October in the Psalms: God Instructs You Which Way to Go
In Psalm 25: 12-13, we read one of the most comforting passages about God’s work in our lives. We’re told this about the person who follows God: “Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being.” During times of confusion and uncertainty, I tell myself, God will instruct […]
October in the Psalms: The Glorious Verbs of Psalm 20
I find too many wonderful verbs to choose just one. In Psalm 20, we read a blessing we can pray right now: May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob protect you! May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion! May he remember […]
October in the Psalms: Always Before Me
In Psalm 16:8, we read, “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” What could it mean to set the Lord before us and to keep Him at our right hand? I think of the daily habits of prayer (talking to God and […]
October in the Psalms: Mindful
Consider this about God: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? In Psalm 8:4, we read that little word mindful. In translation as a verb, the word means […]
October Invitation: Read the Psalms with Me! Note Great Verbs!
Let’s read the book of Psalms this month. If we read 5 Psalms a day, we will finish the book. It’s such a joyful practice! You can invite your whole family to read, and at the dinner table, ask which parts stood out. You’ll find that God’s word is living and active and applies uniquely […]
A Life Far Exceeding Your Ability
Ash and I had a great conversation this morning about life, and he mentioned a recent talk with God where he wondered how he would ever continuing in ministry without me. While it was a morbid thought of losing a wife, what happened next was profound. Ash reasoned with God how he would just have […]
The Kindness
This morning while reading Psalm 145, I took note of how the word “kind” repeats. We’re told how God is “kind in all his works” two times. I like thinking of the kindness of God. It’s such a warm word. When I think of God as kind, I think of His generous, patient, attentive, interested, […]
It’s Never the Work Itself
Today I remember what my wise student told me about stress. She said, “The work is not stressful. Thinking about starting the work is stressful. Just get started.” It’s true. The work is rarely stressful. It’s the thinking about the work that causes stress. I’ve been worried about a project for nearly a month. I […]
God is Not Confused
I love to remember that God is not confused. When I feel confused, unsure, or unable to know how to think properly about something, I think about how God is “greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 John 3:20). I also remember David’s prayer in Psalm 139 for God to search him and […]
Best Case Scenario
I meet with a new friend who decided to change her mindset in life. Instead of always imagining the worst case scenario and letting her mind go down the dark trails of what if this or that, she now thinks things like this: What if something amazing happens? What if all my dreams come true? […]