Monday Eye-Opener: Near to All Who Call

As we look forward to the New Year and Epiphany, I carry favorite words and phrases of Advent in my heart. One of them is “Immanuel.” I remember singing the word “Immanuel” in Christmas carols as a child, and thinking it was such a pretty word. I didn’t know that it meant “God with us,” but I still loved to sing that word in Hark the Herald Angels Sing!. Now that I know the meaning of the word, I treasure it even more.

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (NIV)

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (ESV)

“God with us.” Not just this Monday morning, but always and everywhere. His grace and truth leading us, following us, surrounding us. 

“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.” Psalm 145:18



God is nearer still when we call upon Him. He is within us when we call upon him “in truth” — sincerely and confidently. 

“Oh come, oh come, Immanuel,” we sang in the weeks leading up to Christmas, “and ransom captive Israel.” Ransom our hearts and minds as well, from whatever holds us captive — worry, illness, anger, loneliness, or simply the dread of a new week. We earnestly call upon You, grateful for the knowledge that You were born in a dark time, but overcame the darkness.

Let’s recall the word “Immanuel” often and with gratitude as we approach a new year. 
Peace!

Monday Eye-Opener: Those Insecurities

“Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you.” Psalm 143:8 (NLT)

Mornings can be so hard, can’t they? Within seconds after opening our eyes, our vulnerabilities seep in. Sometimes they hit us broadside.

Before you start your week, remember who created you. Remember that His grace created you anew when you believed in Him, so that you could glorify Him and encourage others.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Remember that you are therefore beautiful. Yes, you. His grace fills His new creation with beauty that shines from within. Abeauty that can’t be surpassed and that will never fade.

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4 (NIV)

Finally, remember to share the news of His goodness with others!

“I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart and tell about the wonders you have worked.” Psalm 9:1 (CEV)

Monday Eye-Opener: Decisions, Decisions

Decisions, decisions. What to do first? As you sip your coffee, do you find yourself running through your to-do list? Is there a deadline or decision that kept you awake Sunday night? Something about Monday morning makes those tasks and decisions loom larger than usual. 

Help sure would be welcome about now!

“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

God’s word indeed offers unsurpassed wisdom to help us cope with deadlines, decisions and uncertainty. I find that the more I read and meditate on Scripture, the more sure-footed I feel in stressful times. Memorizing verses gives me a ready supply of hope and peace at a moment’s notice.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.” James 3:17 (NASB)

Where else can you find wisdom with all these attributes? And God’s wisdom and mercy are 100 percent reliable, “unwavering, without hypocrisy.” All we have to do is ask for God’s guidance — and most importantly, listen with a humble, teachable, and obedient heart.

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3 (ESV)

So as the week begins, let’s remember that the wisest, most reliable ally we could ask for is with us always. He wants to hear your prayers and questions. He’s never too busy or stressed out. Bring your concerns to Him, whether they’re about work, a relationship, school, health or anything else that kept you awake last night. What are the “great and hidden things” that you can learn, if you only ask?

Have a blessed week!

Monday Eye-Opener: That He May Lift You

Today we look forward not only to the new week, but also the beginning of the Lenten season. Lent is my favorite time in the liturgical year — a time to walk closely with the Lord through the wilderness and toward the cross and resurrection. 

My husband John said it well, when he wrote:  

“My heart tells me as the Lenten Season is upon us all I really want are these 40 days in relationship with God. Please say a small prayer for me I do not travel from this path.”  

That’s really what the whole story is about, isn’t it? There is some risk as we surrender our old selves and reach for a new life in Christ. Where will this path through the wilderness take us? We are not accustomed to humbling ourselves these days.

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” 1 Peter 5:6 (NIV). 

God loves a humble heart. Yes, God can lift us up with His mighty hand, if we let go of our agendas and pride and wait on His unerring timing. 

As my husband added, 

“Please pray I do spend the 40 days of Lent and thereafter with Jesus. I feel this is my imperative to creating a rich and beautiful life. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

A good prayer to open our eyes this Monday morning, don’t you think?

Monday Eye-Opener: With His Loving Eye

There’s something about Monday morning that brings a strong reaction. A glance at social media proves the obvious — that it’s not a popular morning of the week. But it’s also Blank Slate Day, with a chance to start anew. As Anne Shirley in Lucy Maude Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables notes, “Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it yet.”

In my Monday Eye-Opener posts, I hope to find bits of encouragement to share as we start each week. It certainly helps when we know that we have a loving God who is watching and guiding us.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8, NIV)

Did you catch that? God not only watches us and instructs us — He watches “with a loving eye on you.” He loves us! Any counsel or course correction from Him is therefore always for our good and to give us hope. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

When we dedicate our week to pleasing God who loves us, we direct our intentions and energies to the One who has the wisdom and strength that no one else has. The One who created us with a purpose. The One who has loved us since forever, and who never changes or breaks His promises.

What could be a better eye-opener than that?