Category Archives: Devotional

Equipped

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, NIV*

Sometimes I need a balance adjustment. While I’ve been spending time in prayer and God’s word, learning to love Him better, and growing in relationship with Him, that’s only part of the goal.

He wants to equip me for good work. St. Paul makes this even clearer when he says we must turn away from wickedness and ignoble purposes and become “instrument[s] for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” (2 Timothy 2:21, NIV)

Christians are intended to show Jesus’ love to the world. We have the Great Commission and the promise of His presence. Loving Him, expressing our love to Him, isn’t complete if we’re not looking around with His perspective, seeing what He sees, and acting as He wants to act through us.

If I want to know how to pray for people and events – if I want to know how God wants to use me in people’s lives – I need to pay attention to what’s going on. Ask Him about it, think about it, and not be so quick to drop it in pursuit of other tasks or diversions.

Instead of waiting to get close enough for God to reveal His perspective, I need to be doing my part – be faithful in the little things – if I hope to see progress.

Father, thank You for loving us. Please help me pay attention as You show me how You want to love those around me.

We can all make today’s song our prayer: “Give Me Your Eyes,” by Brandon Heath.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mhpLjPslbM

A Satisfied Soul

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Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits –
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Psalm 103:1-5, NIV*

In last week’s post, I was caught by the promise of forgiveness, healing, and rescue from the pit. They shaped my prayers, both for those who don’t yet know Jesus and for myself.

Later we had a beautiful snowfall, and I thought about how something will occasionally renew my sense of wonder. These same verses came back to mind.

I’ve praised and thanked God for forgiving all my sins and healing all my soul’s diseases. I’ve committed to Him any diseases I’ve nurtured or kept from Him, praying in trust and thankfulness that He wants to finish what He started. I thanked Him for rescuing my life from the pit.

In prayer for certain hurting people, I claimed the rest of the passage and prayed for renewal. For me, I thanked God without thinking about what it meant.

LORD, what does it mean to tell my soul You crown it with love and compassion?

That you satisfy its desires with good things so its youth is renewed?

What sort of things does a soul desire?

When something renews my sense of wonder, everything feels more alive. The world is brighter, my faith more vibrant. Hope glows, excitement and possibilities dance.

Father, please open my soul to be satisfied by the good things You provide: Your own presence with me, sunlight on icicles, a flight of birds. A rainbow. A good story. A miracle. Help me let You renew my soul’s youth… my innocence?

String these moments together to make a lasting change. Help me embrace them and renew my soul. Forgive me for how quickly I’ve forgotten and subsided under the daily stress. Help me let Your renewal glow within me, a holy light to warm and heal.

Oh, LORD, I praise You for Your mercies toward me – mercies You promise are new every morning. Let my soul not forget Your benefits, nor discount them as “only for others.”

I’m not being a bother or an inconvenience to accept these benefits from You. Instead, I’m actually blocking Your will if I don’t. Your love and grace initiated this, and my proper response is joyful acceptance.

And wonder.

Today’s song is “Bless the Lord, Oh My Soul“, sung here by Andrae Crouch and choir.

Healing for the Soul

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King David is reminding his soul of all these benefits – not speaking to a group of people but to a single soul. Look at verse 4a: “redeems your life” is singular, not plural.

It’s safe to apply these verses to any and all souls belonging to God, not just David’s own. What strikes me today is how the context implies David isn’t listing the God’s benefits for all believers but for all believing souls.

I’d never seen this distinction between soul and body. Knowing the passage isn’t promising to reverse physical aging in verse 5 nor necessarily promising to satisfy all fleshly desires, I didn’t know how strongly to take verse 3’s promise of healing all diseases. But if this is all specifically promised for the soul, there’s a huge difference.

Forgiveness of all the soul’s sins – that’s fairly straightforward. Isn’t the soul the part sin kills? Some sins, such as inward rebellion, may even be specifically soul sins. Redemption language talks of our souls, once dead in sin, being made alive again.

Crowning a soul with love and compassion sounds like tender restoration. Renewal of youth sounds like rejuvenation of energy and wonder, maybe even of innocence. Reversal of the damage of sin.

Healing all diseases… what would be a disease of the soul, and how many might one soul have? Shame, self-deprecation, pride, fear…? God promises to heal them all in the same breath as promising to forgive all sins. Past, present, and future.

Shame and company are harder to get rid of at times than physical diseases. Praise God, He promises healing!

In this light, how can I pray for the people on my heart? How can I pray for myself? Father, lead and show me how to pray in faith for the souls of those You lay on my heart. Help me walk in faith that You are healing my own soul and finishing what You have begun. Thank You so much for the forgiveness, healing and renewal You give.

Today’s song is “By His Wounds,” sung by Mac Powell, Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell and Mark Hall on the Glory Revealed CD. This is an amazing video of Christian performance artist and speaker Mike Lewis painting as the song plays.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JElzkHX5smE

Taught by the LORD

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The Sovereign LORD has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary.
He wakens me morning by morning,
wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.
The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears,
and I have not been rebellious;
I have not drawn back.
Isaiah 50:4-5 NIV*

Reading this, I feel something inside whisper this is how it should be: close to God, taught by Him, useful to others… to sustain the weary is a needed gift.

The end of verse 5, about not being rebellious and not drawing back, gives me a bit of a pause, but we do need to make the choice of His will or our own.

Then come verses 6 – 7:

I offered my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard;
I did not hide my face
from mocking and spitting.
Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.
Isaiah 50:6-7 NIV*

This is Jesus, His suffering. What He voluntarily endured out of obedience and trust toward God the Father. For us.

He was not rebellious, and didn’t draw back, so we can be saved from our sin – and ourselves – and thrive in relationship with God today.

I don’t think I could face that level of obedience. I don’t even want to think about it. Rebellion, drawing back?

God calls us each to walk a different path with Him, and this hardest path He entrusted to His own Son. For all the martyrs and suffering saints in the world, there are others whose faith leads them in quiet and unremarkable lives.

But to be a Christ-follower is to face at least occasional opposition from those who oppose Him. Rejection and ridicule, however subtle, are part of the package. Nobody’s going to want to choose that.

Lord, help me choose You, for You have chosen me. Give me a hunger for You that won’t let me draw back or rebel against You. Help me want You more than I want self-protection. Help me trust You like Jesus, secure that the Sovereign Lord is my help.

I’d like to learn words to sustain the weary. And I’d love it if You’d wake me each morning and open my ears to Your teaching. Please give me an obedient and trusting heart. Because of Jesus, amen.

“Somewhere in the Middle,” from Casting Crowns‘ The Altar and the Door cd, talks about this struggle. But for this week’s song I chose the next one on that album, “I Know You’re There.” May the lyrics and melody be our prayer and help us to surrender in trust to our great God.

Holy Awe

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When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, ‘Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.’
Exodus 20:18-19 NIV*

In Exodus 19, God had declared Mount Sinai off-limits to the people. Only Moses and Aaron were permitted to meet with God on the mountain to receive the ten commandments. God said, “Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they go up the mountain.” (Exodus 19:13b)

Maybe the trumpet the people heard here was the all-clear, and they could safely approach the mountain and their God. Maybe not.

Thunder, lightning, black smoke covering the mountain… no wonder they were terrified. And they hadn’t heard much about God’s mercy or grace. But didn’t anyone feel a longing, a drawing toward this holy God who created and rescued them? A moth-to-flame compulsion?

It’s sad that they stayed at a distance and begged Moses to stand between them and God. How would things have turned out if they’d said like Job, “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.” (Job 13:15) If they’d come, shaking with holy fear, unable to look away from the glory of God?

Yet we do the same thing. We ask our church leaders to teach us, instead of getting to know God ourselves. We ask a praying friend for a word from God rather than listening for Him in our own spirits. What are we afraid He’ll do to us… or ask of us?

Or we ignore His majesty and buddy up to Him, enjoying His presence without letting it change us.

Father, teach us a proper respect for Your power and glory. Thank You that through Jesus we can come boldly and confidently before Your throne. Help us come ourselves instead of looking for intermediaries. And give us a holy awe of You. Let us never forget that although You’ve called us Your children, You are neither tame nor safe. We praise You that You are good.

Our song this week is by Michael Card, “Know You in the Now“.

Unity

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If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Philippians 2:1-2 NIV*

The way Paul starts here with “if you have any” implies he expects us to have a great deal of it:

encouragement from being united with Christ
comfort from His love
fellowship with the Holy Spirit

These ought to be the things that keep us going each day. Relationship with God makes all the difference. We’re to be people “living the rescue.” We’re not the same any more.

Verse 2 is a natural progression from verse 1. With our eyes and hearts filled with Jesus, that has to shape our relationships with other Christians. As we remember Who is our focus, He’s going to grow us together in His love.

But we get used to Jesus’ presence and instead of relying on Him more and more, we tend to take Him for granted. And we start to look at one another with colder eyes, noticing flaws and irritants.

Father, please forgive me, and open my eyes and heart to joyful awareness of Your presence. Help me linger with You, walk with You in the days, and thrive in You. As You change my heart and the hearts of my brothers and sisters in faith, grant us unity to serve You in this world.

Our song this week is “Neverending,” from the David Crowder*Band’s Remedy CD.

Haughty Eyes

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There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Proverbs 6:16-19, NIV*

Most of these are self-explanatory, but the first one makes me stop and think.

Haughty eyes? The Message translation calls them arrogant.

Looking down on others?
Critical or judgmental opinions of them based on appearance and behaviour?
An elevated perspective of oneself?
How about considering what we perceive, our take on the circumstances, as the truth? As more accurate or enlightened than anyone else’s?

Most of us can be tempted by the first three, although we try our best not to live that way. The fourth one strikes closer to home for me. It’s the opposite of a verse I’m trying to learn to apply:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV*

It comes so naturally. But the New Testament says we’re to walk by faith, not by sight.

LORD, please help us remember that our sight is limited and even faulty. Help us remember to choose to trust Your way instead of going our own way. Because of Jesus, Amen.

Let this week’s song be our prayer: “Open the Eyes of My Heart” by Paul Baloche. I had the privilege of seeing him and Robin Mark in concert recently and it was wonderful… and worshipful.

Shepherded

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My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-28 NIV*

There is security in being shepherded by Jesus. Eternal life gives us security for the future, but today I’m drawn by the day-to-day side of it: No one can snatch us out of His hand.

No one can snatch Him from us either. He’s with us for the duration.

We know from Psalm 23 that the pastures won’t always be green nor the waters still, but He will always be with us. And if He leads us through a dark valley, He has a purpose and a plan.

Sometimes we see those valleys coming: the doctor’s appointment or the bad news we have to break. Sometimes our easy path takes a sharp turn and we’re blindsided.

Jesus is never caught off-guard. By His very nature, He cannot vanish in a puff of confusion. His rod and staff are with Him to comfort us, and He knows the best route through the valley.

The most beautiful discovery I’ve made in those dark parts of the journey is this: God was still with me. Even when I was completely surprised, He already knew how He planned to bring me through. He knew it, and He did it.

Jesus thank You that You are the good Shepherd. We can trust Your intentions, wisdom, strength and care… whatever happens. Please give us the faith and courage we need to stay by Your side instead of fleeing when we see danger.

Our song this week is an old hymn, “Be Thou My Vision,” sung here by Michael Card. This one was my sustaining prayer on the way into one of those valleys I saw coming and feared the way out of.

Our Good Shepherd

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The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Psalm 23:1, NIV*

This is a comfort psalm for many, and usually what stands out to me is the first part, about green pastures, still waters and a restored soul. I’m aware of other key points: the paths God chooses to guide me in are for the sake of His glory, and sometimes those paths are through dark or enemy-infested places.

Still, somehow I come away with a warm feeling and a sense of the message being about me: He cares for me, leads me, and “[s]urely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (verse 6, NIV*)

A few days ago I read the psalm again, still thinking about “my way or God’s way,” and saw it from a different angle. Don’t you love Scripture, the depths of meaning waiting to unfold?

Verse 4 talks about His rod and staff comforting us. I’ve heard it said the rod is for fighting off predators, the staff (or crook) for pulling sheep out of the messes they get into.

I’d always taken the “comfort” here to mean the actual use of these tools, but now I see knowing God’s strength and desire to care for us is part of the comfort. We don’t have to wait until the situation requires Him to use them.

If our confidence is in Him, we don’t need to fear or fret. With our eyes on Him, we see the psalm is really about Him anyway: He is the shepherd, He leads and provides, and it’s for His glory. The goodness and mercy we receive radiate from Him.

And yet it’s so typical of us to choose our own ways, follow our own inclinations and interests. We try to follow God, but on our own terms. In the little things, and then the bigger ones, we put distance between us and the Shepherd.

Father, thank You for Your goodness, mercy and compassion. Please forgive us for trying to shepherd ourselves in different parts of our lives. You know that never works out, and You are our Good Shepherd, ready and longing to draw us near again. Please help us to hear Your voice. Help us see our need, and when You restore us, help us discover the delight of staying at Your side. Because of Jesus, Amen.

Our song for this week is Todd Agnew‘s “Shepherd”

My Way or God’s Way

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And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:9-11, NIV*

Right now what stands out to me is the prayer to “discern what is best.” To choose God’s way even in the small details. My way may be good or not so good, but His way is best. That’s a fact of life. God, who is all-wise, will see what is best, while my clouded vision can’t guarantee the same.

Instead of spinning in circles because I have more to do than time to do it, I need to commit each day to God and asking Him to help me see where I should choose to spend my time. I get distracted so easily it isn’t funny, and then stress sets in because things pile up.

I’ve also been taking God’s Girl’s words to heart about following His way in even the trivial things. It’s amazing how many of these little things that seem so innocuous are really “my way or God’s way” choices. No wonder I’ve felt out of sorts.

Discerning what is best can include not only the best use of time and resources but the best response to a given situation. My friend Elsie wrote about this the other day, and it really hit home: will I “live under the influence of the Holy Spirit and behave like Jesus, or … ignore and neglect Him and do my own thing?” You can read her whole post here.

When a comment or situation triggers an automatic hurt or anger, I want to stop and ask myself how Jesus would respond. Well, sometimes he showed righteous anger, but He never pouted, sulked, or snapped back a cheap insult. His identity was secure in the Father, and He chose not to give in to those irritants that we can take so personally.

This is hard work, but it’s getting my focus off myself and onto God and others. My spirit feels better, too.

Father, please grow my love for You and dependence on You. Deepen my knowledge of Your ways…to Your glory and praise, and for my own peace of spirit.

Our song this week gives us perspective: Robin Mark singing “All for Jesus.”

Janet Sketchley

Writing Christian Mysteries & Suspense

Category Archives: Devotional

Equipped

A Satisfied Soul

Healing for the Soul

Taught by the LORD

Holy Awe

Unity

Haughty Eyes

Shepherded

Our Good Shepherd

My Way or God’s Way