Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We had church virtually yesterday even though we all gathered together, our pastor’s son was sick so his family stayed home as a precaution. Today I made cookies and a big pot of chicken stew.  I had trouble with my computer again yesterday and they think it is in the hardware. I ordered a new computer and when it comes I will be without a computer for a few days while they transfer things over to my new one… so no devotions on those days.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all like to think of ourselves as honest and truthful but are we that way with God? Do we pray and tell Him what we think He wants to hear or do we tell it like it is? Jesus was very open with His Father and expressed all kinds of emotions like grief, anguish, anger, compassion etc. Since He didn’t suppress what He was feeling inside, neither should we, for after all He knows even our thoughts. It is helpful to own our emotions, even negative ones, and welcome them as a guest for they tell us a lot about ourselves. They are like an alarm that goes off as the Lord is trying to tell us something. As we learn from them, we can then release them and say farewell, knowing the Lord is seeking to draw us closer to Him. Of course, we’d all love to live continually in deep connection with the Lord, experiencing joy and peace and sensing the warmth of His love.  But there may be times when we go through what is called desolation or a dark night when we feel isolated from God and others. Saint Teresa lived for 50 years in spiritual darkness, feeling cold and forgotten, but she walked by faith and didn’t let her feelings control. She let go her images of God and served Him with much love.  We may not go through a dark night but we sometimes go through times of confusion and wonder what is God up to. Certainly, Job must have wondered that when so many catastrophic things happened to him and his family…but He still trusted even though He didn’t understand at the time.  Or what if we were in Joseph’s place and trying to make sense of Mary’s pregnancy when he knew the child was not his; yet He obeyed the angel’s message and followed God’s leading. The more we grow in the Lord, the more we realize we don’t know. There is so much that remains a mystery and may not be explained to us, but one day we will know.  For now, our part is simply to keep moving forward with the Lord, even if it is baby steps, and all the while, trusting Him. May our prayer be as Paul’s in Eph. 1:17 (God’s Word), “I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better. Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that He calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit. “
Challenge for today: Be honest with the Lord and trust Him in things you don’t yet understand.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy