Lord, I am having a bumpy ride right now. I am in physical and emotional pain. I haven’t heard from You in a while, and so now I feel a little bit like Job felt—abandoned.

But I want You to know, God, that I trust Your mercy even when I cannot see Your Providential finger stirring events around me for my good. I trust You and Your Word.

Like Job, I too choose to persevere.

Children tend to scream, “Me first!” But it so easy, Lord, to let that mindset slide into adulthood. Remind me that You came to serve, not to be served. Humans find that notion to be contrary to self-preservation. And yet we are to value others above ourselves! This world is obviously crazy backwards!

Lord, transform my thinking patterns into Yours. I want to live untethered to the world’s mindset and fly unburdened and faithful and free.

Why would You do such an outrageous thing, Jesus—to die for me. From my limited, human-tainted view Your sacrifice seems extreme. Unthinkable. Frightening. Especially since we are not worthy of such a gift of grace. I am not worthy.

But I suppose the sacrifice had to be immense because the sin of humankind has been that extreme, that unthinkable and that frightening.

I am so glad You said yes to our redemption, Jesus. I in turn, say yes to You.

Trouble has found me again, and I need Your divine instruction. Please keep Your loving eye on me and give me Your counsel because my own advice has failed me.

I do not know fully what it means for Your songs of deliverance to surround me, but the promise of it makes me finally breathe again. It makes me want to sit at Your feet and take in every melodious and magnificent moment.

Dear Lord, what a beautiful parable this is. Through it, I can see how much You love us and pursue us with unfathomable devotion. And I can see Your angels full of jubilation and delight when we finally repent.

I never stop loving these profound stories for they teach us the ways of heaven.

Jesus, thank You for sending that angelic someone today who helped me up after I tripped on a curb and fell. The humiliation of it all was far worse than the inevitable bruises, but the kindness of that one gal who reached out to help me made all the difference.

Later in the car I melted into tears, because I was so overwhelmed by the kindness of a stranger. May I too clothe myself in compassion, for this world is broken and needy and longing for kindness.

Remind me daily, Jesus, to stay the course. I am a wanderer sometimes. I get caught up in a million things—many of them good—but they may not be all that good if they keep me from fulfilling Your will.

I need focus, dedication, and accountability. I need to spend more time in Your word. More time fellowshipping with my believer friends. More time seeking You and resting in Your holy presence.

I want to press on toward the goal You speak of in Your Word. Please, Holy Spirit, guide me…

Lord, I saw a fox today near our house. It had a reddish hue with a fluffy tail, and it trotted along with regal style. But then he spotted me and vanished into the woods.

But it made me think of Your Psalm when it says how the earth is so full of Your creatures. I love the way You placed such a vast array of unique living things for us to delight in and wonder over. I never tire of Your sublime handiwork. With all my heart, I thank You.

Dear Lord, relationships can be so easily breakable. Sometime it scares me to think how long it takes to build them up and then how fast they can crumble. Maybe it happens with just a few misspoken words, or a misunderstanding, or maybe a sinful whim of ugly words that can’t be taken back.

Thank you, Jesus, that our relationship is not fragile or fickle, and You are not like shifting shadows. Your good and perfect promises and gifts and redemptive love are always faithful.

Lord, every year I cringe at the words, “New Year’s Resolutions.” Because every year I faithfully make a beautiful, productive list and every year I faithfully fail to follow that beautiful, productive list. Maybe I get too lazy or too tired or too flat-out discouraged with life.

Please establish my plans, God, and give me the courage and strength as we make each step together. Only then will I see fruit. Good fruit that is wise and pleasing and sharable.
Then I can truly say, “Happy New Year!”

God, I get carried away with humanity, sometimes idolizing people with my devotion and loyalty and adoration. I see others doing it too. Revering some folks with an awe that should only belong to You—placing their hope in them, kissing their golden rings, and hanging on their every utterance as if they were You. Oh dear.

Remind me, Lord, that You alone should be my great and perfect hero, only You are truly awesome and worthy of my worship. If I kiss the feet of anyone, Jesus, it will be You.

Dear God, I screamed at my child today. As You know, the whole debacle started when she accidentally dropped a saucer of prune puree. The brown goo splattered all over the highchair, the floor, the curtains, me, and even the ceiling! My little one giggled, and knowing the long cleanup, I screamed. And then we cried together. Good grief.

The house is clean again, but I am so sorry, Lord. Show me how to be humbler, gentler, and more patient with my family.