Though many times we feel we are struggling through challenges alone, barely hanging onto hope of rescue. We must remember, God knows. He is there with us and will bring us through in the best way for us.

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.” Psalm 91:14-15

Dear Lord, thank you for always being with us and supporting us in our troubles. When things seem hopeless, remind us to call on you, and believe your promise to rescue us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How many times have we, golfers, reminded ourselves to keep our heads down during the swing, but still occasionally still make the mistake of looking up before completing the swing. Or, were you ever told, not to end a sentence with a preposition, or to count to 10 before speaking when you are angry.

There are many things in life that sound simple enough, but are very difficult to achieve in practice.

Paul gives us another rule in Philippians 4:6, that sounds easy, but is challenging to practice. he says, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

“Don’t worry,” is not as simple as it sounds, but it is worth practice. When we feel the concern becoming worry, remember to pray, and put the issue in God’s hands.

Dear Lord, you tell us in 1 Peter 5:7 to “cast our cares on you, because you care about us.” Help us keep practicing this skill of giving our worries to you in prayer and thanking you for addressing them. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

It is so difficult and confusing for us when we lose someone we love. Nothing can really remove the pain we feel at the time.

The book of Lamentations is believed to be written by Jeremiah after the Babylonians captured Jerusalem and took many of the Jews away into slavery. It is written about the sorrow associated with this, but even in the midst of the sorrow it says in Lamentation 3:22-23,

“The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” and in verses 31-32, it says “For no one is abandoned by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love.”

We feel the deep sadness and loss because we love, but even in our loss God will comfort us because he loves us.

Dear Lord, comfort us in our times of sadness and loss. Help us remember that you love us and will not abandon us in our sorrow. Thank you for your faithfulness and for providing us the care we need. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus tells the blind men, in Matthew 9:29, “Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”

Paul tells the Galatians in Galatians 3:5, “I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ”

The way I read this, by our faith and belief in God’s power miracles occur and our prayers are answered.

Are we firmly believing God can and will bring miracles in our lives?

Dear Lord, like the father tells Jesus in Mark 9:24 We do believe Lord, help our unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Writing to the Christians in Rome, Paul tells them how the many details in the Old Testament laws can be simplified.

In Romans 13:9,10 he writes, “The commandments say, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

This simplification ties right to the answer Jesus gave to the Pharisees when asked, what was the greatest commandment. Jesus told them loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind, but the second greatest is to love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:40 says, “The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Even today, remembering these two simple rules is the basis for how God wants us to live. If we evaluate our actions against these two rules, we can see if we are staying on the right course.

Dear Lord, “Love You and love our neighbor,” is really the essence of living the Christian life. Help us all to remember that. If we all did, our world would become a much better place. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.