Thursday Devotional - Faithful God despite our Foolish Frenzy (8/10/23)

I was convicted by this passage when I read it this past Sunday! 

At church earlier in the day, Joe and I read some Scripture passages as part of an interactive church service. Ahead of time and during the service, I was a bit distracted in several ways: nerves, making sure the kids were sitting properly, and concerned Joe wasn’t going to remember all that he was supposed to say before and after his reading!

Then, when I read the following passage during my own quiet time later in the day, I realized I didn’t guard my steps well while going to God’s house. I wasn’t prepared to listen to Him and was more concerned about how my family and I sounded.  

Ecclesiastes 5:1-7        ^]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

² Do not be quick with your mouth,
    do not be hasty in your heart
    to utter anything before God.
God is in heaven
    and you are on earth,
    so let your words be few.
³ A dream comes when there are many cares,
    and many words mark the speech of a fool.

⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. ⁶ Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? ⁷ Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.

I want to prepare better the next few weekends so I am ready to listen to God at church and not distracted by my own thoughts or nerves. What about you? How will you prepare to listen to God, whether it’s at church, Bible study, personal prayer time or other times of worship?  

Our Faithful God has so much to say to us, if we will just listen! He was faithful to gently tap me on the shoulder and point out my foolish frenzy from earlier in the day.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God Through Quiet Work (8/3/23)

Last week I mentioned one of my prayers for the summer was that we would be witnesses in our interactions. Sarah’s coach noticed her positive attitude, but I wondered if she knew it was God’s joy in her. So, I prayed more specifically for natural opportunities to mention God, Bible study, prayer, etc. In answer to that prayer, God provided a couple different opportunities later in the week to naturally mention Bible study and prayer as I talked with a couple parents!

Then, I got an unexpected email from one of Alexis’ coaches. It said “I just wanted to tell you how much I love having Alexis in my group. She’s not only very talented, but she works very hard as well. I’m very impressed with her behavior. It’s a nice break from some of her teammates!”  

While the coach didn’t say “I can see Jesus in Alexis,” maybe she will eventually realize He is behind the difference she sees in Alexis versus her teammates. I realized I needed to be thankful for the small and quiet opportunities to reflect Christ, even if others don’t recognize Christ in us right away. Our Faithful God is powerful enough to work through one quiet moment or combine thousands of quiet work opportunities to accomplish His purposes in the lives of those around us!

Psalm 106:1-3 Praise the Lord.

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

² Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord
    or fully declare his praise?
³ Blessed are those who act justly,
    who always do what is right.

We can’t fully give God the praise and honor He deserves. However, He chooses to give us blessings through our meager obedient work. What a Faithful, Generous and Mighty God we serve!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God Through Disqualification (7/27/23)

It’s been an exciting and busy week with all 4 kids swimming and diving in their championship meets this week! Both girls got disqualified in one of their races, though. However, when Joe was talking to the coach about Sarah’s disqualification, the coach said “but Sarah’s still smiling!” Yes, Sarah doesn’t let things like that bother her. She is usually happy and content.

No matter what is going on around us, we always have something to be happy and joyful about – our Faithful God!   

Psalm 68:1-3      May God arise, may his enemies be scattered;
    may his foes flee before him.
² May you blow them away like smoke—
    as wax melts before the fire,
    may the wicked perish before God.
³ But may the righteous be glad
    and rejoice before God;
    may they be happy and joyful.

I pray our joy is contagious to those around us. I’m glad Sarah’s coach sees her as a happy girl, but my prayer has been that we would be witnesses in our interactions this summer. Maybe there will still be opportunities for others to realize that our joy comes from God (not our own self-talk or positive thinking)! He’s our Faithful Savior! Whether we win or lose, He’s already victorious over our greatest problem!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God Encamps Around You (7/13/23)

James loves playing soccer, but he wasn’t thrilled about going to our church’s soccer outreach event on Tuesday. James participated last summer, but several of the boys had been mean. He didn’t want to have to deal with their actions and comments. In fact, he begged not to go.

After praying about what to do, I talked to James about this being an opportunity to be a witness to some of the kids from the community that come out to play. We also talked through how to handle some of the situations that might happen. I told him I would be there to watch.  

Of course, God is always watching. As we look to Him for direction, we can trust that things will turn out for His good purposes.

Psalm 34:7-9      The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.

We lack nothing because we always have God on our side, encamped around us! Things won’t always be easy or turn out the way we want, but as we obey Him we can be assured we are in His will.

For this week, God worked it out that none of the mean boys came! That may not be the case next week, but we know God can help James through any challenges that come. God will also bring blessing as a result! He faithfully watches and encamps around us!

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God over Our Fears (7/6/23)

This week we’re continuing to memorize Psalm 34. It tied in with some of the big and small fears we faced.

Psalm 34:4-6      I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.

I mentioned a few weeks ago how terrified Edmund was to start swim and dive team practice. This past weekend he and Alexis successfully completed several swim races in their very first swim meet! Edmund went from holding the lane line all the way down (a week ago) to diving off the block and swimming with side breathing.

Alexis had originally not been scared the first week, but she got terrified to swim in the deep end without also holding the lane line. One time, while swimming on her back in the deep end, she said she prayed to God when she was really scared.

Whether our fear is rational or irrational, we can take it to God. He will listen and can help us. As we follow His direction and trust His lead, we can know He’s got it! He’s Faithful!

Alice 

Thursday Devotional - Faithful and Praiseworthy God even in Disappointment (6/29/23)

With the wildfire smoke from Canada, we’ve now had several activities cancelled because of the very unhealthy air quality! The kids have been disappointed.

We did get to attend several fun outdoor activities this past weekend, though!

One was a picnic after church. The sermon was on Psalm 34 which includes the verse: Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (verse 8). The pastor tied that right in with our picnic! 😊

Later that day, the kids, Joe and I decided to memorize part of Psalm 34. We’ve learned a verse a day, the past 3 days.

Psalm 34:1-3 I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the Lord;
    let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the Lord with me;
    let us exalt his name together.

We talked about how hard it is to praise God when we are mad, sad or hurt. However, we owe everything to Him! If we can remember that, we’ll be able to praise Him in all situations, whether it is a small disappointment or a huge tragedy.  

How will you praise Him today?

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God even When We Mess Up (6/22/23)

 Sarah loves her new horseback riding place! We even went to watch a very experienced rider in a competition last Saturday. However, the horse got spooked and bucked the rider off. It seemed the new environment and weird fake stones in the arena threw the horse out of sorts. She didn’t trust her owner to lead her safely around. The horse made a mess of things instead of following and trusting her owner’s lead.

The Israelites did the same thing with God. He led them safely to a wonderful land and offered to provide for them and sustain them, as long as they obeyed Him. However, they decided to do things their way, not trust Him and rebel against him. They made a mess of things, too, and it didn’t turn out well!  

Jeremiah 2:13-19   “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
    the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
    broken cisterns that cannot hold water.
¹⁴ Is Israel a servant, a slave by birth?
    Why then has he become plunder?
¹⁵ Lions have roared;
    they have growled at him.
They have laid waste his land;
    his towns are burned and deserted.
¹⁶ Also, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
    have cracked your skull.
¹⁷ Have you not brought this on yourselves
    by forsaking the Lord your God
    when he led you in the way?
¹⁸ Now why go to Egypt
    to drink water from the Nile?
And why go to Assyria
    to drink water from the Euphrates?
¹⁹ Your wickedness will punish you;
    your backsliding will rebuke you.
Consider then and realize
    how evil and bitter it is for you
when you forsake the Lord your God
    and have no awe of me,”
declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

When have you and I made a mess of things by doing something our way? Let’s learn from our past mistakes and trust God’s way. He is Faithful and wants to help us get back up and try again.

Alice

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God as a Faithful Guide (6/15/23)

Does your GPS ever send you to the wrong location? We were travelling this weekend and were sent to a wrong parking lot. Thankfully, we realized where we really needed to be was one road over.

God doesn’t ever send us to the wrong place. He is a faithful guide!

Jeremiah 2:5-8        This is what the Lord says:

“What fault did your ancestors find in me,
    that they strayed so far from me?
They followed worthless idols
    and became worthless themselves.
⁶ They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord,
    who brought us up out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness,
    through a land of deserts and ravines,
a land of drought and utter darkness,
    a land where no one travels and no one lives?’
⁷ I brought you into a fertile land
    to eat its fruit and rich produce.
But you came and defiled my land
    and made my inheritance detestable.
⁸ The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who deal with the law did not know me;
    the leaders rebelled against me.
The prophets prophesied by Baal,
    following worthless idols.

God faithfully led the Israelites through the Dead Sea, the wilderness, the desert, and darkness. How well did they remember that and look to Him to navigate their lives going forward? Not well, according to this passage.

It’s easy to see how foolish the Israelites were, but what about you and me? Are we quick to forget about God’s faithfulness in the past? Or, do we continually remember and look to Him for guidance each day?

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God when We’re Too Scared (6/8/23)

It’s been a crazy week with all four kids starting swim and dive team practice, in addition to all their other activities. This is the first year for the twins. Alexis was super excited and Edmund was extremely scared. He said he couldn’t go and cried on and off all afternoon before the first practice. We talked through various scenarios and his siblings tried to encourage him. I reminded him that he felt similarly last year before his first baseball practice, yet he has loved it since!

On a much larger scale, Jeremiah was terrified to be a prophet for the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:4-10       The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    before you were born I set you apart;
    I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

When God calls us to do something, He promises to be with us and provide what is needed to do the job, no matter how scary it is.

As I prayed about whether Edmund was to start swim and dive team, the baseball scenario from last year kept coming to mind. So, even though he cried while waiting his turn to jump off the diving board, he did jump off and had a smile afterwards! Later that night as we were talking it over and comparing it to his experience with baseball, he said he was glad he did it. Then, he suddenly exclaimed – “and God was with me!!!”

Yes, God was with him! He is always with us, whether we are afraid of something big or small. What is scary for you right now? Will you take it to God and let Him guide you for your next steps? He will faithfully be with you!  

Thursday Devotional - Faithful God when Speechless in Prayer (6/1/23)

Last week my nephew, Mark, fell 30+ feet from a tree in his yard. He landed on his back, was knocked out and couldn’t breathe. His sister screamed for their mom (my sister) who rushed over, crying out to God. They called 9-1-1. Firemen and an ambulance came. They rushed him to the hospital, keeping him flat, and ran all kinds of tests.

When I found out, I immediately started crying out to God for help. After cries for help, I started recounting God’s attributes for comfort. Then, when we didn’t know what else to pray, the Holy Spirit brought to mind my memory verses for that week.

Jeremiah 1:17-19   ¹⁷ “Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them. ¹⁸ Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land—against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests and the people of the land. ¹⁹ They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

The Holy Spirit helped me see how I could apply these verses to my nephew’s situation. We didn’t need to be terrified. I prayed for God to make Mark “an iron pillar and a bronze wall” against the impact of the fall. I prayed for Mark, his Mom, Dad, sister and all of us to feel God’s presence. I prayed for God to rescue Mark from permanent damage.

These verses were a promise God made specifically to Jeremiah, but the Holy Spirit helped me pray them for my nephew when I didn’t know what else to pray. God is faithful in all situations, whether we get the answers we want or not. In this situation, He helped me know what to pray!

God also miraculously spared Mark from paralysis, broken bones, and damage to organs!!!! The doctors told my sister that the fall would have killed them or her, but amazingly didn’t kill Mark! He was in excruciating pain, but is making progress. He can’t bend or pick up things yet, but he can read and move some! We keep praising God!!!