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
A Prayer When You’re Waiting for Joy to Come in the Morning
Lord, You have shown Your love to me — Your grace, Your mercy. You have given me glimpses of who You are, especially during the difficult places.
You are powerful. You are Almighty God — the Sovereign Lord. You are El Shaddai, the All-sufficient One who nurtures and comforts me.
Even so, sorrow overwhelms me, Lord. Not everyday, but most days.
Can Peace Like a River Be Mine?
Out of the blue my spirit began to sing — not out loud, but like the still, small voice of the Lord …
When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll. Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say, “It is well … it is well with my soul.”
I zeroed in on “peace like a river ATTENDETH my way.”
Weeks of sorrow brought on by grief over times gone by and now lost, were slowly drawing me into a pit. I could feel it. I knew it was happening, but I felt powerless against its grip.
A Prayer to Release Praise in the Midst of Suffering
Lord, You are mighty to save, to deliver me from all my troubles. You hung the stars in place, You tell the ocean how far it can come — nothing is too hard for You; You do all things well.
And yet, my suffering remains.
And my heart hurts.
And my mind drives me crazy with restless thoughts.
Where are You, God, when everything falls apart?
The Parable of One Solitary Tree
High atop the mountain ridge stands a lone evergreen surrounded by the stark, barren trunks and branches of a full forest of deciduous trees. Oak and locust, elm and maple packed in like a crowded marketplace speak clearly of the dead of winter.
But one solitary evergreen stands alone.
It’s odd to see a pop of deep green in the midst of winter gray and brown. A cluster of evergreens, yes. But one solitary tree shouting life in the dead of winter … well, it spoke to my heart.
A Prayer When Tenacity Runs Short And Giving Up Hovers
Lord, my righteousness is found in You — my hope, my peace. In Your Presence I find comfort and strength — I know I am not alone. It boggles the mind to think that the Creator of the Universe knows my name and searches my heart that He might know me.
This is beyond understanding, yet I know it to be true.
Sometimes just the touch of Your hand is all I need to know everything will be okay. I speak Your Name — Jesus … Jesus — and You come alongside me, taking my hand in Yours and leading me away from the treacherous path. You lift me and carry me over the turbulent waters. You hoist me onto the Rock high above the enemy’s tactics and keep me safe.
A Name Beyond Comprehension
Jesus … Jesus … Jesus. There’s just something about that Name.
Master, Savior, Jesus … like the fragrance after the rain …
The words flowed easily from my lips as Blue and I trudged along the country road, faces to the wind. This powerful song has ministered to me in astounding ways over the years because of the simple Truth it holds.
There really is something about that Name.
And now, here’s the nugget of gold the Lord helped me dig up …
A Prayer When You Need to Hear From God
Lord, it is such a privilege to know You — a miracle, really. May we never take it for granted. You are Almighty God, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, and You are our friend.
You have promised that we will know Your voice, so why is it so hard? Why do we make it so hard? You pursue us with Your love. You delight in making Yourself known to us. You have trained us up as a child teaching us spiritual discernment, imparting to us Your wisdom — You have been a good Father.
And You have taught us to recognize Your voice. Help us to trust that voice, Lord.
Pinpoints of Truth on a Starry Night
It was January 20, 2019.
Total lunar eclipse on a clear, starry night.
We sat on the front stoop with heads tilted back and eyes gazing upward, overtaken by wonder and awe. The earth’s shadow had totally eclipsed the moon leaving a globe the color of bittersweet hanging high in the heavens by the Master’s hand.
The sight was mind-boggling.
But then, in that ethereal moment that mesmerized the earth, God spoke into my difficult places.
A Prayer When You’re Waiting for Help to Come
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.
You are with us always. You never leave us. You never forsake us. Bless You, Lord!
You call us to come — to sit with You in Your dwelling place. When our stubborn self-sufficiency finally surrenders, we find You again — we hear Your delicate whisper bidding us to come.