January 26
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15
What gifts do you have in your life today? What fills your heart with joy? What can make your spirit overflow with love? What gives you energy? What upholds you with hope? Where do you see yourself being supported and helped in ways that are remarkable to you? All these are gifts, gifts from a God who has made you and who loves you beyond your comprehension. Think about these things. Recite them over and over again. Keep a "gratitude journal", whether it’s written down on paper or kept in the front of your mind. But keep a constant reminder of the beauty and blessings in your life. Those blessings will sustain you. Those blessings will empower and lift you in moments difficult and hard to face.
Dear God, there are too many moments that wear me down. But when I remember your gifts to me I am delivered to something better. I am grateful for your gifts. They sustain me in ways I can scarcely begin to count. Amen.
January 27
As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain.
2 Corinthians 6:1
There is great certainty in this - God loves each of us very much. In fact, God loves each of us more than we can even begin to know. God loves us so much even though there are many times we are unlovable. Even when we doubt God, even when we don’t follow God and even when we go against God, we are still loved unwaveringly and unconditionally by God. This is grace – a gift we don’t deserve. Yet it is true. This gift, when we accept it, can be an amazing source of reassurance and strength for us. On this journey that often brings distressing fear and disappointment, the knowledge of God’s love and unwavering care can be of great comfort and peace.
Gracious God, comforting God, in my fear I turn to you. When I am disappointed I call to you. I reach out to you to remind me of my valued place in your heart. Your grace is an astounding gift and I know I need to accept it to be whole. Amen.
January 28
I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
Patience is one of the most difficult virtues to possess. We often do not wait patiently. We seldom like to wait at all. Especially when we are sick, our patience grows weaker and more limited with each difficult day. But just when we are most impatient, it is important to stop, to look back and to remember how God has helped us through our most troubling times, how God has delivered us day by day. It is in remembering that we have been redeemed from pain before that we will gain confidence in the hope that we can be set free again.
Dear God, I’m listening for you. I’m watching for you to reach out to me. I’m asking for your help. And I’m waiting as patiently as I can to recognize without doubt that you are looking out for me. Amen.
January 29
… and hope does not disappoint us, …
Romans 5:5a
Disappointments abound with cancer. First, hearing the news that we have cancer is disappointing – and distressing – enough. And then the indignities and uncertainties it forces on our lives just compound the disheartening energy cancer brings. It’s very easy to become discouraged when cancer affects us so completely. But we must not give in to the disappointment. Giving in just leads us down a negative path. Instead we must hold fast to everything that is positive, everything that stirs hope in us. Hope lifts us and revives us. It is our best resource because hope comes from God. And God will never fail or give up on us.
Your name means hope, O God. Your promises inspire hope. Your goodness proves hope is not in vain. So I reach out to you today in hope, to catch a glimpse of the healing grace you offer me. Amen.
January 30
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
Isaiah 27:1a
Fear has a startling way of getting the best of us. It can prevent us from seeing or believing that we will ever have a better day. Fear brings dark, troubling clouds to rest over us. Fear haunts us and robs us of joy in our lives. But God is a light that penetrates fear. God unmasks fear by showing a greater and more lasting power than fear can ever show. God’s warming light moves fear into the shadows and bathes us with a calming, confident grace. When we connect with God fear is diminished and is put in its proper place.
In the moments when I realize how weak fear is and how fear weakens me I am renewed. Dear Lord, I pray for fear to lessen in me. I ask that your light drives fear from my heart today. Amen.
January 31
… I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
Acts 2:25
Cancer has a way of shaking us to the core. Sometimes we shake with fear. Sometimes we shake with uncertainty. Sometimes we shake from worry. Sometimes we shake from pain. Sometimes cancer shakes us with news that stuns us and takes our breath away. Sometimes it shakes us with loneliness. Sometimes it shakes us with utter fatigue. While we may shake from it, we do not have to be broken apart by it. God is with us to show us that we do not have to go through this alone. God is so concerned for us, so invested in our well-being, that God stands with us and accompanies us every step along the way. In this faithfulness, we are assured that we can withstand anything that confronts us today.
Faithful God, it’s really easy to think I will be broken apart by the force of cancer’s power. But remind me today that your power is far greater and much more enduring. Help me to see like I’ve never seen before how strong and available you are for me. Amen.
February 1
O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.
Isaiah 33:2
One key in gaining strength for the journey is to make a determined choice to rely on God as you begin every day. Don’t wait until some trouble confronts you. Don’t delay until some problem breaks you down. But start each day with the resolve to remember God’s faithfulness. Focus right away on the power of God’s presence. Commit at the first to allowing God to help you through. Anticipate that God will act and guide, for God surely will. When we believe that help is there even before we run into difficulty, the help that comes from God will already be working for us to set us on a much more positive path from the start.
I realize that when I establish my focus on you first, I am already more confident and better equipped to handle what comes my way. Dear God, I know I need to rely on you before anything else to put me in the best position to deal with all that challenges me today. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment