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 For the Grace of God When We Need It
Lord, You amaze me with Your love and Your longsuffering. I don’t know how You do it, Lord — how You are so patient with us in our sanctification process. I guess that’s what makes You God, and not me. Thank goodness!
You’re teaching me a lot about Your grace and, though the lessons are hard, I’m thankful that I’m learning.
And I’m thankful that very slowly I am changing, evolving into Your likeness.
I’m thankful that You are molding me into a vessel for Your honor and Your glory.
Without the grace of God, none of these things would be possible.
Finding God’s Presence ~ There is No Shadow of Turning With the Father of Lights
Sunlight blazed from the summer sky filling the earth with heaven’s light. Blue and I walked along our country road — Blue sniffing out critters, me whispering prayers and finding refuge beneath my Father’s wing.
The Spirit of God made His Presence known all about me as the gentle breeze whispered through the pines. The Father of Lights cast exquisite sunbeams filtering through the canopy of interlocked pine, oak, and elm. Birds called from the treetops. White-tail deer sprinted from the creek into the forest’s safety.
A Prayer When You Want to Recognize God’s Voice
Lord, I am amazed that You — the Maker of heaven and earth and all that dwells within — that YOU know me by my name! How can that be? And yet, I know it to be true. I have heard Your delicate whisper deep within my soul whispering, “Nan … Nan, come to Me.”
Yes, my spirit has recognized Your still, small voice.
What joy fills my soul when I consider this Truth.
Finding God’s Presence ~ The Soulful Melody of a Babbling Brook
In the shade of an old chestnut tree the brook babbled with a soulful melody. Cascading across mountain stones, notes of endurance sang out a song of peace. The water seemed alive with perseverance and strength — tenacity — as it carried a timeless breath of life across the mountain hollar.
I thought of the Lord as I sat on the carpet of moss along the brook’s edge.
I thought of His Living Water that flows within us, satisfying our soulful thirst that only the Lord can quench.
A Prayer When the Trials of Life are Great
"So if you find life difficult because you’re doing what God said, take it in stride. Trust him. He knows what he’s doing, and he’ll keep on doing it." ~ 1 Peter 4:19, MSG Lord, the trials of life are great, but You, O Lord, are greater! You are mighty in power,...
Finding God’s Presence ~ All We Are is Dust in The Wind. Really?
“All we are is dust in the wind …”
The lyrics drifted through my mind as the four-part harmony rose and fell into beautiful melody. All afternoon the tune from my teenage years replayed in my thoughts.
I decided to find it on youtube and explore the lyrics. Never before had I realized what a song of hopelessness Dust in The Wind is!
I began to pray and ask the Lord why He had drawn me to this song, especially in the midst of very difficult, chaotic days — why point me to hopelessness?
But then I realized something profound and I can’t wait to share it with you.
A Prayer When You Want to Climb Out of the Pit
Lord, thank You for hearing us when we cry out to You. Your mercy is great; Your love amazing. We praise You Lord for You alone are worthy of our praise. You are a great God. Thank You for calling us Your own.
Each day comes with its own challenges and sometimes the challenges come to us like rapid fire. And sometimes we don’t dodge quick enough and we get hit, knocked to our knees, face in the sand.
And we don’t like it.
In fact, we get tired in the fight.
A Prayer When You Don’t Know Which Way to Go
Lord, You are my way, my truth, my life. You Are.
The closer I walk with You, the easier I find my way because my eyes are opened to see You leading, my heart is awakened to recognize You, and my ears are opened to hear You saying, “This is the way, walk in it.” Thank You, Lord
You make it sound so simple in Your instruction, and I suppose it is, but for us it gets muddy and complicated quite easily!
Why is that Lord?
Finding God’s Presence ~ Scars Reveal Deep Pain Healed by God’s Grace
The quiet mountain backroad provided safe adventure for skateboarders — my grandson included. No traffic. Perfect curves. Gentle slopes. And a great hill near the end of the road where speed increased as the hill lengthened.
Jamison worked his skateboard magic along this road often.
One day the magic was interrupted.
Nearing the end of the big hill, Jamison encountered gravel that had washed from a driveway during a recent rain. He didn’t anticipate the hazard and wiped out at full speed. Flesh careened across gravel and pavement. Knees, belly, and face displayed evidence of the angry encounter.
He gradually healed, but the scars remain.
And the scars tell his story, especially the part where he picked himself up, overcame his fear, and conquered that hill once again.