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1 Kings 8:59-61  ⁹ Let these words of mine, with which I pleaded before the LORD, be near to the LORD our God day and night, and may he maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as each day requires;  ⁶⁰ so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God; there is no other.  ⁶¹ Therefore devote yourselves completely to the LORD our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”

When you have a concern do you fight to make your concern known or do you give up after a time? Do you have the kind of staying power to make things happen or do you give in to the will of others? When things don’t seem to be going your way do you assume that they aren’t to be and give up: defeated and resigned?

When we have concerns we are to take them to the Lord persistently. We mustn’t let the slowness of God’s response defeat us in our petitioning. We do not know what God is doing in the pleading time to make things happen for us.

If we are committed to our cause we need to remain fervent in prayer. We must be as committed to God as we are to our cause. As we trust completely in God’s faithfulness, it is then that God will work things together for our good. God will receive the glory and praise.

Lord, help us remain committed to you as we plead our cause before you. May our desires be in keeping with your will and bring you glory. Amen.

Psalm 23:4   ⁴ Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff– they comfort me.

Sometimes our walk of faith takes us into dark places: times in our lives when we can’t see the way ahead. We feel lost; we feel alone; we don’t know which way to turn. We become afraid for the future and even for the present moment.

In those dark days it is often difficult to feel God’s presence. We find ourselves moving away from those spiritual practices that keep us connected. We feel isolated and alone.

God wants us to know that he is with us in those dark times. Even though we may feel like we are going it alone, we are always being guided by his strong right arm. That guidance can bring us comfort through the turmoil. It can bring us peace through the uncertainty. It can bring us hope even on the darkest days.

Keep reaching out to God. You will find him reaching out to you. God loves you. God is with you. Evil and darkness cannot harm you because your Protector is near. You are not alone.

Lord, help us to see your face in the darkness. Help us to feel your touch along the path. Take away our fear and bring us peace and comfort. Amen.

2 Corinthians 6:16   ¹⁶ What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

What kind of housekeeper are you? Do you keep an impeccable house: not a thing out of place? Or do you keep a comfortable house: not too clean, not too messy? Or does your house look like a tornado just went through: nothing in the right place, clutter everywhere?

We are called to be the temple of the living God. God lives in us and walks among us. What kind of temple does God find? Is there a lot of clutter in your life: things that distract you from your relationship with God? Would God have to climb over a lot of obstacles in order to find you as he walks through your temple?

Now is the time to do spring cleaning in the temple of God. Simplify your life so you can concentrate on being with God. Ask God to help you remove the obstacles that keep you from prayer, from reading the Bible, and from spending time in worship. God wants to rest with you in his temple so that you will be refreshed and restored as you walk with him in this world.

Lord, help me keep your temple clean. Remove those things that distract me from walking with you. Amen.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13   ¹² So now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,  ¹³ and to keep the commandments of the LORD your God and his decrees that I am commanding you today, for your own well-being.

 Most of us have a love/hate relationship with rules. When we see someone breaking the rules, we have no trouble pointing it out and saying that the rules are there for a reason. But when we break the rules and are called out, we try to justify our behavior and say the rules are unfair.

God established a set of commandments/rules for us to live by. These rules guide the way we relate to God and to each other. They are fairly simple rules, common sense rules even, but they are not easy to keep. We don’t like to put others and even God ahead of our desires, success or comfort. But God made these rules for our well-being. If we follow them, we will get along with others and even lift them up. If we follow them, we will enjoy our relationship with God and be blessed. Let us walk in all God’s ways and experience God’s peace.

Lord, help us follow your rules for living so that we might experience the well-being you promise. Amen.

Job 31:4   ⁴ Does he not see my ways, and number all my steps?

We live in uncertain times. We hear more yelling than discussion. We hear more threats than negotiation. We hear more fear than confidence. We hear about violence, corruption, oppression, discord, and disasters.

It is easy to give into fear, worry, and anxiety. We are afraid for our safety and security. We worry not only about the future but the present as well. We are anxious about how all of these horrible events affect us and our way of life, our health, and our sense of peace. We wonder who will help us, who will protect us, who will watch over us.

It is in times like these that we need to remember that we have a God who cares for us. Our God is not watching us from far away; our God is a God who came to earth and got his hands dirty alongside us. Our God is not uncaring; our God knows the number of hairs on our heads, sees our ways, and numbers our steps.

Call on God in uncertain times. Listen for God’s quiet voice in the midst of the yelling and chaos. Trust in God’s care in anxious times. Walk in God’s love and be at peace.

Lord, we live in uncertain times. Help us be certain of your love and care for us. Walk with us and give us peace. Amen.

Jeremiah 6:16  ¹⁶ Thus says the LORD: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.

 We often stand at crossroads in our lives. We make decisions every day, big and little, some which don’t matter much in the grand scheme of things and some that may change the course of our lives forever. Once a decision is made it may be impossible to go back. Our course is set and we must walk that road.

As we face the big decisions in our lives we need guidance to make the right choice. Our compass is God. Our roadmap is the Bible. If we put our trust in the Lord, we will be led along the right paths. We can walk secure in the knowledge that we are going in the direction God has laid out for us. We can be at peace with our decisions and confident with the way we are going.

Take time at the crossroads. Pray. Read. Ask. And when you feel at peace…walk, knowing that the Lord is with you every step of the way.

Lord, guide us at the crossroads of our lives so that we might follow your path for us. Amen.

1 Peter 2:21   ²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

We hate pain. We avoid it at all costs. We take medicine to get rid of it. We don’t like to suffer pain of any kind for any length of time. Whether the pain is physical, emotional, personal or social, we work hard at taking it away as soon as possible.

But, pain is important. Pain lets us know something is wrong. If our bodies or relationships are injured, we feel pain. Pain may even let us know that we are doing the right thing. As we exercise muscles to gain health, we may experience pain. If we are trying to improve our lives in other ways, we may experience discomfort, pain, and suffering.

Jesus suffered for us. He was willing to endure physical, emotional, social, and personal pain to show us how much God loved us. He was willing to suffer so that we might have peace and wholeness. We are called to be willing to suffer for others as well, to put ourselves on the line to bring peace and wholeness to those who suffer. Follow in Jesus’ steps.

Lord, help us to be willing to do what it takes to help others and follow in your steps. Amen.

1 Samuel 17:39 ³⁹ David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them.” So David removed them.

“One Size Fits All” isn’t necessarily true. If we are very small or very large, we often find that “one size fits all” doesn’t fit us at all. We either lumber around with sagging cloth around our ankles and low shoulder seams or we struggle to move: looking like we are dressed for a flood and having sleeves that don’t reach our wrists. Ill-fitting clothes look bad, feel bad, and in some cases, can cause us harm.

The way God treats us is not “one size fits all.” We are at different points on our faith journey and need different guidance. The scriptures that move us may seem obvious to others. Our gifts and skills call us to different ministries and outreach opportunities. We may look askance at what others call ministry and service to others because we just don’t see the need.

While we are all on the journey of faith, we each are called to different paths. God leads us in the way we should go even if it differs greatly from others. The one constant in our journeys is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Wherever our paths may lead, Jesus is walking that road with us.

Lord, lead me on the path that you have chosen for me. Help me to understand that others may not follow the same path, but they follow the same Lord. Amen.

1 Corinthians 12:14-15 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

Are you a self-made person?  Do you credit anyone else with helping you get to where you are today? Did anyone else help with your successes? Did anyone else who helped you out when you experienced failures or setbacks?

None of us need to go it alone in this world. God has made us to depend upon each other. No one of us is able to go it alone. We are each gifted with certain skills and talents. But each of us has weaknesses as well. It is only when we combine our skills and talents that we can accomplish what God has in store for us.

We need each other. There are times when the giftedness of one irritates another. Instead of seeing how the gifts complement each other they seem to thwart forward progress or push us to change faster than we are ready. The secret to appreciating each other’s gifts is to realize that each may be necessary to reach our goals. None of us is complete in ourselves. We need each other. And we need God’s help to appreciate each other and to work together to see where God is leading.

Lord, help us to appreciate each other. Give us patience to work together to reach the goal. Amen.

Matthew 9:5-7   ⁵ For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’?  ⁶ But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”– he then said to the paralytic– “Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.”  ⁷ And he stood up and went to his home.

When we are paralyzed we cannot move. We are stuck in one place and we cannot find a way out.

Many things paralyze us: fear, worry, depression, anxiety, anger, resentment, and hatred, to name a few. These paralyzers lead to poor choices, broken relationships, isolation, and other behaviors that Jesus calls sins.

But Jesus offers us the ability to move forward in wholeness and heath. Jesus heals us from the emotions and attitudes that lead us to make bad decisions. Jesus’ forgiveness frees us from the consequences of these behaviors and leads us on the path of reconciliation, reparation, and recuperation.

We no longer need to be paralyzed. We can put our lives in Christ’s hands, receive forgiveness and healing. We are then free to stand up and walk.

Lord, heal us of those things that paralyze us. Forgive us of those things that keep us from a full relationship with you and others. Help us to stand up, whole and healthy, and walk in faith. Amen.