Read Psalm 46:1-11 Be still, and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10 Selah is a word used in the Bible, chiefly in the Psalms. While Selah is a word of uncertain meaning, some have interpreted it to mean "pause, and think of that." Pause? Even with my good intentions to study God's word daily, how often do I truly pause to deeply ponder its truths? How often do I stop to "smell the roses" in my life instead of focusing on the thorns? How often do I sincerely enjoy what God gives

LET ME CONTROL YOUR MIND. The mind is the most restless, unruly part of mankind. Long after you have learned the discipline of holding your tongue, your thoughts defy your will and set themselves up against Me. Man is the pinnacle of My creation, and the human mind is wonderfully complex. I risked all by granting you freedom to think for yourself. This is godlike privilege, forever setting you apart from animals and robots. I made you in My image, precariously close to deity

THIS DAY OF LIFE IS A PRECIOUS GIFT from Me. Treat is as the treasure it is by prayerfully prioritizing. As you look into the day that stretches out before you, seek My Face to help you discern what is most important. Set priorities according to My will, and use them to guide you as you go along your pathway. This practice will help you make good choices about the use of your time and energy. When you reach the end of the day, you can feel at peace about the things you have d

Read John 17:20-26 Jesus spoke to his Father, "My prayer Is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.: ---John 17:20 Each time I hear the song, "Somebody Prayed for Me,"* I remember a special woman, a servant of God, who prayed for me during the time when I was rebelling against God. I also think about today's scripture reading, when Jesus prayed for those who would believe in him because they heard the disciples' message. I feel

Read John 10:1-5 I have called you by name; you are mine. ~~Isaiah 43:1~~ The day’s news brought another image of refugees. I had seen many scenes of distraught people huddled together on their perilous sea journey or their long march to safety and new life. This time it was an image of a crowd pressing against an impassable razor-wire fence. Then, over the commentator’s voice, I heard someone call, “Zaria!” Suddenly I no longer saw a crowd but a group of individual people. L

Read Mark 2:1-12 If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. ~1 Corinthians 12:26~ When our son was killed in a motorcycle accident, our church family surrounded us with their love. I do not know that we would have survived emotionally had it not been for our friends, who prayed with us and for us, brought us food, sent us cards, called us, and visited us. In my grief, I remembered the paralyzed man whose friends

I AM CALLING YOU to a life of thankfulness. I want all of your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and controller of the universe. Heaven and earth are filled with My glorious Presence. When you criticize or complain, you are acting as if you think you can run the world better than I do. From your limited human perspective, it may look as if I mismanaging things. But you don't know what I know or see wha

Read Psalm 27:1-14 I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ~~Psalm 27:13~~ In 2013 my husband, Danny, suffered a heart attack that left him with a heart function capacity of only 30 percent, and he received a pacemaker. It felt like a miracle that he was able to overcome this and other related physical challenges. Ever since that experience, Psalm 27:13 has become one of my favorite passages of scripture. Early in 2016, my hu

HEAVEN IS both present and future. As you walk along your life-path holding My hand, you are already in touch with the essence of heaven: nearness to Me. You can also find many hints of heaven along your pathway because the earth is radiantly alive in My Presence. Shimmering sunshine awakens in your heart, gently reminding you of My brilliant Light. Birds and flowers, trees and skies evoke praises to My Holy Name. Keep your eyes and ears fully open as you journey with Me. At

SEEK TO INCLUDE ME in more of your moments by living in joyful dependence on Me. I am with you, watching over you continually. Nothing you do is beyond My sight. No task or opportunity is too small to ask for My help. Actually, your very existence — including each breath you breathe — depends on My sustaining Power. When a difficult task lies before you, you usually remember to pray about it, both before you begin and throughout the challenging endeavor. You punctuate your wo

TRUSTING ME is a moment-by-moment choice. My people have not always understood this truth. After I performed miracles in the wilderness, My chosen children trusted me intensely---but only temporarily. Soon the grumbling began again, testing my patience to the utmost. Isn't it often the same way with you? You trust Me when things go well, when you see Me working on your behalf. This type of trust flows readily within you, requiring no exertion of your will. When things go wron

Read John 21 When they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, son of John, Do you love Me more than these (others do---with reasoning, intentional, spiritual devotion, as one loves the Father)? He said to Him, Yes, Lord, You know that I love You(that I have deep, instinctive, personal affection for You, as for a close friend). He said, Feed My lambs. John 21:15 Three times Jesus asked Peter, "Do you love Me? Peter, Do you love Me? Do you love Me, Peter?" Finally, by the third

TRUST ME IN EVERY DETAIL OF YOUR LIFE. Nothing is random In My Kingdom. Everything that happens fits into a pattern for good, to those who love Me. Instead of trying to analyze the incracies of the pattern, focus your energy on trusting Me and thanking Me at all times. Nothing is wasted when you walk close to Me. Even your mistakes and sins can be recycled into something good through My transforming grace. While you were still living in darkness, I began to shine the Light o

BE WILLING TO FOLLOW MY LEAD, beloved. Open yourself more fully to Me and My way for you. Don’t get so focused on what you want that you miss the things I’ve prepared for you. Relax with Me while I transform you by the renewal of your mind — working My newness into your innermost being. Trust Me enough to let go of your expectations and demands. Be still and know that I am God. Sometimes you obstruct the very things you desire by trying too hard to make things go according to

Read Psalm 119:97-106 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. ~~2 Timothy 3:16-17~~ In 2014 our family migrated from Pakistan to Canada. As newcomers, we faced many challenges during the initial months. An early challenge was learning our way around our new city. One day we needed to go to the local school for our younger son’s admis

I AM THE POTTER; you are My clay. I designed you before the foundation of the world. I arrange the events of each day to form you into this preconceived pattern. My everlasting Love is at work in every event of your life. On some days your will and Mine flow smoothly together. You tend to feel in control of your life when our wills are in harmony. On other days you feel as if you are swimming upstream, against the current of My purposes. When that happens, stop and seek My Fa

EVEN THOUGH YOUR JOURNEY often feels haphazard, your steps are directed by Me. When the path that lies before you is veiled in uncertainty, the best thing you can do is cling to Me. Picture a young child walking along busy city streets with a trustworthy adult. The child may feel overwhelmed by all the sensory stimulation — fearful of getting separated and losing her way. However, if she keeps holding onto the adults hand, she will come safely to her destination. Similarly, a

Read John 17:13-26 Jesus prayed, “My prayer is not for [those you gave me] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” ~John 17:20~ At our wedding reception, a friend of my grandparents who had known me my whole life hugged me. She told me how proud my mother would have been of me. I appreciated that connection to the past — especially since my mother and grandparents were no longer living. I was surprised, however, when her husband also hugged

Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbound him, and let him go." ~John 11:43-44~ I had lost my husband, my house, I couldn't pay the bills, I had been denied public assistance, and I had three young children counting on me. I was angry, ashamed and spiritually dead. When I desperately cried out to God for help, I felt God say to me "Come

David wrote, "The Lord leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul." ~Psalm 23:2-3~ Many times, King David, the writer of Psalm 23, needed to have his soul restored to have life put back into him. When Saul was chasing David and threatening to kill him, God restore David's courage and confidence. During those days of grief after David lost his son Absolom in death, God restored his soul. When David sinned with Bathsheba and felt the heavy hand of God on him as a result