Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
January 25, 2022
Read Psalm 139:1-12
1 LORD, you have examined me. You know me. 2 You know when I sit down and when I stand up. Even from far away, you comprehend my plans. 3 You study my traveling and resting. You are thoroughly familiar with all my ways. 4 There isn’t a word on my tongue, LORD, that you don’t already know completely. 5 You surround me—front and back. You put your hand on me. 6 That kind of knowledge is too much for me; it’s so high above me that I can’t fathom it. 7 Where could I go to get away from your spirit? Where could I go to escape your presence? 8 If I went up to heaven, you would be there. If I went down to the grave, you would be there too! 9 If I could fly on the wings of the dawn, stopping to rest only on the far side of the ocean 10 even there your hand would guide me; even there your strong hand would hold me tight! 11 If I said, “The darkness will definitely hide me; the light will become night around me,” 12 even then the darkness isn’t too dark for you! Nighttime would shine bright as day because darkness is the same as light to you!
Good Morning! Search me, O God!
Oh, what a beautiful morning . . . As I stepped outside this morning, I welcomed the more moderate temperatures. The snow, aka ice, is beginning to melt. I thanked God for my challenges and for loving me.
Yesterday, God led me to talk about turning over our anxieties to God, and then I encountered an opportunity to practice this for myself. 🤣 You must love that our God has a sense of humor. It’s easy to talk about turning over anxieties to God, but quite another to actually accomplish this.
God, our creator, knows us intimately: our thoughts, our words, everything. I must admit that, on occasion, I want to take charge of God’s plan for me. I love my journey, but the desire to try to manage the details, “ the small stuff that I said we need to let go of in yesterday’s devotional”, is great. I can see God chuckling at my feeble attempts.
Yesterday afternoon, after a time of frustration and reflection, I realized that I needed to “let go, and let God” be the manager. Ouch! I guess sometimes God speaks to us in the middle of us speaking to others.
God promises to be there lighting each step of our journey even when we have obstacles placed on our path. Later in this Psalm, David writes, Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. - Psalm 139:23-24
I will say that once I finished wrestling with God on this one, I went to sleep filled with peace. Amen! As I read yesterday’s prayer, I chuckle. Thanks for testing me, God!
Loving God, Thank You for loving us. You made us and you know us. We love to control things, but this control leads to anxiety. We want to live with peace, but we have trouble letting go. Help us as we struggle through our challenges. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God’s light can illumine even the darkest corners of my life.
Let Go, Let God! (take 2) Pastor Liz
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