Jody's Devotionals

Daily Choices

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Once again Jesus spoke to the people. This time he said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life.” John 8:12 (CEV)

Have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night and headed to the bathroom, only to stub your toe on a chair that shouldn’t be in your path? I can imagine many nodding heads! I do not turn on the light because of some flawed logic that says I am being kind to my sleeping husband. The logic is flawed because there is an even-money chance I will stumble into something and my cry will certainly awaken the neighbors as well as my husband!

Without light the plant will die. A plant needs light to convert that energy to a chemical energy that will allow the plant to grow, reproduce, etc. And a plant, if it isn’t growing, is dying.

Fear lives in darkness. [Jesus said,]Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known.3 Whatever you say in the dark will be heard when it is day. Whatever you whisper in a closed room will be shouted from the housetops.” (Luke 12:2-3,CEV) Anything that is of satan and his little minions comes from darkness. It is where fear lives. Oh how often I have had trouble sleeping because some “thing” keeps replaying in my head? An unknown something that becomes a worry that winds and winds through me in the darkness. When I pick up my Bible and read 3-4 of God’s promises, the darkness is shattered and I rest in His assurance of His love and care.

Half light can be worse than no light. It came to me in the last year as I was studying the gospel accounts of Jesus’ temptation by satan (that is in all 4 gospels by the way!) and how satan tempted the Messiah with twisted, half-truths of Scripture. Why wouldn’t he do the same to me? It is so important that I study God’s word and not just by myself. I need to strike “iron against iron” (Proverbs 27:17) with my brothers and sisters, Believers. Many who have believed in God have been led astray because they thought every Believer they met was flawed in some way and so they chose to become a “fellowship of me and Jesus.” That was never Jesus’ plan because He knew the devil prowled around like a hungry lion looking to pick off the loners (1 Peter 5:8).

Every day I make choices between God’s way and my way or someone else’s way. Now that someone may be a well-intentioned person; it could be someone speaking what satan whispered in their ear. How do I know God’s voice? How do I know His voice from someone else, even myself?

I know my husband’s voice because I hear it every day. I have spent a lot of time with him. I will know God’s voice when I spend a lot of time listening to Him.

I also know my husband because I know his character. When I spend a lot of time with God I learn His character in His Word and in what He places in my heart.

Even when I know God’s voice and His character, daily choices can be hard. Putting God as the #1 priority means I trust Him for the rest. “Seek God’s Kingdom (do His Kingdom work first) and He will take care of everything else I need” (Matthew 6:33). Do I trust God for that? Do my daily choices reflect my trust? What choices will I make today?

Give Me Jesus written by Fernando Ortega and sung by Vince Gill

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Slippery Slopes

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from January 21, 2011]

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.” Matthew 5:8 (The Message)

The KJV and many versions state this verse as “blessed are the pure in heart.” Jesus is exhorting us to cleanse our hearts so that we are not “whitewashed tombs” (Matthew 23:27); clean on the outside and stinking on the inside. It is living on that slippery slope of trying to look like something different than I really am.

A friend and teacher, Dr. Alden Thompson, was the first one to introduce me to the concept of a “slippery slope.” One of the examples that he gave was when you hold your religious beliefs so tightly and in such a tiny “box” that when God acts outside the box, our faith takes a severe blow and we are in crisis.

One night (maybe a dozen years ago) during a sharing time at a Sunday evening worship, a young man stood up and spoke straight in my heart. He told us his story of how God had brought him out of alcohol and his life was changed. He read the Bible and prayed. He was happy. He thought he had “arrived.” And so he missed a Bible study or worship time when he had to work late the night before. No big deal. Then it was 2-3 misses. Then a month. He said it seemed like “no time at all” and he was back drinking more than he ever had before. He almost died. He told us he had reached a “spiritual plateau” where he thought he couldn’t fall. He was wrong. With tears, he said he felt he now had a glimpse of how precious was his relationship with God. If his body and mind needed daily “exercise” to stay healthy and grow then so did his spirit. I have never forgotten Teddy’s words.

Each of us have potential slippery slopes in our lives. We have areas that temptation finds weakness to plant its sly, insidious fungus that will infect and destroy. Alcohol is a weakness for me. I have no spiritual (Biblical) problem with drinking in moderation. If wine was good enough for Jesus, then drinking wine (or whatever alcohol) with dinner, in moderation, is not a sin. (Drunkenness is. Romans 13, Galatians 5, 1 Peter 4) One drink is for me, however. The day after my divorce was final I heard God’s voice speak to me as clearly as any human voice. “Jody, you do not need to drink alcohol. It is a slippery slope for you.” Now I have always been a independent and stubborn all my life. (Ask my older brother!) But since I had drank a six-pack of beer the day before when I came home from court, I decided maybe God had some wisdom! I don’t drink just one drink. So I will listen to God and not drink alcohol.

What is your slippery slope? What is it in your life you know God is trying to cleanse out of your heart and mind? Is it gossip or a critical tongue? Is it the literature you read or the movies you watch? And hear me clearly: Let me pay attention to God speaking about cleaning me and not try to place this ‘word’ on others in a critical, judgmental way! Didn’t Jesus say something about the plank in my eye vs. the sawdust in someone else’s (Luke 6:41)?

I want to be pure in heart and mind. I want to stay away from the edges of slippery cliffs. I want to see God. I need to see God. I want my life to be like “Windex glass.” Crystal clear. No shadowy, smokey glass. Clear eyes being the lamp that gives light in my cleansed mind and spirit (Matthew 6:22-23). Help me, LORD!

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10 (KJV)

Put Your Hand in the Hand written by Gene MacLellan & sung by Ocean

Posted in Matthew, Psalms | Comments Off

The Persecuted

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from January 15, 2011]

[Jesus said,] “God’s divine care is on those who are persecuted for standing up for their relationship with God. They will surely have a place in His Kingdom.” Matthew 5:10 (my paraphrase)

I want to say from the beginning that I, personally, have never been persecuted for my faith in Jesus Christ. Yes, people have made fun of me. I have been ignored and disliked but never anything close to persecution.

For me, persecution describes the Holocaust, Jews and Gentiles alike who stood for God and went through horrific suffering and death because they would not deny who they were and to Whom they belonged. Persecution describes those in parts of Africa and Asia and the Middle East who live where belief in Yahweh and His Son, Jesus, have evoked hatred dating back to Isaac and Ishmael. ‘They’ say, “Jihad” means holy war. ‘They’ said “Crusades” were holy wars. How can hatred be holy?

It is the insidious virus that slides under my door to woo me away from my conversation with God (prayer), study of His Word, and worship that is my identifiable persecution. I am drawn in ten different directions with plenty of excuses as to why God is not the #1 priority in my life. I ‘wimp’ on peer pressure so that I do not come across “too holy” or as a “Jesus fanatic,” smiling at suggestive jokes around the workplace and shrugging my shoulders when people ask about my faith. I do not want to offend so I stand for nothing.

I believe everyone should go on a mission trip. Whether it is in the hills of Appalachia or in a more distant land in Central America or eastern Europe or Africa. It is in leaving my comfort zone that I learned what others continue to sacrifice daily to stand for God. Traveling 1-4 hours to worship on the Sabbath is normal. Meeting in secret in a home church that, for safety reasons, changes every week is normal. When a teacher comes to share about Jesus from America and you volunteer to translate his words for your friends and family, do not be surprised to run for your life from the local police. You may even be asked to renounce what you believe … or die.

Just like the martyrs of the first century Church, these followers of Jesus Christ are assured by Him that He has prepared a place for them. If I stand as a disciple of Jesus Christ, He will stand for me through all eternity. If I am ashamed of Him, He will be ashamed of me (Luke 9:25-27). It was that point that brought me to my knees 15+ years ago. That night I said that I would face a firing squad and still kneel before Jesus in repentance. I haven’t changed my mind or lost my resolve. May Jesus find me faithful through plenty and persecution, just as He is faithful.

Find Us Faithful written by Jon Mohr & sung by Steve Green

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Poor in Spirit

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from January 14, 2011]

Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 5:1-3 (WEB)

I have never been to Israel but if I ever went, the mountain is one of the places I would want to go. It is my idea of heaven…sitting on a mountainside, listening to Jesus. Tradition tells me that teachers of the day taught from a sitting position. They did not pace in front of their students or stand behind a podium in a position of dominance. They sat down and spoke.

Luke tells us in his gospel (Luke 4:18) that Jesus came out of the desert, went to the synagogue and gave His first teaching from Isaiah, proclaiming that He came to preach the good news to the poor. Here we have Matthew reporting Jesus’ first teaching and that the first group that will be blessed are those who are poor in spirit. What does that mean? What does it mean to lack or be in need in your spirit?

I think when Jesus sat down and looked out over this crowd, He saw the salt of the earth. He did not see any kings. He did not see soldiers. I bet if there were any Scribes and Pharisees there – they would have been standing in the back (with their arms folded!). Those who were seated and waiting with expectation were at the end of their rope. They had little in earthly possessions. They had been taught that only those in favor with God were blessed with great wealth. Perfect offerings in the temple cost money! These people truly were in doubt about their relationship with God because of their station in life. They truly were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).

Jesus is stating these people are the very ones for whom God is building a kingdom. He is telling them that “down is up”! (By the way, I suspect the Scribes and Pharisees were hearing that “up is down”!) Jesus has proclaimed Hope in this promise.

“Poor in spirit” is a malady in our 21^st century to be avoided. Even if you have very little in the natural, the world tells us that we are important. The need of the individual always outweighs the need of the many. I am encouraged to align myself with an identifiable group and proclaim my status. P-R-I-D-E.

Jesus shows me how to surrender. He shows me how to be obedient, even to death on a cross. Jesus shows me how to be a servant. If I want to be great in God’s Kingdom then I need to put on my apron and start washing some feet.

Jesus proclaims this blessing when I know I am nothing and God is everything. When I am poor, Jesus proclaims me to be rich. I have had times in my life when I listened to what others thought or judged me to be. I have listened to the nasty, sneaky voice in my head who recalled every time I made a mistake or the wrong decision. It’s like leaving an audio recording on continuous loop. Jesus is reminding me He has paid the price for all those “mistakes” (sins) and He has picked me up and blessed me. In His power, I need to tell the voice in my head to “shut up” and listen only to His voice. It is His words that are Life.

The Prayer Anthem sung by Carmen

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What is a blessing?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from January 13, 2011]

I am studying some of the principles of my faith. Over the next few days I am going to be sharing some of the basics that have been the foundation that continues to feed into my growth.

I am starting with the Matthew 5 and the Beatitudes. That brings me to a question: What is a blessing? When I think of God blessing me, it is both a spiritual and natural declaration of divine care. That is new consideration for me. Those who know me may find that surprising as I usually close my personal emails with “BLESSINGS!”. I had not considered the … wonder … of what I was doing. I am glad that God wanted to say something to people through me – and I wasn’t aware of it!

Asking God to bless someone is, to me, the perfect prayer. It is the part of my prayer for anyone that assures me that I am asking God to give that person exactly what they need. I may think of someone during the day (or night) and have no idea what is going on in their life – but God does. Asking Him to bless them means I want His hand upon them in whatever way they have a need. If there is someone who has hurt me or angered me in some way, I can ask God to honestly bless them. I take me out of the equation and let Him love them.

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Romans 12:14 (NLT)

And Paul exhorts me to bring it on to the next level. Ask for divine care on people who persecute me! I have had people openly dislike me. I doubt they “persecuted” me the way that Paul had personal knowledge of persecution. But nonetheless, Paul is showing me the way Jesus lived. Jesus truly blessed Paul and Paul (Saul) truly persecuted Jesus! Paul knows what he is talking about when he tells me that blessing those who persecute me is living like Jesus. That is where I want to be.

My children are grown. They have children of their own. They live hundreds, even thousands, of miles away from me. Prayer is not restricted by miles. Some might think that it gets easier as a parent when your children are adults. I don’t think so. Choices get more difficult. Responsibilities increase. I probably spend more time praying for my children now than I did when they were children. They need God’s blessings, His divine care. God knows their hearts. He knows where they are in their relationship with Him. God wants that relationship more than I do. He blesses them to bring them closer to Him. I want that, too.

To bless, to consecrate and declare sacred, catches God’s ear and I suspect pleases our Father that we are about carrying His blessings into all the world.

The LORD Bless You & Keep You written by John Rutter & sung by The Cambridge Singers

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God’s Faithfulness

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus crossed Lake Galilee, which was also known as Lake Tiberias. 2 A large crowd had seen him work miracles to heal the sick, and those people went with him. 3-4 It was almost time for the Jewish festival of Passover, and Jesus went up on a mountain with his disciples and sat down.

5 When Jesus saw the large crowd coming toward him, he asked Philip, “Where will we get enough food to feed all these people?”6 He said this to test Philip, since he already knew what he was going to do. John 6:1-6 (CEV)

The story of Jesus feeding 5,000+ people from the offering of five barley loaves and two fish is told by all four gospel writers. To me, this means there are important teachings for me to know. So I am going to cut to the point God is speaking to me today through this passage. God’s faithfulness has never been dependent upon mine.

Is there a question or circumstance in your life that seems as improbable as feeding 5,000 people without an easily identified resource? “I don’t know what to do, God! I don’t have that kind of money. There aren’t enough hours in the day. There’s no way around or through this for me. I don’t have the strength to keep going!”

God is greater than my weaknesses. When I doubt, He knows. When I am weak, He has strength. When I am tired, He never sleeps. When I forget to turn to Him, God is still there. When the disciples had no answer to Jesus’ inquiry of what to do, Jesus takes what is there (the 5 loves & 2 fish) and gives thanks.

Maybe I see no solution to my circumstances. Maybe all I have is enough strength or time or direction for today. Thank You God, for today.

I have often thought of the POW’s during the Viet Nam war. They did not know if they would ever be released. They did not know how much longer they could survive. They passed along Scripture to each other from their own memories. They marked off the days on the walls of their cells. Their faith was small. Their God was big.

God dispenses His blessings not on the basis of my faith but on the riches of His love. I have no wealth within me to barter God’s favor. Prayer is my way to reach out and connect to the only One who is able to bring me through each day no matter the circumstances.

It is this knowledge of God’s faithfulness and love that breaks the cold iceberg of cynicism that attempts to rob me of faith. There are more hungry, homeless people than there are charitable people. There are more wounds than healers. There are more cold, dead churches than there are ones on fire. When I want to throw up my hands, I reach up instead and grasp the hand of God and hang on. He will show me the way to the next step, the next day. This is what makes God – God.

We put our hope in the Lord.
He is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone. Psalm 33:20-22 (NLT)

Great is Thy Faithfulness written by Thomas Chisholm & William Runyan, sung by Chris Rice

Posted in John, Psalms | Comments Off

It’s NOT About Me!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

O Lord, hear me as I pray; pay attention to my groaning.
2 Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God,
for I pray to no one but you.
3 Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord.
Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly…

7 Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house;
I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.
8 Lead me in the right path, O Lord, or my enemies will conquer me.
Make your way plain for me to follow…

11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice;
let them sing joyful praises forever.
Spread your protection over them,
that all who love your name may be filled with joy.
12 For you bless the godly, O Lord;
you surround them with your shield of love. Psalm 5:1-3, 7-8, 11-12 (NLT, my emphasis)

O, LORD if I have done any good thing in my life, if I have brought honor and glory to Your name, I have done it by Your great mercy and love and because You never gave up on me.

A friend, a brother I met through God’s divine appointment left this world on Sunday and is now truly and finally home. Tomorrow night many will gather to celebrate his life. But more importantly, this man would tell us all to gather to celebrate Jesus Christ. Over and over this week I have read tributes to this man’s life. He was a passionate evangelist who preached of God’s great love for each one of us and His hatred for sin. He had penetrating blue eyes and yet, as I once heard my son say, “His eyes looked right into me, Mom, but they also had such love.”

[Jesus said,] “I don’t care about human praise, 42 but I do know that none of you love God. 43 I have come with my Father’s authority, and you have not welcomed me. But you will welcome people who come on their own.44 How could you possibly believe? You like to have your friends praise you, and you don’t care about praise that the only God can give!

45 Don’t think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you. 46 Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me.” John 5:41-46 (CEV)

The praise and tribute of people means nothing. My life isn’t about me. It is about Who sent me and saved me. My life is about my LORD who isn’t far away and disinterested. He is my Father who created me and loves me. When it is my time to go home to my Father, I pray those whose paths I crossed will remember what I said about our LORD. When I part company with this world, may it be Jesus who is remembered and the Father who is praised for my life.

I praise my LORD because He orchestrated my life and I was here to see Him touch millions of people including me in what was called The Pensacola Outpouring of God. It was a glimpse, a tiny peek, into the glory I will see – when I go home. And my friend will be part of those who will welcome me.

I know I have shared this song recently but I cannot say “Thank You, LORD” too much, can I?

I Just Want to Take a Little Time to Thank You written & sung by Lindell Cooley

Posted in John, Psalms | Comments Off

“Comfort me, Lord”

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from June 28, 2010]

Henry made the statement last night that in his observation of Bible study that people spend more time studying First Corinthians than they do Second Corinthians. That inspired me to start reading.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, even so our comfort also abounds through Christ. But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer. Our hope for you is steadfast, knowing that, since you are partakers of the sufferings, so also are you of the comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 (WEB)

It is in those dark valleys and alleyways of life that I can wonder “Why is this happening to me?” and “Where is God’s plan in this situation?”. Anyone who has any relationship with God, even an antagonistic one, may find themselves raising their fist and sneering at God. I am here to testify to you today that God can take it! As I have said many times, God is the only One who can respond to all your questions. If any of the rest of us try to respond, we will be speaking from our own experience and my experience is not going to be exactly the same as yours or the next person.

God gives His comfort in any situation. He is so perfect to give comfort which fits that person in that situation. He provides to me what I need in order to continue to live and move on in my life. He does this first because He loves me. The second reason is so I may be so filled with His comfort – it leaks and flows out on people to whom God brings into my life. That could be a son or daughter. It could be someone I see in tears in the local store.

By the way, I must tell this story. A friend was in a store one day and as he turned into the paper goods aisle, he came upon a woman who was staring at bleach with tears streaming down her face. Is she having some reaction to the smell of bleach? No, her shoulders are shaking with sobs. Now most men do not do crying women well. It is not their comfort zone. And in a public place, it would be so easy to keep pushing his cart on by and keep on going! He did push by her but stopped at the Kleenex, grabbed a three-pack and opened a box and handed it to the woman with a light smile. He put the rest of the tissue in his cart and told her he would pay for it and tell the front manager that he had done so in case anyone tried to stop her. This man did not stop in the aisle and pray a profound prayer (although I suspect he did as he continued his shopping day!). He did not speak profound words to this woman who was obviously in great pain. He did offer the comfort of God in a tangible way which may never be forgotten by either her or God who sees everything!

It is God’s desire that I will come through my affliction because of His comfort and I will understand I have come through in order to help others to do the same. There are no short cuts to arriving at this knowledge. The closer I press in to God and wrestle through my situations, not letting go until God blesses me! – it may even seem the quicker I move through my present valley. With my eyes on Jesus, time becomes less about hours and days and more about what He is teaching me.

Please let your loving kindness be for my comfort, according to your word to your servant. Psalm 119:76 (WEB)

Psalm 119 is a lot about God’s commands, precepts, laws, ordinances, and such. But it’s not just about the discipline of that (although it is an essential part). It is about how we can trust God to be Who He is and He is faithful to Who He is. I can count on God to freely give His comfort to me, teaching me that as I freely receive His comfort so I will freely give His comfort.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters written by Simon & Garfunkel,sung by Brian McKnight & Josh Groban

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Shared Any Good News With Someone Recently?

Posted on March 10, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[Thank You, LORD, for the life of Your child, Steve Hill (January 17, 1954 – March 9, 2014). He brought the Good News of Your loving sacrifice to many of us in “Twinkie” messages and in “brussel sprout” messages. His voice was like one crying in the wilderness, telling us to repent because the Kingdom of God was near. We rejoice because we know he is with You but we pray for Jeri and his children who mourn for this great loss in their lives. May our feet be also found beautiful like Steve’s as we share about who You are.]

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the herald,
who proclaims peace,who brings news of good things,who proclaims salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 The voices of your watchmen –
they lift up their voices, shouting for joy together;
for every eye will see when the Lord returns to Zion.
9 Be joyful, rejoice together, you ruins of Jerusalem!
For the Lord has comforted His people;
He has redeemed Jerusalem. Isaiah 42:7-9 (HCSB)

I have to admit that when it comes to the human body, the feet are not the body part that comes to my mind when I think of beauty. They don’t even make my Top Ten! And the feet of Isaiah or anyone else who travels hundreds of years before Christ or even today, will have tired and dirty feet. So why does God say a herald’s feet are beautiful?

God has good news for His children. Who are His children? Every person who lives on this planet. God’s plan is when I have learned about Him, I will share what I have learned with others.

There is no other like the LORD Almighty. In this world of self-help and more-than-I-can-count “experts” who will show me the way to live this life with less stress and financial worry and better health if I follow their advice, it is the LORD who provides proven guidance. My LORD has always been. He is the Creator of all. He is my true Father and while my earthly father may fail me (after all he is a sinner and weak just like me) my Heavenly Father will never fail me and never leave me. It is He who has a plan for me that is about hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Only God can bring salvation to His children. God our Father wants to spend forever with me. He cannot live with me because I am a sinner. So He provided the way for me to live with Him by sending His Son as the perfect sacrifice. Only this perfection could cover the sins since Adam and all those sins to come, including mine. Here is the Good News that is meant for the ears of every child of God. How are they to hear it? It seems like the best way would be for God to speak directly to everyone of His children. Or spell it out in a personal letter to each one. But instead God’s plan is for His children to tell each other. Have you told someone how God helps you every day? Have you shared about His assurance for eternal life?

God is the source of true comfort. Many feel they cannot stand up and proclaim God’s Good News like an evangelist. I believe I could if God asked me but what He has asked me to do is much easier. When someone asks how I got through the death of my son, it is an invitation to share how God has given me strength and comfort. When someone wants to know how I deal with pain every day, besides sharing some medical suggestions, it is an opportunity to share how God is there, day or night. Truly, God is the only one who knows my pain and gives me His strong hand to cling when night is long. There is no peace in this world except the perfect peace God’s Spirit brings in my life.

I tell people about my wonderful grandchildren with very little encouragement. When I think about the many, many ways God has shown His love for me, what could possibly hold me back from sharing that wonderful news with someone – today?!

Yet I Will Praise You written by Andy Park & sung by Melissa Boraski

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Giving Thanks

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart and tell about the wonders you have worked.
2 God Most High, I will rejoice; I will celebrate and sing because of you.
3 When my enemies face you, they run away and stumble and are destroyed. Psalm 7:1-3 (CEV)

Last night I fixed a roasted chicken, rice and veggies and cranberry sauce and used my best tablecloth. It felt like Thanksgiving in March! I told those around the table I felt so grateful and inspired to have such a menu. There is not great event which sparked this feeling of thankfulness but it is more about how I can look at every aspect of my life right now and I am so grateful to see the LORD in each scene. It just doesn’t get better. But God has proven to me there is always more when He is involved!

I do not have a perfect life. There are concerns (does that sound better than worry?) and struggles I bring to the LORD every day. He is faithful and lets His presence known to me.

Last night, I had a particular decision I brought to Him and ended my conversation (prayer) with the song I share with you at the end of this devotion. I slept well last night. I do not have a definitive, confirmed answer yet to the decision but I know God will reveal what He wants me to do. I am open to whatever He wants.

I am often asked “How do you know what God is saying? And how do you know it’s God speaking?” At first, I didn’t always know. I had not spent much time with Him so I didn’t know His voice. When I first met my husband, I didn’t always recognize his voice when he would telephone me. Today if you gave me 20 recordings I could pick him out for sure. It’s not just the sound and timbre of his voice but it is also the little characteristics of his speech. It is the same with God. I have learned His character, His voice.

“The sheep know their shepherd’s voice. He calls each of them by name and leads them out. When he has led out all of his sheep, he walks in front of them, and they follow, because they know his voice. The sheep will not follow strangers. They don’t recognize a stranger’s voice, and they run away.” John 10:3-5 (CEV)

I am so grateful to hear God in the song of birds outside my window. I see His joy in the laughter of a child last night. I am grateful to know now, today, that when trials and sadness come, God will still be here. I will see Him in the compassion of my husband, children and close friends. When I weep into my pillow, His Spirit will be there to comfort and lead me into rest. God has already proven Himself.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 (NIV)

Take time today to give thanks. And if you are struggling and can’t seem to find a way past those boulders in your path, stretch out your hand. And then give thanks when you know the comfort of Jesus’ hand taking yours to help you and His voice encouraging you to take one more step.

I Just Want to Thank You sung by Lindell Cooley

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