September 16 – A Tropical Storm Prayer
Creating, Redeeming, and Sustaining God
‘Tis an interesting thing to give tropical storms a name like Lee.
I have two cousins – Lee and Crystal Lee.
I welcome their presence.
I enjoy the fond memories we created as children and adults.
They bring joy and laughter into our lives.
But Tropical Storm Lee… that Lee brings worry and annoyance.
Fears of damage, inconveniences of power failures.
But even as the trees bend from the power of the wind,
the wind of your Spirit bends our heart towards you.
calling us to trust in you.
You are with us in the storms.
The winds and the rains, they will bow down to you.
The sun will return.
So take what is good from this storm, and nurture your creation.
Encourage us to rest in the warmth of our homes.
Give shelter and other provisions to the most vulnerable,
especially those who are homeless.
Deliver us from the bad and keep us safe,
especially linesmen, power corporation staff, and first responders
as they look after our well-being.
And if/where there is damage,
help us rise up in community to look after one another. Amen.
March 23 -Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 6
For everything there is a season,
and a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to seek,
and a time to lose;
a time to keep,
and a time to throw away.
March 22 – Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
(Picture credit: Jackie Lou DL, Pixabay.com)
March 17 – Isaiah 40: 29-31
The Lord gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Artwork: Jennifer Wagner, InspirivityMarch 16 – Proverbs 17: 22
A cheerful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Joan Chittister – “If anything diminishes a person, it is the cancer of constant complaining.”
How might a word of encouragement be a healing balm for someone’s heart? Or how might looking at 
something with a positive heart be helpful? For example, instead of looking at the glass half empty, think about the blessings or positives that are there. And ask God to fill you with his goodness. To paraphrase David (Psalm 23), because of God, his cup overflows such that goodness and love follow him all the days of his life. Because of God’s presence and blessings, he knows he is protected even when difficulties and enemies surround him. God will provide.
something with a positive heart be helpful? For example, instead of looking at the glass half empty, think about the blessings or positives that are there. And ask God to fill you with his goodness. To paraphrase David (Psalm 23), because of God, his cup overflows such that goodness and love follow him all the days of his life. Because of God’s presence and blessings, he knows he is protected even when difficulties and enemies surround him. God will provide.May joy fill your heart today and overflow into the lives of others and all that you do. God bless you!
Picture credit: Timur Weber, Pexels.com
March 15 – Proverbs 16: 24
Gracious words are a honeycomb,
sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
(Picture Credit: Archana GS, Pexels.com)
March 11 – Psalm 31: 14, 15a, 16
But I trust in you, Lord;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in your hands;
Let your face shine on your servant;
save me in your unfailing love.
“We can get so busy doing urgent things and so preoccupied with what comes next that we don’t experience now. Afraid of being late, we rush from the past to the future. The present moment becomes a crack between what we did and what we have yet to do. It is virtually lost to us. We don’t get to our futures any faster if we hurry. And we certainly don’t become better people in haste. More likely than not, the faster we go the less we become.”
― Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Photo Credit: Gerd Altmann, Pixabay
March 10 – Psalm 94: 18-19
When I thought, “My foot slips,”
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
“In the unfixables of our lives, we are invited to keep company with Jesus
and take a risk that God’s intentions toward us are good.”
― Adele Ahlberg Calhoun, Spiritual Disciplines Handbook: Practices That Transform Us
(Picture Credit: Karsten Paulick, Pixabay)
March 9 – Psalm 62: 1-2
My soul finds rest in God alone;
my salvation comes from him.
God alone is my rock and my salvation;
God is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
(Photo credit: Rainer Maiores, Pixabey.com)
March 8 – Psalm 3: 3-5
But you, O Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy hill.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again,
for the Lord sustains me.
