I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)
How was your week? I’m going to be honest. There were parts of my week that were tough. I had no crisis. My children and grandchildren are well. My husband is healthy and despite some of the stressors of the week, our relationship is probably better than it was when we married in 1999.
This was an average week. But spiritually it wasn’t easy. Have you ever struggled spiritually through an “average week� I think it was the average-ness of it that made it difficult. I had to look for the blessings. I had to look for God in my week. It was the sameness; the tedium of the week. I had to keep doing what I have been doing. I felt discouraged that I was still doing ‘it’!!!
“O unbelieving and perverse generation,†Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?†Matthew 17:17 (NIV)
When I read the gospels it seems like Jesus led such an exciting and eventful three years. But from His perspective Jesus could have felt He was going over and over and over the same ‘stuff’ and that the twelve guys with Him were just not getting it! I don’t know that He felt ‘tedium’ – because Jesus got ‘it’!
In every day, God blesses me. He blesses me more than I can ask or imagine. He blesses me with opportunities. He blesses me with His words. He blesses me with His presence.
To receive these blessings, I have to…open up my eyes, ears, heart and receive the blessings! That goes back to something that I talk about frequently in these devotions. (That means God is talking frequently to me about it!) And that is TIME. Making God the top priority in my life and spending time with Him every day!!! If I only gave my husband a 10 minute, fly-by conversation every day our relationship would take a nose dive, wouldn’t it? If I only spend 10 minutes on my personal hygiene every day—not many people would want to stand next to me!!! So giving God 10 minutes sounds – ridiculous, doesn’t it? (sigh)
But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.
O my Strength, I sing praise to you;
you, O God, are my fortress, my loving God. Psalm 59:16-17 (NIV)
