Tag Archive | devotions

They that Wait for the Lord…

May6

FranticTo do listRecently my life has gotten very busy and stressed.  My calendar is full, my daily schedule seems impossible, and my “to do” list goes on for pages.

I’m anxious about the deadlines that I and others have set for me, and find myself biting my lip as once again what I’m working on just won’t go right!

Frantic womanI’m frustrated and irritable. I snap at the ones I love, who by the way are only trying to help. I feel like (and often do) scream to myself.  My head aches, my nerves are jittery, and I long for a nap.

Ever feel that way?

 

The only peace of my day comes from my early morning times of devotions with the Lord. In these, He focuses my mind on things above, on things that really count – things that HE wants done. He quiets my mind and helps me to prioritize my tasks for the day (if I will only follow through!).

Here are some verses He’s led me to in these mornings with Him. These will go at the top of my “to do” list.

Psalm 37:7 – Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him.

Psalm 62:5 – “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him.”

Lamentations 3:24 –“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in Him. 

Psalm 46:10 – “Be still and know that I am the LORD.”

Psalm 37:34 – Wait for the LORD, and keep His way.

Psalm 40:1 – “I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.”

 Psalm 5:3 – “O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice!”

  Zephaniah 3:17b – The LORD your God is in your midst…He will quiet you by His love.

Psalm 131:2 – “I have calmed and quieted my soul.”

Isaiah 30:15b – Thus said the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, “…in quietness and rest shall be your strength.”

Isaiah 40:31 – They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Lamentations 3:25-26 – The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.  It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Psalm 27:14 – Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage. Wait for the LORD.

 

 

 

 

Worldliness and The Word

May2

ipad_mini 2254930bHalf way through my allotted time for Bible Reading and Prayer this morning, I was reading emails and posting on Facebook from my iPad.  My Bible, prayer journal and pen, and my “Morning & Evening” devotional book by Charles Spurgeon lay beside me…unopened. 

Once again I had been lured away from spending that first hour or two of the day with my God in prayer and reading the Word.

Half, yes, HALF of my precious time was gone! I’d wasted it on frivolous things, seeing who was ‘following’ me, who wanted to ‘like’ me or comment on a post I wrote, or who ‘desperately’ needed an email response from me right now!

Me. Me. Me.  All me, and not a thought for my God…  Groan.

O Father in Heaven,  I am so guilty of breaking Your first commandment, of putting other things (gods) before you in my heart and mind. Why did they seem so important?

I want to love You and serve You and obey You with ALL my heart. O please forgive me. Cleanse my heart and mind of worldliness and selfishness and glory-seeking. May I not presume on Your grace and mercy and love.  They are so precious to me. I thank You for grace and for forgiveness which was bought for me with the blood and death on the cross of your precious Son, Jesus.

And yet, I keep sinning this way, putting other things (self) before You in my heart and mind. I’m acting as if Your Word were only there “in case of emergency” or to read “if I have extra time.” But I love You! I love your Word!  I hate that I am so easily lured away.

Father, use the Sword of the Spirit (Your Word) to prick and slice and stab me when I seek other things before and besides You. Remind me that without You I am lost. Without Your Word  I am adrift with no way to hear Your Voice.

  • “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” ~~~ 1 John 2:15
  • “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” ~~~ Matthew 22:37
  • “I love you, O Lord, my strength!” ~~~ Psalm 18:1
  • “Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things!” ~~~ Psalm 119.37
  • “I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes. ” ~~~ Psalm 119:48
  • “(My) delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law (I will) meditate day and night.” ~~~ Psalm 1:2
  • “O God, You are my God; early will I seek you…”  “My soul will be satisfied… when I remember you upon my bed and meditate on you in the watches of the night.” ~~~ Psalm 63, 1, 5-6