Day 50: Jesus, You Make Me Sing In The Storm

Are you in a storm right now in your life? Be encouraged - you can sing even in the storm. Jesus gives you joy and peace not “because of” the circumstances, but “in spite of” the circumstances. David knew the dark storms of life, as is evidenced in Psalm 13. But at the end of the psalm, he was able to say “”I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:6). Here is a quote from my book Pilgrimage Of The Heart:

“The winds can rage, the sky can be dark, and yet a bird can sit in the hollow of a tree and sing the most beautiful song. The bird is created to sing and God has given it the song. The bird does not sing because of the storm but in spite of the storm. In the same way, there is a point in the trial where finally you are able to turn from despair to trust in the love of God. At long last, you see truths that stand firm, no matter the darkness. Those truths give you a reason to rejoice. They become the words of the song that God gives you in the dark night of the soul. And then, you can finally sing.”

God bless you, dear friend, and whatever is going on, lean in to the embrace of Jesus, and sing.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for being the reason I sing today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 49: Jesus, You Awaken Me For Quiet Time

I love the early mornings with the Lord. Just yesterday, a friend asked me what time I arise for quiet time in the morning. I hesitate sharing my response because I don’t want anyone to think my time should be their time for quiet time. I have been an early morning person since I was born. What can I say? I awaken a short time before 4 am almost every day (sometimes 5 am:)). I’m so awake by 4 am most days that I must get up and get going.

In one of Isaiah’s Servant Songs about the Messiah, this early morning is seen: “Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught” (Isaiah 50:4). Jesus often arose early in the morning to talk with His Father alone, apart from others. We see Jesus’ early morning example in Mark 1:35, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

So much happens in those early morning hours alone with the Lord. I love how it is still dark outside. I grab a steaming cup of coffee. If it’s cold outside, sometimes I turn on this virtual fireplace I have on DVD that even makes crackling sounds. Okay, you can stop laughing ☺. But I like the ambience of a wonderful fire and we don’t have a real fireplace and the virtual one is pretty cool! Then, I grab my devotionals, Bible, and Quiet Time Notebook and sit with the Lord preparing my heart for time alone with Him. I am loving Streams in the Desert right now. In fact, the whole topic of morning quiet time was the focus of Streams today. The verses were Exodus 34:2-3 where God is speaking to Moses: “Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mountain.” Then, I read this devotion today and just got SO excited about morning quiet time with the Lord:

“The morning watch is essential. You must not face the day until you have faced God, nor look into the face of others until you have looked into His. You cannot expect to be victorious, if the day begins only in your own strength. Face the work of every day with the influence of a few thoughtful, quiet moments with your hear and God. Do not meet other people, even those of your own home, until you have first met the great Guest and honored Companion of your life—Jesus Christ. Meet Him alone. Meet Him regularly. Meet Him with His open book of counsel before you; and face the regular and the irregular duties of each day with the influence of His personality definitely controlling your every act.”

Don’t those words encourage you to make the most of your time and draw near to your Lord! I must say – I DO love the morning hours with the Lord. So much has been accomplished over the years early in the morning with the Lord. I just finished writing my 21st book and I can truthfully say that the Lord has given and developed EVERY idea for each of those books early in the morning alone with Him. I can think clearly when I sit alone with Him. I love to think deeply about what He is saying in His Word and then write about it in my quiet time notebook. I remember the day He showed me that hope comes from the promises He gives in His Word (Lamentations 3:21-23). I remember the morning He showed me in Psalm 9:10 that trust comes from knowing His names (His character and attributes). One morning He took me from Luke 10:42 to a cross-reference in Psalm 27:4 and that verse became my life verse. Then, there was the morning deep in a dark night of the soul when He took me to Psalm 84:5 and I realized I needed to set my heart on pilgrimage. That verse altered the course of my life when I learned that I could not set my roots deep down in the things on earth and that true life, real life was found in God and God alone. Out of that verse came my very first book, Pilgrimage of the Heart. Then, there was the quiet time when the Lord took me through Psalm 119 and I saw a repeated word – revive. Through that word and subsequent study in my quiet time, I learned all about personal, spiritual revival. That led to my book of quiet times, Revive My Heart, and the 30 day journey, Set My Heart On Fire. I could go on and on. An unbelievable adventure of discovery, joy, and radical intimacy with the King of Kings awaits any who are willing to draw near and know Him.

I do indeed love the early morning hours. Some may need the quiet of the night. Whenever you choose to spend time with Him, you will never be disappointed. A feast awaits you! Oh, and I did a little math. Did you know that if you arise at 5 am instead of 7 am, those two extra hours a day give you an extra month of awake hours (quiet time with the Lord) a year! Yes, you heard me correctly – check it out for yourself. Take 2 hrs and multiply it by 365 days and you come up with 730 hrs. Then divide 730 by 24 (hrs in a day), and you will get 30.416 days. One solid month with Jesus a year! Now that’s what I call quiet time! God bless you as you continue on in this great adventure of knowing Him.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for the incredible blessing of time alone with you in the early morning hours. I look forward to our next time together and my ears are open to hear You speak. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 48: Jesus, You Desire My Devotion

Are you a Martha or a Mary in your devotion to the Lord? Martha was distracted and Mary was devoted. Martha was worried and bothered about many things. Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet, listening to His Word (Luke 10:38-42). Growing in my devotion as a “Mary”, sitting at the Lord’s feet, hearing Him speak in His Word, is absolutely vital especially when I am faced with pressing difficulties. Today I read in Streams In The Desert: “Often God seems to place His children in positions of profound difficulty, leading them into a wedge from which there is no escape…It is a platform for the display of His almighty grace and power. He will not only deliver you; but in doing so, He will give you a lesson that you will never forget.” When I am a “Mary”, then I can hear the Lord’s encouragement and find strength to face every new day. I can find promises in His Word that tether my soul to Him so I walk with hope and joy. David, the man after God’s own heart, knew this secret. He had developed the habit of pouring out his soul to the Lord and inquiring of God when faced with big decisions. He cried out to God when he was in trouble and relied on God’s strength and help for great tasks. Today, let’s be a Mary, or a David, and devote ourselves to our Lord.

My Response: Lord Jesus, You applauded Mary’s heart of devotion and said she had chosen what could never be taken from her. Today I choose to be a Mary, sit at Your feet and listen to Your Word. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 47: Jesus, You Have Made Me For Yourself

Have you wondered about your purpose in life? My husband’s grandfather used to ask his family, “What’s it all about?”, to stimulate lively conversation at the dinner table. The Lord took me on a journey today in His Word to teach me a powerful truth about His desires and purposes for me. He took me first to Leviticus 22:31-33, part of my reading in the God Sightings version of the NLT One Year Bible. Here’s what I read:

“You must faithfully keep all my commands by putting them into practice, for I am the LORD. Do not bring shame on my holy name, for I will display my holiness among the people of Israel. I am the LORD who makes you holy. It was I who rescued you from the land of Egypt, that I might be your God. I am the LORD.”

As I read those words, the NT verses, Colossians 1:13-14, immediately came to my mind. I firmly believe that when Scripture comes to our mind, the Holy Spirit is speaking to us and leading us there. So we MUST turn to those verses in our Bibles and read and think about what God is saying. In those verses I learn that God has “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” God rescued the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt and took them to the promised land. He says in Leviticus that He accomplished that amazing rescue to be their God and to display His holiness among them. A much greater rescue has now taken place for us. God has rescued us from darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of Jesus. Peter elaborates in 1 Peter 2:9-10 where I learn that I am now the Lord’s possession – I’m chosen, royal, and holy – He has called me out of darkness into His marvelous light. And now, I am to proclaim my Lord’s excellencies. At one time I didn’t belong to Him, but now I’m His. At one time I had not received mercy, but now I have received mercy. Finally, the Lord took me to Isaiah 43:20-21 where God speaks about His “chosen people”. He calls them “the people I formed for Myself that they might declare My praise.”

I see through all of these passages that the Lord has made me for Himself. I exist for Him. That’s really what life is all about. It’s not about work or even ministry, but Him! Everything else is the result of and flows out of my intimate relationship with my Lord. And so, my focus must always be riveted on Him. I must let nothing pull my eyes away from Him.

The reading in Leviticus 22:17-23:44 in the New Living Translation was just amazing. I was underlining everything. What I saw was that the Lord rescued His people for Himself. And then He gave them official days and festivals to celebrate Him. These were times where they stepped away from “ordinary work” (Leviticus 23:8) to officially observe the Lord, give Him gifts, celebrate and worship Him, and display and declare their praise and holiness (set apart for God). The Lord encouraged me today that I need to officially celebrate Him every moment, hour, day, week, month and year. I spend time with Him not out of duty but out of delight and devotion. I’m going to say along with David, “I WILL celebrate the LORD” (2 Samuel 6:21).

So today, rejoice in the fact that you are made for Your Lord. And more than anything, He desires that you celebrate Him out of a heart of delight and devotion. As Peter said, you are “a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who call you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (1 Peter 2:9-10). So may you step away from the ordinary, focus on your Lord, and proclaim His excellencies with your words and with your life.

My Response: Lord Jesus, I am officially thrilled today to belong to You. Thank You for designing me for Yourself that I might praise and celebrate and delight in You. Like David, I resolve to celebrate You today. In Jesus name, Amen.

Day 46: Jesus, You Make Me Brand New

Have you ever wished you could fly? Well, in God’s economy we are given wings like eagles, we can run and not get tired, and walk and not become weary (Isaiah 40:28-30). I love thinking about how the Lord has made me a new creature; the old things have passed away and new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17). We need to remember that the Lord doesn’t alter something old, but instead makes us brand new. The word for transformation in Romans 12:2 is metamorphousthe and means an inward and complete change. The change the Lord works in us is seemingly unreal at times because we wrestle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. But, in fact, the Holy Spirit is now in us and we are “born again.” Sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Christ every day. We are sanctified and are “being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:10-14). In other words, we ARE a new creation and we are BECOMING who we really are. We grow and mature through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a reminder to all of us that we are made to fly – to soar with wings like eagles – and not live in the barnyard dirt of this world. We are like this butterfly and no longer the caterpillar it once was. We have been made into a brand new creation. So today, let’s fly! Let’s walk and talk with Jesus and follow Him wherever He leads.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You that You have made me brand new. I want to soar with You in life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 45: Jesus, You Lead Me On To A New Day

Jesus leads us out of despair, failure, difficulties, and sorrows on to a new place in His plan for our lives. When we are in the midst of these trials, we can feel as though we are in a black hole that goes on seemingly forever. But take heart. The Lord will lead you out. You see the Lord doing this again and again in Scripture. Look at the failure of Joseph’s brothers. They sold him into slavery and broke their father’s heart. But in the end, God was merciful even to them. Joseph rescued them in the great famine and brought them and their father to a safe place. When Joseph sent his brothers to bring the family back to Egypt, he said, “See that you do not become troubled along the way” (Genesis 45:24). I love those words. They point to a trustworthy God, who rescues us in spite of our failures. God can be trusted and He does not want us troubled along the way. Look at the disciples with Jesus. They could not stay awake with Jesus while in the garden of Gethsemane. They failed, not once or twice, but three times. Three times they could not watch and pray. Did Jesus fire them from serving Him? Did He leave them and look for better disciples? No! He said, “Get up, let us be going…” (Matthew 26:46). We need to remember that Jesus is so very different than people in the world. He does not respond or act the way people in the world react. He is more than a man…He is God. And He knows our hearts better than we understand ourselves. And He has taken us on as His own. He will lead us on to a new day. I firmly believe in the theology of the “new day” for failure, sin, sorry, difficulties, despair, and mourning. The Lord’s plan for us does NOT stop even though we feel we have come up against an immovable wall. The roadblocks we face in life are as paper to the Lord. I love what Oswald Chambers says: “The disciples went to sleep when they should have kept awake, and when they realized what they had done it produced despair. The sense of the irreparable is apt to make us despair, and we say – ‘it is all up now, it is no use trying any more.’ If we imagine that this kind of despair is exceptional, we are mistaken, it is a very ordinary human experience. Whenever we realize that we have not done that which we had a magnificent opportunity of doing, then we are apt to sink into despair; and Jesus Christ comes and says – ‘Sleep on now, that opportunity is lost forever, you cannot alter it, but arise and go to the next thing.’ Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ, and go out into the irresistible future with Him.”

My Response: Lord Jesus, today I lift my eyes from every crushing thing that could weigh me down and follow You as You lead me on into the irresistible future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 44: Jesus, You Give Grace For My Need

In my greatest trials, I struggle with a sense of helplessness. No wonder the author of Hebrews says, “So then, since we have so great a High Priest who has entered heaven; Jesus, the Son of God; let us hold firmly to what we believe” (Hebrews 4:14). Holding firmly to what we believe is a challenge, especially when everything seems to be falling apart before our very eyes. We need to remember that in Jesus, “all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). The great trials occur in seasons, and don’t last forever. Difficulties have time stamps on them. In the greatest challenges of our lives we need endurance. The Holy Spirit is our Helper and He will use the Word of God to strengthen our heart, enabling us to endure and “hold firmly to what we believe.” What should we do first when we find ourselves helpless and losing our grip on faith in God’s Word? Again, the writer of Hebrews gives us the answer. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT). When the Lord gives you grace, He pours out everything you need in your trial. You may sit and cry for awhile. But finally, remember to draw near to the throne of grace, and pour out your need to your Lord. Then, dry your eyes, get up, and keep going in the strength of your Lord. You will be amazed to discover that things look different after you’ve been to the throne of grace. Why? Because you are different. Grace never fails to change you, strengthen you, and move you on to a new place in your relationship with the Lord. So today, find courage in a fresh supply of grace for every one of your needs.

My Response: Lord Jesus, I come to You now with my need. I lay out my helplessness before You. I have a lack of answers for my difficulties, but I know that You have grace enough to match every one of my needs. Help me continue to run with endurance the race that is set before me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 43: Jesus, You Are My Blessed Hope

We live in that sometimes uncomfortable place of the “now and not yet.” The future for any who know Christ is bright and filled with promise. There will come a day when we have a true face-to-face experience with the Lord Jesus Christ. He will “appear” and we will see the magnificent glory of His appearing. Titus 2:13-14 says that we are “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” Malachi 3:16-17 speaks of the time when the Lord makes up His “treasured possession.” He says “They will be Mine” (Mal.3:17). I wonder if we realize just how precious we are to the Lord. I wonder if we know His own personal longing to hold His treasure close to His heart in eternity forever and ever. Such an experience for us will be like the sunrise – a dawning of a new day. All shadows will flee and sorrows disappear. Until then, may we heed the words of Paul written to Titus and “wait for the blessed hope,” giving ourselves to Him and serving tirelessly until we step from time into eternity.

My Response: Lord Jesus, I am learning to wait in the midst of all challenges, sorrows, darkness, frustration, and difficulties. You are my blessed hope and Your appearing changes the landscape of every day. Shine brightly in and through Me and touch the lives of those around me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 42: Jesus, Your Word Satisfies My Soul

Have you ever eaten a meal and you still experienced hunger pangs long after the last bite? The Lord lays out a feast for us in His Word. And while our hunger for His Word grows and grows, our heart is satisfied every time we enjoy its delicacies. We are to let the word of Christ richly dwell in us (Colossians 3:16). That means we must eat extravagantly from its treasure. I enjoy meals from the psalms almost every day. And then, using the Daily Light devotional, I have an appetizer of related verses on particular topics. Using one of my devotional Bibles and a current Bible study, I feast at great length in a particular passage of Scripture. And then, there is always that one verse that I carry with me as takeout, enjoying it moment by moment throughout the day. So today, are you hungry? Be a Jeremiah, who said, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16).

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You today for the rich delicacy of Your Word. I am going to enjoy this feast through the day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Day 41: Jesus, You Are My Audience

I dance for the Lord and no one else. Yesterday I heard the story of a woman who played for a Philharmonic orchestra – can’t remember the instrument she played. Anyhow, she received a standing ovation. The next morning the critics in the paper were brutal about her performance. A reporter asked her how it made her feel to receive such harsh criticism after receiving a standing ovation the night before. She replied, “I listen to neither the crowds nor the critics, only the conductor. He alone knows whether I gave a good performance. I loved that story for it is the same with us. We must live in the audience of our Lord, and look for His smile. In Streams in the Desert today, Mrs. Charles Cowman said that the apostle Paul “did not count as we are apt to count; he did not care for ease; he did not care for his mortal life. He cared for only one thing, and that was to be loyal to Christ, to have His smile.” Those are good words for today. “I count all things as loss in view of the priceless privilege of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8 Williams Translation).

My Response: Lord Jesus, today I pray that You will give me the sense of Your Presence and remind me that I live for You and You alone. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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