Thanks to the Lord: Psalm 136:1

Snapdragon flowers

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
²Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
³Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-3 (NIV)

When worried and during times of stress, do we dwell on only our difficulties, or do we take time to count our blessings? It is easy to dwell on all that we are concerned about, but it is important to remember to thank the Lord for his unconditional love and His continuing blessings. To take time in prayer to give thanks to the Lord for He is God of gods, Lord of Lords, He is good, and His love endures forever.

The Lord is always open to our prayers, He is our rock and our salvation. His love endures forever. Do you take time in prayer to give thanks to the Lord?

Prayer: Our heavenly Father, we praise You and give thanks to You. Lord, You are our rock, our shelter, and our hope. We thank you, Lord, for the beauty that surrounds us, the hope we find in You, and the forgiveness that You grant us. As the bright and colorful snapdragon blossoms continue up the stem, help us to appreciate Your continuing grace and love for us. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Meditation of My Heart: Psalm 19:14

¹⁴Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Psalm 19:14 King James Version (KJV)

Lord, my strength and redeemer, let my words and actions praise you. Through Your grace, teach me to guide my lips, so I utter no evil. Let my actions be blameless, and my words pleasing to You. Help me to embrace Your Word and rest in Your strength. Lord, guide me, so the meditations of my heart, my thoughts are righteous and pure in Your sight. Lord, you are my rock, my redeemer. You deliver me from evil.

When you are unsure, confused, and afraid, what does your heart meditate on?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, let our words and actions praise and glorify You. Lead us on Your path of righteousness. Lord, like the petals of the phlox radiate from the center of the flower, let us radiate Your love in our words and in the meditation of our hearts. Guide us to be righteous and glorify Your name. Lord, you are our strength and our redeemer. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

“The Prayer”

This song is sung by Daddy Daughter Duet (Mat and Savanna Shaw)- “The Prayer” touched my heart today and I wanted to share the love, may this beautiful song bring you peace.

“The Prayer”

I pray you’ll be our eyes
And watch us where we go
And help us to be wise
In times when we don’t know

Let this be our prayer
When we lose our way
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.

I pray we’ll find your light
I pray we’ll find your light

And hold it in our hearts
And hold it in our hearts

When stars go out each night
When the stars go out each night

Remind us where you are.
Oohhh….

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
When shadows fill our day
When shadows fill our day
Lead us to a place
Guide us with your grace
To a place where we’ll be safe.
A world where pain and
sorrow will be ended
And every heart that’s
broken will be mended
And we’ll remember we
are all God’s children
Reaching out to touch you
Reaching to the sky.
We ask that life be kind
We ask that life be kind
And watch us from above
And watch us from above
We hope each soul will find
We hope each soul will find
Another soul to love
Another soul to love.

Let this be our prayer
Let this be our prayer
Just like every child.
Just like every child.
Needs to find a place
Guide us with your grace.
With your grace
Give us faith so we’ll be safe
Needs to find a place
Guide us with your grace.
Give us faith so we’ll be safe

lyrics: http://www.smule.com

A New Life in Christ: Colossians 3:1-2

creeping phlox in bloom

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Colossians 3:1-2 New International Version (NIV)

You have been raised to a new life with Christ, so set your hearts on things above. Focus on Jesus, who is seated at the right hand of God. Give all your anxious and troubled thoughts to Christ. Rather than dwelling on earthly things, instead, focus your attention on God, and spiritual thoughts. Let your actions reflect compassion, patience, and love for one another.

As Christians, you have been raised to a new life in Christ. When change comes, when the news is depressing and anxiety abounds, what is your mind set on?

Prayer: Our Father, we thank You for giving us a new life in Christ. Let our hearts and minds be set on things above us. Like the abundant star-like blossoms of the phlox, encourage us to blossom, reach towards the stars, and Your heavenly kingdom. Teach us to be more like Jesus, and act with compassion and love toward one another. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Trust in the Lord: Isaiah 26:4

“Trust in the LORD forever, for in the LORD GOD you have an everlasting rock.”
Isaiah 26:4 (ISV)

Trust in the Lord is believing in Him and His Word realizing that He is all-knowing, all-powerful, and is present everywhere. God is omnipresent, unchangeable, and has everlasting strength. He is our eternal rock, our Rock of Ages. In Him, we find protection and shelter He provides us with rock-solid security. When we rely on God, we find internal peace.

Where do you need to trust in the Lord to let go of anxiety and let God handle it?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, our protector, and rock show us Your way, and surround us with your protection. Guide our path and teach us to trust in You. Like the silver Artemisia plants adjoin the rock, help us to reach out and cling to You our Rock when we are anxious and afraid. Let us learn to rest in Your love and protection. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

God is For Us: Romans 8:31

Spring Magnolia

So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn’t hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing himself to the worst by sending his own Son, is there anything else he wouldn’t gladly and freely do for us?
Romans 8:31… The Message (MSG)

Where do you put your trust during times of crisis and moments of despair? The answer to that question and every other anxious question is God Our Father. When we reach out to Him and open our hearts to Him we realize if God is for us who can be against us and how can we lose? When the people had rejected God, He sent us His own Son, Jesus, to bring salvation. He demonstrated His unconditional love for us. Who do you turn too, who is on Your side? Our Almighty God.

The Lord is for us He is waiting to hear us call His name. Do you reach out to God when you are lost, confused, worried, or afraid?

Prayer: Our Father, we thank you for being on our side. We worship Your Holy Name and praise You. We realize with God for us, who can be against us. As the open blossoms of the Magnolia brighten our Spring day, reaching toward the sun, let us, in turn, open our hearts and reach out to You basking in the light of Your Son Jesus. Amen

Confident Hope of Salvation: Romans 5:3-5

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Roman 5:3-5 NLT

Our earthly problems and trials, help us to develop perseverance and endurance. Endurance strengthens our character, bringing God’s approval, and creating hope, a confident hope of salvation. This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his endless love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, His gift to us. For Christians, the hope of salvation keeps us rejoicing while going through problems and trials. The Lord is calling us closer to Him, to trust in Him more deeply.

When times are difficult are you able to rejoice, confident in the hope of salvation?

Prayer: Dear Lord, in difficult times, let us turn to you, You are our confident hope of salvation. Like the crocus has two sets of 3 petals that surround the center, we have the Holy Trinity that surrounds us with hope and love. We thank you and rejoice that the Holy Spirit fills our hearts with Your love. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Safe: Proverbs 18:10

¹⁰The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].
Proverbs 18:10 (AMP)

A mighty fortress is our God, a strong tower, our salvation, and hope for days to come. We can find strength in God’s word amid the struggles of life. Being righteous is acting in a way that glorifies the name of Jesus, and fulfills the Word of God. His love keeps us safe and secure. When in trouble, we should run to God in prayer.

Is God your safe tower, do you run to Him, when you feel insecure, lost or afraid?

Prayer: Lord, you are our strength, our fortified tower. Like the open blossoms of the water lily, reach toward the sun, help us to open our hearts and reach toward Jesus, Your Son. We thank You for Your open, loving arms, keeping us safe during life’s storms. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Peace like a River: Isaiah 48:18

¹⁸I wish you would pay attention to my commands.
If you did, peace would flow over you like a river.
Isaiah 48:18a New International Reader’s Version (NIRV)

The phrase peace like a river has been on my thoughts lately. The quiet, comforting peace that sitting beside a flowing river can bring. A quiet focus being still and listening for God’s whisper. God provides this peace like a river when we do His will. We need to trust and obey God, Our Father. Then our hearts and minds can receive a peace that transcends all understanding through His son, Jesus Christ (Phil. 4:7).

God can help when you are anxious and depressed. Jesus can center us with a peace that transcends understanding. Where is peace like a river missing in your life?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for the joy and peace that You bring in our lives. Help us to rest and be still and follow Your will. Like the colorful Crocus, are harbingers of Spring let us be followers of Your Word and let Your peace flow over us like a river. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Comfort: 2 Corinthians 1:4

⁴He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.
2 Corinthians 1:4 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord comforts us in all our troubles. He is with us when we need him, when our hearts are sad, and when we need His strength. God is our hope and gives us peace. He comforts us we, in turn, need to be willing to reach out and comfort others. God often put us in situations where we can add sunshine and comfort to someone else cloudy day. My heart is sad. Our beloved dog Remy crossed over the rainbow bridge this weekend. His pain is gone. His memories treasured.

How has one of God’s beautiful animals made a difference in your life?

Prayer: Our Heavenly Father, we are blessed by Your unconditional love. Thank you for the love we receive from our pets and friends. Help us to relax, enjoy, treasure each day, and sing in joy for all You have provided. Thank you for Your comfort and teach us to comfort others. Teach us to bask in the light of Your son, Jesus. Amen