Let God Help You

Psalm 63:5-8 - My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.

James 1:2-3 - Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

Dear God, as hard as it is to count trials as joy, I am appreciating all the more that You are there leading me through them. I would rather walk with You than be alone. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Continue on the Path with God

Psalm 37:3-4 - Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Hebrews 7:25 - Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 

Hebrews 7:25 (NIV) - Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. 

Dear God, thank You for constantly being with me and for going ahead of me on the path I am following You upon. Help me to never falter in trusting You and living close to You. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Make Friends With the Problems in Your Life

Romans 8:28 - And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

I Corinthians 1:22-24 - For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Dear God, some people say that autism is a burden, but I say it is a blessing with challenges. Why? Because I have come to accept it as something that You chose to allow me to have for a reason. And even though I may not know or understand all the reasons why You chose me to have autism, I embrace it. Thank You for letting me experience autism and help to never let anyone tell me that I have no business sharing my thoughts about autism based on my experiences. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Your Love Never Fails by Newsboys

Nothing can separate
Even if I run away
Your love never fails
I know I still make mistakes
You have new mercy for me everyday
'Cause Your love never fails

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There may be pain in the night
But joy comes in the morning
And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone here in these open seas
'Cause Your love never fails
The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

You make all things work together for my good
You make all things work together for my good

Refuse to Worry

Luke 12:25-26 - "And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?"

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 - Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Dear God, today I am not worried but angry. Angry because when I had to call tech support because of internet problems last night, they actually made things WORSE! Now I have NO internet and I have a library account that I need to make sure doesn't end up with fines. To make matters worse, even though they said my mom's account qualifies for a FREE upgrade, now because THEY broke things, they want to charge us for the resulting equipment upgrade! Really? They broke it, why should we be paying anything? For the first time in my life, tech support actually made things worse! God, please get the tech here promptly in the first half of the allotted time period. Mom has to work this afternoon and be able to leave promptly so she can get me for tonight if I am well enough to attend or they don't cancel for the pending weather threat that is going to cause me to have to reschedule my infusion to next week (hopefully they will still have an opening so they can do that since they have ended up with backlog from the past two weeks of weather). God, forgive me where I have sinned in anger. Thank You for Your love and Your presence. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

God Loves You for Who You Are

John 10:4 - "When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice." 

Ephesians 4:1-6 - I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call–one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 

Dear God, I want to thank You for when Ginny had me read You Are Special by Max Lucado. Although at the time I did not see it, this event ties into the message presented in today's devotional passage. You love me for who I am, not for what I do. In the silences, many voices try to fight to control my mind. I am to fight to discern Your voice from that of others. When Mikki and Mark kept trying to force me to change into something I am not, it really hurt and made me question who I am. Am I supposed to change because someone else demands it in order to fit their idea of perfect or am I to change because You want it and have brought me into the change? In today's passage You said we are to be humble and gentle and patient and bear with one another in love. Did Tom do that? No. When the moment required it, he failed to do that. I am saddened by what he did. I am still hopeful that You will allow restoration or reconciliation. And I am trusting that You will when the time is right. Why? Because Tom, like Ginny, did see the real me. And like Ginny, he did accept it. He just gave in to negative peer pressure. But I also know now that Ginny was right. She was tired of fighting the others to get them to see where they were hurting me more than helping me. And I was tired of her having to fight that fight for me. She has her own daughter she will have to fight for because of their own journey with special needs. I pray Ginny and I will be able to reunite sometime because if we ever do, I will have to say a huge thank you to her for teaching me that You really do love me for me just the way I am. Thank You God for perfect love! In Jesus' Name, Amen!

The Resurrection and the Life

Matthew 11:28-29 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and it will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

John 11:25-26 - Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?

I Peter 1:8-9 - Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 

Dear God, thank You for rest and comfort in Your presence. Thank You for life. Thank You for glory and salvation. Help me not chase after the wrong things, but focus on chasing after You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Cast Your Anxieties on God

Isaiah 26:3 - "...You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." 

Philippians 4:5-6 - Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Dear God, I am anxious about tomorrow's testing. Please help things go well. The anesthesia, the process, the financial aspect. Everything about it that has me anxious, please calm me. You will provide. You will bless me richly as a result of what I am going through and despite of what I am going through. You already have. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!