Devotionals for the Heart: When the birds of the desert sing praise to God

The Dawn Chorus
A devotional by Colleen C. Howard

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

—Matthew 6:26 (ESV)

This morning, my heart was touched by the Sonoran Desert’s fusion of colors and textures. I’ve lived here all my adult life, and it never ceases to amaze me.

If you’re unfamiliar with the desert, you might think it’s a desolate place filled with sand, cacti, and minimal vegetation. You would be right about the sand and cacti, but the desert offers much more. It’s a place of diversity, with Palo Verde trees, palms, and the grandeur of the saguaro cactus. Snow-capped mountains tower in the distance, and green velvet mesquite shrubs along the trails tell a story of God’s majesty and creativity.

What I love most about living here is the daily announcement of God’s morning mercies. Just before dawn, the chorus begins. The sun peaks over the tangerine horizon, and the birds of the desert sing praise for this glorious day. I close my eyes and listen. Joy fills their melody and washes over my soul. Oh, how I wish you could hear their song as they thank our Heavenly Father (God) for another day and all the possibilities it will reveal.

Even though the birds don’t make plans, God’s care for them is never-ending, and with each sunrise, they express their gratitude in song. If God cares for these magnificent creatures of the air, I can’t begin to fathom how much more God values us. We can learn something from the birds that soar effortlessly through the skies. Just like us, they don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but they seem genuinely surprised when the sun comes up, greeting each new sunrise as if it were the first they’ve seen.

Our God is a God of wonders, and His love encircles us with tender mercies. It’s astounding how many of His bounties escape my notice. The sun rises each morning and sets each evening. He holds the planets in orbit, and gravity keeps our feet on the ground. He created the stars in the sky (those in our view and beyond) and knows each of their names. This stirs my heart, and I ponder how many of God’s wonders have I neglected to see.

No one knows what today, tomorrow, or the day after will bring. But we can lift our voices and join the chorus with grateful hearts. God cares for the birds of the air and supplies their food. Yet, we are even more valuable to Him. When I hear these birds each morning, my entire being shifts into a posture of praise. Take care to listen to these fantastic creatures of the sky. Be still before the Lord, give thanks, and watch what He will do.

Let’s Pray:

Dear Heavenly Father,

You are the God of wonders! Help us to wake up each morning with a holy expectancy of what this day will bring. Teach us how to listen to these fantastic creatures of the sky. Help us to be still before You, thank You with a grateful heart then imagine the possibilities. Thank You, God, that your love for humankind is everlasting. Help us to fully embrace every new day with exuberance. Help us to praise You because your love has no boundaries and your grace is never ending. Praise be to God! In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~ 
Song of Reflection #1: “How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” by Austin Stone Worship. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #2: “Morning Glory” by Dr. Juanita Bynum. Listen to it here.

Song of Reflection #3: “God of Wonders” by Third Day. Listen to it here.

~*~
Author Bio:

Colleen C. Howard is a follower of Jesus Christ, educator and writer. She lives with her husband in the Arizona desert where the sunsets are spectacular, the summers are relentless and the winters are a little slice of Heaven. 

Colleen earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership. This degree opened opportunities to write science curriculum, develop district programs, work with Arizona teachers, community leaders, and more. With NASA Grant funding, she was also able to work with teachers all over the country and expand their knowledge of teaching science as a collaborative effort.

Over the last few years God has placed a strong desire in Colleen’s heart to shine a light on God’s presence throughout ordinary days and encourage women in their faith walk with Him. Although some days bring trials and others bring joy, Colleen believes that if you fix your eyes on Jesus then you will see the heart of God.

Colleen’s writing has been published in the following online publications: Living By Design, Her View From Home, Inside Out Worldwide, Inkspirations, and in anthologies like From Ruins to Restoration, Mountains Moved: 45 Devotions of Bold Faith, and The Miracle of Prayer. She is a monthly blogger for Dressing in God’s Love.

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Connect with Colleen:
Website: authorcolleenchoward.com

Devotionals for the Heart: When God Gives You A Divine Interruption

Divine Interruptions During Ordinary Days
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“The mind of a person plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

—Proverbs 16:9 (NASB)

I like my morning routine. Part of that routine includes drinking coffee in my favorite chair while clearing my email inbox or reading a book. My chair looks directly out an east-facing window and most of the year I get a front-row seat to watch the sunrise.

The other morning, I saw an early text from my daughter and because my phone was on the couch perpendicular to my regular chair, I sat down on that couch and had a quick conversation with her. Through my peripheral vision, I caught sight of a spectacular streak of color out the window. It might have been one of the most amazing sunrises I’d ever seen. Later that day my Facebook feed was filled with pictures of that same sunrise from all over the area, so I knew I wasn’t the only one stunned by its beauty.

But the part that hit me the hardest was when I realized if I had been sitting in my usual chair I would have missed it completely. The sun is rising farther south than normal this time of the year and with our Christmas tree up, my window view is obstructed. If I hadn’t had a reason to be doing something different than I normally do, I would have missed a wonderful moment.

Divine interruptions are the best kind. The Bible stories we love are full of interruptions, especially the Christmas story. Mary was going about her life, planning to get married and start the next chapter of her story, never expecting a visit from an angel (Luke 1:26-38). The shepherds were in their fields, doing what they always did, not for a moment thinking that a choir of angels would show up to tell them to go find a baby in a manger (Luke 2:8-17). What amazing interruptions to perfectly ordinary days!

Do I cultivate a life that is open to God’s interruptions? Is my schedule so tightly packed that I have no margin for a moment of reflection? Is my heart so closed off that I don’t have a place for Jesus Christ to interrupt my day to show me something beautiful? Do I make myself available to let God direct my steps to someone who needs me at a given moment?

I want God to be able to change my routine, get me out of my comfort zone, hand me His Divine interruptions, and use me as He wants. To do this, I need to have my eyes open for opportunities and a heart willing to be moved. What would our world look like if we all lived every day this way? Let’s try it and find out!

Let’s Pray: Father God, help me to be open to whatever interruptions You want to give me in the next hour, the next day, the next year. Help me see what You are doing in the world and give me opportunities to work for your Kingdom alongside You. Shake up my routine and show me ways to love You deeper and to love my neighbors. In Jesus’s Name I pray. Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume. 

She has co-written several screenplays, including the film Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two college-age children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting.

~*~
Connect with Glynis:
Website: www.glynisbecker.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beckerglynis/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlynisBecker7

Devotionals for the Heart: God's Glorious Love for Humankind

Safe in the glorious, perfect love of God
A devotional by Jessica Brodie

“The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”

—Genesis 3:9 (CEB)

There is something about early morning that connects me in the deep, beautiful love I share with God.

A hush still envelops the world, and I hear only the birds twittering in the trees and the squirrels scavenging furiously for nuts, perhaps a few cars in the distance, but not enough to disturb. My house is quiet—the kids are drowsing in their beds. My husband is snoozing peacefully. Even my cat isn’t quite ready to move.

There’s a special magic in the air, and my heart and soul are still in dreamland, even if my body is in motion. I drink a glass of water and look out the window, marveling at creation and steeped in gratitude for all God has given us—given me. 

I brew coffee and think about the day, carrying God along for every step. He’s right there with me, and it feels so natural and right. We are close, still, before the day and its distractions threaten to drive a wedge between us, a wedge I’ll try to fight all day. But this early, there are no distractions yet. It’s just me and God, as it should be. As He intended.

We talk together in prayer, and I sit and read His Word, bathing in His presence. Thank you, God, is my refrain, sometimes spoken and sometimes thought. You, Lord, are everything.

Once in a while, I have a little extra time to go for a walk, and I lace up my sneakers and stride down the road to the lake and back again, a good two-mile loop before the heat of the day makes exercise unbearable. My connection stays with God all this time—I feel Him in every step, every breath, every beam of sunlight.

Sometimes it doesn’t happen like this. I oversleep, or I have so many things on my mind I crowd out such special time with my Creator. I read the Word, but my own thoughts and plans creep in, or my prayers feel rushed. The connection, on my end, is slippery. I have to work throughout the day to rein it in and stay close.

But I’ve learned over the years that this connection is critical to my love relationship with God. That’s “our time,” whether it comes in the early morning solitude or when I allow myself to fully relax and just be. And I strive as I grow in faith for “our time” to be “all the time,” with every breath and every thought.

I imagine that’s how it was in the first days, when God created Adam and Eve and they all lived in perfect harmony together (Genesis 2:4-25). They spoke together. They shared, loved, laughed, and talked. But then came the fall, when Adam and Eve broke God’s rule and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and their relationship was forever changed. They were driven from the garden. Their sin had become an eternal wedge, only mended through God’s grace in the form of His son, Jesus.

I like to think of my morning time as if I’m back in the garden with the Lord, sharing creation in pure accord as He’d intended. And I think of the distractions of my day, the things I put before God (even though I don’t mean to!), as that wedge—the forbidden fruit I must avoid. I know I’m not in the garden, of course. I know only through Jesus can I fully connect with God.

Still, I read these lines in the Bible, and they resonate profoundly: “The Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9 CEB).

Throughout my busy day, I hear God asking, “Where are you?” The question brings me back, and I remember exactly where I am: safe in the glorious, perfect love of God.

~*~
Author Bio:
Jessica Brodie is an award-winning Christian novelist, journalist, editor, blogger, and writing coach and the recipient of the 2018 American Christian Fiction Writers Genesis Award for her novel, The Memory Garden. 

She is also the editor of the South Carolina United Methodist Advocate, the oldest newspaper in Methodism, and a member of the Wholly Loved Ministries team.

Learn more about her fiction and read her faith blog at http://jessicabrodie.com/shiningthelight.

Devotionals for the Heart: Seeing God in the Morning, Noon and Night

Sunrise, Sunset
A devotional by Glynis Becker

“Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for I pray to no one but you. Listen to my voice in the morning, Lord. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.” –Psalm 5:2-3 (NLT)

“He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.” – Psalm 121:3-6 (NLT)

I would venture to say that most people consider themselves either a morning person or a night owl. Each of us has our own “wired in” way of interacting with the world. Some of us are up before the sun and can have half a day’s work done while everyone else is sleeping. That’s me, as long as the coffee pot is on.

Others don’t really hit their stride until afternoon and can work into the long hours of the night, way past the time my brain has decided to shut down for the day.

Since I’ve always been a morning person, I have a special affinity for sunrises. I love being awake enough to truly appreciate the pinkish light when the sun makes its first appearance of the day over the horizon. Even in the dead of winter, when our neighborhood is covered in dirty snow and not one leaf is left on one tree, a glorious sunrise gives the landscape a spectacular glow and a surprising beauty.

Sunrises are God’s daily reminder to us that His light and love are all around if we only stop long enough to see it. It’s a reminder that He cares for us – creatures of dust with lives as short as vapor – and wants to give us glimpses of the beauty He could continually provide this world if only we would let Him. He sees the potential in this new day and He wants us to not only see it, but come alongside whatever He is doing today and help Him bring His kingdom to pass.

So what about sunsets? Isn’t it nice how at the end of a busy or crazy day, God provides us a little while to intentionally stop, breathe, and calm the chaos? Sunsets are a reminder that the work will still be there tomorrow. There will always be a laundry list of things to do. The business of living will still be there after we’ve given our minds and bodies a chance to rest. And He will stand guard while we do, watching over us as we sleep.

While I may always be a morning person, I’ve decided that don’t want to be either a “sunrise” OR “sunset” person. I want to be both. Someone who appreciates the faithfulness of God throughout each day and pauses during those times to see Him around me, giving me strength to do the work, and comforting me as I rest. Both work and rest are necessary. And both are good.

My Prayer: Father God, give me eyes to see you in the morning, during the day, and at night. You are always with me and are always faithful. I love you and praise you. In Jesus Christ’s precious name I pray, Amen.

~*~
Author Bio:

Glynis Becker writes devotions and inspirational fiction, hoping someday to have a published novel on her resume. 

She has co-written several screenplays, including Sinking Sand, available on DVD and digital streaming.

Glynis, whose childhood was spent all over the country as an Air Force brat, has called South Dakota home for many years, along with her husband and two teenage children.

When she’s not writing or reading, she is watching more television than she should and crocheting. You can find her at www.glynisbecker.com.