Dear Ones,
Hope you wake with a heart full of praise. I plan to do some baking for our time at the lake over the 4th and then go to our women’s Bible study this morning.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Would you describe yourself as a moody person, at times waking up and feeling downcast and wanting to just pull the covers over your head and staying put? Our emotions are fickle and not to control us, and at times they can deceive us. We aren’t necessarily better Christians on days we feel more up rather than down. I was reading what Eugene Peterson had to say on this as he quoted from Psalm 34 that I memorized long ago while going through a challenging time in my own life. David wrote the Psalm and described ups and downs and lots of contrasts but doesn’t say one is all good and one is all bad. At the time his life was in danger, and he was terrified and pretending to be insane, so the king just cast him out. In the midst of it all he writes, “I will thank the Lord at all times. My mouth will always praise him. My soul will boast about the Lord. Those who are oppressed will hear it and rejoice. Praise the Lord’s greatness with me. Let us highly honor His name together.”

David doesn’t say to just praise the Lord when we are feeling good about life but another translation says, “I bless God every chance I get. I live and breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy.” He isn’t telling us to be happy all the time but to bless the Lord at all times. He goes on to say God met him more than half way and took away his anxiety. David never hid his anxious feelings from God but cried out to God. Of course, God is always listening and hears, ready to rescue us. David encourages us to taste and see how good God is, even in our tightest situation, and tells us to run to Him.

God is faithful and even when we are feeling our lowest, we can still give thanks to the Lord and rehearse His promises to us. Our feelings will change and we won’t always feel down and in the mean time we know He is close to us if our hearts are humble and seek Him. Let us bless the Lord at all times, our low times as well as, our times on the mountaintops!

Challenge for today: Share freely and honestly with the Lord and bless Him whether feeling up or down.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy