Connection

Let the kindness of the Lord our God be over us. Make the work of our hands last. Make the work of our hands last! ~ Psalm 90:17 (CEB)

I, Jesus, am the vine; you, people of mine, are the branches. If you remain connected to me and I to you, then you'll have a fruitful life. It's all about being connected because without me, you can’t really do anything. That's the simple truth. ~ John 15:5 (ABP)

KEY IDEA:

You can't do anything of significance if you are not connected to God.

PRAYER:

God, thank you for sending Christ Jesus into the world to enable a permanent connection with you. You reach out to us and you don't let up. I, on the other hand, can be pretty flakey. I still try to live a live of significance on my own. Help me to focus more on nurturing your connection with me and less on trying to do something important with my life. I'm going to attend to my connection with you and let everything flow from that. Amen.

Trust God

The 19th Sunday after Pentecost

I was stressed out and squeezed when I called out to the Lord. He answered and dealt with the issue for me; so now I'm refreshed and in a relaxing open space. ~ Psalm 118:5 (ABP)

Because of our connection with Christ Jesus we have access to God. That means we can exercise our faith by confidently and boldly approaching God with whatever is on our minds. ~ Ephesians 3:12 (ABP)

KEY IDEA:

Trust God with your problems.

PRAYER:

Thank you, Jesus, for giving us total access to God. Forgive me for trying to fix everything on my own. That adds unnecessary stress to my life and shows that I lack faith. Reset my faith button so that I turn first to you. I'm not going to let the world put the squeeze on me any more. Amen.

Fear not

Don’t fear, but be strong. ~ Zechariah 8:13b (CEB)

Paul said to his fellow travelers: ... I belong to God, and I worship him. Last night he sent an angel to tell me, “Paul, don’t be afraid! You will stand trial before the Emperor. And because of you, God will save the lives of everyone on the ship.” ~ Acts 27:23-24 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

Don't be afraid. God has our backs.

PRAYER:

Lord, I'm always so taken by the amazing way that you protect your people in the biblical stories. I believe that you protect your people -- except when I don't believe. I get so caught up in the drama that I forget that you are there taking care of us. Help me to trust you in those intense moments where I let fear take over. You are trustworthy. Amen.

God responds

Let’s praise God! He listened when I prayed, and he is always kind. ~ Psalm 66:20 (CEV)

...your Father knows what you need before you ask. ~ Matthew 6:8 (CEV)

KEY IDEA:

God is very responsive to our needs.

PRAYER:

Kind and gracious God, you always know exactly what we need. Thank you for being so responsive. Forgive me for thinking that you are stingy and unresponsive when your response is different from what I expect. Help me to embrace your bigger picture responses. I'm going to trust that you know better than I what my real needs are. Amen.