Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! We are blessed that we didn’t get hit hard by the storm yesterday afternoon as we were under a tornado watch. We got some good rain though which is much needed. Lars came for supper last night on his way to the lake.
 Today I plan to make Mexican pie and cookies bake and listen to a good seminar.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes we can surely mess things up if we get involved when we should keep out of something. It is best to be still and to let God work. I was reading what Ann Voskamp wrote about what it means to stand still as it says in Exodus 14:14, “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This word came at a very pivotal time when the Israelites were facing the Red Sea, the Egyptians were behind them and they had nowhere to go. But these words were given them and we know they went over on dry land while their enemy was drowned. The Lord did the fighting and they only had to let go and let God do it.

When we are still, we let go of our fears and trust that God will hold us. The more we truly know God, the deeper our trust goes. It’s like letting whatever concerns us to slip out of our hands into God’s hands. VosKamp said the literal translation of be still means to drop, sink down, to let go. We all have situations that could cause us fear, but it is in those times that we need to hush, be still and let go of our worries. As we do, we will come to a greater knowing of the Lord and see His power at work.

We all need stillness in our lives if we want to really know God in a deep way. We have the promise in Isaiah 26:3 that He will keep us in peace if our mind is stayed on Him as we trust. No matter what is happening in our lives, we can live in peace in the midst of the turmoil and not be shaken. We need to hold our peace and not strive and strain as we wonder what will happen. Instead, let us quiet our soul, put our trust in God’s capable hands and watch what He will do. Voskamp’s words, “When you take time to be still, you aren’t falling behind; you are letting everything else fall away, and letting God alone be your way.”

 Challenge for today: The next time you feel stressed, be still and let go, giving it all into the Lord’s hands and watch Him work.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy