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 Just Need to Stand Still
I am facing a Red Sea.
The enemy keeps trying to gain ground with my thoughts, and fears, and with my health. But YOU, Lord, tell me to stand still on the edge of my Red Sea.
Stand still and see the salvation of my God.
Stand still until You give the command to step into the water.
Faith Notes ~ Cynthia Lott Vogel: Hidden Treasures in Mental Illness
Cynthia Lott Vogel has been a believer in Christ since childhood but abandoned her faith temporarily in her 20’s. Since her return to faith in Y’shua (Jesus, my Salvation), she had taught a large ladies Bible study and headed up the missions committee in her church until her health forced her to resign. She no longer can drive a car and lives a rather isolated life — social media online being her outlet and source of friendships. Illness and heartache have schooled her in the discipline of suffering and her faith has allowed her to endure and to appreciate the many gifts the Lord brings to those who wait on Him.
Aren’t you thankful I brought Cynthia your way today? She is a walking testament of grace. You will be touched by her honesty as she describes the suffering she has endured. You will be strengthened by her faith as time and again, the Lord reveals Himself to her in her darkest moments.
Finding God’s Presence ~ When the Blush of Dawn Remembers He is God
The blush of dawn unfurled like a delicate rose. Layer upon layer of darkness rolled away, yielding — bowing — to the morning light. Lavender and teal, tangerine and coral swirled together on the canvas of the sky — a palette of exquisite colors proclaiming holiness to the Lord.
A sacred hush fell as the dark of night held it’s last breath. Stillness — creation remembering that He is God.
A Prayer to Journey With God No Matter What
Lord, take my hand and lead me on to the mountaintop of my God. The journey is difficult with jagged precipices and rock-strewn paths. I trip easily and lose my footing but then, from bended knee bruised from the fall, I look up and see Your lovely face and all is well.
Thank You for holding my hand as we travel together. Thank You for being near.
Lead me beside still waters where I can rest and be refreshed. Help me find the green pastures where I can lay down like a child at play and cease my striving.
Faith Notes ~ Kristi Carden: Would My Protective Wall Ever Come Tumbling Down?
I met this remarkable woman several years ago. Kristi Carden and I were both taking our first step out of the boat in the sea of writing at a writers retreat in Todd, NC. She made my heart smile from the very first hug inside that mountain cabin.
Over the years I’ve watched Kristi handle life’s tragedies with courage and grace. I’ve laughed at her shenanigans with her boys, and I’ve been blessed by her love for her husband, Cliff. I believe you will be encouraged by Kristi’s transparency as she struggled for many years to let down her wall that kept others out and allowed her own heart to remain in isolation so she could survive.
Jesus made a difference in this girl’s life. We both pray He will make a difference in yours too.
Finding God’s Presence ~ Have You Thanked God For The Thorns? Me, Either! ‘Til Now
“George Matheson, the well-known blind preacher of Scotland once said, ‘My dear God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses but not once for my thorns. I have always looked forward to the place where I will be rewarded for my cross, but I have never thought of my cross as a present glory itself.
“‘Teach me, O lord, to glory in my cross. Teach me the value of my thorns. Show me how I have climbed to You through the path of pain. Show me it is through my tears I have seen my rainbow.'”*
I sat curled up on the sofa’s end, coffee cup in hand on that chilly April morning. Quiet time with Jesus is my favorite time of day. I held Streams in the Desert next to my Bible, its pages dog-eared and underlined with scribbled notes in margins after years of repeated use.
And yet the words of this sweet devotional spoke fresh to me again that morning.
I realized I had not thanked the Lord for my thorns.
A Prayer When Needing to Pray With Expectation
Lord, You are the Giver of all things — You are my Provider, Protector, Peace, and Hope. You are my joy, my Beloved. You teach us to pray believing — expecting Your response. Help us our unbelief.
I love knowing that You respond to our prayer even as it escapes our lips. Help us get that in our knowers — to expect Your response — to wait for it, look for it, hope for it. And then teach us to recognize and accept Your response when we see it, even if it doesn’t look the way we thought it should.
Faith Notes ~ Corrie Ten Boom: When Cockroaches Are a Blessing
Corrie ten Boom is a hero of my faith. Words do not adequately describe this woman and the way she lived out her simple faith. Corrie is the one who taught me to hide beneath the shadow of God’s wing. She taught me to open my eyes to see the Lord in the midst of horrendous circumstances.
I am forever grateful for her.
Corrie and her family risked their lives by hiding Jews in occupied Holland during World War II. They were eventually found out, arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Ravensbruck, a notorious Nazi death camp. Corrie survived. Her family did not.
The following is an excerpt from the book of Corrie’s story, The Hiding Place.* May you be inspired to endure life’s hardships and find the goodness of God in the midst of broken places when life does not make sense.
Finding God’s Presence ~ Have You Ever Thought About the Ropes?
I think my jaw actually dropped and my mouth flew open this morning as I read the following passage from Streams in the Desert:*
The three men who were thrown into the fiery furnace came out just as they went in — except for the ropes that had bound them. How often God removes our shackles in the furnace of affliction!
Did your mouth drop open too?
Nothing burned but the ropes that had them bound!