My Deliverer

I sought the LORD, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
~ Psalm 34:4

When God Seems Distant

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
~ Jeremiah 29:11-13

Sometimes we feel ready to give up on God, simply because He doesn't seem to be answering us when we pray to Him. This is a common assumption we make as humans. We hate being ignored!

Although I had read the first sentence of this passage from Jeremiah several times over the years, it wasn't until I read on that I made a discovery that changed my relationship with God. Go back and read the entire passage as it is written above. It says that "then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".

It dawned on me that God really does desire relationship with His children. He does not want us to half-heartedly ask Him for things. He wants us to first want Him, to actively go and pray and seek and search Him with all of our hearts. I have found that in doing so, my desires and requests have begun to align more with His desires and will for me. I am happier. I see the fingerprints of God in my life every day, and it fills me with joy. I am never alone.

God wants us to be like the Psalmist, who wrote:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
~ Psalm 42:1

What a beautiful truth!

A Morsel of Wisdom

Commit your works to the LORD,
And your thoughts will be established.
~ Proverbs 16:3

Love

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.
~ 1 John 3:18

He is Faithful

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”
~ Matthew 14:22-33

Father, sometimes we ask for Your help to "walk on water", and then we doubt and lose faith when we notice the turmoil stirring around us. Maybe we ask you to meet our financial needs, but then the next moment we worry and wonder how we will pay the bills. Maybe we take a leap of faith to try to witness to a friend who does not know You, only to back down when we wonder if we will lose their friendship. Father, help me to trust You. And thank You, that when I find myself sinking in the midst of turmoil, I can cry out to You, "Lord, save me!", and You are there.

The Narrow Gate

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."
~ Matthew 7:13-14

Isolation

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire;
He rages against all wise judgment.
~Proverbs 18:1

Praises for a Monday

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
Where there is no water.
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
Thus I will bless You while I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips.
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.
~ Psalm 63:1-8 (one of my very favorite passages of Scripture)

Please help me to stay focused on You, Lord, as I continue through this week. Whatever trials await, help me to rely on Your power and not my own. Thank You for new opportunities that You put in front of me.

Our Safe Refuge

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be moved,
And though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
~Psalm 46:1-3

The Lighted Path

But the path of the just is like the shining sun,
That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.
~Proverbs 4:18

God of Second Chances

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
~ 2 Chronicles 7:14


Dear Father, You are the "God of Second Chances". Thank You that You tell us clearly what we need to do, yet give us the freedom to choose Your way or our way. Thank You that You have never stopped loving me, but have always welcomed me into Your family. Please, Lord, guide me through this week and reveal Your presence to me and encourage me. Help me also to be an encouragement to others. In Jesus's name, Amen.

The Promise of Heaven

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
~Revelation 21:4

Right Before Your Eyes

Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings...
~ Psalm 17:8

Do you pause long enough to see that which is in front of you? What is God trying to show you today? When you pray for His protection, do you also seek to know His heart?

The Edges of His Glory

By His Spirit He adorned the heavens;
His hand pierced the fleeing serpent.
Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways;
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?
~ Job 26:13-14

If it is God's Will...

Now a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying to Him, "If You are willing, You can make me clean."
Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, "I am willing; be cleansed."
As soon as He had spoken, immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
~ Mark 1:40-42

It can be confusing praying for God's will to be done. We think, "God is good. Surely therefore it must be His will that He will heal my child, my spouse, my grandfather, (whomever)..." But that is not always the case. God decides when and how He will heal, if He chooses to heal at all. He may choose not to heal, so that His greater will may be done in our lives.

My 20's were book-ended by the loss of each of my parents, first my dad and then my mom. When my dad became ill, I was only 21. I thought for sure God would heal him...I could not imagine that it would be the will of God to take my dad at 54 and leave my family and me without him. But He allowed my dad to die.

My mom became ill when I was 29. She and I prayed to God to heal her, and I had faith that He could if it was His will. But....again God chose not to heal. I was in shock. My mom was gone; it was so final. God, I thought, had failed me. My heart still aches 12 years later as I sit at my desk and write about it.

But as I look back I see now with clarity God's hand in those situations. My dad's death made me question more deeply the truth about God, life and death, heaven and hell, and who Jesus was...and what it all means for me and my life. It began a very confusing time for me, a time of deep and fervent searching. But in all of this turbulence, God was there, gently revealing Himself to me. He became real to me, my Father in Heaven, my safe refuge.

I have to admit to you that when my mom died, things did not go as well. Suddenly everything about God scared me. I was in shock that He would allow her to die in a matter of only weeks. I thought surely God knew I would not be able to handle the blow He had dealt me, the feeling that a part of my flesh and my identity had been torn and ripped from my body and my heart had been crushed. I was scared. God scared me. He still does at times.

But now I see that God was revealing Himself to me. God is Love, and sometimes love hurts. But if God had chosen my will and not His, I would not be who I am today. I now know compassion, tolerance, grace, forgiveness and understanding in ways I would not have experienced if life had gone smoothly and God had healed my parents and spared me the pain of losing them in my 20s. I now am a joyful, well-adjusted, grateful young woman of 41 who loves God and experiences Him daily. There are times I am in awe and fear of His power, and His love does not make sense to me. But the Bible says,

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways." says the LORD.
"For as the heavens are higher then the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways,
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
~ Isaiah 55:8-9

I choose now to believe that in God's infinite wisdom, His will is better than my own, and I trust Him.

Are You Burdened?

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I 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.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
~ Matthew 11:28-30

This verse was pointed out to me by a friend about 15 years ago, before I became a Christian. I have always found this verse comforting, calming, and reassuring. In these past 15 years since then, it has also proven to be true. I have found rest for my soul in Jesus.

Rest for Today

Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.
And He said to them,"Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." For there were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.
~ Mark 6:30 - 31

A friend pointed me to this verse this week, a reminder to take time to rest in the midst of busy-ness.

Perfect Peace

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
For YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.
~ Isaiah 26:3-4

We can have peace in the most uncertain of times if we learn to put our trust in God to handle the details of our lives. It doesn't mean life will get easier and our problems will disappear. However, there is peace in knowing that God is ultimately in charge of our lives, every breath we take, and we are not created to handle life on our own. In fact, to try to handle life on our own is to take the position of power from God. It just doesn't work.

Great and Mighty

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.
~ Jeremiah 33:3

An Attitude of Gratitude

A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance,
But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
~ Proverbs 15:13

Choose today to focus on your blessings.

The God of Second Chances

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
~ 2 Chronicles 7:14

Sometimes we don't even know we are on the wrong track until we realize that God has a better plan for our lives, if we would just turn toward Him. He is always ready to hear our prayer and show us a better life.

Safe With God

You are my hiding place and my shield;
I hope in your word.
~ Psalm 119:114

Crowned With Glory and Honor

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.
O LORD, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
~ Psalm 8:3-9

Humble as a Bumblebee

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
~ James 4:10

Trust Him

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
~ Proverbs 3:5-6

I am finally learning to trust God fully. If you've been hurt or betrayed, as most of us have, this is easier said than done. But the trusting is worth the rewards.

God of Comfort

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
Saying to you, "Fear not, I will help you."
~ Isaiah 41:13

Begin Today

Delight yourself in the LORD,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
~ Psalm 37:4
As I have grown to know God, the desires of my heart have become more in line with His plan for me. What more could I want?

God of Mercy

Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
~ John 8:3-11

Pressing On

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
~ Philippians 3:13-14

This beetle looked to me as though he was doing his daily push-ups...a reminder to us to be diligent today as we press toward our goal of the upward call of God.

With Wings Like Eagles

Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have not might
He increases their strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
~ Isaiah 40:28-31

Welcome to Reflections of God's Love!

When You said, "Seek My face,"
My heart said to You, "Your face, LORD, I will seek."
~Psalm 27:8

The idea for this blog was born from the desire to share with others little timeless morsels of God's Holy Word along with photography and art which celebrate life. Each day is God's gift to us, and what we do with it is our gift back to God. I pray you feel uplifted today!