And Crown Him Lord of All

I have had a hymn running through my mind for the last few days — All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name

I was mulling over this line: And Crown Him Lord of all…

Of course, He is Lord of all. There is no debate in my mind. But whether or not we crown Him that, He is. He is Lord of all.

But, it seems to be the thing that slips so quickly from my mind when I am in the middle of worldly concerns. It is so easy to forget that our situations are temporary, especially in light of the big picture. And that Jesus will be Lord of all, even if we fail to recognize, comprehend, or acknowledge it. When my day starts off with a focus on God and the work He has done and continues to do it makes a difference. When I am properly oriented to this Truth, my head, heart, and spirit are in the right place.

Prince of Peace

“…But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when you will be scattered, each one going his own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am not alone because the Father is with me. I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:32-22 NLT

There is just so much turmoil in the world these days that it is easy to be disheartened. In each day, I seek a little peace.

I turn off the television.

I take time to sit with no screens or work in front of me.

I take a walk.

I pray.

I listen to music that is calming — either Scripture memory songs or instrumental music.

There are countless other ways to seek peace. I think in the name of peace, people try all kinds of things. Some avenues to peace don’t actually take them to the destination they seek.

What do you do to find some moments of peace during a day?

Music is pretty important to me. I spent many years singing in choirs. One song that I enjoy singing is Dona Nobis Pacem — you can check it out HERE — maybe it is familiar to you. The title of the song means “Grant us peace” and it is very interesting to me that the flowing melody with the repetition of the words can usher me into a state of peace. It’s a simple prayer for peace.

Try it.

There will always be difficult meetings and complex relationships and hard days. But, asking God to grant you His peace, is a wonderful way to break the stress cycle.

Wonderful Counselor

I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. John 14:25-27 NLT

God has given us so many wonderful gifts that we often do not take advantage of. One of them is His teachings. He tells us who we are. He tells us who He is. He speaks loving words — words of life — to us. And somehow, the world crowds out those words of beauty, mercy, love, grace, forgiveness, and restoration.

Stay close to The Word!

God gives us wise counsel. His guiding principles are all over Scripture. He offers us peace of mind and heart though we often search high and low all over the world to find it.

Remember His Words!

You are loved. You are His creation. He will never leave or forsake you. You are His child.

Today I am resting in God’s Words of love and grace — they give me peace of mind and heart.

Glorious in holiness

But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.

 “Who is like you among the gods, O Lord—
    glorious in holiness,
awesome in splendor,
    performing great wonders?
 You raised your right hand,
    and the earth swallowed our enemies. Exodus 15:10-12 NLT

I am sure my mind does not adequately understand the concept of holiness. I try to approach the word, and other words can assist, but I know my human mind falls short. But, one day, I will understand. For now, I am content in trusting and getting some glimpses here and there.

On a good day, when I wonder what it was like to live in the time of Moses or Jesus I am sure I would have clearly seen and understood God. I would have been thankful for the obvious signs of provision through manna. I wouldn’t have denied knowing Jesus. But really? In all honesty, I think I would have been like the others.

Close your eyes for a few moments and imagine being in the presence of our Holy God. Breathe in His life-giving breath. What might have it been to be at Creation?

Open your eyes.

We are so blessed to be in His presence every day. God is with us. It may not feel that way sometimes, but that doesn’t make it any less true. He is Immanuel. Let’s carve time out in our day to rest in His holiness and acknowledge His presence.

He knows and sees us. And He loves us!

Glory and Majesty

Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails. He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our Lord! Psalm 111:3-4

A look at Creation surely reveals God’s majesty. It is easy to be in awe: the stars that fill the sky or the transformation of the butterfly. And there is the personal side of things: the provision of a Savior, the gift of love and sacrifice through Jesus, the daily gifts of grace and mercy.

The day gets so busy and sometimes seems to run away with me. But allowing a pause — better yet, creating the pause, allows us that time to remember His works in our world and His work in our lives and His work on our hearts.

As you start each day, may you create the space to reflect on God’s glory and majesty. Dig a little deeper into Psalm 111 today. Start listing the things God has done or is doing. He is always working to reveal is glory and majesty. When we stop for a bit, sometimes we can catch a glimpse. And, when we are face-to-face with Him in Heaven, I am sure we will be in absolute awe!

King of Kings and Lord of Lords

If you have had too many experiences with people in a position of authority who abused it, it can really mess around with your concept of God.

satan probably just loves that.

Now, to be fair, from an early age I experienced quite a few people who had significant, undetected issues. But, as I have thought about this through the years, it really didn’t mess with my concept of God. I was protected from having a skewed understanding of God and His love for me, in spite of the ridiculous number of unhealthy people in positions of authority in my life.

I didn’t come away from those experiences unscathed though. Ask me if I trust the church and people in authority in an unquestioning manner and that is another story altogether. I definitely don’t trust organizations and humans easily. I have a fairly fine-tuned “creep-o-meter”. It’s not perfect, of course, but it’s pretty on target and has served me well.

But how am I when it comes to trusting God? That little mustard seed of faith keeps growing, even in the midst of difficulties. And I am so thankful.

When I think of God and his position of authority, I find comfort. I know He is my redeemer, my provider, and the King over all kings, and the Lord over all lords.

I hope you have a clear sense of the goodness of God. But if you struggle with that, it might be attributed to you running into some unhealthy people during the course of your life. It is important to sort that out. Knowing God for who He truly is is life changing!

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.