Tagged: Audrey Frank

And Solomon assigned 70,000 men to bear burdens… 2 Chronicles 2:2 There are projects in God’s kingdom that cannot be completed without burden bearers. The stones hewn from the mountain would not carry themselves. They could not assemble themselves into towering walls forming Solomon’s glorious temple. They needed strong arms to carry them. To think burden-bearing may be one’s assignment! We talk much about laying burdens down. But some burdens are purposed for God's glory. When we carry the burdens He assigns, we become part of that purpose. Jesus understood this. Centuries after Solomon's temple was destroyed, Jesus would be God's assigned Burden Bearer. He carried our sin and shame on the cross so human hearts might become the new dwelling place of the living… Read More

for Sarah, and all whose bag is too heavy to carry. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  Matthew 26:28   Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders. Deuteronomy 33:12   There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fail; God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:4-5 Forgiveness is like a suitcase too heavy to carry. There once was a little girl who had to take a long journey. Her father saw… Read More

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding, which must be curbed with bit and bridle, or it will not stay near you. Psalm 32:9 I met a remarkable horse I called Lovey recently. She was clearly trained to draw near and stay near when called. She looked me in the eye as she stood still, right beside me, waiting for my instruction. Her gentleness was profoundly strong. I stood with my forehead leaning on Lovey’s broad cheek for a long time, soaking in her strength and stillness. Somehow she strengthened and comforted me. Lovey had obviously trusted her trainer enough… Read More

...after you have done everything…stand. Stand firm then… Ephesians 6:13-14 Standing is a kind of waiting, and waiting doesn’t feel very victorious in the middle of a fierce battle. It certainly doesn’t feel like a weapon.  Armor does. Belts and breastplates and shields do. Helmets and swords sure do. Recently I visited castles and towers famous for battle, filled with armor and weapons. The imagery is strong in my mind. But waiting? What kind of weapon is that? I don’t recall any sticky notes reading wait in the glass museum cases beside the old chain mail. Sounds kind of anti-battle. Actually, it sounds a bit like a death wish. When I face a battle, I want to do something. Battles are busy affairs, after all.… Read More

By your patience possess your souls. Luke 21:19   But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. James 1:4   Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7 Impatience is an indicator. It reflects my soul like a mirror reflects a face. What does my indicator show me today? I have been given my answer in prayer. I can’t see it yet, but I know it. Now I am waiting on God, but it sure looks with my eyes like I am waiting on people. I oscillate between irritation and calm composure. Holding on to His sure answer, I remind my soul that faith is the substance of what I hope for, the evidence… Read More

Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well!—Sing to it!— Numbers 21:17 We have spent two weeks in the place of springs, the valley of weeping and affliction that bears that beautiful invitation to spring-making and spring-naming. Today, we shall sing, for there is another secret to springs in the valley: they become wells. In Numbers 21 we find the Israelites on the way to the Red Sea, going around the land of Edom. Scripture tells us, And the people became impatient in the way (v. 4). Impatience is the spring they chose to drink from that day, and it made them more thirsty. Instead of refreshing them, the Spring of Impatience widened their gaping need, filling their souls to the brim with crippling… Read More

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose hearts are the highways of Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs. Psalm 84:5-6 In our last devotional together we examined the cost of spring-making. Psalm 84 prepares the pilgrim for two realities on the Way: the reality of weeping, and the reality of refreshing. [bctt tweet="Jesus paid the cost of spring-making, and because of that, we can walk the Valley of Baca with hope. With the strength Jesus gives, we can also practice the discipline of spring naming. #hope " username="audreycfrank"] Spring naming transforms the pilgrim pathway, making it a place of refreshment for us and a resource for those who come behind. The discipline… Read More

Paul said to the Roman officer and his soldiers, “Unless you all stay together onboard the ship, you have no chance of surviving.” Acts 27:31 (TPT) When the winds rise and the ship’s timbers groan, the natural human inclination is to panic. Our innate fight or flight instinct trips and the little amygdala deep in our brain urges, Protect yourself!!! The soldiers on board Paul’s battered ship to Rome were no different. As they sneakily untied the lifeboats and tried to slip away Paul warned them, “Unless you all stay together onboard the ship, you have no chance of surviving.” He had shared with them that morning the dream God sent in the night. While he slept, the angel of God came to him and… Read More

But we must run aground on some island to be saved. Acts 27:26 Sometimes in life we must run aground to be saved. If it were up to us, we’d avoid shipwreck. Who wants to be dashed against the hard rocks of life? But it’s not often up to us, especially if we live in community. In community, no one lives unto himself. The reality is, everything we do impacts others. We can choose to stick together, even in storms. The community of believers is a motley crew of decision makers, opinion bearers, and gifted individuals. We may not all agree on our course. The communal course may lead us to run aground. Some people choose isolation just to avoid such strife. But for those… Read More

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:8   Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9   For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock. Psalm 27:5   Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint; protect my life from the threat of the enemy.… Read More