What is the Desire of Your Heart?

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven . . .'” (Matthew 6:9)
Somewhere in my life, I got the message that God, being sovereign and all, was going to do what He was going to do without any commentary from me. He had a plan and it would be enacted. I had no say in the matter. He wanted no arguments or suggestions from me. From that, prayer became a dry, rote practice. And from that, prayer became a moot point. I mean, what could I say that would make any difference at all? And “unanswered” prayers reinforced that warped theology.
Then I looked more deeply into the idea of prayer and I realized the point of prayer isn’t changing God’s mind or gaining His approval for my desires. It is about changing my heart and aligning my desires with God’s desires so that He can answer my prayers affirmatively. In a sense, I am still subject to God’s sovereignty, but through prayer, it is not begrudging God’s plan but rather submitting Joyfully to it. And that changes everything about prayer for me.
Consider this – we all love Psalm 37:4: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” We claim that frequently for all sorts of desires. I took it to heart through seven years of infertility. If I delight in the Lord, He will give me a baby. And I wanted a baby so much that I forced myself to be “happy, happy, happy” in God. But that is not the point of this verse at all. Like me, we tend to misunderstand the first part of the verse in the rush to get to the second part.
But the heart of this verse is – well – your heart. It is not delighting yourself in the Lord to get what you want. It is delighting yourself in the Lord so that He is your heart’s desire. And He will give you what you want – Himself. God is not about giving you everything you want. He is about giving you everything He wants for you. His presence, His peace, His Joy, His righteousness, His glory, and His home.
If your heart longs for God, your prayers will reflect His heart which loves you beyond measure and has a “good, pleasing, and perfect will for you” (Rom 12:2). When God is the desire of your heart, Beloved, you will have your heart’s desire.

We Need One Another

Every person I know is struggling with something – family issues, health problems, financial difficulties, mental and emotional health, work and school. You probably found yours among that list.
Something else we all have in common is the need for encouragement. The Lord impressed on my heart at the end of last year that I need to focus on writing more messages of encouragement. I understand why. You need it and so do I. I was reading this morning in 1 Thessalonians and was caught by the sequence I saw in chapter 3.
Paul was in Athens but his heart was in Thessalonica and the church he had previously established there. Paul was concerned that the Thessalonians had abandoned their faith in Christ. He sent Timothy, his trusted friend and co-worker to both find out how they were and to “strengthen and encourage” them in their faith (v. 2). He did not want the church to become discouraged by persecution nor to be tempted by the enemy to give up.
When Timothy returned, he brought Paul “good news about your faith and love” (v. 6). They were “standing firm in the Lord” (v. 8). The Apostle was greatly encouraged! He thanked God for the Thessalonians and was strengthened in his own faith. Their lives were a testimony to God’s power and faithfulness. Paul was refreshed and able to endure the persecution and trials that surrounded him.
There is something wonderful about the family of God. We encourage one another. We hold each other up. We “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19).. We share stories of God’s goodness in our lives. That is why I am so transparent in these devotionals – maybe a little too transparent. I believe with all my heart if you see God carry me through difficulties, it will give you hope in your own. Likewise, when you share what God is doing in your life, it gives me encouragement to hold fast to Him and keep pressing on.
Someone you know needs a word of encouragement today. It may be a family member, a coworker, a friend -it may even be me. Or maybe it’s you. I hope these simple words lift you up and that “you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom 1:12). Let’s support one another, Beloved. The three of us – you, me, and the Lord will get through this together.

God of the New Year

We have been anxious to get this past year over with. Goodbye, 2023! Good riddance! But there’s something else that has caught my eye. I noticed all over the book of faces that we are asking God to bless 2024. Now this may be semantics, but that isn’t quite biblically correct. Do you remember what Jesus said in the prayer He taught to His disciples? “Give us today our daily bread” (Mat 6:11). Just what I need for this 24-hour period.
Please understand, I’m not chastising anybody. It is good to seek God’s favor and blessing anytime and if you have prayed those “bless this year” prayers you are seeking a good thing. But don’t forget about the daily prayers and the daily needs. Don’t forget to seek God for Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday and – well you get it. We need God daily – minute-to-minute even. We need Him for every breath we draw.
The past year has seen so many hard days for me. I prayed for God’s presence and power and provision and protection. And He always came through. In the worst of it, I prayed every morning as I drove to work, crying and pleading for God to intervene in some big, heavy things. When I got to work, I drew a deep breath, wiped my face, and said, “Lord, would you please help me pull myself together before I walk into my office? Would you hold me up for the next eight hours?” And He did. And I got through the day. The next morning the cycle would start all over again. But He was faithful to help me day by day, minute by minute, step by step. I’m still counting on Him that way.
I also witnessed God’s provision for literal “daily bread.” Every time the pantry was bare, I prayed for help and somebody had extra food to share. When my gas tank was dry, I would find money tucked into my purse in answer to my prayers. When a large sum of money was urgently needed, God provided to the penny. Some of you were His conduit of provision.
I tell you all this because I want you to know that He is not just willing and able to bless your year, He cares about you every single day. He cares about your hurting heart, your empty pantry, and your empty gas tank. He cares about your patience with your toddler. He cares about the decisions you need to make. Rest assured, Beloved, your Father cares about you. He is God over the next 366 days of your life.

Rest for Your Soul

Joy loves to snuggle up to me or Poppy at naptime when she is home. She always starts out facing away from us until she is ready to surrender to sleep. Then she will give a big sigh and turn over so that she is facing whomever she is with and immediately drifts off. I can feel the release in her body as she gives herself over to sweet sleep.
I always think of her when I read Matthew 11:28-30: Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
In the context of Jesus’ message, He was speaking to all those who had been burdened down by the Levitical law. The image was of a pair of oxen – the bigger, stronger ox bore the bulk of the load so that the younger, weaker animal did not become exhausted. The Levites took the original commands of God and added the 613 Levitical laws them to create an enormous burden for anyone who tried to live righteously. It was impossible to maintain. Jesus wanted them to know that He would not put any additional burdens on them; in fact, he would take their burdens on Himself and lighten their load.
As believers on this side of the cross, we don’t live under all those laws, but we live with struggles and difficulties and pressures and burdens. We live with wayward children and too much responsibility and too little support. We live with doubt and pain and broken relationships. We live with fearful diagnoses and fear of the world outside our door. We live with grief and loneliness and heartache. And we live with our guilt and shame. It all weighs us down and wears us out. Sometimes it’s all too much to bear.
Beloved, if you are tired – if the weight of the world, your family, anxieties, heartaches, or failures have made you weary, may I offer some advice? Take a deep breath and turn your face to Jesus. Give Him all your worries and fears and heartaches and sorrows. Roll the weight of it all onto Him and give yourself and your burdens over to Him. He will bear the load and carry you too. And you will find rest for your soul.

Advent 2023: When You’re Having a Blue Christmas

“And He will be called Wonderful Counselor . . .” (Isaiah 9:6)

It is well known that Christmas, the most joyful season of the year, is also the most prone to bring on bouts of depression. I get it. Boy, do I get it. When your family Christmas doesn’t measure up to the Norman Rockwell standard or the Hallmark ideal . . . When the truck repairs take all your Christmas money . . . When your company skips the Christmas bonus and gives you the boot instead . . . When crazy relatives show their worst side . . . When your heart gets broken . . . When you are just tired of the cultural “Happy Holidays!” . . . Well, I think you get the picture. Depression seems worse this time of year because you know you’re supposed to be full of joy, joy, joy but the reality is you’re having a “blue Christmas.”
My friend, you need a counselor – but not just any counselor – you need a Wonderful Counselor. You need a Counselor who knows you inside and out, who knows your past, your present, and your future. You need a Counselor who has perfect insight into your mind and heart and knows what will bring you peace and Joy. You need a Counselor who has invested His whole being – His very life – in you. You need a Counselor who loves you to death – literally. You need Jesus.
He is the Wonderful Counselor because He has perfect wisdom. His Word is full of righteousness with not even a hint of error. His counsel is perfect – He will never steer you in the wrong way. His ways and words are true as He leads you through the darkness and into his marvelous light. His counsel is without cost – in fact – He paid the full price for you with His own life.
And most importantly, He loves you. He lowered Himself and became a frail, helpless baby in the humblest circumstance to bring you into the family of God. He traded His throne for a cross and His crown for thorns so that you might sit with Him in glory.
Beloved, if your heart is not ringing with Joy this Christmas, may I suggest you get into counseling with Jesus? His office never closes and He is never too busy to meet with you. Your Wonderful Counselor is only a whispered prayer away.

Advent 2023: Waiting for Jesus

“Simeon’s Moment” Ron DiCianni

The old man shuffling through the temple courts was a common sight. You could tell exactly what time of day it was when Simeon came around. Same gait, same expression, the same sense of yearning. But today there was something different about him. He was excited, his eyes darted around and his feet moved as if every step was determined by a force outside of himself. Suddenly his weathered face lit up like a thousand candles as his arms extended towards a young couple. With Jesus cradled in his arms the old man began to speak in the sing-song voice of worship: “Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Just then an old woman came up to the little group, her eyes bright with wonder and fixed on the infant in Simeon’s arms. “This is Him! This is the One! Oh, praise the name of the Lord – He has sent the Redemption of Israel!” Simeon smiled at Anna and nodded his head in agreement with her proclamation. They had both held tightly to the assurance that God would one day comfort and redeem His people and he was glad to share this glorious moment with his friend.

For the two elderly people, the baby was the fulfillment of a promise they had long held to and yearned to see. Simeon, filled with the Holy Spirit, had been assured by God that he would see the Hope of mankind before he died. Anna, widowed early in her life, had dedicated her years to worship, fasting, and praying for the Messiah to come. It had been such a long time – not just their lifetime, but hundreds of years for the oppressed nation of Israel. In the temple courts that day, their faith was rewarded and they received the child with great Joy.

How do you hold on when the promise of God is a long time in coming? Just like Simeon and Anna did – with faith. They never wavered in their expectations. They never stopped believing that every promise God made was as sure as His name – El Emunah, The Faithful God. Beloved, His name still stands today. You can wait in faith because God is still always and forever faithful. Christmas is the blessed proof that He will never fail to do what He says He will do.

In the Morning

It’s one of my many favorite Psalms and the reason why I get up so early in the morning. David wrote “Let the morning bring me word of Your unfailing love . . .” (Ps 143:8). Early mornings while my house is quiet and my family is still asleep is my time to snuggle down in the sweet Word of God and hear my Father’s songs of love.

But that is not where David was when he wrote this Psalm. He was in a difficult place, pursued by his enemy and weary from the struggle. He said his enemy had crushed him to the ground and cast him into a dark place (v. 3). His spirit was faint. His heart was dismayed (v. 4). His soul was dry, “like a parched land” (v. 6). I know that feeling.

So David did the only thing he knew to do. He reminded himself of God’s goodness and power in the past and cried out to the Lord for mercy and relief (vv. 5-6).  He pleaded with God to notice his suffering and answer him quickly or he might not survive (v. 7). And this is where he longed to hear God’s declaration of love. I have had many days like that – hard days where I just need to know that He loves me. I expect you have as well.

But look at the second part of verse 8: “For I have put my trust in You.” David is not pleading for a word he doesn’t already know. He is declaring His confidence in the love of God to save him – because He had already done so many times before. He knew he could call on God to do it again. He knew God would direct and rescue him in his distress. He was hidden away in the Lord.

David didn’t base his pleas on his own merit but on the Lord’s name and righteousness and unfailing love. That is also why you and I can cry out for God’s help and rescue in our times of trouble. I have several dates jotted down in the margins of this Psalm. I remember what God has done for me in the past and it gives me hope and confidence for the season I’m in now.

Are you in a difficult place right now? Cry out to God for relief and help. Remember His faithfulness in the past and rest in the promise of His unfailing love. He is with you Beloved, morning, noon, and nighttime.

Take a Breath and Listen

When Jesus took three disciples with Him to the top of a high mountain, they witnessed the glory of the Son of God. “There [Jesus] was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light” (Matt 17:2). He was joined by Moses, who represented the Law, and Elijah, who represented the prophets. It was an awesome sight. Peter was so overcome with excitement that he started babbling – “Lord, it is good for us to be here, If you like, I will put up three shelters, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (v. 4). I have no doubt that James and John were nodding their heads in eager agreement. They had two of the ancient heroes of Israel and the very Son of God before them and Pete couldn’t hold his tongues long enough to pay attention. God had to shake them up – and shut them up.

“While he [Peter] was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased. Listen to Him!’” (v. 5). I can almost hear the implied, “Peter, hush. Be still and be quiet and listen to my Son.” I wonder how many times God has said the same thing to me.

When I am angry or afraid or overwhelmed or all atwitter over something I prattle on and on. I tell my friends or my husband all about it. I’ll tell the stranger in the post office line. I have even been known to mutter to myself. And yes, I tell God. Boy, do I tell God. “But wait,” you say, “aren’t we supposed to tell Him about our needs and concerns and cares.” Indeed we are, but if prayer is a conversation with God – and it is – at some point, we need to be still, be quiet, and listen to Him.

And when we do, we may hear God say “Do not fear; I will help you” as He takes us by the hand (Is 41:13). Or He might say, “This is the way, walk in it” (Is 30:21) while He points us to Jesus. Or He may take you in His arms so you can hear Him “rejoice over you with singing” (Zep 3:17).

What a privilege it is to “approach the throne of grace with confidence” and find mercy and grace in our time of need  (Heb 4:16). Take it to the Lord in prayer, Beloved, but don’t forget to take a breath and listen.

Jerusalem

God called a man named Abram to “Leave your country, your people, and your household and go to the land I will show you.” He promised to make Abram “a great nation . . . and a blessing to all the peoples on earth” (Gen 12: 1-3). Why Abram? Simply because he was God’s sovereign choice. Abram and his wife Sarai obeyed the Lord and set out for an unknown destination. God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah and promised them a child of their own. But after twenty-five years and no baby, she insisted that Abraham sleep with her servant Hagar who would bear a son for Sarah. This they did and they were pleased with the boy named Ishmael. Until.

Sarah miraculously conceived in their very old age – she 90 and he 100 and gave birth to Isaac, the promised child of the Lord. Abraham sent Hagar and Ismael away to protect Isaac’s inheritance. And this is the root of the unrest in the Middle East and the hatred for Israel. The nations that descended from Ishmael – the Arab and Muslim nations today – contend that as Abraham’s firstborn son, he – and thus they – are the rightful heirs to the land God gave his father, the territory of Palestine. But Isaac’s son, Jacob – renamed Israel – and his descendants are heirs to the land according to the Lord.

But the war on Israel goes even deeper than Isaac and Ishmael. It goes back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve sinned, God declared the destruction of satan through the “seed” of the woman: “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen 3:15). One of Eve’s sons – Seth – was the line through whom Abraham and the nation of Israel came. A Jewish baby – a descendant of Seth and Abraham and Isaac and Jacob/Israel was born. Jesus, who is also the Son of God is the seed of the woman from Genesis 3:15. Until his birth, satan used Israel’s enemies to try to obliterate the Jewish people and stop his destroyer from coming. (See Pharoah’s attempt to kill all the Jewish baby boys and the story of Esther.) But He came anyway. Satan thought he had won when Jesus died and was buried, but He came back to life. Prophecy declares that He will come back again and complete the destruction of satan which God proclaimed way back in the Garden. But the Jewish temple – which the Romans destroyed in 70 AD – must be rebuilt on its original site in Jerusalem before He returns (See Rev. 11). That site is the current location of the Islamic Dome of the Rock – the Muslim’s most holy temple.  

Satan is still trying to destroy the Jewish people – the nation of Israel – to prevent the rebuilding of the temple – and Christ’s return. That is why we must “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). It is about so much more than a strip of land in the Middle East. It is about the return of the Lord, the destruction of evil, and the ushering in of Christ’s eternal rule and reign. Don’t be afraid of what you see in the world, Beloved. God has not lost control. Not even for a second.

God is Mindful of You

When her cousin Elizabeth blessed the Baby in her womb, Mary broke out in praise. Luke 1:46-55 is called “The Magnificat for the first words of her song: “Magnificat anima mea Dominum” – “My soul glorifies the Lord.” Her reasons run from individual to worldwide – all declaring His faithfulness. One particular statement in her song always stands out to me.

She said, “He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant”. (v. 48) The NLT renders this “He took notice of His lowly servant girl.” But not because she was anything special.  While certain denominations exalt her to almost God-like status, Mary was just one more girl living in a poor Judean village – she had no wealth, no standing, no theological or religious education – but the Lord God of Heaven and Earth “took notice” of her. And she was amazed that God had given her such a divine blessing.

I wonder if you feel unnoticed, overlooked, or disregarded. Day after day you do the thing – care for your family, work a long day at your job, pour over the books as you study, sit with sick loved ones (or maybe not-so-loved ones), wipe noses and bottoms (your own littles or someone else’s), clean floors and dishes. Maybe you come home to a quiet empty apartment every day, or to kids looking to you alone to meet their wants and needs. You are probably wondering how to stretch a little money a long way and when you will ever get a break. Does anyone see you? Does anyone care?

Yes, beloved – God sees you and God cares. Mary praised the God who took notice of her – a lowly servant girl in a poor village. This was the same God who was named “El Roi” – the God who sees me – by a pregnant Egyptian slave girl on the run in the desert. Hagar named her son “Ishmael,” which means “God hears.” He is the very same God who sees and hears you – every tear, every sigh, every lonely, exhausted night, every whispered prayer for help and strength. You are not unnoticed dear one. The God who created you, who sent His Son to die for you, is mindful of you. He loves you. He has His eyes fixed on you. Beloved, you are precious in His sight.