A warm welcome to you! Thank you for stopping by. As you read through my pages, I believe you will find that I am just like you—a woman who loves the Lord and cherishes His grace. And, like you, I sometimes grow weary from the journey. I have experienced many difficult places in my life—a brother’s suicide, my mom’s young death, cancer, a prodigal child, extensive unemployment. There have been times when I thought I couldn’t go on. But, God…don’t you love that? But God carried me through and opened my eyes to see Him in my midst. He opened my ears to hear His sweet whispers of love.
Take hope in the knowledge that you are cherished by the One who made you—you are sheltered in the shadow of His wing, close to His heart. It is my prayer that as we get to know one another you, too, will see beyond the veil and will learn to say, “Even so, I walk in the Presence of the Lord”
With joy,
Nan
Longing For Zion in a Foreign Land
The morning light felt gentle and warm against my troubled spirit. I sat on the porch sipping my coffee, Bible in lap, Blue by my side. Peace settled over me — contentment that had been missing for quite some time.
“Speak to me through Your Word, Lord. I’m listening,” I prayed.
Opening my Bible, my eyes fell on the subtitle of Psalm 137: Longing for Zion in a Foreign Land. I paused and considered the season of life I’m experiencing.
It feels foreign to me.
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A Prayer to Be Kept by the Power of God
Lord, what a Mighty God You are! You amaze me with Your protective instincts when it comes to Your children. You guard us as a sentinel, hedging us in from the front and the back. You serve as our rear guard causing goodness and mercy to follow us all the days of our lives.
Thank You for going before us in all things, making a way where there seems to be no way. You are in my tomorrows well before I get there, therefore I need not be afraid. You are my strength, therefore I need not worry about being overcome by weakness and weariness of soul.
Lord, the power of Your Holy Spirit is within me — Your resurrection power that defies all odds and explodes with miraculous provision and intervention — keeps me.
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Gethsemane: A Place of Excruciating Choice
After sharing the Passover meal, Jesus and His disciples walked the dusty roads of Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives, talking as they went — Jesus trying to prepare them for what was ahead.
They came to the Brook Kidron, hoisted their robes high above their ankles and crossed over to the Garden of Gethsemane — the garden of the olive press. Olive trees filled the orchard, their gnarled limbs weaving webs of grace and beauty.
It was a favorite place for Jesus to take His disciples.
The symbolism is great.
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A Prayer When You’re Stuck Between Expectations and Reality
Lord, I trusted You. I really did. I shared all of my dreams with You, my heart’s desires, my plans — I gave them all to You because I trust in Your faithfulness. I know Your goodness.
I know that I know You hear me when I call out to you … and You respond.
But now everything seems to be on hold. Now, sometimes, I wonder if You care about my disappointments, my difficulty in seeing everything come to a halt while I wait.
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That Moment When You First See Jesus
I tucked my legs beneath me and curled up on the couch sipping a warm cup of coffee. Opening the pages of My Utmost for His Highest, I read Oswald Chambers’ wise words:
“Being saved and seeing Jesus are not the same thing. Many are partakers of God’s grace who have never seen Jesus. When once you have seen Jesus, you can never be the same, other things do not appeal as they used to do.”
I pondered these words for quite some time seeking understanding.
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A Prayer to Glorify God in the Fires of Affliction, Even When It’s Hard
O Lord, You are the Most High God, Maker of heaven and earth. You are my God and I praise You.
I worship You.
I adore You, even when I can’t understand — even when the fires of affliction burn hot and seek to destroy me.
Even then.
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Consider the Ant and the Giant
He was so tiny. All six legs moved in synch as his jaws struggled to carry the beetle delicacy across the porch, down the steps, through the dense foliage of an uncut lawn, and into his ant hill where family and friends awaited
.n ant. A tiny, red ant.
I wonder if he realized how outsized he was by the ugly black beetle — a mere little soldier ant versus what must have seemed to be a gargantuan bug. Big. Ugly. And complete with those prickly legs.
Honestly, the ant didn’t seem fazed.
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A Prayer When You Step Out of the Boat and the Waves Begin to Swell
Lord, I clearly heard You say, “Come! Step out of the boat.” And I did. I stepped out because I know that I know I can trust You. You, Lord, are faithful and true.
You are my Abba, Father — my Daddy God — who would never cause me harm. You pursue me with Your love. Your goodness and mercy follow me all the days of my life.
Lord, I know these things to be true, and by faith I walk in this knowledge.
So when I heard You call me to come, I did.
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When Crushing Burdens Meet the Hem of His Garment
Crushing heartbreak seared through my thoughts, impacting my spirit, bending me over with despair. Tears streamed with reckless abandon saturating the open pages of my Bible as I cried out to the One who loves me.
He loves me through thick and thin with more love than I can possibly imagine in my wildest dreams.
Or yours.
He loves us.
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