True surrender is not a single action but a posture in life

True surrender is not a single action but a posture in life, yielding ourselves—our whole selves—to God.

~~Margaret Feinberg

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Surrender. The word brings to mind wounded and bloodied, battle-weary soldiers trudging back to camp, shoulders hunched and faces downcast. Surrender can mean humiliation and failure.

But surrender can also be a positive word. Surrendering our lives to God is not the result of losing a battle. God does not intend humiliation and failure for us, but rather life in his abundance. When we surrender—we win! This new picture of surrender is not the heads hanging in failure but of hands raised in victory.

And as Margaret Feinberg suggests, this surrender is not a single action. We must surrender daily. Each morning before our feet hit the floor, we surrender to God, asking him to take over, to walk us through the battles, to bring his victory into our lives.

Wave the white flag. Surrender daily. In the end, you win.

Prayer for Meditation

Lord, I trade my posture of defeat for one of victory by surrendering to you.

Scripture for Meditation

Show me the right path, O LORD: point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. Psalm 25:4-5

Music for Meditation

I Surrender

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

God is doing something in our lives that is expressly different than what he is doing in the lives of our sisters, our friends, our neighbors

God is doing in each one of our lives something expressly different than He is doing in another’s. He will give us the unique grace to bear our unique cross.

~~L. B. Cowman

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

The versatile dough from a sugar cookie recipe can be transformed into as many beautiful shapes and design as we can imagine and create. No two creations are exactly alike.

The same is true for us. We are not cookie-cutter people. God is doing something in our lives that is expressly different than what he is doing in the lives of our sisters, our friends, our neighbors. He is shaping us and our journeys, and no two journeys are exactly alike.

We often wish our journey was easier, our cross lighter. If we start comparing, we may decide that the cross we bear seems heavy and cumbersome compared to someone else’s. If only we could trade places!

Instead God says, “Let me work in you.”

The cross you bear is yours alone, but he will give you the unique grace to bear it. And one day you will lay it at his feet.

Prayer for Meditation

Fulfill your purpose for me, Lord. Help me to grasp your grace.  

Scripture for Meditation

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you make me. Psalm 138:8

Music for Meditation

Take My Life Tomlin 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

Are you satisfied? What are you looking for?

Pleasures and treasures on earth may be sought after and not found, but only God comes with the guarantee that He will be found.

~~Joni Eareckson Tada

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Are you satisfied? What are you looking for? What pleasures and treasures hang out at the edges of your mind? Granted, you may indeed find and experience some of them; others will never come to be. We make our “bucket lists” knowing full well that we may not live long enough to check off every item, or we may not have the means to make some of those wishes come true.

There simply are no guarantees.

Or are there?

Joni describes one pleasure, one treasure that comes with a guarantee that we will find it. The treasure map is found in God’s Word. The treasure itself is sitting there waiting to be discovered, not hidden from view. It’s big enough for everyone to share—no one will miss out.

Prayer for Meditation

I have found you, Lord, and I will never let you go!    

Scripture for Meditation

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Music for Meditation

Perfect Peace 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

How do you tap into God's everlasting streams?

Out into the same old life you go today as ever, but down underneath you can be nourished by the everlasting streams of God.

~~L. B. Cowman

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Oh that we could fully grasp the truths in Cowman’s words. She’s telling us that there are streams of refreshment down deep in our lives—streams that feed our souls, give meaning to our “same old life,” that give us all the nourishment we need to not only infuse our tasks with joy but also to spread joy to others.

How do you tap into God’s everlasting streams? Drink from his Word. Bring your thirsty soul to him. Soak in his love as you lean against his chest and discuss your day ahead. Invite him to splash his love into every moment.

Everlasting streams never run dry. It doesn’t matter that you feel like you’re in a dry desert, or that the wilderness ahead looks rough. You bring his streams along with you, from deep within your soul, welling up to give you all that you need.

Drink deeply.

Prayer for Meditation

Heavenly Father, saturate my mind, heart and emotions with your refreshment.  

Scripture for Meditation

And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. Isaiah 35:6

Music for Meditation

You Deliver Me 

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The more fully we understand what God has done on our behalf, the better we’ll be able to treat others with patience

Patience withholds: It withholds vengeance, revenge, and retaliation, and endures instead. It endures ill treatment, it refuses to be angry, and it desires the offender’s good,

~~Elizabeth George

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

When a friend hurts you more deeply than an enemy ever could, when harsh words cut like daggers, when co-workers accuse—what should you do? Elizabeth George suggests withholding vengeance, revenge, and retaliation. She says we should patiently endure ill treatment, refuse to be angry and desire the offender’s good.

But how can we do that when the world still bleeds and the anger still burns? The healing begins when we realize what God has done for us. He sent his only Son to pay the penalty for our sins. When we trusted in Jesus, God wiped our slate clean. He hurled our iniquities into the depths of the sea. He remembers our sins no more.

The more fully we understand what God has done on our behalf, the better we’ll be able to treat others with patience.

After all, how many times has God been patient with you?

Prayer for Meditation

Lord, help me to forgive others just as you have forgiven me.  

Scripture for Meditation

This letter is from Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News. God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 2:1-4

Music for Meditation

Resurrection 

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To believe in God is the beginning. To hear Him call your name is the start.

To believe in God is the beginning. To hear Him call your name is the start. To dance in His arms is real life.

~~Angela Thomas

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

To dance in His arms is real life. As women who love God, we may find it easy to believe in him and to hear him call our name. We’re willing to be his servants and carry out the work he puts before us.

But what does it mean to dance with him?

God doesn’t only want us to know who he is and to work for him, he wants a joyful, exhilarating relationship with us! Dancing with someone requires intimacy. It requires confidence. It requires trust. When we dance with our God, we offer him ourselves.

Do you believe he finds you so interesting and intriguing that he wants to dance with you through this life? Do you understand that God accepts you for who you are—his own beautiful creation?

Look up. He’s standing there, hand outstretched, ready to lead you to the dance floor.

Prayer for Meditation

Lord, you take the lead; I’ll be your dance partner for life!   

Scripture for Meditation

The young women will dance for joy, and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing. Jeremiah 31:13

Music for Meditation

I Can Only Imagine

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Stop and smell the roses

To “see God in nature,” to attain a radiant consciousness of the “otherness” of natural things, is the simplest and commonest form of illumination.

~~Evelyn Underhill

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Stop and smell the roses.” This clichéd advice carries a picturesque invitation to shift your day into a lower gear and notice the beauty around you.

What happens in your soul when you choose to s-l-o-w down and drink in the vivid colors of a sunset? Or when you allow yourself to be wrapped in the soft warmth of a fire in the fireplace? Or when you breathe in the intoxicating scent of crisp fall air?

To give your attention to the beauty of creation is, as Evelyn Underhill notes, a way to devote your attention to its Creator. Noticing the exquisite gifts God has placed in the world around you can become your simple expression of worship. Even if your schedule today is packed with tasks, stop and enjoy the beauty around you—and as you do, honor the One who made it for you. 

Prayer for Meditation

I am breathing the scent of the roses you made today, my Creator.  

Scripture for Meditation

The heavens proclaim his righteousness; every nation sees his glory. Psalm 97:6

Music for Meditation

Open Thou Mine Eyes 

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What is the point of faith if everything can be explained

I think he (Mister Rogers) made me less narrow-minded, more tolerant, and more in awe of what’s mysterious about our faith. I think I thought I had my faith all figured out, and he reintroduced mystery.

~~Amy Hollingsworth

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

The mysterious part of Christianity is many times ignored. We don’t understand it, so we choose not to think on it. How did a virgin have a baby? What was God doing before he made the earth? How did Jesus turn water to wine? The questions make us uncomfortable, as if our inability to answer them puts our faith on shaky ground.

We can’t answer many of those questions—and we ought to be glad of that. What is the point of faith if everything can be explained, if we have all the answers, if there is no mystery left? God delights in our questions and he will give us whatever information we truly need. Beyond that, we should simply be in awe of him.

Let your questions lead you straight back to God himself, and to your knees in worship of his greatness. Celebrate the mystery?  

Prayer for Meditation

I stand in awe of you, Lord, and the mystery of your love for me.  

Scripture for Meditation

Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.  Hebrews 11:1

Music for Meditation

Into My Heart 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t give up on his dreams for us?

Father, may all your dreams come true. I don’t want to get in the way or hinder You from fulfilling any of the plans You had for me when You dreamed me into being.

~~Robin Jones Gunn

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

Everyone who dreams big knows the disappointment of a life that falls short of those dreams. The higher we pin our hopes, the more devastating when they come crashing down. Sadly, to safeguard ourselves, we tend to keep our hopes low, or we may stop dreaming altogether.

Aren’t you glad God doesn’t give up on his dreams for us? The Bible says God’s ultimate dream, his predetermined plan, is for us to be made like Christ—that we take on the image of our older brother.

That was God’s plan when he dreamed of you. When He called your name, he said, “I want her to be just like Jesus. I have some great things for her to do.”

Let’s not get in our own way by hindering God’s plans for us. He dreamed big. So should we. Working together with God, all of those dreams can come true.  

Prayer for Meditation

Work on my heart, Jesus. I want to be like you.  

Scripture for Meditation

For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

Music for Meditation

I Surrender All 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

God is always moving in your life

Going through a waiting period doesn’t mean there is nothing happening, because when you are waiting on the Lord, He is always moving in your life.

~~Stormie Omartian

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

A little girl swings back and forth. She’s all alone. Her mom told her to go outside and stay there. “I’ll call you when we’re ready,” her mom said.

Although time seems to stand still, the little girl doesn’t mind the wait. She isn’t bothered that her siblings are still in the house. She doesn’t care that her daddy hasn’t come out to give her a push on the swing. Because she knows what they’re doing—they’re busy preparing for her birthday party. With every moment, her excitement grows as she listens for her mother’s call.

Are you experiencing a time of waiting? Does it seem as though the party has started without you? If so, remember this: God is at work in your time of waiting. He’s always doing something in your life.

And you can be sure he’s planning something better than a birthday party.

Prayer for Meditation

Lord, help me to wait on you with childlike excitement.  

Scripture for Meditation

For since the world began, no ear has heard, and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him! Isaiah 64:4

Music for Meditation

I Feel My Saviors Love

 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

Are we going to go through those so-few years with limited time for our family and friends, with unseeing eyes for the beauties around us, concentrating on accumulating money and things when we have to leave them all behind anyway?

~~Catherine Marshall

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

What sort of beauty causes you to stop for a moment and gaze? Do you marvel at the colors of a sunset or the vivid hues of fall? The smell in the air after a rainstorm? The sound of wind in the trees?

What about the people in your life? Are you eager for moments with your children, your parents, even far-flung relatives? Do your friends get the best of your time?

Or are you too busy for all of it, planning to appreciate it “later”—once you have all the money and time and stuff you need? Honestly, will that moment ever come?

Time is short, dear sister. A beautiful world full of loving people is waiting. Your friends, your family, even the creation outside your door would like a moment of your time.

Pause. Savor. Enjoy It is a gift from God.

Prayer for Meditation

God, give me eyes to see the beautiful gifts you have given me.    

Scripture for Meditation

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

Music for Meditation

For the Beauty of the Earth 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

If you live long enough, you’re bound to encounter some rough storms

If you live long enough, you’re bound to encounter some rough storms. No one is immune to tragedy in this life. The house is the same, the storm is the same, but what makes the difference is the foundation.

~~Lisa Beamer

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

A seaside home with pilings driven deep into the sand might withstand a tropical storm. A brick Midwest farmhouse secured to concrete pads hidden deep beneath the ground can avoid being scattered for miles by a tornado. Both homes have secure foundations.

The house on the beach, the house in “tornado alley”–both will eventually encounter a rough storm. So will we. Not one of us will get to the end without a few bumps and bruises along the way. Those of us who will survive—who will stand strong—are those with the solid foundation. And that foundation is our faith in Jesus Christ.

Storms will come, beloved. When your foundation is secure, so are you. The winds may whip and the waves may spray, but you will stand strong.

Prayer for Meditation

My secure foundation is you, Jesus. I need you always.    

Scripture for Meditation

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. Matthew 7:24-25

Music for Meditation

A Mighty Fortress 

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Waiting silently is the hardest thing of all

Waiting silently is the hardest thing of all.

~~Elizabeth Elliot

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

It seems all we ever do is wait—in lines, on the phone, for people who are late. There are even rooms dedicated to the inaction of waiting.

Sitting in a long line of cars, stuck in traffic, we feel the urge to honk our horn. It’s not going to help us move one inch further, yet we honk the horn anyway. We’re busy women, and waiting is just a pure waste of time. Frustration bubbles up and sometimes we sound off.

But that’s not God’s way. God tells us to wait on him. What’s more, he tells us to be still and wait patiently. In our hurry-up lives, God is aware of the benefits that come from slowing down and waiting. He is right beside us, urging us to be still long enough to think of him, to spend time with him.

Your Lord is always worth the wait.

Prayer for Meditation

In my hurry-up life, help me, Lord, to be still and wait on you.  

Scripture for Meditation

For I am waiting for you, O LORD. You must answer for me, O Lord my God, Psalm 38:15

Music for Meditation

Be Still My Soul 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com

One little act. One heartfelt prayer. The ripple is started and it spreads across the world

That rippling water is a subtle reminder that little things often lead to bigger things in the divine plan of our heavenly Father.

~~Ronda Rich

This morning’s prayer and meditation for Sally’s healing comes from Take Heart, Oh God: Riches from the Greatest Christian Women Writers of All Time.

One kind word. But to the cashier at the grocery store, it means the world. She picks herself up from her doldrums, and she greets the next person in line warmly and with genuine concern. It’s the ripple effect.

One small act of kindness. It had been a long time since someone noticed him, there behind his desk. But today, a thank you note appeared, expressing appreciation for his good work. It restores his hope in the human race. It makes him feel part of the human race again He passes the thanks on to someone else in his world. Ripple.

One young life surrendered to Christ. But to a whole next generation, this has eternal significance. Ripple.

One little act. One heartfelt prayer. The ripple is started and it spreads across the world.

Toss a pebble today. Start a ripple.

Prayer for Meditation

Thank you, Lord, that what may seem small to me can have great effect.  

Scripture for Meditation

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

Music for Meditation

Thankful 

If you feel led to do so, please post a note of encouragement in the comment section below, or send your note by email to PrayersForSally@gmail.com