Category: actions

Time for patience

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Advent is here and the theme of the thoughts for this season.

patience advent

We are not good a waiting. Really, that is an understatement. We have a society of instant gratification. We want it and we want it now! When I worked for a group of pediatricians one of them said people expected a drive-by window where he would reach out and putting hands on the child say “heal.”

Advent is a time of waiting….waiting for the greatest gift mankind has ever had. Waiting for a baby. Expecting.

We must appreciate this time and use it. It is a time to ready ourselves for the gift!

Loving God, we wait. Help us to curb our impatience and use this time to think about the gift to come. AMEN

Seek forgiveness

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 32:3-5

3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up[a] as by the heat of summer. 

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

seek forgiveness

We cannot hide from God. When we do the burden of our sins can overcome us. We have to confess the sins that God already knows. Then the weight of them can be lifted away. Our sins can be forgiven. Thank God!

Compassionate God, we are so blessed that your son died for our sins. We can be forgiven. AMEN

See God

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 27: 13-14

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

see God

We can see God. We see him in the faces of friends and family. We see him in the little happenings of each day. We see him in the world around us. We can even see him in suffering and pain. If we pay attention we can see him. Open you eyes to see!

 

Turn away from fear

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 27: 1

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold[a] of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

Fear-Not-600x400

We are afraid of so many things. We fear not being liked. We fear losing the things we have accumulated. We fear not having enough. We fear being alone. I could go on and on. Yet there is no reason for this. We must turn to our God and push away fear. God is with us…what more do we need?

Understanding God, you know our fears and our weaknesses and yet we are loved. Help us to turn to you and away from fear. AMEN

Follow the path

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 23: 3b

He leads me in right paths[c]
    for his name’s sake.

right path

This little snippet of the Psalm packs a powerful punch. God want to help us make right choices. If only we would spend time in prayer and listen to God. We don’t take the time and we wander off in the wrong direction. God wants us to behave in such a way that others will say “I want to be like you are. You are an example that I want to follow.” This is what brings people to God. Not the sermons or lectures about God but our behavior. Our actions are the things that influence others.

God, you will show us the right paths if we listen. Help us to be the example of your path in the world. AMEN

You don’t answer

worrylessjourney1 Comment

Psalm 22: 1-22

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
    Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer;
    and by night, but find no rest.

bad things happen

This Psalm is used during lent. It is a cry for help. We also cry out to God for help and we don’t always see an answer. It is one of the difficult things that Christians deal with. Why would a God who loves us so leave us to suffer? It seems that either God is not there or not answering. I wish that I had a perfect answer to this problem. I don’t but I do trust that God loves us and wants the best for us. The best may not be what we expected.

I heard about a minister who was dying with a very painful disease. Everyone was praying for him to be spared. It did not happen. What did happen is that the pain stopped and the last days of his life were blessed to be pain free. For this he thanked and praised God.

Sometimes the answer to our prayers is not what we asked but it always is the answer of our loving God.

God of mercy, we know you hear our prayers and love us beyond measure. Help us to not expect to know all the answers. AMEN

Think

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 19:14

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
    be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

dangers-of-tongue

A lot of preachers use this verse before beginning a sermon. I imagine that most of the time they have a plan about what they will say. That is not always true of the rest of us. Too often we don’t think about what we are saying. The words just rush out and we often wish we could take them back. Our hasty words can injure others. My father used to say “put your brain in gear before you put your mouth in motion.” Wise words indeed.

Patient God, help us to think before speaking so that our words can be acceptable in your sight. AMEN

God’s wisdom

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 19:7-10

7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
    reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
    making wise the simple;
8 the precepts of the Lord are right,
    rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
    enlightening the eyes;
9 the fear of the Lord is pure,
    enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
    and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
    even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
    and drippings of the honeycomb.

God’s desires for us have always been there. Here they are in David’s words.We are so blind that we don’t see the truth. We don’t see how to live a life of love. Finally he sent us an example whose life we are to emulate. Do we get it yet?

Lord, open the eyes of our hearts. AMEN

Let our praises join in

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 19: 1-4

1 The heavens are telling the glory of God;
    and the firmament[a] proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech,
    and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words;
    their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice[b] goes out through all the earth,
    and their words to the end of the world.

Word6

Everything is praising God. How wonderful if we could hear it all. The trees, the grass, the flowers are all crying out in praise. All the animals and insects. All things are praising God. Where are we in all of this? We go about our day and forget. We don’t join our praises with all the rest. We must praise and thank God!

Patient God, help us to remember to praise you at all times. Help us to join our voices with the rest of the earth. AMEN

Act

worrylessjourneyLeave a comment

Psalm 16:7-8

7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

act

The Lord does give us counsel. However, we do have to listen and then act. His counsel is immaterial if we chose not to act on it. Have you ever woken in the night with someone on your mind? Someone random? I have and I finally got the idea to pray for that person. I had no idea why. As far as I knew there was no problem. Later on I would find that the person needed prayer. I am not always that good at listening but I know that I must pay attention and hear when God speaks. It is not always easy. “Be still and know that I am God.”

Intimate God, you know us well. We don’t always pay attention or follow through. Help us to be still and listen. AMEN