Tag: God’s Word

Wash me thoroughly.

Psalm 51:1-6

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Wash me thoroughly.

A thorough washing has an attention to detail. God knows our details. He is thorough.

What Good News that is!

When I am thoroughly washed, I feel differently. I act differently. Give me a day or two in bed with an illness or injury and unable to take a shower, it feels icky and I don’t like it. At all.

When you take your next shower or bath, think about how God washes you thoroughly. Let the waters remind you of your baptism. Don’t fall for the lie that you’ve done too much or gone too far to be forgiven. That is satan whispering, talking, shouting….he wants there to be a wedge between you and your Savior.

But God….

He loves you.

He has mercy for you.

He blots out your transgressions.

He wants to wash away those sins and iniquities.

Thoroughly.

Blot out my transgressions.

Psalm 51:1-6

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Blot out my transgressions.

What a relief that the God who created the Universe tends to my offenses. They are numerous, to be sure. And I am grateful. I can always endeavor to do better, but the fact remains that I am not nor ever will be perfect on my own. My perfection comes through Jesus.

It’s a relief that I don’t have to work and work to try to erase my own sins. The work has been done. And my response? It takes a different twist every time I consider what God has done — and is doing — for me.

I am relieved.

I am grateful.

I more easily forgive others.

I stand taller.

I rest.

I can relax knowing that the work is done. God’s work is complete and continuous — all at the same time. The depth of God’s love and mercy is more than I can even imagine!

May you know the deep relief of God’s mercy and grace as you consider your transgressions. His provision is more than enough.

Have mercy on me, O God

Psalm 51:1-6

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.

Have mercy on me, O God

Originally, when I started this Lenten series, I was thinking about verbs and things that God asks of us through His Word. And then as I was processing the week and the highlighted verses, it seemed to me that I needed to shift the focus from what we should, can, or have been encouraged “to do” to what God has done.

It all starts with what God has done for us.

Can we give what we haven’t been given? No. Any mercy we can extend comes from the Mercy Giver.

So, as you go about your day, receive what God has gifted you. Consider His mercy today. And each day, during this Lenten season, let’s receive these good gifts from our Heavenly Father. An awareness of what we have been given better prepares us to give.

Pray without ceasing.

Each week or so there will be a focus verse. Within that verse, there will be daily reflections so we can all sit and soak on a section of Scripture. Granted, it is a very tiny section — just 5-10 sentences, but, as you know, God can say so much in such a little space. And, it is important to sit with His Word and let it take root in our heart and mind.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 ESV

12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. 14 And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. 15 See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. 16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

23 Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.

Pray without ceasing.

The time to pray is always now, no matter the circumstances surrounding us. But, these days, there are increasingly more reasons to pray. In the midst of so much going on, I actually don’t even know what to say as I pray. Sometimes, that might be preferable. I look at all that is happening and I feel pretty powerless. But prayer is absolutely powerful. Don’t let discouragement stop you from looking to God for peace, rescue, healing, forgiveness, and provision.

Even if you have nothing to say, offer yourself. Sometimes, recognizing that we have nothing to offer is the very place we need to be for God to do His work. Sometimes, just handing the topic over to God and letting Him know what is on our hearts is enough.

Pray without ceasing…

… for Ukraine

… for peace

… for those displaced

… for all countries experiencing unrest

… for those things on your heart

Discernment

I often consider (rather over consider) what others think about what I am doing. This is a challenge in multiple areas of my life but definitely within the realm of PrayerPoints. You would think that after writing PrayerPoints for 12 or so years (I have totally lost count) that I would know my voice in this space. And if you have been following me for any length of time, you know that things ebb and flow — I come up with a plan to simplify things, but then I lose the spontaneity and, all the while, I am trying to be responsive to the most important voice in the matter — God’s.

But, I am this creature who responds to the rules of man, too. And the discernment of which is which is baffling me at present. PrayerPoints started out as a daily Lenten devotional and it was something I did every morning when I woke up. I would write what was on my heart — where God was working on me. And then, later, it became that thing that I was nervous about and I was thinking ,”Who am I to say anything?” and “Who am I, daring to speak something other than Scripture?” to “What if I am leading someone astray?” to knowing full well that God isn’t like that. He knows I am on this journey with Him. He knows I am growing and struggling and He loves me in and through all of it!

But then I struggled with the idea that I should be more organized and have a plan. And I have been trying spontaneously-planned Mondays — focusing on a verse for the month — being topical — writing more often — and all of the things you have noticed. But, I really think that PrayerPoints felt like the most natural communication was coming when it was a Lenten Devotional that each morning made its appearance in my heart. No planning ahead.

For now, I am going to take an intentional break from PrayerPoints outside of Lent. I am entering a crazy busy season and while I will still try to write down my thoughts on a regular basis, I won’t push the publish button unless something really feels like it should be shared.

I would totally love your feedback about all of this. And, please pray for my discernment!

I assume I will see you March 2nd, 2022 for the next PrayerPoints Lenten devotional series. That seems to be the rhythm that works. But, I am certainly open to what God has to say about that.

God’s peace to you as you navigate these days! I am thankful for God’s grace and care for me and my family. And I encourage you to look for where He is working in your life and heart!

In Him,
Liz

Saturated

Sometimes too much is too much.

It is easy now, especially now, to be surrounded by opinions and conflict and impending doom. I have to be careful what I intake lest I am saturated with all the dread and stress of the world. Sometimes it is exhausting trying to discern what is accurate.

It feels like the unending spring rains of Evansville, Indiana. At least it feels like they can be unending. Our first year here I bought everyone a pair of rain boots because it seemed like it was always raining.

Always raining….

The ground was often squishy. There were always puddles to navigate on the sidewalks and in parking lots. There were often flooded streets because the rain came so hard and fast the sewer system could not keep up.

Saturated.

Today, I am thankful for the sunshine. I love the sunshine-y days; the ones when I need to pull out my sunglasses to navigate the bright world. I am thankful that God’s Word cuts through the darkness and gives me light. Meditating on a passage of God’s Word can be a great way to have an inflow of Truth and Light!

What is one of your favorite verses? I find new favorites all the time. I am thankful God sent His Word to me and it is always relevant and always just what I need!

Making Room

There are times I need to create the space for something that I value. If I don’t reserve or set aside the time, other things take over and the urgent trumps the essential.

The days that are so full that I don’t have time to think are often days that drain me. I appreciate having the time to contemplate and react with intentionality. I also like to have room for the mistakes, the “this is taking longer than it should”, and the learning curves that come with software updates or system failures.

When I allow for space for the unknowns, I have the time to think through them. Some unknowns are good, some are bad, and some are neutral but they all take some space in my head, my day, and sometimes, even in my heart.

When I think about making more room in my life for prayer and studying Scripture, it seems odd to put limits on the amount of time I have to offer to this endeavor. Of course, I could exclusively study for the rest of my remaining days and it would never be enough. But I also know that my calling is not to devote every waking moment to studying God’s Word and His ways.

Thankfully He walks with me and guides me and leads me. As I give Him more room to move and work within my life, I know He is using His Word to mold and shape me.

Come, Lord Jesus!
Liz

Hey Friend! Day Twenty-six

Hey Friend!

I love to be around people with high integrity. It always tugs at me to do better … to stretch myself a little more. I don’t always do the right thing, unfortunately. Sometimes, I am in a mood. Or distracted. Goodness doesn’t always seem to flow out of me naturally.

Of course, there is sin in the world. There is evil and ugliness and death and destruction all around us. And it is easy to let those negative things impact my behavior. Being able to be near goodness is something that inspires and encourages me. When I am around honesty and innocence and purity, it makes me thirsty for more.

I am blessed to be living near two little bundles of goodness. They are about as near to perfect as they can be and I get to see them quite a bit! Neither one is very fussy and when they smile at me or fall asleep in my arms, it feels like goodness to me.

When I get a glimpse of beauty on Earth, I know it is from our Creator. God is beauty, honesty, goodness, and true perfection. His Word is a consistent source of encouragement for me. When my roots are in God’s Word, goodness will grow!

Find spots of goodness and beauty. Cultivate it in your life as much as you can! Some have the gift of finding the beauty in their everyday life, and some have the gift of making beauty. If we bloom where we are planted, we can inspire others with goodness and beauty.

Love,
Liz

Hello Friend! Day Four

Hello Friend!

Yesterday the sermon at church was based on Luke 10:25-37. I have always loved the parable of The Good Samaritan. I hate that the neighbor was robbed and blown off by both the priest and the Levite who ought to have cared more about him, but I am thankful the Samaritan went out of his way to care for the wounded guy.

There seems to be no shortage of people needing mercy these days!

“Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37 ESV

I love how the Good Samaritan binds up the wounds and makes arrangements for the care of his wounded neighbor. He takes some time to directly care for this man but then he also moves on to what he had set off to do earlier, leaving behind some money for his care. I hadn’t thought about that before. He makes provision for him but isn’t the one to do all the “hands on” work.

As I dug into “mercy” just a wee bit more I didn’t get very far when I realized how many, many, many times we ask for mercy from the Lord. It’s all over God’s Word, particularly in the Psalms. It’s woven into our liturgy. Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. But mercy isn’t just for us to request and receive. In this parable, Jesus reminds us that mercy is for us to do!

Have I ever been a “good Samaritan”? Sure. But I have more often been the Levite and the priest. And, I am definitely the one who needs and receives an abundance of mercy. I need to remember that more.

When have you experienced mercy? When have you extended it? Do you find yourself withholding mercy because a person hasn’t shown themselves worthy?

Let’s be generous with mercy. We should dole it out at least as often as we request it.

Love,
Liz

Focus, II

Setting aside time to concentrate on a situation is sometimes difficult for me. If I am in a shared space it makes it even harder because I can get distracted with the other person’s presence and movement. Eliminating any extras is very helpful but not very realistic. We all share space with different people all the time. But I have found the quiet of the early morning is a great space for me and not often shared.

Having a list of what needs to be accomplished also helps my focus. I can easily get caught up in a task, which leads to another thing, and those are all fine items to tackle, but if I don’t have a list, the essential things might not get addressed. A list can help me prioritize the day.

Prayer can be a wonderful opportunity for focus. Talking through things with God helps me see what issues in my life are coming to the forefront or are hanging out in my peripheral vision but bothering me. What are those dreams or fears? When I put words to them it helps them go from ideas and feelings swirling around my head to something I put a spotlight on as I try to explain them. It is important to sort through them and allowing them to come into view aids that process.

When things are out of focus I seem unable to accomplish much anyway so it is important for me to figure out what is going on. If I focus too much on the past, I will not see where I am going. But if the past is causing me issues, I need to take some time to examine it. Even though the Bible is a really old book, it is amazing that God’s Word can offer so much insight for my life today!

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 3:12-14, NIV]

May God give you eyes to see those things that need your focus today!

Liz

PrayerPrompt: EFFORT