Author: Beth Morrison

One-minute read.

Daniel, praying for Israel’s future, doesn’t receive an immediate answer, refusing to do anything until he knows God’s plan. However, the Lord responded quickly, but evil’s powers hindered God’s messenger from delivering the reply.

The Devil’s minions can try to obstruct the Lord’s angels, but they can’t stop them. We may have to wait longer for the answer, but God’s will does prevail. The Creator’s messengers have no problem defeating the enemy’s ploys, but it does require a battle. Nothing the Devil does can stop the Lord.

When I first read today’s passage, it baffled me. Learning about the delay in God’s response gave me new insight into answered prayers. Sometimes, we get a delayed response for various reasons, but the Lord does respond to every petition. Like Daniel, we must wait until we hear from our Savior before we make a move.

Whatever answer you await, know God will answer. In His time and way, the Lord responds to all our pleas. We may not like the reply, but it will come. Nothing defeats God’s will. Knowing the past, present, and future, the Creator’s story unfolds despite the enemy’s plans to thwart it. In time, like Daniel, we’ll understand the whole story.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for including us in Your story. Please help us wait well for Your responses to our prayers. Let us honor and serve You wholeheartedly as we participate in Your plan for our lives.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Mercy Me’s song, “I Can Only Imagine,”¹ comes to mind when I read today’s verse. As the lyrics unfold, the musician wonders what will happen when he enters heaven and sees Jesus for the first time. Based on John’s vision, we’ll fall to our knees in awe, experiencing the Lord’s presence in a way we can’t even begin to imagine.

First and Last, Christ’s eternal presence in our lives culminates when He calls us home. John experienced this vision while exiled on the island of Patmos, the only disciple to live to old age and die of natural causes. Like prophets before him, the apostle felt fear and trembling in the presence of the Almighty, needing Christ’s reassurance to soothe him.

One day, we will experience John’s vision for ourselves. The Eternal One will greet us when we enter heaven, and the glory of the Lord will unfold before us. Living for the hope of eternity gives us the strength to persevere and release our fear. God’s will comes to fruition; nothing man can do will stop it.

The Living One, Christ, never changes; He alone can do everything. Linking His divine qualities to the Lord’s earthly existence, Jesus’s life revolves around the Cross and Resurrection, atonement for our sins, and connection with Him forever.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for giving Your life for ours, allowing us entrance into Your kingdom, and the ability to fall at Your feet in worship. Please help us live in the light of eternity, fearing not but walking boldly with You.
IJNIP. Amen

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_lrrq_opng ↩︎

One-minute read.

According to Expositor’s Bible Commentary, this verse contrasts two types of fear:

• Tormenting Fear: conscious guilt (you know you did something wrong)
• Salutary Fear: reverential fear of God and His sovereignty.(1)

Moses doesn’t want people to worry that God came to punish them for their sins but to respect His all-knowing place in their lives and the love He has for them. A salutary fear of the Lord keeps us from sinning, motivating us to obey Him instead.

For example, my salutary fear of the Lord guides my decisions and actions. Instead of doing what I want, like venting my irritation at the slow cashier who seems utterly unaware of time, I bite my tongue, put a smile on my face, and remember the Lord loves her, and He expects me to do so as well. Respect for God makes me act differently and stops me from sinning.

Moses wants the Israelites to understand the difference. Instead of feeling guilty for their sin, He wants them to respect the Lord and sin less. We will never achieve perfection, but we can try to obey and serve God to the best of our ability, confessing our sins when we falter and trying again.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for helping us to sin less as we trust and obey You. Please bless our efforts, help us make better choices, and fulfill Your purpose for our lives.
IJNIP. Amen

(1) Expositor’s Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): Old Testament 2004.

One-minute read.

Jehovah Maooz: the Lord is our strength. Beginning the year studying Psalm 23, the devotional taught the seven distinct names of God found in the six verses of the infamous chapter. Verse four, “thy rod and thy staff comfort me”, represents the God of strength—our Shepherd, who protects and comforts us.

David knew the strength of the Lord intimately, having won countless victories with God as His Shepherd. Passing along his faith to Solomon, David wanted his son to know where to go for help. And he wants us to know it as well. Faith in the Lord allows us to face today’s troubles with strength and courage because He fights our battles. Jehovah Maooz gives us everything we need to overcome the world’s challenges as long as we keep our eyes on Him, relying entirely on the Shepherd to protect His sheep.

Cell phones keep us connected 24/7, but if they lose their juice, we can find ourselves isolated and alone. With the Lord as our Shepherd, we don’t need a mobile device to connect us to others; we live in His presence, never alone. We can walk confidently, knowing God never leaves, nor forsakes us.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for David’s words, which encouraged Solomon and continue to uplift us today. Please help us rely entirely on You, living in Your strength and boldly facing the day ahead, knowing You have our backs.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

God cares for us with His rod and staff. Shepherds carry a club to ward off wild animals, while their crook, a long walking stick with a j-like curve, keeps the sheep in control. When one wooly white animal goes astray, others quickly follow, but with the Lord as our Shepherd, He doesn’t allow us to get off course.

Knowing the Lord watches over us should give us peace. We will all walk through the shadow of death, but because of Jesus, we don’t stay there. Speaking at my mother’s funeral on a Friday morning, I will never forget talking about walking through the shadow of her death, a bleak day for me. But also a grace-filled day as I experienced the presence of the Shepherd and felt His guidance in a way like never before, and only because of the valley I walked through.

Thinking about future valleys can cause us to miss today’s victory. Before my mom passed, I would worry how I would ever survive her loss. But I shouldn’t have because the Lord led me through that shadow, gave me strength for the journey, and hope to persevere. Ten years later, I miss my mom, but she’s never left me, alive in my heart and memories, her words still encouraging me when I need them.

Allow the Shepherd to guide you, trusting His rod and staff to comfort you. Fear no evil because the Lord will protect you, no matter what comes your way.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for protecting us with Your rod and staff, comforting us, and allowing us to rest. Please help us cling to You, never straying, following closely.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

The Message translation of today’s scripture says, “Who would dare lay a hand on me?” (Psalm 118:6b). When I first read it, I felt the power in the words and thought of God’s sovereignty. Who would dare go against Him? Yet many do, blatantly denying His existence and toying with His commands.

When people disobey the Lord, they will suffer the consequences, as we all do when we sin. Lying to people doesn’t build healthy relationships, destroys trust, and creates hard-to-repair division. With Christ as our Savior, we receive salvation from our misdeeds, but people who blatantly deny God’s existence will experience His wrath, which makes me shudder when I think about it.

Faith in Jesus protects us valiantly from the enemy and ourselves. Anyone who dares lay a hand on us will have to deal with the Lord. God protects His children and gives them a haven to find rest. In Him, we have nothing to fear.

As you face today’s mountains, remember who has your back. With the Lord by your side, you have nothing to fear and everything to gain. Allow the Savior to order your steps and lead you to still waters, knowing He walks with you, never letting you go.

Prayer:

Lord,
Thank You for protecting us and keeping us from harm. Please help us live freely in the shadow of Your wings, not letting fear take hold in our lives.
IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Stronghold has two interpretations, one positive and one negative.  The word means “fortified place.”[1]  In today’s verse, the psalmist calls the Lord the stronghold of his life.  In this sense, God provides a place of refuge and protection that no one can break, a very positive use of the word, and one we want and need.

At other times, a stronghold means a person has a bondage to sin that they often can’t see and don’t realize its negative impact upon them.  In other words, sin has become a fortified place where they take refuge instead of the Lord.  My anger had a stronghold on me for years until I did the hard work to overcome it and lay it at the foot of the cross, taking refuge in the Lord instead of anger.

The more we take refuge in the Lord, the less we will find ourselves in bondage to sin.  As God leads us through life, He will reveal the areas where sin has a stronghold and help us overcome it, just as the Savior did with my anger, making me aware of a significant blind spot in my life.

When we take refuge in the Lord and live in His stronghold, we needn’t fear anything. He protects us from the enemy’s attacks and saves us from our sins.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for providing a stronghold for us to take refuge.  Please help us see our blind spots and overcome them with Your help.  Let us honor and serve You in everything we do.

IJNIP. Amen

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[1] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stronghold

One-minute read.

Security in God defeats people’s best-laid plans. The movie 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭𝘴 reflects the truth of how women act, even adult ones.  Lord knows, I’ve had my share of manipulative individuals in my life, trying to control me with their ploys.  But God always saves me from their antics.

Keeping focused on the Savior, making Him a priority in Your life, and striving to live for Jesus helps you avoid the carefully laid plans of people.  You may not understand at the time, but hindsight always gives us a 20/20 vision that lets us see how the Lord protected us.

The last “mean girl” experience I had cut me to the core.  I left the situation crying and very hurt.  Turning to God for comfort, I heard a whisper:

“Hurting people hurt others.”

And I realized that the treatment I received came from the pain my friends felt.  My heart began to soften, and healing began.  Giving my pain to the Lord helped me start the path of healing and gave me a different perspective, enabling me to pray for my friends and move forward, not getting caught in the snare and not repaying hurt for hurt.

Take refuge in the Lord, let Him protect you from the ploys of people, and help you heal from their fiery darts.  In God, you can trust.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us a refuge to run to when people hurt us.  Please protect us from the schemes of others and guide us on the path of righteousness with You.

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Fear paralyzes. While walking nine holes of golf with Ron, the wind blew his pushcart down a hill into the water. I couldn’t move, frozen as I watched the cart roll away. Meanwhile, Ron chased it down, unfortunately not able to stop it. Fear does the same thing: we get stuck and can’t move, affecting our ability to work for the Lord and walk in His ways.

If we focus on our fears, we can’t see the Savior.  Working through a hurtful situation, I texted a friend for support.  She pointed out two things I needed to focus on instead of the hurt I felt.

“Thank you for helping me see that; the hurt’s blinding me right now.”

“I know it is, but don’t let it.”

That texting conversation helped me take my eyes off the pain and place them back on Jesus.  We need others to help us stay focused.  And we need reminded, that God’s in control, He has a plan, and it will come to fruition in His time.  We have nothing to fear because the Lord fights for us.  Don’t let fear blind you to the truth.  You have the divine power to deal with whatever comes your way.

Be strong!  Fear not!

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us the strength to face our fears.  Please help us stay focused on You and not let our anxieties blind us.  Let us be strong!

IJNIP. Amen

One-minute read.

Jesus, on the way to Jairus’s home to attend to the ruler’s sick daughter, gets waylaid by a woman who touched His cloak, receiving immediate healing for her chronic bleeding.  Stopping to talk to her, a messenger arrives with the news that the girl died and the Savior no longer needed to come.

Christ ignores the messenger, telling Jairus not to fear but to believe. These words of assurance give the ruler peace, and he allows Jesus to continue to his home. Once at the house, Jesus sends the crowd outside, taking only the parents and His three most intimate disciples into the girl’s room to witness the miracle of her resurrection.

Jesus told the witnesses to tell no one and to get the girl something to eat—divinity and humanity together in His orders.  The mourners wouldn’t understand the miracle, and she still needed to eat. Not everyone believes in the power of the Savior; we can only share the light, people choose what to do with it. Overcoming fear requires divine intervention.  Believing in Jesus gives us access to His transformational power and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Whatever fear you face today, choose to believe in the Lord.  Trust that He will get you over the mountain, lighting Your path one step at a time.  Glorify the Savior by believing in Him.

Prayer:

Lord,

Thank You for giving us faith.  Please strengthen our belief each day, drawing us closer to You.  Let Your divine power intercede, giving us victory over our fears.

IJNIP. Amen