prayer Archives

How and why do we seek God’s face?

My dad often traveled for his work. My sisters and I were always excited to go to the airport and pick him up. Those were the days, before 9/11, when we could enter an airport and walk to the gate to wait.

My sisters and I would look out the airport windows and try to guess which plane landing was Dad’s. Eventually, one of us was right.

That plane pulled near, the stairs were rolled out, and the door would open. We’d watch every person get off the plane, trying to be the first one who spotted Dad’s face.

He’d often glance up at the windows looking for us and smile when he saw us jumping up and down and waving.

That’s a pretty good picture of what it means to “seek God’s face.”

Seeking God’s face is synonymous with seeking God’s presence.

How badly do you want to see God’s face?

We often equate seeing God’s face to those moments we enter heaven. That is when we will see God face to face.

But Scripture teaches that we are supposed to seek God’s face, his presence, every day, all day. Psalm 105:4 says, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

My favorite beatitude is Matthew 5:8. Jesus taught, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

C.S. Lewis wrote, “It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

One time I got a “U” in conduct on my report card. My teacher had warned me to “stop talking,” but I didn’t take her warning seriously enough. (My friends and family are probably grinning right now. I still might get a “U” on occasion.)

The point is this: I wouldn’t have been quite as excited to see Dad if I knew I had to show him that report card when we got home from the airport.

Sometimes we don’t seek God’s face because we don’t know we are supposed to. Most of the time, we choose to avoid God’s presence because we know what we are going to hear when we do.

How badly do you want to see God’s face today?

Is there something in your life causing you to avoid his presence?

If so, take some time and consider 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

My dad saw the “U” in conduct, and I’m sure I had some extra chores to do as a result. I also had to promise him I would try harder to do better. And, if I remember correctly, that was the only time I got a “U” on a report card.

God’s discipline and direction are for the purpose of making us better people.

When we seek God’s face, we are likelier to want to please him. We are blessed when we can approach God with a pure heart. Why?

Because that is when we “see God.”

That is when we come into his presence.

Seek God’s face in the crowd

It’s probably a good idea that we can’t go to the gates at the airport any longer. I remember the crowds of people, all trying to meet up with someone. I’ve always been a people-watcher, and my favorite greetings always involve a few tears or a few kisses.

My dad used to give all of us a hug, but it was my mom who got the kiss. Even today, I enjoy standing at the baggage claim, watching a wife meet her husband. I especially enjoy watching the soldiers greet their families. In those moments, the rest of the world fades away because the person who matters most is the one they have been waiting to see. The loved one feels loved.

That is the way the Lord would like us to treat him each day. That is one way we can choose to love him. The apostle Paul wrote, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1–2).

We need to seek the face of God, knowing we are seeking the face of Jesus. We need to seek his face like there is nothing else that matters more. God’s face, his holy presence, needs to stand out from every other in our crowded lives.

The church, God’s people, are referred to in Scripture as the “bride of Christ.” Look for his face like my mom looked for my dad at the crowded airport. Understand that Jesus is looking for you like my dad looked for my mom.

If my people . . .

This is a chaotic season in our history, for all kinds of reasons.

We can find ourselves looking at others in order to place blame or find solutions. We might watch the evening news thinking that is the information we most need. But Christians have a higher calling and higher standards.

The reason I wrote this post today is that I thought about a familiar verse from 2 Chronicles in a new way. I read the words like a teaching lesson for how to seek God’s face. God told Solomon, “If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

God spoke those words to King Solomon at the dedication of the temple. The most important place in the world was the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The temple was built around the Holy of Holies that contained the Ark of the Covenant, the Presence of God. People came to that temple for centuries in order to find forgiveness and seek God’s face.

If our culture improves, it won’t be because a person is elected. The eradication of a virus isn’t going to cure the problems in our cities. What our culture needs most is the holy presence and priority of God.

They need to seek his face.

We are called to be God’s presence

You and I live in the promises of the New Covenant. We no longer visit a temple because Christians are a temple. The Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that indwelled the Holy of Holies, is present in every person who has made Christ their Lord and Savior.

When you walk into a room today, you will bring the face of God into that place. Not everyone will be looking for you. They may have come to the crowd to find someone else.

Here’s my point: My sisters and I always drew smiles at the airport. Picture three little girls, often with bows and ringlets, jumping up and down because their dad was smiling at them and giving th›em hugs. People couldn’t help but notice.

And God said, “If my people”—if my kids—would “humble themselves, and pray and seek my face,” they would need to turn from evil in order to face what is holy.

Today, let’s seek God’s face in this crowded, noisy world.

People are in the crowd for all kinds of reasons. But it is difficult to ignore a child who is excited to see their dad. And our heavenly Dad is excited to see us. We are greatly loved, and we are called to help others know his love in their lives.

Who will see God’s face today because they have seen yours?

This blog post was originally published on October 14, 2020.

The blunt truth about praying for others

Our prayers have a lot of power, protection, and purpose.

That said, sometimes our best prayers require only a few words.

Scripture is blunt about a lot of things. Have you ever noticed that truth doesn’t require an abundance of words?

One of the most important lessons about prayer is covered in just three verses.

The blunt truth when praying for others

One of my favorite lessons about praying is embedded in a passage from Romans 8. You have heard these verses before, but you might have heard other parts of this passage emphasized instead of one, blunt statement.

The passage says: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:26–28 NIV).

The apostle Paul said, “We do not know what we ought to pray for” (v. 26).

When was the last time the director of your class on Sunday said that?

Imagine the pastor asking everyone to bow their heads and then leading them to pray by saying, “I’ve got no idea what I ought to pray for.”

Yet, it is the truth.

We might know who we need to pray for, but “we do not know what we ought to pray for.”

Acknowledging that one blunt truth will add power to your prayers.

What do I pray, Lord?

I am praying right now for two young men, both of whom have cancer. I know they and their families need prayer. I know what I want to pray for all of them. I want miracles. I want healing. I want God to receive glory for his miraculous work in their lives. I want these two young wives not to lose their husbands. I want a little boy to grow up with his dad. I know what I want to pray for.

But “I don’t know what I ought to pray for.”

In my heart, I hear myself asking God, “What do you want to do? What is your perfect plan? How do you want to redeem the terrible for your good purpose? God, what is ‘good’ about any of this?”

Should I be praying them out of heaven and hope they are left here on earth?

The blunt truth of Scripture is, “I don’t know what I ought to pray for.”

Earth is all we really know, and it makes it almost impossible to pray with right desires. That’s why Paul makes this next blunt statement.

The only perfect prayers are prayed by God’s Spirit

“The Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (v. 26).

The only way we will pray for what we ought to pray for is to allow the Holy Spirit to intercede for us.

When the Spirit authors our prayers, he will pray for what we ought to pray. He intercedes with perfection, and our job is to listen to the Spirit’s wordless groans. It is incredibly difficult at times to quiet our wants and trust his wisdom. In fact, it is impossible at times. That is why prayer isn’t left only to us. It is also the continuous, unceasing work of the Spirit within us.

“The Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (v. 27).

The Spirit isn’t praying for what we want. He is praying for what God wants. If we could see the big picture, we would be praying for whatever God wants as well. It is best even when we can’t understand how it is even remotely acceptable.

And it is okay to hate the fact that God will do what is best, even when it is not our idea of best.

“We don’t know what we ought to pray for.” That is the blunt truth about prayer from God’s word.

But so is verse 28.

Do you love God and his purpose?

“We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (v. 28).

If it is what we ought to pray, it is what we should want. But, it is okay if you can’t. God is going to do what is perfect even when we can’t pray for that. He loves us and he knows we love him, even when we can’t like him.

My husband Jim had a conversation last week with a pastor friend who lost his son to cancer three years ago. That pastor confessed that sometimes he barely had enough faith to go on. A rabbi friend had counseled the pastor saying, “It is hard to ask the person who just bloodied your nose to hand you a handkerchief.”

Yet, that is what some of our most difficult prayers to God are like.

Sometimes this life shoves us down a mountain and the Lord allows us to tumble to the bottom. Everything about it hurts, including the climb out. The only wrong thing is to look God in the face and say, “Forget it. I don’t need your kind of help. I’ll do it myself.”

You can trust the hand that holds the world to hold you together

When your heavenly Father extends his hand to you, take it. It is the hand that created the world. It is the hand that holds you eternally, and nothing can snatch you away. It is also the hand that holds you together during the worst of times.

I am praying for two young men who are men of faith. I don’t know what I ought to pray. I do know who does. His prayers have no words yet are perfect. He is groaning for what God wants. I know God loves these men, their families, and all of us who are praying in faith.

May we rest in God’s good purpose, which is guaranteed to those who love him and are called to serve his purpose, rather than our own.

It’s okay when we don’t know what we ought to pray for because God’s Spirit does. And God’s will is accomplished on earth, as it is in heaven. Jesus taught us we ought to pray for that.

Whom are you praying for?

How will these three verses change what you pray for?

When you need a change, God is able

Why do we continue to repeat the same sins we were sure we had “fixed” with the last prayer commitment to God?

I’ve grown in my faith over the years and know the Lord better now than I did at my salvation. The Lord is in the business of sanctification, making holy, those of us who are saved.

So why is it we still repeat old sins?

Are we “changed”?

The apostle Paul taught this about our salvation: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is a joy to listen to a compelling testimony from a person who led one kind of life only to meet Jesus and become a very different person.

What about you?

Has God dramatically transformed your life, or did it look pretty much the same the day after your salvation?

Paul knew what it was to meet Jesus and experience dramatic change because of his salvation. I grew up in a Christian home and, while I knew my future was forever changed, the present remained pretty much the status quo. The “old” didn’t seem to have passed away at all. But, it had. I had received the Holy Spirit and I was no longer on my own.

One of my favorite passages in Scripture comes from Romans 7. It is comforting to this Bible teacher to hear Paul say, “For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing” (Romans 7:18–19).

If Paul battled his common sins, even after those moments on the road to Damascus, we will battle our common sins as well. Why do we “keep doing” the same stuff that drove us to our knees the last time? Is it possible to break those sins and allow God to change us, or should we just expect to keep blowing it on a regular basis?

My answer to that question comes from experience.

The only way to break our repetitive, natural sins, is to allow God to do that. We can try to do better, but our human strength is insufficient for the problem.

When you need a change, only God is able

I memorized Proverbs 3:5–6 at a young age. For me, those are the verses to apply to the weaknesses in our human natures we know we need to change. The Holy Spirit constantly convicts our thoughts when we step toward a sin. The next step is acknowledging that, like Paul, we are unable to fix it ourselves.

God’s verses for repetitive sin are Proverbs 3:5–6. The proverb begins by reminding us that we need God’s word and direction, constantly. The author says to bind the teaching around our neck and write the commandments on the tablet of our hearts (Proverbs 3:3). That is the way we “find favor and good success in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).

But, the way we do those things is found in verses 5–6: “Trust in the Lᴏʀᴅ with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

When a change in our lives is needed, God is able—if we are willing to live what the proverb teaches.

Do we trust God?

It seems hard to trust God, especially with our whole heart.

After all, we know amazing Christians who have experienced significant failures. Or, some who have been diagnosed with something fatal. Others have lived with a vibrant faith and then lost it.

Do we truly trust God like we should?

Trusting is difficult, but we do it all the time. We trust the pilot with our lives. We trust that, behind the closed door, he hasn’t fallen asleep. We trust the surgeon and the anesthesiologist when we need surgery. We trust the elevator and the alarm system and we trust the person driving the car behind us. We have to, in order to live in this world.

Do we apply that same standard to the Lord?

We know we can’t trust everyone all the time. People make mistakes—but God doesn’t. I have come to believe this is true in life. We trust whom we want to trust.

Do you want to trust God?

Don’t lean on what you know

We trust what we google, sometimes. We trust what a smart person says, or at least we trust people we think are smarter than we are. We trust education. We trust experience. We trust faithfulness. We tend to trust what we can confirm.

You can’t trust God unless you choose not to lean on your own understanding.

To lean on what we know or what we are able to figure out is sometimes to lean against a mirage. It only looks real. In order to trust God with all your heart, you have to know him as the ever-present brick wall. There is never a time you will lean on him and fall.

We know we can’t trust our own knowledge. We make mistakes—but God doesn’t.

How can we trust what we cannot see?

In every way, at all times, trust what you know God has said. In all your ways, know God’s word and will.

I know God because I know his word. I know God because I’ve seen his work. I know God because his Holy Spirit lives in me. I know God because he speaks. I know God is real the same way I know love is real. I experience God’s presence in this world and in my life.

We know love, anger, hatred, compassion, trust, fear, courage, and conviction are real. If we believe in those powerful realities, we can believe in God. We can know the One who created all realities.

Do you need a change?

Is there a sin you want to stop repeating? Think Proverbs 3:5–6.

When we know and trust God as his word teaches, he is able to “direct, or make straight” our paths.

Remember when your mom or dad said, “Straighten up”? They got that expression from God. The next time you are about to repeat a sin, think Proverbs 3:5–6. Chances are, you will hear the voice of God saying, “You know what to do. Now, straighten up.”

We make mistakes. Thankfully, we have a God who doesn’t.

Trust him with all your heart.

Submit to him all your thoughts.

Then you will live his plans, most of the time.

That’s our only realistic goal until we walk with him all the time.

If you need a change, God is able.

The Bible is an answer to Jesus’ Prayer

I had to replace the batteries in the remote again and thought, “They don’t make batteries like they used to.” Then I realized it wasn’t the batteries.

I used to put on my favorite news station and watch the whole program. Now, I switch from station to station trying to find truth among the opinions. I think I need to buy stock in one of the battery companies. Truthfully, the off button on my remote will probably be the first to wear out.

Should we wear masks if we are vaccinated? Where are all those families crossing the border going to live, work, and care for their children? Are there a lot of bad people crossing or mostly just families looking for work? And when it comes to politicians making news, what are the political maneuvers and what is the truth?

It’s hard to do the right thing when it’s hard to know what is right.

Times like these make me appreciate the pages of my Bible even more.

Psalm 119

When the world goes wonky I like to park myself in Psalm 119. That psalm grounds my thoughts and pushes me back to a peaceful place. Here are some “fun facts” about Psalm 119:

It’s the longest chapter in our Bibles, with 176 verses.
It is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet; some think King David wrote it as lessons for his children’s education.
The theme is God’s word, and it was used in worship to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

If it has been a while since you felt fascinated or awed by the word of God, read Psalm 119 from start to finish.

If you want to spend some time listening to the truth, Psalm 119 is my recommendation. I think of those verses as the Lord leaning out of heaven and saying, “Relax, I’ve got this!”

One of the verses in my favorite psalm says, “The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). No television network could make that claim. It’s time to filter the world’s news through God’s perfect word.

If the world seems a bit wonky these days, settle into the righteous truth of Psalm 119. God has this wonky world in the palm of his hand!

The Bible is an answer to Jesus’ prayer

I had a new thought this week I wanted to share. When Jesus was in the garden waiting for the soldiers to arrive and arrest him, he spent a lot of that time praying for himself and for all who would be his disciples.

One of Jesus’ prayers to his Father was, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus was asking God to use his word to make us holy. Why does God’s word make us holy? Because it is the truth. The next time you pick up the Bible, consider it an answer to the prayer Jesus prayed for you.

When our thoughts and actions line up with God’s word, we can trust that our life is serving God. That seems a simple thought, but it is actually like finding a favorite and valued possession you thought you had lost. Even more, it is like holding in your hand a gift Jesus asked his Father to give you.

A short blog that will take you a while to finish

I’m a teacher as well as a student of God’s word. So, this blog post has a homework assignment!

I’m giving you the link to Psalm 119 and all 176 verses are assigned, required reading. (Wow . . . it’s been a lot of years since I passed out homework.)

Those of you who complete the homework will be blessed. I’d like to suggest that God will give everyone who completes their homework an “A” for the day.

As you read Psalm 119, remember that it is truth and it always has been. Consider those words an answer to the prayer Jesus prayed in the Garden before he allowed himself to become the ultimate sacrifice for our eternal lives.

I am praying that Psalm 119 will bring us to a place of understanding the truth of this world compared to the truth of God.

The Lord’s truth lasts forever and serves to sanctify us now, until that day we become holy forever. I hope when you finish your homework, having reached verse 176, you will hear the Lord lean out of heaven and say, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this!” Here is Psalm 119. I hope it makes your day what Jesus prayed it would be.

The right priority builds a strong wall

When do our priorities line up with God’s?

Our lives are getting back to normal again. My whole family just went to our first baseball game and our granddaughter’s horse show and enjoyed being in the crowd. I didn’t even think about catching a virus because I was too busy thinking about the Rangers catching a baseball or me trying to catch the perfect photo of my granddaughter in her cute riding pants and blazer.

How quickly our priorities can change!

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE PRIORITY . . .

What if someone asked you to name your number one priority? Is that even possible? We might be able to list our top ten, but which would make the list first?

• Faith?

• Family?

• Friends?

• Future?

How can we choose a priority when so many things matter so much?

JEREMIAH’S PRIORITY

Jeremiah is often described as the weeping prophet, a name I think he would probably hate. Chances are, if you pick up your Bibles for a time of devotion, you are more likely to read from Ephesians than the book of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was a prophet to the Southern tribes of Israel, or Judah. They were supposed to be the “good guys” of Israel, and were, much of the time. But Jeremiah preached to Judah after the Northern Tribes of Israel had been captured, enslaved, and removed from the land. The Northern Tribes never did return home.

Judah should have learned from their brothers’ mistakes but didn’t. As a nation, Judah became distracted by their enemies, their finances, their families, and their future. As a result, their priorities changed. Jeremiah’s job was to speak for God and warn Judah that the same thing that happened to the Northern Tribes could happen to them as well. And it did.

Daniel and his friends were taken captive, and then came a second and third wave of attack. The temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, and their lands and families were taken away by the Babylonian armies. Some would say they lost everything, but they didn’t.

They never lost God’s word. The prophet Jeremiah and many others kept teaching and preaching what God wanted his people to understand.

Jeremiah preached God’s word almost twenty-five hundred years ago, and I’m still teaching his lessons today. Jeremiah lived during one of the worst times in biblical history. He and the people he loved lost almost everything in their lives. And Jeremiah was tasked with warning the people to repent. He knew how to help, but the people just wouldn’t listen. In fact, they attacked Jeremiah for preaching the truth, and it broke his heart and spirit. That’s why he is called the weeping prophet.

Jeremiah 15 is a conversation between God and Jeremiah. God tells Jeremiah what is going to happen to Judah because of their lack of faith and misguided priorities: God will judge his people and Judah will fall. Jeremiah knows what will happen and knows nothing will stop God from fulfilling his words.

When Jeremiah understands he can’t help Judah, he prays for himself. He asks God to protect him from the coming judgment. Jeremiah offers one defense to God. The prophet asks for God to protect him because he has maintained one important priority.

Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty” (NIV).

Do we share Jeremiah’s godly priority? If so, we can also share in God’s promise.

CHRISTIANS BEAR GOD’S NAME TOO

The first people to be called Christians were in the church of Antioch, the church considered most responsible for supporting Paul and his missionary work. The name Christian literally means “little Christ.” Christians bear the name of the Son of God.

More and more our culture is attacking that name and attacking those who bear it. Is there coming a time when we will pray Jeremiah’s prayers for our nation? And pray Jeremiah’s prayer for himself? Is that time already here?

Jeremiah prayed to God with confidence because he had lived with one powerful priority. The prophet had consumed God’s word. God’s thoughts and ideas were Jeremiah’s joy and his heart’s delight. The prophet understood that his role in life was to bear God’s name everywhere he went.

Like Jeremiah, we bear God’s name too. The question for all of us today is this: Do we also share Jeremiah’s priority?

Do we simply read God’s word, or do we consume it as our joy and our delight? Is God’s word truly our daily bread?

If so, we should listen to and claim Jeremiah’s promise from God.

GOD’S PROMISE TO JEREMIAH

God responded to Jeremiah’s prayer with this promise. God said to Jeremiah and to us, ‘“If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you, but you must not turn to them. I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 15:19–20).

There is so much I want to say about the passage above. I know the Lord spoke to me in those words as I read them again and again. I expect the Lord will do that for all of you as well. Let’s consume his words to Jeremiah as food for our own souls. Will you receive God’s teaching with joy? Will you delight to obey?

God needs the people who bear his Son’s name to be that fortified wall of bronze. The people in our culture need to be able to turn to the Holy Spirit in us for God’s love and wisdom. We were never allowed to turn to the culture for our guidance.

It may seem like the culture is winning right now, but that isn’t the biblical truth we should take to heart, with joy. Jesus echoed God’s words to Jeremiah when he told his disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, ESV).

PRAY LIKE JEREMIAH

We can pray like Jeremiah if we share the prophet’s priority. He consumed God’s word as his great joy and delight. Jeremiah bore God’s name.

Jeremiah could have preached his words to our culture and people would have treated him the same way today. The calling for all of us who bear Christ’s name is to share Jeremiah’s priority. It will no doubt cause us some trouble going forward. Thankfully, we also share Jeremiah’s promise. Hear God say to you: “They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you to rescue and save you.”

God needs his people to be that bronze wall of truth today.

We will be—if we will live with Jeremiah’s priority.

In the desert but not deserted: Part 2

God always has a plan for the desert times in our lives. Most times we land there, God is simply providing us some down time, so that we can listen. Everyone experiences desert times, caused by any number of things. Last week I wrote about the desert seasons of our lives that are natural to our journey and the dry times God intends to use for our discipline and growth.

Today, I want to write about most of the desert times in our lives. A desert time is simply a quiet, often spiritually dry time in our lives.

Often we expect our earthly lives to be less challenging than they are. We have become a culture that expects our lives to be easier than God has promised. This is true of the Christian culture as well. We live in a period of time when many Christian leaders have said if we do A, then God will do B.

Beware of sermons that promise an easy life to those who walk closely with God. Biblical truth, like Romans 8:28, is that when we walk closely with God, he is with us in every circumstance and able to redeem those moments for our great good.

Paul had an un-removed thorn in the flesh. Peter was crucified upside down. John was exiled on the island of Patmos. All of us know strong Christians who have received a difficult diagnosis. Sometimes God’s saints struggle with a difficult child or an unhappy marriage. Sometimes we enter a desert because of our own choices, but most of the time our deserts exist as a normal part of our journey to heaven.

There are at least three types of deserts, and it is helpful to know why we are crossing through a dry time:

• Is this just a normal part of our earthly journey?

• Are we there because God wants to discipline and help us make changes?

• Or, has God provided the desert time for direction or deliverance?

THE DESERTS OF DIRECTION

Most of us live fast-paced, full lives. As we age, we tend to replace speed with routine. There are a lot of ways to move through our lives that cause us to program out the voice and leadership of God. We know to pray and seek God when things aren’t going well, but it’s often the regular, routine parts of our lives that cause us to live according to our own thoughts and ideas rather than God’s.

It’s no surprise that God would lead us to a desert so he can break our routine and cause us to seek his leadership. The best way to avoid a few of those deserts is to live our lives knowing we have a constant, daily need for his voice. We only think we know our schedules this week. When we made Jesus our Lord, we gave him permission to interrupt our routines any time, for his good purpose.

If our lives are simply a product of our routine choices, we should probably pack our bags for a stay in the desert. If God can’t direct our paths, he will probably direct us to the desert. We often quote Proverbs 3:5-6 but have we allowed God’s word to mean what it says?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path” (Proverbs 3:5-6). This verse is written in a Rabbinic teaching method. The second part of the sentence is a restatement of the first. Here is why that matters:

Trusting in the Lord with all our hearts means that we do not lean on our own understanding.

Picture yourself on a bridge, with rushing water underneath. Some parts of the railing are fragile while others are secure. Don’t we want the maker of the bridge to tell us which parts of the railing are safe to lean on?

In all our ways, if we acknowledge that God is perfect and we aren’t, then we will allow him to direct our path. The key to that verse is the word “all.” Sometimes the routines of life cause us to keep doing things like we have always done them. We direct our own paths along what is familiar instead of allowing God to lead.

GOD’S PLAN TO DIRECT YOUR PATH

If God can’t direct your plans each day, he will likely lead you to a desert place until you understand your need for his leadership. A day-to-day routine or a life that is too programmed and rushed doesn’t allow God to call you to his work – the work that matters eternally.

If our lives are full of things that matter, but not the things that matter most, God will want to provide us with new directions.

Is God re-directing your career path? Is God re-directing your daily routine? Is God re-directing your friendships? Is God re-directing your priorities? Sometimes the Lord just needs you in another place for a certain amount of time because he has a job for you to do. Sometimes the Lord turns our lives in a completely different direction.

He often uses the desert times in our lives to “direct our paths.” What should we do during that time? “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and don’t lean on your understanding.”

If a committee had put together a plan to move the Israelites into the chosen land it is almost certain the members of the committee would not have chosen to cross when the waters were flooded. They would have leaned on their own understanding. Interestingly, the reason the people of Jericho were terrified of the Israelites when they arrived is because they had already heard about the power of their God.

God’s ways are perfect, but if you look at the bulk of Scripture, God’s plans are often outside the scope of men’s natural, reasoned choices. If our lives are limited to our choices, we are limiting what God wants to do through our lives. His direction matters eternally for us and for our witness to others.

THE DESERTS OF DELIVERANCE

Finally I want to talk about the desert times we need, that God provides. There are more of these times in our lives than I think we realize. Have you become “weary in well doing?” Have you been through a time of great grief, loneliness, sickness or of great service to God?

Sometimes we come to a time when we need significant rest, and God provides us a desert of deliverance.

God created us to need rest and therefore he provides us the time to rest when we need it. I love the verse from the prophet Isaiah that says, “For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song” (Isaiah 51:3).

One of the most important lessons from our desert times of life is the knowledge that God walks them with us providing comfort and all we need until we come to a place of thanksgiving and praise. Our desert times have a beginning and an end. More importantly, our desert times have a good purpose.

WHAT DESERTS DO YOU REMEMBER?

To close, we should ask God to remind us of the desert times in our own lives. It was probably difficult to praise him at first, but what did you learn? How did God deliver you from that time? Isn’t it interesting that we most often remember what God taught us, rather than why those times were difficult?

I think that is what God would have us know as we exit the desert time labeled “COVID.” We should try to remember what God taught us during those days.

My favorite verse for the desert times is from the prophet Isaiah. He wrote, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:18-19).

God is always redeeming our deserts for a new purpose in our lives. It has been tough, and now, for most of us, it isn’t. God is working to make himself known in this world. God is providing a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. A few years ago we prayed for God to end the drought and he did. A year ago we prayed for God to end the plague of COVID and he did.

What are you praying for today?

Our desert times have a purpose because they were part of God’s plan. When you enter a desert time– and you will– take the journey with God. He brought you to that time for a reason, and his promise is to redeem it for your good, if you will walk that desert with his good purpose in mind. (From Romans 8:28).

May your journey forward be blessed with the comfort of God’s presence. He is good; all the time.

In the desert but not deserted: Part 1

I titled my book Content to Be Good, Called to Be Godly. It’s not a great title, but I could never come up with anything else. I published it with Tyndale about thirteen years ago, and then our ministry bought the rights so I could update it and do a reprint. This week’s blog post and the one for next week will be a summary of one of the chapters in the book.

I did radio interviews after the book was published, and the host usually asked me to explain why I wrote the book and gave it that title. My answer: After a lot of years in the ministry, these are the things I most want to say to my brothers and sisters in Christ—and I gave it that title because it seemed to me like most of the Christians I knew were settling for less than God’s best, myself included. We are often content to be good when God has called us to his higher standard.

I wrote a chapter about the desert times because it seemed to me like too many Christians were just enduring their spiritual deserts instead of learning from them. We should never be content to simply survive the tough times. God has a higher purpose for those days. That’s what I’ll write about for the next two weeks.

So, what is the first thing we should do when we realize our soul has landed in a desert?

ASK GOD WHY

I’d lived my life trying to be a good enough preacher’s wife, and one of my first desert experiences occurred when I realized that I never would be.

It’s an impossible job to get right all of the time. At first, I assumed my desert time was my doing, and in some ways it was. But, I learned a LOT about God as I was home, recuperating from a case of pneumonia that almost took my life. Actually, in many ways, my entire ministry changed after that time. I stopped trying to do a good job and began to work at allowing God to do his job through me. It made ALL the difference.

God does a lot of work in our lives during the desert times. So, instead of being defeated by a desert, I’d like to suggest we all learn to be redefined by those dry, often difficult, times. You aren’t alone in the desert, although it usually feels that way—even when you are still busy and surrounded by others. You know when your soul is dried up; other people likely won’t notice. The first thing to realize when your soul dries up is that you haven’t been deserted.

God never deserts you, but he does allow the deserts. Why?

Deserts aren’t just a period of time to endure. Deserts have a purpose and, if you walk them well, they are an important part of your Christian growth. The thing to ask first is, “Why am I here, Lord?”

SOME DESERTS ARE SIMPLY MEANT FOR CROSSING

There are seasons of life and there is grace for each season. God is looking for growth, not perfection. We who are older need to be far less judgmental of young people and far more understanding. Is that young person growing in the Lord? If the answer is yes, they deserve our praise, not our comparisons.

I was a very young, inexperienced pastor’s wife—with two busy toddlers. I wasn’t very knowledgeable of the Bible yet and had a LOT of growing to do. There were some who judged me and many who encouraged me. But those who judged seemed to have louder voices in my life.

Can I say that a lot of parents who have toddlers probably feel like they are permanently living in a desert? It’s not permanent, but I’m not going to lie: it can seem like a long, dry spell. I used to have an apron that said, “And I spent four years in college for this?”

Jim would preach about the need for a daily quiet time and, honestly, I wanted to stand up in the middle of the sermon and shout, “The ONLY reason you have a daily quiet time is because I pull your children off the door handle until you are done.”

Parents of toddlers don’t always have a free hand or much free time to feed their souls. Let’s give grace to all Christians who are in a difficult season of life and help them find ways to grow, even if it is a “slow growth” season of life.

Interestingly, I probably learned to love God during that young season of my life. I realized the overwhelming love I felt for my two boys was the way God felt about his children, me included. And I can name the people who encouraged me to grow in my knowledge of God and cheered me on every step of the way. Don’t you want to be named on someone’s list of encouragers someday?

When I speak to parents of preschoolers, I often tell them that while this season is tough, there is never a time of your life that you will laugh and smile more often. Some of our spiritual deserts are simply because we are in a season of life or a season of circumstances. The goal is to take God’s hand and keep moving forward. Some deserts are simply meant for crossing. Growth is learning to walk that time with God and enjoy the comfort of his loving Presence.

OTHER DESERTS ARE FOR DISCIPLINE

Every Christian blows it and sometimes God hands us a “time-out.” If you ask God why you are in the desert, he might say, “Because you need to stop so we can talk.” Sometimes God wants to preserve our witness and protect us from ourselves!

The deserts of discipline happen when we blow it. Sometimes we just flat-out lose it and sin. Sometimes we make choices that have lifelong consequences. Other times, we slip into what I like to call “Pharisee mode.” We might see ourselves as a little more “holy” than God does.

How can we know if we have been led to the desert, aka the time-out chair?

Ask God and take time to think. You know if your prayers are shallow. You know if God’s voice has grown silent. You know if you are under conviction. And you know if you are too arrogant and think of yourself “more highly than [you] ought” (Romans 12:3).

God is a perfect father, and his discipline is because he wants better for us than we might settle for ourselves. God doesn’t want good Christians; he wants us to be godly—and there is a HUGE difference between those two things.

If you know your spiritual life has dried up, it’s important to understand why. Ask, and be ready to repent of whatever is in your life that God is tired of putting up with. The apostle John was on the island of Patmos when Jesus gave these words for the weakened church in Laodicea: “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

A perfect Father teaches his children how to live a blessed life. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

God disciplines when we are living in ways that hinder his ability to bless us and others through us. The desert time of discipline is for our sake and for the sake of our witness with others.

EVERY LIFE HAS DESERT TIMES

The truth is, all of us live with the highs and lows of life.

All of us experience desert times in our lives because deserts are part of the journey. Christian growth isn’t about avoiding desert times as much as it is about learning from those days, months, and sometimes years. Maturity doesn’t mean we don’t experience desert times but it often means we learn not to stay there as long.

Next week, I’ll continue with this subject. Before then, will you spend some time this week and consider your surroundings? If things are lush, green, and growing in your soul, praise God. If things seem to be dry, dusty, and less than you want them to be, ask God to meet you in the desert, and ask him to lead you out.

The psalm says that he leads you to the still waters to restore your soul (Psalm 23:2–3). But, God also leads us to the deserts for that same purpose.

What is God saying to you right now?

Ask and keep asking until you know.

Spiritual Pilates

My husband and I just returned home from our much delayed anniversary trip. We spent ten days in Hawaii, and it was wonderful to relax, rest, and restore our souls. And then it was time to come home and get back to work.

Honestly, after one week home I’m thinking I need another vacation! Several times on our trip, Jim and I talked about the “pace” of our lives and how much slower things seemed to happen in Hawaii.

Hawaiians walk slowly. Cars drive a LOT more slowly. And, at our anniversary dinner, I thought the coconut shrimp would never arrive. (More on that later.)

We are back home and looking forward to the “lazy days of summer.” Will we slow down?

Honestly, I hope not.

RELAXED OR RESTORED?

I’ve learned there is a significant difference between relaxed and restored. That difference is a great place to begin this month’s blog posts. We are going to spend the month of May thinking about the desert seasons of life and what we can do spiritually to move through those times.

I think one of the great lies Satan likes to use when tempting God’s people is to convince us we need to relax, when what we most need is to be restored.

The purpose of the Sabbath rest was so that people would focus on God. A good study of the Sabbath shows that God didn’t tell his people to “relax” their standards on the Sabbath. In fact, in many ways the standards were much higher for that day.

It was good to relax on our vacation, but the real purpose of that time was restoration. When the ten days were over, it felt good to get back to work.

A permanent vacation is not what God intended for our lives.

NOW, ABOUT THOSE COCONUT SHRIMP

There is a reason why I called this blog post “Spiritual Pilates.” Every morning, Jim and I took a long walk on the beach. One of the resorts we walked past had an early morning Pilates class on the beach. There were people of all ages and abilities doing the morning routine, and I thought it looked interesting!

I came home and found several videos I can use at my house. I’m interested in Pilates because I was a little too interested in those coconut shrimp!

I won’t get in shape simply because I rest. I also need to rest from those coconut shrimp. God had a similar reason when he commanded us to have a Sabbath rest. Our rest is something to be worked at if we want to truly be restored.

STRONGER IS BETTER

I watched those people of all ages doing the Pilates class on the beach. The music was wonderfully quiet. Their movements were slow and focused. And they could modify the poses for their needs. The point of those exercises was stretching, balance, and strength.

What would spiritual Pilates look like?

• What area of your spiritual life needs to be stretched? If you do the same spiritual exercises all of the time, chances are you have stopped growing. Routine spirituality is good unless it has become just a routine.

• Does your life feel balanced? Sometimes work, family, stress, and health issues can throw our lives off. Our lives, this side of heaven, are imperfect. The whole point of Pilates is to counterbalance. When the things of this world pull us off-center, we need more of God in our lives as a spiritual counterbalance. We can’t keep the stuff out of our lives, but we can allow God to keep us in balance and prevent us from falling.

• Finally, all of us have a certain amount of muscle because God has created us to be strong. The same is true spiritually as well. When God gave us his Holy Spirit, he gave us his strength. But, the muscles we don’t use grow weak. No one is strong spiritually unless they consistently use the strength the Holy Spirit wants to provide.

Life is easier when we have strength. When the Pilates class ended, the people were tired—and stronger. If you need spiritual encouragement right now, that might be your answer. Tired isn’t a bad thing if what you are doing is increasing your strength. Stronger is better.

IT’S TIME TO TRAIN FOR THE DAYS AHEAD

COVID was hard on everyone and still is for many who haven’t had their vaccine. The hospitals are filling up again, but this time it is the younger adults with COVID. Counselors’ schedules are filled as well. For many in our culture, this past season has been their first spiritual season of living through a crisis. It was the first time their choices were limited and their freedoms were taken away. During an unhealthy season, spiritual health was even more important. In fact, I would say it was the most important counterbalance.

Every life goes through seasons of change. One day, we will look back with understanding on the many ways God has brought good from the tough times. I think our vacation in Hawaii was made even more joyous because it became a celebration of much more than our marriage. We finally felt safe and were therefore joyful as we traveled, rested, and enjoyed the beauty of God’s world.

When we go through a tough time or feel spiritually weak, think Pilates. We need to counterbalance. If we feel spiritually weak, we need to rest from the world and focus on God. Stronger is better.

IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING

If you read this blog post, I assume you wake up each day knowing you “live and move and have [your] being” in Christ (Acts 17:28). I can’t write a blog post without using God’s word, so allow me to close with this.

Jesus was responding to Satan’s temptations when he told the devil, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Our culture has turned God’s truth inside out. Most are much more concerned with their daily bread, and too many actually disdain the words that have come from God’s mouth. There is a great need to refocus on the laws of God so we can enjoy his blessings.

Christians should be ready to spiritually train for the days ahead and be stronger. Maybe that is why God allowed a season of COVID. It probably isn’t difficult to know if the tough times led you to focus on the Lord more often or less. So many in our culture need to wake up in the confidence we have in Christ. We need to share “every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

What “exercise” will strengthen your walk with the Lord?

With an army of strong believers, we can change the world. It’s happened before. I expect it will happen again. God always has a plan to restore his people to a place of strength.

Let’s see God’s plan for the days ahead. It will be a spiritual workout. You will be stretched, balanced, and stronger. Spiritual Pilates will probably make you tired, but stronger is better.

Will you start today?

The best time with God is any time with God: 4 steps to focus your day on him

A note from Janet: One of my great blessings in 2020 was the addition of Trace Kennedy to our ministry team. Trace is the Brand Manager for the JanetDenison.org brand and has been an invaluable asset as we expand the outreach of our ministry. Trace will be guest writing for my blog for a couple of weeks while I am away. I know you will enjoy her thoughts. Thank you, Trace, for everything you do!

All month Janet has been talking about making time for God to replenish your soul. His timing is perfect; it was a convicting reminder for me.

I have to be honest: since I’ve started working full time, my schedule has shifted significantly. I’m much busier than in recent years. As a result, my quiet time has suffered. I study God’s word a lot because it’s part of my job as well as part of my responsibility as a Bible study leader.

But unencumbered, dedicated time alone with God?

That has suffered. So has my soul.

What might be keeping you so busy that consistent, wholehearted time with God is suffering?

You could be a mom committed to making sure your kids know the Bible only to find that you never seem to have time to read it for yourself.

You may serve as a Bible study leader or Sunday school teacher who devotes hours each week preparing your lessons, but there just doesn’t seem to be enough time to be still and know God.

You may even work for a ministry, getting paid to serve daily, yet, at the end of the day, you somehow never encountered your Boss.

Time with the Lord is essential to good spiritual health

Just like our bodies need consistent, quality exercise and nutrition to stay healthy, our souls need daily, quality time with the Lord. He created us for relationship with him. John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

We aren’t meant to do anything separate from God, but how often do we find ourselves too busy to spend time with him, and then, by default, we do most of our day without him?

Intention doesn’t equal action

A. W. Tozer said, “To desire revival . . . and at the same time to neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another.”

Said another way, while we may have great intentions, if our actions don’t match our intent, we won’t get the results we want.

For example, simply knowing we need to make better lifestyle choices doesn’t get us in shape. It’s when we create a plan and follow through with it regularly and consistently that we begin to notice the positive changes occurring in our bodies.

We can’t wish our bodies into shape, just like we can’t wish for our relationship with God to deepen into something meaningful and transformative.

We truly won’t reap the benefits of that relationship until we develop a plan that not only works in our schedules but is also something we can easily execute daily.

Make a plan you can stick to

For the past decade or so, I worked as a personal trainer. Recognizing that lack of time was the greatest excuse people made not to exercise, the fitness industry began exploring the benefits of shorter, more intense workouts.

In “Why Efficient Workouts are Best,” Ryan Shepperd, MSEd says, “Keeping the time commitment low will help make the workout easily attainable, no matter how busy your schedule may be.”

Just like short blocks of daily exercise can add up to significant strength and health gains, short blocks of time spent with God in worship, prayer, and study can add up to significant spiritual growth and revitalized joy.

Build your plan

I’ve found that the following plan works for me. Feel free to use it as a model for your own plan:

1. Morning: Simply rest in the presence of God (5–15 minutes)

Come to him with no agenda, no requests, and no expectations other than seeking his face. Praise him simply for who he is. Then submit your day to him, including your calendar, your family, and your work—anything that consumes your time.

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:13–14).

2. Midday: Meditate on any Scripture, people, or sin he may have placed on your heart that morning (5–15 minutes)

Seek his forgiveness, pray for that person(s), or study his word. Then again, submit the rest of your day to his will.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3).

3. Any time you’re waiting: Give thanks, pray, and listen.

On your drive home from work, or as you wait in the carpool line for your kids, or while you’re preparing dinner or taking an afternoon walk, give thanks to him for anything he accomplished through you, pray for those he puts on your heart, tell him about any concerns, struggles, or needs you may have, and then be quiet and listen for his voice.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

4. Before bed: End your day in gratitude.

Before you go to bed, maybe while brushing your teeth, straightening up the house, or while lying in bed, end your day in gratitude. Thank God for walking through the day with you, respond to anything he may place on your heart, and then go to sleep and rest in his presence.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (Psalm 100:2).

For me, these four small, intentional blocks of time have added up to significant, transformative time with the Lord each day. The benefits? My days are less stressful, my joy remains consistent, and my desire to spend as much time as possible with God continues to deepen.

Any time spent with the Creator of the universe will result in good fruit, “for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things” (Psalm 107:9).

For more resources to help you create intentional space for God, please click on the following links:

Paul’s Recipe for Daily Bread

What are you doing for Mother’s Day this year?

We sure can’t crowd the restaurants this Sunday, so I have a bread recipe that might come in handy. Unfortunately, a new batch has to be prepared each day, but it is worth the effort. You only have to “taste and see” to know it is good.

Not everyone bakes, however. So, you might want to make enough to share.

There are a lot of hungry people out there

Brandon Hicks’ mom is probably not going to feel like celebrating Mother’s Day this Sunday.

Her son is sitting in an Austin jail, charged with a felony. He shoved a park ranger in the lake after the ranger issued him a warning to “distance” himself from his friends.

The news is showing a lot of these stories lately.

I remember the news clip of the woman grabbing toilet paper from another woman’s shopping cart. (Granted, the woman had filled two carts with toilet paper, leaving none for anyone else.) My guess is that neither of the shoppers was pleased to see the cell phone video of their argument on the news that evening.

Then there was the video of the woman with her mask hanging off one ear, screaming in someone else’s face because they weren’t “distancing.” I’m sure her friends and family didn’t miss the irony when they saw that viral video.

Some people are out of patience and causing problems. But most people are still continuing to make good choices. When the park ranger was shoved in the water, there were a lot of people who came to his aid. Brandon Hicks was quickly identified and arrested, and the ranger’s rescuers returned to their lives and their happy day at the lake.

Everyone could use a little bread these days

I can’t imagine I would ever shove a park ranger in the lake. I can’t imagine that I would choose to do a lot of the things I see people doing.

But, I can imagine and, in fact, remember times I have run out of patience with someone and made a dumb choice. You probably can remember some of those times in your life as well.

The virus is probably going to slow down, but it isn’t going to be gone until a vaccine is approved and supplied to the masses. A friend’s wife teaches school, and she was told to prepare to teach in the fall but to keep all her “homeschool” computer apps current. The district is assuming they will need to close the schools and resume the learn-at-home structure for a period of time this fall.

People are looking for peace in the news, but it isn’t there. Luckily, we have a recipe in Scripture.

If you want peace, ask Paul for his recipe

The apostle Paul wrote great instructions for people seeking peace. He said, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).

Paul’s words are a recipe for peace, which could be called our “daily bread.”

Paul’s recipe for daily bread

1. Mix one part joyful hope.

Christians can find the patience to wait for things to improve because we know that we always have the hope of eternal life with Jesus. We have the assurance of this hope through his Holy Spirit, and we have the godly priorities that our hope of heaven provides.

We can find joyful hope in our faith, even if we can’t find it in the news.

2. Stir in one part patience.

There are very few of us who have endured tribulation like Paul endured, yet he could write, “Be patient in tribulation.”

People today are running out of patience because we want certain things that aren’t on the shelf. We want to see family, but not just on our phones and computer screens. We want to take a trip, but to where? We want to go to the grocery store, for Pete’s sake, without feeling like the plague could be resting on the bananas we pick up.

Paul might raise his eyebrows at our “tribulation,” but he would tell us what he told those early Christians: Just be patient. Things will get better one day, and God has promised us things will be better every day, one day.

3. Continually add prayer.

Paul’s final ingredient is prayer. Not just a prayer to begin and end our day, but days that are filled with prayer. How do we live in constant prayer?

We can learn to “hang out with” Jesus.

Realize that the Son of God wants to hang out with you!

We can talk to him all day; ask him stuff all day; ask him for stuff all day. Ask Jesus to tell you things, guide your path, encourage your thoughts, and help you fight off Satan’s suggestions. Hanging out with Jesus is like having a friend, counselor, and companion—who is always present and always perfect.

Prayer allows us to spend time with Jesus, at any time we choose. What an amazing gift!

Daily bread, like manna, is only good for a day

The Israelites escaped Egypt and crossed the desert, but God took care of them along the way. Each morning they gathered manna, but just enough for the day. If they gathered more than they needed, the leftovers just spoiled and became worthless.

That lesson has become a lesson to every one of God’s children since that time. Daily bread, manna, is all we need for today, but it won’t be good for tomorrow.

In Paul’s recipe, the ingredients for this bread of peace are hope, patience, and constant prayer. Paul would ask us to allow God to provide the ingredients and the measurements, mix them up, and then serve them at the right times during our day.

Jesus taught us to pray

Take a minute and remember each word of the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9–13). The first thing Jesus told us to ask for was “our daily bread.”

We need it, and so do a lot of other people. I hope someone will give Brandon Hicks a slice. He needs it and may not know how to find it.

Is there a Brandon Hicks in your life?

People are getting tired and need spiritual strength for these days. The Apostle Paul would tell us to start baking and enjoy the results.

And . . .

To all the moms out there: May you have a blessed and happy Mother’s Day. And keep baking for them until they start making daily bread for themselves.

Reminder: Send your Christmas memories/stories to [email protected]. I’m looking forward to reading them!