Have you ever looked for shapes in the clouds, eaten slowly in order to savor every bite, sat on the porch swing to watch the birds and the bees and the flowers and the trees, cuddle with your favorite blanket at night, sat totally still and stroked the soft fur of your pet, or one of a multitude of other things that we experience, yet fail to notice or to enjoy every day.
Usually, the stress of our schedule, and the busyness of our responsibilities rob us of the time to appreciate the little things that God and our spouse do for us all day long. Yet, when we take the time to savor the blessings, and to remember God’s benefits (Psalm 103:1-5), we sigh a deep breath and our whole body relaxes.
Many of us make lists of things to do each day, bucket lists to accomplish in our lifetime, notes to remind us of responsibilities requiring our attention, or groceries we need to purchase on our next run to the store. Lists keep us organized, but often their tyranny robs us of living and enjoying the moment.
Maybe the importance of our purpose in life is out of alignment, or the stress of life is ruining our health, or we forget that our citizenship is in heaven and not on this earth (Philippians 3:20-21). Yet, when we emphasize God’s plans for us, our true objective comes back into focus.
His benefits never cease to amaze us (Psalm 34:8), and we spend our day praising His presence in our life – maybe not out loud due to our surroundings, but quietly in the fullness of our heart and mind. Nothing is ever too small or too big for us to bring to God’s awareness in prayer.
God encourages us to approach His throne with confidence to receive His grace to remain victorious over every trial that we ever experience (Hebrews 4:16). Regardless of what we are going through, we can place all of our cares into His capable hands, because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7).
Prayer:
Father God, thank You for answering us every single time that we call on You for help (Psalm 120:1). You are our Creator God and You gave us life for a reason (Ephesians 2:10; Psalm 121:2). You call us to rejoice in every circumstance, to pray without ceasing, and to appreciate all that You and our spouse do for us, because this is Your recipe for our success (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
At the moment of our salvation, You move into our spirit by Your Spirit because You want to commune with us each moment of the day. You desire for our intimacy with our spouse and with You to increase, as our dependence on this world decreases. You want us to follow Your narrow path to keep us safe and to make us useful in Your Kingdom work. We worship You, Almighty God, because there is no one like You.
Thought for the Day:
James, the brother of Jesus, gives us an example of how to live our life for God (James 5:13-16):
1. Confess our sins to God and one another so they can be forgiven.
2. Pray continually about any distress in our life.
3. Sing joyful songs to the Lord, especially when we are happy.
4. Ask the elders for prayer when we are sick, so we can be well.
5. Realize that powerful and effective prayers come from those who walk in the righteousness of Christ in us.
