Tagged: trusting God

Into your hand I entrust my life; you will rescue me, O LORD, the faithful God. Psalm 31:5   So then let those who suffer according to the will of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator as they do good. 1 Peter 4:19, NET Entrust your life; entrust your soul. The Psalmist is in great distress and needs rescue. He chooses to entrust his threatened life to the Lord, the faithful God. Many things can prove “life-threatening.” It depends on where one’s “life” is centered. Job loss can feel life-threatening. The unexpected diagnosis is a threat. The lives of prodigal children seem profoundly threatened to the mother and father who faithfully trained them to know and love God. No matter who we are… Read More

Now Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went to meet the young women of the land.  Genesis 34:1 Here is the first and last time we see Dinah happy and whole. Dinah means judgment. She was the daughter born after her shamed mother, Leah, gave birth to honor (the meaning of Zebulun, the sixth son Leah bore to Jacob). Dinah, now a young woman, left that morning set on finding friendship. Instead, she was intercepted and violated by someone with great power. The rest of the story is about the silence of her father, the patriarch Jacob, and the violent revenge of her brothers. Yet we have no explanation of why Dinah, the daughter of an unloved woman who spent her life seeking… Read More

  My God with his lovingkindness will meet me (ASV). The God who loves me will help me (NET). Psalm 59:10 My work requires extensive travel. Sometimes, I arrive at my destination expected, prepared for, and cared for, while other times, I am on my own. Being expected, prepared for, and cared for makes a big difference. Sometimes it’s critical to know someone is waiting for me. One time I flew from Egypt to Kenya so sick I almost passed out in the passport queue upon arrival. As the blackness closed in, I feverishly scanned the crowd for a kind face, trying to decide if it was better to introduce myself before I fainted or let them meet me by looking through my bag for… Read More

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.  Matthew 2:10-11   May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles      render him tribute,  may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! Psalm 72:10 A multitude of camels shall cover you,      the young camels of Mid′ian and Ephah;      all those from Sheba shall come.  They shall bring gold and frankincense,      and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.  Isaiah 60:6 We tend to value most that for which we pay the highest… Read More

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Psalm 37:6 The last thing I want to do is be still. I have so much to do, so many tasks mounting, so many urgencies clamoring. How can I possibly be still? Is that even responsible? In some circumstances, being still is life-saving. Reminds me of a true story, as usual.  The sun shone like joy as I made my way down Mt. Kenya after an epic climb with friends to the summit. I happily led the way, some distance ahead of my companions. The terrain on Mt. Kenya is surreal in parts, like something out of Perelandra by CS Lewis. We had just passed over spongey, mossy tufts, past… 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

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

This popular devotion originally appeared on audreyfrank.org in February 2021. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 It came in strange gift wrap, not at all what I expected. But the gift was right there inside. I turned it over in my hands, joyously held it to my heart, and wondered at the mad methods of my Lover. It is exactly what I asked for, really. The wishing began slowly, like a tingling thrill that rises up quietly from the deep spaces of our souls, growing in intensity as it climbs, until it bursts out all over us, covering us in hope. I wanted a life change. I asked Him to rearrange me on the… Read More

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.  1 Samuel 1:28. “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them. Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.  Luke 2:49-52 Gifts are best when given over to the Lord. Every good gift comes from God (see James… Read More

The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.  Psalm 33:11   If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.  James 4:15 God is either sovereign, or He is not. There is no middle ground. Suffering taught me that. I learned it on a dark night when I wasn’t sure of the morning. When I wasn’t sure what this wild God of mine would demand of me next. Would my son live or die? Would the child I prayed for with tears be taken back by the One who gave him? It is easy to believe in God’s sovereignty, His complete control over all that happens, when things are going well. But… Read More