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
Help Me Walk in a Manner Worthy of Your Name, Lord
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.
There! A Bluebird in the Shimmering Splendor
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.
I’m Waiting on You, Lord. Your Hope is Sure
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.
“You Will Have Enough Strength for the Day.” Really?
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.
Let Not My Heart be Troubled, Lord. I Trust You
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.
A Holy Hush Settled as God Quieted Me With His Love
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.
Help Me Find You in This Valley, Lord. I Need You
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.
Be Like a Field Mouse. Know Your Enemy
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.
Lord, A Spirit of Heaviness is Weighing Me Down
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.