O Tender Father, I am so thankful that You do not avoid the crushed and brokenhearted but come near us in our agony (Psalm 34:18). Compassion sends You to those who’ve been battered with abuse and trauma. Although You are exalted on high, You willingly descend to be with all who are contrite and lowly of spirit (Isaiah 57:15). I …
“Power is perfected in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) What is perfect power? Boundless energy? Surging potential? Superhuman strength? In the past, these were my expectations. Yet, in practical reality, His perfect power doesn’t feel a lot different from thoroughly worn-out weakness. Since the spiritual realm is a radically different plane from the natural realm, we should expect spiritual strength to …
As she stared at the eBay site, the antique shop owner pondered how to value the weathered baseball card. Seventy-two-year-old Bernice Gallego had never heard of the team, so assigning a value to the Cincinnati Red Stocking B. B. Club was near impossible. Ten dollars was the minimum bid, so she chose that valuation and dismissed it in her mind. …
Father, Thank You that You are the unmovable rock of my salvation (Psalm 18:2), far more significant than my anxious and quavering heart (1 John 3:20). You tell me over and again in Your Word, “Do not fear,” but I forget quickly, allowing worry to weigh down my heart (Luke 21:34). I’m tired of this cycle. My emotions can be …
Without thinking, I reached for the chipped bowl. My mother and grandmother used it extensively years before, and now it is my favorite too. Despite the hair-line crack, it remains my go-to container for meal preparation. I knew it was clean because I’d used it just a few hours prior. In fact, it was still in the dish drainer, having …
Words tumble from my heart like dozens of Lego pieces. Some are red with anger, some orange with distrust and all too many are black with despair. As I ponder over the past year, emotions spill out with a loud cacophony, jumbled and disjointed, none of which seem to fit together. The pieces are me, and I am the pieces. …
By: Carrie Vipperman “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were …
Holy Father, As I come before You today, I realize that within my flesh lies nothing good (Romans 7:18). In and of myself, my wisdom is inadequate concerning what to do about _______ (2 Corinthians 3:5). But this doesn’t deter my need to pray. In my weakness, You do not condemn (Romans 8:1). You merely say, “Call upon Me, and …
As a piece of pottery, I’m certainly no beauty. All that remains is my thick spout attached to a broken handle and a jagged shard of terra cotta. But despite my rather sad appearance, my master prizes me as a symbol of hope, a reminder to believe in the impossible. I began as most earthenware does, at the hand of …
Holy Father, Praise You that by one sacrifice, You regained for man all that Adam gave away (Hebrews 10:12-13). As I come boldly to Your throne today on behalf of __________, I realize that my power in prayer comes as I align myself with Your Holy Will (Matthew 26:39). I do so now, asking that Your kingdom and Your will …
