anitasanecdotes

Psalm 66:8-9  ⁸ Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,  ⁹ who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.

So often we look at everything that is wrong in our lives: our bodies and hair don’t look the way we want; we don’t have enough money; we didn’t get the education or the job that we want; and the list goes on. When we look at life from the negative perspective we forget all of the blessings that we have been given. We spend our time complaining and too little time being thankful.

God has given us so much. We wake up every morning and are given the blessing of another day. We eat the food God has provided each day. We are given friends and family to love and relationships to keep healthy. We have a God who loves us and provides for our every need. We have much for which to be thankful.

God deserves our praise. God deserves our thanks. We need spend our time looking at our blessings and praise the Lord who provides.

Lord, you give us more than we deserve. We are thankful for your love and provision. To you be the glory and praise forever. Amen

Psalm 23:1-3  The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.  ² He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;  ³ he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Sheep are dumb. If their shepherd doesn’t lead them to fresh pastures, they will eat the grass down to the dirt. They need their shepherd to show them where the fresh water is. They need the shepherd to guide them on good, safe paths. They just can’t do it on their own.

It is interesting that the Bible compares us to sheep. While we think we know what we are doing, often we make very poor decisions. We need our Shepherd to lead us in the right direction. The one thing sheep do well is to trust their shepherd. We also need to put our trust in the Great Shepherd, who will provide for us and lead us in the safety of his love.

Lord, we are your sheep and you are our shepherd. Lead us in the way we should go. Amen.

Genesis 24:40   ⁴⁰ But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you and make your way successful.

It is good to have companions who can encourage us when we are down or in trouble. Good companions can help keep us going when we want to give up. They can remind us why we are continuing on with our cause. They help us see the successful future in the midst of the struggle.

Good companions pray for us. They intercede with God on our behalf. They remind us that we are not alone: that God is with us and will protect us. They become our faith when our faith is waning. They become our hope when our hope fades. They show us God’s love when we feel unlovable. They point the way to God so that we don’t lose our way.

Lord, thank you for putting good companions in our lives. Help us listen to their counsel to trust in you. Amen.

Deuteronomy 11:22-23  ²² If you will diligently observe this entire commandment that I am commanding you, loving the LORD your God, walking in all his ways, and holding fast to him,  ²³ then the LORD will drive out all these nations before you, and you will dispossess nations larger and mightier than yourselves.

When we start a new program, the hardest part is to keep going. We lose interest and may have set backs but we need to keep going. We have to keep the goal in sight and realize that we are doing the right thing: we need to keep going.

The walk of faith might be difficult, but keep going. The temptation to be lazy in our faith may be great, but keep going. The distractions that would pull us away are many, but keep going. There are those who do not understand and would mock us in our faithfulness, but keep going.

God is on our side, so keep going. God will help us conquer our temptations, so keep going. God will help us keep our focus amidst the distractions, so keep going. God will make us witnesses to his power, so keep going. Hold fast to him and KEEP GOING!

Lord, you are with us on the journey. Help us to keep going. Amen.

Proverbs 3:5-6  ⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.  ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Have you ever heard a two year old emphatically state: “I want to do it by myself!”? That statement is repeated over and over throughout that child’s lifetime as they try to make it on their own. The parent tries to give advice to no avail, saying, “Just trust me, I’ve been where you’ve been. I know what you are going through.” It is painful to watch that child make mistakes because they didn’t want to trust and preferred to do it on their own.

God wants us to trust in him. Throughout the Bible we read the words “trust in the Lord.” It is hard for us to trust. We don’t like to give up control. For some reason we seem to be hard-wired to strike out on our own and lean on our understanding of the situation. It is only after we have failed that we turn to God and ask why.

If we put our trust in God and lean on him, he will direct our path. We may question why things are going a certain way but, if we continue to trust, we will see how everything fits into place. Stop going it alone. God knows what we are going through. Trust in him to lead the way.

Lord, help us to trust in you. Guide our steps and straighten our paths. Amen.

Isaiah 42:5-7  ⁵ Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:  ⁶ I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,  ⁷ to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.

It is amazing to think that God, the creator of the universe, would take a thought about us. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He can create worlds with a thought and strew the stars throughout the skies. And God loves us.

This love is unconditional. It doesn’t matter what we have done, how many times we have failed, how many times we fall short. God loves us.

God has made us right with him. We not only walk in his presence but he has taken us by the hand to lead us on the path. God has promised to be with us through it all. God gives us a directive to tell others how much God loves them, too. Walk in faith that God loves you and spread the news!

Almighty God, we are blown away thinking about how you love us. Help us remember that love and share it with others. Amen.

Isaiah 9:2   ² The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness– on them light has shined.

All of us go through dark times in our lives. We feel like we are walking through deep water, slogging through each day, barely making any progress against the waves of despair, doubt, and depression.

In those dark days it is hard to see any glimmer of hope. But if we continue to look toward the light of Jesus’ love we will come through those dark times. While that light may seem quite dim while we are enveloped by the darkness it is still there. It is like a flashlight showing us where we should take the next step.

As we move through those dark places the darkness begins to fade. Christ’s light shines more and more leading us forward to hope, faith, and joy. While we are in the darkness, it is hard for us to see that there is light but we must hold on to the faith that assures us that Jesus is there. Jesus is holding us even though we cannot feel it. Jesus is leading us forward to wholeness and peace.

Lord, when we are in the darkness, shine your light. Help us to know that you are with us. Amen.

1 Kings 8:57-58  ⁵⁷ The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our ancestors; may he not leave us or abandon us,  ⁵⁸ but incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our ancestors.

When you were a child, did you ever get separated from your parents in a store? When we discover that we are alone, we panic. We don’t know where to turn. We may even cry out for Mom or Dad. We only calm down when they come back in our sightlines and we know we are safe.

There are times in our lives when we feel like God has left us alone. We feel disoriented and lost. Our feelings come from two places: we have allowed sin to enter into our lives or we are experiencing a difficult time in our lives and are uncertain about our decisions. But, we need to remember that we are never away from God’s care and love. As we put our confidence in the Lord we will feel his presence come near. He will bring us back into contact and open our hearts to listen to his voice and follow his direction.

Lord, you are always with us. Help us to turn to you and listen for your voice. Amen.

Acts 26:15-16  ¹⁵ I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The Lord answered, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.  ¹⁶ But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.

Sometimes we feel like our past life has been so bad or we have failed the Lord so many times that He could not possibly want us to witness for him. We are ashamed of our mistakes and don’t want to share them with anyone. We feel like we are not worthy to be called Christian.

But that just isn’t true. Jesus takes us as we are and transforms us into who we can become. Jesus uses our stories: the good, the bad, and the ugly, to reach out to the broken and lost. Our stories are their stories, our redemption can be their redemption, and that gives others hope.

Jesus puts us on our feet and gives us a purpose. We have been chosen and appointed to serve and testify to the things he has done in our lives. We have been given a new path to walk and a new way to go. Walk on and serve the Lord.

Lord, you have taken me when I was broken and made me whole. Let my story help others reach out to you. Amen.

Proverbs 4:25-27   ²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.  ²⁶ Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure.  ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Have you ever ridden in cars with drivers who don’t keep their eyes on the road? They enjoy looking at the scenery, reading billboards, and describing all the neat buildings they pass, while we grab hold of the side of the car, slam on our imaginary brakes, and even close our eyes so that we don’t see what we perceive to be impending danger.  We would be so much calmer if they would only keep their eyes on the road. Then we would feel more secure that they are control, able to stay on the road, and avoid crashing.

God wants us to be diligent in our walk of faith. We need to keep our eyes on the path God has set for us. There are always distractions that would take our focus off the right path. If we can keep focused on God’s teachings and guidance, if we can listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice leading us on the straight path, we will stay on track and not swerve off into dangerous territory.

Our task is to keep looking to the One who would guide us in the right way. Keeping our eyes on him will lead us on the right road and move us forward.

Lord, guide us on the path you have set before us. Help us keep our eyes forward…looking at you. Amen.