Prayer Index Cards for Life
Today I’m sharing seven PICs as a help for the challenging instruction of Psalm 37- FRET NOT!
When we pray God’s Word, we know that we are aligned with His will. When His Word goes out, it never returns without accomplishing His work. (Isaiah 55:10-13)
I’ve also linked previously written devotions that go along with several of today’s PICs–
Today’s devotion took me to a familiar Psalm, one I have written notes and dates around in the margins of my Bible. Today God spoke a fresh Word to me from the ones I’ve read and marked so many times. This Psalm is full of verbs, so of course the English teacher in me has marked them with an underline. These are words to BE and DO.
It was easy for the first verb to get my attention- FRET NOT!
This is a timely reminder because today’s schedule is not what I originally planned. I’m helping a senior with a doctor’s appointment. The time has changed a couple of times. It’s an interruption that will leave me tired and wanting to choose a nap over productivity.
This instruction is simple- FRET NOT over what I’m facing today, but I’m sure you’d agree, this is not always the easiest thing to do. Thankfully the Psalmist continues with another list of verbs instructing me in what to do instead.
TRUST in the LORD . . . DO GOOD
DWELL IN THE LAND . . . BEFRIEND FAITHFULNESS
DELIGHT IN THE LORD
COMMIT YOUR WAY TO HIM . . .TRUST IN HIM
BE STILL AND WAIT FOR HIM . . .
FRET NOT!
I found myself writing a prayer for the day ahead as God used his wisdom to instruct me and shift my perspective-
Help me, Oh Lord, to live as the Psalmist- not fretting and full of worry and angst but trusting in you and doing the good work of your Kingdom that you require. Today it’s helping with a doctor’s appointment. This is how I dwell in the land and do good today. Grow me up to see this as a way of delighting in You. I want it to be my pleasure to do this kingdom work. I want to be committed to your way- trusting you to act and work and order all of the things that need to be accomplished. Help me to be still in your presence- at peace instead of restless and agitated about what‘s ahead.
God is challenging me today to shift my perspective. To see the tasks of the day as the good work of his kingdom- to complete them as unto Him. To surrender them to Him and FRET NOT because of them. As I continue through the Psalm, there are more verbs that God ascribes to Himself.
HE WILL GIVE . . . HE WILL BRING FORTH
THE LORD KNOWS . . . ESTABLISHES . . . UPHOLDS
THE LORD LOVES . . . AND WILL NOT FORSAKE
HE PRESERVES . . . EXALTS
HE HELPS AND DELIVERS
HE IS A STRONGHOLD FOR THOSE WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM
Today’s challenge meets me where I live-
Will I surrender the things that I’m fretting over today to the LORD and trust that He is working it out as I delight in Him and the good work of his kingdom?
Today marks the first day of school for many of us in the South. As I watched the school bus drive down the street, I thought about all the emotions that swirl around the fall schedule resuming. Whether you are a student, a parent, a teacher, or simply feeling the ease of summer days coming to a close, you may be experiencing some feelings of stress and anxiety that to me might be best described as an order of hash browns from Waffle House.
CHOPPED (chopped potatoes)- so many people, so many tasks, all need a small piece of you, leaving you fragmented and out of sorts
SCATTERED (hash browns with onions)- the demands on your time and the responsibilities in front of you have you feeling like you are going in many directions but not getting much done- you’re scattered, just like the onions in the potatoes
SMOTHERED (hash browns with cheese)- the demands of life have you feeling overwhelmed, like you can’t breathe.
Today I’m sharing two PICs to help you navigate when you feel life’s griddle heating up on you-
Setting your mind on God and seeking Him first is the best way to Jump Back In– whatever your fall schedule brings!
As I continue to make my way back through the memory verses from Fight Back with Joy, this week brings me to Habakkuk 3:17-18, a difficult couple of verses, but to me, a picture of faith-
Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God the LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
Habakkuk 3:17-18, ESV
A person who lives by faith is driven by what he believes and knows is true, not by what he sees.
There will be times when there is no evidence in view- no obvious blessing, fruit, or answer. There will be times when our eyes see lack and perhaps failure.
In these times, faith rejoices anyway. This seems an impossibly hard choice to make- to be joyful in what you know is true about God and from God even if you can’t see it. God blesses this obedient act of faith by providing strength to continue the climb- up and over and through that mountain or high place. Taking joy in the LORD becomes your strength!
This is a powerful PIC-
I don’t have to be overwhelmed by circumstances that seem insurmountable and unchanging in front of me. In the face of those, I can choose to rejoice in the LORD. I can tell Him what makes me glad about Him- what I know is true of Him. This is living by faith. This equips me with strength and enables me to continue the climb- up and over the mountain as surefooted as a deer on the heights.
Today, LORD God, help me live on the heights by faith and full of joy!
Romans 5:3-5 is next up in the set of verses I’m memorizing again from Fight Back with Joy. I shared a post in March of 2020 entitled More Than Getting Through when I last focused on this scripture.
As I read back over these verses and practiced writing them in my journal a few times, I couldn’t help but think I’m more full of fatigue than rejoicing over what seems to be one challenge after another. I can’t see the end of endurance, and I’m tempted to think its fruit may be overrated; perhaps I have enough character and hope as I am.
I am loved by God. He has given me the Holy Spirit so that I am filled with his love! His work in my life is motivated by love. He has not given up on me in exasperation. Just as I wanted my own children to grow and thrive and become all that God created them to be, so He desires I grow and mature, living confidently and full of hope because He loves me!
The Amplified Bible says it this way-
And not only this, but (with joy) let us exult in our sufferings and rejoice in our hardships, knowing that hardship (distress, pressure, trouble) produces endurance; and endurance, proven character (spiritual maturity); and proven character, hope and confident assurance (of eternal salvation). Such hope (in God’s promises) never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Romans 5:3-5, AMP
So today I’m focusing on a new word from a familiar passage and reminding myself of a foundational truth-
God has filled my heart with His love by the Holy Spirit. He has given me the Holy Spirit so that His presence and power dwell in me; therefore, I have the strength to make it through any hardship, pressure or trouble, knowing God will use all these things to grow me up in Him. Nothing is wasted. Everything is purposeful. I am always secure because I am loved!
When I don’t rest and trust in the perfect LOVE of God, life feels random and a bit mean at times. Today, I’m glad (rejoicing) that I am ok in the perfect love of God.
I shared in a post last week that I’m going back through the memory verses from the study Fight Back with Joy by Margaret Feinberg. This has led me to meditate on and consider the short version of Nehemiah 8:10, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
Do not be grieved can be reworded- do not feed on what distresses you.
I’ve been convicted that when I fall into a pattern of complaining and grumbling over circumstances that are hard or cause me trouble, I am in fact feeding the things that cause me stress. This quenches the strength that comes from rejoicing in the LORD.
James 1: 22 challenges believers to be doers of the word, and not hearers only, so today, I’m sharing two PICs that I’m keeping before me in mind and prayer as I seek to be a doer in this- to replace the old pattern with a new one.
Living in a world where negativity and division are the norm, it’s easy to feed our stress. Will you join me today with a new pattern of praise? Will you shine as a light in this dark world?
A previous post, Without Complaint, may be helpful as well.
My daddy celebrated 95 years in May, but it was not the party we had planned. Two and a half weeks before his milestone birthday, he fell and broke his hip. Surgery and a hospital stay followed by rehab has resulted in a detour for him that we never saw coming. It has been a hard stretch in his journey especially now that we see the detour becoming a more permanent and different path.
I’m asking the question today-
What do you do when the detour becomes the road?
It’s not what you planned. It’s harder and out of the way. You didn’t see it coming, but here you are all the same. There doesn’t seem to be a way to redirect or get back to where you were. You’re tired and about out of gas.
I’m in this spot with my dad at the moment. The fall has left him more bound to a wheelchair and in need of long-term care. Many days I feel disoriented and confused. The road is unfamiliar and hard to follow, but I don’t want this hardship to be in vain. I want God to use it- to teach me and grow me up in Him.
And God is faithful- He is teaching me some deep and abiding truths. I asked my dad recently to say the blessing, and he thanked God for being good to him everyday of his life. I haven’t forgotten it- everyday of his life. Really? That includes today.
This is the lesson for me- THE GOODNESS OF GOD IS NOT FOUND IN CIRCUMSTANCES. GOD IS GOOD EVEN WHEN LIFE IS NOT; THEREFORE, I CAN CELEBRATE AND HAVE JOY EVERY DAY!
I needed a little help with this, so I relocated some scriptures that I memorized and prayed over several years back from Margaret Feinberg’s study, Fight Back with Joy. I’ve pulled them out again, and I shared Psalm 16:11 in the last post.
I’m finding Nehemiah 8:10 another powerful word to me-
What a powerful truth!
Even this day is holy to the LORD. God has made it, and He is good. I am challenging myself with two application points- I’m asking God to open my eyes to see at least one good thing to enjoy each day? Instead of dwelling on the stress, I’m reminding myself of the goodness of God. My prayer is that this will produce joy-filled strength to stay the course since the detour has become the road.
Less of my words; more of His to pray-
This is the path that leads to a deep and abundant relationship with God!
I’m jumping back in today feeling God prompting me to find a way to share more PICs– hoping they will lead you to a deeper relationship with God through prayer.
I’m walking through a season with God that is requiring perseverance; there are a lot of days when I feel like I’m running out of steam.
God is reminding me that staying in the Word and praying the Word is the key to staying the course. The good news today is that even in the desert, there is God’s provision of JOY! He promises us that as we stay the course on His path, He is present, and in Him, JOY is abundant.
Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who knew the light and walked in the light. His legacy lives today, ever calling us to Be the Light! Continue reading “Be the LIGHT”
I’m reposting a devotional from 2019 because it is speaking loudly to me in this second week of 2021. As I wrote last week in The Gift of Love–
“The troubles of 2020 have not disappeared with the calendar change,” and I’ll add to that- “they have picked up speed and appear to be setting up permanent residence.”
It’s my prayer that these words will encourage me to Begin Again with a ‘Hallelujah Perspective’–
As I flipped through my Instagram feed on New Year’s Eve, this Peanuts cartoon got my attention. The caption reads, “My favorite memory from 2018 was . . .”
My husband and I were on an unexpected, cross-country, road trip, so I thought this might just be an interesting conversation starter. Sure enough, it prompted an almost immediate response from him as he quickly identified several highlights and answered prayers that were a part of his 2018. The surprise came to me when it was my time to answer. As I flipped through the year in my mind, there was no stand-out highlight that I could identify.
In my mind, 2018 had been a hard year– one of taking a step, then the next one, and then one more after that. I felt tired from the daily grind that includes caring for a senior parent drifting farther away each day into the depths of dementia. While a long season of joblessness came to end for my husband, it had come in an unexpected package that left me still wondering what God was doing. Even though it had been a busy and fruitful year of ministry leading a morning women’s Bible study, I had ended the year feeling overwhelmed and tired, more ready for a break than I could ever remember.
There were certainly answered prayers and refreshing times sprinkled through the year, but for the life of me, I couldn’t think of one thing that I would really classify as memorable. It had been a year of more ordinary than extraordinary, more difficult than ease, more head down moving forward than I would have preferred. Realizing that much of the stuff of 2018 would continue walking with me into the new year ahead, a sense of dread and anger swept over me.
How would I begin 2019 with many things still unresolved?
Today, I’m late finishing the Christmas Conversation series I started for the advent season of 2020.
The week before Christmas my husband and I were diagnosed with Covid-19, and with the phone call that relayed the positive test result, our celebration of Christmas and the end of the year took a turn down an unexpected path.
While we were thankful to have mild cases, I found the anxiety that comes with the presence of the virus and the fatigue which accompanies it was enough to keep me from finishing what I had started.
I also struggled with the impact that Covid-19 had on our Christmas plans. We missed it- entirely. All of our adult kids who were planning to be home had to redirect and celebrate elsewhere. Our loss of smell and taste kept us from enjoying even the simple pleasure of food and goodies thoughtfully left at the door. The headaches and congestion made it hard to concentrate on the basic disciplines of quiet time and prayer.
It was a time to rest in the grace of the greatest gift ever given-
The Gift of Love, the incarnate Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh- who came to dwell among us and for us!
And a time to know that nothing in this world has the power to cancel Christmas!
The Gift of Love has come, and Romans 8:35-39 was still true- nothing can separate me from the great and powerful love of Jesus Christ!
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
A week into 2021, I’m grateful to be safe and secure in the great love of Jesus Christ!
The troubles of 2020 have not disappeared with the calendar change, so I’ll close today with two PICs that I’m praying often.
I pray that in whatever you are facing, you will know that God is for you-
And I pray you’ll join me in loving others well this year by intentionally praying for their health and well-being.
Thank you Lord Jesus for loving me enough to come so that I could know how much God loves me and is for me. In 2021, root me securely in your great Gift of Love– in Jesus. Be alive in me as you dwell in me this year. Help me to face these times with courage and confidence in you. I want to love others well, showing that I am yours.
As I’ve worked back through the study, Fight Back with Joy by Margaret Feinberg, I have replanted the memory verses from each week in my heart and mind. Memorizing and praying God’s word is a powerful tool that always accomplishes good in those who are trained by it.
The most difficult passage to memorize has been Habakkuk 3:17-18, but the message God has planted in my heart and mind from it is quite powerful-
Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls; yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.
The word here is that even when circumstances are difficult and there is no evidence of fruit, God’s provision of joy is present because He himself is the reason we are glad. He is the one who has saved us. He is our strength. He leads us over the heights that seem insurmountable before us! Continue reading “The Gift of Joy”
Today as I asked God for help and direction to write about the second gift of Advent- PEACE, I took a few minutes to look back at a post I published on March 10, 2020- One Word is PEACE.
I read back over my words and was struck by how little changed over the course of the year-
Weather patterns brought suffering to many through an uncommon number of hurricanes and wildfires.
Even though I’ve spent more time at home, my to-do list is never complete, making rest a challenge.
Unexpected death and disease have uprooted families, leaving them with broken hearts in places they don’t recognize.
The election is over, but the country remains divided by hyper-partisan politics and strife.
A vaccine is right on the horizon, yet lockdowns and virus cases still bind people in fear and uncertainty. Everyone feels the anxiety of what a new normal will look like post-coronavirus.
Markets are up and then down- businesses and livelihoods marked and lost in ways that make restoration feel doubtful.
It seems PEACE slips further and further out of reach, especially if I add my dad’s dementia- it’s one thing the virus hasn’t slowed; he’s slipping away as days of quarantine lengthen, and if I allow my mind to dwell too long here, I become frantic and angry over this lost time we won’t get back.
What I wrote in March still rings true today- PEACE slips farther and farther out of reach if I continue to look for it in all the wrong places- circumstances, people, things, control, the absence of storm . . .
So as I did in March, I’m reminding myself of truth today- the second gift of Advent is PEACE. Jesus brought peace to this world when He came as the way for world-weary souls to be right with God.
In Jesus there is peace even in difficult circumstances.
His gift to me is peace.
So today, I will open The Gift of Peace by reminding myself of what I know is true-
And today I will cultivate The Gift of Peace with some PREPLANTing for PEACE by following Paul’s instructions in Philippians 4:8-9, and I’ll put my mind on what is-
Pure
Right
Excellent
Praiseworthy
Lovely
Admirable
Noble
True
And the God of PEACE will be with me-
And you . . . because-
The One who has promised is faithful!
(Hebrews 10:23)
Today, will you join me and choose to encounter this uncertain world by trusting and rejoicing in The Gift of Peace we celebrate this Christmas- Jesus!
During the first week of Advent, we celebrate the gift of HOPE. The prophets foretold of the Messiah who would come as the HOPE for God’s people-
In a previous post- One Word is HOPE, I wrote-
While the word HOPE seems to rest in the realm of the unseen, when present it actually prompts activity in the realm of the seen. HOPE is the fuel that prompts waiting, enduring, and continuing until an expectation comes to pass. When applied spiritually, HOPE results in obedience during the in-between of the promise given and the promise fulfilled.
I don’t often stop to think about how much our world today mirrors the world of the Bible, but when I do, I see that so much now is as it was then. We too are a people living in darkness. This year it’s come in the form of disease, uncertainty, and sometimes violent discord among people. As the calendar approaches the celebration of the first advent of Jesus, many long for his second advent- when He will come and make all things new. Suffering and death will be no more. Every tear will be wiped away.
As people who live in-between the Advent promises, we find common ground with the ancients- we are weary and in desperate need of HOPE. While we may be tempted to misplace our hope and look to a vaccine, a leader, a plan, or a resource to restore all that’s gone wrong, we need the reminder that our only HOPE is the gift of Jesus.
Scripture teaches us-
HOPE is in the name of Jesus! (Matthew 12:18-21)
Jesus is the HOPE that saves. (Romans 8:24-25)
HOPE in Jesus will not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)
This HOPE is an anchor that keeps us secure. (Hebrews 6:19)
Scripture calls us to be filled with HOPE-
As hope-filled people, we wait, we endure, and we continue with God, and our testimonies point to the living hope we have in Jesus.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of your salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.
1 Peter 1:3-5
2020 has been a hard and challenging year. If you’re like me, you may need an intentional reset in your mind and heart in order to know and believe that even the trouble of this year is not enough to negate the goodness and abundance of God.
I’m bringing back a PIC to refocus my mind and perspective on God’s truth-
This is good news- God’s bounty is not defined or confined by the circumstances of any given year!
I’m employing some simple strategies that I found in this beautiful passage from Psalm 92 as a guide for keeping a grateful heart and cultivating a spirit of joy-
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
Psalm 92:1-4 (ESV)
I’m calling it Instructions for ThanksLiving–
1- Spend time daily speaking praise to God; thank Him for His presence and be glad for his work (Psalm 113:2-3, Psalm 50:14-15, Psalm 91:14-16, Isaiah 46:4).
2- Begin and end the day in His presence- pray, pray, pray (1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:18).
3- Sing out loud a song of joy. (The old Thanksgiving hymns have made my heart glad, so I’m giving you a video link to help you get started- Let All Things Now Living.)
I pray you will find the practice of ThanksLiving is the best way to reset your perspective so that you believe and see the Bounty of the Lord in the land of the living as Psalm 27:13 promises-
I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of living!
Happy ThanksLiving- I’m especially grateful for your presence here at Daily PICs- thanks for reading and praying along with me!
Jean
I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten at Waffle House, but every year as we get closer to Christmas, I think maybe this is the year I’ll stop in for some breakfast. My curiosity was piqued when I began to hear stories of eating at Waffle House as a much loved Christmas tradition- either Christmas Eve or Christmas morning.
Being a breakfast lover, the stories of late night trips to a restaurant that’s always open intrigued me. Especially when I learned about the countless ways you can order another favorite of mine- hash browns.
Several years ago, I used my hash brown learnings to write a short devotional. Today I’m giving it a 2020 update and hoping it will encourage you as we close in on the end of what many people are describing as an unprecedented year. I’ll start with a simple question-
Has 2020 left you feeling like Waffle House hash browns? Continue reading “On The Way . . . With the Joy of the LORD”
As it turns out, the post I wrote last week, No Matter What, has been harder for me to apply in my own life than I care to admit.
Living in this world as one of God’s chosen ones with the work assignment of Colossians 3:12-17 has been a challenge. Circumstances in the world and in my life are testing my patience, leaving me feeling more angry than kind, more critical than forgiving, and more grumbling than thankful.
I’m convicted this morning that if I’m going to make any progress toward Colossians 3 being real in my life, Something Has to Give–
And the something is me.
I’ve pulled out a PIC that I posted in the Journey in Joy series and updated it just a bit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is coming to the top of my prayer card stack.
I’ve also gotten a study off my shelf that I completed during another hard season 5-6 years ago called Fight Back With Joy by Margaret Feinberg. I highly recommend this one!
Both the scripture and the study will help me intentionally give my heart and mind to God as I-
Cultivate an attitude of joy;
Pray continually (as I go through the day);
Give thanks in all circumstances (even the challenging ones).
Then I’ll be aligned with God’s will for me in Christ Jesus.
No Matter What will you join me in this today?
Today seems the right time to share a key learning from my recent study with Jennifer Rothschild in Haggai. The book is short on verses but long on application and timeliness.
One of our first assignments was to read the book several times and highlight repeated words and phrases. “The LORD of hosts” popped up as the most recurring phrase- 14 times in 34 verses. God is making a point He wants his people to remember. It’s one they must know and believe if they are to continue on in obedience and finish the work they’ve begun. It’s a message for me today! Continue reading “No Matter What”
My study in Haggai with Jennifer Rothschild has challenged my view of waiting on God. In his second sermon, Haggai is encouraging the people to be strong and work, knowing that God is with them. They are to finish rebuilding the temple even as they feel it in no way compares to the previous one that had been destroyed.
In verse 6 Haggai says,
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and the desired of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the LORD Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the LORD Almighty.”
Haggai 2:6-9 (NIV)
This is a powerful word of encouragement to the people. God will bring together and provide all the resources needed to complete the work- after all, the resources and power are His! He promises to fill this temple with his glory and assures the people that it will be a greater glory than the splendor of the previous temple. In this place, He will give them peace.
While this is good news, a challenge comes with these brief words- “In a little while,” and it’s one all of us understand. God’s provision and promise will come in a little while, thus- a season of in the meantime and waiting! Continue reading “In A Little While”
Today I’m taking a look back at the why behind Daily PICs. While it’s an endeavor God clearly led me to start, sometimes the discipline required to continue moving forward is hard to muster.
The first step of obedience requires faith; the steps to continue involve discipline.
When discipline wanes, it’s important to remember what was true at the start. My devotional reading this morning confirmed this with a challenge from 2 Timothy 3:14–
But as for you, continue in what you learned and have become convinced of –
What I have learned and become convinced of is that writing Prayer Index Cards and praying God’s Word is a powerful and effective tool! It has been the key to unlocking the abundant and victorious life that is promised and found in Jesus. This is the life I long for and that I want for you as well! Continue reading “Convinced to Continue”
Our recent home addition/remodel proved to be an object lesson in taking off the old and putting on the new which I had just studied in Mary Kassian’s, Conversation Peace.
The study began by highlighting something we all desire- to love life and live good days!
“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.”
1 Peter 3:10-11
It also identified a construction process that required some messy work. The old speech patterns had to be removed and some new ones added if the benefits of transformed words that honor God, bless others, and fill our lives with peace are to be enjoyed. The study is grounded in truth and filled with practical helps; I highly recommend it! Continue reading “Adding On”
About the time 2020 detoured into the Coronavirus Pandemic, we started a home remodel/addition. Having our home turned upside down at the same time the world spun into unknown territory was about as much as I could manage at one time, so even though writing material was in my brain, and Daily PICs were added to my notebook, I found it hard to update this site.
You have been in a similar place . . . when distraction and fatigue win the day, and you drift off course finding that it gets harder to redirect the further you get off track.
Today my devotional reading took me to Hebrews 11:8-12. I love the way Abraham is described in verse 12-
“Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”
The part I highlighted- that Abraham was as good as dead made me smile because it reminded me that I cannot begin to fathom the ways and the timing of God. Continue reading “One Word is POSSIBLE”
When I went to bed last night, the world and my world were not as I wanted them to be, and that ended up stealing my sleep- can I get a witness?
This morning I woke desperate for a word from the LORD to straighten my skewed mindset, and God faithfully met me with Psalm 119:89-96 and Psalm 103. My devotional reading in Journey was a timely reminder that in my search for perfection in my own life circumstances, I had lost sight of the one and only place where perfection abides- in God Himself; therefore, I need to turn my attention to Him.
If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Psalm 119:92-93, 96 Continue reading “One Word is BLESS”
We’ve just celebrated a different kind of Easter with online and drive-up services across the country due to social distancing and quarantine mandates. Because of this, I found it especially hard to approach Easter weekend with the usual excitement. As I lamented to a friend, she shared an idea with me of how she was encouraging herself and her neighbors during these dark days. This led Wally and me to build a cross in our front yard strung with Christmas lights to serve as a testimony of encouragement to passersby.
This week I’m continuing to pray through the PIC I shared in last week’s post, More Than Getting Through–
In this passage endurance is a key word. God allows times of trial to produce endurance in me, and I should rejoice in this. Continue reading “One Word is ENDURE”
My connect group is currently studying through the book of Romans, and yesterday’s lesson brought a scripture to mind that I had memorized a few years back when going through Margaret Feinberg’s study, Fight Back with Joy. Let me take a moment to highly recommend this study-
In it Margaret dives into the Word through study, scripture memorization, and journaling to share how we were meant to fight life’s toughest battles- with JOY! Continue reading “More Than Getting Through”
In the last few weeks, my Journey devotional magazine has taken me to Psalm 91. It amazes me to see God using previously written pieces to speak a timely word of truth and encouragement.
Psalm 91 is a true word of hope and reassurance as we navigate a world full of trouble. This Psalm reminds us that it is God who is our refuge and protection. He is the One who delivers us from the snare and the deadly pestilence. He is faithful to guard us in all our ways. We don’t have to fear what we cannot see because His faithfulness keeps us secure from harm. Take time this week to meditate on this Psalm; it will change how you respond to whatever troubles you today. Continue reading “One Word is DWELL”
A week or so ago, a devotional reading took me to Matthew 17:14-21 and led me to consider a third word- FAITH as I continue my journey in GetOneWord.
In this passage, Jesus encounters a crowd who has become frustrated because the disciples have not been able heal an epileptic boy. He answers the people with what seems to be a harsh assessment, calling them a “faithless and twisted generation.” (17) He then has the boy brought to him, rebukes the demon, and heals him instantly.
Later, as he gathers privately with his disciples, they inquire as to why they had not been able to cast out the demon. His answer to them got my attention:
“Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there, and it will move,’ and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:21 Continue reading “One Word is FAITH”
As a follow-up to my last post, I’m continuing to consider GetOneWord as a goal setting strategy for this year, and I’m still listening to Suddenly by Phillips, Craig & Dean. I’m having to admit that like a few other family members, I do have the tendency to hit repeat, repeat, repeat when a particular song speaks to me. Continue reading “One Word is HOPE”
I’m in the process of deciding if I want to GetOneWord for 2020. I have certainly heard a lot about the power this strategy can have to bring about life change, and as I’m starting this new year, new decade even, I want to make some changes- I want to steward well my time, abilities, and resources and live fully in the calling of God on my life.
If you’re reading this, I bet you have the same desire. Continue reading “Everything Can Change”
God’s Word promises us life- to the full . . . running over . . . in abundance!
We all desire it, but if we’re honest, we admit we struggle to find and fully live in it the way God intends. Thieves pop-in, sometimes unannounced, and take us by surprise, stealing our joy and replacing streams of living water with fatigue, doubt, and defeat. As much as we try to create or fix our own lives, we find we can’t do it on our own. We need help- from God and others to find the life we desire.
Welcome to Daily PICs for Life– a place where I hope you’ll find encouragement and strategies to apply in your life, your ministry, your present day- to unlock the abundance that is yours through Christ. Here you’ll find Prayer Index Cards that will move you toward a more powerful and effective prayer life, devotional writings to encourage you in your faith, and helps for ministry both in your home and community.
It’s my prayer that you’ll find something within the pages of this site that will transform your life so that it is more full of God through Christ today than yesterday- that you’ll live more abundantly as God has promised!
Daily PICs for Life 