Tag: god

Thankfulness

Claire's Prayer

I’m ashamed to say that sometimes I bulldoze my way into the Father’s presence and give Him this long list of wants and complaints. I don’t take the time as Paul did to say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ!”  All I can see is the mountain in front of me, and I don’t lift my eyes to see the King first. I forget that coming before my LORD is a sacred thing. How I want to be overwhelmed with the incredible magnificence of God so that, like Paul, I can’t help but exclaim my praise to His name.

Psalm 100:4 says: “𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆; 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆.” If we take the time to come before Him, blessing His name, first with thanksgiving and then with praise, the outcome of our time with him can be so very different.

When we look at this scripture, it’s interesting to see that thanksgiving and praise are two very separate things. I have often lumped them together. Thanksgiving is when we thank our loving Father for what He has done, for our children, our spouses, our jobs, the miracles of our present and past! As we begin to thank Him, we are reminded of all He has done, and faith begins to arise within us until we are at the place where praise bursts forth for who He is! Suddenly, we are in His presence, at His feet. What an incredible, mind-blowing gift. Thanksgiving will give you faith for your future, trust in the One who saved you, freedom, and joy!

There is so much in God’s Word about giving thanks, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever.”  Did you know that this beautiful little verse appears 81 times in the Old Testament? Even though the verse is short, our Father must think that giving thanks is no small matter! The Bible abounds with scriptures that tell us to give thanks—and when our hearts are full, and so much promise is in the air, it is easy to do that!

But our Father goes one step further: He challenges us to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Thess. 5:18). This is giving thanks when it feels as though the weight of the world is on our shoulders. We are to give thanks in the face of tragedy, heartache, and suffering; to give thanks even when it appears the Father is somewhere far, far away. Our glorious Lord wants thankfulness to become an attitude, not something we mumble as a duty.

Just as Paul did in every prison cell he was in, every shipwreck he was a part of, and every beating that he took, so must we become a people of praise and thanksgiving, a people who sing “Blessed be Your name!”  Perhaps it is then that we will hear the whole earth rejoice!!

Reflections

  1. When you come to God in prayer, how do you start off this precious time with Him, with your list of needs or with blessings?  Does that reveal how you truly see Him: as a problem-solver first or as your LORD and Savior, your blessed King?  What steps can you take to change this?
  2. How does starting your time with God with planned thanksgiving change your perspective on all those huge “mountains” in front of you?  Are there specific times that you can remember when gratitude reminded you of God’s past faithfulness and encouraged your faith?
  3. Are you willing to give thanks to God even in the middle of painful or confusing seasons?  What would it look like for thankfulness to become your position, even in the middle of every trial and difficulty?

Step-By-Step

Today, let’s begin every prayer with a “Gate and Court” pattern: Thankfulness followed by Praise.  Let thankfulness and praise lift your head to see the King, before you ever speak about the mountain.

The Doxology

Claire's Prayer

Back when I was a little girl living in Zimbabwe, we would walk down the road to our little church.  It was an interesting combination of Anglicans and Methodists; funnily enough, it really worked, and the two denominations worked well together.  I didn’t appreciate the traditions at the time, but now I find the creeds, hymns, and doxologies comforting, like a warm blanket on a chilly day.  One of my favorite memories is standing next to my Dad as we sang hymns together, listening to his glorious baritone harmonizing with mine!

Doxology is an interesting word, especially to geeks like me!  I hope you’re a little that way too.  It comes from the Greek and means ‘doxa’ or ‘glory,’ and ‘logia’ from ‘logos or word, and speaking.’  Speaking glory!  It was a way to glorify the Trinity in our little African church, my most favorite being, “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow.”  I know some of you are humming that in your heads already! 

In verse three of our text, we see Paul giving glory to the Trinity.  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”  He blesses our Father, who is the origin of all those blessings, includes our Savior, who through His work on the cross is able to bless us, and finishes off with the work that only the Holy Spirit can do, as it is the Holy Spirit that applies the work to our hearts.  It is almost as though Paul couldn’t help himself, knowing the incredible wonder of the Trinity, and so he speaks this doxology, ‘speaking glory’ to the Father!  Putting the Great I Am in His proper place and giving an appropriate opinion of the One who spoke the world into being.  Should we not do likewise?

It really is quite something to recognise that Paul, likely under house arrest and chained to a prison guard.  Reliant on friends to bring him food, unable to go outside and breathe in the beautiful fresh air, he still begins with worship!  He still begins by speaking glory to our Father.  Remarkable!  It really doesn’t take a whole lot to derail my day, and so often I forget to bring glory to my LORD.   I need this reminder to glorify my God in every situation. 

Sometimes we need to remember what God has done for us, what Jesus accomplished by giving His life so that we can live for eternity.  To look back and reminisce on the times when the LORD came through, those ‘But God’ moments.  Then, as faith begins to arise in our spirits, we can speak glory to the Father.  Today I plan to sing the doxology, will you join me and sing it too?!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host.

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Reflections

  1. Paul begins with ‘speaking glory’ and worship even when his life is turned upside down, and he is imprisoned.  What circumstances often derail your focus on worshipping the LORD, and how might it look like for you to “begin with doxology” in the hard moments?
  2. The devotional features doxology as “speaking glory” to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  How does understanding the way the Trinity works impact the way you worship God?
  3. The author reminisces on times of worship and reminds us to remember “But God” moments.  Was there a time when remembering what God has done for you stirred your faith and brought gratitude to your heart?

Step-By-Step

Pause today and speak or sing a doxology, remember it doesn’t have to sound perfect.  The LORD loves a joyful noise! Write down and remember three specific “But God” moments in your life where your Father has shown you His faithfulness. Let your remembering turn into thankfulness, your thankfulness into worship, and renewed faith.

He Loved Us First

Claire's Prayer

1 John 4:19. Says; “We love because He first loved us.” Beautiful words.  Words that breathe refreshing life into any weary soul.  “He loved you first.”  In this sweet and simple verse, we hear the Father declaring His love for us, right from the beginning of time.  A shout through the ages from creation to kings, from wars to prophets, down to the birth of His Son.  “I loved you first.”

Our wonderful Heavenly Father is the initiator, and we are the responder. “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” John 15:16. He chose us, we didn’t choose Him.  So often we tell the story of how we chose God, when the reality is, He chose you!  He chose you way back when you were formed in your mother’s womb and your days were written in His book!  God is the initiator; we are the responder.

We don’t give in order to move God to give us more!  We give because He has already given a thousand blessings, an abundance of miracles, and the assurance of salvation.  He gave first. Our response is to give back out of gratefulness and thankfulness for His generous love.  We don’t praise Him to experience His presence.  We praise our Savior as a response to His majesty, as a response to His greatness, His mercy, and His grace.  Creation responding to the Creator!  God is the initiator; we are the responder.  


Our motivation to give, to love, and to praise must be a response to the Great I am loving us first. He gives in abundance; He never leaves us or forsakes us!  You cannot read your bible long enough, pray enough, or do enough good works to make Him love you more.  He loved you first, with a perfect love, a love that knows no bounds, to which there is no end.  Should we not fling our arms to heaven and declare our love for Him when we know the depths of His love?  Our response should be written into every detail of our lives, in our giving, in our doing, in our praising, and in our living.  “We love because He first loved us.”

Reflections

  1. In what areas of your life do you subtly try to “earn” God’s love instead of resting in the truth that He loved you first? 
  2. In what ways is God inviting you to respond to His first love, with praise, worship, or thanksgiving in this moment?  How might your day shift if you saw these acts as a grateful response rather than a duty?
  3. How does knowing that God chose you first shape your identity and your confidence in yourself today?  Write down any fears, insecurities, or striving you might be able to release to Him because of this truth?

Step-By-Step
Take a journal page and title it “Because He Loved Me First, I Will…”
Write down 5–10 simple, heartfelt responses, all the ways you want to love, give, praise, forgive, or serve this week, not because you want to earn the Father’s love but as a joyful overflowing of His love.💛

God’s Incredible Riches

Claire's Prayer

I found myself within a room and began to look around me, everywhere I looked there were shiny gift boxes, tied with huge satin ribbons in every conceivable colour. For a moment I just marveled at the absolute beauty of the boxes, the perfect way in which they were all wrapped. Then I noticed a card attached to each gift, they had my name on them – every single gift was for me. Oh, the excitement! The anticipation! Who had gone to all this trouble to give me all these perfect presents, to wrap each one so thoughtfully, for me?

But they were so beautifully put together.  Perhaps I should just take them home and put them on my mantlepiece, they would look so lovely there on display. It would be such a pity to ruin them.  Well, maybe I’ll open just one…

I picked up the gift wrapped in iridescent pink, my favourite colour, the bow sparkled with gold and silver catching the light and sending out rainbows. Carefully, slowly, I began to unwrap it, almost a little fearful – what if I don’t like it? I reached into the box and drew out the gift… 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏! 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏!  I am chosen.  Before the foundation of the world. Me? Chosen? How can that be? Me? I felt the word well up within me, exploding in joyous colours – 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏!  I am chosen by God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tears began to pour down my cheeks as I felt the love of the Father lavished upon me and the word 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏 echoed all around me, bouncing off the walls and into my heart.

Silence. All was quiet again as I hugged this precious gift to my chest tears drying on my face. I looked around and there were still so many gifts waiting, waiting for me, with my name on them. How could I possibly have ever thought of NOT opening them!

I ran over to the pale blue gift, ripped off the bow, exuberantly throwing it aside.   Knowing that my Father would only give me good gifts.  𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅!  I stopped and allowed it to sink right in, way down to the depths of my soul – Adopted according to His good pleasure.  He was pleased to adopt me.  To bring me to Himself. He said it was a pleasure.  A delight.  𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅!  I’m Adopted!

I literally danced over to the next gift, joy filling me to the brim – 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏, Adopted, by the Father! How did I ever get so blessed? Tearing off the wrapping and throwing it aside… 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅!  This one almost blew my mind, my knees grew weak, and I sank to the floor. A deep groaning came from within me, and I began to sob. 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, I had always wanted to be accepted. Accepted in the Beloved.  Oh, His grace! I was undone. How long I lay there for I’ll never know, laying in a deep blue pool of his acceptance, waves washing over me that whispered 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅. A deep, deep pool of His unfathomable love and grace.

After what seemed like hours I staggered to my feet and looked around me. Gifts, more gifts, what seemed to be a never-ending panorama of His gifts to me. Should I open another? I wasn’t sure how much more I could take.  𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏, 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅 resonated inside me. “I’ll just open a small one,” I thought – reaching out for the little silver box. I lifted the lid and peered in – 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅!  It felt as if I was breaking, my very soul began to shatter. 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅 – it whispered so loud! In Him we have redemption. I sat on the floor and pulled my knees to my chest, questions whirling around in my head. How is that possible? I am redeemed.  But you don’t know what I’ve done, who I am! “𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅!” whispered the loudness. I bowed my head and listened “𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅.” “You are 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏, 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅!” I felt a crystal shower of words flowing all over me, speaking redemption into my being. 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅.

“Open just one more,” said the voice. I couldn’t move but there was a red box within my reach adorned with a liquid red bow. I pulled it onto my lap and opened it. The room went red… liquid red, shimmering red, red all over my knees, my hands, my heart, dripping, flowing. 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏!  The word leapt out at me, ungluing me, my bones turned liquid. 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏!  Red blood flowing all over me, the rich, red blood of my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Jesus. “𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏,” said the blood, “𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏,” sang the blood, “𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏!” shouted the blood. As I soaked in the wonder, the beauty of my latest gift, everything began to turn white… White as snow, so white it glistened, so white it hurt my eyes. I looked at my hand, my body, my heart, my soul – white, forgiven, washed in the blood of the Lamb.

I was exhausted, but so full, I felt so rich, amazed at the gifts the Father had poured out upon me in huge bucketsful of love! Clean, so clean. New, so new. He has made me new.  Tears of gratitude once again began to pour down my face. 𝑪𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒏, 𝑨𝒅𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑨𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅, 𝑹𝒆𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒅, 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒏!

Flowers began to grow in front of me, millions of sunflowers, roses, lily of the valley and a fragrance so sweet and indescribable filled the air. I looked and saw a road before me and heard the Father speak, “Now go, go and tell the others to open their gifts, not to put them on the mantlepiece for decoration or to look pretty, tell them to tear off the wrapping and see the beauty and wonder of the gifts I have given them!”

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀? 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆!

God’s Lovingkindness

Claire's Prayer

In 2006, Baylor University conducted a study on the way Americans view God. 31% of the population believe in an 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐆𝐨𝐝, 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. 16% believe in a 𝗖𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 23% believe in a 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱. Only 25% believe in a 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱, 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

An interesting fact is that the majority of Christians who live in the South believe in an angry, authoritarian God; if you want to believe in a benevolent God, you have to live in the Midwest! Studies show that if you believe in an angry God, chances are that you will struggle with anxiety, paranoia, obsessional thinking, and compulsions! The ramifications of a belief in an angry God will begin to show in your health, from anxiety to ulcers and insomnia.

The Word of God paints a very different picture of God’s character. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗱’𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝟮𝟰𝟴 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲! Biblical scholars complained that there was no word in English that could adequately convey the Hebrew word ‘Chesed’ or ‘Hesed’ and so have used lovingkindness, steadfast love, loyalty, kindness, and mercy. None of these words can sufficiently convey God’s steadfast and persistent love for his people. God’s lovingkindness is that sure love that will never let you go.

‘Chesed’ means the ability to get right inside the other person’s skin, until we can see with his eyes and feel what he feels. Persistent and unconditional tenderness. God will always be kind to you because that is His nature. God is kind – just as we say God is good (all the time), so God is kind, all the time. The very moral core of the covenant was described using the word ‘chesed,’ God declared that he would show his lovingkindness “𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒎𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔”. Exodus 20:6. God has covenanted with you to show you kindness.

Psalm 26:3 says, “𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒆𝒚𝒆𝒔, 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒕𝒉.” God’s lovingkindness is something we are to declare, we are to talk about, we are to tell our children about, to always have before our eyes! If His ‘chesed’ is before our eyes, our focus will not be on his anger but on his steadfast lovingkindness.

So, where does that leave us – as God’s people, should we be kind? Or when someone does something that isn’t in line with what we believe, should we ask that the LORD’s judgment be visited upon them? Kindness for me, but judgment for them? Instead, we should pray that the LORD is kind to them, that he showers them with his ‘chesed’ – for “𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆.” We need to pray, as Paul did, that the Father would grant us the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that we would know Him more, that He would crown us with His lovingkindness. That His kindness would always be before us, that we would pray, ‘𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗗 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲.’ 💕🦋

Broken or Crushed?

Claire's Prayer

‘𝑨𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒃𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔; 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐𝒎 𝒊𝒕 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅.’ Matthew 21:44

Which would you choose? The breaking or the crushing? Honestly speaking I’m not sure that I would want either, but this is the choice given by Jesus to the chief priests and Pharisees.

I remember a time in my life when I was broken. So broken. Into little pieces. Not my bones, but my heart. Dashed upon the rock. Truly rock bottom, my life shattered into little pieces around me. Sounds awful doesn’t it. But I remember what happened next. Jesus picked me up, took my broken heart and mended it, took the shattered pieces of my life, and put them back together until they were beautiful. Psalm 40:2 became my song, “𝑯𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒚 𝒑𝒊𝒕, 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒊𝒓𝒆, 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒈𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅. 𝑯𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒉, 𝒂 𝒉𝒚𝒎𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑮𝒐𝒅. 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑫 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒎.” From that broken place my Abba Father put joy in my heart and for that I am eternally grateful.

You see, Jesus is that stone, our precious cornerstone, the one that we can fall upon, the one that we can go to in humbleness of heart and say, “𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘵, 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘮𝘦, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘮𝘦, 𝘴𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦.” When our hearts are shattered into a million tiny pieces, we can fall upon The Rock.

If we head to the concordance, we can see that the word ‘broken’ in Greek means broken! Or even shattered. But dig a little deeper, the root word of that broken denotes ‘𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽, 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀!’ It speaks of relationship, relationship with the very God we have fallen upon. 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘱𝘰𝘯 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘴! Perhaps choosing the breaking is not so bad after all.

What about the crushing then? Being crushed by the rock? In comparison crushed means ‘𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱.’ Dissolved into dust and disintegrated to nothingness. Truly a point of no return. The crushing fury of God’s judgement coming down with full force, crushing into nothing. “𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘐’𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦.”

We can choose to either fall on the rock and be broken, let Him fill every area of our lives, give our lives to Him, and let Him take those broken pieces and refashion them, remake them into something wonderful. Something that reflects Christ. Or we can choose to let the rock fall upon us, the rock of God’s fury, obliterating us to dust. We can choose life or death. Following Jesus or not following Him. Not wanting to preach gloom and doom or even hellfire and damnation, but not choosing is also making a choice.

Now today, when I think about Jesus, I wonder if as He said these words, he was thinking about the choice He too had to make? Did his thoughts stray to the fact that He would be crushed by the rock? Crushed instead of us, for us! Taking the punishment, we deserved upon Himself, drinking the cup of God’s wrath. Today, as I think about Jesus, I know what my choice will be just as I know what His choice was. Do you know yours? Today, I am thankful that because of Jesus, I can throw myself upon the rock, my Saviour and Redeemer.

“𝒀𝒆𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅’𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒏, 𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒔𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅.” Isaiah 53:10 – 11.

Help Us To Forgive

Claire's Prayer

“𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕𝒔, 𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔.”  Matthew 6:12

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.  This is one where you have to trust in the LORD and His plan for your life.  You have to trust that He knows best, that His ways are higher. It’s not easy abut it is necessary.  This daily cry to the LORD to forgive us is a critical search of your heart.  Were there words spoken too harshly, unkindness in my heart, unnecessary anger?  “𝘓𝘖𝘙𝘋, 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦.  𝘞𝘢𝘴𝘩 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯.”

1 John 1:9 tells us, “𝑰𝒇 𝒘𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒔, 𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒚 𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒖𝒏𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒆𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔.”  Our Abba Father is faithful, and he will forgive us but there is an If at the beginning of that sentence.  If we confess, we will be forgiven.  One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 103:12; “𝒂𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒔𝒕, 𝒔𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒖𝒔.”   When we ask our Father for forgiveness He separates us from our sin, miles and miles and miles away he takes our sin from us!  “𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳!”

Then comes the “𝒂𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔,” part!  A quote I have never forgotten is, “𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗲.”  When we hold unforgiveness in our hearts it rapidly turns to bitterness and resentment.  Your beautiful Father knows that when you forgive someone who has hurt you, you will be set free.

There have been times in my life when I definitely don’t want to forgive the one who has hurt me, broken my heart and crushed my soul.  When feelings of anger and a bitter taste are still on my tongue, that the LORD has asked me to forgive.  And I have.  Emotionally I haven’t ‘𝗳𝗲𝗹𝘁’  like forgiving, but I have gone through the motions, I have spoken the words, in faith I have forgiven.  Within days a new sense of freedom would permeate my soul, there would be a spring in my step and the realization that I had indeed forgiven.

Today, as you pray, take a moment to search your heart, know that God will take your sin from you and forgive you in seconds.  As you talk to Him ask your Abba Father to help you forgive those you are struggling to forgive, even if you don’t ‘𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁,’ do it by faith and let Holy Spirit minister to your soul and bring you to a place of freedom.

Our Daily Bread

Claire's Prayer

“𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.”  Matthew 6:11

This part of the prayer seems so simple, and really it is!  But it is in the acknowledgement of our daily needs that we will realise our absolute dependance on Him.  It’s a cry for provision in every area of our lives, for all our needs.  It’s also a reminder from the LORD that we are not to worry about tomorrow, or next week, or next year.  𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

My husband will often say to me “𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚋𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚎,” when I’m voicing some of my worries and fears and he is absolutely right.  I often do that, worrying about things that I can’t do anything about, except of course take it to the LORD in prayer.  In the very same chapter of the LORD’s prayer, Jesus tells us; “𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘, 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒐𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑬𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒐𝒘𝒏.”   (Matthew 6:34) And so, as we ask the Father for our 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 bread it becomes a reminder to leave those troubles at His feet, not worrying about tomorrow. 

Something the LORD’s prayer tells me is that God’s provision for my life is not dependent on me.  He doesn’t provide for me because I’m all prayed up, have done good deeds, or have done anything at all.  His provision is not contingent on me doing the right thing, because I am a sinner saved by grace!  It is the righteousness of Christ that God sees, not my righteousness.  He provides for me because he loves me. 

Our Abba Father has an open-door policy.  Whenever you want to go to Him whether for comfort, for guidance, for your daily bread, or simply for a chat, He is there waiting.  There are no rituals needing to be done before He will hear or before He will give.  It is all done by the blood of Jesus, our perfect Savior and Redeemer. 

Today, as you pray, remember that your Abba Father is waiting for you, longs to spend time with you, and will indeed give you your daily bread, providing for everything that you have need of.

The LORD’s Prayer

Claire's Prayer

Today’s a good day for an honest truth, sometimes I find prayer difficult!  There are days the words don’t seem to flow, or all the words are about me and what I think I need, or even days when I skip praying all together because of my inability to say no to people or the busyness of the day.  There is never a time when the LORD is not in my thoughts and short prayers are peppered throughout my day.  The prayer I’m talking about is time spent before the Father, waiting on Him, intentional, focused prayer.  Can anyone else relate?

Something often forgotten is that Jesus himself taught us how to pray, He gave us an example, telling us to pray in this way.  We call this The LORD’s Prayer, and I like so many others learned to recite this prayer when I was just ‘knee-high to a grasshopper!’  Or really little!  You can find this way of praying in Matthew 6:9-13.

“𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒓, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚:

𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏, 𝑯𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆.

𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆. 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝑶𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒔 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏.

𝑮𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒖𝒔 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕𝒔, 𝑨𝒔 𝒘𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒃𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔.

𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒖𝒔 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏, 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒖𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒍 𝒐𝒏𝒆.

𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒅𝒐𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒐𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓. 𝑨𝒎𝒆𝒏.”

Studying this sacred prayer, this roadmap to a fulfilling and fervent prayer life has helped me in so many ways, especially on the days I find difficult.  It is a prayer that is breathtaking in its beauty, resplendent in revelation, and packed with power.  If you take the time to focus on the words, consider what you are saying and not merely repeat it by routine you will rediscover the precious words of Jesus that will breathe new life into your rhythm of prayer.  Interesting to note that just a few verses earlier Jesus said, “𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚, 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒅𝒐.” (vs 7) Mindlessly repeating the LORD’s prayer without thought will not achieve anything.

Tomorrow we’ll dive a little deeper into this prayer and see what God unfolds, but today, I invite you to take a moment and say the LORD’s Prayer with me and as we do really think about the words we are saying.  Say it out loud so that it echoes through your soul – “𝑶𝒖𝒓 𝑭𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓…”

I Am Prayer

Claire's Prayer

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁.  Especially words spoken against you by a friend.  They cut deep and can become a festering wound.  When I was young, if someone was being mean we used to chant the phrase; “𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦!”  But the fact of the matter is – that simply isn’t true.   Words that are spoken have great power, the bible tells us the power of life or death!  (Prov 18:21)

Powerful King David, the man after God’s own heart, wasn’t immune to the wounding of words from those he considered friends.  Psalm 109:4-5 tells us this, “𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆; 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆.   𝑰𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒎𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓.”    David felt surrounded by words of hatred, attacked for no apparent reason, accused, maligned, and criticized.  Sound familiar?  He was hurt and his soul was downcast.  No-one would have blamed him if he had risen up and retaliated in kind.  I am amazed at David’s response – “𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓.”

“𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓!”  David took it to the LORD in prayer.  Even when they attack me and accuse me, I will pray.  Even when they shout words of hatred at me, talk about me behind my back, I will pray.  Even when they lie about me, slander my name, or smear my name, I will pray.  I am a man of prayer.  I for one can certainly learn something from David as so often I react immediately instead of taking the time to pray and asking the LORD what my response should be.

The Hebrew meaning behind David’s phrase, “𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓,” is interesting.  Translated it becomes, ‘𝑰 𝒂𝒎 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓.”  David’s whole life was characterized by prayer, it was that important to him.  Charles Spurgeon puts it this way, “𝘏𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺.  𝘏𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦.”  David became prayer as they became hatred, he became prayer as they became discontent.

And so, the question becomes, which do we want to be?  We have to choose.  We can choose to become people of prayer or people that are marked by the unkind words we say, by the gossip that we speak.  In my heart of hearts, I want to be prayer but today is a good day to take stock of the things I say, to consider my actions and reactions, and to remember to take everything to God in prayer.