May 10, 2026 – Choices
We are going to start with a prayer today from the book (above) that Barbara gave me for my birthday & Mother’s Day: Jesus Listens (JL): “Faithful God, My relationship with You transcends all my circumstances! So I desire to praise You and enjoy Your Presence even during my times of deepest struggle. But to find You at such times, I have to make the effort [choose] to exercise my faith…. I realize that I have to work on strengthening my trust-muscles – filling my mind and heart with Scripture, seeking Your Face continually…. You make me ready for anything and equal to anything by infusing me with inner strength! In Your trustworthy Name, Jesus, Amen”
Power – Deuteronomy 32:4 – “He is the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are law and justice. A God of faithfulness without breach or deviation, just and right is He.” Joyce offers these truths, “Life isn’t fair, but God is faithful…. We may not know why things happen the way they do, but we can know God. We can know His love, forgiveness, and mercy…. look at and be thankful for the good things you do have rather than dwelling on the injustices you’ve suffered. You might think, ‘I’ve heard that a thousand times! But are you doing it? Knowledge without action is useless.”
JC – “Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life. These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them. View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me.” Indeed, that happened even with a small thing this morning that wasn’t a small thing in the moment.
I couldn’t find my wallet – the one that I didn’t take on the trip that had all of the cards that I wouldn’t need on the trip. I looked everywhere and then I prayed and then I looked everywhere again all the while feeling a nudge to keep looking in the closet where I keep all of my travel things. It should have been in the purse that I didn’t take on the trip but it ended up being in one of the cosmetic cases that I didn’t take! Don always laughs at the phrase, “It was literally in the last place I looked” because who keeps looking once they’ve found something? He points out that, “Everything you find is in the last place you looked!”
The devotion reminds us, ‘When you start to feel stressed, [like I was feeling] let those feelings alert you to your need for Me. [He cares about the details in our lives, big and small.] ….Thank Me for the difficulties in your life, since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance.”
Prevail #130 – Psalm 1:1 NIV – “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers….” Larson explains, “Though we’re saved and empowered by grace, the choices we make impact the quality of our lives and relationships and influence whether or not we flourish in our circumstances and to what extent we fulfill our God-given purpose. Notice the progression in Psalm 1: Walk. Stand. Sit. If we look to anything besides Jesus to find our worth and satisfaction, our feet will take us there…. as Christ-followers, Jesus calls us to walk in His way…. to stand in faith…. and to be seated with Him….”
Streams – Psalm 27:13-14 NASB – “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord….Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage.” Cowman draws on her own experience with troubled times as she writes, “Oh, how great the temptation is to despair at times! …What have you done in the past when you felt weak physically…. you leaned completely on someone else and rested…. It is the same when you are tempted to despair under spiritual afflictions. Once you have come close to the point of despair, God’s message is not, ‘Be strong and courageous’ (Josh. 1:6), for He knows that your strength and courage have run away. Instead, He says sweetly, ‘Be still, and know that I am God’ (Ps. 46: 10).”
JA – “YOUR CHOICES MATTER, BELOVED.” They are a vital part of My transforming work in you. You make most of your choices alone – in the solitude of your heart and mind. But remember: I am Christ in you! Your realization that I’m aware of everything going on within you can protect you from careless, selfish living. Let your desire to please Me, the One who knows you so intimately, change the way you think and live…. Though your choices do indeed matter, remember that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.”
