Lord, I feel safe with You. When the world is spinning out of control, when flames of trial are lapping at my legs, I know I can run to You. You hear my cry, and You call to me, for You are my hiding place — this I know very well.
But I keep peeking out at the enemy’s ambush.
And when I do, I feel afraid.
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I walked along the river’s edge. Moss-laden boulders jutted out from the rich, fertile soil. Patches of snow still refused to melt beneath their shadows, sheltered from the winter sun. Just ahead, a large tree was thriving along the river’s edge. It clung to the soil of the bank, but as I got closer, I realized many of its massive roots extended into the river itself. Soil had washed away over the years, but it still clung to its source of life — the river.
Evidence of past storms spoke of the tree’s life — a few broken branches, a hollowed-out, empty space on its north-facing side, and a slight lean to the left toward the river.
And yet the tree lived. Thriving against all odds.
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O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your Name in all the earth. You have set Your glory above the heavens!
My spirit is troubled by the condition of our nation. A divided house cannot stand. I rebuke the deception, in Jesus’s Name — the unreasonable anger, arrogance, and pride, the need to be right. I ask that You pour out Your grace on Your people. Steady our hearts — steady MY heart and guard us against the work of the enemy.
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The ice storm roared into our mountain community with blinding sleet and freezing rain. Cold air chilling the bone swirled in the mighty wind. The next morning, we awoke to a shimmering splendor — everything coated in ice, glistening in the morning light. Branches bowed beneath the weight, icicles hung long and luminous.
The earth was alive with glimmering light. Wherever the sun’s rays shone, the splendor of heaven’s touch glistened.
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Lord, You promise to go before us. The light of Your Presence and the truth of Your Word are the lamp to our footsteps, leading us forward, even through the shadows of difficult places. Even when I can’t see. I’m waiting on You to lead the way and rekindle my hope.
For You are with me always. You never leave Your children to wander aimlessly.
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There’s a dark cloud on the horizon — the deep charcoal winter-kind-of-dark cloud. A storm is coming with significant snowfall and fierce winds. A gray veil is settling over the mountain as the snow clouds roll in, softening the harsh brown of winter. Do I have enough strength for the day that surely will come in like a lion and wreak havoc across our mountain?
Life has been hard. I’m tired and weary.
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Clearly, I trust You, Lord, to take care of me, so why am I struggling? I hear You whisper, Let not Your heart be troubled. You remind me to be anxious for nothing, but in everything with thanksgiving let my requests be made known to You … and You will take care of the rest.
But like Paul, the things I want to do, I don’t do, and the things I don’t want to do, I do.
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A holy hush settled upon the earth. Remnants of snow lay heavy on the stark branches of winter. A faint glow in the eastern sky spoke of the awakening dawn pushing against the blanket of clouds covering the earth.
Stillness. Quiet.
Just moments earlier, I had asked the Lord to quiet me with His love — to still my restless thoughts where anxiety lay. It was then that I set my gaze toward the winter scene outside my window.
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Lord, the valley is deep. I’m stumbling over giant stones of overwhelm. I find myself tripping over the lies of the enemy — the very lies I recognize as such and yet yield to their evil intent to take my eyes off You.
Forgive me, Lord.
I know You to be faithful, full of love and mercy. I know You as El Roi, my God who sees me and knows all about it.
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The deep blue sky of the chilly winter day was a balm to my weary soul, for God’s creation calls to me as deep calls to deep. While I walked, I thought of the beauty around me; creatures as small as a field mouse and as large as an eight-point buck were all in sight against the forest’s edge.
I watched a hawk lift from its perch at the top of the tall pine. His wings spread wide as he swooped toward the meadow, the sun burnishing his rusty feathers with glints of red and gold.
He was beautiful against the winter sky.
His beauty deceptive to the reality of his intent.
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Lord, the Christmas bells are still ringing, and twinkling lights still dot the landscape. Sanctuaries still announce Your birth with red, gold, and silver raiment laced through the evergreens, and yet a spirit of heaviness weighs me and many others down. I need a breakthrough of joy, Lord. Rescue me from this sadness.
It has no rhyme or reason — this sadness. It just is. Perhaps it’s an accumulation of sadness — sorrow upon sorrow, until now it is beginning to consume me. Now I can distinguish it as a spirit of heaviness.
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The earth lay in a silky blanket of night. A quiet breeze drifted across the field, carrying the bleating of the sheep near and far. The gentle whisper of God also floated on the breeze, but no one was listening. Heaven had come to earth, but the people did not discern it.
Stars like diamonds glimmered — too numerous to count, too beautiful to fathom. In the eastern sky, a star shone high above the others, its beams of light touching the earth.
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