Below is another addition to my "latest devotional prayers" that can be found on the sidebar of my website at www.respitefortheweary.com. For those of you who feel as if you are in the midst of a spiritual battle right now, this is for you to claim over your heart today:

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me…   Psalm 35:1

God, You are my Contender.  Draw out Your whole arsenal, Mighty One. It’s time for You to act. Yes, gird Your sword on Your thigh, in Your splendor and Your majesty…and fight for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness…You, King of Glory, are strong and mighty, You are the Lord mighty in battle.  I cry to You for help because my enemy steals, my enemy kills, and my enemy destroys; and he plagues my heart and mind with confusion, falsehood, and doubt. Please, O my King, send Your sharp arrows into the heart of this enemy; crush this discourager; pierce through this liar. Let him and his tactics not have their way with me, O God—not one thought, not one emotion, not one heartbeat. Yes, fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of Your buckler and Your shield and rise up for my help. Draw also Your spear and Your battle axe to meet those who pursue me. Thank You, God of Might.  You are the defense of my life, whom shall I be afraid? …Of this I am confident: You will fight for me while I keep silent… I will put my trust in You…And I will rejoice in You as You tread my enemy under Your foot. Indeed, how I love the One Who contends for me.

Psalm 119:126; Psalm 45:3-4; Psalm 24: 8; John 10:10; Psalm 45:5; Psalm 35:1-3; Psalm 27:1; Exodus 14:14; Psalm 56:3; Romans 16:20 

Recently, I read two passages of Scripture that had the same idea in it, yet their meaning was completely opposite.

The first phrase is found in I Samuel 16:49 which speaks of David killing the giant Goliath:
And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.

The second phrase that caught my attention was when I flipped to the passage found in Ezekiel 1:26-28 which gives details of the prophet's personal encounter with the glory of God:
...there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance...and there was brightness around him. Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain...such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.

How interesting...same posture of both the giant and the prophet, yet one face planted due to pride and the other due to humbled awe.

I guess the hard question I have to ask myself is this: which one of these men am I like in every day life? Do I call my own shots, make my own judgments, and plow forward with my own head-strong plans like Goliath intended to do? Or do I sit long enough with the Lord to meditate on His majesty, that is marvelously transposed with His mercy, to where the only thing I can do is, like Ezekiel, fall on my face in response to His glory and grace?

As we know, things did not end well with the prideful giant. Enough said. But with the humble prophet, bowing low was just the beginning:

And he said to me, "Son of man, stand on your feet and I will speak to you." And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet..." (Ezekiel 2:1)

May you and I be more like Ezekiel today. Let's bow before our Creator and wait to hear His voice. And then, when we do hear him, let's be ready to stand on our feet and do exactly what He says, filled with His power, doing all for His glory.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10

A Journal Entry/ July 14, 2012:

Today, in about 5 hours, my daughter Emmy and I leave for Africa on a mission trip with Ordinary Hero. We will be joining my son Bink and his college roommate Christian who have already been serving over there for the last 10 days...looking forward to seeing them both! They've asked me to bring pepto bismal tablets, gas-x, mac-n-cheese, and orange peanut butter crackers. Hmm...quite a combo.

I can't help but wonder what God has in store for my heart/mind/body next week as I enter into a world that is drastically different than my easy American lifestyle. Even now, I'm sitting on my comfortable porch, in my comfortable chair, sipping my warm sweet coffee. How I love routine, the familiar, the unexpected. But, out of obedience, I get up... and go...

I'm both excited and apprehensive at the same time. What am I going to see, and how am I going to respond? Will my heart be able to take it? Probably not. But really, I think that's okay. One of my favorite lines to a familiar Christian song is this: Lord, break my heart for what breaks yours. 

So I guess that's my prayer for this trip...that the Lord would break my heart as I visit the oprhans and street children in the villages of Ethiopia...that I would be long-term-changed from this short term experience. And that in the brokeness of my un-comfortable heart, God would deeply plant His seed of divine love; so that it is the love of Christ, not mine, that is pouring through my words, my smile, my eyes, my hands, and my feet. Our team is one of many that will stay in Africa only 8 short days; but I am thankful to know and believe that through God's presence and God's people, His steadfast love edures forever. (Jeremiah 33:11) 


Yes Lord Jesus, break my heart, and fill it to overflowing with Your matchless love.

In the early summer mornings, I love to watch the effects of the sun's rising from my screened-in porch. Ever so slowly, the thick wooded tree-line in the back of our house is touched by the sun that is climbing over the hill in the front of our house. So as the sun rises in the east, the trees become "full of light" from their top branches to their bottom trunks in the west. This majestic display of God's splendor will always be new every morning to me.

One night however, my Italian "daughter" Jewels and my youngest daughter Emmy urged me to wake them up early so they could see the actual sunrise from the front porch. (This would be Jewels' last morning with us before returning to Italy, so we were all quite nostalgic and sad about her departure from her 9-month-stay in our home). So together, we woke, we waited, and we watched...

All I can say is that the rising spectacle was gloroius. The sun came over the hill first as a small ball of penetrating fire, but then it began to blaze in its radiance as it rose in steadfast power. The beams of light warmly pierced the three of us as we each sat there in awe. Holy, holy, holy.

The rising sun and its effects on the treeline speak wisdom to our hearts. Hear these words from Scripture about Jesus Christ:

...His face was like the sun shining in its strength.  Revelation 1:16


And listen to these words about His penetrating light on each of us:

...Awake sleeper, arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  Ephesians 5:14


My dear friend, I urge you to allow the glory of the Lord that is new every morning to shine on your heart today. And then as a result of His power, take courage that you become full of His light. Yes, you are the beautiful "effect" of the Son's rising.Rejoice in this truth as you claim it as your own:

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory. Isaiah 6:3

My family and I just got back from a Young Life camp in Colorado where my husband was the camp physician and my children were campers. It was an incredible week! One reason we choose to go to Colorado was because our oldest daughter Maggie was (and still is) at another nearby Young Life camp serving as a horse wrangler all summer.

In order for us to see her over the week, I had to be the one to get in the rental car and go get her. Now driving into the unknown Colorado mountains might be fine for some, but assuredly not for me. I am both blonde and directionally challenged. For example, "north" to me is straight "up", which becomes quite a predicament when I get in the car.

On my first trip to Maggie's YL camp, I clung tightly to the steering wheel, read every green sign with my wide unblinking eyes, checked and double checked my hand written directions, and broke out into cold sweats each time I got on a new road. I was sure one wrong turn would lead me to Idaho or Kansas. However, after following at the map precisely, I made it to Maggie! The second trip was a little better, because I now had landmarks. The third trip was even a little relaxing. And by the fourth trip, I could observe the beauty of the mountain ranges surrounding me while listening to worship music in my car; the drive was delightful!

I think our Christian walk is much like my driving experience into the initial unknown. In God's Word (our daily map) we are asked to do some directionally challenging things. For instance:

Do all things without grumbling or disputing.... (Philippians 1:14)
Go therefore and make disciples.... (Matthew 28:19)
Forgive each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord... husbands, love your wives... (Eph. 5:22,25)


These instructions, and others, in the Word seem simple enough on paper, but when its time to "get behind the wheel" and actually put them to practice, they can be rather intimidating. Each of these require a laying down of self, and a complete trust in His Word. Can we trust Him that His way is best, and that the end destination will be rewarding? Yes, we can.

The good news is, the more we practice His principles, the more they become part of who we are in our character. This is the beautiful process of sanctification....adding precept upon precept. And as we become more like Him in faith and obedience to His Word, we begin to experience true joy and peace in our days, a beautiful freedom.

Amazingly, my drives alone in the Colorado mountains became part of the highlights of my week. The journey was worshipful and the end destination was rewarding. My prayer is that I will also look forward to the next "map reading" in God's Word, and obey it precisely, even if it directs my soul into unknown territory. I must remember, God will never misdirect me, and His principle are always for my good and His glory.

I challenge you too, my friend, read your Map, and enjoy your drive.

Have you ever felt like you have obeyed the Lord by taking a giant leap of faith, and now you're just waiting to land on solid ground? You know you have been called to do something but you just don't know the details of that call; so, you... just... wait... on the Lord... and His... perfect... timing.

Waiting is beautiful to the Lord. It puts us in a place of complete dependence on Him, which pleases Him, because He can then do His work in us. Yes, while we humanly wait, He supernaturally works. Hear His promise:

Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not become tired, they will walk and not become weary.  Isaiah 40:31

Because I appreciate any kind of athlete in action, these pictures speak to me about the concept of beauty in the waiting. Observe the strength and grace in the mid-routines of the gymnasts. Now take note of your current situation that may be "up in the air." Remember, you may feel completely out of control, but He never is! So in the midst of your waiting, hold on to your invisible God who is beautifully present... in your... present... and... in your... future.

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.   Psalm 27:14