God's special hug from Himself to me....kat
In
times of trial and stress it is very helpful to consult God's Word as we
imagine our self snuggled in the feathers under His Wing, or sitting in His lap
as a little child - totally trusting in His goodness, grace, mercy and love
(Psalm 107:29; Mark 4:35-41).
Our
Lord God is always with us - in us and surrounding us. He cares about our
experiences. He is mighty to save, and He rejoices over all of His children
with gladness. He calms us with His love as He delights in us with singing
(Zephaniah 3:17).
People
often hurt our feelings, let us down, abuse us, break their promises to us,
discount our feelings, falsely accuse us, etc. We also encounter unexpected
trials, overwhelming stress and physical issues during our lifetime. All of this
disturbs our place in God's rest.
We
can acknowledge our feelings of being forlorn, cast aside, depressed or even
angry; and then comfort our self with thoughts of God's love for us. We calm
our soul and body, and pray through this troubling event, listening for God's
reassurance and inspiration.
Until
we learn to hear God's voice, we can practice short moments of being still and
paying attention, but listening eventually becomes a constant habit all
throughout our day. We are no longer blindsided by life's eruptions, because we
trust that God has every single event under His control.
When
we sit silently before the Lord, He calms our nerves, makes sense out of our
inner clutter, and reminds us that His peace helps us to be still and to rest
in His wisdom and provision (2 Thessalonians 1:2; Proverbs 2:6).
As
we patiently wait on the Lord, and listen for His instructions in His nurturing
calm (Psalm 37:37), He always hears our prayers and turns to us in both the good
times and bad (Psalm 40:1). He knows our heart better than anyone, and even
more than we know our own self.
Prayer:
Father
God, thank You that we are precious in Your sight, cared for by You, and that
You love us unconditionally (Isaiah 43:4; John 3:16-18). Remind us to consult
You when we first open our eyes in the morning, before we ever get out of bed
(Proverb 3:5-6). You have a plan for every moment of our day, and living in
Your will provides us with Your miraculous intervention throughout our day.
We
want to learn to continually walk in Your rest all day long (Hebrews 3-4).
Teach us to pray for requests immediately, either in our mind or out loud for
our self or with the person making the request (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We no
longer want to wander in this wilderness called "life", but we want
to live with, in and through You every single moment of our day.
Thought
for the Day:
Like
a baby gazing into its mother's eyes, we live in confidence in God's
faithfulness; as we snuggle in the quietness of His rest, we are saved, and as
we trust in and rely on God alone, He will give us His guidance and strength. -
Isaiah 30:15
