“Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭41:9, 13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Has someone you called friend effortlessly cast you aside with an unexpected “I thought our friendship had run its course,” or directly throat-punched you with “I don’t ever want to speak to you again!” Protective instinct may incline you to sharply retort in like. Pause. Breathe. Pray. No matter the hurt, no matter the pain, God is still on the throne and deserves our praise. Sacrifice that desire to hurt back at the foot of the cross and leave it for Jesus who endured the unimaginable to redeem you and call you His.🚦

“I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help. I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness from the great assembly.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭40:10 NIV

You may have heard some who say faith is personal and thus do not talk about it. But God made you for community, and sharing personal stories of how He has demonstrated His love and saving grace grows not only your faith but the faith of those around you. Long before blogs and social media, groups were gathering to jam on each other’s reports of answered prayers, daunting rescues, and renewed joy. That encouragement refreshes faith and gives hope for hurting hearts. How has the Lord been good to you? Who will you tell today?

“I said, “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.” I was speechless and quiet; I kept silent, even from speaking good, and my pain intensified.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭39:1-2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Have you ever vowed, “Never again” after recklessly running your mouth got you into trouble? Put I zipper on that tongue when in the presence of certain people? Sometimes in the effort to NOT bring dishonor to God with ill-timed careless or sharp words I fail to speak life over the very people who most need it. When we instead focus our speech in the same way Philippians 4:8 tells us to think we have no need to worry that we will say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

“Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

“A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭25:11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

May your words today be a lovely gift to a hurting heart.

“I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭38:18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In such a fast-food world of delivery-on-demand it’s easy to get caught up in a mentality of talking AT God rather than WITH God to make known our needs or requests then move on to the next thing on out to-do lists. Are we taking the time to grieve our own sin? To fall on our faces in humility before a righteous and Holy God, recognizing the chasm between us and the One who knew no sin but became sin for us so that we could be restored in relationship to Him? (2 Cor 5:21) Maybe you made a decision long ago to follow Christ but have become dulled to the less glaring sins of bitterness, pride, or jealousy which have set taken over places in your heart. What is holding you back from seeking Him today to confess and be restored once again?

“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭37:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let’s face it—most of read into this a genie-in-a-bottle take on God. If we rub the bottle, ie go to church and do good things, God will give us what we want. But the psalmist is bringing a totally different message. To “delight” in the Lord means taking pleasure in spending time in His presence, savoring the richness of His Word and falling in our faces in humble prayer. As we do this He gives us pure hearts with desires that bring glory and honor to Him. Those wishes really do come true!

“Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭36:5-6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God’s Love for us goes higher than the greatest telescopes can see. Even satellites cannot capture the expanse of  His faithfulness. Our Lord is more pure and righteous than the clearest mountain stream, deeply flowing with grace and mercy to refresh our weary, thirsty souls. His care knows no limits, capturing even our beloved furry friends! He holds us all in the palms of His hands.

“I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭36:1-2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Years ago a friend stopped by my home and asked why I was sitting in the dark. I’d been reading as the sun was setting and didn’t realize I when the room had grown dark. When a person lives in darkness they can’t differentiate the sin within themselves because they’ve acclimated to their surroundings. “ In Your light we see light”(Ps 36:9). Don’t let the eyes of your heart become so acclimated to the evil in the world, and there is great pressure to do as such, that you no longer see it for what it is—sin. The more time you spend in the light through the reading of God’s Word, meditating on it, praying and walking in Spirit, the more your own sin and that around you will be exposed.

“They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.” Lord, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord.”
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭35:21-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Are there people who seem to lie in wait if you tripping up so that they can say, “I told you so”? Rather than offering a hand up and a prayer of spiritual encouragement there is a sneer and a spit in the face. God sees the whole picture, inside and out, and He is for you. God’s got your back.

“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Many adversities come to the one who is righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:19‬ ‭HCSB‬‬
“Too blessed to be stressed.” How many times have you read or heard this…and maybe wanted to backhand the source? Life does not get easier in terms of the number and intensity of trials for the Christ-follower. In fact, you may find yourself overwhelmed by attacks from our enemy Satan who stops at nothing to steal our joy. Contrary to popular belief, God does allow us to experience more adversity than we ALONE can handle. Let it drive you to Him who is the sure source of help, hope and refuge. What burdens do you need to set at the foot of the Cross today?