Week of July 6 - 12

July 6
 
Trust in the Lord forever, for in the Lord God you have an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:4
 
Throughout the scriptures we are reminded that God’s timing, understanding and will are not ours. That is, God has a way of acting in our lives and in this world that is far greater, supremely better and infinitely more perfect than anything we can imagine or design. It is when we connect with those
ways – God’s timing, God’s understanding and God’s will – that we ultimately find the strength and ability we need to effectively face every challenge that comes before us.
 
I know that my own limited attempts at overcoming my difficulties and rising above my weaknesses are never going to save me. But I also know that when I place my trust in your ways, I can find answers and help I never knew existed. Thank you for supporting me in my weakness, O God. Amen.

July 7
 
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.
     Isaiah 12:3
 
God’s love is like an oasis in a dry and parched desert. God’s active care for us overflows to refresh and satisfy us. God’s sustaining, cleansing help quenches our need for fulfillment and relief. Today is a day when we need to renew ourselves to drinking in God’s love, care and help in every possible way we can. There is no other force that is as infinite, eternal, lasting, perfect and strong as God’s concern for our well-being and salvation. Rely on that force today to give you everything you need.
 
I cannot do this alone, O God. I need a source of help that is far greater than I am to see me through. I know you are that force. So I come to you today for the guidance and support I need. Amen.

 
July 8
 
But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.
     2 Thessalonians 3:3
 
What is the evil in my life? Is it the disease I am told I have? Is it unresolved anger and guilt? Is it self-absorption? Is it addiction to any number of things? Is it self-righteousness and judgment? Is it fear and lack of courage? Is it a weak character and deficiency of courage? Is it absence of faith? All of us struggle in one way or another with evil. It’s part of our human condition. But we have been given access to the divine condition so we may rise above our weakness and frailty. Today is the day to resolve to connect with the divine so we may find relief from the evil within.
 
When I begin to look beyond myself and my troubles and turn to you, I find strength to rise above it all and experience new hope in you, O God. Thank you for your unending gifts to help me. Amen.

July 9
 
The darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
     1 John 2:8b
 
The fact is God is already at work answering our prayers and meeting our needs even before we know them or ask. God is already showing us the way to healing, the way to hope and the way to relief before we can even begin to understand our circumstances. God’s light already shines upon us. God’s light already shines within us. God’s light already shines around us because God will never allow total darkness to overcome us. We need to look for that light, the many lights that God provides for this journey. They are always here to illuminate the way.
 
Don’t let the darkness overwhelm me, O God. I’m inclined to let it descend on me and I think it will always stay. I need to be reminded that your light is eternally lit so that I may see a better way. Thank you for reminding me today. Amen.

 
July 10
 
I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
     3 John 4
 
So much information. So many opinions. So much to understand. So many conflicting words of advice. We often don’t know what truth is and what is not. This journey we’ve been thrust upon causes us to question, doubt and fear. We need the truth more than ever right now. Don’t give up on finding it. Don’t be afraid to question, to research or to look in different places. Don’t despair that the answers aren’t obviously there. The truth does reveal itself. Sometimes we need to be open to unexpected voices to hear it and looking in unanticipated places to find it.
 
Reveal your will for me. Reveal you way for me. Reveal your truth for me, today, O God. Amen.



 
July 11
 
Let that day be darkness!! May God above not seek it, or light shine on it.
     Job 3:4
 
Like Job, there will be days we will want to curse; there will be times we will want to condemn. It’s human nature. When distress happens we call out to decry its entrance into our lives. But even though Job looked at God and wondered why, he ultimately never walked away from God and finally acknowledged that God walked with him through the doubt and despair. Job may have wavered. But he never gave up. He may have questioned. But in the end he knew God was caring for him in his desperation and need. In our distress, may we understand that too.
I certainly do doubt and I often complain, O God. Yet I know you are right here with me as I walk this path. In that I ultimately know comfort and strength. Amen.

 
July 12
 
Let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.
     1 Peter 3:11
 
Resolving to seek a higher purpose is a vital key to finding a reason for living well this life we have been given. Recognizing that we were created to make a difference for good, to make the world better for our having been in it and to form peace out of trouble is a great motivator for engendering passion and meaning in this life. Such purpose can bring richness and joy to our lives. In understanding that purpose we make each day more wonderful and contribute to a healing environment more than we can imagine.
 
Help me to create a healing environment for each new day, dear God. Help me to define my purpose so I may live more richly and fully with this day you have given me and with each new day to come. Amen.