fbpx

A Prayer Thanking the Lord for Lifting Us out of the Muck

A Prayer Thanking the Lord for Lifting Us out of the Muck

Redeeming Lord,

Help us, we pray, 

to wait patiently for you, 

to trust that you will again turn to us 

and hear our cry (Psalm 40:1).

We remember the days 

when our hearts 

were sunk and stuck

in the much

of our self-centeredness, 

self-righteousness, 

and self-servitude.

How grateful we are 

that you pulled us out 

of that miry darkness! 

In these hot days, 

as the mad blood is stirring (with a nod to Shakespeare), 

rescue us again! 

Set our feet 

upon the secure rock of your redemption. 

Set our hearts 

to singing new songs, 

songs of love and care for our neighbors, 

songs of service to our saving Lord. 

May we delight to do your will 

by sharing the “glad news of deliverance” 

not only with our lips but in our lives. 

In Jesus’ delivering name. Amen.

Read Psalm 40.

A Prayer about the Way to Love

A Prayer about the Way to Love

Faithful God,

As I reread the Ten Commandments you gave your people long long ago, 

I wonder if we have marginalized them. 

Do we still memorize them, 

and even more importantly, 

do we meditate on their meaning and purpose? 

More importantly than that, 

do we ask you for the power to live them out?

Do we remember that they were based on a covenant: 

You first loved us, 

and because we know that love through Jesus, 

we love you and others?

I love what Eugene Peterson says about these commandments:

He reminds us that the two tablets summarize our relationship with God and with others. 

And then he reminds us how the commandments define love: 

“For love isn’t a sentimental way of feeling 

but a sanctified way of living 

that respects the value of other people, 

respects their property,

and respects their reputation. 

Love sets the boundaries

around our relationship with God and with other people, 

not to keep us from enjoying those relationship, 

but so we can enjoy those relationships to the fullest” (Conversations: The Message Bible and Its Translator). 

Help us, Lord, 

to “walk in the all the way that you have commanded us, 

that we may live, and that it may go well with us…” (Deuteronomy 5:33).

In Jesus’ commandment-keeping name. Amen.

Read Deuteronomy 5:1-33.

Get your free Mother's Day Thank-You Letter Template

Get your free Mother’s Story Thank-You letter template to help you write your mom a thank-you letter plus a free printable Mother’s Day card, plus a free gospel-centered resource every month!

Revive My Soul: A Meditation for Peace

Revive My Soul: A Meditation for Peace

Dear Friends,

I am delighted to introduce my newest devotional for people in all sorts of “crisis,” “radically life-altering circumstances.” Today, I share an excerpt on how we  gain life through the Word in such troubling times. Maybe you need this book or you know someone who does. You’ll find it on sale at Amazon and all your favorite booksellers.

Revive My Soul

My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word! Psalm 119:25, ESV

In one moment, one hour, one day, perhaps, your life has been radically altered. So altered that you’re not sure you’ll survive. When your world has been tossed like a rag doll in a tornado, where do you turn?

The writer of Psalm 119 tells us: we must turn to the Word, which revives and restores our souls. In this vast 176-verse ode to the Word, the psalmist catalogues the circumstances of life which sent him there and proclaims the abounding blessings he discovered there. From him, we can learn how the Word rights us when our world is not right.

Even as the psalmist declares his love for Scripture, he also names the desperate need which drove him there. Maybe you can relate. Among the trials he mentions in Psalm 119, he has experienced exile on earth, “scorn and contempt”, soul-melting sorrow, and the dread of reproach (Psalm 119:19, 22, 28, 39). His soul “clings to the dust,” perhaps because of the “evil-minded people” who have lied about him (Psalm 119:25, 115, 78 NLT). He has been ensnared by the wicked and known the faithful affliction of the Lord (Psalm 119:110, 75). He has been oppressed, persecuted, and despised (Psalm 119:121, 161, 141). And he has gone astray like a lost sheep (Psalm 119:176).

The Lord responds to his desperate need, and the psalmist declares his fervent devotion to the Word. As he details the ways the Word has restored and revived him, we see how it will restore and revive us in seasons of recovery:

  • The Word counsels and clarifies, lighting our way when we walk in darkness (Psalm 119:105). It exposes “false ways of life” and leads us away from them (Psalm 119:104 NLT).
  • The Word stabilizes and secures, revealing God’s steadfast love and faithfulness in our trouble (Psalm 119:75-77). “Firmly fixed in the heavens,” the Word reminds us of the unchangeable nature of God in the midst of a changing world.
  • The Word saves and delivers, acting as our “refuge and shield” against “evil-minded people” (Psalm 119:114-115 NLT). The Word’s rules give life even as its commands bring freedom (Psalm 119:93, 45).
  • Finally, and most importantly, the Word restores and revives us. It fills us with hope when we are afflicted; it raises us to new life when we are groveling in the dust (Psalm 119:49, 25). The Word gives us life by turning our eyes away from “worthless things”; the Word gives us life by reminding us of God’s promises (Psalm 119:37, 50).

Dear friends, if your world has been turned upside down or split wide open, keep reaching for the Word. There you will find the peace and hope you need.

Prayer

Lord,

We confess—sometimes the last thing we reach for in crisis is your Word. Help us to read first and react later. Grow in us a love and longing for the Word that gives us the life we crave. In the name of Jesus, the Word-made-flesh, we ask. Amen.

Further Encouragement

Read Psalm 119 over a period of several days.

Listen to “Speak, O Lord” by Keith and Kristyn Getty.

For Reflection

As you read Psalm 119, underline or write down words that particularly resonate with you—for example, perish, revive, contempt, or delight. Then write a letter to God using some of those words to tell him how you are feeling and ask him to meet you in his Word.

If you enjoyed this blog, please share.

From Recovery to Restoration cover

Get Hope for Troubling Times

Advance Review for From Recovery to Restoration

"When the storms of life crash into our lives, the devastation left behind is often overwhelming. Recovery and healing is slow and arduous. Elizabeth Turnage's devotional is for all those laboring toward recovery. From Recovery to Restoration is a hope-filled, gospel-laced, and Christ-exalting book which invites us into God's story of redemption and helps us see how he is at work to redeem and restore all things, even the aftermath of our personal losses, heartaches, and trials."

Christina Fox

Writer, Counselor, Speaker

author of A Heart Set Free: A Journey to Hope Through the Psalms of Lament.

Following Christ after Lent: A True Story

Following Christ after Lent: A True Story

True story: when spammers get it right…

The Spammers are now making comments on my site that I haven’t posted in a while. That’s bad when Spammers’ comments are on target.

Ah, it has been a FULL season, and time is squoze, but I’m giving myself a timed 20 minutes to share something that’s on my heart and I really want y’all to know about. We’ll see where it goes.

Do you want to follow Christ? This man thought he did…or did he?

Tonight at the jail I’m going to teach the ladies the first lesson from Stott’s “Christ” Bible study guide – entitled, “Are You Ready to Meet Christ?” The Scripture is from Mark 10:17-31, the sad but true story of a rich young religious man who seeks Christ to ask him what he must DO to inherit eternal life?

The poor [sic] man seems fairly confident that he’s in good shape – after all, he’s kept ALL of the commandments that Christ mentions he should keep to inherit eternal life.

Except, not to be snarky or anything (Christ is far gentler than I – but you knew that – see Mark 10:21 where Christ looked on him and loved him),
but you might think he’d notice that Christ left a few out in his list (see Mark 10:19 and Exodus 20:3-16) – like, namely, the very first one –

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3.

The young rich ruler cannot do what Christ asks of him in verse 21. It is impossible.

It’s impossible to DO that…

Why? Jesus explains to the disciples with an analogy – it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). That is such an astonishing statement that their response is a jaw-dropped,

“Well, then, who can be saved?”

And now we get to the point of the whole passage and the thing that is on my heart to share –

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10: 27.

We just celebrated the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. What hinders you from knowing and following Christ? Everything. And nothing. At the jail, the ladies’ problem will not likely be with their riches. It will be with something else they cling to that brings a sense of security and significance. It will be with some way that they try to save themselves.

What kept me from following Christ? What keeps you?

In my heart, the thing that kept me from entering the kingdom of God wasn’t really related to wealth, although by this world’s standards, I had it.

What kept me from coming to Christ is something Walter Marshall talks about in his A-MAZING book, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, translated into readable English by Bruce McRae –

“You are so naturally prone to base your salvation on your own works! Even if you do not try to earn your salvation by your works, you will at least try to make your works the things that prepare you to received Christ and his salvation by faith.

Marshall then tells us about the WRONG TEACHING we are given:

“Do you see what they are saying? Your works do not save you, but your works make you fit and worthy to receive Christ. This view has terrible results: many will clearly see, with horror, the abominable filth of their own hearts. However, they will not come immediately to Christ because they will think they are not worthy to come to Christ.”

You know what really kept the rich young ruler from coming to Christ?

He thought he could DO something to inherit eternal life! He thought HE could do something to inherit eternal life!!!!!

Weak and wounded sinner, come to Jesus and lay your broken, clingy heart before him.

With MAN it is IMPOSSIBLE, but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

 

 

Our Surprising God: A True Story

Our Surprising God: A True Story

Our Surprising God: The True Story of Isaac

by Elizabeth Turnage | Living Story Podcast

I have the great privilege of being on a team that leads a worship service once a month at the local jail. Last month, I decided you might enjoy hearing the message I delivered on the “true story” of God’s grace, so I turned it into a podcast. This month, I did the sequel, and have again posted it. I hope you enjoy listening to these true stories and that the Word seeps deep into your heart.

Note: I’m still a newbie to the podcasting work, so you can play it from this page, or scroll to the end of the page to download, or search for the Living Story podcast in iTunes.

This time, for you who prefer reading, I’ve included the transcript of the podcast :-)! Please let me know if you enjoy these. I love doing them and wouldn’t mind doing more :-)!

A true story about people who are tired of waiting on God’s surprising plan

Last month we considered the TRUE BIBLE story of two flawed women, one flawed man, and one amazingly gracious and faithful God. We remembered that God had a plan, a plan for a nation, a plan to redeem the world left broken by sinners. This plan would come about through one baby – the baby of Sarah and Abraham.

Abraham and Sarah have shown a lot of faith in leaving their homeland, Ur, and coming all this way[FIND OUT HOW FAR], and they’ve shown a lot of faith in trusting God to care for them and to fulfill his promise. But they’ve also stumbled a lot along the way.

In the true story we looked at last month, in Genesis 16, Sarah and Abraham decided to take things into their own hands and try to get this promised baby through Sarah’s maidservant Hagar. THAT was a disaster. THAT WAS CLEARLY NOT GOD’S PLAN!

Despite the fact that Abraham and Sarah keep making a mess of things, God continues to show them GRACE, FAITH, AND LOVE – the 3 words we talked about last month.

Do you like surprise stories?

Before we get into today’s story, I want to talk about SURPRISE for a moment.

Have you ever been really and truly surprised? Maybe either received a very surprising gift or given a very surprising gift? Or maybe had a surprise party?

I once heard of a woman who planned a great surprise party for her 12-year-old daughter. So she made a plan, and she invited everyone and told them all to keep it a secret. She got decorations and hid them at her neighbor’s house. She went to her neighbor’s house and made a cake. She worked for months planning the surprise. On the day of the party – which was NOT the girl’s birthday, her mom took her to the movies in the afternoon, and all of her friends and her neighbor got everything ready for the party. When the mom and the daughter walked into the house, everyone yelled SURPRISE!

But what happened next was NOT what the mom expected when she planned the party. HER DAUGHTER BURST INTO TEARS! Her mother was freaking out. She was afraid she did something wrong. But then her daughter started laughing and smiling and jumping up and down. She was SO HAPPY and GRATEFUL to her mom and her friends that she had started crying.

That is what SURPRISE can do to us. It can affect our emotions intensely.

God’s surprising plan is no secret…

Today we’re going to talk about how God is a SURPRISING GOD! God hasn’t kept his surprise a secret from Abraham and Sarah – from the beginning, he has told them he would bless them and give them a baby, that they would have as many descendants as the sand in the seashore.

What IS SURPRISING about God is how he keeps his promise even when they don’t keep theirs. What is surprising about God is how gracious and faithful and loving he is to people who aren’t always like loving and obedient to him. In fact, God is loving and gracious to them – and us – even when we don’t believe he will come through with his promise.

Abraham laughs at God’s surprising plan…

God keeps telling Abraham that he is going to give him a baby, and he keeps giving him signs of his love.

In Genesis 17:15, he repeated the promise, this time specifically saying it would be by Sarah,

“I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15

You know what Abraham did when he heard this?

“He fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself,

“Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” Genesis 17:18

And then Abraham asked God if maybe Ishmael could be the blessed son.

Rather than being “surprised” and delighted by God’s promise, Abraham doubts. He is not laughing because he’s happy. He’s laughing because he thinks it is impossible. And I think that sometimes I, sometimes we, are a LOT like Abraham.

This whole story we’re looking at today makes us ask,

“Are we laughing cynically – like, “THAT’S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”

…or are we laughing nervously, even, “Hahahaha…that would be cool if it happened, but it’s probably not going to happen…”

…or are we laughing at the sheer hilarity, the stunning, shocking, SURPRISE that God has been that good to us and done something that impossible?

You know what God’s response was to Abraham laughing so hard he fell down?  You guessed it – SURPRISING. He simply says,

“Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac.”

It’s a joke. It’s not a joke because God is completely serious. But you have to know that the name Isaac in Hebrew means, Isaac means “He laughed.”

The God of surprising redemption…

You know what — God laughs at our cynical, doubting laughter, because he is the God of SURPRISING REDEMPTION.

In the true story we’re looking at today, God does something even more SURPRISING – he shows up in person.

READ GENESIS 18:1-15.

Let’s look at some of the surprises of this story:

  1. Surprise visitors. Abraham clearly isn’t expecting anyone, but it was not too (surprising) in that world for travelers to stop in and stay because there was no Quality Inn. At first, it doesn’t seem that Abraham recognizes that one of the 3 visitors is the Lord, even though we are told it is from the beginning. But even so, Abraham treats the visitors with great honor and hurries (it’s also surprising that this 99-year-old man is running around in the heat getting Sarah to cook bread and his servants to prepare a calf.) So, we could say he is happily surprised by his visitors.
  1. The surprise visitor is God. By verse 9, Abraham has to realize this is the Lord, because they ask, “Where is Sarah, your wife?” And since her name has just been changed from Sarai to Sarah BY THE LORD, that’s something only they would know. And in those days, God didn’t just go around visiting people, so it is a BIG SURPRISE that Abraham is visited by the Lord.
  1. Sarah’s surprise. Sarah is eavesdropping, hiding behind the tent, listening to the conversation. Imagine her surprise when she hears her name called! Imagine her surprise when she hears the promise, “I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son.”

The storyteller reminds us, in case we’ve forgotten:

“Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.” Genesis 18:9

Now, Sarah was surprised – but what kind of surprise is it? She laughs. TO HERSELF. Her response is similar to Abraham’s in Chapter 17 – “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure…!” She is afraid to imagine such a surprise. She doubts such a thing could be possible.

Have you ever felt like Sarah?!

If so, then you will love the next SURPRISE:

  1. The Lord talks to Sarah through Abraham, verse 13: “Then the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby? IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD?”

Remember – Sarah isn’t in plain view, and Sarah said this to herself. So God is surprising her by knowing what she’s thinking.

  1. The Lord talks to Sarah directly, and he is surprisingly gracious to her.

Because after God says this to Abraham, she gets afraid, and she lies – saying, “I didn’t laugh.”

“But the Lord said, ‘No, you did laugh.’” Genesis 18:15

Sarah LIED to God, but he forgave her, and he fulfilled his promise to her. THAT IS WHAT OUR SURPRISING GOD IS LIKE.

God pulls off his surprising plan…

And now we fast forward to ONE YEAR LATER. In the meantime, Abraham has AGAIN tried to pass his wife off as his sister, so as you can see, what happens next is another example of God’s surprising grace to people who have not done anything to earn it.

Read Genesis 21: 1-7

Let’s notice 3 things about this true story:

  1. How did it happen that Sarah and Abraham conceived a child?

v. 1: “The Lord KEPT HIS WORD and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.”

  1. When did it happen?

At just the time God had said it would!!! Genesis 21:2

So, in a way, this is really NOT SURPRISING, because God has said all along that he would bring an heir through Sarah and Abraham.

  1. What was the effect, and who caused it?

LAUGHTER – and God brought it, verse 6.

Sarah’s response is similar to the overwhelmed response of the woman’s daughter. Except she doesn’t cry first.

Sarah is SURPRISED – not the cynical, doubting kind of surprise, but the nervous giggly kind of surprise …

The overwhelmed awe, that is amazing, wow, I can’t believe it’s really true kind of surprise that fills your heart and makes you want to laugh and cry and jump up and down and shout and tell the world, “I can’t believe this happened to ME!”

Abraham and Sarah name their baby laughter, because GOD HAD TOLD THEM TO.

Just think, whenever they call Isaac’s name, they will remember that they laughed at God’s promise, doubting, disbelieving, kind of wanting to believe, but not really sure. And he had the last laugh. Because he came through.

It is a SURPRISING GIFT. The gift of God’s grace, faithfulness, and love coming through to people who go in and out of believing his goodness.

God has an even more surprising gift in store…

But it isn’t the last surprising baby born in the Bible. Because this story points us forward to another, even more surprising true story of a baby born in even more impossible circumstances.

That baby is our Lord Jesus Christ, whom God promised would come to defeat all evil in Genesis 3:15.

That baby is a fully human, fully divine baby, come to earth to call sinners to repentance. That baby grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man to live a perfect life and die a sacrificial death.

That baby was the MOST SURPRISING BABY – THE MOST SURPRISING GIFT…

Of a faithful God to people who aren’t always so faithful.

So as we wrap up this story, let’s just notice a few things about our surprisingly gracious God, our perfectly holy God, the great planner of the best surprises.

  1. We shouldn’t be so surprised when God does impossible things.

God asks a question we should all ask ourselves,

“Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

When we are in tough circumstances, we need to remember this question.

  • Then we need to remember all of the ways God has been faithful in the past.
  • We need to remember the surprising “laughter” of redemption – in the Bible, and in our own lives.
  • We need to remember that Jesus has not only saved us from our sins, but he is changing our hearts.
  • We need to remember that nothing can separate us from the love of THE SURPRISING GOD who is working all things for his glory and our good.

SO WE SHOULDN’T BE SO SURPRISED at what the Lord can do.

  1. It IS the best surprise EVER that God is such a friend to sinners.

He comes to visit Abraham as a FRIEND.

He is being a good friend to Sarah in also ‘visiting’ her but doing it in a way she can handle. He is gentle with her in correcting her lie, and gracious to fulfill his promise. That is what it means to be a FRIEND to SINNERS.

But even more surprisingly, JESUS WAS A FRIEND TO SINNERS. If you ever doubt that Jesus wants to be a friend to a person like you, to a person who has messed up her life pretty bad, I dare you to read the Bible. I dare you to ask around. Because Jesus came to be a friend to sinners, and to give us a way back to being friends with God.

In Romans 5:10, it says,

“For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son.”

SO YES, GOD IS FULL OF SURPRISES, AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US SHOULD WALK AROUND ALL THE TIME LAUGHING HILARIOUSLY, NAMING OUR KIDS AND OUR DOGS AND OUR FRIENDS ISAAC, BECAUSE GOD HAS PUT SO MUCH SURPRISING GOODNESS IN OUR LIVES BY HIS GRACE, FAITHFULNESS, AND LOVE!
Photo credit: Copyright: sutichak / 123RF Stock Photo

Did you enjoy this TRUE STORY?! Share it with someone you know who needs encouragement!

Get free printable prayer worksheet and cards

How to Meditate for Ordinary Christians

How to Meditate for Ordinary Christians

Love & Meditation

It’s the LAST week of February. I don’t know about y’all, but this one’s flown for me. What that means is it’s time to wind down our “love” focus (who am I kidding — y’all know this whole blog is about Living the Story of God’s Love for Us;-)!

So what, you might ask, does Christian meditation have to do with love? Well, think about it this way — when you love someone, do you meditate on them? Do you think about them frequently, if not, in the case of early love and crush love — constantly? I think meditation is one of the ways we not only express our love for God but also grow our love for God.

Now here’s the problem — for me. Maybe for you? Somewhere along the way, Christian meditation became intimidating to me, something seemingly so high-minded only a monk with super-spiritual credentials could do. Somewhere along the way, Christian meditation became intimidating to me, something seemingly so high-minded only a monk with super-spiritual credentials could do. Share on X

As a young Christian, I learned verses like…

Ps. 1:2: “But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night…”

and

Ps. 104:34: “Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.”

I was taught that meditation was simply slowing down and thinking about God, particularly by dwelling on Scripture.

When I read Eugene Peterson’s Eat This Book, I loved his analogy of meditation as like a dog with a bone:

“He gnawed the bone, turned it over and around, licked it, worried it. Sometimes we could hear a low rumble or growl, what in a cat would be a purr. He was obviously enjoying himself and in no hurry. After a leisurely couple of hours he would bury it and return the next day to take it up again. An average bone lasted about a week.”

Learning to Love Meditation

The key to rediscovering and reclaiming meditation as a spiritual practice is to bring it back down to earth. Share on X It will also require that we do the seemingly impossible in our time — slow down and chew on a portion of Scripture.

 

“The key to rediscovering and reclaiming meditation as a spiritual practice is to bring it back down to earth.”

Here are 4 methods that have helped me learn to love meditation:

  1. Read a portion of Scripture aloud several times.
  2. Write the Scripture down in a prayer journal. (Or on prayer cards).
  3. Play with the verses in a way that forces me to slow down and think about them. I am a kinesthetic learner in part, so using my hands to interact with the Word helps me to do this (Drawing, cutting and pasting, lettering, etc.)
  4. Don’t overcomplicate it. The hardest part about meditation is the time and concentration it requires – much more than skimming a Facebook or Twitter feed but way less than watching a 30-minute sitcom on TV.

I AM NOT AN ARTIST:-)!
But that doesn’t mean I can’t “do art” and share it. In the same way, I am not a super-spiritual person, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do meditation. Below are 2 meditations I did with Bible journaling, my camera, and some digital software. The whole time I “played” with these, I thought about who God is and how much I love him.

Do you have some helpful methods that help you meditate on Scripture? I’d love to hear them.