Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

Category: Whispers (Page 10 of 161)

June 19, 2025

June 19, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake to a wonderful day! Al has men’s group this morning and I hope to do some baking. Later we have Bible Study. My question today for you is: “What ways does God seem to use for you to draw closer to Him? Do you sense He wants you to make some changes in your life and are you willing?”
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we desire more intimacy with the Lord and welcome all the various ways He comes to us? Are we becoming more prayerful and responsive to Him so we can grow in our faith and love for Him and others? If we are wasting more and more time scrolling on the internet and less time with Him, we may need to make some adjustments.

God uses many means to draw us close and some may be surprising. We can be in a group of people and withdraw mentally from what is happening around us and experience communion with the Lord. Some followers have heard the Lord in an audible voice and some in more of an interior voice speaking a message. If it makes us prideful, then we are missing the purpose of His words.  Sometimes the Lord speaks to us in our dreams and when we awaken, we need to pay attention to the details and ask Him how we are to interpret it. Do we need to make changes? What is your message to me?  There are times I have had the same dream again and I doubly pay attention. What are you saying, Lord? Some people have visions, but must remember to focus on the Giver and not the gift itself. The enemy can produce visions as well, but they leave one proud and spiritually dry. God’s divine touch leaves us feeling humble, enriched and drawn to Him.

Often God speaks through our circumstances, and right now that is true for our son Kurt. He snapped his bicep and needs surgery, and his first comment to us was, “What is God going to teach me through this?” Not why did this have to happen to me?

We can’t put God in a box as He acts in so many ordinary, different and unique ways. As it says in Col. 2:3, in Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Whenever we have an experience that helps us become aware of His presence, it should draw us closer, make us more patient with others, and more humble, not prideful.

Challenge for today: Welcome the various ways God chooses to make Himself known to you and draw close to Him.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 18, 2025

June 18, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you have a great day! I plan to go to Exercise class, crafts and Bible study today. We had a good Women’s study last night with great attendance.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I often find treasures down by our elevator as there is a free table for any of us to take from or to put things on.  The Lord often surprises me with supplying something I need and have been looking for. Recently I took a book from the table by international speaker and writer, Matthew Kelly called Holy Moments. You probably have read his books or have heard him speak. I can’t believe I have not heard of Kelly before and since his book wasn’t thick, I started reading it and consumed the whole thing. Not only that, I ordered six more books to give away as his message is simple but powerful and if practiced can be life-changing for many. I will share a little from my notes.

He asks us if our life has purpose and meaning. Are we living it to the fullest? Too often we spend time on trivial things and activities that fill time, but lack purpose.  We were made for the Lord and He wants us to discover who we are and what we are made for, otherwise, we live shallow, hopeless lives. He writes, “A holy moment is a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.” We all are probably aware that we have moments that are unholy in the choices we make, but what if we begin to recognize opportunities for holy moments in our day and choose to do what we feel God is calling us to do? It can be just a simple gesture or a kind word, but we set aside our own preferences and look through God’s eyes to do whatever He calls us to do.

I am quite sure we will find our hearts changed as well as those whom we serve. Joy erupts in our souls and has a ripple effect on others. A single moment can be a grace-filled moment, a prayer-guided action to which even our bodies respond by releasing serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin, giving us joy. I want to challenge us all to open our hearts to the Lord, be available when He puts opportunities before us, and respond. Holy moments are holy choices we make.

Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you live with purpose and recognize holy moments He has waiting for your response.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
May you have a peaceful day! We plan to have friends over for coffee and fellowship and later I am going to our Women’s Bible Study. Kurt and Brenda will be coming here this weekend as planned and Kurt’s surgery will be scheduled a week from Friday.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Haven’t we all had concern for family members and loved ones that seem to be veering off the path and no longer walking with the Lord? It is so hard to watch, knowing that they will one day be regretful and bear consequences from going the way of the world. We may get filled with anxiety and frustration, pleading with the Lord to get them back on His path. But of course, we are not God and each person has to make the choice for themselves. So how do we navigate and live in His peace even as we stand by, watching and praying?

I read an article in Just Between Us magazine by Dr. Leslie Umstattd who is a pastor, a wife, and mother of two daughters. She gives some helpful hints to remind us of how we are to view the situation when our children stray. First of all, we are to remember that we are not the Holy Spirit. In other words, the Holy Spirit is the one to convict them, show them their sin and speak truth to them about their actions, and not us. We are not to hammer away, trying to point out their sin, but it is the Holy Spirit’s job. Our natural tendency also is to want to protect them from getting hurt and suffering the consequences. But what if God wants to use that to bring them back to Himself? When our kids were teens I use to pray, “Whatever it takes for them to know and love you.” Sometimes that will mean watching them suffer presently, but looking toward the day when they will come back to Him.

We can’t make our children believe or live a life of obedience to God, for each of them has to make their own choice. But we must remember that God always hears our prayers, even when we cannot see any change. He is always listening to us, working in ways we may not know. We are to hang on in faith and trust that He is at work without the outward evidence. God sees our grief and hears the cries of our hearts; we can give Him our burden. He says in Matt. 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” He gives us hope and we can lay our burden at His feet, trusting Him with our child. Leslie gives us comforting words of encouragement given to her, “As long as there is breath, the gospel has space to regenerate and transform the heart.” We must never give up and always pray.
Challenge for today: Pray in faith and hope for those members of your family that have strayed from the Lord.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 16, 2025

June 16, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend, especially you fathers. Al enjoyed his Father’s Day with family, going to church, having a picnic overlooking the lake, cards, candy, flowers and gifts. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well would we say we know ourselves and where we come from? It is important not only to know our present family, but also our family of origin. Some people think that is a waste of time and block out their past, but how then can we integrate our past into our present life if we do that? In every family there are weaknesses and conflicts, but even when we distance ourselves from our family, we are more likely to repeat the weaknesses. Like the words above the Dachau concentration camp say: “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
I grew up with a fun-loving grandma who, when she babysat us, would tell us stories of other relatives, especially our mischievous second cousins who were often in trouble. We couldn’t imagine how they got by, doing the things they did and one did end up in the penitentiary. We also had relatives that became pastors, doctors and nurses, etc., and we accepted the good along with the bad, as they were family. It is not good to block out our past, for when we marry, we combine the past of two families that will make up our future children’s lives as well. It is healthy to look at our family of origin, accept people as they were and deal with the consequences of their behavior affecting us now.
Some families are rigid and enmeshed, with members having a hard time to find their individual identity. Other families may be disengaged, distant and have little time for one another. Then there is the engaged family, with interaction among the members, a sense of security and self-worth. They come to know love and forgiveness and feel valued. We don’t need to condemn our family members, but appreciate our heritage. We can then come to understand and accept who they are, receiving them as a gift from God. Through examining the successes or failures of our family of origin, we can learn to grow beyond them into more Christ-likeness.
Challenge for today: Ask questions of your family of origin and see if there are questionable behaviors you have fallen into that you need help from the Lord to overcome.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

June 14, 2025

June 14, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend and also Happy early Father’s Day to all of you Father’s reading this. Tomorrow we plan to go to church in Hackensack and to the lake for a picnic with Mark and Ann’s families. Kurt has an appointment with the surgeon on Monday morning and praying he will be able to have surgery on his arm soon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I woke up one morning with the words to a familiar hymn playing in my mind that you may know: “O Lord most holy, O Lord most mighty, O Loving Father, we praise forever more. Help us to know Thee, know Thee and love Thee; Father, Father, grant us Thy truth and love. Father, Father, guide and protect us. Rule Thou our willful hearts; keep Thine our wandering thoughts; in all our sorrows let us find our rest in Thee: And in temptation’s hour save through Thy mighty power. Thine aid, O Lord send us. Hear us in mercy, O Lord we pray. Show us Thy mercy, so shall we live and sing praise to Thee.”
As I got my coffee and began my devotions, I read from Jeremiah 8. Jermiah was a prophet sent by God to call the people back to God. He had to speak to God’s people who had turned from Him and were going in the wrong direction, refusing to change. They were lying, deceitful, committing adultery and idolatry, yet they thought they were wise and would suffer no consequences for their sins. Jeremiah was sent to warn them how wrong they were. Even the priests and scribes were giving the people false assurances that all was well when, in fact, they were heading the wrong way and correction was coming.
Are we also ones that minimize our sins and find ourselves going farther away from the Lord, failing to hear His voice? Or are we like the words of the song wanting to know the Lord, to praise and love Him? What about our friends and family? Do we see them going the wrong direction and it grieves us as it did Jeremiah? He was heartsick, and as he grieved for the people he said that the harvest was past, the summer had ended, and the people weren’t saved. He wanted to awaken them and although he was angered by their sin, he was full of compassion. Let us be prayerful and compassionate for those who are yet far off from the Lord, thinking like the people in Jeremiah’s time that there are no consequences. Time may run out; may they know the Lord before it is too late.
Challenge for today: Read through the words of the song again make it your prayer.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and Love, Judy

June 13, 2025

June 13, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend! Hope you have time for R & R. Yesterday our son Kurt snapped his bicep while unloading his new Father’s Day 300-pound grill and will now need surgery. Please pray that he can get surgery soon. He usually works out every day and recovery time is 6 weeks which will seem forever for him. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we want to be shallow Christians or do we want to live deeply in the Lord? I read today from Eph. 1:3-4 that God has chosen us and wants us to be holy. Paul writes, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” When he says we should be holy it doesn’t mean we will do everything right, but it does mean a surrendering of our wills to Him and having our hearts transformed into a heart of love so we can live deeply in Him. We will find that as we do this and walk in obedience, we are given love and compassion for others as well.
Today it has become almost impossible to live on the fence: we have to choose either the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness as there is a vast difference between the two. Many are trying to find meaning in life as they have a spiritual hunger but don’t know where to find the answers to satisfy that hunger.  Only Jesus will satisfy our heart’s longing and He wants a close relationship with us. Jesus promises us in John 14:21, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
We can’t earn a deep and transforming relationship with Him, for it is a gift of grace, but we can focus on things that will help us draw near. In fact, we are promised in Deut. 4:29 that when we seek the Lord we will find Him if we search with all our heart and soul. He calls us to a holy life, a deep life, a transforming life, and we exist for Him. We can seek Him in faith and in our prayers, following up with actions. Let us not hold back from seeking Him, and little by little we will be transformed into his likeness.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to work in you to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 12, 2025

June 12, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you have a prayer-filled day. Al and I had a wonderful day yesterday as we celebrated our 60th Anniversary. I am going to bake this morning and we have Bible Study this afternoon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Perhaps we all have had times when we ask the Lord if He is listening to us, if He hears us and understands our dire situation. Of course it is wonderful if He answers right away, but that is not always the case for our answer can sometimes come at the very last minute. We know from His Word that He always hears us, His ear is open to our cry and He answers according to His perfect will.
Recently I was reading David’s prayer written when he is on the run from King Saul who is out to kill him. He says in Psalm 54:1-2, “O God, Save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.” He ends his prayer with thanking God for delivering him from previous trouble and knowing he will triumph again over his enemies.
Prayer is powerful and the best way to start our day. It is good to pray before we even get out of bed and invite the Lord into our day. Maybe we have an urgent request for the day and it is good to pray about it; then each time it comes to mind, just thank the Lord that He is at work and answering it, even though you don’t know the exact answer at that moment. Like David, it is also good to remember how He has answered previous prayers of ours and give thanks as it inspires more faith and confidence in the Lord. There are times when I am going about my work, and a memory comes to mind of a specific answer the Lord gave me, and I like to just praise Him again.
What a privilege prayer is! We can pray anywhere at any time and be heard, even when it is inaudible to others. One day I was praying about an upcoming situation and wondered why I wasn’t hearing back from the Lord. Little did I know then that there would be a cancelation and the concern would no longer be there. He answered even though I was unaware at the time. He always hears and answers.
Challenge for today: Start your day with prayer and pray throughout your day.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 11, 2025

June 11, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you have a faith-filled day. Today is a special day for Al and I as we celebrate our wedding anniversary and thank the Lord for the 60 years He has given us together. We plan to go out to eat but our real celebration is next weekend with all our immediate family together.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We may not think our words matter, but they are important. We are to live and walk in faith, so our words should not carry doubts or unbelief. As John said in I John 5:4, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Faith isn’t a feeling, but the most important thing is that we express our faith through love. (Gal. 5:6) The enemy wants to deceive us and get us to put our faith in anything but God and His hope-filled and love-filled words that bring encouragement to us and to others.
It is powerful when we speak our faith aloud and confess with our mouths what scripture says. What would happen if all of us who know the Lord spoke faith-filled words rather than idle words that we will one day have to give an account for? It is better to be quiet than to speak biting and gossiping words, or any words that don’t line up with scripture. Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”  (I John 6:63)
When I was a young girl, my mom had teenage girls over for missionary sewing, rolling bandages, etc., working on the ping pong table in our basement. Once, I put a recorder under the table and then later played it back and we all got a taste of what we sounded like and talked about. It was very revealing and would have been even more revealing if my mom had not been at the table with us.
There are so many scriptures about our tongues; we need to guard our mouths and not speak fearful words. We can fight fear with God’s word and cast all our cares on the Lord. I try to memorize scriptures on fear so that when I am in a difficult situation,  those words will be in my heart and I can boldly speak them out.  It’s not just what we say, but how we say it and when we say it. Our words should be life-giving and give others hope.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to guide your tongue that you would speak words of faith and love in the power of the Spirit.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 9, 2025

June 9, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend. Yesterday the youth had a fund raiser and meal following the service, including the dunk tank where Pastor and others got very wet! We also had a wonderful surprise as Ethan and Taylor (who many of you have prayed for in the past) came for a visit. She is now 7 months pregnant!!
Today I am going to Aldi’s and my exercise class and then having a DEXA scan, hoping my bones have gotten stronger.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Each one or you who is reading this devotional today has either come to the Lord through a conversion experience that might have been sudden and dramatic, or one that one that happened more gradually over time. Or perhaps you are one that has not yet accepted Christ. Coming to receive the Lord is the most important decision any one of us will ever make and effects how we will spend eternity.
Professor Zittser, in his book Water From a Deep Well, writes that conversion means a change of direction, a new way of life. It involves repentance and a change of heart, mind and direction. It is like a new birth! It happens in many ways and we can tell if it is true and authentic by the results that follow. If it is real, we will draw closer to the Lord and we become more like Him. Some may listen to a charismatic evangelist and go forward at a crusade to receive the Lord, but there is no evidence of a change of life that follows. One such girl in our youth group had an emotional experience, but it didn’t last long as she later returned to her former life.
Jonathan Edwards preached to many in the 1700’s and saw great awakening in the church. He observed the pattern that conversions seem to follow: “a conviction of sin, commitment to live a better life, repeated failures, feelings of utter helplessness and guilt, and finally an experience of grace, which overwhelmed the converts with confidence, rapture and love.”  Edwards recognized and believed people coming to the Lord was the result of God’s initiative and work! If we try to live it out on our own we will fail, but when we experience His grace we are left with gratitude and great joy. Yes, conversion is far more than just an ecstatic experience. When we experience God’s grace in a deep way, we may then respond with love for God and for our neighbor.
We may not have an exact date when we came to believe but the big question is, have we surrendered to God and does it affect our marriages, schedules, relationships, jobs, finances, etc. If we know Him, it will impact on how we love and serve, for we will be known by our fruits. (Matt. 7:16) If you have never received Him, the Lord waits for you to open your heart to Him.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you live a life of love and service and share Him with others.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

June 7, 2025

June 7, 2025 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
 Hope you are enjoying the weekend! We are excited as Andrea and our grandsons have made the big road trip to MN. and John Mark got to do part of the driving as well. Mark flies in this afternoon and we hope to see them soon. This morning I plan to clean the apartment and get things ready.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are all made up of three dimensions: body, mind, and spirit, and it is good when there is compatibility between psychology and faith. There are times we may need to go to counseling and as things get uncovered in our lives, we see the need for the spiritual dimension as well. Other times we may go to our pastor or priest for prayer and healing, and he or she sees a psychological disorder that could be helped by a psychologist. Both should work together, because like priest/therapist, Martin Padovani writes in his book Healing Emotions, “There can be no spiritual healing without being in touch with the emotional, and no fullness of emotional healing without the spiritual.” They should complement each other.
Jesus gave us His example, for he blends the human and the spiritual in His life and said, “Follow Me. I am the way, the truth and the life.” He is also the Light. We are to follow Him not only spiritually but emotionally. I had never thought of that before. He wants us to get in touch with our problems, deal with them, and follow through to go on with life.  When we deal with our problems, we can grow through them to maturity. But if we run from our problems and fail to use the trained pastors and counselors around us, our problems often intensify. God’s desire is to lead us through our problems, for He always loves us, forgives us and is present with us to give us hope.
When we think about it, Jesus is the master psychologist who understands people, relating to our human needs as well as our spiritual needs. I think of Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus and whose life was forever changed by Him. Being around Him and helping provide for the needs of Him and his followers must have taught her healthy behavior and how to get in touch with herself and bring deep healing.
If you are reading this and have unresolved problems, know that the Lord is ready and waiting to help you face the things that seem so huge, and also give meaning to your life. May we all come to know and love ourselves and experience healing.
Challenge for today: Don’t hide from your problems but address them with God’s help and grow through them.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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