He gives us the desires of our hearts

"Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil: (Psalm 37:2-8 NIV).

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:12-14 NIV).

There's that word I struggle with: fret. I've written extensively how I fret and fret and fret! I even have a poem and devotion in my book about fretting. Yet I still fret. When I'm tired. When I'm not feeling well. When the world just seem so off-kilter and out of sinc. When I begin to lose hope. I fret.

I am a child of God and that is all I need! I thank the Father every day for adopting me into His family!

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

Lay Down Your Burdens

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary, his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40:28-31 NRSV).

"The steps of a man are established by the LORD, And He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand" (Psalm 37:23-24 NRSV).

Whatever burdens you have been bearing this week; whatever you are suffering; whatever is troubling you . . . lay it down. Right now as you read this. Just lay it at the foot of the Cross. Take a deep, cleansing breath. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you. God will take away everything that burdens you and fill up that space with His comfort, love, peace and hope. I promise you! No, HE promises you! Remember Him? He's the great ‘I AM.’

People disappoint us, harm us, lie to us, hate us, leave us. God never does. His love overcomes every disappointment. His healing soothes every hurt. His Truth is eternal. He will never leave us or forsake us.

As I’ve listened to the news this week, and heard about some of the experiences of friends and acquaintances, I find tremendous comfort in theses verses. And I rejoice that I am able to lift these words to God on their behalf. The world needs our prayers. God hears them and answers them. He promises us that. And God never lies.

My prayer today is that you will lay down your burdens at the foot of the Cross. And allow that space to be filled with the hope, peace and understanding only available through God.

Blessings on your journey,
Mary