My Light and My Salvation

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1 NIV

If you are reading this, the chances are high that you know who God is — that He is your light and your salvation. But, how easy it is to let the cares and concerns of the day overtake our hearts and spirits and suck the joy out of our days.

It’s so easy to lose our focus.

Let’s start the day recognizing who God is. Once we do that, we also can easily see who we are — and who we are not. Too often the events of a day or a week confuse us about who we are and what we are to be about. Taking some time to be re-oriented every day — sometimes multiple times a day — helps us remember who our Creator is and that we need His light and perspective, and, most importantly, His salvation.

Father, I Adore You

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.
1 Chronicles 29:11

When I was a young one in church we sang this song, “Father, I adore You and I lay my life before You. How I love you!” Do you know it? It has a calming melody, and it is beautiful with the natural harmony that comes into play when it is sung in a round. We even learned some sign language that went along with it.

I love the simplicity of this song. I can get caught up in the expectation of eloquence when it comes to talking with or about God because He is God. Who am I to even think to address Him? But, that is not my relationship with the God of the Universe. He paved my way. My simple prayers are not too simple for Him. I don’t need to earn the right to be in conversation with Him.

When I am in a stressful moment, sometimes negative thoughts come to mind. But, if I can pause those and reach out for something so simple, it can start my heart in a more positive direction.

Father, I adore you. And I lay my life before You. How I love you.

You are Creator

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable. Isaiah 40:28 NLT

It seems crazy that I need to be reminded that I am not the Creator of my life, but I do. It is important to keep my focus on God and His work, even as I go about my day and do my own work.

Lord, You alone are the Creator. I am in awe of the intricacies of Your Creation — the details, the variations, the immensity, the beauty, the majesty, the simplicity, the complexity, the diversity, the way things work together –ALL of it. Wow!

Thank you, Lord, for my life. Thank you for letting me see your Creation and be a part of it. The attention to detail is incredible. Help me to see that You care about the details of my life in a similar way. Thank you for tending to your creation (me) in such a personal way!

Note: Welcome to PrayerPoints! I am glad you are here!

This year I will be using at the New Living Translation. If you have a preferred Bible translation you like to work with, check out the daily verses there. If you love to compare versions, I encourage you to see how things are said in the various ways. Touch the pages, read the words, doodle them, pray through them, and contemplate them through the day.

PrayerPoints 2023

The Lenten season is almost upon us. As you allow God to prepare your hearts, join me for a series of daily devotional thoughts through Easter.

This year, PrayerPoints will be a daily Lenten devotional. While I have experimented a bit through the years, this is the typical format it has taken. Each day I will post a devotional thought and/or Bible verse and I encourage you to sit with it for a bit as you offer your thoughts and prayers to God. Sign up with your email address and it will be delivered to your inbox each morning! Feel free to invite others to join along.

This project has been a part of my life since about 2006 and I am looking forward to another time of reflection.

He is …

He is not here!

He is risen!

He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

He is the Alpha and Omega.

He is my salvation.

He is the Lord of the Sabbath.

He is the Christ.

He is the Son of Man.

He is King of the Jews.

He is my redeemer!

There are so many ways to describe Jesus. How do you do it?

The work…

The work has been done.

God’s work has been done — it is full and complete. Jesus did it all for you and for me.

We don’t have to strive. We don’t have to figure out how to be acceptable. We don’t have to beat ourselves up. We don’t have to listen to satan’s lies and deception any longer.

It is finished. We are free to rest in God’s goodness, and in God’s deliverance. Jesus bore the brunt of it all and paved the way for each of us.

It is a relief that, because of Jesus, I am worthy. I am God’s creation. And yes, of course there is sin and sadness, there is pain and regret. But, there is salvation. There is more to come.

Thank you, Jesus. Thank you for walking that walk. Thank you for your sacrifice for me. Thank you for the gift of New Life! Amen.

May I…

May I wash your feet?

It’s a little personal. And yet, Jesus set out to do just that when He met with His disciples for the Last Supper.

Foot washing is a little risky for both of parties. It’s making ourselves a little vulnerable— both for the one doing the task and for the one receiving it.

I try to get a pedicure once or twice a year, but it’s been a few years. And so, I am not sure if the person doing the job will judge me for not “taking care of business in a timely manner.” I have so many reasons for not being there and they are all reasonable.

I don’t believe a pedicure and a foot washing with an intention to serve are the same thing at all, but they can invoke similar thoughts and emotions.

I appreciate my feet and all they do for me. Sometimes my feet are filthy—and they would have been especially dirty during Jesus’ time with all the sand and sandals and dusty roads. Even so, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. He didn’t expect them to get them in shape before He did the task. He took each foot — dirt, callouses, bunions, and all.

And He takes each of us — sin, selfishness, despair, grief, anger, and all.

Lord Jesus, wash away all the ugliness of my sin. Help me to accept the work You are doing on my behalf. Renew that right spirit within me. Grant me your perfect peace. Amen.

The Places

There were times over the last two years that we hardly went anywhere and that was as much of a challenge as going places. In fact, we thought more about where we were going and who might be there over the last couple of years than we could have ever imagined.

So he we are, living in a freer world — stepping out and moving about, albeit a little cautiously. The places we are going may just be that: nothing special — simply locations. But there is effort and energy in the movement and we have to go.

Are there places you need to go but to don’t care to? Are there places you are excited about? Are there places you are dreading?

Me too. And God is in all those places. When I am heading to the places I need to get to, it helps me to remember that God goes before me, He comes behind me, and He hems me in. He is with me in all of the places.

When I need to go to a place I would rather not be, I say,

Be near me, Lord Jesus!

Wait and see.

I am often impatient. I have what I think is the perfect plan — the ultimate sequence of events. Except it rarely is.

I don’t have the bird’s eye view. I don’t know the bigger picture. I don’t see what God sees that involves generations of impact from early years or for the future. I simply don’t.

The question is, do I trust the One who does?

Of course, there are things I can and should do. But, these things should be prayerfully done. Sometimes plans are delayed for one reason or another and I may not always learn why. Sometimes new things, good and bad, enter my life that waylay my plans. Have I left room for God to move? To create? To work His work? Am I afraid the path might be painful or difficult?

All my doing is not always productive. I can give my effort and pray for God to bless or change it. And I can wait and see what He is doing with my circumstances, relationships, and challenges.

I can be me and wait and see what God is doing. I will wait impatiently and imperfectly, but I will wait and see.

Point of view.

We all have a way we see things. It’s based on our history and experiences and the way we see the world. One important thing to consider is how much of how we see the world has a Godly influence? Are we getting closer to seeing things from God’s point of view?

I definitely ebb and flow a bit here. I can get sucked into the ruts of past ways of thinking— negative first impressions or hard core disappointments on how I (or worse yet, someone I love) was treated. But, remembering that God sees the big picture and He is working things out makes a big difference for me and my point of view.

God is working all things out — the good, the bad, and the ugly. The longer I walk with Him, the easier it is for me to grow my patience and perspective. Slowly, ever so slowly, it is getting closer to His. And that bring me peace.