When our eyes first open and the sun peeks in
We can thank the Lord as our day begins
Or when storms close in with darkening skies
And we run for shelter to our dear Lord's side
When we've run the race as far as we can
He renews our strength as we pray to Him
In brightest day and darkest night
In every victory - through every fight
When we stand up strong or when we fall down
If we'll pray to the end He has promised a crown
For it's not by wisdom that our battle’s won
Nor by our strength that the race is run
For He gives when we ask
When we seek - We will find
If we pray and not faint
To the end of the line!To the End of the Line by Peter Caligiuri copyright 2022
All rights reserved
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
Luke 18:1 ESV
Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.Philippians 4:6-7 ESV
Worrying over our grandchildren’s relationship with Jesus has been a recurring theme for me lately. Now I can hardly believe that I first wrote that opening line two years ago. Things with our grandchildren have gotten easier with some and harder with others. Some days it feels as if our hearts are being pulling in opposite directions, and I need that peace that is waaaaay beyond anything I can understand sometimes! When they were small, everything seemed pretty simple. We took them to church; prayed with them and made sure they had plenty of cookies. But now they are older, some days it feels as if I am slogging through a mud bog trying to communicate even the basics of what it means to be a Christian. As I tossed and turned through another middle of the night worry the Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that I was not alone. I was forgetting that ultimately that job is His and that He loves them way more than I do. It is hard to trust God with people who are the closest to us. Yielding control over our spouse, a child a grandchild or a friend means letting God take over. Back in 2005 Carrie Underwood recorded a song called, “Jesus Take the Wheel!” and its message was exactly what we need in our most anxious moments. We need to let go of our grip so that God can steer. Jesus won’t just rip the steering wheel away. He will allow us as many nights as we wish to toss and turn. But when we are worn out with worry and fed up with fear God is waiting and even longing for us to trust that He knows how to fix things better than we do. Only He has the strength to carry our worries and has promised a peace that stretches from our anxious hour all the way to heaven!
When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer! - Corrie Ten Boom
This week I have been focusing on verses about God being near to and binding up the broken hearted. In my rushing about, flinging my arms in every direction, activity centered life, that just spending honest quiet moments with God have been few and far between. How blessed I was this morning to read Beth’s post about drawing close to God, without using words. One of my go-to scriptures in times of anxiety has been Psalm 34 and it perfectly sets the table for the devotional from Beth today. I pray you will be blessed as you draw near. If you are not familiar with Beth Allison’s blog Lessons from a Lab, I would invite you to check it out for yourself. (And this song from Meredith Andrews is beautiful!
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit
Adi is a licker. So, I wasn’t alarmed when I noticed her licking her front leg. When she persisted in licking this area again the next morning, I took notice. I examined the skin- no bumps, redness, or swelling. I observed her gait and saw no limp. A bit perplexed I decided I would just […]
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