Skip to main content

The Source

Image
By


 As I was preparing for my Facebook live devotions this morning, I started meditating on the main scripture. It is out of Isaiah 43, and God is reminding Israel that He is the One God.  He is our source of peace, gives us wisdom, loves us unconditionally, and hears our prayers, even the goofy ones!

I thought about how back in their day, they took a piece of wood or stone and crafted a god. Then, they bowed down to it like it was going to do something - anything for them. I never got that. Can something I make with my own hands be "greater" than me? I don't see how. It definitely couldn't hear them or respond to their pleas for help. It has no love, no wisdom to share.

While we may not ever find ourselves physically bowing before a big rock, we, as humans, can tend to run to what is familiar and tangible. That's why so many turn to drugs and alcohol. They provide a "feeling" or at least a change in the way they feel. It seems measurable, but it leads down a long, dark road. It is often easier to turn to something we can feel. I've just learned a lot about emotional eating lately. It's not really any different than turning to illicit substances, it's just more socially acceptable. The emotional baggage is the same. 

Yet, here stands God. The one and only God. He's full of compassion, gives us His peace, loves us unconditionally, provides wisdom when we ask.. and so much more! And He waits....for us. Sometimes, it's for a very long time. He patiently waits until we remember we need Him. Then, when we turn to Him, He says He will be found by us. He doesn't play hide and seek! (Jeremiah 29:13-14) There's no condemnation - no browbeating - no you should have come sooner. He just patiently waits until we realize our own deep need for Him. He waits for us to realize He is the one source of peace. The one source of hope and grace. The One who truly loves us and is willing to carry us through our struggles. He's amazing, isn't He?

Today, I will remind myself to quit trying so hard to be all that. I'll admit my intense, deep need for Him and I'll run to Him for strength, hope, peace, love, joy, and wisdom. I'll accept the peace that comes from knowing He will not withhold anything from me, but He will instead lavish His love and provision on me. I'll meditate on how He calms my emotions and settles my fears as I rely solely on Him. He's a great God, isn't He? Will you agree with me?


                                                                                                                                           



If you enjoy these devotionals, I have others! I've expanded my bookstore on Amazon. My devotionals are available in Kindle or print format. The new Bible study guides are now available on Kindle and in print! Check out my growing bookstore: My Bookshelf

I also recently opened my own bookstore. I'm presently filling it up with my books - check out the ones I have available in eBook format. You can download them and read them on your phone! Dove's Fire Ministries Bookstore.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ups and Downs

By
  Maybe it's just "that time of year" for me, but I've struggled a lot the last few weeks. I still affectionately  call it the caregiver's fog. Lol. Okay, maybe it's not-so-affectionately. I know I can share my true feelings with you guys because you get it. You understand the day-to-day grind of caregiving. The military has a saying about there being no easy day. I think we live in that reality. It's just not easy caring for another whole person, is it? Caregiving presents many difficulties. We can find ourselves alone, so very alone on this journey. It doesn't just go away. We don't just work through it. It seems to go on and on. There are lots of ups and downs - and that can be about every 90 seconds some days. Right? (smile!) As I've been working through this emotional maze the last few days, I turned my thoughts to Daniel. Let's take a realistic look at his circumstances because as we read his story in the Bible, we tend to glamorize i
Post a Comment
Read more

Seasons Are Temporary

By
  This morning, I found myself reading in Isaiah 28. I ended up there because I was looking for something in particular, and even though I didn't find what I was looking for, I found what I needed. God's so cool like that, isn't He? My eyes first fell on verse 29, which says in the NKJ: This also comes from the Lord of hosts, Who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance. I rolled that over in my mind and heart a few times and spent a few minutes thinking about how I'd seen His counsel in action in my own life. We've all had those times when we weren't sure what to do or where to go, and suddenly, an idea drops into our thoughts. There are many ways He provides direction for us. He may direct our steps through a passage of scripture, a trusted spiritual leader such as a pastor, a YouTube teacher, and maybe even a lowly blog writer. Lol. No matter how He chooses to deliver His counsel, it comes - but we must listen. After I had rolled these thoughts and t
Post a Comment
Read more

Seek and Ye Shall Find

By
 Over the last few weeks, I've been trying to strategize ways of dealing with stress. It's something we all deal with, especially caregivers. I'm walking and exercising more, which helps the body get rid of stress and it helps improve sleep to some degree. But I've also been working on training my thoughts. I've been working on purposefully finding things to be thankful for. At first, it was a bit difficult because let's face it, caregiving is hard work.  This morning, I was plugging Chris into a nebulizer for a breathing treatment as he had an asthma attack yesterday afternoon after we'd been out for a little bit. As I was doing his treatment and his tube feeding, I didn't even really think about it; this "thought" just rolled up out of me. I thought, thank you, Lord, for carrying us through the long night. My own thankfulness surprised me! Lol. I realized at that moment that it's getting easier and easier to be thankful, even for the litt
Post a Comment
Read more