October 15
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will exult in the God of my salvation.
Habakkuk 3:18
To place our deepest hope in the One who knows the depth of eternity is to set ourselves on the strongest foundation of all. God wants only the best for us – to have life and to have it abundantly. God offers the abundance to us and invites us to delight in it. How will you delight in this day God has given to you? How will you accept the love that lifts you above the everyday turmoil of this world? How will you react to challenges in a more healthy way? How will you find sacred meaning in even the most routine of tasks? When we think purposefully about these things each day – and strive to do them - we will be amazed at the peace we will begin to achieve.
Help me to rethink the way I approach each day, O God. Help me to look at challenges and frustrations in a more positive way. Help me to react to them in a manner that lifts me higher, not pulls me down. I look for your guidance to set me on this better way. Amen.
October 16
Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.
Colossians 3:2
What are the things that “are above”? Among them are hope, peace, joy and love. They are eternal; the things that last forever, that cannot be destroyed by time, circumstance or place. Hope through God never dies. Peace deep within our souls can never be destroyed. Joy imbedded in our hearts will never be taken away. Love filling our lives with rich and abiding meaning can never be overcome by disease and distress. If we seek these things above all else, we will surely find ourselves transcending – rising above – all the difficult and temporary challenges of this life.
When we seek first your kingdom, O God, we are promised a new outlook and a new understanding of the importance of our lives. I pray for a glimpse of your eternal wonders today. I need it to put my priorities in the right place. Amen.
October 17
I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
Psalm 4:8
Cancer can too often give us many long and restless nights of worry and fear. But worry and fear do not bring encouragement and hope. Our challenge is to acknowledge the things that trouble us. But it is also to release those troubles and bring our minds to more positive and hopeful places. Give yourself a few moments to ponder the worries when they creep in. But resolve each time they do to give them only a very small amount of your time. Then move on to thoughts that bring you encouragement and joy. Move on to thoughts of promise and peace. Stay in those thoughts as long and as often as you can. They will offer you respite and bring you more gentle rest and relief.
The many nights when I lie awake in anxiety and alarm do me no good, I know. So, O God, I look to you to help me with the challenge of setting boundaries for worry and for opening up the doors for calm and release to come in. Amen.
October 18
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Matthew 11:30
So many of our troubles come from thinking we must do all the work of survival on our own. Too many days spent feeling overwhelmed is a result of us believing we are on this journey by ourselves. Feeling that we are overburdened and alone responsible for every aspect of our healing is natural for most of us. But we are not meant to stay feeling that way. God means for us to know deeply within our souls that we are not alone with this cancer. God wants us to know there is help. God wants us to know there are answers. God wants us to know there are others who can share the walk with us. God wants us to know that God, above all, is here to carry us when we need it most.
It’s incredible, dear God, when I reach out beyond myself I feel the burdens lifting. When I am open to allowing the touch of others to bless me I find relief. When I listen for you and allow you to guide me I find myself in a more hopeful place. Thank you. Amen.
October 19
“He took our infirmities and bore our diseases.”
Matthew 8:17b
We are created in God’s image. God knows us intimately and perfectly. God wants us to find relief and release for our disease and pain. Because God understands us so fully, God is the one to whom we need to connect to know how we can best find help. God’s business is about offering us healing, hope and new life. God does not want us to suffer and neither does God want us to live in despair. We need to know and believe deeply within our souls that God’s purposes are only for our everyday and eternal best.
In love you have made me. In love you exist to save me – from myself, from my fears and from my distress. I will live confidently today because of this deep love for me, dear God. Amen.
October 20
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Psalm 4:1b
Because God understands us so wonderfully, God also understands the struggles and vulnerabilities we have. In this understanding, God is very patient with us, giving us infinite grace when we fail, when we are weak or when we are not the people we have been created to be. Others may not truly understand when we are too tired, when we are impatient ourselves or when we just need to be alone. But we are fortunate people. Even when those around us don’t know how to react to us or truly help us, God reaches out to offer us every blessing we need.
Thank you, God, for knowing me even more than I know myself. Thank you for giving me more than I deserve. Thank you for reaching out to me even when I cannot reach out to anyone, even you. Amen.
October 21
Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, …
Ephesians 3:20
We cannot begin to envision how much God can do for us. We cannot begin to imagine how much God loves us. God’s power and love are so vast and infinite. Because of our own limited understandings we actually limit how God can act in our lives. To find healing and hope we need to be open to the unimaginable power of God to break into our lives and give us far more than we can comprehend. We limit the answers God gives by limiting what we think God can do. Don’t go to God in prayer with preconceived answers about how God should respond. But go to God with a spirit open to accepting God’s amazing power and limitless love. You will be in awe of what can happen.
I come to you with an open heart, O God, ready to receive all that you give to me. I know your help is far greater than anything I can perceive. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment