“The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. It will blossom abundantly and will also rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.”

Isaiah 35:1-2 HCSB

The adage, “Bloom where you are planted,” takes on new color when one awakens to the idea that he is singing praises to the Creator when flourishing in the environment in which God has placed him. From the moment we wake up we have the opportunity to sing praises to God, to worship Him by thriving where you are—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. It’s so important He put it into a commandment to us:

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command.”

Matthew 22:37-38 HCSB

We further bring down the glory and majesty of the Lord when we fulfill the next commandment Jesus gave to, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39

Nature bows to worship God by doing what it was created to do— bloom and grow bountifully. Mankind worships God by fully engaging in the life given by Our Creator, loving God and loving people.

So what do we do when we find ourselves withering in the wilderness instead of thriving as we know we were created to do?

◦ First, we give ourselves the same grace our Heavenly Father gives, and lighten up the pressure to perform.

◦ Next, we turn to our practices that lead us back to Him—time in His Word, meditation, prayer. “But,” you lament, “I’m to weak to pray. The words won’t come.” Just say, “Jesus,” over and over; it’s the prayer that never fails.

◦ Perhaps it’s time to pull out a journal and start writing down whatever He brings to your mind about Scripture and life.

◦ Singing songs of praise and adoration to the Father draws us into His presence. Familiar hymns and choruses are especially soothing to hurting hearts.

◦ Finally, fellowship with other believers is so necessary Paul admonished us to not neglect this practice in Hebrews 10:25.

“I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”

John 10:10 HCSB

Yes, you were made for more, and His heart is calling out to your heart to fully live. 🚦

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“But they deceived Him with their mouths, they lied to Him with their tongues, their hearts were insincere toward Him and they were unfaithful to His covenant. Yet He was compassionate, He atoned for their guilt and did not destroy them. He often turned His anger aside and did not unleash all His wrath. He remembered that they were only flesh, an wind that passes and does not return.”

Psalm 78:36-39 HCSB

The world tells us to cancel people out of our lives who have wronged us, but God takes a different direction with us when it is we who have wronged Him. Instead of a passive-aggressive approach or shutting down, He recognizes our humanity and offers a way of redemption.

Perhaps the next time someone hurts our feelings or steps out of their lane we can follow His example of compassion and remember they, like us, are only flesh. 🚦

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“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

James 5:16 HCSB

Have you ever prayed and felt as if your prayers were merely hitting the ceiling, going nowhere? I almost fell into this trap again this morning when God spoke to me and reminded me not to get on the feelings train. When feelings want to tell you that kind of a lie, that God does not hear your prayers, remember what truth tells you: “The urgent request of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

And His hearing is not dependent upon how big our faith is, because Jesus Himself tells us that all we need is faith the tiny side of a mustard seed, the smallest of all the seeds, and we can accomplish powerful things in His name.

“Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Matthew 17:20 HCSB

He hears our prayers.🚦

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“Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation continually say, “God is great! ””

Psalms 70:4 HCSB

The enemy was fast approaching, battle-ready to attack Judah and to destroy the mighty power Jehoshaphat had built up over time. This amazing leader called all the cities to a time of fasting, as he lead them in prayer with a message to God saying, “We don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

As Jehoshaphat’s army prepared to face the Moabites and Ammonites, it was not the biggest and strongest positioned on the front lines; it was the singers and worshippers! Yes, they led with praise and worship to our God and Savior, rejoicing in the certain victory that was to come. And deliver God did! God completely wiped out the enemy without Jehoshaphat’s army lifting a single weapon! All that was left for them to do was gather the plunder.

It’s hard to imagine when we are in the middle of a trial that we can rejoice and be thankful in the midst of the storm, but Scripture repeatedly calls us to do this. But how?

Our lesson from Jehoshaphat tells us to rejoice and be glad in the victory that is to come, even when we don’t know what that outcome looks like in the moment. God is on our side and will be glorified in the end, so when we start praising Him and anticipating the triumph ahead with a grateful heart, things do start to change, especially our hearts.

The psalmist exhorts us to continually, without ceasing proclaim the greatness of God. Let’s challenge ourselves to do this today through whatever we face. 🚦

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“But as for me, Lord, my prayer to You is for a time of favor. In Your abundant, faithful love, God, answer me with Your sure salvation.

Rescue me from the miry mud; don’t let me sink. Let me be rescued from those who hate me and from the deep waters. Don’t let the floodwaters sweep over me or the deep swallow me up; don’t let the Pit close its mouth over me. Answer me, Lord, for Your faithful love is good; in keeping with Your great compassion, turn to me.”

Psalms 69:13-16 HCSB

My second semester of freshman year of college was definitely a time of the Lord’s favor. It was a grand time with special roommates, making memories to last a lifetime while excelling academically. We cherished that time even while we were in it, knowing it was unique and special, though we didn’t recognize God’s hand in it at that time.

I wonder how often I miss the goodness of God because I simply am oblivious to Him in my everyday life. I hope I have outgrown that much younger self who was growing in faith but not so in tune with the Spirit.

When you are rescued from the miry mud, as I was after just one semester of my sophomore year, do you attribute the deliverance to the Father, or to “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps?”

Let’s vow to walk in Spirit, in tune with Him, so we can see how He favors us and when He saves us from the muck. 🚦

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“You crown the year with Your goodness; Your ways overflow with plenty. The wilderness pastures overflow, and the hills are robed with joy. The pastures are clothed with flocks and the valleys covered with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.”

Psalms 65:11-13 HCSB

Yes, even the hardest years He crowns with His goodness. He meets us in the middle of our mess and brings beauty from the pain, the anxiety, the heartache, and the mistakes. When everyone else is too busy or wrapped up in their problems and issues, God is the one who is there, overshadowing the difficulty with His glorious presence. What have you been facing God is walking with you through? 🚦

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“The righteous one rejoices in the Lord and takes refuge in Him; all those who are upright in heart will offer praise.”

Psalms 64:10 HCSB

The things I rejoice in and celebrate as a believer in Jesus Christ should look different from those things championed by an unbeliever. Our lives are not the same, and I must not look for positive affirmation from them because our way of looking at the world is different. Instead, I run to the cross for confirmation of my path. I find fellow Christ followers trekking through this journey whose judgments are trustworthy and sure, those who are as iron sharpening me when we are together, and I seek their perspective. This definitely narrows the scope of who gets a phone call or a text from me and how much gets divulged on important matters, but it protects my mind from worldly views. It keeps me from becoming full of myself when I want to be so full of Jesus He’s all anyone notices when they look my way.

Where are you looking for your stamp of approval or as a green light for your thoughts? 🚦

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“God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer. I call to You from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me, for You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy. I will live in Your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of Your wings. Selah”

Psalms 61:1-4 HCSB

Have you ever been in a flood or seen people in floods? People know to gather their things and flee to higher ground for safety. God is our higher ground, our refuge in times of trouble, but we need not wait for an emergency situation to seek shelter in Him. When you and I live day-to-day, moment-to-moment in an attitude of prayer we can stay in the mountain of the Lord, in His protective wings.

We do this by seeking Him throughout our day in sentence prayers and looking for signs of His direction. As we walk with Him throughout our day, there is peace only His divine presence can bring.

Let Him lead you to higher ground today. 🚦

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“Give us aid against the foe, for human help is worthless. With God we will perform valiantly; He will trample our foes.”

Psalms 60:11-12 HCSB

In an age battling for control of our minds and senses at every turn, we need supernatural strength to overcome the magnetic pull of the world’s charms. The power is strong pulling us to our phones and away from people, disconnecting us from face-to-face relationship in favor of posed and retouched photos and ten second reels of pseudo life. We say we don’t have time to study our Bibles or meet with accountability groups, yet the time tracker on our devices tells another story.

But we can overcome this struggle against our electronics with His help by getting up each morning and starting fresh in His Word. His mercies are new every morning, and great is His faithfulness. Throughout the day we may find ourselves needing to sing worship songs instead of scrolling through social media. Work on scripture memorization by keeping verses written on cards in your pocket for down times in your day rather than pulling out your phone.

Satan is a strong and powerful opponent, but we have a much stronger God who has already fought the battle and won for us to conquer the death in us through Christ’s resurrection from the dead. We are already victors! 🚦

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“Be gracious to me, God, be gracious to me, for I take refuge in You. I will seek refuge in the shadow of Your wings until danger passes. I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. He reaches down from heaven and saves me, challenging the one who tramples me. [Selah] God sends His faithful love and truth.”

Psalms 57:1-3 HCSB

Have you ever been through seasons where you felt incredibly close to God, especially during a tumultuous time, only to be followed by periods when it seemed as if He was nowhere to be found? Why does God seem to be at arm’s length even when we are doing all the same things? Still having quiet times. Still going to church. Still meeting with accountability groups.

But something is missing. What does one do in times like this? There is no big life crisis going on, yet the enemy is attacking your spirit.

We cling more tightly to what we cannot feel, put our faith more strongly in what we cannot see and cry out to the God who promises to reach from heaven and save us from the one who tramples us. Sometimes it is not enough to do what we always do. We have to dig deeper, lean in harder to our practices of faith when we least feel that we have the time and energy. God will meet us there. 🚦

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