“Beloved” is a word we can read in Scripture without slowing down to receive what it means: you are deeply treasured by the heart of your Father. Responsibilities keep calling. Someone needs you. Your mind moves to the next thing that needs to be done, and receiving the Father’s affection gets lost in the noise….
There is plenty in daily life that pulls us toward self-sufficiency, defensiveness, and the need to have the last word. Then we hear Jesus say, “Blessed are the meek. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the peacemakers.” His words invite us into a different way of living. In the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us the heart…
There are seasons when darkness feels louder than light. Circumstances can cloud our perspective, old wounds can shape what we expect, and uncertainty can make it difficult to recognize the nearness of God. But darkness has never had the final word. From the very beginning, God spoke light into darkness. And He is still the…
When something is weighing heavily on us, our prayers can quickly narrow to one request: Lord, please fix this. There is nothing wrong with asking God for change, healing, provision, breakthrough, or relief. He invites us to bring our desires to Him honestly. But sometimes a difficult situation becomes an invitation to pray something deeper:…
“Beloved” is a word we may understand with our minds long before it settles deeply into our hearts. We know God loves us, but old wounds, rejection, disappointment, and the expectations of others can quietly shape the way we see ourselves. Jesus gives us a breathtaking truth in John 17: the Father loves us with…
When our hearts are heavy and the answers have not yet come, praise may not be our first response. We can become so focused on what we need God to do that we forget to rest in who He is. Praise turns our attention toward Him. Before the circumstances change, we can remember His character,…
“God loves you” may be so familiar that we move past those words quickly. Yet they speak to some of our deepest questions: Am I wanted? Is there a place for me? Can someone know the whole of me and still choose to stay? Our experiences with people can make those questions difficult to quiet….
Pleading the promises is a powerful way to pray, not because we have to convince God to keep His word, but because His promises anchor us in who He is. God is a covenant-keeping God. He is faithful to His Word and faithful to His children. I am an imperfect earthly parent, yet as far…
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you” (Ps. 32:8). Your life is like a treasure map, and you are on a journey of discovery. As you follow after God you will see that it is not a specific destination…
There is a particular kind of surrender that comes with being a parent. From the beginning, so much of loving our children involves watching over them. We hold their hands across parking lots, check on them while they sleep, wait for the text that says they arrived safely, and instinctively look for anything that might…
For many of us, the summer heat has settled in with a vengeance, and we are constantly being reminded to drink more water. Take a bottle with you. Refill your glass. Don’t wait until you feel thirsty. Stay hydrated. We know how quickly the heat can pull moisture from our bodies, sometimes before we even…
In our culture, the word rest can sound like such a small thing. We talk about taking a rest when we mean pausing for a few minutes, catching our breath, or stepping away just long enough to regain a little strength before beginning again. It is rarely enough time for complete renewal. So when God…
