Jan 26, 2026 – Move Forward
As I settled in to write this morning, trying to put distractions aside, I was distracted by some sounds outside that I couldn’t discern at first – an animal in trouble in the freezing cold or —– oh, it’s children’s voices, but it’s a school day. I looked out back and saw our neighbor’s children playing. They were off in the distance beyond the deck in the photo, but the happy voices didn’t last very long I guess because of the freezing cold. It’s more fun to play outside (or anywhere) on a day you should be in school! You can see the tiny bit of snow pilled up by the cover that blew off the chair and ottoman (not in the photo) which must’ve kept the schools closed today – we live in the south ya know.
It made me realize that Don and I didn’t have to check the news this morning for school closings like we did for so many years. I guess they get texts now or some other updated means of communication; but still, it was a little difficult to believe that those days are over and actually have been over for many years now. In the early years of raising children, it seemed that they would be with me for a long time. When those who were a season or two ahead of me would tell me to cherish the time because it goes fast, it just didn’t seem possible; but, now I’m the one saying it to the parents in the seasons behind me. And, people said that to me about enjoying my parents…and now they are both gone from their time with us here on earth.
I received a photo via text this morning of the father and the bride at the beginning of their walk down the aisle at the wedding – a snapshot in time of a moment that was long-awaited and seemed to go slowly at the time, but now is a memory. We have to be mindful of the moments in our lives….
Prevail #26 – The point Larson makes today about the spies/men (in Numbers 13) losing “heart once they glimpsed the challenges on the road ahead,” sort of parallels the parenting journey. She pointed out that “God called the spies to scope out the land so they would better understand the journey before them [parenting books and wisdom from those who’ve been there etc)…. Perhaps this is why God in His wisdom reveals only so much to us even though we constantly beg Him for more information!” We need to be like Joshua and Caleb who “saw what God wanted them to see. They saw possibility, potential, and the reality of God’s promise coming to pass in their lives.” We need to look past the seemingly unending diapers and whining (or whatever we are facing at any point in our lives) and realize God knows where we are and where we are going and how to get us through. Larson encourages us, “Think of your words and perspective not only as critical food for your own soul, but as fuel for others’ faith (or doubt)…. Dare to look above your obstacles and declare you faith in God today.”
JA – “RELAX MY CHILD. I’m in control. Let these words wash over you repeatedly, like soothing waves on a beautiful beach, assuring you of My endless Love. You waste a lot of time and energy trying to figure out things before their time has come. Meanwhile, I am working to prepare the way before you…. Someone who is loved by a generous, powerful person can expect to receive an abundance of blessings.” Those words have special meaning today because I received word this morning that my father’s trust has been figured out and will be distributed soon. God blessed me with loving, caring parents who taught me to trust Him as the Loving Father who is ready to bestow blessings on all of us.
Max – 1 Thessalonians 5:24 – “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Max reminds us that “God’s promises are irrevocable because of who God is…. God will keep his promises to you!”
Streams – Cowman’s thoughts today come, in part I think, from J. R. Miller and also fit in with raising children and the time we invest, not rushing it nor lamenting the waiting and delays, “The Bible has a great deal to say about waiting for God, and the teaching cannot be too strongly emphasized. We so easily become impatient with God’s delays.” For many of us, we go quickly (and sadly) from I wish my child would say Mommy to I wish my child would stop calling my name!
The devotion continues, “Yet much of our trouble in life is the result of our restless, and sometimes, reckless, haste. We cannot wait for the fruit to ripen, but insist on picking it while it is still green….. We are encouraged to walk with God, but often God walks very slowly. Yet there is also another side to this teaching: God often waits for us…. There are times when it takes strength simply to sit still, but there are also times when we are to move forward with a confident step. Many of God’s promises are conditional, requiring some initial action on our part. Once we begin to obey, He will begin to bless us.”
Several examples are given of people in the Bible who faced challenges and had to step forward in order to receive God’s blessings, but I think back to what we’ve been hearing in some of the devotions lately about the ten of the twelve spies/men who were not up to the challenge and did not step forward in faith. The blessings were not bestowed on them. Many years later, the two and the later generations did move forward trusting God and they received the blessings as they faced the challenges. Miller concludes, “We are destined to fight certain battles, and we think we can never be victorious and conquer our enemies. Yet as we enter the conflict, One comes who fights by our side. Through Him we are ‘more than conquerors’ (Rom. 8:37)…. God is waiting to pour out His richest blessings on you. ‘Go forward’ with bold confidence and take what is yours.”
Power is perfectly titled for today, “Speak It, Believe It, Receive It” and is based on Psalm 27:14 – “Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” Joyce, as she many times does, points out how powerful words can be, “Negative words make us feel negative about ourselves and then we behave in a way that causes others to feel the same way we do. Thankfully, we can speak positive, life-filled words and see a positive result…. If we say a thing often enough, silently in our hearts or verbally, we will believe it. The Bible teaches us that we receive what we believe…. Believing and receiving cannot be separated.”
Utmost – Matthew 6:30 – “If God so clothe the grass of the field, … shall He not much more clothe you?” Chambers causes us to think when he writes, “A simple statement of Jesus is always a puzzle to us if we are not simple…. By receiving His Spirit, recognizing and relying on Him, obeying Him as He brings the word of God, and life will become amazingly simple…. If we are not experiencing the ‘much more,’ it is because we are not obeying the life God has given us, we are taken up with confusing considerations. How much time have we taken up worrying God with questions when we should have been absolutely free to concentrate on His work?… Am I continually separating myself to consider God every day of my life?”
JC – “Give up the illusion that you deserve a problem-free life…. As I told My disciples, in the world you will have trouble…. Instead of seeking perfection in this fallen world, pour your energy into seeking Me: the Perfect One…. In fact, My Light shines most brightly through believers who trust Me in the dark…. I am much less interested in right circumstances than in right responses to whatever comes your way.” See John 16:33 and Psalm 112:4, 7.
