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
The Lord Goes Before Us Into the Storm
Dementia is full of unknowns and difficult places. I know this. But I need not be afraid because the Lord goes before us.
Still … I walked to maintain my sanity and turn my focus on Him.
A Prayer When Your Shield of Faith Takes a Hard Hit
Lord, You have taught me that You are my shield, my great reward. I can depend on You — and I do. I can trust You — and I do.
You surround me with songs of deliverance, protecting me from the assaults of the enemy. Thank You for Your faithfulness.
I’m the one who isn’t always faithful.
When Anguish of the Heart Leads Us Straight to Jesus
Kneeling by my bed, I poured out the pain of my heart to the Lord. Tears streamed as anguish gripped my heart — pain so deep that no words could adequately describe.
Groaning too deep for words.
Pure exhaustion washed over me.
A Prayer When Our Path Leads Through Gethsemane
Lord, You alone are worthy of praise for You are good. You are faithful, and True. On You I can depend.
Your goodness is constant. Even when my circumstances lead me through Gethsemane, Your goodness still stands.
I can’t rely on my feelings — and I don’t want to — but doggone it, my emotions run so …
The Morning Star Rises in Our Hearts and Breaks the Dawn
The inky jet of night blanketed the earth in deafening silence. Stillness. Thoroughness. A billion stars scattered tiny points of light high above me. But the complete darkness outside my window remained — heaven’s light was out of view.
Much like my own inward light.
The darkness reflected my thoughts — thoughts of discouragement. Depression. Where was my light of joy and peace?
A Prayer When God is Shrouded by a Cloud and Can’t be Seen
Lord, great is Your faithfulness! You are mighty to save, sovereign over all things. I trust You, really I do, but when You are shrouded by a cloud, and I can’t find You in my difficult place, doubt finds an entrance.
When Your Presence is shrouded by a cloud of adversity, I easily lose my way.
Discovering Ruach, The Powerful Breath of God
I walked along our country road thinking about the breath of God. Ruach. Beside me, fallen leaves rustled and swirled around in a gentle breeze that escorted me on my path. I watched and listened as I kept up my pace, thankful for the cooling of the breeze, pondering the movement of the leaves that seemingly came alive, yet in reality were dead.
The leaves had fallen — a sure sign of an early fall.
Their color was gone now. They were dry and brittle.
And yet they danced in the wind — moved by the powerful breath of God. Ruach.
A Prayer to Remember You Alone Are God and I Am Not
Lord, Your ways are not my ways, Your thoughts not my thoughts. You alone are God and I trust You, I depend on You, and I find my hope in You alone.
Bless You, Lord.
Many are the afflictions of Your children. Many are frightened, overwhelmed. Many are angry, risking bitterness of heart …
Though Haggard, She Still Belted Out Her Song of Praise
Bless her heart. She was a haggard little thing. Feathers were askew, falling out, barely hanging on. Molting? Maybe. I’m not sure. What I am sure of is how she spoke to me this morning.
There’s a birdfeeder right by my window beside the couch where I enjoy my quiet time in the mornings. From this vantage point I can watch the world awaken with its dawning light, its mist lifting over the creek, and listen to the birdsong.
It was birdsong that drew my attention to the tiny haggard wren — she was bursting with song!