“Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

Psalms 30:4-5 NIV

Our Lord wants to hear our voices lifted up in praise to Him. He doesn’t care whether we croak like bullfrogs or sing like birds; He wants us giving our whole selves to Him in worship. Yes, even in the dark, painful times.

But wait, there’s an elephant in the room: God gets angry. He gets angry with you and me when we turn our eyes away from Him and worship other things, aka idolatry. Pure evil makes God angry—sin, injustice, crime. God hates gossip; He has a disdain for lying and ignoring truth. All of these are righteous anger.

So what happens with His anger? A great portion of the time He gives us over to our sin and lets us suffer the natural consequences. Sometimes these result in strong,swift punishment such as jail time. Other times it may lead to loss of financial stability, relationships gone sour, or depression and anxiety, just to name a few.

Even in the midst of the discipline is the hope and the knowing that we are His and that through it all His favor is upon us. He brings peace and joy in our hearts when we turn back to Him, recognizing how we went wrong. Yes, the difficult times, in the course of a lifetime, are fleeting, but joy lasts forever. May we sing praise! 🚦

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“Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”

Psalm 29:1-4 ESV

Have you ever wondered what God’s voice sounds like? It’s a rare few who can claim to have heard audibly God speak to them. Years ago I was driving in a rough neighborhood on my way to do a home health visit for work when I heard a commanding voice forcefully instruct me, “Get out now!” You can bet I hightailed it out of that area immediately and went home. Was that voice in my head or out loud in my car? I could have sworn it was out loud in my car, but I was the only one there, so I will never know for sure.

Much more curious and exciting is to think about God’s voice when we get to heaven. Will He join with us in singing, or would that just be awkward? Will He walk and talk with me as He did with the first of His creation?

Right now we long to hear the voice of God distinctly tell us this and that, but in the waiting He has given us His Word as His voice. If you, like me, long to hear from Him, crack open your Bible and start reading what He has to say.🚦

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“May the Lord be praised, for He has heard the sound of my pleading. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I praise Him with my song. The Lord is the strength of His people; He is a stronghold of salvation for His anointed. Save Your people, bless Your possession, shepherd them, and carry them forever.”

Psalms 28:6-9 HCSB

Our God who protects and strengthens us is worthy to be praised! He is a trustworthy fortress who hears our prayers and shields us. While we lift up our hearts and hands in praise and thanksgiving to the God of our salvation, we are bolstered by strength upon strength as He pours out His grace upon us, in an endless cycle of rejoicing and power.

Have you sat in His presence and just thanked Him for Who He is, for all He has done for you and for all that is yet to come? There is power in that praise. Blessed be His name!🚦

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“Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long. Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with Your faithful love, remember me because of Your goodness, Lord.”

Psalms 25:4-7 HCSB

A meme which frequently circulates social media relates how thankful my generation is that there were no smart phones or internet to broadcast our shenanigans back when. While not a super private person, from time to time I find myself shaking my head at the things I see others broadcast for the whole world to be privy to, knowing that once it’s out there, you cannot fully redact it.

God does not need Facebook or Instagram to know what is going on in our lives; He sees it all from start to finish. But the beautiful thing with Him is that He does not look upon us waiting for our missteps; He is always waiting for our return. This is what love does. In His compassion and faithful love He is continually opening the path of salvation to us. Jesus’ sacrifice is the gift that is always available, 24/7/365. No need to wait until Monday or a new year to start over. Why not now? 🚦

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“Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not set his mind on what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”

Psalms 24:3-5 HCSB

God desires nothing more than for His children to know and love Him. He wants to spend time with us. How do we get our hands clean? How do we wash the sinful heart and mind? Oh friend, we can’t do it ourselves. That’s what the blood of Jesus does; it washes and covers us. And when we realize we are stepping before a holy God, we need to take a few moments to ask Him to reveal to us our sin so that we can ask forgiveness and turn from any patterns that are setting up before they become bad habits. Time focusing on Him is a good time to retrain our minds to be centered on things of God instead of things of this world.

Such a blessing is ours to receive from the God of our salvation when we humbly come before Him with a posture of meekness and reverence. 🚦

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“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.”

Psalms 23:5-6 HCSB

In Biblical times, anointing the head with oil was done as a symbol of hospitality, offering refreshment to weary travelers and welcoming honored guests. While we usually associate celebrations with times of plenty when things are going well, God gives us reason to rejoice even in the midst of ongoing hardship. He embraces us on our weary journey and revives our spirits with His presence right in the middle of our trials. Our joy tanks are filled to overflowing with extra in reserve.

We carry that anointing with us at all times. The house of the Lord is a place in our hearts that we can easily access no matter where we are or what the situation. We can remain in Him always because He never leaves, is always pursuing, always accepting, always loving. He is with you now. Rest in that presence.🚦

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“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.”

Psalm 23:1-3 ESV

In this politically charged climate, we are told not to be sheep, but God’s Word tells us we are the sheep of His pasture. So what does this mean to be God’s sheep?

A shepherd cares for his sheep. He tends to his flock, seeing they have food, water, and rest they need. He defends his flock against predators, and he wrangles the sheep who wanders astray.

But our Shepherd goes above and beyond. He takes us to places, through seasons where we find respite from the craziness of the world. He restores us during summers of calm and closeness with Him through quiet and His Word. He brings people into our lives that stir our growth to prepare us for winters that loom ahead.

How has God provided and cared for you? 🚦

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“I will give praise in the great congregation because of You; I will fulfill my vows before those who fear You. The humble will eat and be satisfied; those who seek the Lord will praise Him. May your hearts live forever!”

Psalms 22:25-26 HCSB

You’ve been going through a long, rough patch. Life is HARD, and it might not get easier. But one day you get a call from a friend inviting you over for dinner. That pot roast doesn’t just feed your soul; it strengthens your heart to keep pressing onward in your journey.

In Israel, the Jewish people gave an offering of Thanksgiving annually, as described in Leviticus. This was often shared as a communal meal with the poor to strengthen their bodies and lift their hearts. There is something about a shared meal that ministers to our souls like nothing else.

Is there someone you know who can use this gift? Perhaps God is leading you to throw a dinner party, even a casual cookout here at the end of summer to bring together new friends and old to foster intentional relationships. God’s blessings will last eternally for those who praise Him. 🚦

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“He asked You for life, and You gave it to him — length of days forever and ever. His glory is great through Your victory; You confer majesty and splendor on him. You give him blessings forever; You cheer him with joy in Your presence. For the king relies on the Lord; through the faithful love of the Most High he is not shaken.”

Psalms 21:4-7 HCSB

God gives generously to his children, far beyond what is asked, even though the answer may come in a form that is unexpected and not in the timing that was requested. What we interpret as a “no“ from God may be a “yes“ to a question we should have been asking all along but didn’t think to do so, caught up in the tyranny of the urgent. When we can accept as love the obvious “yes” together with the apparent “no” we will find ourselves in a faith that cannot be shaken.

“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure — pressed down, shaken together, and running over — will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.””

Words of Jesus, Luke 6:38 HCSB 🚦

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“May Yahweh answer you in a day of trouble; may the name of Jacob’s God protect you. May He send you help from the sanctuary and sustain you from Zion. May He remember all your offerings and accept your burnt offering. Selah. May He give you what your heart desires and fulfill your whole purpose. Let us shout for joy at your victory and lift the banner in the name of our God. May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.”

Psalms 20:1-5 HCSB

A number of years ago my husband and I were hiking in the Davis mountains. We’d no sooner reached our peak and taken our victory photo when we began the grueling descent. I stepped down onto a rock that moved, snapping my ankle, sending me tumbling forward onto the ledge below. Unable to stand up, I scooted to a place where I could sit while we used another’s phone to call for help.

The park ranger warned it could take hours to get there. The waiting game began.

The ledge upon which I sat during the wait afforded a spectacular view of the hills below on that sunny day. A giddy excitement bubbled up inside me as I waited expectantly for what God was going to do to rescue me. We’d been watching large group of hikers for some time as they slowly made their way up the mountain. Much to our surprise they were from a wilderness rescue training program and had just finished their training! The leaders quickly assessed my ankle, taped it for stability, gave me water and Advil. Soon thereafter, the park ranger arrived with a portable stretcher, and the trek began with 6-8 high school boys carrying me down the mountain in a harrowing descent. Others helped along the way, supplying water and moving rocks out of the narrow path. Eventually, I was able to tolerate some weight and could hobble down the rest of the way with assistance. It took a village to get to the bottom, and it was an amazing victory for our God.

While not all answers and rescues are this dramatic, we can wait expectantly for His result. He will deliver you in due time. 🚦

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