Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff – they comfort me.”

We move into a time of reflection and preparation again as the remembrance of Jesus death draws near.  Thousands of years ago He walked the earth and was teaching, healing and showing us how to abide in God.  Only He could foresee what was to come and he willingly continued on the path given to him.  Over the last few years I have chosen to sacrifice something during the season of Lent.  I choose something that distracts me from abiding in God or something that holds that potential.  I choose something that I desire or a frivolity that I often take for granted.  As those desires or distractions peek into my days, I take that moment to lift a prayer to the Lord, asking him to search the darkness in my heart and cleanse me of whatever sin I may have within me.  There is no darker valley that the darkness that lurks in sin.  Through the sacrifice Jesus gave so long ago, I am able to call on the Lord to walk with me through the darkness.  My tiny 40-day sacrifice is simply a token; a reminder to me of the sacrifice that He gave for me, for us all.

Lord,

As we remember the journey to the cross and the reason you went there, guide our hearts in a journey of cleansing and healing so when that triumphant day of Easter is here, we can truly be filled with joy.  Help us prepare so we can sing Hallelujah with every ounce of our being.  Amen.

Psalm 150: 3-4 “Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!  Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!”

Sometimes I feel a lot like Cinderella.  I have worked so hard, struggling in the trenches to get things done and when I finally clean myself up and get ready to present myself to the Prince, my finery gets torn to bits by the harsh desires of the world around me.  I wish I had a fairy godmother to spin me the finery that she had in the story.  The thing I come to remember as I see this unfold in my mind is that God sees me in all my finery through the eyes of Jesus.  I may think I am dressed in dirty rags from being dragged through the muck and mud but to Him, I shine like the sun because I have been washed in the blood and cleansed by the healing love of the Christ!  Let the ball commence!  Let the music play on and in thankfulness and with a grateful heart, I step forth and move to the beautiful music.  He is the Lord of the Dance, and even when I step on toes or if my hem gets torn a bit in the dance, I dance on to honor and celebrate all He has done for me; for all.  We all have rags to riches stories.  Take the hand of the Lord of the Dance; celebrate all He has given us!

Lord,

Thank you for the beauty you created in me and in all your children.  Open our ears to hear the music and move our souls to dance in praise and honor of you.  You take our hands and lead us to the floor and the dance goes on!  Hallelujah!  Amen.

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord.”

It feels like life is on a pendulum.  The rocking back and forth can be soothing and peaceful or it can feel extreme and fearful.  Babies like to be rocked and when they get a little bigger they move on to swings.  Children love to swing, some of them swing gently and others like to go fast and high.  As I think back to the times I would swing, it felt like freedom.  There is a breeze that blows on your face as you rush forward on the swing and the as you swing back, it gently flows forward.  There is freshness, a peace the flows in that back and forth motion.  Even as high as you go, you know that you will come to settle back into gentle peace in the end.  I hope that I can pursue the gently calming peace in the midst of chaos.  As we move into this day, I pray you will feel the gentle breeze of peace and freedom flowing in your soul.  Let it refresh you and bring you a new sense of calm that you can share with others.  Peace to each of you today.

Lord,

You are the Prince of Peace.  Take the chaos of our days from us and help us be filled with your peace.  Allow your peace to flow from us out into the world so that all people would be drawn to it, coming closer to your holiness and closer to you.  Allow them to see you in us this day.  Amen.

Genesis 3:9-10 “But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’”

My kids love to play hide and seek and as they get older they get much better at hiding and keeping quiet while the person who is “it” searches for them.  Isn’t it interesting how we never stop hiding, even as adults?  We become masters at hiding what we do not want to be seen or even acknowledge ourselves.  Just as I often know where my kids are hiding, God knew then and He knows now.  He knows where we are hiding and what we hide.  He knows that we need to be the ones to come out on our own.  We need to be able to show what we are hiding before we can release it.  He will not snatch it or pry open our hands to force it away.  He does not come and yank us from our hiding places.  He calls “Ollie, Ollie, oxen free” and waits for us to come in when we are ready.  I heard him calling and I am coming out of hiding.  He will greet me with love and grace.  He will receive my hidden secrets with love and grace and as I release them to Him, the empty spots where those secrets were hidden will be filled with His love and grace.  Will you join me in the free space?

Lord,

Forgive me for holding on so long.   I run to you now taking full advantage of the freedom you offer.  Take all my hurts, all my secrets and replace them with your healing love so I can go out and draw others in to your freedom too.  Amen.

Obadiah verse 15 “For the day of the Lord is near against all the nations.   As you have done, it shall be done to you; your deeds shall return on your own head.”

Is it just me or does it seem like our nation is in some kind of a tail spin?  If I watch the news or read articles on the internet, the stories tell me our nation is headed for financial ruin.  There are battles brewing about everything from gun control to immigration, gay rights to national defense.  Not only do battles wage on the national level, there are battles fought even on the individual level.  When I am making music do I seek reward from others; am I proud of what I do or am I seeking to bring hearts to God?  When I am teaching my children am I seeking power or seeking to bring hearts to God?  I cannot win the battles of the nation but what I can do is work to do the will of the Lord in my own heart and life.  Just as nations fail, we all fail.  The blessing we have is the unending grace of God through Jesus.  He continues to seek the hearts of Israel; He continues to seek our hearts.   Take time to pray for your own heart, hearts of those you love and the hearts of nations.  May God’s love and peace fill them all.

Lord,

I pray for peace on earth and good will toward men but even as I utter the words, I know those things must come from me.  We are the people to share what you sent through Jesus.  We are the ones to spread your peace and good will.  Help us live as Jesus lived and help us be the people you created each of us to be, all for your glory.  Amen.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God – not the result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Just yesterday I was writing about motive.  Why do we do what we do?  These verses move to the same rhythm.  When we are working in service to the Lord, we can still have impure motive.  There is a fine line between serving in thanksgiving and serving for approval.  I know there is no way I can ever work hard enough or well enough to earn God’s love or grace.  I have seen myself fall and fail too many times to think that I could succeed in pleasing God with my work.  It feels different when I am doing His work; seeking to serve the Lord in thanksgiving for the grace He has given to me.  I am not seeking approval or redemption through my hands, I am simply giving my work and my life in thanksgiving and praise to God who already gave all to me.  I have heard many people say that when they get to heaven they want to hear God say “well done good and faithful servant.”  I hope to hear that too but even more I long to hear the voice of God and see His face as He says to me “Welcome home my beloved child, welcome home!”

Lord,

Thank you for all you give, fill our hearts so we can sing in joy and thanksgiving.  Help us live in your grace each day and compel us to share your grace with others so that this world can live in Love.  Let your light shine through us as a beacon so all the world can find the way home to you.  Amen.

Galatians 1:10 “Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval?  Or am I trying to please people?  If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.”

Why do we do the things we do?  When I used to work outside the home, I would receive reviews from my boss on how I was doing.  Before that, in school, we received grades on the work we would produce and its quality.  When we were small children we would seek the approval of our parents or our friends.  From the time we are little, we learn to seek the approval of those around us.  As we walk the paths of our spiritual journeys we are awakened to a new purpose, a new reason to do what we do.  As Christians, we are servants of Christ, not servants of the world.  We may still be subject to human approval for tasks and jobs we have to do, but if we seek the approval of Christ in our jobs, we work to bring glory to him in whatever we do.  We quickly realize what things do not bring him glory and it is easy to lay those aside if we are living in him.  It is when we lose sight of him that we begin to serve humans and ourselves again.  As we go into another day of service, let’s keep Jesus in our sights.  Look for his nod of approval or a smile on his face and we will feel joy in what we are doing.  To God be the glory!

Lord,

We have things we must do and things we enjoy doing.  Help us find joy in all things as we seek to bring glory to your kingdom.  Help me teach my children to serve you above all else so they may find the true joy of serving you.  Amen.