A New Day

by Charity Pence

This Week's Verse: "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14 (NKJ)

There was a time when I looked forward to New Year's.  I'd jot down my resolutions and then ring in the new year with family.  We'd bang pots and pans, cheer, have a toast for all the good to come.  The new year always held such potential.  Regardless of what occurred the prior year, I could smile and be joyful.  A new year brought a new day, new opportunities.

Each year, a bit of that excitement slips through my fingers as I'm reminded that one day doesn't change anything.  Not really.  On New Year's Eve, when the clock strikes midnight, there's no magic wand that waves away our struggles.  And, thankfully, our blessings are not waved away, either.  Instead, life goes on in one continuous loop that seems to speed up and never slows down.  And you know what I recently realized? I don't mind.  Okay, I wouldn't mind if time slowed, but I don't mind that time occurs in a continuous cycle. 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." (NKJ)  The point is, there really is a time for everything.  Seasons change, circumstances change.  And it all happens in God's time.  So rather than see January 1st as a new day for change, I try to appreciate each and every day because every day has potential for change.  When life gets tough, I accept struggles as lessons for patience (although not always gracefully), knowing that the trial will pass.  I try to focus on the blessings because they don't end when the year ends.

In the midst of the holiday season, it's easy to get caught up in the idea of a new year.  But every day is a new day.  And even more amazing, God's right there with us.  He will hold our hand, wipe our tears, laugh with us, hold us up.  Whatever we need, every day of the year, we can count on God to provide. 

So don't focus so much on January 1st.  Every day is a new day, and God is with us to celebrate.

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for reminding me I don't need a new year to see Your glory.  I don't need to wait until next year to find joy.  Instead of focusing on a new year, help us to look upon each day as we do the new year.  Every day holds promise; every day You are there.  Thank You, Lord.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

Power Verses:
Psalm 16:1 "Preserve me, O God, for in You I put my trust." (NKJ)
Isaiah 55:6 "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near." (NKJ)

Strength From Worship

By Charity Pence

This Week’s Verse: Psalm 92:1- 2, “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your loving kindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.” (NKJV)

Devotion:
Praise is something God calls us to do. Ever wonder why? Psalm 9:10 says, “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.” I love worship time. Whether at church or in my car, I enjoy spending time praising God. However, I’ve never given much thought about what I get out of it. I do it because I enjoy it and it makes me feel closer to my Heavenly Father. This past week, God taught me an important lesson.

I have a forty mile drive to work each morning. During that time, I listen to a Christian radio station and I usually sing along to the songs that play. On one particular morning last week, though, the station was not coming in. In the past, my first reaction would have been to change the station and listen to something else. But I knew if I did that, I would be missing out on my time with God. Therefore, I shut the radio off and prayed for a while. (Don’t worry, I didn’t close my eyes! ) After I prayed, I sang part of a worship song that came to mind. I repeated the lines a few times and then turned the radio back on. Lo and behold, the station was now coming in! What I didn’t realize was God knew I needed to be built up, to receive strength, for something I was about to be faced with at work.

One of the first things I do when I get to my office is check my email. On this morning, there was a message from one employee regarding another employee whose wife had given birth to a little boy just a few short hours earlier. The little boy was named Cameron James. I’ll tell you why this is significant. My husband and I have always wanted children. We’ve had the names picked out for almost eight years, but we have yet to be blessed with kids. This is something I struggle with on a daily basis and God knows that. He knows the desires of my heart and the heartbreak I have felt. So real is my desire for children that I can easily imagine them running around my house. And one of those little boys is a Cameron James, or CJ for short. I do not begrudge others their kids, I am not jealous of others who have been so blessed. But it is often difficult for me to see parents interacting with their children without feeling sad. That being the case, I am certain I would have broken down at work if I had not spent that extra time with God while driving. Thankfully, my Heavenly Father knew what I would need and strengthened me so that when I received the email, instead of asking why someone else had a little Cameron James when I did not, I was able to send a congratulatory response and let the employee know he and his wife had picked a great name. And then I went on with my day. God never ceases to amaze me!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing my heart. Thank You for strengthening me and preparing me for the difficult times I am faced with. I pray that we all will allow Your peace to settle around our broken hearts. You are the great healer, Lord, and in You I will continue to put my trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Applications: When singing worship songs, do you truly worship our Lord? Use your time with our Heavenly Father to rest in His presence and allow Him to prepare you for whatever challenge you may be facing.

Power Verses:
Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (NKJV)
Psalm 55:17, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” (KJV)
Lamentations 3:25, “The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.” (KJV)

Long Enough

By Bethany Lashbrook

This Week's Verse: James 5:7, "Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains." (NIV)

Devotion: This week I was with a group of my dearly loved friends and we were all just “spent”. Have you ever used that word to describe your situation? We were exhausted, tired, frustrated and maybe even a little bit angry. Why had we gotten together for years to pray for situations that were still the same and maybe even worse than when we had started praying? Why hadn’t the Lord heard our cries and listened and answered these specific dilemmas we had prayed about? And then, amidst our tears, right in the middle of our desperate situation, one of my friends read Psalm 13 from The Message.

Long enough, God— you've ignored me long enough.
I've looked at the back of your head
long enough. Long enough
I've carried this ton of trouble,
lived with a stomach full of pain.
Long enough my arrogant enemies
have looked down their noses at me.

Take a good look at me, God, my God;
I want to look life in the eye,
So no enemy can get the best of me
or laugh when I fall on my face.

I've thrown myself headlong into your arms—
I'm celebrating your rescue.
I'm singing at the top of my lungs,
I'm so full of answered prayers.

Then, with tears in each of our eyes we thanked the Lord for the answered prayers. No, they aren’t answered today, but they will be answered. For today, we can all rejoice that we let God know how it had been ‘long enough’ for each of us. Yet, we are rejoicing with him because he rescued us from the pain. He held us as we cried.

Lord, thank you for letting us be upset, aggravated, mad, and even frustrated. It is so wonderful that we can be honest with you and let you know how we have had it with our problems. Thank you, in advance, for the answered prayers. Thank you for helping us give our problems to you when we are so desperate to solve them ourselves. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application: Be honest today in your prayers to the Lord. He knows our thoughts anyway, but to say them out loud is a relief!

Power Verses:

Job 36:15, “But by means of their suffering, he rescues those who suffer. For he gets their attention through adversity.” (NLT)

Galatians 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…” (NIV)

1 Kings 8:28, “Can it be that God will actually move into our neighborhood? Why, the cosmos itself isn't large enough to give you breathing room, let alone this Temple I've built. Even so, I'm bold to ask: Pay attention to these my prayers, both intercessory and personal, O God, my God." (MSG)

For Me? Really?!

by Marsha Loftis

This Week’s Verse: Romans 15:4, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.”(NIV)

Devotion
Have you ever been so surprised and grateful to receive a gift that you could barely utter those words, “For me?! Really?!” That’s what I feel like most of the time when I read Scripture. MOST of the time… There are those times, however, that my mind and my heart disconnect. I know in my head that what I read is for me, but my heart isn’t always so sure.

It’s hard for me to read in Jeremiah and feel that God is doing all things "to prosper me and not to harm me." He’s not really talking to me. He was talking to Jeremiah.

But then I read a different version of this week’s verse in The Message. Eugene Peterson puts it this way: “Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it's written for us.” Hmm…. “Really? For me?”

Yes! You know why?! Because Jeremiah’s God and my God are the same God! He is the same now and forever, and THEN! He hasn’t changed. The world has. I have. You have. Every one of us goes through an innumerable amount of changes in our lifetime, but God doesn’t.

As a matter of fact, Peterson goes on to say, “The Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God’s promises to be fulfilled.” His promise will be fulfilled because God cannot lie. Through scripture, He even tells us that we are to use The Word for hope and encouragement…. And patience.

Lord, help me to not only know in my head, but feel in my heart that your truth and your promises are for me. Help me to be patient while I wait in You. Not on you, Lord. I want to wait where you abide, where you live, in YOU.

Application
Think of all the promises, made to all the people in the Bible. Then try and wrap your mind and heart around the fact that those promises are a gift given to you, through God and His Word. Read some of those promises, and think, “For me?! Really?!” Then listen as your Father tells your heart, “Yes.”

Power Verses
Romans 15:4, “For whatever was thus written in former days was written for our instruction, that by [our steadfast and patient] endurance and the encouragement [drawn] from the Scriptures we might hold fast to and cherish hope.” (AMP)
Isaiah 59:21, “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the Lord, have spoken!" (NLT)
Hebrews 6:17, “Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath.” (NIV)
Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."(NLT)

Worth the Wait

by Kathy Lay

This Weeks’ Verse: Rev. 22:20-21, “The one who is testifying to these things says, ‘Yes, I'm coming soon!’ Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! The good will of the Lord Jesus be with all of you. Amen!” (GW)

Devotion:
Were your parents ever late picking you up from school or some other event when you were young? As the minutes crept by and you watched the other kids get picked up one by one, you began to feel uneasiness sweep over you. As more time passed, you were overtaken by a horrible feeling as you imagined the worst: what if they forgot and are at home waiting for me? Or what if they were in an accident?

But finally as the familiar car approached, you felt the weight lifted from your shoulders as you realized that your caretakers, the ones you relied on for everything, were just fine. You rode home together happily as they reassured you that they'd never forget you, they'd simply taken a little longer than expected.

If you're at a point in your life where you're growing restless watching others being picked up and tended to in the expected timing, take heart, precious Sister. The Lord promises that He will be coming soon, and at just the perfect time. Take your eyes off the others as you watch for His coming—not only for all eternity, but until then—in your life every day.

Close your eyes and envision the One you rely on for everything riding in and taking you on the ride of your life. He will, you know, if you're up for it—both here on earth and in eternity. In His perfect timing. Isn’t that worth the wait?

Father, I confess the sin of my impatience when my prayers aren't answered in my way or in my timing. Help me to wait on You, clinging to Your promise that You are coming soon. I wait in expectation. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Application:
What are you waiting for? In what areas of your life does it feel like God isn’t doing what He “should” be doing? Resolve to wait, focused on Him, knowing He promises to come soon, at the appointed time.

Power Verses:
Zechariah 14:6, “What a Day that will be! No more cold nights—in fact, no more nights! The Day is coming—the timing is God's—when it will be continuous day. Every evening will be a fresh morning.” (MSG)
Micah 7:7, “But me, I'm not giving up. I'm sticking around to see what God will do. I'm waiting for God to make things right. I'm counting on God to listen to me.”(MSG)
Hebrews 12:2, “We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.”(NLT)