Failing Vs. Unfailing

“Let me hear of Your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting You.” (Psalm 143:8 NLT) If I’ve heard my husband say it once in the beginning of our marriage, I’ve heard him say it a hundred times since then. “Anna, we don’t trust…

Unedited Prayers

“Oh God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer!” (Psalm 61:1 NLT) I prayed some emotionally unedited prayers yesterday, the kind where one scoops out the contents of their soul and lets the Lord sort through it when they’re done. It wasn’t pretty, but it…

Pushing Past Fear

“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord you God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: NLT) Have you ever battled crippling fear while attempting to do something you are certain God has…

The Mental Lever

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but give us power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NIV) As I read this scripture this morning, I pictured a large lever in the control tower of my mind, like a throttle on…

Letting the Jar Settle

“At once the Spirit sent Him out to the wilderness.” (Mark 1:12 NIV) I suppose I’ve been thinking about wilderness since we first drove into the Negev (southern Judean wilderness) ten days ago. I had expected bleak, but my expectations hadn’t prepared me for the…

Wrestling with Doubt

“They were all trying to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will get too weak for the work and it will not be completed.”But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”(Nehemiah 6:9 NIV) Have you ever noticed how God sends us just the right word at just…