Feb 4, 2026 – Constraint
We have fog again this morning, so thick at first that the leafless branches of the trees in the backyard just looked shadowy. I didn’t think to start taking progression photos at that stage, but the rest that I’ve shared do show how the fog gradually lifted revealing the view, a little bit at a time. As I’ve shown in photos in past blogs, the view from our back deck stretches across the valley below to the next mountain, but this morning my view was shortened and closed in. I felt cozy and protected being wrapped in the blanket of clouds/fog. I didn’t have to think about and be distracted by what was beyond what I could see.
It made me think about how God encourages us to trust Him and to enjoy our journey with Him one step at a time and not try to rush through and get to things before He is ready for us to experience them. I’ve done that at times throughout my life, and most of those times have left me with regrets. I’m so thankful to have learned more about trusting God to reveal what is ahead and which way to go when He’s ready for me to take next steps.
Utmost – 2 Corinthians 5:14 – “For the love of Christ constraineth us.” Chambers starts our discussion today with, “Paul says he is overruled, overmastered, held as in a vice by the love of Christ. Very few of us know what it means to be held in a grip by the love of God; [this morning’s fog gave me that feeling] we are held by the constraint of our experience only. The one thing that held Paul, until there was nothing else on his horizon, was the love of God.” That’s what I meant when I said there were no distractions in the fog. I couldn’t watch birds fly from tree to tree (wondering how they kept warm in the cold) or see the rooftops of houses and businesses below (wondering about the people all starting their day) nor could I watch the traffic on the major road further in the distance (thinking about what all I might need to go and do today). The fog allowed me to be content in the quiet that God had created for me. He offers that peaceful time with Him to all of us if we will just slow down and join Him. We can find/create times of “fog” all throughout our days. Chambers has so much more to share in the devotion, but he’s yielding the floor (unless you have your own copy of this book, or any of the others, and want to read more for yourself.)
JC – “Bring Me your weakness, and receive My Peace. Accept yourself and your circumstances…I am sovereign over everything. Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning [don’t push on into the fog unless God leads you there]…. The best way to get through this day is step by step with Me. [I have to say, when I read step-by-step, I felt such a rush in my heart that I wanted to cry realizing again how near He is and how much He cares about what concerns me.] Continue this intimate journey, trusting that the path you are following is headed for heaven.”
Streams – Isaiah 58:14 – “I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land.” Cowman writes that “One of the first rules of aerodynamics is that flying into the wind quickly increases altitude…. [This lesson was learned] by watching birds fly.” Cowman draws from “selected” sources as she explains about birds “flying for pleasure…with the wind [but if a bird] senses danger, it turns into the wind to gain altitude, and flies up toward the sun. The sufferings of life are God’s winds….” She reminds us about hot and humid summer days that are relieved by storms, “the atmosphere was cleansed, new life was in the air, and your world was changed. Human life works exactly on the same principle. When the storms of life appear, the atmosphere is changed, purified, filled with new life, and part of heaven is brought down to earth. Facing obstacles should make us sing….”
Prevail 4:9 – “’But watch out! Be careful never to forget what you yourself have seen. Do not let these memories escape from your mind as long as you live! And be sure to pass them on to your children and grandchildren.’” Larson asks, “Why do we forget some of our most important experiences with God? Because we so often do what the Israelites did: We zero in on our current lack, inconvenience, hardship, or discomfort. Yet we are made for more. We can endure setbacks, hardships, and even lack because the Lord Almighty is with us. He gives us strategies to navigate difficult seasons….”
Simpson – After Cowman shared one of A. B. Simpson’s entries in one of her devotions, I ordered his book, Days of Heaven Upon Earth (first published in 1897), and have decided to invite him to join our small group and contribute at times, such as today when he describes a battle near Edinburgh, in which the leader fell to the ground and his men were about to retreat but, “Then the old chieftan rallied strength enough to rise on his elbow and cry: ‘I am not dead, my children, I am only watching you – to see my clansmen do their duty.’ And so from the other side of Calvary He is speaking; we cannot see Him, but He says, ‘Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world’ [Matt xxvii. 20] and He puts it, ‘I am’ – an uninterrupted and continuous presence. Not ‘I will be,’ but the unbroken presence still is with us forevermore.”
Max reminds us, from Daniel 10:12, that, “The moment Daniel began praying, the answer was issued. Demonic forces blocked the pathway of the angel…. until the archangel Michael arrived on the scene with his superior authority (vv. 13-14)…. Have your prayers been met with a silent sky? [a fog, so to speak] …If so, I beg you, don’t give up…. You have been heard in heaven…. Do what Daniel did. Remain before the Lord.”
Power – Joyce shares Romans 3:19 and then asks, “Do you ever say, ‘I know I shouldn’t…, but…’? What we’re really saying is, ‘I know I’m making a wrong choice, but I hope I can get by with it.’” We can certainly see this when we question other peoples’ choices, but will we see that truth in some of our own choices? Joyce continues, “We live in a society where many people do not want to be accountable. A lot of people want to be able to make wrong choices and not have wrong results. But it doesn’t work that way. Accountable means ‘answerable.’ Sooner or later we will have to answer for our choices.”
JA – “IT IS GOOD TO PROCLAIM MY LOVE in the morning and My faithfulness at night…. When you declare the wonders of My loving Presence, you are strengthened and encouraged. [This is so very true. After reading these devotions, I text’d my real small group a bit ago saying how grateful I am that God brought us together so that we can pray for each other; and, rejoice when prayers are answered in ways that make sense to us and comfort each other when the answers are not what we expect or want. Ever since that text, I’ve felt a joy, and even an excitement, knowing that God is in control and blessing our efforts of reaching out to Him and sharing what He does in our lives so that others will be drawn to Him.] This glorious blessing flows into you more fully as you speak these words out loud. Let this delightful declaration fill you with Joy inexpressible and full of Glory! …. It is good to give voice to My great faithfulness, especially at night, so that you can lie down and sleep in peace.” See Psalm 92:1-2, 1 Peter 1:8, and Psalm 36:5-7.
Psalm 4:8 – “I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”
