One Who . . . ” list.
The One Who created the entire universe, yet bothered to create me. The One Who gave me this new day. The One Who walks with me where ever I go. The One Who keeps vigil over my spirit through the night. The One Who picks me up when I fall and carries me when I can no longer walk. The One Who pushes me to persevere when I want to give up. The One Who . . .
Would it be a better, more beautiful, more peaceful world, if we spent our days looking for and discovering The One Who . . . ?
C – Jesus Calms my soul.
When I appropriate (see below) all God offers me, my whole being calms with the knowledge that He is always there with me, with all His great power and comfort.
A – God is Available and Appropriated.
It is God’s choice to make Himself available, all of Him, at any time, in any circumstance.
But . . . it is OUR choice to appropriate what God offers. Appropriate means: to take exclusive possession of.
Understanding appropriation came to me when I was fervently praying for my grandson Keagan. He had an urgent need in his life. Finishing my prayer, I quipped to Keagan in my mind: Hey, Keagan, I just sent you a little more of God to help you.
Then I paused. I knew something was wrong in that comment because ALL of God was ALWAYS right there available to Keagan. What my prayer accomplished was to appropriate, to open up for Keagan, more of God. The part of God that was unclaimed, just waiting to be taken into his life and his situation.
The concept of appropriation made me more passionate about praying for others, but also more dedicated to possessing all of God in my own day-to-day life.
B – God is my Beloved. He is my everything.
C – Jesus is my Confidence.
So much of my life I have thought I must dig deep into my own resources to find the courage to face each day. It is the default attitude of our self-important world.
But now, more often, I remind myself that, no, I have God’s resources. The resources of the God of the universe. He does not run out or grow weary. I no longer pump myself up with “I can do this.” Now, I joyfully raise my hand in victorious confidence and shout “We can do this!”
A – God is Abundant.
God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. II Corinthians 9:8
V – God has the victory.
I don’t feel victorious. Right now, I am beaten down by the world and all the needs out there. And, quite honestly, it doesn’t seem like God is victorious.
But He has never failed me yet, if I just wait and trust. He won’t fail me this time either.
So, I will take heart in knowing that God will keep His promise, as He always has. He will have the victory. And I’m going to stick with Him all the way . . . and share in His victory!
Z – God is my Zenith.
E – God Expects.
Because I trust my awesome God, I expect Him to act. I know He cares and that He keeps His promises, so it is not presumptuous to expect Him to act.
But I’ve begun to wonder if God might also “expect” things from me? I’ve claimed the free gift of salvation through Jesus and received His Holy Spirit. So wouldn’t God expect my appropriate response to be to serve Him? Sometimes, He’s allowed bad things to come my way. But He would never do that if He didn’t know I could handle them. (I Corinthians 10:13) And that I would grow from that process. (Romans 5:4)
Growing up I was a pretty good kid. Mom and Dad always expected me to do the right thing. I was keenly aware of that and never wanted to let them down. I wonder, shouldn’t my reaction to God be the same?
God, I don’t want to let You down. You have given me so much. And You know I can do the things You ask of me. And something else You know: that in responding to Your expectations, I will be blessed. I will be used to further Your Kingdom.
And there is no greater honor, privilege, or blessing than to be used by You!
Y – Jesus is my YES, to His will and to His way. I say Yes, Lord, Yes, I will trust Him and obey. (from the song)
O – God is Omnipresent.
I don’t have to ask for God’s presence, because I always have it! Psalm 139:7-10 My role is to remember to thank Him for it and claim it throughout each day.
But what should I ask for? That I share His presence with others–by my countenance, my words, my actions.
X – God is eXtravagant in His blessings.
G – God “Get’s it.”
I thought G was a really Good letter because God Guides and He Guards and He Gives and He . . . But during church as the pastor pushed through the heavy duty teaching about sin from Romans 3, I was given another great G descriptor, “God Get’s it.” Now that’s a good statement.
God knows it all–all the challenges of this life. Jesus experienced them.
No one really understands how hard I’m trying and how discouraged and frustrated I get. But God does. He understands.
He knows how I’m made, my strengths, my weaknesses. He knows what sets me off and where I’m tempted. He knows when the tears are pushing to get out and I struggle to hold them back. He knows my fears in the middle of the night. The loneliness.
He Get’s it. He Get’s me. No one else really does. How amazing and wonderful it is to realize He knows all that and still loves me and wants me for His child.
W – God is wisdom.
And I am so very glad He shares it with His children when we ask for it. James 1:5
F – God is the Finder of all things.
I praise God for this a lot! I’m great at misplacing things. But recently I couldn’t find something that is incredibly important to me. It’s probably second only to my Bible. It is my lifelong list of God’s character. The one I have organized into alphabet letters and go to each day to praise God using a different letter-list.
It was time to add the growing number of new descriptors to my ten-page, typed list. Many recent challenges caused me to put it off and the task had become daunting. I knew it would honor God, so I finally set aside an entire afternoon to get a good start. But then I couldn’t find the list on my computer!!!
My heart pounded. I prayed hard against satan as I knew he, above all, did not like this magnificent list. I persevered and kept asking God, my finder, to guide me. After two full hours of semi-patient searching, God found His list for me.
I felt like I’d been given back my life. And I had. Jesus God is my life. I shall spend the rest of my life adding to that glorious list. I will never fully capture our awesome, indescribable God, but I intend to keep trying.
O – God Owns . . . every animal of the forest, every bird in the mountains, the creatures of the field, the world and all that is in it . . . Psalm 51: 10-12.
He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. Acts 17:25
God chose to give us life, you and me. He owns us. So, what should we do about it?
V – God is Voice.
I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder. Revelation 14:2
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. I Kings 19:12
God speaks. We hear His voice from the Bible, from His Holy Spirit, and from godly counsel. Sometimes His voice may seem loud like thunder and we are compelled toward a direction or decision. Other times, probably most times, His voice is still and quiet. We must be listening or we will miss it.
In these days of many voices clamoring for our attention, we must seek discernment to determine which voice is God’s.
Oh LORD, give me ears to hear YOUR voice and courage to follow it.
U – God is the Uniter of the faithful. Ephesians 4:13
Oh, God our Father, please bring Your children back together, a united force to send out Your message!
S – Jesus is my Sentinel – a soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.
I often awake in the night. More often than not it seems like satan is camped out right beside me, accosting me with negative, upsetting thoughts. It confuses me, because I didn’t go to bed thinking negatively. Where do these scarry, discouraging, beat-me-down thoughts come from? I don’t know. But I have discovered a good mind set to combat then.
I imagine Jesus as my Sentinel, standing guard over my mind. Ready to defend me, ready to fight for me, ready to lead the charge to return my mind to God and His goodness.
God promises: Submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
Jesus, my Sentinel, helps me do both: to submit to God and flee from the devil.
L – God is Love. Happy Valentine’s Day to the world!
I’m one of those women who isn’t particularly fond of Valentine’s Day. Somehow it seems so forced, lacking spontaneous affection. But I think the real reason comes from childhood memories of grade school celebrations. Each student had their little stash of cards and treats.
Instead of relishing what I was given, I would always sneak peaks at what other friends had. And, in my mind, I always came up short. But today I read something written by David Brickner, the Executive Director of Jews for Jesus. He pointed out, “Our love for God (and His children) could not possibly motivate us unless He had first loved us.”
So, if I think of my Valentine as God’s amazing, undeserved, abundant, overwhelming love for me; I don’t need others. Of course, I do like them and send them, but my Valentine basket is already full to overflowing!
May Valentine’s Day be our celebration of God’s love for us and, through us, may it flow out to others.
T – Jesus is the Treasure of God in my earthen vessel. II Corinthians 4:7-10
G – God tells me to Go.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . Matthew 28:19
As our world of covid, disasters, divisions, and riots continue, I find myself taking more and more refuge in my prayer closet. I have such precious time alone with the Lord, basking in joy and comfort and hope, that I’m reluctant to leave.
So, these days I hear a new message from my Lord. It is a gentle whisper and nudge, “Ok, Donna, now Go. Leave our refuge and Go share My comfort and message with this sad world. They need to hear and see what I have given you in our time together.”
I force myself to go, leaving our beloved time together, but also hear Him whisper, “You can do this, Donna, because I’m going with you.”
S – Jesus is Savior.
L – Jesus Lingers in His return.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
II Peter 3:9
I was praising God today in my L list of praises and read that “He lingers in His return”. But I don’t want Him to linger!!! I’m ready for heaven. Then I read the following L praise: He’s the lily of the valley. Song of Solomon 2:1.
And the darling children’s song immediately began skipping through my mind. I couldn’t help smiling. Yes, Donna, you are still on this earth for a reason.
“He’s the lily of the valley, He’s the bright and morning star, He’s the fairest of ten thousand, everybody ought to know.”
My assignment continues: to do my part so that everybody knows that Jesus is Savior!
R – My God Reigns. Psalm 146:10
The Lord will reign forever. Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
A – God Anoints.
God anoints kings and queens, prophets, rulers and many important people. But He also anoints you and me, His children.
Every morning I ask God to anoint me with His Holy Spirit. I’m not royalty, but I have a kingdom. My kingdom is the world God has placed around me. I can affect that kingdom for good or something less – anger, annoyance, impatience, condescension, ignoring. It seems odd to think about, but even alone in my home I have a kingdom to influence: me. What I chose to feel and think in my home influences how I react in my broader kingdom.
Beloved God, please anoint me this day with Your Holy Spirit so that I can represent You and give You glory in the kingdom You give me.
Q – God speaks to me quietly–in a still, small voice, a gentle whisper. I Kings 19:12
G – God is my G…….
Of late G has become my favorite letter for praising Jesus/God. Why G? Because these G words that describe God’s character and his actions seem to be what I need most during these crazy, challenging, unpredictable times.
God is good. That descriptor is right up there with holy. It’s foundational to faith. Despite circumstances, we know that God and His will for us is good!
God is gentle. I can hold His hand. Seek His hug. Walk slowly and quietly beside Him. Because I know He is all-powerful, experiencing that He is also gentle comforts me.
God guides me. So often these days I don’t know what I’m doing, where I’m going or supposed to go, how to get there, or even begin. Or what to even do when I get there, wherever “there” is. But Jesus knows. And He gently guides me when I put my trust in Him for the unknown.
God guards me. He keeps me from going over the cliff or under the bus. When I’m about to lose it, he protects me either by strengthening me or reducing the temptation. He gently, quietly holds me and keeps my feet and my spirits on solid ground.
God gives–all that I need for every situation.
P – Jesus is the Purifier of my soul. Malachi 3:3
S – Jesus is the Swelling in my heart!
I am forgiven, clean, pure. I am loved, even when I mess up. I am understood. I am wanted. I am enabled. I am secure. I am held.
Oh, Lord, my heart bursts!
Happy New Year!
O – God is Omniscient. He knows it all.
C – God Cares!!!!
He cares about “the all”–any and everything that concerns me. Like many others, I tend to give God the BIG things, and I witness His amazing knowledge and power. But it’s when I observe His touch and awareness of the small things in my life that I’m overwhelmed with how very much He cares for me.
Something hasn’t worked for days, then finally it’s changed, timed out, or clicked back and I don’t have to call a repairman. I misplaced a paper I spent much care in putting together to guide my worship. How could God allow that? But in the middle of the night, He whispers to me where I’d so carefully chosen the right place for it. I reach out in the dark, and sure enough, it’s there! He didn’t let go of me. For several months, I tried to discover some small, unimportant thing. Then, on the very day, at the very time I desperately needed encouragement, I found the answer on the computer. Small? Yes, but not really. God reached down in my unimportant life and gave me an unexpected gift at the perfect time. I wouldn’t have imagined that He even knew about such an insignificant thing. But He did.
He Cares. I am important–to Him.
N – Jesus is the Name unto salvation.
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 ESV
W- God is my World.
I continue to battle that “hurry gene” as I’ve mentioned before. I especially need to guard against it during the holidays. My lecture mantra-to-self is often repeated: “Donna, slow down. You have all the time in the World to do what needs to be done today.” Recently, I paused to ask myself, “So what is ‘the world’?”
I smiled when it came to me, another descriptor of the God I love and serve–HE is my world.
M – Jesus in Mine!
I’ve shared this one a lot, that’s because it’s my favorite M praise. Oh, how very thankful I am that I chose Him as my Savior and that He came to live inside me. He’s Mine!
F – God is the great Finder.
He found me. But during this season of celebrating Christ’s birth, when the shepherds and the kings found Baby Jesus, I want to thank Him for finding my special, beloved Christmas decorations. I was determined last Christmas to downsize and reorganize. But, oops, did I go too far? I went to bed with a list of treasures I could not find.
Awaking early this morning and before even starting prayer, God led me, in the dark with flashlight in hand, to every hidden place where our Jesus-celebrating decorations lay hidden. I’m overwhelmed with love and the experienced-knowledge that God cares about even the little things.
Beloved God, thank You for Finding things for me and with me. What proof that You care!
N – God Numbers the hairs on my head. Luke 12:7
C – God, the Creator. Psalm 95:4,5; Isaiah 40:12
Each morning (and in the night if I cannot sleep) I go through my personal
“This I Believe” list. It starts with God, then Jesus, then the Holy Spirit, then me and the promises He gives me. The first belief on my list is “God is the Creator of all that is, all that exists!”
I focus on the expanse of the universe and the complexity of how it all fits together. And I am filled with awe. But my awe expands beyond what I can never totally grasp to the fact that this God of Creation also chose to create puny little me. How humbling. Yet how exalting and confirming.
So each day I start off compelled to discover why God created me for just this place, for just this time, and for just this purpose. What an incredible, indescribable honor that God wants me in His world and that He has special and unique assignments designed just for me.
Thank You Lord. I love You. I’m off for this day of discovery!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING AMERICA! Father God, You are worthy of our thanks. You have abundantly blessed our nation and we have gone astray from our foundation, thinking we get the credit for our nations’ strength and success.. Please forgive us and guide us back to “one nation under God.” We ask for the humility, wisdom, and discernment to do Your will.
M – God is Mighty to save. Isaiah 63:1
It would be an excellent exercise to write a list of the many ways God saves. Then review it often, adding new ways that we have discovered along the way. First and foremost, He saves us from our sin through Jesus. He has saved my marriage. He saves me from debilitating discouragement. He saves up ways to bless me. He saves me from overwhelming guilt because of His gracious forgiveness. He saves me from misplaced anxiety by actually and foolishly thinking that I’m in charge . . . . and the list goes on. Let’s keep adding to it!
G – God Guides me.
I can’t imagine how many footprints I’d have made on detours in the desert if God hadn’t been Guiding me. I used to think that with each year life would get easier. It seemed to make sense because, after all, I’d be smarter, more capable, have more experience, a deeper faith, and have learned to trust more completely.
In my walk with Jesus, I have gained some of what I’ve just listed. But what I’m learning, most emphatically, is that we need His guidance every step of the way! A little poem I often read in the morning asks God: please guide me to the Eternal City. The writer of those lines knew (and I am learning) that we need our God’s guidance every second of every day until we are welcomed into His eternal presence.
Beloved God, Guide our days!
L – God is the Lily of the valley. Song of Solomon 2:1
E – God encourages.
Confession is a daily practice during my devotion time, and throughout the day if I mess up a lot. But there are times during confession when I hear God’s words of encouragement. “Donna, I know you’re trying. You’re getting better. Keep-a-going girl, and stay on track.”
And at the end of my race, I’m eager and hopeful for the best words of all, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:23
K- God is the remnant Keeper.
“God’s remnant are those who are blessed beyond measure despite their failures and weaknesses. They are blessed because they are pleasing to God because of their faith.” The thought of being a part of the remnant has always given me hope, comfort, and confidence. But Covid with the issue of masks, distancing, and vaccines threatens to split the remnant.
May that not happen. Holy God, please be our Remnant Keeper!
U – God is the Ultimate.
As my blog attests, I love coming up with more ways and words to praise God. The word “ultimate” has been playing around in my mind, so I decided, before I claim it for God, I’d best look it up. It has two definitions:
1) the best achievable or imaginable of its kind.
Does God even have a kind? I suppose the kind would be gods, as in what man’s mind has made into a god. But there is only One God, the Triune God of the Bible, and He is God With a capital G! And He is definitely the best, far beyond human imagining.
2) being or happening at the end of a process; final. Oh yes! God is definitely the final, the end, the goal, the eternal, our crown of glory. But He is also the beginning. The beginning, the middle, and the end of all things. And most assuredly the Ultimate of all things.
Yup, there you have it. Our God is the ultimate. And hear this: He wants us for His children!
J – God is Jehovah, our self-existent, eternal, covenant-keeping, promise-keeping God.
C – God is an ever-present Center.
Eugene Peterson made that statement in his book “Where Your Treasure Is.” I immediately claimed it: God is My ever-present center. I’ve used it often in these challenging days. I bring Him deeper and deeper within me as I fight anger, sorrow, impatience, doubt, whining, When my faith flounders and my perseverance wanes, I hold my hands against my center and remember Who is in charge. My confidence is renewed. He promised that His Word will prevail and He will have the victory. That’s all I need to know.
I – God is Immortal.
Immortal = living forever. That means God will always be there for me and for humankind!
G – Jesus Guards. The Lord guards our going out and our coming in. Psalm 121:8
I recently took a flat rock, swiped some white paint over it, and wrote down the words of Psalm 121:8. It is placed at the front door of our home—my Christian mezuzah. It reminds me often of God’s omnipresence and protection. But it is also encourages all visitors to consider the comfort of an all-powerful God caring for their going in and coming out. May is bring a spark of hope to a harried UPS and Fed Ex driver.
H – Jesus is my Here, right now, with me, giving me His full attention and provision.
A – Christ is my All in All. Colossians 3:11
Hillsong Worship beautifully describes our choice to make Jesus our All in All in their song “Christ is Enough.”
My favorite lines are:
I have decided to follow Jesus
No turning back
No turning back
The cross before me
The world behind me
No turning back
No turning back
Half-way yielding to Jesus doesn’t get me where I yearn to be: completed—able and ready to face each day. I have learned (of course the hard way) that I alone or in-part doesn’t get me there. But when I make Jesus my All in All, I come close to being the “well done good and faithful servant” that He and I want me to be.
Oh, Lord Jesus, I give You my All in All.
G – God is Gentle.
When we are war weary, lagging in our race, beaten down by the challenges of life, God calms us. Walks with us. Holds us in His Gentleness. We are encouraged, confirmed, and strengthened in His Gentleness. And freshly enabled to carry on.
W – Jesus is our Welcome at heaven’s gate.
Covid just claimed my dear, dear friend’s last breath! My heart aches. But I picture Christ’s arms reaching out for her as He Welcomes her home to her eternal home. There is celebration in heaven!
F – God is the Father of lights.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.
James 1:17 ESV
S – Jesus is The Bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16
I rose early this morning and went to the window to find the morning Star in the clear sky. I was disappointed when I couldn’t find it. But I persevered and walked out on the patio to look further. I still couldn’t see it. I moved around more and gazed more intently and there it was . . . shining brightly up in the sky . . . but hidden behind a tall tree.
The Star, our Jesus, is always there. Sometimes it’s easy to recognize Him and experience His presence. Sometimes it is more difficult and we must search more intently, be more determined, persevere. But He is always there, ready to comfort, to counsel, to encourage, to strengthen . . .
II Peter 1:19 talks about the bright morning star rising in our hearts. May it be so!
E – God Enjoys.
I have no Bible Verse to prove that God Enjoys. But I have to think that when we live lives that glorify and honor Him and His Son Jesus, we give Him pleasure. The thought that puny little me could do this makes my heart swell with joy. I want to always be a reason my Creator God enjoys.
C – Jesus Cleans.
This morning I woke and did what I do every morning, I looked out my window to see the weather. Behold! The world had become brighter! What a lovely view. But why was it any different than yesterday? I’d washed my windows! After two years of grunge that acquired as I waited out covid, I’d finally removed the gloom from my windows.
Jesus does that for our soul and our heart. He removes the gloom and grunge of sin and separation. He washes us clean with His sacrifice on the cross. And my whole view of myself and my world is clear and bright and welcoming.
Oh, I praise You, Lord Jesus, for the cleansing, purifying hope that You give to those who claim your salvation.
D – God is Dependable.
He keeps His promises. He’s faithful to His people and His word. He never fails. He is our hope.
S – God Strengthens and Sustains.
“My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.” Psalm 89:21
That’s a promise to us, His children!
Will our “normal” life ever return? Covid. A variant. Wild fires. Hurricanes. Racial/political contention. Precarious economy. Where is the end? How do we hang on? How do we keep the faith?
We keep trusting in the God Who strengthens and sustains us. We hold on to Him. Because . . . there is no One else. There is nothing else. As Peter asked in the book of John (6:68), “Lord, to whom shall we go?”
We wait. We trust. HE WILL BRING US THROUGH!
C – God cares about it all – even the hairs on our head! Luke 12:7, Matthew 10:30
K – God is my Know.
We are living in a world of intense awareness of the unknown: pandemic, racial and political unrest, significant environmental shifts . . . And yet I know what I can count on: My God. He knows all that has come before and all that lies ahead.
I have come to know Him. Through experience of many years of walking with God He has been unfailingly present and faithful. And I know Him through study, my passionate desire to learn more about His character which I’ve recorded using the alphabet.
I do not know what lies ahead, but I do Know God will walk with me and He knows the paths on which to guide me. The unknown is scary, but our all-knowing God walks with us.
B – Jesus is my Beauty.
I often praise the beauty of God in creation. But, today, I humbly give praise for His beauty in me. I’ve had interactions with others when I walk away with my heart exploding from the joy of knowing God actually used me for His glory. I acknowledge and rejoice that it wasn’t my beauty that was used; it was Christ’s beauty that shined through me to bless another and draw then to Christ.
Christ’s beauty shining through us, His believers, is absolutely irresistible. Our highest privilege and greatest honor.
T – God is the ultimate Time Manager.
I’ve begun to believe I was born with a few too many “hurry” genes. I am one of those organized, administrative types and getting the list done seems to have made hurry my default mode. That’s not good and it must change!
I’ve determined after years of research that lack of trust in my ever-trustworthy God is my prevailing sin. God must be weary of me confessing (yet again!) the same thing. However, I’ve also discovered that hurry through every day and every list actually stems from lack of trust. I don’t trust that God will give me enough time to do what He is asking me to do. Or is it what I am asking myself to do?
God owns time and He is the ultimate Time Manager. When I keep my mind focused on that throughout my days, I can trust, slow down, and let God lead the way. Whew!
A – Jesus is my A. Revelation 22:13
“I am the Alpha (A) and the Omega (Z), the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
God begins each day with the birds chirping and the sun rising. He begins Spring with leaves and flowers emerging. He is there with us directing the birth of a child, the first day of a new school year
and a new job. His crowning glory of beginnings is with the first deep and exultant breath at the beginning of new life as a believer in Jesus Christ!
S – Jesus is my Song.
I sing with Jesus throughout my days, and sometimes through the night. But when I have no melody
left in me, He continues to sing to me.
Z – Jesus is my Z. Revelation 22:13
I am the Alpha (A) and the Omega (Z), the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
S – Jesus is my Someday.
Someday . . . there will be no hurt feelings, depression, pain, disease, or death. Someday there will be no wildfires, earthquakes, or hurricanes. Satan will no longer be able to taunt and harass and deceive. Everyone will be in one accord. The Remnant will be united in celebration and worship. The race will be over and Jesus will be the victor. SOMEDAY. Someday it will not be so hard to keep our eyes on Jesus, He will be right before us!
And until my someday comes, Jesus will be my today (my B-Y)– holding me, guiding me, strengthening me to continue the race.
B – God BLESS America! Land that we love.
Oh, beloved God, how far we have strayed from “one nation under God.” Please don’t give up on us! May we turn back to You and seek Your guidance and will for our nation and your people.
Y – Jesus is my YES!
The weather prediction for the next three days is for temperatures in the three digits – with the high
on Sunday of 111. That is unheard of in the Pacific Northwest!!!! A funeral celebration is planed with
people coming from all over the nation and the events are outdoors. My grandson has a double
header baseball game in his all-star tournament. My son and I are going to the part of Oregon where
recent wildfires burned a precious church to the ground. This is the weekend to start rebuilding.
YES, Lord Jesus, we can do this! May we follow Your wisdom in what to do and not to do. May we go
forward with faith that You are in charge and You want what’s best. YES, Lord we trust in You in
confusing situations!
Y – All powerful God, You are “You” with a capital Y. There is no other God.
X – God exceeds.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us . . . Ephesians 3:20 NKJ
K – Our God Keeps . . . .
Keeps me safe: Psalm 4:8. Keeps vigil: Exodus 12:42 NIV.
Keeps my lamp burning: Psalm 18:28 NIV.
He is . . .My Keeper: Revelation 3:10 NIV. The keeper of promises: Numbers 23:19.
The Keeper of the hedge: Job 1:10. The keeper of my soul: John 10:28-29.
The keeper of the remnant Joel 2:32 NKJ.
W – Jesus is my Warrior.
When I have no more strength to fight, Jesus fights for me. My Warrior God fights beside me through all the challenges of everyday, but when I weary and fall, He continues the fight for me. Many times I’ve stood at the end of a hard day and wondered how I managed to make it. The answer is that Jesus fought on for me.
Q – God’s quality rating is ***********************************!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you tired of getting surveys for everything? I surely am. But I had fun with the idea of filling out a survey about God. There aren’t enough boxes to check or stars to rate our God. My blog is my feeble effort of describing and honoring our GREAT GOD!
V – Jesus is Vibrant.
Vibrant: full of energy and enthusiasm; bright, brilliant, vivid, strong, rich, intense
Imagine all of that and He’s on your side, filling you with His Spirit! So . . . we go forth and change the world . . . make it a better, more joy-filled world.
C – Jesus is my Celebration.
When my chest is so full of celebration it will surely burst and I want to stretch out my arms to embrace the world . . . that is experiencing Jesus.
U – God is Up-to-date.
Malachi 3:6 and Hebrews 13:8 both claim the unchanging nature of God. But one might wonder how can that help when there are so many new dimensions in our world that could not be conceived a short while ago: zoom visits, cars that park themselves, ordering new pajamas as you take your morning walk . . .? All these new concepts came from the human mind. And Who created the human mind? There’s nothing beyond Creator God’s understanding and THAT does not change. So He’s not just Up-to-date, He’s way ahead of us!
R – Jesus is my Rest.
Today is Sunday and I’m resting and writing about my favorite topic—God. But the week ahead promises a busy schedule. Jesus’ rest defies containment. It is not just when I’m curled up on a quiet Sunday afternoon. His rest walks along beside me and resides in me as I face the challenges of a crazy week.
Busyness and hurry are part of my DNA. But a long time ago I read something that has proven true these many year later. It was, “ I have so much to do today the I simply must take time to be with Jesus.” Yes! Jesus can be our rest wherever, whenever, in the whatever.
T – God is Trustworthy.
S – Jesus is my Sufficiency. “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
II Corinthians 12:9
I’ve heard this statement many times over the years and it’s very comforting. But it becomes a whole lot more personal and real when you actually live it and put it to the test.
Our family is going through some tough transitions and I’ve needed to take charge. I’ve faced days I didn’t want to do what I had to do, much less feel able do it all. The to-do lists seemed endless. I cried out, “Lord, I can’t do this! And He would gently answer, ‘No you can’t, but I can.’ ” Administration is one of my gifts, but I couldn’t even figure out what to do first since they all were important and had to be done. Jesus guided me to one thing at a time and freed my mind to forget the rest. Then He’d bring me to the next and then the next. As I completely leaned on Jesus, He guided me through the must-do tasks.
At the end of these impossible days, I’d stand back in awe to actually realize I’d made it, and, miracle of miracles done so with calm and grace—His character, not mine.
Yes! Our God is sufficient for everything life throws at us. Praise You, beloved Lord.
S – Jesus saves.
He not only saves me unto salvation, He saves me every day from giving up and going over the cliff.
P – God is the Portrait Painter.
I am passionate about the character of God. So I loved discovering the words by author Ruth Myers from her book Christlife.
“Every truth about us is rooted in who God is—His attributes, attitudes, and actions. The portrait God has revealed of Himself undergirds His portrait of who we are in Christ. This means that for every need or problem we face, there’s always a corresponding truth (or truths) about Him that can see us through triumphantly, with calm trust in Him.”
Recently, I’ve been hit square on with the passages and transitions of life. Decisions needed to be made regarding decline in two people very close to me. I wouldn’t say I (we) have reached the “triumphant” level yet, but I can absolutely praise my awesome God that He is facing the decisions with me, guiding me, strengthening me, and giving me supernatural peace and trust in knowing HE is in charge.
May the Portrait of our God become our portrait in Christ as we lean on Him and honor His name.
R – Jesus is Risen!
My Jesus, our Jesus, could not be contained, held back, or destroyed. He rose and completed His work upon the cross: to change everything. Our bondage to sin is broken. We are set free!
Free to what? Free for Jesus to rise within each of us His believers, His saved children, His new disciples.
He is risen in each of us so that we can experience His joy and empowerment and then rise up and spread His message
Dear sister and brother, may we rise up, empowered by our Risen Lord and shine His healing light upon our broken world!
B & H & R & C Today is Good Friday. Jesus Bore my sins in His body on the cross and, through that act, He Healed me of my wounds and Reunited me with God my Creator. Is that not incredibly humbling and awe inspiring?
I have a dear, dear friend who is a strong Catholic. I respect her greatly. I trust our friendship so much that once I was brave enough to ask her why the Catholic cross still shows Jesus on it. The protestant presentation is of the empty cross, symbolizing that the work of salvation is completed. Her answer was simple and profound. And it has stayed with me many years later.
She stated matter of factly, “We show Jesus on the cross so we can never forget the price He paid for our salvation.” Wow, and again, wow!
Every year during Holy Week I watch the youtube.com video enactment of Ray Bolz’s song “Watch the Lamb.” It shows both Christ on the cross, the price, and points to Christ off the cross, the completion. It never fails to touch my soul.
Beloved Jesus, we are ever thankful for Your indescribable gift. May we never forget the price You paid.
C – Jesus Comes.
It’s Palm Sunday so I looked up the events of this day in Jesus’ week. All four Gospels tell of the crowd shouting, “Blessed is he who Comes in the name of the Lord!” Only Luke records in 19:41 something I’d never paid attention to before: Jesus wept over the city. Why? Because, despite shouting their praise, Jesus tells the people in verse 44, “You did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.” The crowd was celebrating a “coming” of their definition.
Am I guilty of that too? It’s been a bad year. That’s putting it mildly. Have I been so focused on whining and logging the calamities that hit one after another that I missed His Coming to me every moment of every day?
Have I failed to praise Him for carrying me through it all?
Forgive me Lord! You have never left me even when I leave You. Thank You and Praise You for Coming to me each day. And, someday, for Coming to claim me for eternity!
R – Christ Renews. Us, His children.
C – God creates.
Solomon stated in Ecclesiastes 1:9 “there is nothing new under the sun.” Scientific principles state that nothing new can be created, only a reconfiguration of what the world started with.
But the prayer of one’s heart in Psalm 51:10 speaks of the faith that God is still in the business of creating, re-creating, renewing, and making the original creation better. That’s you and me, my friends. Through His holy Spirit, Christ is continuality making us new: more loving, patient, forgiving, merciful, hopeful, gentle, strong . .
Our original design continually fell short of what we could be. But as God creates us anew, we experience a transformation into the best me and the best you.
There is HOPE! I’m sure glad because I didn’t like the first me very much.
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10
Q – God is Quiet.
I treasure His quiet presence and His whispers in my ear.
A – Arms.
God has His Arms about me!! And I am loved and comforted. I feel the warmth of His closeness and His protection. I am safe and cared for.
God Arms me. God arms me with His Spirt Who gives me the confidence to carry on. He arms me with His guidance and a map for where to go. He arms me with His promises and assurances. He arms me with knowledge of Him so that I know I can count on Him. He’s armed me with a long history of His faithfulness to me. He’s armed me with the hope and confidence that someday I will see Him face to face and His ownership mark will be upon my forehead. Revelation 22:4
I am strong in the Lord because of His “Arms.”
S – God is my Sun and my Shield. Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.
We’ve just come through snow, ice, six days with no electricity, frozen roads, then roads and yards full of fallen trees and limbs. There was no sun in sight. But my Sun never left me. He shined behind the clouds and through the fire that warmed us. But I must confess I celebrated my Sun even more when He shined on my face and melted the ice.
And through the struggle He was my Shield against resentment, frustration, and anger. My Bible study leader pointed out that a shield must be picked up and held up in order to protect us. I admit whining may have slipped through a few times when my arm wearied of holding my Shield. But I’ve come to believe God sometimes reaches down in those lowest of low moments and helps us hold the Shield.
Dear fellow Christians, may the Sun shine on you even through the clouds and may you remember to pick up your Shield. Me too!
P – Jesus is Perfect. And with His help I’m inching toward it : ) . Matthew 5:48
A – God is my Always.
I tend to dislike superlatives. Examples: It never fails . . . She always . . . Isn’t this always the
case . . . I never get to . . .
But I love this superlative for God. He is Always with me. Always caring. Always my friend. Always my Savior. Always holding me. Always dependable. Always patient. Always seeking my best. Always guiding. Always picks me up. Always my help, my strength, my rest, my courage, my sufficiency, my encourager, my comfort . . .
God is my Always. He, alone, never fails.
O – God is my Oasis, where I go to find refreshment.
H – Jesus is Here – with me, with you!
As a young mother and a new Christian I remember my first real look at what Christ’s omnipresence meant to me.
I was earnestly trying to share my newfound faith with my daughter. I’d been asked to pray for our church’s missionaries who were located in Africa with Mission Aviation Fellowship. So, of course, I prayed with my daughter, too. I’d just purchased the world globe for her and we found Africa on the map—a full turn of the globe from where we lived. As we pray in the daylight we talked about that they were asleep in what would be their nighttime.
She asked, “But how can Jesus be there with them at the same time?”
Well there you have it! That’s just how BIG our God is and what an incredible mystery that He can be giving each of His children his full attention, all at the same time, no matter where we are.
Oh, my God, what an incredible comfort it is to know that You are here with me–always, everyday, everywhere!
N – Jesus is Needed.
F – God Fills us.
God fills us with many things. But during this passage through this time of political, social, medical, economic challenges, I’m asking Him to fill me with His Holy Spirit. This chaotic time never seems to end. I haven’t doubted God’s sovereignty or His goodness. Where I have doubted is by questioning: “Can I make it?”
Can I, as a Christian, make it through, still honoring God my Creator and His reputation with my claims that I am a child of God? I cannot.
Holy Spirit, I need to be filled to the brim and overflowing with YOU. Please fill me anew.
“Spirit of the Living Lord, fall afresh on me. Melt me. Mold me. FILL ME! Use me. Spirit of the living Lord, fall afresh on me.”
History of this song: “During January and February of 1926, the George T. Stephans Evangelistic Party conducted a citywide revival in the tabernacle in Orlando, Fla. Daniel Iverson, a Presbyterian minister from Lumberton, N.C., spent several days in Orlando visiting with the Stephans team. The day he arrived, he was greatly impressed by a message on the Holy Spirit given by Dr. Barron, a physician from Columbia, S.C.
“Later that day Iverson went to the First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, sat down at the piano, and wrote this song. Miss Birdie Loes, the pianist for the Stephans team, wrote it out on manuscript paper. E. Powell Lee, the team song leader, was immediately impressed and taught it to the people that evening in the tabernacle, and used it throughout the campaign.”
M – Jesus is Mine.
O – Jesus is Omnipresent!
I’m in the middle of a 14-day Covid quarantine. My son and I were exposed. Praise God we tested negative at about day 7 of the quarantine. The scare when told we were exposed, the wait to hear the Covid test results, and the isolation of quarantine have been scary and challenging. But we have not been alone, just the two of us in our house. Jesus has always been present. Talking to us, encouraging us, holding our hands. He has been enough. He has never left us and He never will.
And someday we will stand before Him, face to face, and shout Thank You!
N – Jesus is the Name above all names.
Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11 TLB
He’s in charge, not us. Praise God for that! And HE will have the victory!
W – God is Wisdom!
And guess what? He offers to share His wisdom with us, His children. But we must ask Him for wisdom with the faith that He will do just that. James 1:5
I’ve been asking for wisdom a lot lately. In truth, begging for it. The divisiveness in our world wounds and frustrates me. It’s beyond my capacity to understand, much less know how to respond to it. But God answers my prayer for His wisdom. And He’s guiding me, one step at a time, through these challenges.
Oh, thank You, my God, that You are so generous in sharing Your attributes and that You keep Your promises!
M – God Makes known His Manifold wisdom.
. . . to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. Ephesians 3:10 NKJV
G – Jesus Governs.
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.”
The God we just celebrated as coming as a child will also govern our nations. The United States changes Presidential leaders in January 2021. I’m greatly relieved and comforted to know that the government will continue to be upon HIS shoulders.
What an incredible responsibility we expect of our Presidents. We, as Christians, must pray that our human president seek in heart, mind, and action to govern according to the One Who ultimately governs.
Oh, Lord God, please Govern our great nation. IN GOD WE TRUST!
L – . . . and Lord of Lords. Glory hallelujah!
I Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14, 19:16, and worship song
P – Jesus is our Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Jesus offers us peace within our souls. Peace between his children. And our ultimate peace: eternal life with Him. It’s obvious to us all that the ultimate peace has not yet come! For now, He’s giving us peace enough to sustain us through this fractured, sinful world. But it isn’t automatic. We must actively believe in it and claim it.
Believe, dear friends. Claim it. Keep the remnant (us!) alive until we receive that ultimate, longed-for peace.
And until then: trust and lean on our Prince of Peace.
K – Jesus is King of Kings . . .
W – Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor. Isaiah 9:6
Our church just had a lovely virtual Christmas celebration where the speaker talked about Jesus as our Wonderful Counselor. She suggested that the words wonderful and counselor are more common place in present day use and have lost some of their mystery and majesty. She offered her amplified version: extraordinary strategist.
I like both versions. I will forever stand in Wonder that Jesus chose me. I am blessed beyond description that He counsels me in the quiet, intimacy of my soul. He is far beyond the word extraordinary—He’s to the moon and back and farther even. And as the master strategist, He knows everything ahead of time and guides me (if I’m willing to be guided) on the right paths to all the goodness He has planned for me.
Oh, yes, the Wonder of it all! That our Jesus cares that much for each of us!
J – Jesus (in Greek) is Joshua (in Hebrew). And the meaning for both names is defined in
Matthew 1:21: the LORD saves.
A – Jesus is the Answer.
The answer to what? Everything. Yup, He’s that big and that good. And He’s my God!
Do you have a list of unanswerable questions? I do. The list is pretty long and getting longer through this crazy year of 2020. The pondering, the sifting and sorting for possible answers or explanations can keep me awake at night and distract me during the day. But as I measure them against the truth of the Bible and what the Holy Spirit whispers to me, I consistently come back to one answer to all my questions: Jesus, His gift of salvation and our only hope for making it through life. I have the answer and I trust Him to fill in the rest of the explanation when I see Him face to face.
Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6
And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Accts 4:12
Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.”
John 6:68
I – God is Invincible.
No virus will destroy His world.
K – God Keeps His promises.
God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. James 1:12
Are you patiently enduring? Me: not so much. I came across this verse this morning and found myself guilty of running low on patience. But God has never failed to keep His promises and He won’t this time either. I must do my part to receive His promises.
So, loving God, please increase my patience so that I might receive your promise.
H – Our God Heals.
Old Testament: Yahweh Rophe or Rapha–completely make whole, thoroughly mend, restore, cure – Exodus 15:26
New Testament: the Great Physician – Mark 2:17
It’s autumn. Blowing, raking, and bagging the fallen leaves has damaged my hip. It throbs at night and keeps me awake “Oh, Lord, please heal my hip.”
COVID has infected people around the world. It’s taken lives, jobs, relationships – stolen hope and planted divisiveness, anger, and doubt.
Racial and political issues have us wandering around, confused, argumentative, and combative.
Oh, beloved God, We, Your people, stand before You in need of healing: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As it says in Exodus 15:26: We desire to listen carefully to the voice of the LORD our God and do what is right in Your sight.
We pray, we beg, “Beloved, all knowing, all powerful God, please heal Your people!”
G – God Guides.
Almighty God, please guide our nation and establish our steps!
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps. Proverbs 16:9
D – God dispels
God created everything that exists. One of the basic premises of science is that nothing from the earth and its’ atmosphere can be destroyed, it only changes form. (example is water: liquid, ice, gas) So what do I mean when I claim that God dispels (definition: to make disappear)?
I’m a visual person and as a new Christian I pictured each of God’s believers quietly walking to the foot of the cross, stooped and groaning from guilt and shame. At the cross they confessed their sin and lay it down, then walked away exultant and forgiven. But wouldn’t the cross become buried and lost in the wretchedness and filth of humanity?
Oh, but look again. The ugly confessed sin is gone! God Dispelled it—it is no more. The cross shines out, clean and welcoming, continually inviting all to come. As far as the east is from the west, so far does God remove our sins from us. Psalm 103:12
Thank You, my almighty, forgiving God. I bask in the emptiness at the foot of the cross!
F – Jesus Fights with me.
We fight together for His will. For His righteousness. Against the powers of darkness and evil.
And for His future and hope. He will have the victory!
C – Jesus Completes me.
God the Father, my Creator, chose to place me on His earth. I was created in His image, but I wasn’t complete because He was not in me. Only by asking Jesus to be my Savior and to lead my life did the Holy Spirit come to complete me and make me whole.
HE + me = WE! And WE can do all things. We can make it through Covid, wildfires, riots, hurricanes, elections, a divided nation . . .
I (WE) can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
E – God is Elohim (God the creator) and El Elyon (Lord most high, sovereign ruler).
W – God Wants me. And He Wants you, too.
That’s a pretty presumptuous statement. So how do I know that? Simple logic–taken from the Bible and from God’s character. God is the creator of all that is. He’s all-powerful and sovereign. No thing or no one makes God do their bidding. He does only what He wants to do. So . . .if I’m on this earth, if you’re on this earth, it’s because God Wants us here! How’s that for important?
And He Wants relationship with us. He designed the plan of salvation and offered it to us. And, praise God, we chose to receive His salvation gift. At least I sure hope you have. In so doing we became complete, united with our Holy, Creator God.
And He wants to take us to His eternal home, to meet us face to face. Revelation 22:4 Imagine that!
Realizing the God of the universe actually wants me, is more than I can grasp. At minimum, I feel pretty special. I’m eager to see His face and have His name on my forehead. In the meantime, I shall live ever-seeking to discover and fulfill why God wants me.
D – God is Dependable. He does what He says He will do.
S – God is my Sufficiency. II Corinthians 3:5
I absolutely know that God will not test us beyond what we can handle. Corinthians 12:13
That is His promise and He has always kept it.
So, Lord, please be our sufficiency as we keep a going, as we carry on, as we trust in You, our all-sufficient God.
I – God is Immeasurable! Ephesians 2:7 ESV
God, You cannot be measured, but I sure want to try.
I want to know more of You and know You more deeply.
With every year of life, with every new challenge and fear,
I learn that the answer to it all is YOU—my God.
For the unknown—I trust Your omniscience.
For the overwhelming—I trust Your power and faithfulness.
For my unworthiness—I claim Your worthiness.
For loneliness—I soak in Your presence.
For hopelessness—I trust Your promises.
For sin—I claim Your cross and Your forgiveness.
For uncertainty—I know You have the final victory.
For fear—I run to Your refuge and find protection.
For weakness—I seek Your strength.
For insufficiency—You are sufficient.
For failures—I claim Your Spirit to carry-on and Your
promise that I will rise again. Micah 7:8
For my disappointments and discouragement—I
trust Your sovereignty and victory.
You may not be fully measurable, Lord God, but I love
and need all that I have learned of You! I will continue to seek
more.
C – God is my Calm.
My precious son has developed a lot of stress and anxiety—rather typical for
an adult of his age who has disabilities. He’s been prescribed an Rx which helps.
He calls it his “calm” pill.
Jesus is my “calm pill.” But I don’t have to find the pill bottle to take it. My calm is
always available. But I do need to remember to take it. I have to be intensional
about making Jesus the source of my peace and calm and take confidence
in it as I go into the storms of life.
V – God had the Victory.
Covid. Riots. Wildfires. Hurricanes. Elections. My mind whirls.
I go into a prayer meeting and hear of deaths in the fire. A new-daughter
in-law tearing the family apart. A son-in-law who served the Lord with his
surfing ministry—killed by a rare shark attack. Gang killings in my
beloved El Salvadoran village. Lord what is going on? How can we endure?
But God assures us over and over again in His Word that
HE WILL HAVE THE VICTORY. I’m laying claim to that and taking courage
from it as I head back into the world.
B – Jesus is my Battle Cry.
When satan or my old nature tempts me, I shove my hand in the air and shout I John 4:4: “Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world!!!” That is what I do when I’m alone. If I am in public I shout it in my mind with my palm open to claim it. I am claiming the promise that God gave us, a promise that He loves to keep.
But satan and my old spirit are sly; they can sneak in on tiptoe. The beginning of darkness and negativity is often so subtle that I don’t recognize what’s happening. But the Holy Spirit and I are working together to become more sensitive to when the attack begins.
S – God gives the Spirit. Luke 11:13
God fills us to abundance with His Holy Spirit. The Spirit is with us in celebration and in sorrow. In triumph and in failure. In persevering and in wanting to quit. In hope and in discouragement. In faith and in frustration. In strength and in weariness. In starting and in stopping.
I would not want to “do life” without the Holy Spirit.
Oh praise You, my God, You are with me through it all. We will do this thing called life—together!
A – Jesus is the Air I breathe.
This morning, as I inhaled deeply of fresh, clean, wet breezes straight from heaven, I shouted, “Jesus, YOU are the air I breathe.” I’d lain awake from 3:30-4:30 hearing loud thunder and watching lightening constantly flash across the sky. I fought fear, claiming my praises from yesterday: God’s faith and hope.
By morning, it was raining and our scorched land had renewed hope. Three weeks of wildfire smoke was nearly gone.
Celebrating God’s answer to prayers, I walked barefoot in the puddles on our deck and took great gulps of fresh air. God is good. He hears prayers. He is always with us. He is the life-sustaining air we breathe.
F & G – God is my Faith and my Hope!
We are in the sixth month of the Corona Virus. And where I live we’ve had severe wildfires for three weeks. I live in an evacuation zone and evacuated for five days. Fires in our immediate area (not in all of our state) have finally abated, resulting in eight days of severe hazardous air conditions. Thunder storms are predicted for tonight. They may have no rain, only lightening, which can bring more fires. Or they may produce a downpour which promises flash floods over the charred landscape. Or the storms could be the perfect amount to put out the fires and soak up the smoke.
What can I do?
Have faith that the God who has never failed me, will again carry me, His child, and we, His children, through this.
And have hope in my God that there is safety, healing, restoration, beauty, and abundant blessings ahead.
My God of faith and hope always walks with me. And carries me when I cannot walk. He will continue to.
A – God is the Alpha –the first letter in the Greek alphabet.
He is the beginning!
G – Jesus Guards.
Jesus guards many things . . . But I especially pray that He guard my relationship with Him.
I’ve invited Him into every part of my day, my life, my thoughts, and my purpose. We talk all day long. In so doing I’m aware that I can begin to take Him for granted, even make Him commonplace because I’m so comfortable in His ever-present company. I don’t’ want my intimacy with Him to cause me to lose my awe and awareness of just Who He is—the God of the universe! Nor do I want to diminish the thrill that He chose to live inside dusty, puny me.
Oh, my Awesome Lord, may I stay humbly and fearfully close to You.
Z – Jesus is my Zion.
Zion is used to mean many things relating to Jerusalem and Israel. But for me, personally, it means homeland. Jesus is my homeland now and where I hope to spend eternity. He is my “promised land” in which I already dwell!
W – Jesus is my Wellness.
During this Covid, I find myself saying often to people, “Stay well!” Jesus is how I am staying well, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
Physically – God gave us minds to use and health practices that work. I am using the wisdom He gave me to follow safe health practices.
Emotionally – Jesus knows my every doubt and weakness and fear. He will not allow me to be tested beyond what I can handle. I Corinthians 10:13 He is my comforter.
Spiritually – God has never failed in His faithfulness. He WILL carry us through this troubled time.
C – God is Confusing.
I rather think “confusing” is not really one of God’s attributes. But He’s confusing to me. Maybe that’s because He’s God and I’m not.
I love God with my whole heart and I trust Him implicitly. I try so hard to discern His will and His way. But it’s not always discernable. More often than I like, I’m required to simply trust and wait to see what He’s going to do. That doesn’t match well with my personality, or that of most human beings.
I keep asking God what He wants us to do with COVID? What are we to learn from it? How should we be praying? How can I honor Him in these baffling times?
The only thing I know to do is to admit I’m confused, dwell upon His consistent faithfulness, and keep trusting!
Y – Jesus Yielded. Luke 22:42 “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless,
not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Jesus Yielded to the will of His Father. I Yield to Jesus and the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit.
A – God is the Ancient of Days. Daniel 7:9,13,22.
I’ve always loved this name for God, but also created my own updates for the name—Modern of Days and Future of Days. I was bringing HIM up to speed. What arrogance!
Recently, in my pastor’s teaching on Daniel 7, I’m told “ancient” is not necessarily saying God is old
(and maybe not up to present-day challenges), but, rather, He is: dignified, impressive, wise, eternal. Hmm, pretty impressive!
I figure my Ancient of Days has seen our world through the Black Plague, the Inquisition, the Crusades, the War to End all Wars (WWI), the Great Depression, World War II, 9/11 . . . And my
Ancient of Days will see us through COVID!!!!
But, Lord, please hurry.
X – God is eXact.
Nothing ever happens without God’s knowledge. If something is happening, then I know I can handle it. God promises that I will NEVER be tested beyond what I can handle (with His help). So if it’s happening, WE can handle it!
W – Jesus Walks with me.
Jesus, I’ve been away from my blog for a while. Lots of extra challenges in the midst of the Covid.
Because of the Covid. But You know all that. And I thank You and praise You for Walking with me. The challenges aren’t over. You know that too.
But I can keep-a-going, persevering, trusting, hoping because You walk beside me—all the way.
W – Jesus Welcomes.
A long time ago I heard the descriptor that Jesus is “my Welcome at heaven’s gate”. I found that image so appealing it is the first thing that comes to me when hearing the word welcome. I have to admit I long for that welcome.
But my mistake has been that I haven’t sought His welcome at the beginning of each day. I’ve often missed His welcome as each month, season, and year begin. Jesus is there at each new beginning urging me on, encouraging me to keep-a-going until that wonderful moment when He welcomes me into my eternal home with Him.
B – Jesus is my Bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16
And Jesus welcomed me into this very morning! At five a.m. my friendly birds woke me chirping loudly through the open window. I got up to close the window and grab another hour of sleep. The early morning sky was very pale blue. It was perfectly clear, not a cloud to be seen. Only one thing in the sky—a single very bright star. It was like a beacon–my very personal welcome from Jesus to my new day.
I’m still smiling.
B – Jesus Breathes.
“Your buried body begins to breathe.” This is a line from a wonderful song entitled Living Hope, written by Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham. Singing it, hearing it, or even thinking those words moves my soul. It’s as though Jesus’ breath fills my lungs and very being with living hope.
Our Lord isn’t dead and neither is hope.
Oh Jesus, please breathe Your breath of living hope into our troubled world. Keep our faith strong.
V – Jesus is my Voila!
S – Jesus is my Smile. ☺
With our minds and hearts on the corona virus and rampant racial discord, smiles seem more rare. I know mine has been. And I miss it. So to help it along I’ve begun to place my fingers on the edges of my mouth and force it into smile position. Then something surprising happens.
When I force a smile, even a fake one, my insides seem to agree with my mouth and become less tense, almost on the edge of joy. So then I try smiling more naturally. And voila! The joy comes peeking through and the gloom subsides. It’s as if I am smiling to myself.
I’m sorry to say, sometimes my time with Jesus needs to be forced too, like my smile. Some days, I don’t feel like giving him priority time. I’m too busy. I’ll catch Him as I go along. Anyway, He hasn’t been too nice to me lately. But then I MAKE myself go to Him, sit with Him, talk with Him, tell Him how I feel. And, as with my smile, something inside me changes. I feel His presence and His love. Even His acceptance in spite of my waywardness. Praise and worship and, yes, joy, seep back into my spirit and my soul. My chest swells with a sense of wellbeing and completeness. Jesus is in charge. I can face the day.
May my smile reflect Jesus living inside me. Even if it is hidden behind a covid mask, may Jesus rise above the mask and extend up to my eyes and out to the others God sends my way.
B – God Blesses.
God Bless America, land that I love.
Stand beside her and guide her:
Through the covid, through racial tension,
Through needed changes, through elections . . .
Oh, our beloved God, we have fallen
So very short of Your design for us.
Please guide us back to our roots
and Bless any and all efforts to become
what you wanted for us:
ONE NATION UNDER YOU, OUR GOD.
U – God is Unlimited.
Our God can do anything and all things. Nothing is beyond His power or His understanding.
P – God Purposes.
Everything God does or doesn’t do is for a purpose. He knows everything and sees the big picture of the universe and of mankind.
He purposed that I (and you!) are here on the earth at this point in time. So then, what is my (your) purpose? To figure out why. Mark Twain said, “The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.”
I’ve figured out why. My purpose is: to bring honor and glory to my Creator God, my Savior God. And to fulfill the reason I am here on this earth. I don’t want to waste a minute.
D – Jesus is God in my Desolation.
Our son Scott has Williams Syndrome, but lived on his own for twenty
of his forty years. Now, it’s time for him to move to a group home
to live with other adults with disabilities. He’s eager and excited to move.
I’m an emotional wreck. I’m desolate—I’m loosing my sunshine.
But I can and I will get through this! God shines His brightest in times like this.
R – God Rewards. He Rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
A – God is Amazing – beyond our imagining.
It’s so easy, and very exciting, to marvel at the recent advances and innovations that were inconceivable just a few years ago. But as we humans puff out our chests, and think “aren’t we amazing”—which we are!—we need to be careful not to stop there.
There is nothing, NOTHING, man is capable of creating and designing, that didn’t first come from the mind of God. God brings out of man what He put there in the first place.
If we can barely envision the potential of man’s mind, then it’s way, way beyond our comprehension to imagine the greatness of God our Creator.
But I’m here to say, “I’m sure going to keep trying!”
Q – The word of God is Quick and powerful. Hebrews 4:12 KJV – living and active NIV
U – God Uses me.
It’s a precious gift from God when I hear that He used me to bless another person. God trusted me with an assignment! What an honor and a thrill.
But often, my second reaction is one of being scared. What if, at that point in time, given that opportunity, I hadn’t reacted in Christ’s Spirit? I’d have let God down. I would have missed the blessing to give and the one received by giving it.
The only way I can turn that fear into good is to train myself with Christ’s Holy Spirit to be ever-vigilant and ever-ready for God’s opportunities.
Oh, beloved Lord, thank You for the privilege of being used by You. Please keep me ready.
P – God Pours out His Spirit. Isaiah 44:3
R – Jesus Refreshes.
The pandemic lockdown had claimed my spirit. I lay in bed, not wanting to face the day. Then the cool, fresh, wet air, so typical of the Pacific Northwest, swept over my face from my open window. I felt it softly wash over my face. I breathed deeply of its freshness. I breathed in Jesus, taking Him into my whole being. My chest expanded, my face lifted, strength and perseverance filled my body.
I rose to face the day, refreshed and renewed by my caring Lord Jesus.
“This is the air I breathe, Your holy presence living in me”
a line from the song Breathe by Michael W. Smith
O – God is Orderly.
For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. I Corinthians 14:40 TLB
In this pandemic when nothing is assured or the way it was, I find myself craving order—something I can count on. My kitchen drawers have never been so neat.
K – God Knows it all. The beginning and the end and the in-between.
I confess, I don’t feel like praising these days. It takes effort to look for the blessings and to treasure God’s character. But one thing about God that consistently brings a sense of rest and hope is that God knows about everything that’s going on. He’s never let us down in the past, and He won’t now.
It’s all such a new challenge and the not knowing overwhelms. But God does Know. We can count on that!
B -Jesus Breathes. It’s resurrection Sunday 2020.
I love the line in the song by Phil Wickham: “Your buried body begins to breathe.” That line speaks volumes.
Death cannot conquer our Lord. He lives! He lives with me. More significantly, He lives IN me. What can man do to me when the God of creation and eternity is in me leading the way!
N – Good Friday – Jesus is Nailed to the cross – to purchase my salvation.
For years I donated blood every Good Friday. I can no longer donate, my vessel walls are too flabby. But my faith is not! The more I recognize how amazing my God is, and the incredible sacrifice He paid to purchase my salvation, the stronger and bigger and more stable is the rock of faith upon which I stand.
N – Jesus is the Name for salvation.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be save. Acts 4:12 (from Matthew 1:21)
A – Jesus is the air I breathe.
In the middle of this corona virus pandemic, I have been lifting my head to heaven a lot, then breathing deeply of the fresh, clean air of God’s creation and His indwelling Spirit. Breathe Jesus in, breathe me out. Exhale doubt and discouragement and fear. Breathe in His faithfulness, His sufficiency, and His promises.
That intake of Jesus strengthens me and lifts my spirits to stride into my day. And if not stride, at least keep-a-going. Jesus is with me and in me. We can do this!
M – Jesus is the bright Morning star. II Peter 1:19, Revelation 22:16
H – Jesus is my first Hello in the morning.
Hello is a greeting recognizing someone’s presence. I love waking in the morning and, before any other thing, acknowledging Jesus’ presence by saying Hello. It reminds me of the wonderful comfort of knowing He is always with me. But the greeting also reminds me to give Jesus the control over my new day.
Anything else in my day is secondary to that—or should be.
God proclaimed His name (Exodus 3:13.14) and His character (Exodus 34:6,7) to Moses. Our pastor once said, “Because God cannot be contained in one word, He has many names.” During the corona virus pandemic there are two names of God that I expect have been claimed most often, even if people didn’t use these specific words.
El Elyon – The keeper of the hedge of protection around a person ( Job 1:10) or a nation (Isaiah 5:5). As we pray for ourselves, our loved ones, and people around the world, we can call upon El Elyon to put a hedge of protection around them.
Yahweh Rophe (Rapha) – The God who heals (Exodus 15:22-26). For anyone who has been infected we can ask, Yahweh Rophe, for healing.
Our God, called by any name, hears the yearning of our heart and knows our needs.
I especially like to use the different, more specific names because it makes me ever aware of how big our God is. He knows all and covers all.
Beloved God, heal our people, we pray!
N – Jesus is Nigh. Come, Lord Jesus, come.
A – Jesus is my Assurance.
I liked this word for God, but wasn’t sure I knew it’s complete meaning. Decided to look it up. Well, I am definitely assured that God is my Assurance. See what I found.
Assurance is a pledge or promise. I am promised salvation because of my faith in Jesus Christ and eternal life.
Confidence. The Holy Spirit is my confidence, my defense against doubt and discouragement.
Certainty. I know, without a doubt, that Jesus will never let me down, He will keep all His promises, and walk with me all the way to actually seeing Him face to face in Heaven! Bring it on!
M – Jesus is Mine! Oh, Sweet Jesus, thank you. We can do this!
H – Jesus Holds . . . me!
We’re in lockdown due to the corona virus. It’s living in the chaos of change and the boredom and frustration of what to do with our time. But my comfort is knowing and experiencing that I am being held by my LORD. I pause for a hug and ask Jesus for focus. I linger in His arms and give myself permission to curl up with a book. I hold his hand and walk in the fresh air with friends, celebrating His creation in the safest place to be in this unusual time. And in the middle of the night when the craziness consumes my mind, I picture myself with my forehead against His chest. He calms my mind and spirit, I breathe deeply of his presence, and settle back down, renewed to face the next day.
L – God Lifts.
The lyrics of a familiar song tell us God lifts us higher than we have ever been lifted before. I’ve experienced that. It’s a true proclamation. Some people reach amazing heights in their own power, but if they’d go there with God, they will go even higher and, maybe even, stay there longer. “They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 49: 31
But what about when I’m in the pit, the lowest of the low? That’s a different kind of lifting. And God does that too. When I’m flat on our face because of failure or remorse, He lifts me up. “He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” Psalm 40:2
And when my head droops from sorrow, despondency, or discouragement? He gently reaches under my chin and lifts my face to His. He opens my eyes to a hope and whispers encouragement into my ears. “You, O LORD, are a shield about me; my glory, the lifter up of my head.” Psalm 3:3
There is not one possible situation where God cannot lift us. The key? Be willing to see one’s own mistakes, turn to God, and ask. Ask to be lifted: to your feet to walk with Him, to an embrace to be comforted by Him, up to His shoulders and carried by Him, or up to the heights of victory—and, ultimately, lifted into glory to be with Him for eternity!
K – Keeps. God Keeps my lamp burning.
“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turn my darkness into light.”
Psalm 18:28
C – Jesus is Coming. Revelation 22:12
I’m weary of this world! The evening news tells of stress and horrors. The morning news greets us with the same. Even as we come close to God in our prayer groups, the seriousness of the requests can be overwhelming.
I long for Jesus’ coming. But until then . . . I will cling to my God and ask His Spirit to help me focus on the good that still exists and guide me to be a part of that good.
“Give me oil in my lamp, keep me burning, burning, burning. Give me oil in my lamp, I pray. Keep me burning till the break of day.” I will sing this precious children’s song to help “keep me burning” until Jesus comes again!
J – Jesus is my Jubilation.
What an understatement! He is my jubilee, my celebration, my rejoicing, my praise, my delight, the smile on my face . . . May others see and join in.
H – God Hems me in. “You hem me in-behind and before. You have laid Your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5
I am safe. I am cared for. I am comfortable—like a swaddled baby—all cozy. But I am also restrained. If I was still a teenager, testing my range, that might rankle me. But I’ve now walked with God long enough to trust Him to know how far I should go in any direction. He hems me in from going too far into self-direction, pride, rebellion, lust for the world . . .
I must yield to this hemming process for it to work best. I am here, Lord, hem me in!
I – God is my Instructor. Psalm 32:8
S – God Speaks.
In his book My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers tells his readers on the page for January 30 to, ‘Get into the habit of saying, “Speak, LORD.” (I Samuel 3:9). Every time circumstances press in on you, say, “Speak, LORD,” and make time to listen.”
We Christians often ask God for answers. At least I hope we do. I, for one, long to know God’s will for things in my life. But I really haven’t asked God to “Speak.” It seems almost brazen to ask the God of the universe to speak to me. Yet I know He wants me to do His will. Another reason I may not ask is I’m afraid He won’t answer or if He does, I’ll miss it or misunderstand it.
But I’ve decided to give this request to say, “Speak, LORD.” a try. It certainly tells My LORD I sincerely desire to know His will. And James 4:2 tells us we don’t have because we don’t ask. So I’m asking, “Speak, LORD.”
LORD, may I hear Your voice in shouts or whispers, in nudges or restraints, in open doors or closed ones. My prayer is to discern You Speaking to me!
H – God Helps me.
A – God Answers.
He answers many things, but today I want to thank Him for answered prayers. Many prayed for me during my trip to El Salvador. Of our team of five, only two did not get sick. I was one of them, even though I was the oldest on the trip. I did OK during the day and even slept pretty well despite the high temperature and humidity. I was used by God to help the villagers, but as only God can do, I was even more blessed. I return with great praise to God for granting the prayers for me.
After the trip I have much to ponder. The disparity between those in El Salvador and those where I live is great! And the villagers work so very hard. I have much to figure out, but God will Help me (the H from above). His ways are not my ways, and they are beyond my comprehension. But I trust God to Answer my prayer for Help to give me some measure of understanding.
G – God is Generous.
He is Generous to allow me to return to El Salvador.
A – God is my Anti-anxiety RX.
But I am anxious about returning to El Salvador. I can list multiple reasons not to go. They’ve kept me awake at night and plagued me during the day. Yet . . . I have yearned for a long time to visit the families in the Village our church started back in 2005. Our goal was to help twenty-six families break the cycle of poverty. I’ve prayed for each family ever since, and now I get to return to see how God has answered my prayers. And to tell each family how someone so far away has been praying for them.
God has given me this opportunity. He will go with me. He will protect me. He will never tempt me beyond what I can handle. He has guided me to this path and He will walk with me along it.
So, anxiety be gone. My God reigns! Thank you, my faithful God, for what You are going to do!
F – Jesus Finds.
He found me. Was I lost? Oh, yes.
U – God Uses me.
“As long as I have a pulse, I have a purpose.” That’s the quote taped to my refrigerator. And what’s my purpose? To be used by God.
I’m aging and needing to let go of certain things. Yet, amazingly and gratifying, is the fact that God continues to give me assignments. Yes, they are different and often surprising. Sometimes they are hard to see until I look back and realize how he has used me in the ordinary things of life. Then I’m honored and encouraged.
E – Jesus is my Everything.
W – Jesus is my Wholeness.
I am weak and inadequate for what God wants for me. I’m even way short of what I want for me. But I am whole and adequate because Jesus lives in me!
Lord Jesus, here we go into another year! WE can do this.
D – Jesus is Divine.
J – And you shall give Him the name Jesus. Matthew 1:21
Christmas is rich with names for God. Working backwards from Christ’s birth we find:
Jesus – name in the new testament Greek for the Hebrew name Joshua from the old testament – Jesus and Joshua mean “the Lord saves.”
And from last week’s blog we have Christ and Messiah, meaning “the anointed one.”
Going back to Isaiah 7:14 we find God’s Son given the name Immanuel which means “god with us.” Interestingly, this name is also used in the new testament in Matthew 1:23. God came to be “with us,” beginning life as a human baby.
That’s a lot of affirmation for this baby. Jesus is God with us, anointed by God, to save us from our sins.
This newborn baby offers us new life. How can we not claim Him as Savior and celebrate the gift of His birth!
C – Jesus is The Christ! New Testament
Christ is the Greek word for Messiah.
M – Jesus is Messiah! Old Testament
Messiah is the Hebrew word for The Anointed One—the One who would fulfill the long-awaited promise from the God of Israel to deliver Israel from sin.
Jesus, Messiah and Christ, came through the promise to Israel to save not just Israel, but all God’s children. Luke 2:25-35 tells us of Simeon who, led by the Holy Spirit, declared baby Jesus “the Lord’s Christ. Simeon then declared in verse 32 that Jesus was “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.”
Jesus is our hope and our way to be united and embraced by our Holy, Creator
God. May Jesus the Messiah be received into the hearts of mankind!
B – Jesus came as a Baby.
Advent has begun! I love thinking of the names of God relating to the Christmas events. They begin way back with the first promising of a Messiah. But now we are coming to the celebration that this Messiah came as a Baby. Imagine, the Savior of the world has come as a baby, just like us! To grow up and go through all the challenges we go through. Oh, Baby Jesus, we celebrate Your birth.
R – Jesus is my Running mate.
As I look to the last chapter of life, I’ve come to focus on life as a race. And I’ve identified my goal: to finish the race with grace. Also I’m inspired with a new name for Jesus: He’s my running mate. He runs with me and beside me. He will walk with me, even crawl beside me, if need be, to reach my goal. With Jesus as my running mate I can finish this race of life with grace. And then, together, stand victorious!
W – God is Worthy of my Thanksgiving!
Today is Thanksgiving. I’m glad America continues to celebrate a day of gratitude.
This day was originally set aside to appreciate the end of the harvest season. Families would have enough to eat. But, now, we in America have such abundance that most of us don’t have to worry about enough to eat. And we forget to be thankful.
We live in a free society. Everyone has the privilege of voicing an opinion, and criticism is more exciting and gains more attention than appreciation. Have we lost the attitude and habit of thankfulness? It seems the half-empty glass is the new default public attitude.
God continues to be the giver of all good things. We Christians need to keep thanksgiving our private and public attitude! Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean we give up our ability to think or have an opinion. But it does demonstrate that God is our central focus, not circumstances or public opinion.
God is Worthy of our constant and demonstrated attitude of gratitude! Christians, let’s set the example.
A – God is Able.
Able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20
S – God is Sufficient!
I continue to be amazed at how I think something cannot happen, but then it does. Or how I ‘m sure I cannot do something, but then I can.
My concept of God never seems to be large enough. Or large enough to fully grasp what it means to have God in me.
He is sufficient for any dream, for any hope, and for inspiration. He can and will make it happen if it is in keeping with His desire for me. Knowing that—embracing it deeply in my heart—encourages me to dream big and be brave.
But isn’t it foolish or arrogant to dream big when I am so weak? Not when I serve an amazing God Who wants BIG things for me and from me. I CAN accomplish them . . . because He is my sufficiency!
Z – God is Zealous.
God is zealous for His Word, for His truth, for salvation, in His devotion to us, in His battle with satan . . .
But what continues to amaze and thrill me is that He is Zealous for me. Puny, little me. I feel so unworthy. I mess up all the time and He still wants me! What a good, good, generous, forgiving God we serve.
Y – Jesus is my Yes!
Yes, You are my Savior. Yes, I will serve You. Yes, WE are a team. Yes, WE can do all You ask me to do.
Yes, WE will finish this race with grace. And Yes, You will be my welcome at heaven’s gate.
U – God is my Umption.
There is an old children’s song that sings, “Give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning burning, burning.” But it is another line from the song I’ve been singing lately: “Give me umption in my gumption, let me function, function, function.”
My umption has been waning lately. Singing this little song and asking Jesus to be my umption has not only made me smile, it has encouraged me to persevere.
X – God is eXcellent. Hebrews 1:3b-4
T – God is a Trinity—my Triune God
Dwelling on the various characteristics of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is my passion—thus this blog. But I also like to ponder God as a single unit, the force of Three in One. Often a three point design comes to my mind: the cowcatcher /\ on an old railroad train. The cowcatcher went before and protected the train, the passengers and the cargo. It pushed cows and other dangers off the tracks and forged through snow that could block the train’s path.
I love to imagine my Triune God going before me on my path—making the way, keeping me safe, removing overwhelming obstacles. I become stronger and braver to face each day and every circumstance.
But I really do need to find a better name than cowcatcher for my protector God. Any suggestions?
W – God Waits.
II Peter 3:9 tells us God waits for all to come to salvation. Thank You, Holy God, for waiting for me to come to You.
I beg You to share with me Your patience and ability to wait. I don’t wait well. I’m in a hurry for things to happen or for things to change. I need more trust and faith in Your will and Your way to wait better and to use that time and every experience to be purified to the “me” You want me to be.
By waiting better, maybe You will use my example to draw others to salvation.
V – God is Vigilant—always watching over me.
C – Jesus is my Company, my Companion, my Comforter, my Counselor.
At this stage of my life I am living by myself —a new situation, requiring much adjustment. Satan taunts me with, “Donna, you pathetic thing, you’re ALL alone. What on earth will you do? ”
I shout back, “I am not alone. I have Jesus! He is enough. He is all I need. He will direct my path.”
U – Jesus Unites.
Jesus unites sinful man with His Holy Father and His Holy Spirit. We, God’s children, are completed and made whole through Jesus Christ our Savior.
O – Jesus is my Oasis.
A dictionary defines oasis as 1) fertile land in desert and 2) place or time of relief. Synonyms are: retreat, refuge, haven, sanctuary, escape.
Yup, Jesus is all of that, and so much more!
S – God is my Sun.
I’m sitting in my favorite chair for my quiet time with the Lord. And the sun rises, shining on my face and warming my body. I feel extra loved. But whether the sun is hidden by clouds or lighting my path, He is always shining and always there for me!
W – Jesus Waters me.
All summer long I watered my yard giving it the loving care that keeps it healthy and alive during the hot, dry season. My Jesus Waters me all year long.
John 7:37-38 says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
I will have no water to share, if Jesus doesn’t first fill me. Lord Jesus, may I drink deeply of Your living water. Fill me today, I pray.
R – Jesus is Relevant.
Connected and significant to all that I am, all that I do, all that I say—even to all that I think.
M – Jesus is the Most Modern of Days.
You will not find this descriptor in the Bible. I first used it when I was overwhelmed with the technical challenges of starting this blog.
I’ve just spent about six hours over a two-day period trying to get new technical devices to work together. Tech Support knows me by name. But it all finally worked this morning after I got to my knees, asked Jesus to calm my heart and mind, and go before me.
Then it all came together. Technical issues are not beyond the mind of God!
After all, Who created the mind that created the technology?
Oh, how I love my Ancient of Days who knows everything even in our most modern of days.
Q – Jesus Quells my anxious spirit and brings calm.
O – God is a God of order.
But let all things be done properly and with order. I Corinthians 14:40
God has set the example of order in creation, in the perfect time for Jesus to be born, in His perfect timing in our own lives. But He also shares His orderliness.
Chaos undoes me. I crave order. But life is seldom orderly. How to handle it? Ask, even beg, God to share His order. If the situation does not or cannot be changed, then He gives us order in our spirit so we can handle it.
Giving Him charge of every situation works. I haven’t always succeeded in that, but I’ve certainly learned that His order is the best path.
P – Jesus is Precious—to me. More precious than anything else on earth.
C – God Creates.
I think about all God has created: the universe with stars and galaxies beyond my imagination. The mountains, trees, and streams. The giant elephant and the tiny amoeba. And wonder of wonder, He created me. And you.
The concept of a creator who could do all that is awe-inspiring. Imagine His power and strength. And also his infinite knowledge to fit it all together so that it works in unison.
But why did He bother to create little ole me? I don’t know, but I’m glad He did. And I intend to work with Him to discover why!
O – God “Owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50:10TLB
I’ve always loved that thought. Why? I have no idea. Maybe because I’m part of something big and beautiful and wonderful.
S – Jesus Sustains. My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him. Psalm 89:21
I need to be sustained! In my strength I run out of energy. I doubt. I get discouraged. I want to give up.
Sometimes it feels like I’m all-alone to carry on. Friends and family cannot be there all the time, especially when my inner thoughts seek to drag me down. But Jesus is there—always—eager to sustain me.
Yes! I CAN carry on. Jesus sustains me. Oh, my beloved Lord, thank You.
N – Jesus is Needed—every moment of every day!
A – God Assigns. In Psalm 104:8 God directed the waters to flow down into the valleys He assigned to them.
Similarly we, God’s children, are assigned:
1) when we are born
2) to whom we are born
3) where we grew up
4) the people and circumstances we meet
5) the challenges we face
6) the blessings we receive
7) and when we die
Our own choices can affect many of the outcomes. May we accept His assignments, not try to make our own, knowing that His way is best. And by yielding whole-heartedly to His assignments we receive the greatest blessings, as do those who are affected by our choices.
M – God is Manifold. (manifold – having many forms)
A – God is the Ancient of Days
I’m baffled by why I’m so attracted to that name for God. I’m living many years beyond when it was used. But as I ponder this, the answer comes to me: the Ancient of Days has seen it all. Nothing under the sun is new to Him. (Ecc. 1:9) He’s never surprised, just wisely nods His head, already knowing the answer and the outcome.
If I hurry into my own way, He knows what result is waiting for me. But if I pause and turn to my Ancient of Days and ask His counsel, He smiles as he directs me down the best path.
That must be why I use this other verse a lot: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’” (Jeremiah 6:16)
L – Jesus is the lifter of my chin. Psalm 3:3
L – Jesus is my lifeline.
All too often these days a whisperer tells me “you can’t do this” or reveals that I don’t even want to try. Is the whisperer my “old self” or satan? I’m never quit sure.
Sometimes it takes every bit of energy and commitment to reach out and grab Jesus’ hand, my lifeline. That act has never failed to hold me steady and stop the downward spiral.
Oh, Lord Jesus, hold my hand.
K – God is the King of glory. Psalm 24:8
F – God Fills us.
God fills his children with many things, but the one that touched my soul this day is:
God fills us with His glory. At first pondering that seems an arrogant claim. But Isaiah 6:3 states: the whole earth is full of His glory!
God created the earth and He created each of us. If, through the Holy Spirit, He lives inside us, then we too can be full of His glory. Wow! (I say that a lot about God.) But my response to that concept is visceral: my chest swells, my mouth smiles, my muscles strengthen, my step quickens . . . I am God’s creation! He lives in me! I am full of His glory.
May we, His children, shine His glory to a hurting world.
J – Jehovah Jirah – the Lord will provide – Genesis 22:8 – read below of an example
B – God is Beauty!
I’ve just returned from four days at a high mountain dude ranch—no cell service or internet! After the adjustment to the “time-saving” busyess of technology, our hearts began to fill with an exploding awareness of Beauty. The quiet of the setting seeped into our souls and an unusual joy and peace replaced the chaos of life. If we didn’t talk, the only thing that broke the quiet was the whoosh of bird’s wings or the occasional low of a cow.
I have now returned to the noisier, more hurried world of “life,” but with a new mission and focus. I can’t just find beauty when I go to the woods, I must search it out where God places me. It is here. God gives us beauty in every setting. It’s just not so obvious. I shall be more intentional about discovering God’s ever-present Beauty—the Beauty of Himself and in His creation.
H – Jesus is my ever-present Help. Psalm 46:1b
I – God is Invisible. Hebrew 11:27
The verse above says: By faith, Moses left Egypt. He didn’t give up but continued as if he could actually see the Invisible God.
I’m being called to “leave” many things I’ve been used to for years. “My Invisible God” is leading the way, holding me, comforting me, strengthening me.
And WE will make it—together!
F – Jesus Fights with me.
What do Jesus and I fight for? To stay connected—closely connected. The world distracts me. Satan taunts me. My old self tries to reclaim me. Challenges threaten to overwhelm.
I’m in a battle, but Jesus fights with me. Often in my quiet time I take a ballpoint pen and draw a cross on the inside of my ring finger. Then I put a slash at the top to form a capital F. Through the day I can glance down and remember that Jesus fights beside me.
The cross washes off during the day. And, like manna, I need to remember every new day that Jesus is fighting for me and with me.
What fascinates me is that my fighting spirit is renewed best after resting and sitting quietly with my Lord. It’s a great way to prepare for battle. I head into my day with my warrior God by my side.
G – God gives us Glimpses of heaven. Often that small glimpse keeps me going.
J – God is Jehovah-Shammah. The Lord is there. Ezekiel 48:35
Shama: to hear with attention and interest, to listen, to understand
F – Jesus is my Friend.
My dear friend sold her home and is moving around. My daughter is busy with husband and three kids. My parents are gone. My brother always has a project going, and my faithful Bible study sisters are scattered for summer fun.
I sat feeling overwhelmed with decisions and challenges, wanting advice and counsel. Quietly, I said to myself, “I need a friend to talk to.” Jesus whispered, “Donna, did you forget Me? I’m always here.”
Jesus is my moment-by-moment friend who doesn’t move away or get too busy. I can be so focused on the issues of life, that I forget that. Praise You, my Jesus, that You are always with me to help and guide, waiting patiently for me to turn to You.
A – Jesus is my Anchor.
The words “the anchor holds” were floating in my mind when I awoke. My fuzzy brain finally connected the words to a song I have loved. I found it on U Tube and was moved, yet again, by the power and the majesty of Ray Bolz singing that amazing song. For some reason I looked up the shape of an anchor and for the first time observed that the central structure of an anchor is . . . a cross!
Listen to the song and be uplifted and inspired. The verses describe different storms and challenges and always return to the central chorus:
The anchor holds
Though the ship is battered
The anchor holds
Though the sails are torn
I have fallen on my knees as I face the raging seas
The anchor holds in spite of the storm
I’d like to add to this marvelous song the concept that Jesus is also our anchor when things are going right and we want to take flight into our own self-direction and strength. Jesus can anchor us to Himself, giving us proper perspective.
Oh, beloved Jesus, thank you for always anchoring me to You.
I – God is Immediate.
Oh, Lord, how I need You—right now!
A – God is my Affirmation.
I know for absolute sure that I am saved, that I am a child of God, and I am loved. Jesus is my constant companion and guide.
Yet I get discouraged and doubt what I’m doing and the choices I’m making. Things aren’t going well. There’s too many challenges. I’m not strong enough. I’m tired. We all feel that way at times.
God knows the exact time to send me encouragement and Affirm to me that I’m on the right track. Maybe I need to wait or change course, but I won’t be tested beyond what I can handle. I am still serving Him by keeping the faith. I am doing the work He wants me to do.
Oh, thank You, Lord for Affirmation! I can keep-a-going.
H – God is He and Him in all my thoughts and writing.
F – Jesus is my default Focus.
The day begins well. I’m taking my walk in the fresh morning air of a spectacular day. I look about, smiling, and praising God for his blessings and beauty.
But then my mind strays and my Jesus Focus slips away. Bad memories sneak in. Disappointment and negativity begin to take over. My head droops, my shoulders slump, as though a black cloud has settled over me. How easily and subtly my focus can change.
Setting my eyes and ears, my self-talk—my Focus—on Jesus is what’s best for me. The key to all that is hopeful and good. It takes persistence and determination to keep a Jesus focus. He tells us in the Bible that He wants our full attention. Surprise, Jesus is right, yet again.
G – Jesus is Good.
C – Jesus is Good Company.
We all live inside one place—our head. I have a quote on my desk that reads, “Keep it in your head; it’s the only private place we have any longer.” That’s true, but it can be lonely in here.
I’m incredibly blessed because I’m never alone inside that place called me. Jesus is here with me and He’s very Good Company! I talk to Him all day long, and often through the night. We ponder things together. We rejoice together. He listens to my struggles and I ask for advice. I bring questions to Him about new goals and releasing old ones.
When I was ashamed or even mad at God, I used to try to hide from His presence. But amazing as it is, He understood that I am but dust and He didn’t leave me. Now when I mess up or cling to an obnoxious mood, I hear His whispers in my ear. He tells me of His love, His forgiveness, and His faith in me.
There is another quote taped to my desktop: “The Holy Spirit is not a blessing from God, He is God.” Colin Urguhart.
It seems impossible that the Holy Spirit of the God of the Universe and Jesus my Savior live inside me. But that does explain why His presence is so good and constant and never failing.
E – God Empowers.
F – Jesus is Findable.
I’ve just returned from a trip and awakened in my own bed! And I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness as I recount all the places and circumstances where I’ve found God, with me, holding my hand, whispering to me that WE are together.
I found Him through the storms the airplane flew through in Texas as I traveled across our nation to another ocean. I found Him in the face of the strangers I met. I found Him as I awoke in a different bed at each new hotel.
And I find Him as I return to face a LONG to-do list. I fight being overwhelmed with all there is to do and, instead, chose to be overwhelmed with knowing My God will be with me in each and every task.
Oh, how big and awesome is my God! I will find Him in every moment of my life until, wonder of wonder, I meet Him face to face.
D – Jesus loves Donna! ☺ Today is mother’s day and I am a mother. But it is also my birthday. I am incredibly blessed to be a beloved child of God who has been rebirthed in Jesus, the Christ.
F – Jesus Fights. He fights for me and with me.
Jesus fought for me to bring me to salvation, during that time when I didn’t even know He was the answer to what I was seeking. And He fights for me when I am so beaten down I have no fight left in me.
Jesus fights beside me when I’m strong enough to get back in the battle. The battle to fight off satan. The battle to abide in Him so I can seek His will and reflect His glory to a hurting, needy world.
Oh Lord, thank you for being my warrior God, never leaving me.
C – Jesus is Coming . . . soon! Revelation 22: 7 & 12
Oh, how comforted I am in both the good and not-so-good times to know that my Lord is coming. The struggles of this world will finally be over.
I have two synonyms written in the margin of my Bible above the word soon. They are “quickly” and “suddenly.” I like the words soon and quickly, but the word suddenly makes me uncomfortable. When Jesus comes will I be found griping and whining about my petty life? Will anger or bitterness be consuming my spirit? Will unforgiveness be hiding in the back closet of my heart? Or sins still clinging to me?
The word suddenly compels me to be vigilant to stay on the right path, clinging to Jesus with all aspects of my life.
May I, may we, be found pleasing to Jesus when He comes. Oh, my Lord, do come soon!
B – Jesus is the Bread of life. John 6:35
P – Jesus is my Prize.
I’d written in my Dictionary of Praise: Jesus is the Prize at the end of the race. It was taken from Philippians 3:14 and had always sounded good. But then I thought: He isn’t just the Prize at the end of the race, that long-awaited time when I get to see Him face to face.
I already have the prize! He came to live inside me when I chose to believe, and claimed Him as my Savior. He is my Prize, right now, helping me to run the race. And when I reach the finish line, I receive the rest of the Prize!
I’m going to keep running WITH the Prize and FOR the Prize!
A – God is Awesome!
This is my fifteenth time through the alphabet praising God. I try for as many different words as I can to describe His awesomeness. It’s like finding hidden jewels when God reveals new descriptors to me. My list is now ten pages long. I wonder how many pages will be filled before I get to see Him face to face. (Revelation 22:4).
Now that is something to look forward to!
S – Jesus is our Sin Solution.
This is Holy Week, which culminates in the events that set Christianity apart from all other religions. Only the Christian faith offers a solution to the sin problem.
Other faiths encourage righteousness, commitment, love, compassion . . . all good things. But Christianity offers something that nothing else does, a way to become holy and righteous before our holy God.
Praise You and thank you, Lord Jesus, for suffering and dying to pay the penalty for my sin and uniting me with my Holy Creator God.
V – Jesus is Vital to all that I am.
Vital: fundamental, crucial, vibrant, dynamic, needed for life.
O – God is my Oasis.
Oasis: retreat, refuge, haven, sanctuary, escape, fertile land in the desert, place or time of relief. Yup, my God is ALL of that!
But, even better, my Oasis moves with me from the desert, into the storm, onto the battlefield, into the classroom, through the traffic . . . and dances with me on vacation! He is with me in the quiet, in the turmoil, in celebration and in grief.
What a dry and lifeless place my life would be without my Oasis.
U – Unbelievable! See description of Hesed below. Our god is all of that, unbelievable in our human mind, and yet believable because that is who He says He is. And Who He has proven Himself to be.
H – God is Hesed. Exodus 34:6-7
I love discovering new words for God. Hesed is a Hebrew word found in several verses in the Old Testament. God describes Himself as “abounding in Hesed.” My bible study notes for this week say: “Hesed encompasses so many aspects of love and loyalty that no one word or phrase translates it fully. Hesed can refer to covenant kindness, steadfast love, loyal love, faithful love, unfailing love, great love!” Wow, now THAT is love.
The notes continue to say, “Lovingkindness, mercy, goodness, loyalty are embedded in one wonderful, dynamic word. Hesed means God includes our most painful losses in His unshakeable promise to bring us lasting joy.” Again, Wow!
See why I’m excited to discover this amazing word that describes our amazing God?
T – God is the authority over Time, the perfect Timing expert. Mark 13:20
G – God Guides and He Guards.
I like thinking of these two characteristics together. Presently, I’m leaving some commitments and asking God to guide me to and through His next assignments. And, as I become less courageous with age, I’m trusting Him to guard me as I continue to walk His path.
We can count on these qualities of God through all stages of life: grade school, high school, college, new career, change of careers, relationships, marriage, parenting, grand parenting, aging, and the last chapter of life. He guides and guards us through each one if we choose His way and His will.
That’s the main reason I can “be of good courage” (my Bible verse for this year) as I face the next stage of my life! Thank you Lord for being and doing what you say you will!
S – Jesus is a Sweet Smelling Savor, a fragrant and pleasing aroma. Ephesians 5:2
M – Jesus is my Moment-by-Moment God.
Jesus promises to be with His believers every moment of every day. What an assurance and a comfort. Knowing this and counting on it encourages me and strengthens me to stay on the path, to keep-a-going.
But that begs the question and the challenge: am I a moment-by-moment believer?
R – The Lord Reigns, He is robed in majesty. Psalm 93:1
I look out my window on this clear, crisp, gorgeous day and applaud God’s majesty.
E – God Engraved. Isaiah 49:16
What did He engrave? My name, your name. On the palms of His hands no less! And what part of the body do the eyes see most often? The hands.
He loves each of us so much that He’s written our name down where we are constantly before Him. We are that important to Him. That’s worthy of a WOW!
And what’s in the palms of Jesus’ hands? The scars from the nails of the cross. Those scars represent His love for us. They paid for our sin and destroyed the separation from our Holy God.
I sure feel loved and important to my God. I hope you do too!
Q – Jesus Quiets my restless, quaking spirit.
E – God Enables!
I’m startled awake at 4 a.m. suddenly remembering something I have to do the next day. Something I’d totally forgot. Something I’m in charge of! Discouraged and overwhelmed, I grab my computer and click out my catch-up. Then I lay back in grumpy semi-sleep until 6 a.m.
I awake this time to taunts sneering at me: YOU CAN’T DO THIS! I lay in bed yielded to self-defeat. I can’t make myself get up and face the day.
But the Holy Spirit can and He begins to gently talk to me. He reminds me of Who my God is. Who is fighting for me. Who is greater than he that is in the world. The One Who has NEVER let me down: God my Enabler. WE CAN DO THIS!
Get out of here satan. You are defeated.
And I rise to face the day.
P – Christ is the Power of God. I Corinthians 1: 24
B – God Blesses.
We often praise God and tell our friends about the big and unusual blessings from God. And I’ve had those! But it’s the little, unexpected blessings of each day that cause me to feel most cared about.
I find the missing sock. I actually hear a live voice at the other end of the phone. I’m driving in the car and a flock of birds take flight over me, beaconing me to follow. A library CD has been lost for days. I finally get a flashlight and find it’s slide under the car seat. The car that wouldn’t start the night before, starts in the morning and safely transports me on the two hour drive I need to take. I turn on the faucet and there’s hot water. We have a storm and don’t lose electricity.
Lord, God, help me to be vigilant to the everyday blessings you send me. Let me not miss a one!
O – God is my Overcomer.
I can’t do it. But HE can. HE + me—WE can do this—this thing called life.
S – Jesus is my Song. Psalm 118:24
I don’t feel like singing when I’m unhappy or mad at the world. But there’s something quite wonderful about songs to Jesus—they transform.
When I’m down, I still sing. And, I admit, the song is forced. It’s a discipline. Why have I chosen to make it a discipline? Because I’ve experienced that songs to Jesus transform. They’re therapeutic.
Songs can turn a mood, lift my spirits, nudge a smile to my lips. It seems to lift my head too, like the birds, and that takes my eyes off myself.
If it doesn’t immediately lift me up, at least it keeps me from going further down. Song holds me in its grip until healing begins—a turning.
Song just comes, easily and spontaneously, when I’m happy. It transforms in a different way—it magnifies the joy.
Let’s sing to Jesus together. Our world will be so much better!
N – Jesus is Now!
S – God is Self-Sufficient. Acts 17:24-25
He doesn’t need me in any way. So why does He ask for my prayers? Not because He needs them. He knows every situation and is quite able to handle them. It is because I need to pray.
Prayer brings me the help I need. It draws me close to God. But prayer does something else: it teaches me that He is my sufficiency.
M – Jesus is my Manna—my daily nourishment. John 6:31 & 35
G – God grants me Grace.
In this statement about God I’m referring to the Grace of attitude given to me by the Holy Spirit. This kind of grace is not automatic or, sadly, in my case, not always long-lasting.
God gives me an assignment. It could be a situation, a condition, or a prompting. I then have a choice. Do I play the martyr, sighing and huffing my way through it? Or do I ask Jesus for His spirit of grace to guide, encourage, and strengthen me?
He always answers YES to that request. Along the way I often need to ask again to be refilled and renewed. As I said, it’s not automatic. Like with the manna, I need to ask daily, sometimes minute by minute.
Praise You, Lord Jesus, for granting me your attitude of grace. It’s a blessing to me, but maybe more appreciated by those around me 🙂 .
P – God Pushes.
As I Prayed this morning using my ABC Dictionary of Praise, I focused on my list for the letter P. I was drawn to one particular entry: God Pushes me to do my best and He Pushes me into new challenges.
I’d recorded that entry as a positive characteristic of God. But then the negative, present-day connotation came to me—pushy. Knowing God isn’t mean or pushy, I took Pause and Pondered.
God Prepares me for any and every thing He Puts before me through the experiences, talents, circumstances, and knowledge He has given me in the past. Then, when His time draws near, He Prompts my heart to want to take the proper step, or at least be willing to try.
Only then does God Push—sometimes with a gentle nudge, maybe a purposeful shove, or even, as I sometime need, a kick in the rear—to let me know the time is now and to get going.
I may step out tentatively or stride forward with enthusiasm. With God’s help WE (He +me) make progress and persevere. But, like Peter, I can begin to sink. Doubt and weariness steal my courage. That’s when God reaches down and Pulls me to the finish line.
Then it’s my turn for P words. I need to Pause, look back at how God has run with me every step of the way, and Praise my great and good and Personal God. Then, I thank Him for Proving Himself to me—yet again.
L – God is longsuffering. I Timothy 1:15-16
Oh. how glad I am that He puts up with me!
S – Jesus is my Strength. “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24
My New Year resolutions are in the form of a birthday gift to Jesus. My gift to Him for 2019 is “to be of good courage” as I face the challenges of life. I can only have courage because I KNOW He will be the strength of my heart.
I’ve learned (after falling on my face a lot) that with Jesus’ strength everything goes better. Challenges continue, but they no longer overwhelm.
Jesus, I can face life with assurance because You are my strength!
A and O – God is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Revelation 22:13
Today is the end of 2018. Tomorrow, the beginning of 2019. Jesus, You walked with me through all the ups and downs of this year.
Praise You!
I am strong and confident facing the New Year because I know You will be with me in every situation. I reach out and hold Your hand. There is nothing WE can’t handle!
I’m overwhelmed with joy and humility that You, the God of the universe, wants to walk with me!
P – Jesus brought/brings Peace. Luke 2:14
God sent Jesus into our world as a baby—the next step in God’s plan of salvation. The Old Testament sacrificial system pointed to the ultimate, once-for-all sacrifice to complete God’s plan. The final step, the last sacrifice was Jesus’ death on the cross. Peace with God was/is offered!
But would people receive it and claim it? I did! And it’s been a wonderful adventure ever since, with the promised peace coming in different ways and in greater depths as I grow in Him.
Most recently I’ve learned to stop after confession and savor that feeling and confidence of being cleansed. I am right with God! My chest swells with joy. The peace of God and with God fills my being.
And I cling to His peace as I forge into a world where there is so little of it. May WE (He + me) spread His message of peace. May WE make it so appealing others will seek it too.
Will you join me?
T – God directs Time.
I’ve been fascinated lately with God’s timing.
At the perfect time, God created earth. Was He lonesome and wanted our world to be His special, beloved creation?
At the perfect time, God told Noah to follow His direction and give the earth a new start. God decided evil had gone too far?
At the perfect time, God chose Abraham to found the nation of Israel. It would be the foundation in which to unfold God’s plan of Salvation. God hadn’t given up on mankind!
At the perfect time, God sent Jesus as the Savior of the plan of Salvation. God wanted to be closer to His beloved creation by solving the problem.
At the perfect time, Jesus will come again to claim His own. Salvation completed. God and man united. Eternal life begun.
And it was in God’s perfect time that He created each of us and introduced us to Jesus, our Savior. We are not mistakes or coincidences! We, too, were chosen by God in His timing to be a part of His plan.
K – God Keeps my lamp burning.
“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With Your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.” Psalm 18:28
David wrote those words trusting God to strengthen him to fight his enemies who were chasing him all over Israel seeking to kill him. We can claim David’s prayer for present-day enemies. The enemies have changed, but God’s power and faithfulness have not changed or diminished.
Oh Lord, keep my lamp burning I pray!
C – Jesus is the Christ.
It is the CHRISTmas season. Oh Jesus, let us not forget why we celebrate. May You be our focus and purpose in how we honor Your birthday.
J – Jesus is my joy.
F – Jesus Fills me with the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:19
In JESUS ALWAYS Sarah Young wrote Jesus’ words to his children: Since this life-water is free, you can have as much of it as you want—as much of Me as you want. I am Christ in you, the hope of glory!
My immediate and spontaneous response was, “Oh, Lord, fill me to full and overflowing.”
Praise, you Lord Jesus, that You live inside me. What an incredible joy and privilege that is!
I – Jesus is Immanuel – God with me! Matthew 1:23
B – Jesus is my Banner and my Battle Cry.
The parade band marches proudly down the street behind the banner that tells the world who it is. I, too, have a banner. Jesus is my Banner. (Exodus 17:15)
When life is good it’s easy to raise my Jesus Banner and proclaim who I am. It’s a little harder to do when I’m having a tough time. But Jesus hasn’t left me. He’s guiding me and helping me through. Maybe in those times Jesus holds the banner with me.
And Jesus is also my Battle Cry against the enemy who seeks to drag down my banner. I breathe deeply of the Holy Spirit, shout my battle cry, and continue marching down the street—Banner held high.
H – God is the Hope of Israel and the Hope of me. Jeremiah 14:8
R – Jesus Renews me.
Lately I’ve been begging Jesus to renew me—to give me the strength to “carry on.” I hate to pass this message on to any young ones reading my ramblings: but there are challenges at every stage of life. You need Jesus ALL THE WAY TO THE END!
At every challenge we must ask for renewal and strength. It seldom comes as soon as we want. Sometimes it’s because God is nudging us to grow deeper in Him. But other times the answer doesn’t come quickly because of sin.
I’m facing all sorts of transitions. Walking down paths unknown to me.
And I’m taunted with fear and anxiety. My problem? Lack of trust. God has NEVER failed to meet my needs. And He will meet them again.
Praise You, Jesus, for renewal!
G – The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ Gift to me for believing.
F – God Forgives.
For my years as a Christian (and they are many) I have regularly asked for forgiveness in Jesus’ name. That is a good thing. I’ve had confidence in that forgiveness. I’ve healed, grown, and been redirected because of it.
But not until this very morning, have I asked myself if I pause after confessing and receiving forgiveness. Do I slow down long enough to say, “Thank you Jesus for forgiving me?” Or do I take forgiveness for granted and head right into my requests? As confession has become a habit and routine, have I lost the wonder and profound gratitude for the gift of forgiveness? I confess, I have.
So, I stop right now, and vow to change. I choose to regain that awe and amazement that Jesus did all of this for me!
F – Jesus Fights.
He fights for me. I fight for Him. We will fight together for a better world.
M – God makes a way.
Isaiah 43:16 & 19 tell of the Lord making a way in the sea, in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. If God can do all that, He can also make a way in the chaos of my life.
I proclaim that Jesus has done just that! I’m in the middle of multiple changes, challenges, and choices. They threaten to overwhelm. But He’s been faithful in the past. I trust Him to make a way yet again.
E – God Enfolds me. (And it is safe and healing and nurturing and comforting in here.)
P – Jesus is my Purpose.
It’s taken me a lifetime to realize that making Jesus my Purpose in life—not myself, my reputation, my accomplishments—is the highest level of living and fulfillment. But it still isn’t easy, and definitely not automatic. It’s a choice every day, every hour, to choose God’s way over my own.
I’m learning, Lord. Your reward of joy-filled living is worth the effort. Thank You for that! And thank You for putting up with me as I stumble my way to living the way You want me to.
D – Jesus Draws me to Himself.
P – God is my Portion. “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:9
And He is enough—all I need!
I have friends who have lost everyone in their family. They are the only one surviving. God is their portion. He is enough.
Some may have family, but are alienated from them. God is their portion. He is enough.
Others may feel completely rejected by their friends. Humiliated on Facebook. God is their portion. He is enough.
Times of alienation, desperation, and aloneness will probably come to each of us. Mostly these times are temporary. But regardless of the length of time, we Christians will always have all we need in Jesus Christ, our savior and our portion.
C – God cares.
God cares about every aspect of our lives. An incredible comfort! But as you drive the crowded roads and see the number of people at performances, the extent of the world’s population is astounding. Even more mind-boggling is that God cares about each of these people and knows their needs. What a magnificent God!
I – Jesus Prompts.
Have you ever had something, seemingly spontaneous, push you to reach out of your comfort zone and give a compliment to a stranger or stop and help someone with their groceries?
I have. And as I’ve responded to these nudges I’ve been blessed to see the joy it gives to others. Maybe it was the one thing that turned their day around. Having practiced this for sometime, I’m realizing these are prompts from God.
And the more I respond to these prompts, the more I want to. It may turn another persons day around, but, unfailingly, it turns mine too.
B – God is the Builder. Hebrews 11:10
The verse above tells us God is the architect and builder of His city. But He is also the builder of each of us, His children. We are born according to the architect’s design, and built by the Holy Spirit’s hand.
D – Jesus is my Default mode.
Jesus is not an easy, automatic Default mode. His default mind-set is a choice—a moment-by-moment decision to make him center stage of my life, to make His will and His way my pre-occupation.
People, even Christians, are naturally self-absorbed. When I desire to place Jesus first, His Holy Spirit is right beside me, ready to help. But I must ask.
For a long time I thought by doing this I would lose myself and who I am—my identity. But not so. What I discover is my whole-identity—the completed me.
Try it! You, too, will discover who you have always wanted to be.
A – Jesus Animates – He brings to life.
I come to God grumpy and irritable. I come sad and downcast.
I come discouraged and ready to quit. I come old and weary.
And I ask, as the song says: “Spirit of the Living Lord, fall afresh on me. Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.”
And He does!
C – Creator God
As I ponder and praise all the things I know of God, “Creator” is one of the first things that comes to my mind. Why? I guess, because creation is the beginning.
I marvel at the wonder and beauty of all He has created. And then, even more of a wonder, I remember He chose to create me. I continue with my day filled with the joy and confirmation that My God wanted me in His world. How can I not serve Him!
Z – God is Zion.
Zion refers to God’s chosen nation: Israel. But I have chosen God and He has chosen me. He is my homeland, my Zion.
O – God Orients. He Orients me.
Orient: to make familiar, to put in position, to direct, to position toward east (for me – toward Jesus)
I’ve just returned from being clear across my physical homeland to a different ocean and country—on water, island, and mainland. Now home, I’m a bit dis-oriented, trying to refocus.
So where do I turn? Always—regardless of my surroundings—to Jesus. He’s my foundation, starting point, and guide for setting things on course. The focus or refocus of my orientation must first go through the grid of Jesus, my God and Savior.
Y – God and Jesus have the pronouns You and Your written with capital Y. At least they do when I write them. Spell-check doesn’t agree. Well tough. I recognize Jesus and God as the One-and-Only-God by capitalizing the Y.
I – Jesus is my Identity.
“Anyone called into God’s kingdom goes through the person of Jesus. We are in Him, and He is our Identity. ” (Chris Tiegren, INDEED, 11/10/2011)
My sense of identity, my self perception, is off-the-mark if it doesn’t line up with God’s will for me when he created me and His will when He gives me a new day to live.
I am very capable of underestimating or overestimating myself. But when I return to the basic—I am a child of God completed in Jesus Christ my Savior—I see myself with God’s eyes. And I’m ready to face the world!
X – God is Exact.
He doesn’t make mistakes. He doesn’t do things halfway. He isn’t sloppy or careless. He doesn’t miss a cue or forget the time. Never early or late. Never too much or not enough.
The significance? I can count on him for all things, at all times, in every possible situation, and at every stage of life. Whew!
V – Jesus is Vital. Definition: crucial to success.
Have I succeeded on my own? Some would say yes. And I certainly thought so . . . before I asked Jesus to take the lead of my life.
But with Jesus I have tasted of “the best I can be.” I’m beginning to experience the life I’ve strived after and hungered for—but was unable to reach on my own. Did the problems and challenges disappear? NO! But the grace to handle them is beginning to fill me.
W – Jesus is my Wholeness.
G – Jesus Guards the edge of the cliff. Philippians 4:6-7
I watch my Roomba carpet cleaner circle to the top of the step, but it turns back from going over the edge. It’s programed to avoid the dangerous drop-off.
I am not.
I can stumble along the cliff’s edge—discouragement and challenges taunting to push me over. With prayer, God’s Word, and praise I fight my way back. But, sometimes, I’m so defeated I can’t fight. That’s when the Guard of the cliff’s edge holds on to me, protecting me from a complete fall.
God promises us in I Corinthians 10:13 that we won’t be tempted beyond what we can handle. The Guard of the cliff has kept that promise to me.
V – God is Vibrant.
And what I love is that He shares His Vibrancy with me!
E – Jesus Embraces me.
So often these days I feel fragmented, disoriented and overwhelmed. Not so much misdirected as multiply directed, going in too many directions—if not with my feet, with my mind.
But when I run, walk, or even crawl to Jesus and reach to be received into His embrace my mind, soul, and body relax into peace and rest. I am secure, safe, and loved.
And when I look up, I see that my path is now well-defined. My chin is up, my eyes clearer and my strength renewed.
Jesus’ embraces bring renewal.
U – God is Unique – none like Him.
C – God Cherishes His children.
I was pondering the things and people that I cherish. The list is short. Cherish is such an extreme emotion and value.
I’m overwhelmed and astounded at the thought that God cherishes me. My Creator God knows all my oddities, doubts, weaknesses, selfishness . . . and yet He cherishes me.
How do I respond to that? I love Him and serve Him with all that I am.
V – Jesus is the Voice in my head.
My goal each day is to hear Jesus’ Voice—and heed it. Not the voices of my own self-centered desires or those of the world. I want and need to hear:
His promptings: go forth, wait, shut up and listen
His cautions: not a good choice, not a good path, I’m stronger than satan, don’t let him get you
His comfort: this challenge will pass, I am with you and I am enough
His encouragement: you’re on the right track, let’s keep running the race together, you can do this (WE can do this), keep up the good fight, hang on and keep-a-going-you’re almost there
These words are very like the present-day term of “self-talk.” There is one difference—it is talk from our almighty sovereign and savior. HUGE difference.
Two important things to remember about hearing Jesus’ Voice in my head: know I am in His will and trust Him to do what He says He will do.
T – God is my tour guide. Of what you ask? He is my tour guide for life and for where I go after life.
M – Jesus is my motivator.
Jesus promises to be my sufficiency and adequacy. I’ve walked with Him long enough to know that deeply inside. Even if I’m tired and weak when called to a task, I know I can do it because Jesus has proved it to me over and over again. If He asks something of me, then I can do it—period.
My more common challenge is: I DON’T ALWAYS WANT TO. That is when I ask Jesus to motivate me, kick me in the rear, and get me out of my weak-willed self-centeredness. I remember a phrase once used by my pastor: “Be willing to be willing.” I often need Jesus to motivate me and fill me with willingness at both stages.
I praise You and thank You, Jesus, for instilling in me the willingness to do your will.
S – God Shares His attributes with us.
W – God Waits. II Peter3:9
The above verse tells about God waiting for everyone to be saved. He also waits for us who have claimed Jesus to turn from sin, to return Him to the throne of our lives when we stray, to trust in Him, and believe Him for our day-to-day living and for our future.
All this time that I’ve studied the character of God, I’ve known all of that. But I’ve never looked at “waiting” as an attribute of God that He can share with me. I’ve just blithely gone on my way and admitted to myself, “I’m not a good waiter.” I haven’t ever asked for God to give me His ability to wait: to hope, to trust, to know God has a purpose and be patient as I wait for His purpose to be fulfilled.
Somehow, looking at waiting in a broader sense gives me more impetus to try harder.
Lord, I want to be more like You. Please teach me to wait. They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
T – God is Triune.
Our Triune God, the Trinity, is a mystery, complex and difficult to comprehend. And yet as I seek to understand, God comes alive even more. He is fuller, more perfect (if that’s possible) to be all that I need.
1 ~ He is God the Father—creator of all things, sovereign and all powerful, author of the plan of salvation, victor over satan, promise keeper, complete goodness—my redeemer
2 ~ He is God the Son—God incarnate, Jesus the Christ-the promised messiah, Emmanuel-God with us, the savior of God’s salvation plan, the uniter of Holy God and sinful man—my salvation and justification
3 ~ He is God the Holy Spirit—Christ in me! The omni-present gift from Jesus for believing, the proof of my salvation, my comforter, guide, strength, counselor—my sanctification
And then there’s me: child of God (completed), Christ disciple, Holy Spirit abider, saved sinner, servant of my Triune God—future citizen of heaven!
THIS I BELIEVE
R – God is Yahweh Roi – the God who sees. Genesis 16:13
Our God sees it all—all that has come before and all that awaits, clear into eternity. He sees our inner being.
It may make us uncomfortable to be so exposed and vulnerable, and yet, the wonder of it all, He still loves us. He protects us and guides us. He knows we are but dust. Psalms 103:14 And because He knows how vulnerable we are He is . . .
T – God is tender.
Only a tender, gentle God could put up with us!
May we take this gift of life He gave us, and live for Him.
Q – The Word of God is Quick (active and alive) and powerful.
Hebrews 4:12
S – God Spreads.
God Spread out the earth upon the waters. Psalm 135:6 He spreads His love over us, His protection around us, and His message of salvation to us.
I find it exciting is to be a part of the last one. We Christians participate in spreading the message of Christ. God offers the opportunities and we have the honor of representing Christ to a hurting world.
There is no greater message to share.
P – Christ, the Power of God. I Corinthians 1:24
W – Jesus is With me.
In her devotional “Jesus Always,” Sarah Young writes this message from Jesus: Wherever you are, wherever you go, I am with you! And I am here to shout, “YES!” I have experienced that. He was with us all through our trip about which I was so anxious.
Jesus, You are with us when we see You with our hearts. When we hear You with our ears through prayer. Feel You holding our hand. And breath in Your presence. May our senses never be so consumed with the world that we miss You being with us.
O – God is our healing Ointment – Song of Solomon 1:3 KJV
Lord, may Your healing ointment wash over my family and reconcile broken relationships. Praise you that You care and are the God of healing.
T – Jesus is Trustworthy.
Jesus has proven trustworthy—without exception. So why does anxiety assail me as I grow older?
My son and I are traveling for eight days, and I lay awake imagining all the things that can go wrong, rather than eagerly anticipating God’s blessings. Oh, Lord forgive me and strengthen my faith. I cling to You, Jesus, and remind myself of your trustworthiness.
Thank you for being a God worthy of my trust and for Your willingness to lead and protect us on this wonderful opportunity to travel.
C – Jesus is good Company.
Several years ago I went into a funk. It lasted nearly three months. I talked to God the whole time, searching for what was wrong. What did I need to do or not do? Nothing came to me.
Finally one day I retreated to the local park with a book. As my mind was at rest and distracted, the long-sought solution was given to me. And it was very simple. Jesus’ message was: enjoy My company.
That was right on! I’d been so focused and persevering on doing His will and being righteous that I’d ceased to just enjoy my Lord—to enjoy His presence, visiting with Him, praising Him, discussing things with Him, having fun with Him.
An attitude of gratitude is essential. I’ve not figured out whether thanking Jesus leads to enjoying Him, or whether enjoying Him leads to thanksgiving. They definitely go hand in hand, and the result is discovering Jesus is very good Company. And life is a whole lot better with His Company.
N – God Numbers the hairs on my head. Luke 12: 7
M – God is Mine.
My long A-Z list seeks to describe my amazing, infinite God. And all that He is became mine when I claimed Him as my God.
But what is more astounding is that He claims me. In Malachi 3:16,17 God says that those who fear and honor His name “will be mine.” We will make up His “treasured possession.”
Now that’s BELONGING!
M – Jesus is Mighty – mighty to save!
S – Jesus secures.
Jesus secures my salvation. I am absolutely secure in Him because it is Jesus’ righteousness that saves me, not my own. Sheesh! That is an incredibly good thing. Try as I may, I still fall short. Yet I rest secure knowing that His righteousness covers me, and He will never let go of me.
L – Jesus Lingers in His return. II Peter 3:9
Jesus lingers so that many more may chose Him and receive salvation.
May I help with that cause.
W – God Wants.
I just finished a four-week study on apologetics. Did a lot of questioning, thinking, and analyzing. God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and sovereign. So why did He create the world? There is no logical or conclusive reason other than that He wanted to.
He could have created us human beings any way He chose, so why did He give us a brain and free will? They prompt us to challenge, resist, deny, and cause all sorts of trouble. I’ve decided it’s because He wanted to—He wanted to have relationship with us. He wanted us to have the capacity to chose Him.
Lord God, thank you for wanting me in your world. I chose You and I continue to sing Your praises.
K – God is the King of glory.
S – Jesus is Spirit.
The lines of a song have been ringing through my mind lately: “Spirit of the living Lord, fall afresh on me. melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.”
Simple words with profound results.
Spirit of the Living Lord, melt my arrogance and pride, any thought that I am in charge and that I am sufficient without You.
Spirit of the Living Lord, please mold me into what you want me to be, directed by You, motivated by You, and pleasing to You.
Spirit of the Living Lord, fill me with Your tenderness, compassion, sensitivity, wisdom, strength, and purpose.
Spirit of the Living Lord, use me to honor You in all that I do, to fulfill Your reason for placing me in Your world, and to expand Your kingdom.
Praise you Lord for Your Spirit within me!
I – Jesus is In.
He is In me. That is all I need.
A – Jesus is the Air I breathe.
It’s been a challenging week—one filled with unknowns, challenges, and uncertainty. When anxiety came to claim me, I’d sing out loud the words from a song: “You are the Air I breathe.” I’d deeply inhale Jesus’ presence, and feel myself fill with the knowledge that WE will make it (HE + me).
H – God holds.
And in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hand. Isaiah 49:16
Oh, my God, I need to be held by You.
G – Jesus “gets” me.
My emotions are in turmoil. I’m reeling. I stand in the middle of the kitchen, stomp my foot, and shout, “Satan, you will not get me. My Lord Jesus gets me!” Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world. John 4:4
L – Jesus is the Living Water. John 4:14
Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well. She needed water to wash and bath and drink. He told her He could give her “Living Water.” She didn’t understand.
Jesus was offering to meet that deep inner-longing for God, for completion, for wholeness. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2
When I believed, Jesus came to live inside me. I no longer thirst. The “living water” runs through me!
F – The Father Glorifies the Son—Jesus Christ—the savior. John 8 54
S – Jesus Substituted Himself for me, for us.
Jesus paid the penalty price for my sin. He was the once, for all sacrifice. I can hardly get my head around that, or even my heart that longs so much to grasp it.
It was “because of His love,” so it says in word and song. Yet I continue to wonder and marvel. Our God, His gift, and His love are way beyond my inadequate understanding.
But I will bask in His gift and open my arms and heart and soul and whole being to receive every smidgeon of what He offers me!
E – Jesus Endured the cross.
B – Jesus Bled. For me. For you.
Jesus bled and then He died. I asked Jesus to be my Savior on Easter 43 years ago. I was so very broken and then so incredibly restored that I couldn’t find enough ways to thank Jesus. Then I discovered what seemed the perfect fit for me: I started donating blood on Good Friday every year. It was my small way of thanking Jesus for the blood He gave for me.
We just finished our seventh year of a Lenten Season Blood Drive at my church *. Other Christians have come to see the significance. And, like me, they have purposed to donate during the Lenten Season, but also all year long to bless God’s children with health and life.
My Savior, this is my tribute to You, because You bled for me.
* many are ineligible or unable to donate—they can give by helping with the blood drives
D – Jesus Died.
R – Jesus was Resurrected and Jesus Resurrects me!
Who could possibly conceive of resurrection? The desolate, despondent , disillusioned disciples could not have imagined resurrection. Yet they witnessed it.
And I’ve witnessed it—Jesus in me, resurrecting me. Though, “witness” is not the perfect word to describe it. I definitely saw it in me, but more wonderfully, I’ve experienced it and felt it in every fiber of my being.
And I will never go back! Being resurrected in Jesus is the best me that
I could ever be. Thank you beloved Jesus.
C – Jesus Calms me.
F & I – God is Finite and Infinite.
These two words are antonyms and finite might seem to be an inaccurate descriptor of God. But hear me out.
Finite:
limited – His awesomeness is limited by His Holiness – only good and pure
predictable – He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow
predetermined – He was and is and is to come
set – what He says He will do and Who He is is – unchangeable
Infinite:
immeasurable – the human mind cannot conceive, let alone measure God’s magnificence
never-ending – He has no beginning and no end
limitless – His power and knowledge and love have no bounds
exceedingly great – beyond words, imagination, and definition
Praise be to God! Just imagine seeing this God, our God, face to face someday! Revelations 22:4
H – God is my Hero.
This week’s blog is from my son Scott. He walked into the room when I was writing last week’s blog that told about his heart surgery. I read the piece to him. He nodded his head and said, “Yes, God is my Hero. He saved me.”
Scott is now 38 years of age and he still has a vivid memory of the voice he heard as he a lay on the operating table when he was 8 years old.
“I thought I was dying. But I heard God say, ‘You’re going to get a second chance, Scott. You will live.’ ”
I have no vision or memory of hearing God’s voice. But, I’m with Scott, God is my hero!
B – God Binds. He “binds up wounds from your past so they stop bleeding.” Sarah Young in “Jesus Today.”
H – God Heals. “But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” Malachi 4:2
When our son Scott was young, I prayed this verse over him for six months as we awaited his open-heart surgery to repair supra-valvular aortic stenosis—a common heart defect in individuals with Williams Syndrome. Following the surgery he had tubes coming out of every orifice and two out of his chest. He looked like a dead fish gasping for its last breath. They told us he was fine and when the tubes were removed he’d look better.
The tubes came out. He slid off the bed, grabbed his IV stand and walked around the ICU waving to each patient and saying “Hi!” He went home with only aspirin, which he never needed. The year after surgery he gained ten pounds and two inches of height.
He was our healed son leaping like a calf let out to pasture. Our Lord heals!
A – God is Awesome!
So many things have been going right for me lately that I want to shout, “My God is awesome!” But He’s just as awesome when things aren’t going so well, indeed even when they are awful. He’s in charge. He knows more than I do. His way is always best. He’s certainly proven that throughout my lifetime.
M – Jesus is my challenge-Meeter.
I seem to be into making up my own personal descriptors of God these days. Try it and make Him more personal to you too. Challenge-meeter is not in the dictionary, but that is what He is for me.
As my forward guard, He meets a challenge ahead of me and signals back the path to take. He provides all I need in the midst of the challenge. When it is past He meets me on the other side to tell me “well done good and faithful servant.” And He blesses me with the lessons I learned along the way.
Z – Jesus is Zealous for my soul.
E – Jesus Eases my pace.
I’m a hurrier. This word is not in the dictionary. It is my description of a person whose default mind-set is to hurry—and the perfect example: me. God can ease pain, anxiety, hurt feelings, and resentment, but today I want to praise Him for easing my pace.
That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m doing less. Actually in some ways more is being asked of me. I walk with Jesus through my day, but can still be assaulted with the urgent. It’s that destructive self-talk that announces, “I can’t get all this done today!” The hurry pushes me into a frenetic pace and my inner peace evaporates.
But when I say to myself (sometimes shout it out load), “I have all the time I need to accomplish the Lord’s will for me today!” the calm returns. My pace becomes steady and confident. I again sense Jesus walking beside me. And He’s smiling.
Y – God is Yaweh – I AM WHO I AM – Exodus 3:14
B – God is my Banner. Isaiah 11:10 – Hebrew Word: Yahweh Nissi
A banner, in present day meaning, is something that declares a truth and/or an identity. Something someone wants others to know about.
That is definitely a good description of what God and Jesus are for me.
But if my spirits are down and my eyes only see the next step, my banner droops and it definitely doesn’t wave. When circumstances are gloomy it is a choice what I do with my banner.
God please grant me the courage and the strength to always wave Your Banner!
X – God is Exact – He knows exactly what He’s doing and He makes no mistakes.
C – My Creator God Carries me from birth to death to heaven.
“Even to your old age and gray hairs, I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 NIV
The dictionary has more than one definition for “carry.”
carry – to transfer from one place to the next – God walks before me as my guide—beside me as my companion, my encourager, my yoke-mate—behind me as my rear-guard
carry – to transport – to carry me through it – when I cannot walk on my own, He picks me up and carries me in His arms—it may appear to the world as if I’m crawling or beaten to the ground, but His unseen arms are supporting me and carrying me through Micah 7:8
carry – to conduct – as in “carry on” – God, through His Holy Spirit, fills me with Himself so that I can do all things through Him Who gives me strength. Philippians 4:10
W – Jesus is my Welcome
My favorite Jesus welcome will be at the gates of heaven. But, for now, I love His welcome in the morning.
B – Jesus is the Bright Morning Star – Revelation 22:16
It was morning and yesterday had been so incredibly awful that I was reluctant to start this one. I eased one eye open to look out the window to check the weather. It was a clear day! And in the departing night sky the Bright Morning Star twinkled at me. It announced, “I am here. I am still with you!”
Clear days are rare where I live and winters especially gloomy. But Jesus shines just as brightly on dark days as on the radiant ones.
V – God has the Victory. No matter the news of the day, the present circumstances, or a boding, dark future, God has the victory. So “There!” to satan and to this sad world!
K – Jesus is the Key.
Yesterday had a long list of things I had to handle—most of them tedious and complicated. I started on the first thing that jumped at me and didn’t stop or turn back to claim the beautiful, strengthening devotion time I have most mornings with my Lord.
But I did reach for Christ’s hand, refused to take a guilt trip over our missed time together, and clung to Him for every part of the day.
This morning during that precious time with the Lord, I marveled at how well things went yesterday and thanked God for guiding my day. Though that exclusive quiet time with the Lord is precious to me and kept at high priority, it came to me that it is not the Key to a good day.
Jesus, Himself, is the Key!
U – Jesus is my “Up” – with my eyes, with my spirit, and with my hope
E – Jesus, the Messiah, was Expected.
The people of Israel were trained to expect the Messiah and be watching for Him. And that is my goal for 2018—to expect Jesus.
What do I mean by expectancy? It is more than confidence, it is confidence with anticipation, readiness—eagerly watchful.
Beloved Jesus, I’m guilty of dwelling on and over-analyzing the negative. I want to live in expectancy and eagerness for Your good, Your lessons, and Your touch upon every aspect of my life.
Please help me to make expectancy my default state of mind.
E – Jesus Experienced humanity.
Just like you and me, Jesus was born as a baby. He cried and was rocked to sleep. He had to be weaned and potty trained. He bled when he fell and scraped his knees. Maybe His feelings were hurt when people were mean to him. Did He hit His finger with the hammer when He was a carpenter? He experienced rejection and misunderstanding, humiliation and pain—extreme pain.
When we call Jesus Immanuel, we are remembering that He was with us in human form, walking amongst us. But it is also comforting to know He understands our challenges, hurts, and frustrations because He experienced the same temptations.
Praise You, Lord Jesus, that you not only humbled yourself to become a mere human being to walk among us. But you suffered beyond description so that we could one day walk with You in Your home!
T – Jesus is the True God. Jeremiah 10:10
A – Jesus, the Anointed One
Until recently, I didn’t realize that when the Bible says “Jesus is the Christ” it was actually declaring Jesus as the long awaited, promised Messiah. (Matthew 16:16; Mark 8:29; Luke 2:26-32, 9:20; John 11:27)
Messiah in the Hebrew of the Old Testament means Anointed One. Christ in the Greek of the New Testament means Anointed One.
Oh, let us declare to the world “Our Messiah has come!”
S – Jesus in the Son of God.
W – God Wrapped. Luke 2:7
A recent Jews for Jesus newsletter described God wrapping Himself in humility. Baby Jesus “wrapped in swaddling clothes” was God Himself wrapped in humility. What a come-down for the creator, sovereign God of the universe to go to this great extreme for no other reason than to rescue you and me!
That’s an unequaled sacrifice of love. How insignificant and unworthy I feel. Yet I cannot reject such an astounding gift. I must receive and embrace it. And, like Mary, treasure it deep in my heart.
R – Jesus Reigns.
C – Jesus is the Coming king.
On this first week of advent many focus upon the hope of His coming. The Jewish people longed for the coming Messiah—the anointed One—promised by Jehovah. At Christmas we Christians celebrate the fulfilled promise—the Messiah has come—Emmanuel, God is with us.
But I also celebrate another coming—His return to claim His own and take us to Heaven. Oh, what a time that will be!!!! Come again, Lord Jesus. Soon?
Q – God Quiets my soul.
G – Jesus is the Greatest Gift of all.
Today is my day to buy Christmas gifts. It can seem materialistic. How do I keep my focus on Him and His gift of salvation?
I prefer touchy-feely-see-ey gifts, in other words, gifts purchased at a store. So today, with each present I’m going to thank God for Jesus. I’m determined to shine His gift to everyone He puts in my path. And as I wrap presents, may I wrap Jesus’ love into them.
Oh, my Lord, as we enter this glorious, sometimes frenetic season, I want to keep my eyes and ears and mind and countenance—all of me—in joyous celebration of your great gift.
T – THANKFUL!
Thankful is actually a descriptor of me or should be. But as I seek to write about it in this Thanksgiving season, I’m uninspired.
I put thinking about thankfulness aside and immediately the things that are creating stress in my life stack up in my mind.
My family is traveling four hours to our daughter’s home for Thanksgiving and our brand new car is leaking something from the engine. Ugh! Must be checked out before we leave.
Then, BANG, God seems to hit me upside the head. I have a car, a new one even. Many do not. I can easily travel 350 miles in one day and buy the gas to do so. Not true for much of the world.
What am I preparing for our Thanksgiving meal? I don’t like to cook! THUMP. I have a store right down the street, a stove that works, nice serving dishes for my recipes, and time to cook. Forgive me, Lord, for my self-centeredness and whining. Many families don’t have enough to eat.
What on earth can I get the grandkids for Christmas! I don’t know what they like these days, and it’s frustrating to buy things they don’t want. WHAP! I’m blessed to have the money to get them presents. What a joy it is that I have grandkids. Many of my friends are sad because they have none.
Oh, Lord, I’m ashamed of my thanklessness. So much of what’s wrong in our world and the challenges in my life take center stage in my mind. Many of the things causing stress are things I should recognize as part of my abundance.
Please forgive me and give me eyes to see things Your way. Create in me a new heart, oh Lord, a heart of THANKSGIVING!
P – God, the Father, is Pleased to give us the Kingdom. Luke 12:32
S – Jesus Shines.
Jesus shines blessings on me. He shines His Holy Spirit into me with. He shines His presence over my day. Does my countenance radiate like Moses’ face did when He met with God? Exodus 34:29-35.
I’m inspired, made better, and brightened when fellow Christians shine Jesus to me—refreshing and encouraging me with examples of what I want to be.
If people meet me, or you, would they be surprised that we are Christians? Or would they say, “I thought so.”
O – God is Omni-present.
I’m away from home at the Oregon coast for the Stormy Weather Art Festival. And God is present here. He’s in the storm and in the sunshine. And I will meet Him in the faces and hand shakes of the people I will greet at the little church down the street. I love visiting this church because these lovely Christians reassure me that Jesus is in their church and in their spirits as well as in my own.
S – God Surprises.
I’m now home from the beach. After the drive and unpacking, I sigh, and flop on the bed to rest. But I don’t get to rest. The phone rings. Some needed Rx was left at my son’s apartment, and I have to go back out. Grumble. Grumble. But after the storm at the beach I look up into a clear sky, and a BIG creamy harvest moon is rising to greet me. Thank you, Lord God, for my beautiful surprise. I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t left my home.
N – Jesus is a Name-caller. John 10:3
Being a name-caller in today’s society has a negative connotation. But I love the thought that Jesus has a handpicked, uniquely chosen name just for me. When I hear His voice call my special name, I will eagerly follow.
C – God is the Color master.
Don’t you just love autumn? Our Creator God surely did a great job! There is a window of time when you can walk in the gray of early morning, and the yellow and gold leaves seem to glow as if lit from below. My heart soars when I walk through the bright vivid red leaves lying in contrast to the pale cream of the same kind of leaf lying backside up. Oh, the beauty!
And this is just a smidgeon of what our amazing, magnificent, overwhelmingly spectacular God can do. No wonder He lets us see only a portion of Himself (Exodus 33:29) and all that He has for us. Our puny human bodies could not take it all in, but I’m surely anxious for the promised time when we will see Him face to face—in all His glory. Revelation 22:4
Dear friends, I hope you’ll be there with me!
M – God is Manifold in His possibilities—possibilities ordered and uniquely chosen for each of His children.
P – Jesus is the God of the Possible!
My bible study, written by Priscilla Shirer, had a sentence that encouraged the believer to step “outside the comfort zone of natural abilities and into the realm of His supernatural possibilities.”
Wow! That’s scary and exciting all at the same time. Like so many, I am most comfortable in the realm of order, the known, and the expected. I’m happy to go to whatever extent to prepare for what I know God is asking of me.
But we don’t always get the expected. God can surprise us and nudge us into new challenges. And I praise Him for striding forth with us into the unknown of those possibilities—possibilities of eternal value beyond the limits of our imagination.
God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
L – God and His Word are a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
Beloved Lord, I’m being drawn to a new ministry. If it is Your will, please light my path.
T – Jesus Tabernacles with us.
“Now as we travel through this earth as temporary sojourners, the Spirit of God tabernacles with us, making Jesus a real presence in our lives and bringing His teaching to our minds and hearts.” I loved finding this new word, tabernacle, to describe our God. It was used as a verb in this sentence by Paula Kirk when writing about the Jewish festival of Sukkot—The Feast of Tabernacles—published in a Jews for Jesus newsletter.
Thank you, Lord God, for tabernacling with me to bring Your Son’s presence and teachings into my mind and heart. May this Tabernacle of You and me bring others to know You.
R – My God Reigns!
He reigns in me. He’s on the throne of my life and He’s in charge. How freeing and comforting and secure that is.
In the life that others see I’m actually in charge of several ministries, but not really. And thank heavens, because I’m inadequate. My Lord reigns in me and through me, and things get done—His way, not mine, at least most of the time.
When I see and hear of the world beyond my small domain, I can panic and doubt. What’s this world coming to: hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, threats of nuclear strikes, shootings? But I return to knowing, MY GOD REIGNS. I pray for the desperate situations in our world, then try to turn them over the One who’s in charge.
I choose to trust in Him! And His peace and hope reign in me.
K – Jesus Knows – the needs of each and every one of us.
L – Jesus Loves – each and everyone one of us.
I sat outside a restaurant in Toronto, Canada, the fourth largest city in the Western Hemisphere. It was a busy time of day and I was overwhelmed with the huge number of people walking by me. I slowed my mind and began to notice the many colors of skin, of age and culture. A cacophony of different languages filled my ears.
I continued to be overwhelmed and asked God, “How am I to react to this on-slot.” He seemed to whisper, “Do like I do—see every person and treat every person as a special child that I chose to create. And also as I do, love them individually. Then do something for Me—tell them about My love. Show them My love.”
J – Jesus is Joyous:
When I praise Him, when I put Him first, when I think of Him all through the day, when I remember to look back and thank Him, when I tell others about Him . . .
I – God and Jesus are my Identity.
Have you ever been asked, “What’s the one thing you would say to describe yourself?” I’m a lover of life, an encourager, a supporter. These are things I strive to be. And what I am is a woman, a mother, a wife, a lover of the outdoors, a sometimes writer . . .
But first and foremost and, the most significant thing about me, is I am a child of God, a saved sinner, a follower of Jesus . . . my faith defines who I am.
All else falls into line with what is central to my identity—God and Jesus, my Savior.
Oh, how I pray that who I am honors HIM!
M – Jesus is “more than I can ever imagine.” That is a quote from my granddaughter when she was 8 years old.
S – Jesus is Steadfast.
Jesus puts up with me when I disappoint Him. He stands by me even when I’m arrogant and act like I can make it alone, forgetting about Him in the middle of the challenge. But also when I curl into fetal position because I’m so beaten down and don’t think I can carry on. He stands by me, never giving up.
All of the above situations I sum up in: Jesus is Steadfast.
I’ve often given up on me. I’ve even given up on You, Lord. But You’ve remained steadfast and always reclaimed me. Thank You!
H – Jesus Hears my pleadings, my praises, and even my ponderings.
D – God is my Delight!
A while back I wrote that God is fun to be with. Lately I seem to dwell more on God as my comforter, enabler, motivator, and strength. I’ve become imbalanced.
It’s so easy (and human) to focus on the challenges and, after listening to the news, to take on the burden of the world. I’m not a very playful person at best. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to lighten up and actively enjoy, with my Lord, what is good in this world
Oh, Jesus, I want to carry my delight in You into all aspects of life. Please help me!
G – God is Good.
When it seems there is so little goodness in our world, I need to focus on God’s goodness.
H – Jesus Holds me.
I look around for someone to hug me. I need comfort and to know that someone cares. To be told that it’s worth it . . . this effort, this perseverance.
Jesus is there to hold me. I may feel physically and emotionally alone, but I am not. He reaches out to me. I stumble into His arms and find comfort and hope and courage to keep going.
F – God is Findable.
When you search for me . . . I will be found. The key: seek Him with my whole heart. Jeremiah 29:13
W – Jesus is the Way. John 14:6
God designed the Way: the Way of salvation of uniting holy God with sinful man.
Jesus fulfilled the Way: Son of God, Son of Man purchased our salvation through His death on the cross.
Jesus’ Holy Spirit lives out the Way inside those who believe: guiding our Way to eternal life with our triune God.
Praise You, my Lord, for Your Way and that I have found it!
E – God is El – Hebrew word for might, strength, power.
S – God speaks in a Still, Small voice. I Kings 19:12
Every time I think about God’s Still, Small voice, a softness of wellbeing comes over me. The comfort and companionship of His quiet presence is so very appealing. But, I don’t always hear. How can I carry His Still, Small voice with me into the chaotic, frenetic world in which we live?
By carrying Him inside me. By “being still, and knowing that He is God” Psalm 46:10. By keeping boundaries that don’t allow “the world” to claim center stage in my life.
May I be listening for God’s Still, Small voice in all situations and at all times. Oh, my God, train my ears to hear Your voice.
D – God Draws me to Himself.
I sit outside in the quiet of the morning, seeking to draw closer to God. And He sends a cool breeze to freshen my skin. The rising sun lights the sky. I inhale the fragrance of the petunias. The birds chirp to each other and to me, calling out, “ It’s a grand new day!”
I turn my mind and spirit over to God in my morning quiet times, but when I sit outside in His creation I seem to even taste Him.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in Him. Psalm 34:8
Let us rejoice and be glad in Him!
I and O – Jesus is Inside me. But He should also be Outside me.
My morning devotion said Jesus tells me, “I am deep inside you, where you live. My Peace is your continual experience.“ That is so true. I know He is deep inside of me and I continually experience His peace.
But immediately I jumped to: if Jesus is inside me, then He should also appear on my outside. My face should shine His peace, His comfort, His joy, and His glory–my very being should be overflowing to the outside world.
Oh Jesus, please make You-in-me so appealing that others will want to be filled with You too!
C – Jesus was a Carpenter. Mark 6:3
People scoffed at Jesus for being a lowly carpenter. I find it appealing: Jesus worked with His hands. There is something pure and simple about building things, repairing things, and designing things with one’s hands. It’s given me great satisfaction over the years, and it is gratifying to think that Jesus did too.
E – Jesus is my Expectation and my Expectations. Philippians 1:19-20
In today’s world we are often told to “adjust our expectations.” We are hurt, disappointed, or deemed a failure because of our own or others’ expectations. But what would our lives look like, what would our emotions tell us, if at the beginning of every day we asked for God to reveal His expectations to us—then strive to align our own with His?
Would there be less stress and striving? More flexibility and seized opportunities? More accomplished that is of eternal value? I have to think so.
Oh Lord, we know You have expectations for our lives. That’s why You chose to create each of us. Please reveal them to us and fill us with the desire to pursue them.
B – Jesus is the Brightness of God’s glory. Hebrews 1:3 KJB
C – God is my Confidence. “For the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared.” Proverbs 3:26
You’d think with every year of life and proof of God’s faithfulnes one’s confidence would grow deeper and stronger. And it does, but it can be threatened when the ravages of decline and uncertainty seem to steal it away. Or overwhelming challenges threaten to gut you.
I can’t do this thing called “life,” but God and I can. My Lord is my confidence! He is able and enables me (last blog post).
A – God is Able. God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
That verse says it all. It can’t get any better than that. This is my twelfth time praising God through the entire alphabet on this blog and “God is Able” is what He brought to me this morning. Books could be written about all that He is able to do, but let’s record a few.
He is able to save. To grant eternal life. To keep every promise He ever made. To enable me to handle all challenges and circumstances. To draw me to Himself. To comfort. To encourage. To inspire. To whisper His message and to kick me in the pants. To hug and hold me when there is no one else. To be all that I will ever need. To carry me all the way to heaven and greet me at heaven’s gates!
My God is able! I put my faith in Him.
Z – God is my Zenith.
Zenith is defined as: highest point, pinnacle, peak, summit, top, acme.
He’s all of that and much, much more.
S – God Saves.
Today is the Fourth of July. Happy Birthday America!
Beloved God, please save our nation and bring us back to You! May Your remnant remain steadfast in seeking Your will for our lives, our communities, and our nation.
We put our trust in You, the God who saves people . . . and nations.
Y – Jesus is my Yokemate.
W – Jesus is the Way.
Jesus is the Way through many situations, but lately He’s been my way through the storms. The storms of difficult and unwanted transitions and, seemingly, an unrelenting list of things that go wrong.
I talk to Him all the time, reminding myself that He doesn’t test me beyond what I can handle. But, “Hey, Jesus, what You think I can handle and what I think I can handle are not in sink lately!”
Big, deep sigh—more self-lecture. Jesus has never failed me. He has never tested me beyond what I can handle. And He won’t this time either. Remember, He didn’t promise me an easy life. Only that He would walk through it with me.
Show me the Way Lord! Please, keep holding my hand.
X – Jesus Exhilarates me.
Giving Jesus the first minutes of my day renews me and instills a sense of exhilaration. Without fail our time pours strength, hope and joy into my heart. It energizes my muscles that really want to remain at rest. It invigorates me with a can-do spirit—Jesus and I together can handle whatever comes in the day—even thrive and flourish!
R – Jesus is Ready.
He is ever-ready to draw me to Himself. It is in that place, close to Him, where all I want and need can be found. I ask for guidance, comfort, love, forgiveness, patience, hope, persistence, commitment, tolerance . . . It is all there, with Jesus, and He is ever-ready to give it to me as I walk close to Him.
W – Jesus Weaves.
Sarah Young tells us in “Jesus Calling” that Jesus’ infinite creativity can weave both good choices and bad into a lovely design. Romans 8:28
I know Jesus can override and use my bad choices, but I have to wonder that if I give Him good choices to work with, won’t the design be more lovely?
L – Jesus Leads.
It is the beginning of the day, the first day of the week, and the beginning of summer. My Jesus, You are ever eager and ready to lead me. Please make me eager and ready to follow!
V – God is the Victor.
Today is Memorial Day. We’re focused on wars and the military, thankful for those who paid the price for our freedoms.
How blessed we are to live in the United States where we have won our wars (though Viet Nam is questionable). But we are in a lifelong battle with satan and our sin nature. Even though Jesus is with us as we fight, it is often exhausting and discouraging.
But we can continue to fight the good fight because we know how the battle ends. Jesus wins! God is the Victor.
U – God is Uncontainable.
And that is a good, good thing. Because if He could be contained, then He’s only as big as man’s capacity. Our God is beyond our power, our abilities, and even our imaginings. Mankind is incredibly incapable of handling this earthly life. But we have a God who is bigger than life. Way bigger—uncontainable
B – God is Beauty!
Is the Creator even more beautiful than His creation? My spirit is still reveling in my morning walk. The cool breeze soothed my face. The birds sang every manner of song. Chipmunks peeked around tree trunks to wish me good morning. Dogs licked my hand and waggled their joyous tails. And the sun burst up to enfold it all and announce: “See your God!” (Romans 1:20)
How exciting to think that one day we will meet our Lord face to face (Revelation 22:4) and behold the abundance of His beauty.
T – Jesus is a testator. “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.” Hebrews 9:16 KJV
So who knows what a testator is? I had to dig this one out. The testament is another word for a legal will or some translations use the word covenant. For the will to be enacted the testator, the one who created the will, had to die. Jesus, the testator, died so that you and I could be offered His testament: salvation.
That was worth the digging. Thank you Jesus, my testator, for your death on the cross so I could be the recipient of your testament.
I – God Infuses.
God offers His will, His way, and His thoughts for every part of my day. Do I always pay attention? Do I know when something is from God, or from me, the world, or satan?
I most need God’s infusion into my thoughts, for they control my ponderings and mind set. They discern and guide me to His will and His way.
Oh, my God, please infuse your thoughts into mine.
E – Jesus is Enough. “My health fails, my spirits droop, yet God remains. He is the strength of my heart; He is mine forever!” Psalm 73:26 TLB
Like so many adolescents, my granddaughter hit middle school and suddenly God and her family moved to the backburner. Her friends and what they thought of her became priority. But friends can come and go and she experienced the trauma of that reality.
My heart yearned for her. I bought a light weight wood cross and wrote on it “(her name) + Jesus is enough.” That eternal truth will support her throughout all her life. I wrote “(her name) + Jesus” on the crossbar and “is enough” down the stem. Psalm 73:26 is taped on the back of the cross.
The process and the message had such an impact on me that I also made a cross for myself: Donna + Jesus is enough. That cross gets packed in a suitcase and goes with me everywhere. It’s stuffed into my purse for important meetings. But it’s home is under my pillow where my the touch in the middle of the night sends its’ message to me.
When all seems wrong and gone, Jesus is enough.
F – Jesus is my Firm Foundation. I Corinthians 3:11
My husband and I had a wonderful twenty-day cruise through the Panama Canal. God was our firm foundation through the rocking and dipping over one sea and two oceans. I was also helped by an Rx patch to combat motion sickness and the prayers of many friends.
When I was on solid ground, the patch came off, but the sea continued to rock me—severe motion sickness. Jesus held my hand as I stumbled over His firm foundation to the closest sink. Five days of anti-nausea Rx and six pounds lighter, I’m getting better.
His foundation holds firm through the good and the not-so-good times.
S – God is safe. I’m traveling and it’s good to know that Jesus travels with me and keeps me safe.
O – Jesus is omni-present. He’s with me even now when I’m out in the Atlantic, surrounded by ocean. But what is especially comforting is that is He’s also back at my home watching over our son.
Because God keeps me safe and travels with me I am able to try new adventures. Thank you my God! (written on April 10)
B – God Breaks.
God breaks down walls of hostility between sinful man and Himself. (Ephesians 2:14) Also walls of resentment, hatred and un-forgiveness between His children.
There’s a song that says, “Break my heart with what breaks Yours.” I think He does that too.
But He doesn’t break a bruised reed. (Isaiah 42:3)
I’ve been a bruised reed. He’s never allowed me to be tempted beyond what I could bear (I Corinthians 10:13). He holds onto me in the winds of challenge.
B – God Binds. Two definitions of to bind:
to stop or limit – God binds Satan Revelation 20:2
to tie together – to heal – God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3
Both definitions comfort me.
R – God is Robed in splendor. Isaiah 63:1
U – God Upholds.
“My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me.” Psalm 63:8
Sometimes the earth seems to shake beneath my feet. Other times my legs quake and weaken. Still other times the winds of circumstances threaten to topple me.
But, unfailingly, God upholds me. He steadies the ground beneath me. He strengthens my legs. He either quiets the winds or He holds my hand and walks through them with me.
His ways of upholding me are varied, sometimes unrecognizable, but always there.
Q – God is Quiet.
“And after the fire came a quiet gentle whisper, a still small voice.”
I Kings 19:12
S – God is Spirit.
God’s Spirit is all around and, when I breath in, I breath in His Spirit.
And His Spirit dwells in me. So when I breath deeply of Him do I become more filled with Him?
I hope so.
P – Jesus is Patient. “ The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9
W – Jesus Waits.
I’m so ready for Jesus to come back and end this struggle. But He knows the perfect timing. He wants all to come to Him—so He waits. And I have an active role in His waiting. Whomever He sends to me I want to do my part in bringing him/her to salvation.
But . . . I‘m impatient! I don’t like lines at the grocery. I’m antsy and grumbly in traffic jams. I get irritated with people that just don’t seem to “move on.”
All the while, Jesus waits. He waits for the higher good.
My Jesus, please share with me Your ability to wait. Until I meet You in heaven, fill me with Your patience and calm for the day-to-day demands of life here on earth.
O – Jesus is Omnipresent. I am never alone, or left behind, or without ever-present help. Matthew 28:20
S – God, Striding forward in the greatness of His strength.
Isaiah 63:1
I love that picture of God—of Jesus—striding forward with power, and confidence and authority. Yeah! That’s my God.
But I feel He also helps me with my own stride. When I’m feeling low, discouraged, and weak I can throw my shoulders back and force my slow, beaten-down walk into a stride because I’m claiming “the greatness of His strength.”
Oh, my Jesus, can I walk with You in the greatness of Your strength?
N – Jesus is necessary. He is needed. Luke 10:41-41
S – God supplies my every need. Philippians 4:19
Wouldn’t it make a wonderful book to hear people’s vignettes about how God had met their need – the small ones and the big ones? I’ve experienced His faithfulness in all kinds: small, big, and in between.
Lately, a lot of things have been coming my way, and I can’t sort out what to do or think or choose. In the past I’d lay awake all night talking to God, muddling over the solutions and choices. But with this go around, I’ve begged God for sleep—restful, trusting sleep. And, guess what? I’ve awakened refreshed and, as I start my day with the Lord, new insights and solutions seem to be handed to me straight from His hand.
God does supply my every need! I have to trust Him with the timing.
It’s a new and difficult step for me, and I love that it works. (So do those around me.)
M – God is rich in mercy. Ephesians 2:4
H – God is Holy. Isaiah 6:3
I never used to like the fact that God was holy. It pointed to another fact: I am unholy.
With time and experience I realize that all the amazing attributes of God that I treasure and that have become the foundation of my being would not be true, would not be reliable, if God wasn’t holy. He doesn’t make mistakes. He’s not good part of the time. He’s good all of the time.
I’ve struggled with trusting God. I think that is partly because I’ve never understood His holiness: that He is infallible and perfect and His goodness is totally complete. Therefore, I can trust Him completely—for all things and in every circumstance.
Beloved God, thank You for Your holiness.
L – God is Love. It’s Valentines Day tomorrow. Let’s acknowledge the greatest love of all! I John 4:8
S – God Sings! Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 22:22, Hebrews 2:12
Lest you doubt that God sings, I’ve listed three proofs. This insight is new to me and I love it!
It touches my soul to sing praises to Jesus, especially when the musical instruments allow me to hear the voices of fellow believers. It’s how I picture heaven. But somehow I’d missed the concept that my Triune God is singing with me.
I didn’t think it was possible to get any closer to God than I already am, but knowing God is rejoicing with me moves me to an even deeper level.
Oh, Lord, may we, your children, hear Your voice joining us in praise.
K – God Keeps my lamp burning. Psalm 18:28
N – God never sleeps.
My Dictionary of Praise emphasizes our Triune God’s amazing character. Mostly it can be stated in positive descriptors. But sometimes the things that mean so much to His children are things that God is not—things He doesn’t do.
God does not sleep. He’s God and can get away with that. I’m human and I need sleep. But sleep sometimes eludes me. I’m assailed with a litany of things done wrong, things to do, problems to solve, past offences . . . Satan seems to march the list before me during my wakefulness.
But, praise God, He is awake and He knows my struggle. He hears me when I cry for relief, rest, and renewal through the wonderful gift of sleep.
Thank You, my God, that You do not sleep. You are still at my side, caring and intervening in the wakefulness of the night.
J – God is Jehovah Jireh—the Lord provides. – Genesis22: 8 &14
M – Jesus Motivates me.
What is there to do if I simply don’t want to do what God is asking of me? Go to Jesus and ask for His motivation and desire to complete the undesirable assignment. He is eager to give me His motivation, but I have to be a willing participant in the change of attitude.
I know He will supply blessings along the way, so I go into search mode to discover them. He will create opportunities for me to bless others —I need to yield to them for they help me see God’s purpose. Remembering Jesus’ sufficiency in the past helps for the present. And I ask, sometimes beg, for His joy to fill me as I obey.
Some assignments are just plain hard. But Jesus’ supply of motivation surely helps me continue forward.
Thank You, Jesus, for never letting me down!
I – God is Incomparable! None like Him—not even close!
F – Jesus Fights.
He fights the battle with me. Yesterday satan had a heyday with me. The battle was not quick. I tried prayer, song, praise, shouting Jesus’ name and stamping my foot at satan—then resting, then moving out in faith. Satan didn’t let go for a long time.
But neither did Jesus let go. He held me and fought with me. I knew I would come through the battle because Jesus is my Lord; but the process was surely hard.
I don’t suppose there are any Christians who like the battle any more than I do. But we must be doing something right for the kingdom if satan wants us so badly.
Keep fighting, my fellow warriors! With Jesus there is victory.
H – Jesus is my Hope of glory.
Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:27
C – Jesus Completes.
It’s been said that men/women are created with a God space inside of them. I have never discovered a Bible verse that states that. But I believe it to be true. Why? Because I experience it.
It began when I invited Jesus to live inside me. And, wonder of wonders, He came! With Jesus as my counselor and guide, I’m becoming complete. I’ve glimpsed the person God created me to be. And it’s a beautiful thing, that completed me.
Jesus, may I continue to submit to Your process of completion..
G – God is Generous.
The list is very long of God’s generosity. The one that continues as my favorite is that He is generous in giving us His Holy Spirit—indeed, when we ask, filling us to overflowing!
S – God Spreads.
Psalm 136:6 tells us God spread out the earth upon the waters. That, of course, is the BIG one. But God spreads in so many other ways. He spreads His love out over us. He spreads His protection around us. He spreads His message.
We get to participate in the spreading of the message. In fact, God counts on us for that.
Lord God, thank you for spreading out so much goodness and blessing before us, over us, and around us. May we be ever aware and thankful of Your presence in our lives and eagerly and steadfastly spread Your message to a world that doesn’t know You.
C – God is Clingable—able to be clung to.
As we begin a new year, we think of beginnings, maybe ways to improve. My New Years resolutions have always been in the form of a Birthday present to baby Jesus. It motivates me more.
What Jesus seems to be asking of me lately is to practice peace and joy while still being on-guard against satan and fighting the good fight. I lack insight as to how these seemingly opposite, contradictory characteristics can co-exist in the same person at the same time. Yet, if that is what God wants from me, I know We can do it. (He + me = We)
He assures me We can do it, but I ask, “How?” God answers, “Cling to Me and I will show you how.”
So, this year I’m giving Jesus my desire and commitment to cling to Him more completely and consistently. (Psalm 63:8)
I’ve created a new descriptor for God—He is clingable. (No Bible verse available ☺ )
F – God is the Fountain of life that does not go dry. Isaiah 36:9
R – God Renews. Revelation 21:5
He makes all things new, not just at the beginning of a year, but with every new day. Salvation comes at one point in time—that’s the most significant and profound of new beginnings. But Jesus-in-us continues to make us new as we yield to Him and ask Him to recreate us in His image.
I’m a far cry from becoming all God wants me to be, but I praise Him to heaven and back for how He’s making me new. I’m so much better than when I was in charge. Life’s more fulfilling and joy-filled because He’s continuing the creation process in me.
Thank you, Lord. I like the new me!
B – Jesus came as a Baby.
How illogical is that! The Creator and Sovereign authority of the entire universe came down to puny earth as a helpless, vulnerable Baby. (Hmm. Kind-of describes human beings.)
And why did He come? Also illogical. To save the very ones who disobeyed and rejected Him. (Maybe He thought we needed Him.)
God is not confined to think and act in the ways that we humans think. Praise be to our amazing God that the secret things belong to Him. His thoughts and ways are WAY beyond those of the imperfect, insufficient human brain. (Deuteronomy 29:29; Isaiah 55:8-9)
Oh, awesome God, thank You for sending us Your salvation through Baby Jesus. May we believe and accept even when we don’t always understand.
E – Jesus Enfolds me. Enfold: to embrace.
C – God Collaborates. Collaborate: to work with others.
God Collaborates with me, with you, with others. Though He’s the sovereign God of all creation, He isn’t a dictator. He created in each of us the freedom of choice. Even after I invited Him to live inside me, to be Adonai, my Lord, I can make choices apart from Him.
Sure seems like He’s taking a big chance. He could have created us as robots to choose only His way. But He wants us to choose Him of our own free will. And once we do, He works with us to make the best choices.
Oh, Lord God, thank You for revealing Yourself to me and working with me to choose my absolute best: Your way.
D – God Dwells. God said He would dwell with us, walk among us, and be our God. (Leviticus 26:12) And then He actually sent us His Son to live inside us! (I Corinthians 3:16)
T – Jesus Trains.
Jesus Trains me to do many things (I’m going to work on that list). But this morning I read in Sarah Young’s Jesus Calling: “I am training you to think My thoughts.” That resonated with me.
I’m an active thinker and ponderer. Sometimes that’s good and sometimes it isn’t. Do I overanalyze?
Was I brave or was I obnoxious? Was I too timid or sensitive? Would Jesus approve of that movie or TV show? When does temptation move to sin, gray area turn to black? Was that from satan or my own sin nature? Do you have these questions too?
The concept that Jesus actually Trains me to think His thoughts is encouraging. As I sift through things in my mind I can invite Jesus into my sifting process. I can pray against satan and ask Jesus for clear thinking and insights.
Whew! There is hope. Jesus, will You be my personal thought-trainer?
C – C is for Christ in Christmas. May Christ be the focus of our celebrations.
G – God Guards the cliff.
The cliff? The cliff into self-pity, bitterness, anger, hopelessness, loss of faith . . . Where does going over the cliff dump you?
I have a Roomba, a friendly little circular robot that travels the dirty floors of my house and cleans them. But there are stairs and drop offs: Roomba cliffs. My little friend is programed not to go over the cliffs. I am not.
I need my God to guard the edge and I need to be on guard for those dangerous ledges. Thank You, Lord, for holding on to me!
A – God is Abundant, Abounding in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6
God blesses us exceedingly, Abundantly beyond all we ask or
think. Ephesians 3:20
This Thursday in America we celebrate Thanksgiving. I’m thankful to my sovereign God for planting me in America where hard work is rewarded, and that I can chose where to work. That I can vote and speak my mind. That I can live wherever I want and send my children to school and church.
I’m thankful for those who came before me. I recently visited Plymouth, MA and toured the Mayflower. Their courage and commitment is beyond my imagining in this soft world we now live. All to gain the freedoms I now possess.
I stood on the North Bridge where the “the shot heard round the world” was fired, which eventually won for us the right to rule ourselves. Others purchased the freedoms I often take for granted.
Oh, Lord God, thank you for how you have blessed our nation. May we value it and do our part to keep it “one nation under God.”
B – The Lord is my Banner. He goes before me. (See W message below.) Yahweh Nissi – Exodus 17:15, Isaiah 11:10
W – Jesus is my WE. He + me = WE
“Yes WE can!” That is my battle cry of late. Jesus and I can.
Can what? Life. We can do life. It seems to be getting harder. The challenges never go away, they just change. And my ability and confidence in handling them is diminishing.
But God has given them to me or allowed them in. Therefore . . . that’s my assignment. I can’t handle it. But Jesus and I can.
So I raise my Banner and shout, “Yes WE can!” and march back into the battle.
S – Jesus Stands above the rulers of the earth. (a line from the song “Glorious” by Paul Balouche)
S – God is Sovereign.
I’m so ready for the elections to be over. But then I’m anxious about the outcome. What can I do? I care. I pray. I do my homework. I vote.
But then . . . I have to let go and remember Who is in charge. Who is Sovereign, Who has the ultimate victory, and Who holds us in the in-between.
Oh, Sovereign God, protect our nation and bring us back to You.
A – God is Almighty. Psalm 147:5 and many more verses!
If God wasn’t almighty and all-powerful in all situations, we couldn’t completely trust Him. But He is and we can!
R – Jesus Refreshes.
My eyes felt scratchy, irritated, and tired. I leaned my head back and inserted two drops in each eye. They immediately felt washed clean, refreshed, and spilling over with renewed wellbeing.
That’s how I feel when I’ve spent time with Jesus! Refreshed, filled over, ready for the day. Lord, You refresh me. Thank you.
Z – Jesus is my Zenith, my pinnacle, my utmost.
F – Jesus is my Foundation (I Corinthians 3:11) and my Fortress (Psalm18:2). He Fills me with His Fullness (Ephesians 3:19).
That is one awesome package! Underneath me is Jesus holding me up—on solid rock. Around me are the strong walls that deflect the arrows of satan and my enemies. And He fills me with all His power, knowledge, wisdom, peace, patience . . . the fullness of Who He is.
Now we know a foundation and a fortress don’t move. But mine do! Jesus didn’t give me all this fortification to sit in isolation, rather to go forth and do His work.
Filled with His Spirit and fully protected, I’m completely equipped to run the race and fight the battles Jesus has for me.
Y – Jesus is my Yokemate.
I used to think life would get easier as I gained experience and my faith grew deeper. That hasn’t been my experience. Challenges continue. But time and experience has taught me to lean more heavily on my Yokemate and trust the path He chooses for me.
H – God is High above the heavens and Here with me.
I’ve been traveling and not written in my blog for a while. As I traveled God watched over me from heaven, but also walked with me on the Freedom Trail in Boston. He was with me when I dumped fake tea into the Boston harbor and ducked my head under the timbers of the Mayflower in Plymouth.
He was also with me when I frantically tried to reclaim my travel mate’s wallet from our returned rental car. He kept us calm (barely) as two angels went to find the car, and, on bended knee, dig out the black wallet hidden on top of the black carpet under the seat.
What precious assurance and comfort it is that God is Here with me—always and everywhere.
Another beautiful way to worship our LORD JESUS and feed our souls.
Wow, this is going to be great, thank you
X – God is Exceptional. There is none like Him. He is unique and incomparable. And He’s OUR God!
S – God Sustains and Strengthens. “My hand will sustain him; surely my arm will strengthen him.” Psalm 89:21
Sustain: to nourish somebody, to support something from below. I’m that somebody and that something! I love that God supports me and keeps me in the game, this game of life. But also that He strengthens me to live with endurance and enthusiasm.
My father-in-law once wrote to me “You live life with such aplomb!” It may be the best compliment I’ve ever had, because I know the aplomb shining through me is Jesus.
More recently my prayer sheets bear the words to self: “bear up, don’t give up.”
Lord God, grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:12b The game isn’t over yet.
W – Jesus is my Welcome at heaven’s gate. I eagerly await!
S – God Spreads.
God “Spread out the earth upon the waters.” Psalm 136:6
“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us Spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him.” II Corinthians 2:14
We cannot participate with God in the Spreading at creation, but we can be His partner in Spreading His fragrance in our world today. As Christ believers that is one of our assignments. It’s what this blog is all about.
Our Lord, creator God and savior God, may we spread Your fragrance as a healing balm to our hurting world!
V – God is the Vinedresser.
Oh, Lord God, dress me this day with a forgiving spirit.
F – God Forgives.
God sets the example of forgiveness. I easily embrace my forgiveness. I find it more difficult to forgive others.
Today I’m experiencing the gift of healing because I chose to forgive an insult. How tempting and beguiling it is to chew on a hurt or offence. But with forgiveness comes a softening of the heart. Then comes God’s work of dissolving the anger and bitterness of my mind and memory. That seems to take longer, but it will come if I keep seeking God’s help. The process starts with the choice to forgive.
Thank you Lord for showing me the way.
U – Jesus is Under. He is under my feet as a rock of stability and as the One Who guides my feet on His straight path (see below).
S – God is the path-Straightener. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
I had an outstanding day today. Yet I woke this morning grumpy, only wanting to stay in bed. Forcing myself to face the day, I determined to give it over to God’s lead and trust Him. It worked wonderfully.
I pondered what my day would’ve been like if I’d struggled through in my own strength. It wouldn’t have been as good.
Praise You, Lord God, for rewarding my trust by only giving me trails I can traverse . . . with Your help. Sometimes the paths I’ve walked with You haven’t seemed straight, but by leaning on You I’ve always made it.
T – God Treasures His own. (That’s you and me!)
M – Jesus Mixes.
I just returned from a women’s retreat. It was great fun, but one of the best parts was that so many differences were mixed together to create a beautiful and inspiring result. Some ladies were great cooks, some weren’t (me). Some liked to dig the fire pit and gather wood, others preferred to create lovely bouquets. Some enjoyed visiting a lot, others slipped off to quietly read a book.
But we all love Jesus and seek to build one another up to fulfill the unique calling He has given each of us.
Maybe without Jesus this particular combination of women wouldn’t have chosen to come together. But Jesus chose us! And His recipe blessed us beyond human imagination.
Thank you, Jesus, for mixing so well!
S – God is the Smasher of idols.
Oh, Lord God, help me to identify the idols in my life and smash them!
A – Jesus Always . . . fill in the blanks.
I love the word always, yet I don’t like superlatives – especially not negative ones. “I always mess up!” “It always goes wrong.” It’s always my fault.” “He/she ‘s always on my case.”
But the superlative “always” describes God. He always cares. He always has His eyes on me. He’s always faithful. He’s always with me.That last one is my favorite. Yes, it could also be said He’s omnipresent, but I don’t relate much to that word. In my ups and downs, my turmoil and my discouragement, my failure and my success, Jesus is always with me.
Oh, how good it is, how comforting, to know He puts up with me, never leaves me, and is always beside me rooting for me to do my best.
R – God Rewards. “He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
T – God Teaches. “You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” Psalm 51:6
Indecision, confusion, and turmoil swirl in my mind. I crave peace. It doesn’t come, at least not as quickly as I’d like. I plead with God and lay my “stuff” before Him, but things don’t change; again, not as quickly as I’d like.
I’ve gone this path before, many times over. And I’ve learned that as I trust God for His wisdom, it will come. It always has. And as I wait for that wisdom to unfold, He holds me in the palm of His hand. And We, He and I, always make it through.
Q – Jesus Quickens my spirit. “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made of living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” John 15:45 KJV Other Bible translations interpret quickening spirit as life-giving spirit.
Oh, yes, Jesus Quickens my spirit giving me a vigor and enthusiasm for life now and for the eternal life to come.
I – God is Irresistible. The dictionary defines irresistible as overpowering and very desirable. God is both.
Overpowering – whether I believe in God or not He is going to have His way.
Very desirable – when someone has tasted of God and learned He is good, God becomes irresistible. There is no higher level of living or happiness than walking closely with God.
P – Jesus is Power.
A – God is Able. “God is Able to do immeasurable more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” Ephesians 3:20
God is Able to perform the possible and the impossible, no matter how big or how small. And what’s more amazing is that He’s eager to do that when we ask for His help.
We often give Him the big things, but I think we grow closest to Him when we give Him the small things in our life, all day long. I discovered that when, as a young Christian, my toddler was yanking on my leg and I spilled grape juice from the top shelf of the refrigerator down everything below. Too small for God? I put Him to the test and asked Him to help me. With grace and patience I went about the tedious job of removing all the food and washing it down. Then taking a wet cloth and cleaning all the slots in the refrigerator racks.
That was a breakthrough discovery. God does care about the small things and He wants us to bring them to Him. How else can we prove to ourselves that He cares about ALL the things in our life?
B – God Blesses.
On this July 4, 2016, I praise You, Lord God, for blessing America. Thank You for making us one of the great nations in history. But we have taken Your blessings and used them for our own purposes, as if they came from ourselves. Lord, forgive us our pride and selfishness.
Sovereign God, I pray You would continue to bless America by turning us back to You. We have strayed from the God-centered nation of our beginning. Help us to figure out how human rights can work with Your righteousness, how free-will can co-exist with Your will. Please be our guide. We can’t do this without You!
We live in a big, complicated, confusing world and only You know and understand the big picture, how it all fits together. Please heal our nation and make us right and pleasing to You.
G – Jesus Guards the cliff. Yes, this is another name I’ve made up.
We all have those days when everything, even the smallest task, seems to go wrong. First one thing happens and you stop, say a little prayer, and turn away from anger or irritation. Then it happens again and again. Each time you’re stopped from tipping over the edge to full blown ragging SIN, if you cling to the Guard of the cliff.
Why do we have days like that? I do not know. It’s exhausting to keep resisting a full-blown meltdown into anger, bitterness, resentment, why-me, doubt . . . it is sooo tempting to just vent.
And yet Jesus Guards the cliff’s edge for a reason. We may be exhausted after a full day of clinging to Jesus’s hand at the cliff, but we’ve proven that the Guard is faithful to hold on to us.
The experience strengthens our knowledge and witness that with Jesus’ help we are strong enough to resist the assaults. Because, for sure, they will come again. And we will be stronger to handle them.
O – God is the Omega. Omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega . . . who is, who was, who is to come . . . the Almighty.”
Revelation 1:8
That’s pretty much everything, wouldn’t you say? And He’s our God!
N – Jesus is Needed . . . for everything that has eternal value.
V – Jesus is Vital.
Jesus is Vital to the life I seek and hunger for. I’ve had a taste of life lead by Jesus and it is good and sweet, fulfilling and rewarding. It is the best I can be! And Jesus is Vital to that life.
M – Jesus Molds my character.
T – God is Trustworthy.
In one of my recent ponderous moods I asked myself: what is my greatest weakness? Much to my disappointment it is the same. It has always been and continues to be: lack of trust. (I’ve already praised Him five times for His trustworthiness on my blog.)
However, at this stage of my life I have a very great advantage: a long track record of God’s trustworthiness. That perfect record has helped me to trust sooner and more completely. I’m grudgingly learning to “lean not on my own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5
Oh, thank you, beloved God, that you are worthy of my complete dependence and trust!
L – Jesus Lowers my steam. (a quote from my son)
V – Jesus is my Victor.
David writes in many of the Psalms about God giving him victory over his enemies and his challenges. Compared to David I have no enemies, or very puny ones. I’m a modern-day wimp.
But I do have enemies. With each stage of life the enemies change somewhat, but they never leave. My current enemies are: the mind stealer, the confidence thief, and the joy robber. I’m in a constant battle to keep my spirits up. I must accept decline, but not allow satan to steal my value or to give up the fight.
Even in the later stages of life Jesus is my Victor. He will give me victory right up to the moment I see Him face to face!
K – God knows that I am but dust. Psalm 103:14
I – God is Impartial.
Our Lord receives all us penitent sinners: old sinners and young sinners, male sinners and female sinners, adulterous sinners and holier-than-thou sinners, over achieving sinners and lazy sinners, bold sinners and frightened sinners, healthy sinners and unhealthy sinners . . .
He is an “equal opportunity” receiver of those who turn to Him. None are too bad to be welcomed by Him or too good to need Him.
Praise You, Jesus, that ALL are invited to receive salvation and be welcomed into Your arms.
J – Jesus Justifies me. Romans 3:26
Justifies: #6 in the dictionary—to free somebody from sin. I’m that somebody!
A- Jesus Affirms me.
I know for absolute sure that Jesus saved me and that He loves me. But I sometimes get discouraged that I’m not serving Him well. I go into a pit of self-reproach and an “I’m not enough” attitude can take over. Jesus doesn’t let me stay there too long.
He knows I need His encouragement to carry on and persevere. That’s when He sends me some observation or comment that affirms to me that I’m on the right path, that I am doing the work He wants me to do.
Thank you, precious Jesus, for your reassurance.
I – God Inhabits the praises of Israel (and of me!) Psalm 22:3
S – Jesus is the Song in my heart!
As I walked on a beautiful May morning, my heart exalted. I was so full of the Lord that I thought I’d burst. My mind tried to capture words for how I felt. There were many choices, but the best was that Jesus is the Song in my heart. And I simply had to sing His Song.
On that jubilant morning His song was a full orchestra with cymbals crashing and horns blowing. Another day, maybe a day of rest, the music might be a quiet, gentle lullaby. It might be a march when I step out in confidence to face a day of challenge.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your song is always with me. May I not be so into myself and my mutterings that I can’t sing and hum Your melody.
H – Jesus is my Hallelujah!
R – God Refreshes.
God refreshes many things, but today I celebrate that He refreshes me. He refreshes my spirit, my faith, my trust, my hope, my commitment. He refreshes my desire to keep-a-going, to finish the race well, to trust that He will have the victory.
And, please Lord, refresh my ability to wait—to wait patiently.
G – Jesus was a Galilean. Matthew 21:11
S – Jesus Stands . . . above the rulers of the earth.
The elections are wearing me out and we still have to make it to November. I appreciate living in a country with so many freedoms, but sometimes it showcases some of the uglier side of our character as a nation. When I came across the line “Jesus stands above the rulers of the earth,” I sighed relief. It’s from the song Glorious, by Paul Balouche and reassures me of Who is actually in control.
Thank You, awesome, sovereign God, that You are in charge of this chaotic world of ours and You know the outcome!
K – God Keeps his Promises.
This is one of my favorites from the list of what God never does (previous post). When our children were young we kept 3×5 cards handy to record the promises of God that we discovered along the way. They were kept in a basket on the kitchen counter and we’d claim a different one for each new day. This ingrained them in my being. Here are some of the ones I claim most often:
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah. 29:11
I can do everything God asks me to do with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power. Philippians 4:13
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. I Corinthians 10:13
All that happens to us works together for good if we love God and are fitting into his plans. Romans 8:28
He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the dimly burning flame. He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. Isaiah 42:3
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I John 1:9
You have seen me tossing and turning through the night. You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book. Psalm 56:8
I don’t think I could face life if I couldn’t count on my faithful God to keep His promises. Deuteronomy 7:9
F- God is the Finisher of my faith. Hebrews 12:2 KJV
N – God Never . . .
Today’s list isn’t about what God is, rather it’s about what God isn’t. Everything and everyone will let-us-down at some point in time: people, the church, the bank, government, the stock market, computers, cars, the weather . . .
But our sovereign, holy God NEVER let’s us down. God never: gives up on us, sleeps, leaves us or forsakes us, lies to us, harms us, loses us, abandons us, changes, breaks a promise, loses power, forgets, makes a mistake, . . . Do you get the point? Add to the list.
When life or people disappoint me, I take comfort in knowing that God never has and never will.
E – God is my Enabler.
H – Jesus is my first “Hello!” in the morning.
My mind unfuzzes. My eyes blink open. Then I smile and greet Jesus, and we welcome the new day together.
Jesus is my first thought after waking. Not my to-do list. Not the challenges I’d rather not face. Not even the good things I anticipate. No, it’s my omnipresent Lord who will share the day with me.
I can face all things in Him Who strengthens me and walks with me. That’s life at its best!
T – Jesus Tore the veil. Matthew 27:51, Hebrews 10:19-20
When Jesus died on the cross the veil that separated the Temple from the Holy of Holies tore from top to bottom. The veil symbolized the separation of sinful people from Holy God. Jesus’ payment for my sin offered me entrance into the Holy of Holies, into the very presence of the Holy, Creator, Sovereign God of the universe!
I’m definitely not a priest, much less the High Priest who was only yearly allowed entry into that sacred place. I’m just one of His children. Yet I can now stand in the very presence of God!
Thank you, Jesus, that Your death on the cross and my belief in You have reunited me with my Creator, Father God. We are one!
B – Jesus bled. It’s Good Friday. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for what You did for me. May I never take it for granted.
It’s Holy Week—Easter week—Passion week. The song I read for my devotion
today is a good summary of what Jesus did this week.
JESUS YOU ARE WORTHY
by Brenton Brown and Don Williams
Jesus, You are mercy, Jesus, You are justice,
Jesus, You are worthy, that is what You are.
You died alone to save me, You rose so you could raise me.
You did this all to make me a chosen child of God.
Worthy is the Lamb that once was slain
To receive all glory power and praise.
For with Your blood You purchased us for God
Jesus, You are worthy, that is what You are.
Perfect sacrifice, crushed by God for us.
Bearing in Your hurt all that I deserve.
Misjudged for my misdeeds You suffered silently.
The only guiltless man in all of history.
Thank You, beloved Savior!
D – Jesus Defends the feeble. That’s me today: feeble. And it’s why I like the following characteristic of God.
I – God’s In-charge.
Easter is my spiritual birthday. For years I’ve donated blood on Good Friday as my meager gift to thank Jesus for His awesome gift. It led to me coordinating an annual Easter Season blood drive at our church. The drive is this Wednesday, and I’m totally incapable of heading up such an important and extensive event.
Sometimes the tension takes over because I forget Who’s in charge. Thank You, Lord, that it isn’t me—it’s You! Forgive me for forgetting that.
Lord, You go before us. May we honor and remember You.
C – God is Clothed. He is clothed in splendor and majesty.
Psalm 104:1
S – God Spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him.
II Corinthians 2:14
Lord, Your fragrance, Your aroma, what a gift it is. I breathe deeply of the knowledge of who You are and something wonderful happens. My tension eases. My heart swells with the joy of being Your child, of knowing you will take care of me. A feeling of security fills my being. My step becomes stronger. My hope greater. My vision clearer. My ears keener to Your whispers.
And celebration becomes my countenance—I am a child of this amazing and awesome God!
B – Jesus is Beloved. By me. By you?
T – Jesus Teaches Trust.
Even when I give all my organizational and administrative skills to the challenges in my life, it often fails to work out as I planned, or hoped,
or maybe even prayed. I can panic and fight tension and doubt.
I’ve discovered (of course the hard way!) that there is adventure in the middle of challenges if I go on a treasure hunt to seek what God has to teach me. There’s ALWAYS a lesson—but I must remain teachable if I want to learn it.
Each lesson may carry multiple messages, but the prevailing one is: trust.
Jesus is worthy of our trust.
A – Jesus is the ultimate Authority – Matthew 28:18
O – God is Omni-best.
You’re right. Omni-best is not a word. I created it.
Omni is all, always. Best means better than anybody or anything else. Our God offers His children the absolute, superlative, ultimate best—all the time and completely. I sum that up as “omni-best.”
God knows all the possibilities for our lives. He customizes the best path for each of us. My best is not your best. He guides us individually on the path He has chosen.
So why don’t we always walk that best path? We chose our own way. Maybe we forget to even consult God about the right choice. Maybe we don’t like the path He guided us onto, so we choose not to seek His best as we face unwanted situations and circumstances. Or we’re beguiled down the path of the world. Or satan entices us onto his destructive path.
If I’m completely confident God’s way is best (and I am because He’s proved it over many years of His faithfulness), then the key to living His best is to steadfastly seek it and chose it.
L – God Loves. His love never changes. He loves at all times.
God spreads His love over my extended family as we have a family reunion at Mount Hood. I planned the weekend and pictured three days of downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, tubing . . . We barely had a half day of skiing, though I got to take a snowboarding lesson with my granddaughter (cross one thing off my bucket list!). Yesterday it rained torrents—all day. We stayed inside and bonded over board games, laughter, and lots of food. Today, we awake to the sun rising over the snowy mountain tops. The kids need sun-screen to go tubing and then we all head back home. (Scratch that last one. A grandkid woke up sick. Plans change.) Yet God loves us no more in one circumstance than in another.
God loves us: in our obedience, but also in our disobedience. In our joys and our sorrows. In our victories and our failures. In our sickness and wellbeing. In our faith and our doubts.
Even in challenges and disappointments, may we love Him in return.
Z – God is Zoe. Zoe is the Greek word for life.
G – God guards and guides.
I’m the coordinator for our church’s annual Easter Season Blood Drive. This is
our fifth year! You’d think I’d have it down pat by now as it is very well
organized. But the “what if’s” still seem to plague my spirit.
This time around, each time I’m taunted with a “what if” I’m going to remind
myself that God is guarding my heart and guiding my path. The blood drive is
for His glory and He’s in charge. When I remind myself of that fact my spirit
settles into rest and confidence.
(In Leviticus 17 God tells us “life is in the blood.” Consider giving that
life/health-giving gift to another of God’s children.)
Y – God is Yahweh – I AM WHO I AM. Exodus 3:14
I – The I-Team.
I’ve written before about my I-Team. It’s something I created to guide myself away from being self-centered—thinking the world is all about me. The idea is that when I say “I” I really mean Yahweh God (the great I AM) and me.
But for some reason I hadn’t linked it with another very important I-name: Immanuel—God with me. Matthew 1:23 The great I AM, Immanuel, and me now make up my I-Team.
We are a mighty force!
(The concept of the I-Team came to me when the A-Team was a popular TV program. I was teaching children at the time, and the A-Team was an unbeatable force. I used that analogy to teach them that they had an I- Team. The team concept worked for me too. ☺ )
Thank you, Matthew. God is our hope in our hope-starved world.
Hope- God is my hope
X – God eXceeds.
God is able to do exceeding, abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. Ephesians 3:20
A – Jesus is Available.
“Sorry, Mam, the product you want is outdated and no longer available.”
“The person you need to talk to is on vacation and not available until . . .”
“The predicted new system isn’t perfected yet and unavailable at this time.”
Jesus offers Himself, telling us, “I’m available to you every minute of every day, in every place, and in every circumstance.”
May I always avail myself of Christ’s ever-present availability.
(Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that whimsy of words.)
W – God is Without and Within.
Without – outside of me. God crafts world events and moves nations. He controls circumstances, situations, and who walks into my life.
Within – inside of me. He whispers to my ear and my heart letting me know He is here, inside. Leading me on the path to take. Drawing me back to Him when I stray. Guiding my thoughts, my ideas, my words. Or, I should qualify, He does all this . . . when I let Him.
I cannot do much about what’s going on outside of me, but I sure can about what happens inside of me. Jesus has given me this amazing gift of living inside me, yet chooses not to take control of my life. He gives me that choice.
Day by day, moment by moment, may I ask Jesus to control me from the inside out. Maybe, when I do, I may actually have an impact on what happens outside of me!
V – Jesus is Victorious.
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brother, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. I Corinthians 15: 55-58
R – God is Yahweh Rohe or Roi, the God who sees. And He isYahweh Rohi or Raah, the LORD our shepherd.
Genesis 16:3 describes God seeing Tamar’s misery. He sees mine, too. And my waywardness and self-will. But very comforting for me at the beginning of 2016 is that He sees my future. He sees all the way to the end of this race called life.
Psalm 23:1 tells me that God is also my shepherd. What an assurance and confidence it is to know that as God sees the path He has for me, He also shepherds me along it. What an awesome God!
My role? To trust and follow
U – Jesus is Under me, my support, the rock upon which I stand.
N – God has Numbered my days. Psalm 39:4; 139:16
If I know God has Numbered my days, what is my response supposed to be? It’s a limited supply—I better not waste it.
I can actually lose my allotment of days if I don’t make choices that lead to good health. And I can squander the days that I have when I chose to go my way, instead of His.
FAITH – If I don’t thoroughly and totally believe that God’s way is the absolute best for me, the enticements of the world and the love of leading my own life will become my path.
LOVE – And if I don’t have a deep desire to please God and sorrow when I disappoint Him, then I won’t even realize I’ve fallen short of the abundant life He planned for me.
Oh, Creator God, thank you for this incredible gift of life and the days you’ve given me. Don’t let me waste them. Please guide me to live to the fullest that which You have given me—to live every day for You.
T – God Turns my darkness into light. Psalm 18:28 TLB
G & H – God is the Glue that Holds.
God is the Glue that Holds me together. How do I know this? Because time and time again I’ve experienced it.
But I’ve also discovered that He lets me fall on my face and live with the consequences of self-directed choices and attitude. God treats me as He did the Israelites who were marched off to captivity after years of rejecting the God who chose them.
God didn’t let go of the Israelites, and He doesn’t let go of me. But, during this sanctification stage, this time of learning submission and obedience, I must be a willing participant with God’s Holy Spirit. He won’t force His will on me. In order for God to be the Glue that Holds me together, I must chose His will over mine.
And each and every time I do God does not fail me. Sometimes I witness incredible victories; sometimes I barely make it. But, always, I make it—WE make it, God and I—God’s Glue Holds me.
S – God Spreads. II Corinthians 2:14
God choses us to Spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Jesus.
P – Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
“For unto us a child is born . . . and He will be called . . . Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6
Where is the Prince of Peace in this time of violence and uncertainty?
There appears to be two dimensions of peace: 1) peace among the nations and communities and 2) peace within a person’s inner soul. Since we know that the promise of #1 has not happened yet, maybe it follows that #2 is what comes first. Jesus living within a person in the only true source of peace.
When Jesus lives within us, He leads us to become peacemakers. (Matthew 5:9) Maybe it’s Jesus’ plan to have His children crown Him the Prince of Peace by how we live out our lives to honor Him.
Oh, but that’s a big assignment! Prince of Peace, please guide us.
Q – Jesus Quells the storms within and without.
I am not a fearful person. But right now I fight a storm of fear: my daughter is having major surgery for significant and ongoing issues.
R – God is Yahweh Rophe – the God who heals. Exodus 15:26
And I am trusting, Yahweh Rophe, to heal my daughter.
Lord, may we honor all that You are as we walk through this challenge with You. Thank you for what You will do.
D – Jesus Decorates.
My assignment this week is to decorate for Christmas. What a fun assignment! But even more pleasant is to ponder the things that Jesus decorates.
The hearts of those who love him are decorated with peace, joy, hope, confidence, eagerness, zest for live . . . oh, what a lovely, long list. The creation He gave us to enjoy is adorned with seasons of color, coolness, warmth, abundant living things, refreshing breezes, clean air to breath . . . His church encircles us with a home of sisters and brothers who nourish us with friendship, acceptance, wisdom, and good counsel.
May we spread our arms wide, open our eyes and ears, expose our souls and
hearts to receive God’s decoration.
P – Jesus is the Prince of Life. Acts 3:15 KJV (author of life in many translations)
G – Jesus is The Gift.
My assignment this week is to get Christmas gifts in order. But the reason we are giving gifts is because of the ultimate, most wonderful, forever Gift of Jesus who came as a baby to give us the gift of salvation.
Oh, beautiful Jesus, may I not become distracted with the glamor and clamor that we humans have created around Your birthday. I desire to honor You who came in such a humble way to give me the most lavish of all possible gifts: oneness with You and my Holy Father.
O – God is The One to Whom we give thanks. At Thanksgiving we pause, even those doing the cooking, to give thanks to The One who provides, who nurtures, who supplies, who protects, who . . . Thank You, Lord, for our blessings and abundance. I’m most thankful–for You!
S – Jesus is the Bright Morning Star. Revelation 22:16
I’m looking out at the gloomy morning—dark gray skies, wind, and sideways rain. My devotion talks about the Bright Morning Star. I can’t see it! But I know it’s there. I look again and see the beauty of the leaves dancing about in the wind. With keener vision I could see the plants eagerly reaching to embrace the rain that has finally come after a long season of dryness. And when I poke my nose out the door I smell the crisp, fresh cleanness of the moist air.
The Bright Morning Star shines everyday.
N – Jesus is the New Way. Hebrews 10:19-20
M – Jesus is my Master.
A woman led her two dogs as she walked on the sidewalk to my right. I was driving my car. We reached the stop sign together. Since I was turning right in front of her, she called her dogs to a stop and had them sit and wait. I nearly cried when I saw the look of absolute adoration in the dogs’ eyes as they sat obediently gazing up into the face of their master. The sight gave me great delight as it must also have given their master.
I want to please my Savior, my master, in the same way. May I, too, be obedient to His command, stopping even when I want to run ahead in my own will. And may I gaze into His face with adoration, knowing that His commands are for my best.
Will you look up with me—in adoration?
M – God Ministers through His angels. Psalm 91:11
L – God Lasts!
I was driving to the beach on a clear Autumn day and my eyes simply couldn’t take in all the beauty. My heart was exploding with the magnificence, and I begged, “God make it last!” But it doesn’t last.
Like manna it lasts only for a given time. I thought of all the other things that don’t last: youth, warmth, comfort, health, life . . .
But God Lasts! And more than any earthly beauty, that knowledge makes me face each day with joy and walk through it with assurance: my God lives—forever.
L – God is Light. Please, our good God, light our path this day!
T – Jesus is Trustworthy.
Trusting Jesus is my primary focus these days—many challenging situations in my life right now, ones I cannot control. But I can control how I react. I am constantly reminding myself to be flexible and trust . . . not strong qualities for me.
My comfort is that Jesus is so consistently and totally worthy of my trust. These situations will pass and how I react and control myself determines how I honor God through them. May it be with my trust.
K – God is Kind.
A book could be written about God’s Kindness, but Ephesians 2:7 sums it all up: God expressed His Kindness when He sent us Christ Jesus.
C and S – Jesus is the Consummate Convincer. Christ Convinces us of our sin; then presents Himself as our Sin Solution.
Oh, that we would all chose Him.
J – Jesus is my Jubilation
D – God “Does it” again.
Every year when my women’s group prepares to meet in the fall, I start thinking of all the ways things can go wrong and pray against them. And every year God “Does it” again. He blesses abundantly. It doesn’t always turn out as I planned or envisioned, but it’s always good. After all we’re meeting for the purpose of glorifying Him.
Our group is called OAKS, taken form Isaiah 61:3: and they shall be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord, for His glory. (Older Active Kindred Sisters)
God “does it” again in many other areas of my life. As His track record increases, I’ve become less surprised, but no less amazed and thankful. I pray and trust, but surprise at His answers has been replaced with delight at watching the astounding and creative ways God works to bless His children.
We serve an incredible God who loves us beyond our imagining!
I – God is Irresistible! Praising God is the best part of my day!
C – Jesus is Constant.
I praised the Lord from my C list this morning. The word “constant” seemed to leap off the page to my heart. The world has become a whirlwind, one that I am less and less able to handle. I need a constant.
Technology is changing regularly. The violence of our world rips my heart. The structure of society – marriage – has a new definition. My friends are dying. The fabric of the world I used to count on is frayed and fragile.
But Jesus is constant and does not change. He is my anchor and foundation and upon Him I place my trust.
“The conquering power that brings the world to its knees is our faith. The person who wins out over the world’s ways is simply the one who believes Jesus is the Son of God. “ I John 5:5 The Message
G – Jesus Guards and Guides.
H – God Holds.
God holds many things: the future, the past, the earth, and all of His creation. As a mere human being I picture God holding His children in His arms or by His hand, to comfort, to restrain from sin, to keep safe, to guide, to pick us up and put us back on our feet . . .
Today, I ask Him to hold a specific someone and do all of the above, because I do not know how to pray for her. But Jesus does.
Thank You and praise You, my Lord, for caring so much for Your children and knowing exactly what each of us needs.
E – Jesus is the End. “ . . . I am the beginning and the end.” Revelation 21:6
F – Jesus is my family.
This was a great weekend! My nuclear family was together: husband, daughter, and son. Once children marry and have their own children, that’s a rare treat. I loved every precious minute.
Son and daughter have now returned to their homes. Husband is downstairs. I’m alone, but not really. I’m still with my closest family—my Savior and me—the family we became when I gave my life to Jesus and asked Him to take up residence in me. Jesus doesn’t leave. He is at home in me.
And what boggles my mind, but never diminishes my intimacy with Him, is that He is also at home inside all others who ask Him in.
D –Jesus is our Dayspring. (Luke 1:78 KJV) Salvation from our sins through Jesus is heaven’s dawn breaking upon us.
A – Jesus Abides.
I love the word “abide.” When I walk closely with Jesus and He with me, I experience it to the fullest. A word, or even a book, cannot describe all the beauty of that abiding relationship.
Yet I’ve stated, “I can’t abide people who don’t take responsibility for their own actions.” I have denied people my approval, acceptance, or leniency. Lord, forgive me.
Jesus, You know about all my mistakes and weaknesses, that I am but dust (Psalm 103:1). Yet, You abide me. You “put-up with me” and don’t turn away or reject me.
May I be like You.
C – Jesus is my constant companion.
Christian writers have said that men and women are created with a “God shaped vacuum” inside them. I’ve never found a Bible reference to substantiate this, but I’ve definitely experienced it.
I asked Jesus to live inside me and take over my life. And, praise the Lord, He did! I’m no longer alone when I wake in the middle of the night. When I’m sobbing inside, He comforts. If I’m in the turmoil of indecision, He counsels. When I’m lonely for company and someone to talk to, Jesus is waiting, reaching out to me.
Oh, Lord, I’m so glad I’m no longer alone inside this person that is me.
(This was my post from February 4, 2011. I don’t think I’ve ever written anything that describes more accurately what Jesus means to me.)
B – Jesus is the creator of Beauty and and He is Beauty incarnate.
G – Jesus is Good to me.
I went to my knees in praise and counted out a long list of wonderful things that happened that day. I shouted, “Jesus, You are so good to me!”
But is He any less good on the awful days—when everything goes wrong and I’m hanging by a thread? Because, after all, He is my thread. He is there to cling to so I don’t give in to my sin nature or to satan. And in the times I do give in, He still keeps me in the palm of His hand.
Precious Jesus, thank You that you are Good through it all, the easy and the hard, the ups and the downs, the victories and the failures.
A – God is Awesome!
I’m back to “A.” I try to write a praise every week. Fifty-four weeks. That’s twice through the alphabet every year. It takes discipline, but there’ve been few things that have been more rewarding.
Praise to our Awesome God!
R – Jesus Rains Down.
We’ve had hardly any rain for two months. I guess I’m a true Oregonian when I was actually excited to walk in the downpour yesterday morning! The fresh air and wet felt like a caress from heaven. The ground and plants seemed to be giggling with glee. Or was it the trees clapping their hands? (Isaiah 55:12)
Of course God can Rain Down the good and the bad. Rain can flood and destroy. After all, He’s in charge.
But, today, I celebrate the gift of greatly needed, cooling, refreshing, invigorating, nourishing rain!
Z – God is zealous.
I wonder, does God have priorities? If He had a #1 priority, what would it be? Probably that all of His children find the path to salvation.
So He holds back, giving us time (II Peter 3:9). In order not to waste this precious time, we believers need to be as zealous as God is.
Lord God, give me Your zeal for the salvation of Your children.
L – God listens. (Psalm 66:17-19)
He hears our prayers – all of them – whether they are spoken words or yearnings deep within. He hears not just because He has the ability to hear, but because He actively listens to what is in our heart, soul, and mind. He intensely listens because He cares about every detail, every nuance of our lives.
We are loved that much. Isn’t that incredible!
I – God is Inclusive.
Inclusion is a word that has a lot of meaning for me because our son was in special education. The inclusion of students with disabilities in the regular classroom became common during the time Scott was in school.
I’ve learned much from Scott, who supposedly doesn’t know as much as others. He accepts all people on sight, unless they give him a reason not to. (Fortunately, he has good sense about safety issues.) It doesn’t matter how well they walk, act, look, speak, or read—he likes them. It’s as if he has an inner understanding that “If God chose to create a person, then he/she is OK with him.”
That inner knowledge doesn’t come naturally to me. I hold back, evaluate, size-up, and judge others against my standard. I’ve decided to adopt Scott’s logic: God chose to put them on His earth. No matter what the color of their hair or skin, the designs or jewelry on their bodies, how they dress, where they live, the language they speak, even the choices they make, God cares about them. Shouldn’t I?
God’s eager to draw all His creation to Himself and welcome them into His family. May I match His eagerness and not hold back, but reach out to everyone God sends my way and welcome them into His family.
Y – God is Yahweh. Exodus 3:14
W – Jesus is With me.
I just took my son and grandson into the Ape Cave, the longest lava flow cave in the United States (Cougar, WA). We’d dressed properly, brought the needed flashlights, and I’d already explored the cave. But this day it was different; we were the first ones to enter. Ours was the only car in the parking lot. We were alone deep in the darkness. I didn’t like the feeling.
I listened for Christ’s voice. And every time the scariness threatened, I heard Him whisper, “I’m here with you.”
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Blessed assurance, Jesus is here!
X – God eXamines. He examines my heart as I walk this path called life.
C – Jesus is my courage.
I don’t seem to be as brave as I used to be, even to face the normal things of
life—let alone new experiences. Though I know them to be God assignments, they’ve become harder,
When anxiety starts, my mind and heart remind me of God’s past faithfulness. And my insides claim courage from Jesus. My whole being settles. His faithfulness continues.
W – God is the Wellspring of Wisdom.
H – Jesus is my Home.
I’ve been on vacation, sleeping in different places. Since I’ve come home, it’s been HOT, so I just sleep in the coolest room. When I awoke this morning, I groggily sought reality and asked myself, “Am I home?”
But before I could look around to see where I was, Jesus’ Spirit spoke. He whispered, “You are always home with Me.” I nestled back down in incredible comfort with the sense of well-being that it doesn’t matter what bed, which room, tent, state, or country I am in: “I am home with Jesus.”
V – Jesus is Valiant for my wellbeing.
G – Jesus gives.
The list of what Jesus gives is endless. But, today, I read a line in some song lyrics that describe what I most need these days: “Lord, give us strength to live for You and glorify Your name.”
My physical strength has diminished. That’s to be expected as I age. But
what alarms me is that my strength of spirit is waning too. The strength to even try anymore—“to keep a-going” as my father would say—to persevere. I’m weary of spirit and the news of the world discourages me so much I can’t even crank out the energy to face the future.
Jesus, it has to come from You! Please give me the strength “to keep a-going.” And, if possible Lord, not just one foot in front of the other staggering to the finish line, but with the “strength to live for You and glorify Your name.”
U – God is Unfathomable.
Yet, I still seek to fathom Him. And the search is worth it. It blesses me and increases my faith.
G – God is my Gardener. John 15:1
Gardeners dig, remove weeds, prune, and create beauty. I love to garden. I feel like I’m participating with God to care for His creation. And it occurs to me I must participate with God when He is My Gardener.
Lord, I invite you do dig deep inside me and cut away the weeds of disease and infection—selfishness, resentment, cold-heartedness, intolerance, mistrust, arrogance, unforgiveness . . . Be merciless in lopping off the parts of my life that do not serve You. And create in me the beauty you imagined when You planted me.
I yield to the master Gardener.
G – Jesus Christ is my Governor.
I just read this message from the National Day of Prayer,
“John Adams believed that the Fourth of July should become a religious holiday – a day when we remembered God’s hand in deliverance and a day of religious activities when we committed ourselves to Him in ‘solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty.’ Such was the spirit of the American Revolution as seen through the eyes of those who led it.
According to John Quincy Adams, Christmas and the Fourth of July were intrinsically connected. On the Fourth of July, the Founders simply took the precepts of Christ, who came into the world through His birth (Christmas) and incorporated those principles into civil government.
The spiritual emphasis manifested so often by the Americans during the Revolution caused one Crown-appointed British governor to write to Great Britain complaining that: “If you ask an American who is his master, he’ll tell you he has none. And he has no governor but Jesus Christ.” This was boldly declared with not one but sixteen Congressional proclamations for national days of prayer and fasting throughout the Revolution.”
Lord Jesus Christ, my Governor, may our fireworks and parades and songs and celebrations all be a THANK YOU to You for giving us the great privilege of living in the United States of America!
Please guide us back to You.
T – God is Transcendent, above and beyond His creation. Isaiah 55:8-9
P – Jesus Pushes me.
He pushes me to do my best.
He pushes me into new challenges—some I’d chose, some I wouldn’t.
He pushes me to do more than I think I can.
And, yet, He also pushes me to rest, slow down, and reevaluate when I’ve gone too far.
Some might interpret “pushing” as “guiding.” But, to me, guiding has the implication that I’m cooperating or participating in the process. Pushing implies that I need a nudge or a kick in the pants to move out of my comfort zone, my self-will, and into His plan for my life.
Thank You, Lord, that you override my will and push me into what is best. I’m trying to be more cooperative!
S – God is our Stronghold. Joel 3:16
C – Jesus Calls us each by name. John 10:3
I think it’s important to call people by name; it affirms them and makes them feel valued. But I’m terrible at remembering names. And my daughter and her husband certainly didn’t help! Our daughter, a K name, married a K, and they gave all three of their children K names. Our son-in-law’s best friend is a K as well as his two siblings and a brother-in-law. The young gal I’ve mentored some 12 years had the audacity to name her firstborn a K. This is the first year our grandchild is bringing a friend on our annual family vacation. You got it—a K name. And, get this, I’m married to a K!
This is the summary of the Ks in my life that I have to keep straight when I speak: Keith, Kyle, Keenan, Kim, Kelly, Kyla, Ken, Kayden, Kevin, Keagan, Kasie, and Kendra.
But Jesus doesn’t have that problem. He doesn’t pause before He speaks our name just to get it right. He knows each of us individually and intimately, and like the Shepard to His sheep, He calls our name, asking us to come to Him. I pray I always hear His call.
H – God is Here.
I sat on our patio in the early morning June air, breathed deeply of the cool freshness, and reached for my Bible to begin a time of devotion. “Here you are Lord,” I said to the Bible in my hand. But I didn’t open it just then. Instead, I looked around at the clear blue sky, the leaves of trees gently moving in the breeze, and the sun rising to warm me. God was also all around me! Tears of wonder filled my eyes and I drew my hands to my chest. Quietly and humbly I said, “And You are here too, my Lord.”
This was a pristine moment of experiencing God’s presence surrounding and filling me.
But most of the time there isn’t a Bible in my hand; there’s the steering wheel of my car or the handle of the oven as I prepare dinner. And it isn’t clean air that I smell, more likely it’s the odor of a full garbage can, dirty diapers, or, all too frequently, a burned dinner.
However, in every part of every day, in every setting I am in, I can bring my hands to my chest and say, Here You are Lord! And when I do, I may even look about to see God in the uninviting, less beautiful parts of my everyday life.
R – Jesus is my Righteousness. I Corinthians 1:30
D – Jesus Discerns.
Jesus discerns my thoughts, my ways, my sin, my hurts, my weaknesses, my temptations, my breaking points, my potential, my strengths . . .
I love that He knows me so well, even when I mess-up. Because then He turns me back to Him. I’ve long since learned that His way is my best.
And Discernment is one of the attributes that He shares with me. His Holy Spirit gives me an understanding of His will in all choices—if I ask. May I always ask! He gives me sensitivity to the needs and vulnerabilities of others. He guides me to: when to speak or not, what to do and what not to do, when to try harder and when to move on.
Thank You, Lord Jesus, that you know me so well and guide me to what is perfectly designed for me!
Q – Jesus Quells the storms within and without. A quote from my friend Sandra Zaugg
H – God Hems me in and Holds me. “You Hem me in—behind and before. . . . Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will Hold me fast.” Psalm 139:5 &10
What comfort it is to know, to feel, to be assured that I am held by my omnipotent, all-knowing God. Everything is spinning around me, out of control, certainly out of my control. Like on a merry-go-round I can’t get off until the ride is over. I can’t control the speed or the path. And only God knows when the ride is over.
But I can hold onto God as strongly as He is holding onto me.
P – Jesus Pursues me. Thank heavens!
K – God Keeps His promises.
He promises in I Corinthians 10:13 that we will never be tested beyond what we can bear. I don’t always think I can handle as much as God thinks I can.
“I’m really not that strong, Lord!”
Of course, some of the time I just don’t want to make the effort to face the situation. I prefer to wallow, feel sorry for myself, or just plain quit. I have to ask God for the Spirit, fortitude, and desire to be strong. I know He will answer, “Yes.”
How do I know? Because if He’s asking me to do something, He won’t make it harder than I can handle. That’s His promise and He keeps promises—always has, always will.
C – God and His ways are sometimes Confusing.
I’ve been in Bible Study for years and, not infrequently, come across passages that I simply can’t understand. Why does God punish some things so harshly and ignore others? Why does He give detailed standards for what seem less important to our current way of thinking and yet say so little about areas that challenge us today?
Studying the context, the customs of the times, and cross-referencing certainly helps, but it doesn’t always answer my questions. God tells me in Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever.”
I’ve fervently sought to know and understand our God . . .thus the Dictionary of Praise. But God tells us in Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” So, bottom line: He’s God and I’m not.
I will continue to seek and trust Him because what He has revealed to me is too incredible and too needed by me to let go. He’s the foundation upon which I walk. I shall wait, eagerly, for when I get to know Him completely. In the meantime, I trust and ask that my faith not falter.
O – Jesus and God are the Ones who sit on the throne. Revelation 22:3
R – God re . . . . . .
Do you like lists? I like lists. So this is a really good one: God revives, renews, refurbishes, restores, relieves, recreates, rebirths, recycles, reconciles, removes, redeems, remembers, rewards, regards, returns, resurrects, repairs, renovates, regenerates, reestablishes, refreshes, recovers, redesigns . . .
I know I haven’t found them all. Please send me other re . . . words. Or send me your extended praise. Example: He returns to me the joy of my salvation. He returns to me the years the locust have eaten. He returns again!
Oh, yes, come Lord Jesus!
N – Jesus is the New Covenant.
L – Jesus Listens.
I woke on this glorious morning hearing the sounds of birds chirping. As my head still lay on the pillow, I smiled, thinking that Jesus hears my sounds and my heart.
But it came to me, He does more than hear, He Listens. Listening is intentional hearing. Jesus eagerly, steadfastly, and faithfully listens to the thoughts in my head, the emotions of my heart, and the words of my prayers. He listens for every nuance of change within me . . . and understands.
It’s amazing and wonderful that our Lord knows each of us that well, and that He cares! Praise You and thank You Lord Jesus.
M – God is Marvelous.
What an understatement! My God is Marvelous—He is Marvelous to me.
G – God is Gentle.
I love that quiet, sheltered feel of God’s Gentleness surrounding me. But during the chaotic, frenetic times of life, I’m often so distracted that I forget He is still Gently guiding me. I begin to believe I’m in charge and walk away from His touch.
Lord, thank You for Your Gentleness. Please forgive me when I get so wound up in myself and circumstances, that I lose our closeness—that inner, safe, secure knowledge that You are holding me.
L – Jesus is Life. It’s Easter. He rose. He lives. And I live because of Him.
B – Jesus is my one Basket.
I get an amusing e-mail entitled “Everything I know about life I learned from the Easter Bunny.” The first line says, “Don’t put all you eggs in one basket.”
Now I’ve heard that one all my life and never associated it with Easter. But in that context a resounding and powerful message comes to me: I HAVE put all my eggs in one basket. That basket is Jesus Christ and the salvation He purchased for me on the Cross.
He is my all. And life has never been better, more powerful, more secure, more fulfilling, more hopeful, or more joyful. I shall keep all there is of me in His Basket.
B – Jesus Blesses.
We all love to hear about the miracles when God blesses in a big way. But I tend to think that recognizing and appreciating the small blessings of everyday life is what keeps us adoring God the most.
I had a miserable night—couldn’t sleep. When the garbage trucks and school buses start coming, I finally begin to fall asleep. I fumble around for the plastic bag that contains about twenty sleep-help items. The first thing my fingers touch is the one–in-twenty things I need—an earplug. Thank You Jesus.
It’s rained all night, but as I step out for my morning walk, the sun comes out. Thank You Jesus. My nose is dripping. I reach into the pocket of the jacket I haven’t worn for a while, and there is a Kleenex. Thank You Jesus. It’s been a dark, gloomy winter. I turn a corner and am greeted by the first purple crocus of the year. Thank You Jesus. The squirrel pokes his head around the trunk of a tree and we have a little talk. Thank You Jesus.
I make a phone call and actually hear a live voice! Thank You Jesus. I go to a funeral—bummer. But I get to see my long unseen childhood friend. We hug, and visit, and are still best friends Thank You Jesus.
Praise You Jesus for all Your blessings along the way. May I never miss even the smallest one because I’m not paying attention.
I – Jesus is the “I am . . .” John 6:35; 8:12; 14:6
Jesus said I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the way, the truth, the life, and . . . add to my list!
God told us in Exodus 3:14 that He is the great “I AM.” I love that, because it’s like you want to ask, “What does that mean?” I’ve decided that that’s the point, it’s unexplainable because God is simply too great and too awesome. The Hebrews wrote it as YHVH (Yahweh). God was so worthy of fear and trembling that His name was unpronounceable.
And yet Immanuel came to live among us and give us words by which we can relate more intimately with Him. He is not just the God beyond our words and understanding (and I must never forget that is Who He is), but He is also the bread that nourishes and sustains me, the light to show me the way, the truth for when I’m desperate and confused. And He is my soul and spirit and mind and body—my very life.
He is the God to be honored and glorified, and the Christ to be held inside my heart and being. Praise You, my God and Lord, for ALL that You are!
R – God is Reliable.
Reliable isn’t a Biblical term; it’s an everyday, human term. I should use the word faith. But sometimes I just relate more to counting on God’s reliability, because our world is so very unreliable.
There are the small things. My grocery store of forty years just closed. The newspaper is only delivered two days a week now. I went to evening church service and came out in the dark to a dead car battery.
Then there are the big things. My friend’s husband walked into his job of twenty years only to learn he didn’t have a job. My young friend’s vibrant little ladybug twenty-month-old daughter is now facing two years of chemotherapy to overcome childhood leukemia. Marriages, health, security, and life are all in the biggie category of unreliability.
Yet, I can rise each day and plant my feet on a floor that holds me up. And, praise the Lord, my legs still hold me upright! But my real floor, my reliable foundation, is my Holy, Strong, Sovereign God!
K – God Keeps my lamp burning. Psalm 18:28
C – Jesus is Coming! Revelation 22:20
Oh, yes, come, Lord Jesus! I’m eager. I’m waiting . . . but am I ready?
Am I “confessed-up?” That’s my term for having confessed all my sins. This day, this moment, have I asked for God to “search me, test me, know my heart and anxious thoughts? Is there any offensive way in me?” (Psalm 139:22-23) Have I sought forgiveness from everyone I’ve hurt or offended? Have I completed the work God gave me to do? (John 17:4) Have I shared Christ’s message to the seeking souls He sent to me?
There’s one I know I haven’t done yet; I just got this assignment yesterday. It is to write my life story to be given to my family when I’m gone, to be shared with whomever they would choose. In it I could be as open about my faith as I wanted. After all, I’d be dead. They couldn’t argue. And it would be my last opportunity to tell others about my precious Lord and what He did for me.
Oh, Jesus, may I give you glory right up to the moment I see Your glory!
J – JESUS.
Sometimes, no other words are needed. The name of Jesus says it all.
H – God Hems me in—behind and before . . . His right hand will Hold me fast. Psalm 139: 5 &10
I’m transitioning to a new stage of life. And I don’t like change! I don’t handle it well. So I was comforted and reassured this morning when I read these verses.
I don’t know what this transition has in store for me, but God does. His right hand will hold me and guide the way.
Thank You, my God, that You never let go of me!
I – God is Inestimable–way beyond human understanding or even imagining.
F – Jesus is the Fixer-of-things.
When I started my ABC Praise list, the first thing I put under “F” was Finder-of-Things (and one of the first posts). Today as I praised God in the “F” section a new one came to mind: the Fixer-of-things.
Of course, for me, I am the most important thing that He fixed when He came to live inside me. The lyrics of a song came to my heart that describe it well: “Give them all, give them all, give them all to Jesus, shattered dreams, wounded hearts, broken toys—and He will turn your sorrow into joy.” (Give Them All to Jesus by Gordon Mote)
Oh, my Jesus, I praise You for fixing me! For making me Your own.
H – Jesus is the Husband to the church. Ephesians 5:25-27
A – Jesus is my anti-anxiety solution.
Sarah Young in “Jesus Calling” states, “Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur.”
Anxiety over “what can happen” wastes joy in the present. But how does one fight anxiety? Jesus, speaking through Sarah Young says, “Rest in My loving Presence.”
It sounds easy. It’s not. Resting can be hard to do. It takes discipline to turn from hurry and anxiety; they can become part of our nature, even addictive.
Lord, our anti-anxiety solution, please help us, help me, to rest in You.
F – God is the Fullness of my being.
Some times “the fullness of me” seems pretty puny. Yet “I” am all I have to work with. I can’t and shouldn’t disparage that, because it’s God who created me the way I am.
I think what God wants me to know and experience is that when I am completely full of Him, I am my superlative best—and most pleasing to Him.
G – Jesus is Greater. I John 4:4
Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. When I am filled with Christ’s Holy Spirit, satan will not win the battle. It doesn’t mean I’m not under assault and experiencing battle fatigue, or that it may last longer than I think I can handle.
But it does mean that if I persevere and endure, Jesus WILL win the battle.
E – God Equips me. Ephesians 4:11-16
S – Jesus is the Stream of life.
We sing a song in church that has a line “dip your heart in the stream of life.”
It reminds me of something my father used to tell me. “If you are lost in the forest, find a stream and follow it down. It will flow into a river that will guide you to a town that we will help you find your way home.” Jesus is doing just that: leading me to my eternal home.
And on my way He quenches my thirst, baths me clean, revives and renews my spirit.
D – Jesus Dwells in those who believe in Him.
S – Jesus is my Sun.
With plants, the Sun is essential for life. It is needed for nutrition, growth and vigor. Since a plant is stationary, it naturally turns toward the Sun for sustenance.
Unlike the plant, I have choices for my direction. Sadly, I don’t always turn to Jesus. However, when I do, He warms me, satisfies me, and fills me with health for my whole being. And it’s becoming more natural!
C – Jesus is my Commander.
T – God is Trustworthy.
I need to trust God more. I’ve been working on it since I became a Christian! Lack of trust is my great shortcoming.
I read a line of prayer from The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life, by Hannah Whitall Smith: “Work in me all the good pleasure of Your will, and I will only lie still in Your hands and trust You.” Those words called to my soul because I’ve been trying to break my habit of hurry and do exactly what Ms. Smith describes.
When “hurry” sets in, I stop and “lie still in God’s hands.” What I’ve discovered is: it works! When I step out of hurry mode, actively claim God’s rest, I trust God more completely—for what I do and for what I don’t do. When I trust Him with my time and my schedule, my anxious hurry disappears.
Oh, Lord, I love how You keep proving to me that trusting You is the best discovery of all.
A – God is Alpha. Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13
It’s good to start the New Year with an A praise. God is Alpha—the beginning—the first letter in the Greek Alphabet (the language of the New Testament).
B – Jesus is my Best.
Research of my life experiences has proven an absolute fact: finding and yielding to God’s will is always my best.
Unfortunately, when I accepted Jesus, my stubbornness, pride, and willfulness did not just voluntarily depart. But slowly, as I yielded my will, I witnessed amazing results.
Upon occasion (maybe even often) I don’t like God’s assignments or I’m slow to gain enthusiasm for them. That’s when I remind myself of His track record and give myself the lecture: “God always wants the best for me and doing things His way, with His strength, is the only path to finding it.”
G – God has Good News. Jesus is the Good News.
Every year, I give baby Jesus a Christmas gift. I write it on a 3×5 card and place the card in a gift box that I put under the tree. I use it as my “New Year’s resolution” or rather “Jesus, what do you want me to work on this year?” Somehow, knowing I’ve given it to Jesus has been my impetus to keep the commitment. After all, it’s my gift to the Christ Child!
This year it is to tell the Good News. Most desperately, I need to be vigilant in speaking the Good News to my own heart. To be filled with joy, assurance, and motivation to keep my hope and faith strong.
And . . . if the Good News inspires my heart, then I will be enthusiastic about sharing it wherever God sends me.
So, happy New Year – there is Good News! Jesus has paid the price for my sins and yours. Receive His gift. Believe. And let the Good News fill your soul with His fullness of joy!
C – Jesus is the Child who was born to us.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
That is beyond my human imagining. The Creator of the universe, the One who called everything into being, the sovereign God Who dictates all events, chose to become a puny, crying, needy child–born to a virgin, no less. Now who could figure that out?
Or, more of a wonder, Why would He bother? Certainly it did not come from the human mind. It’s totally illogical!
The human mind does not think like God’s mind. And there is much He keeps to Himself. But He has revealed this illogical, unimaginable, and wonderful plan—the plan of salvation—to bring us to Himself.
A Child is born to us! He will save us from our sins. He does save us from our sins—if we just believe.
I believe, Lord Jesus. Thank You for Your incredible plan to bring me to Yourself—Immanuel, God with us. God with me.
F – God is my everlasting Father.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
My earthly father has died. I don’t have assurance of where he is—I hope it is in heaven. Dad left my brother, my mother, and I when I was 13 years old. Eventually my parents divorced, but Dad came in and out of my life over the years. We became good friends during his last years here on earth.
God my Father is everlasting and ever present. He won’t mess-up like we humans do. He won’t leave me. He is the One I can always count on.
Thank you, my Father, for that blessed assurance!
Z – God is my Zenith. The very best of all I can be!
P – Jesus is the Prince of Peace.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
Beloved Prince . . . where is the Peace? America abounds in civil unrest and everyday we hear of terrorism. I know You hear our prayers for peace, but things are getting worse, not better.
I chose to have faith in Your promise of The Peace to come. I will continue to pray. And today and everyday I ask You, the Prince of Peace who lives within, to help me bring peace in my small part of the world.
Y – Jesus is my Yes. Yes, Jesus, I choose You!
A – Jesus Abides with me. John 15:4 & 7
I’ve always liked the word “abide.” I’m at my very best when I abide with my Lord. And I know it’s a choice on my part to do so—a wise choice.
I looked up the definition of Abide. It means to remain in one place or state. The place I chose to remain is Jesus and the state I am blessed with is salvation.
But lately I’ve been looking at Abide from a different perspective: that Jesus chooses to abide with me! He doesn’t have to. But thinking that it’s His choice settles deep into my soul. I feel incredibly honored and privileged.
O – God is the One—the One to Whom I give thanks.
Blessed Thanksgiving to the world! As atheists sit at a Thanksgiving feast, to whom do they give thanks?
It’s Monday and I’ve taken a sheet of hard stock paper to start my Thank You List. My goal is to fill the whole page by Thursday. Should I write small or big ☺ ? So here I go—thank You, my beautiful God: for salvation, for the promise of heaven, for living in the United States of America, for our courageous forebears who gave us our history, for the gift of life, for a warm home, for all the leaves getting raked up and the strength to do it, for a daughter who loves Jesus and taught her children to love Him too, for a son who brings us unexpected joy and delight every day, for the husband who has given me this wonderful family and taken such good care of us, for my mother who celebrates Thanksgiving in heaven this year (Thank you, Mom, for all those pies. We are making them this year, but they could never be as good as yours.), for the money to buy the food for our Thanksgiving dinner, for a good book to read and a warm bed to read it in, for . . .
Oh, my Jesus, THANK YOU!
X – God is eXtravagant in His blessings!
R – Jesus is the Reason.
Jesus is the Reason for the Season—oh, so true—but it seems to have become trite. Don’t let it!
As we enter into the holiday season, I’ve been clinging to Jesus for direction. I’m NOT gifted with hostessing talent, yet I love the holidays. So to be able to bring them off, I must cling to Jesus the whole way. I ask Him what to do and what not, how to spend my time and my money, how to really honor Him with our traditions and our conversations.
As in my last blog, I ask You, Jesus, to show me how to keep You at the center of our Thanksgiving and Christmas celebration. Praise You that You have given us so much to celebrate!
W – Jesus Waters my soul. John 4:13-14
R – God Remembers.
God Remembers that I am dust. (Psalm 103:14) Lately, I’ve been pretty dusty. Not a big lump of dirt, but still, dusty. Finally, God helped me pinpoint the problem: I’d kept Him as part of everything I’d been doing. Now how could that be wrong?
The problem was He was no longer central to everything I did. I’d found all manner of good reasons to jump right into my days and take Jesus with me, but didn’t slow down enough to give Jesus exclusive time before starting my day. I needed to ask for His to-do list. That lack of discipline contributed to an imbalance the rest of the day.
Dusty Donna is asking You, Lord Jesus, to forgive me. Please be my heart’s priority each day, and in every part of it.
V – God is Victorious – He wins battles and elections. I don’t always understand His ways or His will in letting things happen. But, in the end, I know He will be Victorious.
G – Jesus is my Governor.
Today, leaders and issues are being decided across our nation. Often, I’m disappointed in the countries’ choice of leaders and in their decisions. I am saddened by our immorality, inequality, and the questionable direction we are taking. There is much that isn’t right.
But, on this election day, I choose to rejoice in the country I love and praise God that I live in the United States of America—the freest country in the world.
Oregon is electing a Governor. I choose Jesus as my Governor–and President, and Representative and Senator—and I pray each elected official and decision into His hands.
O – My God is a God of Order.
I praise God that He was sufficient for Scott’s and my trip – in every way. God blessed us, but, to my great delight, He used Scott to bless others. We had mostly seasoned travelers in our group. When this inner circle met at the end of the trip, many commented they’d never been on a tour when everyone got along so well. One lady stated she’d given that some thought and credited Scott’s presence on the trip as the reason everyone got along. The others clapped their affirmation. They’d all reached out to Scott and adopted him as their own. God works in incredible and wondrous ways!
The above is my report. I’m now home and craving Order. I hold God’s hand as I seek to put the travel gear in proper places, deal with the mounds of mail, and refocus on a needed routine.
But, I also clung to God’s Order during the trip. My mind whirled with the chaos of a new location every two days (remembering where the bathroom was located in the middle of the night!), a different time to rise each morning, what to take for the day’s changing weather. . . That’s when I’d grab God’s hand and ask Him to Order my mind so I could do what was needed for that day.
He never failed me. What a great God we serve!
J – Jesus Triumphs! And He makes me triumphant.
S – God is Sufficient.
I’ve been overwhelmed with making a blessing into a reality. Do blessings take work? My son and I are going to Spain and Portugal. I’ve never traveled overseas, let alone with an adult child who has disabilities and panic attacks. I can’t seem to get my head around all that I need to know and do. I’m humbled to the core.
So, as I write my praise, I have much to choose from. God is always with me, even across the whole country and an ocean. He knows everything that I will need—ahead of time! He will guide me. He will give me wisdom. But as I face this onslaught of unknowns: It is His sufficiency that rises to the top of my praise. It is knowing that He is sufficient for all possibilities that keeps me walking forward without my knees wobbling too badly.
Oh, my Lord, I thank You and praise You that You are all I need!
U – God Unites.
There wasn’t an empty seat as my son and I waited expectantly for the Gaither Concert. A low rumble of conversation emanated across the concert hall when a lone guitarist walked casually onto the stage and started playing a simple Christian song. Slowly the rumble quieted to be replaced by voices, one by one, starting to sing the words to the song. There were no lyrics printed, but everyone knew the words.
The beauty of those moments continue to bring tears to my eyes. Thousands of people who didn’t know one another were United in praise because we all know the Savior.
That was a glimpse of entering heaven. Strangers will be family, singing the same words of praise, walking toward the same reward!
Oh, come Lord Jesus! Come!
R – Jesus is the Root of David. Revelation 15:16-17
L – Jesus is my Life-coach.
Our Pastor used that term yesterday, and I liked it. It’s a modern term, of course, but a very deep concept when applied to Jesus.
Where do I go for counsel? Where do I count on truth, knowledge, and wisdom? Where do I find a forever Friend, who will never let me down? Jesus.
Unlike a human life-coach, mine is always there to hear my question, know my need, and have the answer. He won’t cancel our contract because I fail to keep my part of the bargain. He won’t move to another city or change companies. And He doesn’t raise His rates.
There is only one rate and He’s already paid it: His death on the cross for my sins. He desires only one thing from me: believe.
C – God Collects.
I suppose if I thought for a long time I’d come up with a lengthy list of all the things God Collects. But the one that often comes quickly to my heart is: “You have collected all my tears and preserved them in your bottle! You have recorded every one in your book.” Psalm 56:8 TLB
And I can remember the exact incident that sealed that promise to my soul. When our son Scott (who has Williams Syndrome) was about three, he had to get glasses. Now that doesn’t seem so serious, but I’d spent those three years going to doctors’ appointments, speech therapy, behavior specialists, and the like. The one thing I delighted in was the sparkle of life-loving enthusiasm that radiated from his eyes. And the effervescence I loved so much was going to be covered over.
That was my breaking point. As I drove home from the appointment, both children were in the back seat. They didn’t see the tears streaming down my cheeks. I couldn’t stop them and probably shouldn’t have been driving, but I didn’t want the children to witness how broken I was. Before we got home, I remembered that God actually collects my tears. I pictured them dripping into a bottle that God was holding and knew He understood.
Thank You, Lord that You’ve preserved all my tears. That tells me You care about every hurt and sorrow in my life.
Q – Quickly. “Surely, I come quickly.” Revelation 22:20 We do not understand God’s sense of time, but we surely know He’s in charge of it!
T – God is my Time-giver and Jesus is my Time-manager.
God gives us the gift of time at our birth. He determines whether we have time at all and, also, the length of our time.
I don’t want to hurry through this gift, panic that there isn’t enough, or resent that there’s too much. Please, Lord, help me be more aware of the preciousness and fragility of the time you have bestowed on me. I want to savor it, not squander it.
I can’t do that by myself. I am a hurryer by nature and I mistakenly accept the deception that I’m in charge of my time. Jesus, please remind me every day to make You my Time-manager.
I praise You God for the time You’ve given me. I’m honored that you want me on Your earth. May I honor You with what I do with it.
P – God is the Potter. Isaiah 64:8
I am the clay. I’ve been pondering that concept lately. If I’m a pot, I’m a pretty scratched, broken down, and leaky one. Does an old, crumbling pot still honor the artist?
I remember one of the songs I enjoyed singing with my children. The message continues to speak to me:
I am a pot, I am a vessel,
made to hold something special,
I have the live-in, love-in, life of Christ in me.
As long as this “pot” continues to breath, I pray that Christ in me will always seep out through the fractures and fissures of my life to send His message to other chipped souls.
O – Jesus, the Only One qualified to be my all sufficiency.
M – God is the ultimate Multi-tasker.
I’m not good at multi-tasking in the best of times. This week is not one of those “best of times.” Every family member seems to have something going wrong and I’m a part of solving each one’s problems. Just when I decide I cannot spread myself any thinner, the kitchen erupts in swarming sugar ants marching off in multiple directions to create new nesting sites in cracks and crevices.
All those promises—like “Yes, Donna, you can do this or God wouldn’t ask it of you.”—march through my head. But imagine me asking God to help me with all my tasks while believers and non-believers all over the world are asking for His help too—all at the same time—non-stop twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. And He can help them all! (Psalm 46:1b)
That qualifies God as the ultimate Multi-tasker.
N – God is a Name-caller.
God tells us in Isaiah 43:1, “I have summoned you by name, you are mine.” He’s called each of us by name to be His own. And once we’ve claimed salvation, He continues with a call to serve.
Can you hear His voice call your name? Is it loud, commanding, and urgent? Or is it gentle, quiet, and encouraging? I’ve heard both voices and am always cowed and comforted that the God of all creation even knows my name, let alone bothers to seek me personally.
Lord, I’m listening.
John 10:3; Revelation 2:17 & 3:5
M – Jesus is More.
The authority? My granddaughter. When she was eight years old she declared “Jesus is More than I could ever imagine!” Now at twelve years of age, I pray Jesus is even bigger and grander than she thought when she was eight.
C – God is a Consuming fire. Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29
The context of the Hebrews passage is that we should give God reverence and awe because He “is a Consuming fire.” That’s a bit scary. But the cross reference is in Deuteronomy where it adds that “God is a jealous God.”
What is He jealous for? Us. You and me. Now that is pretty awesome. The all-powerful God of everything is jealous for my attention, my worship, my allegiance! That means He will protect me, fight for me, and guide me to the best paths.
I like that!
L – Jesus is Longsuffering. I Timothy16 KJV
I despair over our world and often ask why God puts up with us. That He does certainly proves He is longsuffering!
B – Jesus Beckons and He is my Beacon.
Again, a verb and a noun, and if I say “He was and continues to be my Beckoning call.” I add an adjective. Isn’t Jesus awesome?
Jesus Beckoned me, He summoned me, He knocked at the door of my life (Revelation 3:20). I heard His voice. And—the absolute best thing I shall ever do in my life—I invited Him in.
Now, I pray, Jesus is the Beacon that shines out of my eyes, my voice, and my actions to draw others to Him. (Matthew 5:16)
K – God is King of the ages. I Timothy1:17
B – Jesus is the ultimate Babysitter. (Yes, that’s meant to be light-hearted.)
I’m frustrated this week because I haven’t had time to write on my blog. Why? Because I’m babysitting a grandson for a week. It’s non-stop, chaotic, and noisy. It takes all my energy, vigilance, and dedication.
As I thought about my role as a babysitter, I wondered if Jesus has any sympathy for me. After all He Babysits me 24/7, through the pouting, the ignoring, the self-will, even the temper tantrums. And He doesn’t just do this for me, but for every one of His precious children!
So, Jesus, I will try to be better and make Your job easier. Thank You for caring so much for me, for never giving up on me, never taking Your eyes off me, and never walking away.
N & V & A – Jesus is the Noun, the Verb, the Adjective . . .
I have fun with words—thus the blog. And the most fun is seeing how many forms I can find to describe my Lord. Each one has a slightly different nuance.
Jesus is my savior (noun), my salvation (also a noun), and He saves me (verb). He is my saving God (adjective).
Jesus is pure (adjective). He purifies (verb). And He is my purification (noun).
Get the idea? It gives one a broader understanding of how much God is a part of everything! And it’s an incredible adventure to search for Him in all aspects of life.
B & W – God is Beauty and Wonder!
I’ve just returned from vacation in Central Oregon. My heart explodes from the Beauty and Wonder. I seldom remained indoors.
We watched otters frolic and ducks and geese guide their babies across ponds. As they foraged for food, red winged black birds walked across the green stuff on top of the water. And we took our chances to go visit the aggressive swan.
From Pilot Butte we could see 360 degrees—snow-capped mountains ringed the scene. The sun glistening off the Deschutes river nearly blinded us as we bicycled by. And I had my Adirondack chair perfectly positioned to witness the setting sun send shadows across the meadows as it set behind Mt Bachelor.
God’s Beauty and Wonder can be found everywhere if we are vigilant to search. But I shall keep my Central Oregon scenes as a banner example.
J – Jehovah Raah – The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23: 1-3
I – Jesus is my Instructor.
There are lessons to be learned in every circumstance and challenge in life. As Jesus counsels and comforts, He also wants us to learn from our experiences. But what good is it to have the best Instructor, the infallible, all-wise Instructor, if we remain unteachable?
I’m here, Lord, in great need of Instruction and eager to learn!
I – God Inhabits the praises of Israel. Psalm 22:3 KJV
M – God is a Mover.
I’ve been moving a lot of rock recently—for drainage and landscaping. In jest I’ve nicknamed myself “The Rock Mover.”
But God is the BIG Mover. He Moves rock, entire seas, skies and mountains. He Moves history, events, and circumstances. And, more intimately, He Moves hearts!
I don’t always understand His moves, nor do I always like them. But I have learned to trust them. For, without exception, they have a purpose, fulfill His will, and offer the best for me—if I trust.
H – Jesus is the Head of the church. Colossians 1:18
B – God Beckons. Philippians 3:14 The Message
Beckons—isn’t that the most wonderful word? Someone wants you. Someone thinks you’re important. And, oh my gosh, it’s the God of the universe, the most high, sovereign God. It doesn’t get any better than that.
How can I say anything but, YES! I’m here—I’ll come. I run to Him and say, Her I am, God, take me! Send me! Isaiah 6:8
G – Jesus is my Goal. Philippians 3:14
One of the first songs I learned when I was a new Christian had a line in it that I loved: “Jesus is my source and my Goal.” As a more seasoned Christian, He continues to be my source and my Goal.
R – God Reveals.
God Reveals His beauty. My sin. The way to go. His will. His promises. Truth. Righteousness. . .
He sometimes only Reveals our next step, and not the end of the detour, not the entire path to the finish line, nor the quick answers to our questions. Often He calls us to wait and trust, and while we wait, we strengthen our faith because God has definitely revealed the end of our story—rejoicing with Him in heaven!
So, while all is not revealed, I will trust Him with my all because of what He has revealed.
F – Jesus is my Friend. John 15:13-15
Jesus gave us a command in John 15:12: “Love each other as I have loved you.” Then He tells us we are His Friends if we follow this command. I think I’d like this command better if it just read: “Love one another.” To love as Jesus loves is a standard I cannot meet. Jesus knows that. But I gather from how well He knows our situation that He wants us to give it our all in trying.
I like the wonderful words in the song: “what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.” Those words describe the aspect of receiving from our friend Jesus. “Loving others as Jesus loved me” is my part of the friendship, me doing the giving because Jesus is my friend.
Verse 12 makes me realize I need to take a more active role in this cherished friendship.
E – Jesus Edifies.
Ephesians 4:29 KJV calls us to speak only words that Edify others. “Edify” isn’t a word I commonly use, so I looked it up in the TLB. It says to speak only “what is good and helpful to those you are talking to, and what will give them a blessing.”
That’s a pretty big assignment! Only through Jesus’ Holy Spirit can I Edifiy and bless as God calls me to do.
C – Jesus Calls.
Jesus Calls me to repent and claim Him as Savior. (salvation).
He Calls me to be His child, His friend, His family. (a new status)
He calls me to follow Him, serve Him, be like Him. (sanctification).
And at His perfect time, He calls me home. (my destiny!)
I’m listening for Your calls, Lord.
D – God is like the Dew. Hosea 14:5 He waters and refreshes my soul.
R – God Returns what He has given.
In two days we send Mother’s ashes down the river she inner-tubed in as a young girl. It was her wish. So Ecclesiastes 12:7 has been going around in my mind, “and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.” We’re sending Mom back to her Creator!
But that brings to mind another returning, a grand one—when Jesus Returns. “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven . . . we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.” I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Wow, how great will that be!
C – Jesus Calms me. Really need that right now, Lord,
W – God is Wisdom. And He imparts wisdom. James 1:5
I’m so glad God offers to share this attribute with His children. I surely need it. He tells me when to do things and when not to. He guides me to when to stop something and not overdo (I tend to do that.) He prompts me to speak and whispers to me when to shut up. (Again, a hard one.)
However, James 1:5 tells me I must ask, and then believe that He will do what He promises. The believing part has become easier because I’ve lived long enough to witness Gods unfailing record. I’m still working on always remembering to ask.
Praise You, my God, for Your unfailing wisdom!
S – God Stretches me.
Somehow, I’ve deluded myself into thinking that, with age, the lessons I’ve learned will begin to make life easier. But, I’m very sorry to report, that was a deception. Life is still tough!
I’ve just come from being with my three grandkids (grade school age). The world is changing too fast. My five-year old grandson showed me how to play computer games, use a smart phone, and master the digital camera. The ten-year old helped me start their family car. Discipline, expectations, and life styles have changed.
Instead of digging my heels in and refusing to adapt, I must still allow God to Stretch me in order to continue to reach His children. There are old ways to cling to, but there are also new ones that I must yield to.
Lord, thank you for continuing to Stretch me to fit Your kingdom. May this Stretched grandma still serve You.
E – Jesus is Eternal.
Today is Saturday of Passion week. Jesus’ disciples were sad, confused, discouraged, and filled with doubt about Who Jesus was. They believed He was the Messiah, God, Savior. But He was in the grave. He’d left them.
We know Jesus could not be contained in a grave! Jesus as God did not die. Nor will He die in me. He has never, nor will He ever, leave me. He is eternal and someday I will share in His eternity. What could be a greater promise than that!
B – Jesus Blots out my iniquity. Psalm 51:1
C – Jesus Cleansed.
This is Holy week, Passion week. As I reread the events of this week I looked more deeply at Jesus Cleansing the Temple. He was purifying His Father’s house, but He was also making clean the place from which He would teach, present the new way of salvation—a once for all solution to sin, and draw believers to Himself.
Jesus also Cleansed me when I chose to believe. And He cleanses me daily so that I, too, can display and present God’s plan of salvation to those He puts in my path.
Praise You, Jesus, for Your great gift. Only because of You am I presented Clean before our Holy God. Oh, my, how good that is!
A – Jesus and the hope of His salvation is the Anchor of my soul. Hebrews 6:19
G – Jesus Gave.
Jesus gives and has given beyond counting. But, today, I want to thank Him very specifically for the blood He shed to purchase my salvation. I have personally chosen to remember and appreciate that gift each year by donating blood on Good Friday.
Today isn’t Good Friday, but it is the day that my church is sponsoring a pre-Easter blood drive to bless God’s children and give Jesus glory.
Praise you, beloved Savior, for your gift of blood that gave us new life.
Z – Jesus is my Zoe. Zoe is Greek for life.
I’ve only found four Z words to describe God, so it is the letter that helps me keep count of how many times I’ve gone through the alphabet with praise posts—four!
H – God heals. Yahweh Rophe – Exodus 15:26
Yahweh Rophe is one of the many Old Testament names for God. This one refers specifically to His healing.
The Exodus passage refers to healing diseases, but our God heals so much more: relationships, wounded hearts, broken dreams, hurt feelings, bodies, souls, spirits . . .
Praise you my God who heals!
A – God Abides.
I have always loved the word “abide” and the concept of abiding with God. But it occurred to me I can’t abide with God, if He doesn’t also abide with me. That enhanced my already wonderful concept.
I looked up “abide” in my big four-inch dictionary and the word took on even more meaning:
+ To wait patiently for – God waits patiently for each of us to hear His call and open the door.
+ To put up with – I really love this one! How often does God grind His teeth (do you think God grinds His teeth?) as He puts up with my self-directed, self-absorbed ways?
+ To remain in one place or state – In the hearts of His children.
+ To continue, endure – God does not leave us.
+ To dwell or sojourn – God dwells within us, beside us, before us, behind us, beneath us, above us. He is our dwelling place, our foundation, our environment, our community.
Oh Lord, how I love abiding with You and in You!
Y – Jesus Yielded His will to the Father’s. Matthew 26: 39
I – God is Indestructible!
Recently, I went to The Lego Movie with the grandkids. Parts of people and things were flying everywhere. Seemed there was a whole lot more destruction than construction. With the current addiction to watching things blown apart, I got to thinking about what can we really count on?
God. Our God. He will not leave us. Will not be destroyed. Cannot be destroyed.
When I feel frail and insecure—quit destructible—I remind myself that the God of this world, the God who lives inside me (!), is Indestructible. I put my trust in Him and go out to face the day.
X – God is Extraordinary! And that’s an understatement.
J – Jesus is my Joy. The Joy of the Lord is my strength. Nehemiah 8:10
When I lose my Joy, all I see are my inadequacies and the pain and ugliness of this world. Sometimes, keeping my Joy comes easily. Other times—too often, I confess—I have to fight for it and discipline myself to cling to it as if I was holding onto a lifeline. And, indeed, that’s exactly what I’m doing.
Jesus never fails me. That tells me there is Joy in each new day, in every situation and circumstance. I shall seek out Christ’s Joy and, as a result, be strong!
W – Jesus is Worthy. Revelation 5:12
S – God and Jesus are My Sun.
It’s winter—cold, cloudy, and gray. Where’s the brightness and the warmth? The sun isn’t gone, only out of season in my part of the world.
My Sun is always in season—powerful and brilliant—in happy times as well as challenging and painful ones. I sometimes let circumstances and emotions cloud My Sun. But when I catch myself I chant, “For you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. and you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture!”
C – God Creates beauty. And C – Jesus Completes the beauty.
Last Friday was Valentine’s Day. My boys (husband and son) each gave me a dozen red roses! I delighted in arranging them around the house and felt like a queen. Their rich, red, velvet elegance astounds me as the petals unfold. How can anything be so lovely!
Even more of a marvel is that God created each of us with similar beauty.
I never experienced that beauty until I invited Jesus to come and fill me. He completed and made beautiful God’s original creation of me. Even now that beauty can elude me when I reclaim control of my life, wresting it away from Christ’s Holy Spirit. I become a wilted rose, whose petals dry up and fall.
Thank you, Jesus, for completing Your Father’s work of creation in me. May I radiate the freshness of Your beauty.
V – God Vindicates. Psalm 103:6 RSV
S – Jesus is my Scout.
Yes, that’s exactly what I mean, a Scout, like in frontier days. Often I feel like I’m going into unknown territory. I don’t know the terrain or the pitfalls. But Jesus does. And He points them out.
Maybe more so, I need Him to Scout my regular life for lurking threats. That’s where I might be less vigilant, overly confident, complacent because of routine. Those snags can steal my grace: traffic jams, electricity out, flattened by the flu, hurt feelings . . . Satan lays in wait ready to pounce. But as my Scout, Jesus warns me.
My role? Listen to The Scout!
U – God is Unchanging. Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8
That means even at creation God knew all about what I describe next.
M – God is the Most Modern of Days.
A little over three years ago, this was the first praise I posted on my blog. Starting a blog was uncharted territory for me, and I wasn’t sure the Ancient of Days was up to it (Daniel 7:9 & 22). I was certainly wrong. I’ve loved praising Him each week on this blog.
Now, I’m facing major computer challenges, all which seem beyond my talents or capacity. And definitely tempting my patience level! So, I return to my Most Modern of Days who created in man (hopefully in this woman, too) the capacity to develop and understand modern technology.
Most Modern of Days, I put my trust in You!
T – Jesus is the Treasure in this earthen vessel. II Corinthians 4:7-10
S – Jesus is my problem Solver and my Solution.
Through His Holy Spirit, Jesus is also my problem discerner. Sometimes I know things aren’t right. I’m “off.” I’m not connected with God as I need to be. And I can’t identify exactly its definition or source. That’s when I wrestle with God, like Jacob did: asking Him to identify the problem. Once I have an understanding of it, Jesus helps me determine a change of behavior or a change of attitude. And, of course, He is my strength and motivation to make that change.
Other times the problem might be extremely, painfully obvious. I just can’t figure how to get through it: lack of trust. Or, I may not even want to: lack of motivation and/or strength. Jesus reminds me of His past faithfulness and revives my trust. He fills me with the desire to persevere (with grace!) in the assignment He’s given me.
Either way, I need Jesus!
S – Jesus is my Spring of purifying water. Isaiah 35:4-7
K – God is the remnant Keeper.
When I get really discouraged and down about the condition of the world, I seek assurance and hope in knowing there is, and will always be, a remnant, a group of His children who keep His ways and remain faithful. That is a promise in His word. Micah 4:7
And He is the remnant Keeper, holding His hand around each of us, never letting us be tempted beyond what we can handle. Protecting us from the evil ones. Pouring into us the courage to keep fighting the fight and running the race. And when we fall, our Keeper is there to draw us back to our feet so we can keep keeping-on. Revelation 3:10
Without my Keeper, I would give up.
R – God is Yahweh Rophe (Rapha), The God who heals. Exodus 15:26
As my friends and I age, I find myself calling upon Yahweh Rophe more often.
S – Jesus is my Sun.
It’s winter – gray and gloomy.
Like a plant leans toward the sun, may I always lean into Jesus, my Sun. He is the center of my universe. The source of my warmth and nourishment. The light to my path. Even on gloomy days!
But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture. Malachi 4:2
S – Jesus is Shiloh. Genesis 49:10 Through the tribe of Judah, the scepter, the ruler’s staff, shall come to Shiloh—which means “he to whom it belongs.”
A – Jesus is All ready and Already.
Jesus is All ready for everything and anything that comes my way. He knows what I will face ahead of time and is completely able to provide all that I need.
And Jesus is there ahead of me, Already waiting for me to call His name, to reach out and take His hand. He is eager to help me find His will for my life and to give me the strength with which to do it.
R – God is my Refuge. Psalm 46:1
H – Jesus is my Hope.
Today is Monday before New Years Day, and I’m claiming Jesus’ Hope for the new year. Hope for a better world. Hope for His best in my life. Hope for the strength and joy to serve Him. Hope for the perseverance to continue to seek out the beauty in each day and in each circumstance.
Jesus is the Hope of the world. How could we face a new year without Him!
J – Jesus is Messiah. Messiah, Hebrew word for anointed one. Greek word for Messiah is Christ, THE Christ. (Matthew 1:17)
During a time of great darkness for the nation of Israel God promised, through Isaiah, that He would send a great light to shine on everyone. Isaiah describes the Messiah as a Wonderful Counselor, a Mighty God, an Everlasting Father, and a Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Jesus Messiah, Praise You for shining upon us and lighting our path. Please may our dark world be brightened!
Q – God’s word is Quick. Hebrews 4:12 KJV
B – Jesus is the Christ in Christmas.
I know Happy Holidays is the politically correct greeting these days, but I simply can’t go along with it. I answer my phone throughout December with “Merry Christmas!” Unless God guides me otherwise, I wish grocery /department store clerks, postal employees, neighbors, and people on the street a Merry Christmas.
Jesus, the Christ, was born to this earth to save us from our sin. And I shall declare His name as my public witness that the Christ of Christmas is my Lord!
P – God Pities – As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. Psalm 103:13
I – God is Incomprehensible and Infinite—yet Intimate. Isn’t that incredible? I think I have a new favorite letter. How can God be so huge and all encompassing, yet Intimate with little ole me? (Isaiah 55:8-9; I kings 8:27; Psalm 145:3)
I don’t know. But I love it!
0 – God is Omnipresent. Psalm 139:1-13
H & T – Jesus is Here . . . and There.
My mama (age 96!) has gone to be with Jesus. While she was Here on earth He walked with her, talked with her, guided her, and comforted her. He was always with her Here on earth.
And now He is There with her, walking with her, talking with her, showing her the different parts of heaven. But He no longer has to comfort her, because there is no longer a need to be comforted! “He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” Revelation 21:4
Yeah mom!
I’ve been away from my blog for technical reasons and because my mother has been ill. But I’m back! Praising God again on-line.
N – Jesus is nigh. He is near. I’m glad, because I need Him so very much!
H – Jesus Holds us.
I love the Footprints poem that describes Jesus carrying us in His arms when things are tough. Lately, I’ve been clinging to that image. My wonderful, loving, valiant mother is finishing her time on earth, getting ready to see Jesus face to face (Rev 22:4). I know He’s Holding her in His strong, comforting arms. It’s the only reason I can sleep at night.
This blog is dedicated to praising God for who He is and for all that He does. Just for today, Veteran’s Day, I’d like to make a change. I praise and thank God for the Veterans of the United States of America.
Thank You God for their courage. Some gave their lives in battle; some went to war, but all signed up knowing of the possibility of giving the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank You God for their sacrifice of family, relationships, and a whole segment of their time here on earth. They put their life and future on hold to provide protection and security to this country. Many made it their life’s work.
Thank You God for their dedication to our country. It is all too true that this nation has many faults. Walking away from You is our greatest one. But this is the nation You gave us, and we thank those veterans who have tried to keep its honor.
God, please continue to bless America! And may we continue to be one nation, UNDER GOD.
M – Jesus is the Messenger. Malachi 3:1
G – Jesus is Greater.
I’ve been fighting negativism and a critical, complaining spirit. Satan’s loved it. But I haven’t, nor has anyone around me.
I John 4:4 tells me: Greater is He that is in me than He that is in the world. To claim that promise I must trust in Jesus’ power within me and know I can and will be victorious.
When I shout the name of Jesus Christ out loud, and claim His blood for my temptation, I’m empowered to resist. It’s been very noisy at my house.
Thank you, Jesus, for being Greater than my temptations.
L – Jesus is the Lion of Judah. Revelation 5:5
P – God Planned. Jesus is the Plan. God Plans.
God created the Plan of salvation. Men/women went their own way, and God wanted them back. His Plan involved the nation of Israel, the law, and the sacrificial system. At His perfect time He gave us the fulfillment of the Plan: Jesus Christ.
Everything God did in the Old Testament pointed to salvation–all intended to guide us to Jesus. But just like man’s ability to choose was built into creation, so claiming Jesus for salvation is a choice.
Oh, the Plans God has for each of us! They are good and wonderful and the absolute best, far beyond our comprehension. But the Plans are for Jesus+me, not me+me. Or you+you.
Chose Jesus. And experience the amazing Plan that awaits you!
K – Jesus is the Key to all Knowledge.
B – God is Beautiful!
Our state has had two weeks of glorious autumn weather. The sun has showcased the vivid red and yellow leaves against the deep blue sky. The night has drawn me outside to gaze at the bright stars and full moon. Sometimes the pure magnitude of God’s creation takes my breath away.
Yet, my God, the creator God, is even more Beautiful than His creation. And I get to see Him face to face someday (Revelation 22:4). I can surely understand why we need a new body in order to exist in the magnificence of His presence.
I can hardly wait!
J – God is Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. Genesis 22:8
Jehovah Jireh, I thank You for Your provision this weekend. You kept your promise of I Corinthians 10:13 that I will never be tempted beyond my strength, but that You will provide a way of escape that I may endure it.
Lately, satan’s been having a hey-day with me. I’ve battled hard not to give in, but I’ve been weakening. This weekend You sent me away to a new setting, and I was healed and renewed. Who’d have thought that by leaving to help someone else, I could be restored. God, You’re certainly creative!
Thank You for meeting my every need, for keeping Your promises, and for doing it in such inventive and surprising ways!
I – God is Inscrutable.
The dictionary defines “inscrutable” as: not able to be fathomed or understood. I know that about God, yet I persevere in my search for the unfathomable God who chooses to love me.
H – Jesus is my Hallelujah!
In the song “What Can I Do” there is a line: everday make everything I do a Hallelujah. Jesus is my statement of joy—my celebration—because He gave me life, He chose me, He offered salvation, He walks with me through life guiding and strengthening me, and He will welcome me at Heaven’s gate.
Hallelujah, Jesus is mine!
H – God and Jesus are the Hope of Israel. Jeremiah 14:8
C – God Claims.
God Claims many things. But, today, I’m praising God for Claiming my friend Doug. He fought a long and valiant battle with cancer. He clutched every moment, laugh, and breath that God gave him. And then Doug yielded to God’s eternal Claim on his life and climbed into His big, warm, welcoming arms.
Doug, I envy you. I do not envy your family who is missing you. I pray that they can be comforted, right now, by the same arms that are holding you.
Oh, Jesus, please Claim me too someday!
G – God is the excellent Glory. II Peter 1:17 KJV
A – God is Accountable.
Seem a bit presumptuous to say God’s Accountable?
I was on my morning walk praising God with my “A” words when “Accountable” came into my mind. My first reaction was, “God isn’t Accountable to anyone!”
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized God is Accountable—to Himself. If He says something is so, then it is. If He makes a promise, then He keeps it.
I find that comforting. An Accountable God is a trustworthy God.
F – God is the First. Isaiah 44: 6
H – Jesus Holds.
There is a hymn that tells me “Jesus holds my hand, and He holds my tomorrows.” I love that truth. I savor it and ponder it. There are many dimensions of Jesus Holding me; and I love them all.
He Holds my past, my present, and my future. He is sovereign, controlling my destiny.
He Holds me in an embrace: a celebration of victory or a comfort in sadness. I believe that His embrace is always there, whether I’m ignoring Him or reaching toward Him.
And He Holds my hand as He walks with me through my days, down into the valleys and up to the mountain tops. But I must reach out and take His hand; He doesn’t force his Hold upon me. Oh, the strength, joy, companionship, comfort, counsel . . . I give up if I don’t take His hand!
E – God is Evermore. How comforting to know He will always be there.
P – Jesus Prompts me.
There’s something promising about the first day of school. It’s like there’s hope for the future of humanity. As I watched the school buses rumble by on my morning walk, I wanted to be with my grandchildren. Nearing home I noticed a mother and daughter sitting at the corner of our property. I assumed they were waiting for the bus and walked down to greet them.
They were from France and had recently moved to our neighborhood. Their lovely accent enthralled me, and my welcome delighted them. I shared the excitement of the day, and they were encouraged and uplifted on what could be an anxious day.
I’d responded to a prompt from God. Thank you, Lord, for prompting me to do things that bless me and others along the path of life.
D – Jesus, my Deliverer. Romans 11:26
J – God is Judge. Revelation 20:13
I went to traffic court today. I described my extenuating circumstances and only had to do pay half the fine. A human judge made that decision.
God the Father judges my behavior and my attitude all the time, everyday, everywhere. He sees it all, just like that traffic camera saw me. And at the end of my race He will make a final judgment of how I ran.
I know God is a fair and compassionate Judge. I pray that I run a race worthy of His praise.
C – Jesus is Calm. Oh, how often I need that quality!
D – God, my Designer.
I walked outside this morning into God’s Designer world. The chirping birds welcomed me to a fresh, new day. The scrabbling noise of two chipmunks chasing each other around a tree made me smile. I asked if I could join them. They stopped their play, visited with me, but didn’t invite me to join their fun. As I continued my walk a gentle breeze brought the fragrance of roses. The sun broke through the clouds and created sparkling jewels of the raindrops on the leaves of the rose bush.
Looking up, I breathed deeply, and, yet again, praised God that He chose to place me in His beautifully Designed world. What an awesome and humbling realization it is to know that I, too, am fearfully and wonderfully made, by the master Designer (Psalm 139:14).
And so are you! Isn’t it grand?
A – Jesus is AAA—Anti-Anxiety Antidote.
I’ve used this one before, but it really fits with what I’ve written below.
L – Jesus leads.
Recently Jesus led me to accept a challenging assignment. At first I was totally pumped, knowing God had amazing things in store.
Now the nitty-gritty of reality has set in and doubts are harassing me: “I can’t do this. What was I thinking?” “What if …….happens?” “Will I let people down?” “I’m too old for this!!!”
But each time Jesus whispers, “I’m leading you. Just trust and follow.”
So today I open my hand to hold His and take the first step. He’s never failed me, and I trust that He won’t this time either.
I’ll report back next week.
Z – God of Zion.
It’s a bit of a challenge to find descriptors of God that begin with the letter “Z”, so I fudged a little with this one. The dictionary says Zion is 1) the Jewish people; Israel. 2) The Jewish homeland as a symbol of Judaism. But the one I especially liked was 3) An idealized harmonious community; a utopia.
Every once in a while I get glimpses of that community: when I’m praising the Lord with fellow Christians, hands raised to heaven, tears streaming down my face. Sometimes on retreat or on a missions trip.
But I long for heaven—God’s idealized harmonious community—Zion.
G – God Gets me.
I know, that sounds pretty slangy, but, none the less, I like it. Here’s why:
Reason # 1 – I often drive up to Seattle to visit our daughter and her family. I love the 3+ hour drive. Why? Because no one “gets” me; no one has a piece of me or a claim on my attention. My cell phone is off. Only God can reach me! He Gets 100% of me. I don’t always do great and lofty things. Often I just rest my soul and my constantly whirling mind—in Him.
Reason # 2 – God Gets me, because He understands every part and parcel of who I am. Every thought and pondering, joy and sorrow, lofty concept and petty resentment that reside in me. What an exultant and baffling truth that God knows every aspect of “me” and still wants me and loves me!
Reason # 3 – In the end, at the finish of my race, God Gets me. My reward is heaven, where I get to see him face to face.
S – God Speaks to my soul, my heart, my spirit, my mind. He Speaks through the Bible. He Speaks through the mouth of other Christians. And, wonder of wonders, He sometimes Speaks through me.
W – God Wiggles my lips.
This praise post is written in honor of Mike Fisher, who died last year. I picture him now with God the Father and Jesus the Savior, reveling in his rest and reward.
My friend Judy, Mike’s wife, told me about Mike giving his testimony on livestream.com. I watched it. Mike told of his rare and aggressive cancer, and that he hoped to use his experience to honor Christ in every way possible. His words demonstrated what an incredible man of God he was. But one line in Mike’s testimony has continued to resonate: “My job is to wiggle my lips and let God speak.”
I love that! That describes the total infilling and out-flowing of the Holy Spirit.
Mike, I hope to follow your example. May the wiggling of my lips, and, also, the wiggling of my fingers to write, speak God’s message.
Y – Jesus Yearns for His children. Matthew 23:37
H – God is High and Holy.
Yet He is Here—with me—every moment, every day, everywhere. That concept is so amazing I can hardly get my mind around it. I do better getting my heart around it. Why? Because I’ve experienced it.
I’ve lain awake at night in my sleeping bag and beheld the infinity of the heavens. Years of walking with God have made me a witness of His many attributes being perfectly combined by His holiness. And I’ve felt His presence in the good times and the bad. Sometimes He holds my hand, sometimes He holds me in His arms. But, unfailingly, He’s there.
How can God be so infinite and so finite all at the same time? It’s an enigma, but an incredibly wonderful one.
X – God is eXact.
He doesn’t make mistakes. He isn’t off, by just a little. His timing is precise. The amount is correct. The proportions are accurate. The products used are ideal. The people involved are just right. The setting is perfect. The time of year is ideal. God cares about every detail of my life.
His plans are carried out with precision. Jesus came at the time God prearranged. I was chosen for salvation through His design. My death will be at His specific time (unless I bring it on early because of my lifestyle).
I can trust my God of eXactness with every aspect of my life and in the disorder of the world I live in.
V – Jesus is the Vine, the true Vine. John 15:1 & 5
Abide in Him and you will bear fruit.
W – Jesus Works.
The most common interpretation of the word “works” is: to labor or toil, as in a job. But when I praise Jesus for “working” I mean another definition: to operate effectively, prove successful.
I like things to work. When I use a pen I want it to write. Scissors should cut. Fans need to cool. Jesus, without fail, works. If I’m living my life in His will, my faith always works to give me patience, strength, joy, hope, purpose, and, one of those really hard things: the ability to wait.
Praise You, my Lord and Savior, for doing what You say You will. Your way works.
U – Jesus is Unsearchable. Romans 11:33
B – God Blesses.
Today is my husband’s and my 41st anniversary! We’ve been Blessed. Yes, like all marriages there have been ups and downs, yet, through it all, God blessed.
In three days it is our nation’s birthday. And God has, indeed, Blessed America, just like the song says.
God, please continue to Bless my marriage and America.
T – God is Transcendent (above and beyond His creation) – Isaiah 55:8-9
R – Jesus Refreshes.
The cool, moist air refreshed my skin and my soul as I took my morning walk. I was especially thankful for it having just returned from hot, muggy Florida. I‘d been asking God what word I should praise Him with today, and realized Refreshes was a good one.
Jesus Refreshes in so many wonderful ways. A call from a friend just to say hello. The full-body tail wag of an adoring dog. A note in the mailbox. A hug from my husband. A butterfly landing right in front of me. A Bible verse that speaks directly to me with a message I desperately need.
Look for God’s gifts of refreshment in your life today.
S – God and His Word are Sweeter than honey. Psalm 119:103
F – God, the Father. Matthew 6:9; 7:11
Today is Father’s day. I had an incredibly wonderful childhood—right up to Christmas of my freshman year in high school. That’s when my earthly father left us. My heavenly Father will never leave me. My earthly father is now dead. My heavenly Father will live forever.
Each of us has two fathers. One is human, and being a human, he will fail us at times. Our heavenly Father will never fail us or let us down.
R – God is the Rose of Sharon. Song of Solomon 2:1
T – God is Trustworthy.
In my last blog I claimed Jesus as my traveling companion on a trip I was taking. He did travel with me! Many things did not go right on the trip. Each time as my heart was becoming anxious and my words sharp, I stopped to remind myself “God has never failed me before. I will trust Him with this too.”
He does what He says He will do. He keeps His promises. Always has. Always will. I continue to trust.
Q – Jesus is my Quintessence.
That is a statement of my life’s goal, not yet completely achieved. Quintessence means “the pure, highly concentrated essence of something.” Isn’t that a great goal—to make Jesus the pure and concentrated essence of who I am?
I’m working on it, Lord!
T – Jesus Travels. He travels with me.
The concept of Jesus traveling came to me because I’m going on a trip and really need Him. But as I pondered that, it felt like I was putting Jesus in a box that moved at Donna’s discretion. And, somehow, that seemed off the mark.
So I began thinking of God being everywhere. Not just moving with me, but being ahead of me, behind me, under me when I’m in the airplane, and, since I’ve claimed Jesus as my Savior, in me. With this in mind, traveling seemed a diminished description of God. None the less, I’m very comforted to know that Jesus is my traveling companion on this trip.
P – The Lord is my Portion. Psalm 16:5
R – God Remains. Psalm 26 & 27
My daughter described how insecure and unsafe my granddaughter felt after the Boston Marathon bombings, the Texas explosion, and the President’s threats in the mail. My daughter and her husband keep their children away from the news, but they hear the evil and frightening things from classmates at school.
My heart aches over the ugly world we are handing to the next generations. But I am comforted to know God Remains . . .
This morning I found hope in the verses, “But You remain the same, and Your years will never end. The children of Your servants will live in Your presence; their descendants will be established before You.”
I claim my granddaughter as a descendant! She will be established before the God of the universe, the God of her grandmother, the God of her mother, and (please Jesus) the God of her.
O – God is the Ointment, for healing, for relationships, for soothing.
Song of Solomon 1:3
G – God Guides.
My major task this week is to plan a trip with my adult son who has disabilities—planes, car rentals, hotels, scheduling each day . . . Admittedly it is a more welcome assignment than deciding on a plan for cancer treatment. Yet, still, I am daunted. I have little experience or talent in this area.
I’m comforted when I ask God to Guide me in the choices. His Guidance provides wisdom and courage. And, hopefully, patience!
Father God, Your Guidance has never failed me in the past. Thank You that it will continue to lead me to the right choices.
N – Jesus is Nigh—near, close at hand.
A – God is Always . . .
In the middle of the night, I was jolted out of sleep. My first thought was, “God, are You there?” His answer: “Always.” Feeling safe and contented, I sighed deeply, flopped back on my pillow, and immediately went back to sleep.
M – God is our Maker.
O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! Psalms 95:6
H – Jesus Hears.
Thursday, May 2 is the National Day of Prayer. Millions of people all over the nation will be praying. Jesus Hears and answers every prayer. Isn’t that amazing and wonderful? He’s that big and that caring.
How comforting it is to know that God Hears our spoken words and the whispers of our hearts whether we are standing around a flagpole praying in public or cleaning up a spill on the kitchen floor.
Jesus Hears all the yearnings of our hearts. He also Hears our praises. Let’s keep sending them!
L – Jesus is Lord of Lords. Revelation 19:16
If Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is certainly Lord of puny, little me. During my complicated, busy days I sometimes slide into the deception that I’m in charge. Without fail tension and anxiety set in. If I slow my busy hurl into the day, I realize my self-determination has pushed God aside.
How very freeing and exhilarating it is to breath deeply, turn the controls of my life back to Jesus, and expectantly and confidently seek what God has in store for the rest of my day.
Oh, Jesus, thank you that You are in charge. Help me to remember that more consistently.
F – Jesus is My Future.
Someday I will see Jesus face to face and His ownership mark will be on my
forehead. Revelation 22:4
I’m eager for that day. Come Lord Jesus, Come. Revelation 22:20
And shalom to you.
C – Jesus is the Cornerstone. Isaiah 28:16
N – Jesus is Needed everywhere at every moment.
I just returned from Hawaii, or paradise as its known in my part of the country. The weather was divine, the setting spectacular, and the grandkids well behaved. Yet, I found I could still get annoyed, irritable, tired, and grumpy. Even in “paradise” I need Jesus to keep me civil, appreciative and gracious!
Oh, praise You, Lord Jesus, that You are with me everywhere, every moment.
Thank’s for sharing, we all need this. Shalom!
R – Jesus is Risen! Mark 16:6
He is Risen! He is not there in the tomb. No. He is here—in my heart, in my mind, in my soul, and in my body.
I pray He is in you, too.
H – Jesus Hung on the cross.
Mark 15: 25 & 33 tell us Jesus Hung on the cross from the third hour until the ninth hour. When I learned that was 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. our time, it somehow seemed familiar. It was the length of my school day. I remembered how long those days seemed. I was a clock watcher. I’d lay my head on the desk and count the hours down.
The thought of Jesus Hanging in agony for the length of a school day made me shudder and have a clearer understanding of the price Jesus paid to purchase my salvation.
Nothing I can do is adequate to thank Jesus for that purchase price. But to make me more aware of the price I’ve started my own personal memorial service on Good Fridays. I go to the Red Cross and donate my blood to help His children and to remember His blood shed for me.
Jesus, my Incarnate God.
During Holy Week I follow Jesus’ movements as described in the Bible. He road a donkey. He heard people hailing Him as King. He tipped over the tables of the money changers. He taught His disciples and prepared them for His absence. He warned them of future events. He washed their feet, then witnessed their betrayal.
He felt spit run down His face. He heard insulting names. He felt scourging pull the flesh off His back, thorns gouge into his forehead, and nails rammed through his hands and feet.
From the cross He saw the sorrow and confusion on the faces of those who loved Him and experienced the ridicule of the very people He came to save.
My challenges are much different from those of Jesus, but He understands. He was human.
Jesus, “thank you” is inadequate. But, still, I say “thank you” that You did this for me. Though my words fall short, may the way I live reveal how much Your life and death on the cross mean to me. They are at my center.
K – Jesus is King of the Jews. Mark 15:2
G – God is good.
The news of terror, violence, pain, and injustice in our world wears me down. I find myself asking, “Is there any good anymore?”
I answer, “There is!” God is Good. People fail, disappoint, and hurt other people. But God is unfailingly Good. I don’t have Gods’ mind, and I become confused by why He allows certain things. But I completely trust that God is Good. I know He will have the victory.
And I set my mind to perpetually hunt for God’s goodness in all things.
Romans 8:28
….hi Donna , I stumbled ‘upon you and thoughts’, as I was enjoying “Our Stories, God’s Glory” Helen Haidle…..thanks for your ‘God Touch’ and I join you in praising Awesome God!!!
J – Jesus was a Jew.
T – God is Trustworthy.
There are advantages to adding years to my life—a longer track record with God—a growing list of all the times that He’s proved worthy of my trust.
I thought with age, I’d get more courageous and confident. I seem to have reached my peak of these qualities and am on the downward slope. When I struggle with anxiety and insecurity, I hear God telling me, “Donna, Trust Me for more.”
Beautiful God, my trust in You has never failed in the past; I shall continue to lean on Your complete trustworthiness.
I – Jesus is the Image of God. Colossians 1:15 Am I? Am I getting closer?
C – God is Compatible.
My printer died. The new one isn’t compatible with my very old computer. We bundled our computer, TV, and phone services. They weren’t compatible with our old modem. Old electric plug-in units aren’t compatible with the newer design of electric plugs.
But, praise God, no matter the changes in my life, God is compatible with me, His child. He can handle it all. I don’t have to go find a new god. I can’t devise a way to sin that Jesus isn’t able to cover.
H – God Heals. Exodus 15:26; Matthew 8:16-17
R – Jesus Refreshes and Restores. Acts 3:19-20 I’ve spent this week in bed with the nasty flu that has flattened many people this winter. Through it all Jesus held my hand and whispered comfort. To keep my mind focused on the positive, I lay in bed and reread old praise posts, asking God how I should describe Him today.
I knew I found the perfect description when I came to an old post that said, “Jesus Refreshes and Restores. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for that promise and for the promise kept.
H – God is High. Isaiah 57:15
A – Jesus is my AAA – my anti-anxiety antidote.
I’ve never had much trouble with anxiety. But as I add years to my life it lurks around more. I wake in the night and satan seems to be right there to point out the negative possibilities of the most ordinary things in my day. Trying new things has become more challenging. The vision of all that can go wrong is beginning to eclipse the possibilities of joy and service to my God.
But Jesus is my antidote against this angst. I ask Him, “Jesus, is this Your will for me? If it is, then I know You will guide me, empower me, protect me, and bless me in the doing.”
G – Jesus is guiltless, guileless. I Peter 2:22
S – God Sings.
Do you think God sings? I know of no Bible reference to imply God Sings. But I’d like to think He does. At least I’d like to think that when we’re down here singing His praises He’s humming along, uniting His Spirit with ours.
I have to clean house today. Ugh! And, besides, it’s winter, dark and gloomy. In order to keep my spirits up and not grumble, I will sing through my day, out loud, alone in my house.
Father God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit please Sing along with me.
F – God is Faithful to His house. Hebrews 3:1-6
A – Jesus is my Advocate. I John 2:1
Jesus is the perfect Advocate for sinful, wayward, weak humanity, because Jesus, too, lived in human flesh. He understands our weaknesses, and He experienced our temptations.
Sometimes I’m so off-center and out-of-sorts I don’t even know what to confess to bring me back into God’s will. But Jesus does. And until His Holy Spirit guides me to my errors, I picture Jesus asking His Father for more patience with me. “She hasn’t got it right yet, but she’s trying. Let Me keep working with her.”
Oh, my Jesus, thank You for being my Advocate, for understanding and pleading my case.
E – Jesus is our ensign, a flag for the nations to rally to. Isaiah 11:12
A – God is the Ancient of Days .Daniel 7:9 & 22
I’ve always been attracted to the name Ancient of Days, but, also baffled by why that would be in this modern of days. Today I stopped to ponder why.
I love to think of the Ancient of Days as a gentle, confident, wise, sage Who goes through life and nothing ruffles Him. Nothing upsets Him because He’s seen it all, and He knows the ending. I love that!
And, best of all, this above-it-all Ancient of Days cares about an upstart like me.
D – Jesus is the Door to the sheep. John 10:7
P – God is my Portion: Psalm: 16:5; 73:26; 119:57
The world disappoints. People let me down. Things don’t satisfy. And I selfishly want more or better. But regardless of how much I have or don’t, how good things are or aren’t, how many friends I have or haven’t, Jesus is my portion. He is all I need, always and in every situation.
And that is good—so very good.
C – God the Creator of Israel. Isaiah 43:1
R – God Remembers that we are but dust. Psalm 103:14
I’m not quite sure why this aspect of God brings me comfort today. I’ve been hurt and I can’t seem to move on and put it behind me. I’m trying to forgive and forget. While I’m struggling to do both things, it feels like Jesus understands. He understands how I was made and how fragile I am.
He has faith in dusty me and waits for me to do the right thing. That helps me have faith in me, too, and keep moving toward forgiveness and healing.
Thank you, Jesus, for knowing me so well and, still, putting up with me.
B – Jesus is the Bridegroom. Matthew 9:15; Revelation 19:7
A – God is Accessible. Praise You, Jesus, that Your sacrifice on the cross tore the veil of the Holy of Holies which had denied all us common-folk access to the presence of God. And You aren’t just Approachable for bended knee and worship, but also for dialogue—for comfort, for counsel, even for complaining and whining. We believers can enter the Holy of Holies at any moment, not just once a year as in Old Testament times. You are Attentive to every nuance of our lives. That means You are Always Available, All day, every day.
How we waste Your Amazing, Awaiting gift when we forget about You, ignore You, or reject you! (God is rich in “A” praises in this post : )
A – God is Alpha—the first letter of the Greek alphabet. Revelation 21:6
Good timing, Lord! I get to begin the new year with A, the first letter of our alphabet, too.
W – God Wipes my slate clean, free of guilt, free of sin. Psalm 13:12
As we begin a new year, we have a sense of a fresh start, another chance to get it right. What a good feeling. But our better focus is on the “clean slate” that God offers us immediately, every moment, of every day. Because we’ve claimed Jesus as our Savior, it takes only confession and penitence to have a clean slate.
Complete forgiveness before the Holy God of the Universe makes my heart swell, my eyes tear, and my face shine. I pause, take a deep breath, and say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus!”
Z – Jesus is my Zenith. My dictionary defines zenith as: the highest point of any path or course; a point of culmination; peak; summit; acme. What a perfect description of what Jesus is to me: the summit for which I strive and, with His Holy Spirits’ empowering, the culmination of what I was created to be.
B – Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ, Born as a Baby.
“Jesus humbled Himself. He went from commanding angels to sleeping in the straw. From holding stars to clutching Mary’s finger. The palm that held the universe took the nail of a soldier. Why? Because that’s what love does.” Max Lucado
The Zenith of the universe came down to be born and live as a human. All this effort to save sinful, self-centered, self-directed, very dusty humanity. Yes, indeed, that is love.
Y – Jesus is Y’shua—Hebrew for Jesus.
M – Jesus is Messiah—God with us. John 4: 25-26.
God with us! The sovereign God of the universe came down to live with His creation. He was born like us. He lived and played and worked, just like us.
But, unlike us: He didn’t sin. He worked miracles. He spoke complete truth. He did His father’s will. And He went to the cross.
He accomplished what none of us could: He paid the price for our sin. He spanned the gap from that long-ago time when man walked with Holy God in the garden and reunited us with our Creator.
And when we believe and receive this incredible Gift that Jesus the Son and God the Father offer, we again have Messiah, God with us, dwelling not with us, but inside us. Christ’s Holy Spirit is the Messiah incarnate in every believer.
Praise to our Triune God, Messiah has come!
X – Jesus is Excellent. Hebrews 1:4KJV
C – God is a Covenant making and Covenant keeping God.
I just started daily devotions for Advent. While raising children, our devotions focused on Jesus as a Baby—the God-child born of humble and unusual beginnings.
But my new focus is on God beginning His plan of Salvation when He made a covenant with Israel. The Covenant promised the Way of Salvation would come through the nation of Israel. The birth of the Messiah ended the long waiting period of the Old Covenant and introduced the New Covenant—salvation through the Son of God.
Hallelujah. Come, let us celebrate!
W – Jesus waits. II Peter 3:9 TLB Jesus waits on His return, “not willing that any should perish, and He is giving more time for sinners to repent.”
E – God is my Editor. I like to write. And my goal in all that I write is to honor Him. I ask Him to be the author Who writes with me and, then, the scrupulous editor Who revises, deletes, and checks punctuation. All the mistakes you see are still mine , but God is helping me improve.
Praise you, God, my editor, for helping me be the best writer I can be.
V – God is Very, Very, Very . . . everything good!
H – God is the ultimate Healer.
My prayer list is heavy with requests for healing, either for physical conditions, emotional turmoil, or loss of loved ones. These seem to be the companions of my age and stage in life. My friends and I must make a concerted effort not to moan and groan.
But ultimate Healing awaits us, to be healed permanently of sin,
and of it’s result—death and sorrow. (Revelation 21:4) What a joyful day that will be!
U – God is my Ultimate.
T – Triune God, my granddaughter’s favorite word and a very difficult concept to fully understand—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all in ONE.
The God who created the universe and is everywhere is the same God who walked the earth and willingly died on the cross—for me—for you. Then, when I believe, His very Spirit comes to dwell within me, this puny speck of dust on planet earth. The magnitude and the wonder of it! I cannot fully grasp it. What do I do with it? I praise my Triune God and experience and rejoice in its’ truth.
T – Jesus was Transfigured. Matthew 17:2
F – God’s grace is Free. God makes us Free of sin through His Son Jesus Christ.
But today, as we discover the results of free elections across our nation, I chose to praise God that I live in the United States of America—the freest country in the world. The people have made their choices and God allowed those choices—or intervened in those choices—I’m never sure which it is.
Results may not have been to my choosing, but they were made freely, and for that I rejoice.
S – Son of man. John 3:13,14
R – My God reigns.
It’s election time again in America. I’m thankful to live in a country with the freedom to chose our leaders. And, yet, I find it a frustrating time as well. I’m never totally sure of God’s choices for our country. I study the issues and candidates as best I can, and ask His guidance as I vote.
But, ultimately, I’m reassured that My God’s in charge—He reigns over our world and our country. His vote overrides my vote. I put my trust in His sovereignty, His righteousness, and His choices.
R – Jesus is my rock. Deuteronomy32:4; Matthew 7:25
Jesus is my secure foundation on Whom I can stand firm when storms assail me. On Whom I can dance in celebration and, by contrast . . .
L – Jesus Lifts. He lifts me out of my sin and my addiction to it. He lifts my spirits when I’m discouraged. He lifts my chin when I’m overly consumed with my situation. He lifts my load and helps me carry it.
He lifts me higher . . . and one day He’ll lift me all the way to heaven.
I praise God that He was the navigator of your journey from Portland to Nashville. I know God is smiling down upon you and David because you followed Him through the detours and a very convaluted path to the destination He had for you. Because you were obedient and trusting, Jesus was glorified.
Thanks, Donna, for a “Q” word. I just couldn’t think of one. This post especially struck me because it’s so hard to be “quiet” when we are in the middle of all the details of getting settled in a new location and all that is required to register our car, get new licenses, set up internet/utilities, try to find our way around etc. Thank you for a reminder to let HIM fill me with His “quiet” and to bring peace to calm my anxieties.
I love your “Dictionary of Praise” booklet. It has been a real blessing to me!
Thank you and God bless you for taking time to write it and for printing it up so the rest of us could share it and be blessed.
Helen (in Nashville now)
Q – Jesus Quiets my soul.
As I age, I have to rest more to continue serving God. I try. But so often my body is in resting position, and my mind and soul still churn. They are busy making lists and reliving the turmoil of my world. I can’t seem to quiet by myself. I need to find Jesus, sit at His feet, and lean my cheek against Him. I’d like to say this sitting-at-His-feet position comes naturally to me. It does not. It takes a deliberate effort to leave my life behind and reach for Jesus. But when I do He fills me with His quiet.
Thank you, Jesus, for quieting my soul. Only You can really do that.
P – Jesus is my high Priest. Hebrews 9:11
I know the God of the universe, the most-high God cares about me and wants to talk with me. How amazing is that! But so often I don’t know what to say and seem to fumble my way to God’s will for my life. I pray fervently, as He wants me to do, but how do I know what I so earnestly desire is actually God’s best for me?
That’s when I rest in knowing Jesus is my high Priest. He will pray for me when I don’t know how, when I can’t discern God’s will (Romans 8:26; Hebrew 7:25). Christ pleads my case before His Most-High Father, then turns back to me and guides my will toward His Father’s will.
Praise You, Jesus, my high Priest and intercessor.
O – God Offers: new life, salvation, sufficiency, hope, joy, strength, insight, counsel, companionship . . . How long can we make the list? Keep it going!
R – God Redirects.
My God, I give You control of my eyes, ears, heart, mind, hands, and feet. Please Redirect them from myself—my self-centeredness and self-will—to Yourself, for Your glory.
N – Jesus, the Nazarene. Matthew 2:23
O – God Opens.
Open my eyes, Lord, I ask to see more of You.
Open my ears, Lord. I need to hear Your message.
Open my heart, Lord. May my motivation and purpose be from You.
Open my mind, Lord. Direct my pondering, learning, remembering, thinking, decisions.
Open my mouth, Lord. I desire to speak Your truth and comfort.
Open my hands, Lord. I yearn for the work of my hands to honor You.
M – Jesus in Master. Luke 8:24 Lord Jesus, I chose You as my Master.
L- God Lifts.
God lifts many things—some down, some over, and some up. He lifts the heavy burden of guilt down from my shoulders. He moves me over to the right path when I take a detour. He lifts me up on the wings of angels when circumstances overwhelm.
Today, I’m going to dwell on all that God lifts for me. And rejoice that one day He will lift me to Himself to live in my heavenly home.
God is All – A-Z
Tomorrow is 9/11. Terrifying images come to every American at the mere thought of these two numbers together. After 9/11 people turned to God, railed at God, and were confused about God
At the initial overwhelming impact, I had no emotions. I was too stunned. All I could do was reach out for God’s hand. It was there to keep me from toppling over.
Then the heart searing pain and grief set in. God was my Compassionate Comforter. When anger and hatred took over, I forced myself to remember that God Loves ALL His children. Seething prejudice and judgment began to take root in my soul, and I fought it knowing God is Merciful and Forgiving.
None of us can completely know God’s mind or role in the events surrounding 9/11, but we can completely trust that God is All-knowing and Sovereign.
I will never understand 9/11, and I can’t make it go away. But I know God is my rock, and I will keep my faith.
L – Jesus, the Lamb of God, is heaven’s Lamp. Revelation 21:23
R – God Rested. Exodus 20:8-11
Today is Labor Day 2012. Our government ordained that, for this one day, we should rest from our labor. We appreciate having jobs that allow us to care for our families, but, as so often happens, we overdue and lose balance.
God saw it all ahead of time. He instructed his children in His fourth Commandment to rest one day out of seven. What’s amazing is God even set the example Himself—resting must have been important to Him.
Is there another of the Ten Commandments when God announced to His children that He Himself was setting the example? Worship another god? Create a graven image? Swear? Honor parents? Kill, commit adultery, steal, lie, or covet? The answer is: no, not one.
Thank you, Lord, for your Sabbath Commandment intended to keep us focused on You, through worship, and healthy, through rest. May we be steadfast about honoring YOUR Labor Day.
K – The Lord Keeps vigil over His own. Exodus 12:42
G – Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world. I John 4:4
I’ve really needed to know that lately. The demands of my life seem more than I can handle. And, admittedly, more than I want to handle.
Satan is ever ready to tell me that I can’t do what I need to. And my own sin-nature chimes in to support my discouragement and inadequacy.
But my God is Greater. His strength is enough for the task. He doesn’t ask more of me than I can handle. He’s never failed me. I trust my Great God!
J – Jesus is my Justification. Romans 5:18
E – God Engraves. In fact He has Engraved my name on the palm of His hand. Isaiah 48:16
My name is ever before the eyes of the God of the universe! And just think what are in the hands of Jesus—His wounds and my name. That is incredibly, indescribably wonderful.
Now, being the ponderer that I am, I wonder how God could possibly be that intimate and caring for every one of His children. Then I realize, yet again, that God’s capacity to do what He says He will do, is way, WAY beyond my feeble and limited understanding.
Thank you Holy God, for the glimpses you give us of your magnificence!
J – God is our righteous Judge. Romans 9:14
I – God the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Trinity, Infills and Indwells the believer.
The previous blog praised God the Giver of the salvation plan and Jesus the Gift of that plan. But once the seeker chooses to receive the gift, it doesn’t just stay in the hands. The final power of God’s plan is for the gift of salvation to produce an ongoing result. The Holy Spirit of Jesus takes up residence within the new believer, giving him the direction and power to produce the fruit of his salvation.
Oh, the wonder of the Trinity! What an integral part each One plays. It’s so complex, yet becomes simple and experientially dependable if we function in the faith of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, I praise you and ask You to guide me this day.
I – Jesus is the Incarnate word. John 1:14
G – God is the Giver—Jesus is the Gift. Is it any wonder the trinity is difficult to understand?
Creator God, Father God Gives the salvation plan.
Jesus’ death on the cross is the salvation gift. I cannot be so good that I don’t need the gift or so filled with sin that the offer is denied to me. Recognizing my unworthiness, I must make the decision to reach out and receive the free gift of salvation.
I received that gift some thirty-six years ago. I have treasured it, held it to my breast, and clung to it. Thank you, my Good and Giving God.
H – Jesus Humbled Himself. Philippians 2:8
C – The God of Coincidences. Actually, as a Christian I don’t believe in that word. But the world does, and I find myself using it for no other reason than I’ve never found one to replace it for normal conversation.
The word “coincidence” cannot be found in the Bible. But “all powerful,” “all-knowing,” and “sovereign” can. Putting these words together I think we can conclude that God controls everything that our world calls “coincidence.” So I chose to praise God for “coincidences” and take comfort that His hand is upon me and everything around me.
G – God is Glorious. John 1:14
W – Jesus is the Way. “I am the Way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
The Bible doesn’t say “a” way, as in one of the possible ways. It says “The” Way. If there was any other way to be one with the Holy God of the universe, would He have sent His Son to die? I think about how we as parents feel about our children. We’d die in their place. But to actually construct a plan which required our son’s death is inconceivable—if there was another way.
Father God, this mother’s heart only glimpses the sacrifice You made to bring me to Yourself. Thank You. Thank You that I heard Your call, opened my heart to it, and You came in.
“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.” Revelation 3:20
V – God is Very!
This was inspired by our ten-year-old granddaughter. Before she went to sleep during the week she stayed with us, we’d go through the alphabet, giving praises to God and Jesus. I loved it when she said, “God is Very awesome!” Not just ordinary awesome, but VERY, with ten-year-old enthusiasm.
God is Very . . . fill in the blank . . . Very loving, Very forgiving, Very merciful, Very patient (I really like that one), Very compassionate, Very watchful, Very protective . . . I praise You, my Very awesome God!
U – God’s judgements are Unsearchable. Romans 11:33 The Living Bible states it this way: How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!
Well, if that’s the case, I shouldn’t get too frustrated when I don’t always understand how God works or why He does what He does. I shall simply trust because I do understand this: His way is always right.
F – God Finishes. Thank You, God, for finishing your creation of me by filling me with Yourself.
T – Triumphant – Colossians 2:15
S – The Son of righteousness. “The son of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.” Malachi 4:2 TLB
This verse has great meaning for me. I claimed it everyday for six months as we awaited open-heart surgery for our nine-year-old son. To keep my hope and faith I pictured him going forth after the surgery leaping like a lamb let out to pasture. Have you ever seen one? I can think of no other action that better exemplifies total, abandoned joy—all four of the lamb’s hooves come together under him as he leaps off the ground.
It seemed an eternity after our son’s surgery before the many tubes were removed from his body. But when he was finally freed from the tether of tubes, he slid off the hospital bed and walked around the Intensive Care Unit. He blatantly looked into each room, waved, and said “Hi!” to every ICU resident. That, to me, was my son leaping like a lamb let out to pasture.
Thank you, Son of righteousness, for healing our son.
S – Who is this, robed in Splendor, Striding forward in the greatness of his Stength? Isaiah 63:1 It’s our God, of course!
B – Jesus is Before, Behind, Beside.
Jesus walks Before me, guiding me on the path I should take. He is Behind me, guarding me from enemies—He’s got my back! And Jesus is Beside me, holding my hand—my comforter and counselor.
Jesus, thank for walking with me on this path called “life.”
R – Jesus Reconciles all things to Himself. Colossians 1:20
O – God is a God of Order.
We cannot share all God’s qualities: sovereignty, omniscience, omnipresence, omnipotence . . . But many we can and should claim: love, mercy, forgiveness, patience, joy . . .
The quality I consistently crave is a sense of order. Sometimes life’s circumstances are in chaos, only to be calmed by time, patience, trust, and prayer. It’s in those times I crave order most. But how to find it?
God has shown me I can survive times of chaos by giving order to one small thing in my life. It may be my devotion time, a clean drawer, a washed car, finishing the laundry. It’s as if God is telling me, “Just as this one small thing is given order, I will bring order to the rest.”
Thank you, my Lord, for knowing me so well.
Q – Jesus will come Quickly. Revelation 22:20KJV
A – Jesus is Always . . .
As I walk in the morning I often dwell on my alphabet words for God. Sometimes words that don’t describe God come to mind, and they, too, can give me a new perspective and appreciation of Him.
The word “almost” came to me when I was thinking of “A” words. It doesn’t describe God. He didn’t almost save me from my sins. He isn’t almost holy. He isn’t almost thinking of me and caring for me. He doesn’t almost guide me to good choices. He doesn’t almost forgive me for my confessed sins.
No, He Always does these things. I can count on a God who is—Always.
I can Always put my complete faith in Him, because He is Always faithful to me.
P – Jesus is my High Priest. Hebrews 9:11-12
P – Jesus Ponders. He Ponders with me. I spend a lot of time pondering, discussing with Jesus how I feel about something or how I should feel, but don’t. What He wants me to do or not do. When to say “no” to things – when to say “yes.” Where I’m off-base in serving Him. When to open my mouth – when to keep it shut.
It isn’t really praying. It’s the preliminary to prayer. It’s the figuring out of how to pray IN HIS WILL.
Thank you, my Lord, my High Priest, for Pondering with me.
O – Christ is the Overseer of our souls. I Peter 2:25
C – God Comforts. Today is Memorial Day and I want to praise God on this day. But I have to admit I struggle with how God fits into men (and now women) fighting for their country. In combat, soldiers on both sides call out to God. Whose prayers does He answer? I’ve never figured that out anymore than how God answers a prayer for winning in a sports match. But this I do know: God helps and comforts everyone, no matter which side, if they seek His will, call upon the name of Jesus, and ask for guidance and strength.
N – Jesus is the Name unto salvation. This verse, Acts 4:12, is too powerful not to write in full: And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Y – Jesus is my Yokemate – He promises my yoke will be light (Matthew 11:30).
But it doesn’t always feel light. Could I be yoked to something other that Jesus? Work, finances, relationships, people’s opinions, the relentless to-do list . . .
Lord, help me discern which burdens to carry and which to put down. And, then, to trust You and thank You for walking beside me as my Yokemate to carry the load.
M- God is Magnificent.
B – Jesus is Beautiful!
As I take my morning walks I use alphabet letters to praise Jesus. Almost always the first word that comes to my mind for the letter “B” is beautiful.
The flowers this Spring have been breathtaking; I marvel at the variety of vivid colors and exquisite designs. I especially love the color green. When the new leaves burst forth I like to stand in one place and try to count the different hues I see. I never can. No paint company’s color selections or box of Crayolas can offer the variations of green in nature!
And what my eyes can see is only one infinitesimal dimension of Jesus’ beauty. How eager I am to see Him face to face! Revelation 22:4 Truly, we will need a new body to take in the beauty of His magnificence.
N – God Numbers the hairs on my head. Luke 12:7
J – Jehovah God is Jealous for His children’s worship. “You must never bow to an image or worship it in any way for I, the Lord your God, am very possessive. I will not share your affection with any other god!” Exodus 20:5 TLB
The gods that competed with Jehovah in Exodus are not the same as the gods that tempt us today. We are lured by “modern” gods: technology, media, bigger homes, nicer cars, glamorous vacations. We crave more money, higher status, and prestige before our peers. We exalt sports and movie stars . . . These enticements do not carry the clear definition of gods as did the gods of Moab and Ammon; and we sometimes don’t recognize we’re making them into gods.
Praise You, Jesus, that You continue to seek after my soul, to keep it pure. Please continue to be jealous for me and help me make Your choices and set Your priorities for my life.
M – God is Mindful of man. Psalm 8:4
I – God is Immutable—never changing. What a comfort that is.
Fashions change. Technology changes. What was bought five years ago doesn’t even have parts available for repair. What was politically correct before, no longer is. My brain is overwhelmed with trying to keep up and my finances dwindling.
But not with my God. I don’t have to check the current trends to go to Him. I don’t have to push six buttons after six choices to hear His voice.
He’s the same. Always available. Always reliable. Always eager to hear my voice. He doesn’t break down, become outdated, or get disconnected. He’s never out of stock. He’s never too expensive. And I’m never too ragged to go to Him and be welcomed into His embrace.
Oh, my Lord, how glad I am You never change.
L – Jesus Loves—so much he died for me (John 3:16).
C – Jesus Cleans—me.
I talk to Jesus all day long. Once, while doing laundry I complained to Him, “Ugh, dirty clothes are endless!” Then I remembered that He cleans my sin-laundry, regularly, and I could feel His indulgent smile.
How does my endless laundry make Him feel? Maybe not disgruntled like me, but probably discouraged. I feel like He must say, “Will that girl never learn!”
Lord, thank You for putting up with me. I’m trying to make that pile of sin smaller. But You know that I’m dust—dirty ole dust (Psalm 103:14). And You hand me an empty sin-laundry basket every time I ask You for forgiveness (Psalm 103:12). You’re so good to me.
R – He is Risen! The Tomb is empty. Jesus is God. Put flowers on the cross. Our Lord lives!
E – Jesus Endured the cross.
Today is Good Friday. Jesus was nailed to the cross at the 3rd hour—9am.
The sky went dark at the 6th hour—noon.
And Jesus died at the 9th hour—3pm.
Over the years that my children and I had devotions during Holy Week we came to realize
9am-3pm is about the length of a school day. I remember how long my school days seemed
and my children did also. Imagine suffering excruciating pain for all that time?
Jesus, You loved us that much! Thank you for dying for our sins.
B – Jesus Bled.
I’m a visual learner. When people talk about taking their sins to the cross and leaving them there, I picture a huge, smelly mound of refuse building up at the foot of the cross and, in time, covering the cross with an always growing pile of sin.
I’m also a scientist and know that nothing on earth is ever destroyed. It only changes form like water evaporating into the clouds and coming back as rain or snow. So what happens to our sin?
Christ’s blood—that’s what happens. It’s the exception to the rule. It’s a vanishing cream. As it falls from the cross onto the sin we’ve left there it causes the sin to vanish “as far as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12
How cool is that!
K – Jesus is my Kinsman-redeemer. Ruth 3:9
E – Jesus is my Easter celebration.
Easter, Resurrection Sunday, is a pivotal day for all Christians. It is more so for me because it’s also my spiritual birthday. Jesus took up residence in my heart and soul on Easter 1975. And I’ve never been the same since. My husband is thankful for that 🙂 .
I praise God for designing the salvation plan that brings His children to Himself. I thank Jesus for leaving heaven and enduring great suffering to fulfill that plan. And I continue to be on my knees with joy and amazement that I heard the plan of salvation and responded.
J – Jesus is Just, as His Father is Just. John 5:30
B – God the Temple Builder
God used His mastery of all skills (previous post) to guide the construction of His Tabernacle, Israel’s traveling Temple of worship. Now we are His Tabernacle, His Temple (I Corinthians 3:16; 6:19)—no less carefully planned and designed than the Tabernacle in Exodus or the Temple in
II Chronicles.
Exodus 40:34 says, “The glory of the Lord filled it (the Tabernacle).”
I pray we, too, will be filled with the glory of the Lord as we do our part to build His church.
I – Incomprehensible – Isaiah 55:8-9
M – The Master of everything.
Not many Christians enjoy reading in Exodus the specific and intricate instructions about the construction of the Tabernacle. I do. I’m fascinated with how specific God is about His sanctuary. But, also, how He knew everything. We humans study a lifetime to master a craft or trade. But God knew it all!
He was a master architect, carpenter, jeweler, metallurgist, dyer of fabrics, weaver, garment designer. . . He told the Israelites how to wind cords that wouldn’t break and cut stones. He told them how to make the garments, mix the oils, which spices to use, and even how to transport it all. He was the master of all our human specialties and the administrator of it all.
No one person could know all that—only our all-knowing God.
H – Jesus is the Hallmark of who I am. Dictionary definition of Hallmark:
1) any mark indicating quality or excellence 2) any conspicuous indication
of the character or quality of something.
E – Jesus is essential.
I imagine a person who doesn’t claim Jesus as savior considers that he, himself, is what’s essential to his life. But those of us who recognize our need for a savior and claim Jesus’ free gift of salvation feel differently. We’ve received Christ’s Holy Spirit. It lives within us. And when we give the Holy Spirit full control of our lives we experience what it’s like to have FULL power, wisdom, love, patience, endurance, joy, hope, vision . . . We no longer want to function in the power of paltry humanity, but, rather, in the fullness of life abundant, life at it’s best. Jesus is essential to the abundant life!
G – God is God with a capital G! He is not one of many gods. He is not the top god of lesser gods. He is God, the One and Only.
Great wisdom came from the mouth of a teenage girl this week. She was interviewed after the multiple shootings at an Ohio High School. She said, “This is one of those situations where you have to sit back and let God be God.” We can’t understand all of what happens in our life or in our world, not short of heaven. But God, with a capital G, does. He knows the whole picture. He comforts and guides us through our lack of understanding. We must cling to Him—there is really nothing or no one else.
My spell-check insists that satan must be capitalized. I correct my unfaithful helper and insist that satan is not on a level with God, and his name shall not be capitalized! I also capitalize pronouns for God and Christ. Again, spell-check doesn’t agree. But my faith prevails and all God and Christ pronouns will be typed with a capital.
My God reigns! Praise You God.
F – God is Forever. He will never not-be-there for me.
I – God is Immediate. In this world of modern communications, I weary of being put on hold or, worse yet, making six choices and then being put on hold. An urgent prayer request can languish for days as a phone message or an e-mail. But communication with the God is Immediate.
He is waiting to hear my voice or my inner, unspoken cry—anytime of any day. He already knows my need, but loves it when I bring it to Him for He is eager to talk with me, to answer, and to comfort. Amazing!
E – Jesus is our Ensign, a flag for the nations to rally to. Isaiah 11:12
L – God is Love. There will be many messages of love this Valentine’s Day. But there is no greater love than God’s.
He agonized over the separation between Him and His children, so He created the plan of salvation. Jesus Christ loved us so much He gave His life to fulfill the plan. We humans were unworthy (still are) and didn’t deserve such an amazing gift. But that is love—not that we loved Him, but that He first loved us and drew us to Himself. Thank you, God, for loving us!
H – Jesus, my High Priest.
D – God Directs. Proverbs 3:5-6KJB
God directs all things in my life. But today I want to praise Him for directing my time. I have a lot of trouble with time. I seldom have enough, by my standard, and often don’t have the energy or motivation to use the time I’m given. I talk to God often about time.
But God’s promise to direct and make straight my path (verse6) is contingent upon me trusting in Him (verse5). Father God, forgive my lack of trust. I need You to direct my path. May I trust you every moment of the day in every thought and action.
G – Jesus is my Guide. Psalm 48:14, Isaiah 58:11
C – Jesus is my Captain. I’m reading a novel about a cruiser ship in World War II in the Pacific. The vessel is commanded by the Captain and, below him, the Executive Officer. I’ve been pondering my role as the Executive Officer of my life and my vessel.
All authority on a ship rests with the Captain. That is how it should be for me too. My Captain is perfect in every way. He doesn’t make mistakes, harbor resentment and anger, strive for promotions, or break under pressure. When I don’t understand a command, I can have absolute confidence that His direction is correct.
As the Executive Officer I have authority too. I can use that authority to undermine the Captain, side step His commands, even ignore them completely. But then my ship flounders and wanders into dangerous waters. Well the analogy could go on and on, but you get the point.
“My Captain, reporting for duty, Sir.”
Received your books today. I appreciate your promptness; I will pass out the first half of them this coming Monday when we have our study at our home. I was telling Heather how we’d been in touch w/ each other and she remembers you and your family so well.
I love some of your recent posts – they are simple, yet profound. Fondly, Kathy
F –Jesus is faithful. Always!
I Corinthians 10:13; I John 1:9; Revelations 19:1
A – God allows. Job 1:12
“Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” If Bible scholars can’t answer this question, certainly I can’t.
But I can accept it and still believe God is good, loves me, and wants the very best for me. I’ve lived long enough to have put God to the test many times on this issue. When I don’t fight the challenge, but, in God’s strength, lean into it, I’ve always come through a stronger child of God, better prepared to serve Him.
“Is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.” James 1:2-4 TLB
E – God is everlasting. Isaiah 40:28
S – Jesus saves. Ephesians 2:5; John 3:17
Martin Luther King Day – January 16, 2012 – I was taking my morning walk and thanking God for this man who brought us closer to the equality of all people. I prayed, “Lord, please give us eyes to see beyond the color of skin, to see that inside we all have the same red blood of life.”
Then I remembered the blood of Jesus—blood that was shed for all. All humanity shares the blood of life, the stain of sin, and the need for a savior. When we claim Jesus blood for salvation, we become sisters and brothers of the same family that will, one day, be united together in our heavenly home.
Come Lord Jesus!
D – Christ is Divine.
C – Our Creator God gave us the gift of sight.
Color, brightness, motion, size, dimension—things we take for granted. Yet without the gift of sight they would be gone. Sight reveals the beauty God has given us to behold. It keeps us safe so we can anticipate danger. It helps to make us humble when we view how puny and insignificant we are compared to the enormity of this world. Thank you, Lord God, for the gift of sight that we might witness Your majesty and bow down in worship.
“No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.” II Corinthians 2:10 Lord, thank You for the five senses You created in us. We recognize they only reveal a glimpse of all that You are. But, thank You so much for that glimpse!
C – God, the Creator, gave us the gift of hearing.
I’ve been away from my blog for awhile, walking with Jesus through the challenge of helping my mother move to a senior care facility and my own hospital visit with a cancer diagnosis. Over this passage of time, I heard our extended family sing grace at Thanksgiving. I rejoiced with every Christmas Carol. And delighted over the giggles of our grandchildren. The purring sounds of our kittens comforted and quieted my spirit as they snuggled into me.
Facing an unknown future, I heard Jesus whispering in my ear: Fear not for I am with you. Be not dismayed because I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:10. And, finally, I heard the surgeon announce that wonderful word: benign.
Most significantly, God heard – my prayers and those of my friends and family. He cared. He protected. His still, small voice confirmed His ever-present comfort and counsel.
B – God is Beautiful. He has created all that is Beautiful. Jesus is Beauty incarnate. He beautifies the sinner’s soul.
C – God, the Creator, gave us the gift of taste. My mouth waters at the thought of turkey, cranberry sauce, and my mother’s pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving. We shall give thanks for all God’s goodness.
Throughout the Bible God has used our experience of taste to give us messages. He coaxed the Israelites to the Promised Land, describing it as a land filled with milk and honey. Proverbs 24:13-14 compares wisdom to the sweetness of honey, and Psalm 119:103 describes God’s word and His law as sweeter than honey to the mouth. Before the Israelites taught God’s word to their children, they gave them a taste of the honeycomb so they would physically associate God’s word with sweetness.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good!” Psalms 34:8
A – God blesses Abundantly! II Corinthians 1:5, Ephesians 3:2
(This blog starts our third time through the alphabet.)
C – God, the Creator. With Thanksgiving coming soon, I want to thank you, Lord, for the sense of smell—turkey roasting, bread baking, pies warming. Mmmm. Just writing it makes my mouth salivate. But the scents of pine and cinnamon are not far off. Followed by the fragrance of spring blossoms. And then the wonderful smell of sun-tan lotion.
But, Lord, You also use the bad smells. Smoke—something is burning. Electricity—there’s a short. A skunk—won’t go near again.
Thank you for the gift of smell. May we not take it for granted.
Z – God is a Zealous God. He is Zealous for my soul. He fights for it.
C – God, the Creator. I praise you, God, for my eyes. It is Autumn and my eyes witness the rich reds, oranges, and yellows. Some colors are so vibrant they glow, even without sunshine. Thank you for eyes to see the smiles of my grandchildren. The goodness in others. The needs of others. The words in Your Bible. The geese flying high above. The morning frost that outlines the veins of the fallen leaves. The dew drops on a spider web. Oh Lord, You are the Master Artist, and I thank you for eyes to see.
Y – Yahweh – I am Who I am – the self-existent One – Exodus 3:14
Name used when God wants to reveal Himself.
C – God, the Creator. Lord, I praise You for Your creation! I’m one of your children who is always looking up, down, and around, admiring Your creation. I much prefer to be outdoors in Your creation than indoors, man’s creation. At some point I realized, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy Your magnificent creation if You hadn’t also created my five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. I’ve decided to camp out on that theme for the next five blogs.
X – God is eXalted. – Psalm 46:10
B – God is Beyond. He is Beyond all my imagining, yet He gives me glimpses of who He is. Not wanting to forget one discovery, I’ve become possessed by those glimpses and catalogue them using the alphabet. I now have a ten page, type-written chronicle of these glimpses. It is my book of eXaltation.
W – Jesus is With me and Within me.
M – “The universe declares His Majesty!” I just returned from visiting the national parks in Colorado and Utah. Time and time again I stood in awe of God’s majesty. The theme of this area is rock—rock of all size, design, and color. The mighty and varied formations caused me to stand in wonder at God’s creation and humbled me to know that I, too, am His creation.
V – God is Vital
E – Jesus is Essential. Vital and Essential are synonymous; both describe our triune God.
I don’t know if other Christians are like me, but I’ve walked with God long enough now to know I could “make it” on my own, at least by the world’s standard and by my old standard. But I no longer want to try. Christ is essential to who I am, who I am becoming, and who I hope to be. Without Christ at the center of my life, I’d be walking around with a gapping, aching, yearning hollow inside me. I’ve tasted of God and I want more.
My God , You knew You were essential in my life, Now I know it!
U – God is Ubiquitous. Ubiquitous is a lovely word that means everywhere at the same time or, another lofty word, omnipresent.
Today, September 11, 2011, is ten years from the horrendous, and still painful, assault on our nation. I find comfort in knowing God was with each frightened individual who was in one of the twin towers, at the Pentagon, or on United Flight 93.
Lord, I don’t know how many of them called to You, but I absolutely know You were there with each one of them. So why did they die? I don’t know. But what I do know is that You did not fail them! If they called to You, You heard.
We see only through the prism of our finite life. You see life through the perspective of eternity. I trust in You. I pray You will bring comfort to those who lost loved ones and that they may know (!) You were there with their loved ones, ready to receive them.
Oh, Lord, guide us through this painful process of life. Thank You that you are with us every moment of every day.
T – My Teacher. Psalm 25:9, Matthew 7:28-19
G – Jesus is my guide. I’ve enjoyed the great challenge and excitement of doing some white water kayaking. My brother-in-law was my guide who knew the river’s turns and rapids. He instructed me to follow close behind him and take the path he guided me through. In treacherous rapids, I never saw the downriver scene because I didn’t dare take my eyes off the path he led me on.
Jesus, praise You for being my guide through life. May I keep my eyes upon you.
S – Jesus Suffered. For my sin, for yours, for all mankind’s. Thank you, Jesus.
S – God is Sovereign. The news today emphasized the political turmoil of our world. As I took my morning walk, my spirit churned in prayer. Confused and frustrated, I asked God why He gave man authority in His world (Genesis 1:28). I couldn’t understand why God created us with the wisdom and strength to lead and then allowed us to mess up so badly. Finally a bit of clarity settled in. Yes, God created human beings with the abilities to rule His world, but with the intention that those abilities be used in union and communion with Him. We seem to forget the union part. It’s so easy to think we’re in charge.
Forgive us, Lord. May we return to You. May we yield to Your sovereignty the intelligence and authority You gave us.
I like that last one! Great reflection on the Lord’s availability to us. Thank you for sharing it!
R – God Refines. “For he is like a blazing fire refining precious metal and he can bleach the dirtiest garments!” Malachi 3: 2TLB God’s refining process is usually uncomfortable, but the result shines His brighter glory!
I – Jesus is Immediate. In this world of modern technology, I weary sometimes of being put on hold, or making six choices and then being put on hold. My urgent emailed prayer request or phone message might not be read or heard for days. But communication with my Savior, the Lord of the universe, is immediate. I’m never put on hold. My immediate need is His immediate concern. Thank you, Lord Jesus.
Q – God is Quiet (an adjective). God Quiets (a verb). God is my Quiet (a noun). There are many dimensions of Quiet and God can be in all of them. When I’m running frenetically in many directions, I reach for God’s hand and He steadies my mind and my pace. When many voices are shouting for attention, if I listen, I hear God’s still, quiet voice telling me what to do. Even in the middle of a crisis, I can carry God’s quiet within me.
Thank You, God, that You give me quiet with-out me when I’m at my limit, and nurture the quiet within me.
P – God Purifies His children. Malachi 3:3
F – God Forgives, often in my case.
I was having one of those honest dialogues with God, knowing I needed to forgive someone. But I’d done it so many times before and, in my petulance, I stamped and announced to God, “I’m tired of forgiving!” Then I heard my own words and chuckled, remembering the many times I’d received forgiveness. I certainly didn’t want Him to become tired of forgiving me! It would be some time before I’d be welcomed into heaven’s gates, and I would, unfortunately, continue to need God’s forgiveness.
Then God sent me His grace to forgive, yet again.
O – God is the One and Only. Deuteronomy 6:4; Corinthians 8:4-6; Jude 4
N – God is Number one! This is one of my favorite Ns for God – given to me by my eight-year-old granddaughter.
N – God Never . . .make your own list. My list has:
God Never gives up on me, leaves me, lies to me, stops loving me, loses me, or abandons me. God Never sleeps and Never ends. What a great and reliable God we have!
M – Jesus is Merciful. Hebrews 2:17-18
H – God Helps me praise Him. Sometimes I don’t feel like praising God. Or going to church. Or being thankful for the things in my life. I really just want to grumble and gripe. That can be cathartic at times and God wants my honesty. But I know I mustn’t stay in that mode over long. If I do it becomes too difficult to drag myself away from my self-centered, woe-is-me mindset. So I ask God to help me desire to praise Him, go to church, and be thankful.
He always answers “yes” to this prayer if I am sincere in my asking.
Thank you my beloved God!
Thank you, Cherie, for praising the Lord with me!
My heart overflows with gratefulness, Lord. Thank you for blessing us in so many ways. You bless us with life and breath, with love and friendship, with beauty and creation. You bless us with Your love, with Your presence, with Your goodness. We don’t deserve You. You bless us with the sacrifice of Your only Son. Thank you for these blessings, Lord. Thank you for saving us from our wretched selves. We are redeemed and we will praise You forever!
B – God Blesses. “God bless America. Land that I love. Stand beside her and guide her, through the night with a light from above.” God has blessed America with abundance and freedoms and strength. Thank you, our Lord Who blesses.
Have we blessed You? Do we give You our allegiance? Do we thank You for the comfort and security of living in America? I’m afraid we’ve become a complaining, thankless nation. Forgive us. Restore us to You.
We bring our faith back to You, away from ourselves and our government. May we recognize our blessings and turn to You in appreciation and praise!
L – Jesus is Lord of Lords! Revelation 19:16
C – God is Complete. He doesn’t need my prayers, my worship, or my praise. He is complete without them. But I’m not. When I unite with God in prayer, in worship, in praise, in thanksgiving . . . only then am I complete.
K – God Keeps His promises.
S – God is the Same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Hebrews 13:8
I’m sometimes crabby. No surprise there! And when I’m in a bad mood, I can bark at the people I love and make unwise decisions. But God is never in a bad mood.
The love and tenderness He has for me, the decisions He makes about me, are perfect—without exception. They don’t change from one mood swing to another or are they determined by how busy He is. I praise You, Lord, that You don’t change. You don’t waiver. I can count on You to be what You say You are and do what You say You will do.
J – Jesus is Joy, my joy. John 15:11
M – Jesus is Manna – bread from heaven. John 6:31&35 God provided manna to His chosen people as they traveled in the wilderness. But they had to gather every day (except Sunday), because it would spoil if they tried to skip a day. They couldn’t gather a double supply today to eat tomorrow.
I, too, must take in my Bread of Life each day, or I am undernourished for the day. I can’t “store up” my faith from the day before, but must exercise active faith anew each day in order to honor God with my best and receive all the blessing God planned to give me that day.
A – Abba father. Today is Father’s day. Whether we had a good experience with our fathers or not-so-good, we all have an image of what we’d like in a father: loving, patient, tolerant, forgiving, strong . . . My son describes a good father as, one “who helps me when I’m in trouble, protects me, and spends time with me.”
Abba is better interpreted as “daddy.” My human father is gone, but my Abba Daddy will never leave me! So I say to Abba Daddy, “Happy Father’s Day, God my Father.”
M – Jesus is our bright Morning star. Revelation 22:16 Peter tells of the morning star rising in our hearts (II Peter 1:19). May it be!
I – God leads my I -Team. Those of us from the 80s remember a popular TV show called the A -Team. There were four characters: Hannibal, Face, B.A., and Murdock. They worked together to right the wrongs of their world.
I have a team, too. I call my team the I-Team, and there are four characters on my team. The leaders are God my creator, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit who empowers me. The fourth on my team, the least important, and the least abled, is me. When I think of my I-Team, I don’t think of “I” as being me. Instead I think of the great I Am of Exodus 3:14. My I-Team can do all the things my Leader calls me to do because my team guides me and strengthens me. God, Thank you for including me on Your team!
L – God Listens. Psalm 65:2; 66:18,19
W – God is my WOW! My dear friend, Melody Miller, shares my obsession for praising the Lord (see past posts) and she sent me a cc of a message she’d e-mailed her friends. She invited them to join our community of praise by giving them the link to praiseposts. I was overcome with appreciation, and wrote back to her, “Wow, thank you!”
Sometimes “Wow!” is all that can be said. “Lord, you are awesome and amazing and great and marvelous and . . . WOW, my God, words simply cannot contain You!”
But I shall continue to keep trying – with my praise words.
K – Jesus is King of the Jews. Mark 15:2
K – God is El Elyon – the Keeper of the hedge. Job 1:10 God has given us a hedge of protection to surround us. Sometimes I feel under such great assault that I fear the hedge will break. I ask El Elyon to strengthen the hedge. He does. Some times satan has broken through my hedge in areas where my sinfulness and faltering faith have allowed gaps to form. To rebuild the gaping holes, I must confess, receive God’s forgiveness, and renew my faith. He then rebuilds my hedge—my protection against the battering of the world. Thank you, El Elyon, You have never failed me.
J – Jesus is Jehovah Jireh—the Lord who provides. Genesis 22:8
R – God refreshes. As I massaged lotion onto my face this morning, my dry, droopy skin perked up a bit. Only a bit, unfortunately. But God’s Holy Spirit is the refreshing balm to my soul, my spirit, my mind, and my body. My day’s schedule or my circumstances might not refresh; in fact, they can overwhelm. But when I lean on the Holy Spirit, I am freshened for every task of every day.
I – Jesus is Immanuel – God with us, with me. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23
L – God is the light of the world. I awoke this morning with sun shining in my bedroom window. Sunshine’s been long awaited this year. I luxuriated for my devotion time and sat in my favorite deck chair with the sun’s warmth on my face. And what verse was in today’s reading but: “He shall be as the light of the morning; a cloudless sunrise.” II Samuel 23:4a Even on gray, cloudy days I know God is my Light, but, my, it’s nice to have it on my face!
H – God Hears—my cries and my rejoicing.
C – God is a God of completions.
Today, I need to dwell on that. Today, I want to quit. I’m tired and I’m discouraged. I need Your strength and desire, My God, to continue and to complete the work You’ve given me. Paul told me in Philippians 1:6 that “he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” I’m trusting You for that promise!
G – God is good! He is good to me.
G – God is great. I am confident that God is above all powers—of nations, of nature, of heads of state. Where I often forget about His greatness is in myself. I John 4:4 tells me “greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world.” The pull of my sin nature and the lures of satan sometime get the best of me. But through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Himself is in me. I Praise You, Lord, for the greatness You have placed inside me which I must claim daily, and moment by moment, to fight the powers of this world and my weakness. Your greatness will win the battle, in this world and in me.
F – Jesus was Forsaken for us, for me.
R – God Rested – Genesis 2:2-3. Today is Sunday, the Sabbath rest. God gave me permission to rest today; indeed, He commanded me to rest – Exodus 20:8-11. By nature I’m a “doer” and a “goer”—a Martha. At the end of each day I delight in checking things off my to-do list; rest hasn’t been on it.
But I’ve learned that God didn’t make a mistake when He gave us the
fourth commandment. I now spend Sundays resting, worshiping Him, and remembering His faithfulness. And I start my new week refreshed and renewed. Thank you, My God, for Your rest.
R – God is my Rescuer.
Sometimes, I ask God to rescue me from circumstances where I am uncomfortable or confused. It’s like I’m looking for a kind of supernatural intervention that will remove me from my discomfort. But today, as I think about God being my Rescuer, it’s not that he magically saves me from awkward or difficult moments (in fact, He most often keeps me there and walks WITH me through them), it’s that He actually has rescued me from myself.
On my own, I am lost. I am wretched. My heart does not know good. I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 5:8 says “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God has rescued me from myself…from my sinful, separated-from-Him self. I praise Jesus for His sacrifice of love!
E – God is my Everything. “Everything comes from him; everything happens through him; everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always Praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.” from the last verse of Romans 11 – The Message.
E – Engraved. “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:16a NIV This statement was made to the nation of Israel, but I claim it through the Messiah of Israel—Jesus Christ. Every believer is constantly before God; we are graven on His hands. And what is in the palms of Christ’s hands? The wounds from his sacrifice for our sins.
Praise you Lord God, Lord Jesus, that You love us so much!
D – God is Dependable. People have let me down. God . . . never.
F – God Fills us with Himself. “And so at last you will be filled up with God Himself.” Ephesians 3:19 TLB “. . . and all become full-grown in the Lord—yes, to the point of being filled full with Christ.” Ephesians 4:13 TLB Being filled with God is not automatic. The process is participatory. Salvation was a choice; I chose it. The filling is also a choice and, again, I must choose. When I seek God’s will in all I do and ask His Holy Spirit to guide and strengthen me for His will, I am continually and progressively filled by God Himself. Can anything be more wonderful!
C – God Calms my frantic soul.
H – God is Holy. For a long time holiness was not one of my favorite attributes for God. It seemed to point so glaringly to my lack of holiness. I preferred to know He was loving, powerful, patient, compassionate, and forgiving. He was my comforter whose arms were always there to hold me and my counselor who never gave bad advice. Finally, duh, it occurred to me that it was His holiness that meant I could count on Him for everything else. All God’s attributes are perfect because of His holiness. Praise you my Holy God!
B – God Blesses!
S – God is my Satisfaction. Sometimes, it seems, I’m just never satisfied. Doesn’t matter my situation, I’m restless for something different, something more. Is that part of sinful human nature? Or an “entitled” American? Whatever the cause, I know I am out of God’s will when I allow this dissatisfaction to linger. I don’t always catch it soon enough (my husband would agree, unfortunately), but when I recognize the direction my inner grumbling is taking, I combat it with a mantra: Jesus is my satisfaction. I chant it out loud, I chant it silently until a smile replaces my scowl. My head lifts, and I thank God that He is all I need! God as my satisfaction isn’t found in the bible, per se, but God as my portion is.
Psalms 16:5; 73:26; 119:57
A – We started in November praising the Lord from A-Z, and we now return to A. God is Always . . .good, merciful, powerful, trustworthy . . . please add to my list.
T – God is a timing perfectionist. I’m not good at waiting. But when I trust in God’s timing and not my own, I am more patient. Sometimes, I’ve even been able to look for lessons to learn while I’m waiting. I don’t always like God’s timing, but I do know He never intervenes too early or too late.
Jesus is the Resurrection. He is also my Hope, for that very reason. Because of Him, my fears fade away. Easter is my favorite day of the year and has been since I was a teenager and understood more clearly what it meant.
Z – Jesus is Zoe – Greek word for life.
R – Jesus is Risen!
Easter is my spiritual birthday. Thirty-five years ago today, Jesus knocked on the door to my heart. I invited Him in and was resurrected from a self-directed life, lived for my own pleasure, to an abundant life lived for His pleasure. What I didn’t understand before was that pleasing God resulted in my best. I’d assumed being a Christian was boring. Was I ever wrong. It’s been a challenging, exciting, fulfilling adventure. I recommend it to everyone.
Y – Y’shua, Yeshua = Jesus
D – Jesus Died. Today is Good Friday. When our children were young and still in school, I met with them each morning for a devotion time. On Good Friday we read that Jesus was on the cross from 9am – 3pm and realized that was approximately the len