A Daily Appointment with God

When we were making appointments to look for a new home in Tyler, Texas, I spent a lot of time on Realtor.com. I’ve always enjoyed stopping by an open house or walking through a new home build. I usually enter the HGTV sweepstakes hoping to win their latest home giveaway. I just enjoy most things “real estate.” 

I made appointments to “see” several homes in Tyler over a period of several months. The homes were nice and in good neighborhoods, and I tried to talk myself into buying one. I just never walked through those homes and thought I was “home ” until we walked into the home we ended up buying.

Many years ago, I started praying a prayer that I have continued to use when we needed to make a move. As I walk up to the front door, I ask the Lord to “Tell me when I’m home.” I needed God’s answer for our new home in Tyler so much. There was a lot to think about with this move.

When the “no’s” became “yes”

We moved to Tyler when I knew my mom needed a better place to care for her needs. Jim and I had planned to retire to a quiet spot, and searching for a good place for Mom also became searching for a good place for Jim and me to “grow old” peacefully. We gave our needs to God, allowed Mom’s needs to matter too, and then God changed all our ideas into his. 

I write about 356 Christianity because Proverbs 3:5–6 is truth we have lived. God doesn’t lead our lives until we “trust” in him with all of our hearts. That means we cannot lean on our own understanding. We have to give him “all of our ways,” and then “he can direct our path.”

Every home I toured on Realtor.com was a possibility. Over the months of searching, I chose about ten homes I thought looked like a good possibility, and we went to see them. Each time we toured those homes, I tried to make them work. But when I asked God, “Am I home?” he didn’t seem to answer.

Then the quiet “no’s” became a “yes.”

A room with a view

I looked at one home online almost every day. This house enthralled me, and I could visualize all its possibilities. But my practical brain wouldn’t consider it. It was too large and extravagant, and it felt irresponsible for me to consider it. 

The only reason I set up a tour of that home was because I could not get it out of my head. As we walked up the steps to the front door, I prayed and asked the Lord to speak what I needed to hear, fully expecting him to say “no.” We walked in the front door, and our eyes traveled through the house to the wall of windows in the back. My heart sank. I wanted to live there. That “want” increased with every new room I entered. 

Every home I had toured was lovely, and I should have wanted each of them, but I didn’t. I walked into the big, extravagant house and I did want it. After that, I spent another few months not looking any longer. I was sure I just needed someone else to buy that house I wanted, and then I would get over it. Months passed, and I still peeked sometimes at Realtor.com. The house, my house, remained on the market.

God saved our home for us. Months later, I returned to see that home again, and God said, “You’re home.” I found a perfect spot for my mom. We made all kinds of life and ministry adjustments to live in Tyler. I cannot tell you how many details had to fall into place that did. 

God made all things possible, and we moved into our new home one really warm day in May. Jim and I are often reminded of Paul’s words to the Ephesians when he spoke of being rooted and grounded in God’s love and strengthened to do ministry. Paul wrote words of praise, saying, “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20–21)

Now, every morning of these winter months, Jim and I sit in that room, looking out our “wall of windows,” and we witness the most glorious sunrises you have ever seen. Almost two years later, I’m still amazed by the realization that God is able to bless far more abundantly than we would ask or think. Every morning, Jim and I give God glory for our blessings.

That said, our “material blessings” have been a great gift, but our spiritual blessings matter even more.

Our 7:00 a.m. appointment with God

Jim and I sit together on our sofa almost every winter morning and watch the sunrise. We feel disappointed when, on occasion, we have to miss it. Every morning, we look out that wall of windows and watch God “show off.” Nothing is as spectacular in this world as all that God has created.

Jim and I can remember the early weeks of our marriage when we didn’t know if we had the money to get the gas he needed to drive to his seminary classes in Fort Worth. For most of our adult lives, I was very, very careful with every dollar we had so that we had enough to live our lives. (Right now, my friends are grinning. I have a bit of a reputation for being too frugal or, as some say, downright cheap!) 

I only write that because you can imagine what I felt when I stood at the front door of our house and heard God say, “You’re home.” I did NOT believe him for several months! Thankfully, we serve a patient God who puts up with our stubborn, doubting selves. Sometimes God wants to bless us “far more abundantly” than we would even “ask or think,” and certainly more than we could ever deserve.

I now lead a Bible study in our home and enjoy a wonderful group of women each Tuesday morning as we gather to learn more about our Lord. I enjoy hosting my family and hearing my grandchildren race through the house or run out to the pool. Every day, I watch my husband walk back to his new office, which is located in a small home in our backyard! I often tell people that I think I have spent more time with Jim in the past two years than in the first forty-two years of our marriage combined! God is SO GOOD, and he has given us more than we would have asked for or imagined.

We keep our 7:00 a.m. appointment with God together to worship, talk, and praise God with gratitude for leading and blessing our lives as he has. We know we are blessed, and we are grateful.

This morning’s appointment with God

I said this before and will say it forever: “God speaks” if we pray Samuel’s prayer from 1 Samuel 3:10. That prayer: “Speak Lord for your servant is listening.” God speaks to servants who will listen. And chances are, you might be surprised at what God will tell you.

God told me to move to Houston, Texas, when I LOVED my life, friends, and one special man in California. God told me to go to Houston Baptist University even though I wasn’t Baptist, and truthfully, LOVED to dance every chance I got. Then God led me to date and eventually marry a man who would be a Baptist preacher and didn’t ever dance. God has led my life in unusual ways, and every chance I get myself out of the way, I trust him to be my Lord. My life hasn’t been perfect, but it is more than I would ever have “asked or imagined” as a result. 

As I watched the spectacular sunrise outside my wall of windows this morning, God told me to ask my readers these questions for today’s blog post: 

  • Are you a Proverbs 3:5–6 Christian? 
  • Do you ask God to speak because you are a servant who will listen? 
  • Do you have an appointment with God each day to praise him for his abundant blessings, pray for your needs, and worship the God who creates and brings about every sunrise and sunset?

If so, then join me in singing, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow! If not, what will you do tomorrow?

Science confirms spiritual truth about anxiety

When it comes to controlling anxiety, science supports what the Bible has consistently taught each generation, throughout history. My friend and coworker alerted me to a truth about our brains that I knew I wanted to blog about. 

After reading several articles on the subject, I can honestly join the psalmist’s gratitude for God saying, “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” (Psalm 139:14). 

I hope you will join me in that praise as you read this blog post! 

Scientific evidence about our “fearful and wonderful” brains 

There has been a lot of discussion and research about the increased anxiety that our culture, and especially our young people, are feeling right now. A 2022 Pew Research article states, “Experiences of high psychological distress are especially widespread among young adults. A 58% majority of those ages 18 to 29 have experienced high levels of psychological distress at least once across four Center surveys conducted between March 2020 and September 2022.” 

All of us experienced stress during the 2020 Covid crisis, but for many people, and especially young people, it can be difficult to move forward without worrying about future concerns. Interestingly, brain science continues to support the truth of Scripture as more is discovered about the unique ways we have been created by our God.  

A recent Mayo Clinic article reported, “Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood, and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease.” 

The Mayo Clinic article explains that the best way to control anxiety is to make use of the opposite side of our brain. While anxious thoughts occur in one half of our brain, thoughts of gratitude occur in the other. 

The article went on to say, “Remember that behavior changes biology. Positive gestures benefit you by releasing oxytocin, a hormone that helps connect people. Some people call it the love hormone.” 

Is it any wonder that Jesus said the most important commandment was to love God and the second was like it? We are also called to “love one another.” God’s word has always taught us how to live our best lives, with both health and happiness. 

It’s important to consider God’s word as scientifically accurate as well as spiritually sound. When we suffer anxiety, we need to quickly move those thoughts to the other side of our brain. Scripture teaches us how to do that.

Our God-given cure for anxiety 

The apostle Paul provided us with God’s cure for anxiety in his letter to the Thessalonians. Consider the science of the Mayo Clinic article in light of the inspired wisdom Paul wrote: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–22). 

God created our brains to function as they do and then gave us the wisdom of Scripture to help us know how to use our brains in the best possible way. Paul knew that the path to physical and spiritual health involved both gratitude and love. Remember that gratitude and anxiety occur on different sides of the brain. 

So, when we are anxious, it is God’s will that we: 

  • Rejoice always.

    The first thing to remember when our brains are consumed with worry or anxiety is that we are never without joy as well. Christians need never live a day of our lives without hope and a sense that our future is guaranteed. God must grieve those times we have allowed worry to control our thoughts rather than our faith. God created our brains to have a path from our worries. It is the road of rejoicing.
  • Pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.

    Even the worst moments of our lives can draw us closer to the reality of God’s power and presence. It is God’s will that we learn to trust his perfection and lean on his love, even in those anxious times. Have you expressed gratitude to God for his loving care during those difficult days of COVID? We should consider all we learned during those pandemic days and be grateful for the ways the Lord has been working all things together for our good (Romans 8:28). Our normal routines stopped for a few months and gave us time to think about our priorities. Did we lose some of that perspective as our schedules restarted?
  • Do not “quench the Spirit.”  

    One great thing about anxiety is that it can often send us straight to God in prayer. We can always know that the Holy Spirit stands ready to speak, teach, comfort, and guide. He already has the answers we need; we just need to not quench his voice by focusing on all the world’s ideas instead.
  • Hold on to God’s word by testing all other ideas against its truth.

    The prophecies of Scripture were written to a specific generation, but the truth of those prophecies is for every generation. We need to “hold fast” to the wisdom of Scripture because it is “good.” At the same time, we should avoid anything that contradicts God’s wisdom. God’s Spirit will guide, but the Evil One will also make suggestions in an effort to distract us from God’s truth.

We are commanded to overcome 

God’s words to Isaiah remain his command today. He told the prophet, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off; fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:9–10). 

The apostle Paul told the Philippians, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). 

God didn’t encourage us not to worry but rather issued those words as his command. He loves us and wants us to understand how he has wired our brains to function. When we worry, it is bad for our health and our relationships. We shouldn’t choose to live with our worries rather than God’s solutions for our worries. When we follow the commands of Scripture, we are taking the road that points us away from our stress and toward our hope. 

But God also created us with free will, the ability to choose. Are we choosing the path God has designed, the path that will move us away from our worries? 

We have a choice to make

Victor Carrion is an MD and a professor of childhood psychology at Stanford University. He was writing on the subject of anxiety when he made this point: “Thinking positively is not something that happens automatically. In fact, automatically we think negatively. That, evolutionarily, is what produced results. Negative thoughts are automatic thoughts, and positive thoughts need to be practiced and learned.” 

In so many ways we have been raised to worry, and experience has taught us to think negative thoughts. Most of our parents were careful to warn us of the dangers in this world. We can be grateful that our heavenly Father taught us how to overcome the worries of this world. But Carrion’s words above point to the truth of Scripture. The path away from our anxieties is a path we must choose each day. It won’t be our natural instinct; it is a Spirit-directed choice. 

Before you close this article:

  • Take a moment to pray and seek God with the gratitude he deserves. 
  • Then, consider those things you are anxious about. 
  • Then, choose to praise God for all you have, all you have learned, and all you can faithfully hope for in the future.

That will enable your thoughts to move away from your worries and toward God. 

Aren’t you grateful that God wired your brain with the road of praise and provision? 

We truly are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

His works are wonderful, and our souls can know that well. 

The quiet moments of Christmas

Quiet moments are rare these days, especially at Christmas. We live during a time in history when there is always something available to divert our attention. Have you noticed kids rarely say “I’m bored” anymore? Adults don’t say it very often either. We can always glance at a screen and find something interesting to fill our thoughts.

God said, “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). There is something about complete silence that fills our thoughts with the greatness of God.  

WebMD has an interesting article saying, “Even just five minutes of sitting quietly can have a transformative effect on your entire day.” The article paraphrases a quote from Blaise Pascal saying, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” 

How would a few moments of silence change our day?

Scripture says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Could it be that when people do not take time to be still, they forget there truly is a God? Is the pace and noise in our world one of the reasons for our statistics these days? 

The WebMD article encouraged five minutes of silence and then discussed all of the many things that can distract us from that time. The article suggested people focus on their breathing to gain a sense of silence. God would suggest we focus on the One who gave us the air and the ability to breathe. 

How would it change our day if we spent at least five minutes quietly thinking about God and all he has done for us? 

How would those moments change your relationship with your Creator? 

How would those moments change whom you spoke with or helped today? 

Five minutes with the Lord

People will spend an hour waiting for their children to see Santa this week. People will wait in long lines to check out just so they can purchase a gift for someone they care about. How long would you have waited in line at the Bethlehem manger if it meant you could have glimpsed the baby Jesus?  

Habakkuk 2:20 says, “But the Lᴏʀᴅ is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom. The veil was the thickness of a man’s hand. Only God could have “torn” it that way. God wanted us to know that, because of Jesus, we could come into his holy Presence. Christians can spend our “five minutes” of silence each day at the feet of the Creator God. 

We can be still and know God. We can recognize his perfect greatness and exalt him as our King. We can realize that he is our Abba Father and we are his children.  

If I could spend five minutes with my dad today, I would do whatever was necessary to be there. That five minutes would not feel like enough time, but I would do it every day if I could. Who would you love to spend five minutes with each day? 

We have the gift of God’s presence anytime we seek him. Words aren’t even necessary. We can just enter the holy temple and sit at his feet. He invited us to do that the moment his Son died for us. The God of the universe wants you to know him and spend time with him.

Just do it

Silence is a spiritual exercise. It doesn’t help to think about it; it only helps if you “just do it.” I’ve written before about becoming a “Nike Christian.” Sometimes the greatest weakness we have is that we “know” enough about God and we believe that means we actually “know” him. 

We can know God if we take the time to “be still and know” that he is God. Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). If we spend our moments of quiet for the sake of purifying our hearts and minds, we can enter the temple and “see God” with our hearts and minds. 

Paul taught that Christians should make their lives a “living sacrifice” in Romans 12:1. The next verse helps us understand how to do that: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). 

How would our minds be renewed and our lives be transformed if we stepped away from the world, even for just a few minutes each day, to sit quietly at the feet of our holy God?  

Don’t just think about it—do it.

Silence is strength for your soul

God told Isaiah to tell the people, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength, but you were unwilling” (Isaiah 30:15).  

It must be difficult for God to know he has our greatest help and is willing to give us all that we need. Yet he honors our free wills, even when we refuse his blessings.

How will your Christmas season change with quiet rest?

This might be the perfect time of year to discover a daily time of pure quiet rest in the Presence of God. We could develop a new habit that would carry us through the holiday rush and lead us into the next year knowing God in deeper ways. 

Will you choose now to spend five minutes of pure silence at the feet of God? 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Now, in complete reverent silence, climb the steps to the Holy of Holies and enter through the torn veil. God is there and waiting for you, his child. 

Be still, and know he is your God. Keep complete silence before him. You aren’t there to “ask” as much as you are there to listen. Remain at his feet, undistracted for at least five minutes. That time will change you as a result. 

Keep returning to the temple each day and that time with God will become your favorite time of the day. Remember: it is in “returning and rest” that God can accomplish his work in your life. Quietness and trust will become your great strength. And don’t we need that for the rest of the day! 

The only question left is will you just do it? 

The God of the universe, your Father, is waiting for your visit. Start with five minutes of complete silence each day and he will take it from there. He is a good Father and wants to bless and guide your life.  

God is worthy of our time, our praise, and our attention. 

Will you freely give all that he deserves? 

Two words for a successful life

I sipped my coffee and listened to an interview about “spirituality” for the new year. The person being interviewed would define that word differently than I would, but she made a great point that prompted my thoughts. Her advice for the new year was not to make a resolution, but to choose a word that would be your focus throughout the coming year.

Jim and I discussed her suggestion as we walked down the beach, later that morning. Was that good advice? Our answer: yes and no.

We all enjoy the idea that there can be “5 easy steps” to something. But, we all know that our spiritual lives don’t really work that way. That said, the idea of a word to use as a focus intrigued me.

So, I decided to choose these two for next year: Hold fast.  

The same mistake

I sat in a beautiful room, overlooking the ocean. The unending waves rolled in, strong and relentless. I watched the storm clouds approach. I’ve always loved the ocean because it reminds me of God. I think of words like immeasurable and everlasting.

But the word that came to my mind that day was unchanging.

When I think about the past ten years, I do not think Christianity has prospered in our country. I think we are making the same mistake God’s people have always made, and I guess probably always will.

The question today is: Are you making that mistake?  

our response

God’s people prosper when they submit to his word. That’s why God made certain to provide people who would be his prophets and teachers. He gave his laws and an entire body of Scripture. God even gave us his Word, in the flesh. God provided everything people would need to walk through this lifetime guided by his holy truth and, one day, live eternally in his kingdom. People have always been given God’s truth.

We can’t control the oceans, and we can’t control God’s truth. We can control our response to his truth with two words: Hold fast.  

A friend shared a powerful message at a retreat this past fall. She simply read these verses as her message to us. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to speak these to you:

  • “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
  • “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
  • “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 1:13 NKJV).
  • “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:9).

hold fast

If you were to stand on the beach in Tarsus, Capernaum, or Patmos and stare only at the water, you would see the same thing that Paul, Peter, and John saw thousands of years ago. If you looked upon the water in the Sea of Galilee, you would see what Jesus saw when he walked out to his fear-filled disciples. When God created the waters of this earth, he revealed his everlasting character.  

God is unchanging, yet unpredictable. God is all-powerful, yet gentle. God is constant, yet patient. God is timeless, yet still current. God is immeasurable, yet knowable. And God’s word is his truth.  

If you want to walk with the God of the universe this year, hold fast to his unchanging, powerful word. We cannot eliminate the oceans from our world, and we cannot eliminate truth from God’s word. Is there something in God’s word you have chosen to ignore, rewrite, or adapt to your beliefs?

We cannot change truth. God’s word is like the ocean. It will remain long after our opinions are silenced. God’s truth endures. This year, will you choose to hold fast to the ancient and unchanging message of his truth? Will you hold fast to your God whose message is revealed on each page of the Bible?  

The author of Hebrews was trying to encourage the early Christians to remain steadfast in their faith and wrote these words: “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23).

Hold fast to the eternal truth of God’s word. It’s a biblical focus for 2019—and all the new years to come. Hold fast, knowing Jesus will come again.

The waves continue to roll to the shore. God’s truth will continue as well. He who promised is faithful.

Hold fast to his word and you will be faithful too.

That First Fire of the Season

I peeked at the thermostat and shivered. It was 48 degrees on Saturday morning at Possum Kingdom Lake. So, I turned on the coffee and reached for the fireplace remote. A few minutes later, I sat quietly with my warm mug, watching the flames and enjoying every moment of the morning.

October was a blur. Travel always seems to do that. Those days in Israel were amazing, but sitting in my favorite spot at the lake was a great reminder that my life is abundantly blessed. It’s November and I have a lot to think about. A warm fire and a hot cup of coffee create a perfect setting for those thoughts.

I’ve always been an early riser, but my parents were up even earlier. Almost every winter morning, I would come down the hall and see my mom and dad sitting by the fireplace, drinking their coffee. I remember thinking, “One day, when I get married, I’m going to sit in front of the fireplace and drink coffee with my husband too.” That didn’t work out very well. Jim gets up earlier than I do. He finishes his daily article, posts it to send, podcasts the content, and then takes off for his morning walk. AND, he doesn’t even drink coffee! (That’s probably a good thing . . . I’ve often remarked that no one would want to try to keep up with Jim—after caffeine.)

That said, God has provided me a lot of mornings to sit quietly, alone with my thoughts, a good cup of coffee and a fire on cold winter days. It is during these moments that God is most likely to place a person on my mind who needs prayer or a quick email of encouragement. God often uses these moments to direct my thoughts to what I should teach, write, or say that week. I read different devotionals and emails, and I almost always read Jim’s article and Craig’s First 15. I’ve found that if I can have my morning moments, the rest of the day just seems to work better.

I’m picturing all of you today, reading this email after listening to the morning news. I’m sure the news reports are filled with election results and opinions about those results. Some of you are waiting on your kids to get downstairs so you can run them to school. Many of you are grabbing your cup of coffee in a commuter cup so you can drink it on the way to work. I encourage all of you to carve out some moments of quiet in your busy day. God made us to be still.

Scripture doesn’t suggest “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Scripture flat out commands it. I’ve often said that if we don’t find time to be still, other things will become a god to us. If work or family needs are more urgent than spending time with God, then work and family have become gods. The television, the computer, social media, and cell phones can all become gods if we take time to be still with them instead of the Creator of all things. God doesn’t demand we spend time with him. Instead, he taught us a result of spending time with him. We will know that he is God.

I’m grateful that you read this blog each week, and I hope you will continue. But, I want you to close the computer and be still with God as a result. He has so much to say to you, from the pages of your Bible and from the quiet thoughts the Holy Spirit will author as you take the time to be still with your Creator. Quiet is a powerful spiritual discipline. No wonder our world seems to get a bit noisier and a lot busier with each passing year.

Each year I write an Advent devotional for our ministry. I hope it will help you include a word about Christ into each day of your busy holiday season. The title of the devotional this year is Joy to Your World. Joy is an ongoing theme in the Christmas story and throughout Scripture. This year I rewrote Joy to Your World so that kids could have the devotional for themselves. That edition is available as well, offered from our ChristianParenting.org ministry.

If you would like to request a copy of either edition, we would love to send it to you. The children’s edition has a limited quantity, so don’t wait too long if you want that one. I hope these Advent devotionals will be a blessing to you and your families.

The quiet moments with God are the most important moments with God. I hope you will find some time to “be still” and embrace the joy of spending time with your heavenly Father. He adores you and wants nothing more than to fill those moments with his Presence.

I don’t sit by my fire with Jim in the mornings, but I don’t sit by my fire alone. Set your alarm, get the coffee ready to go, and crank up the fireplace if you have one. It just takes a little effort to be still, and God is waiting to make himself known to you in new and fresh ways. I wish you his great peace for today and the holiday months ahead.