Tag: meditation monday

Musing on Isaiah 42:16 Blurred Vision

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Ever feel like you need your eyes adjusted? Things in life seem so blurry. Uncertain. Me too. But we have the hope of One who gives sight to the blind. Who brings clarity to blurry circumstances. 

Wednesday, we’ll be talking about a man who saw blurry. But in an instant, Jesus miraculously re-calibrated his brain. So come by and be encouraged, blind one. God shows no partiality. 

Musings/Meditation Prompts: Remember times when you’ve walked blindly. Muse on the sight God gave you, even if it was hindsight. You made it out. God can be trusted. He’s a tender remedy for blinded eyes. A soothing balm for irritated vision. 

If you could see one wonder before you die, what would it be? 


Musing on Hebrews 13:20-21 God of Peace and Power!

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

The God of peace. I love that the author of Hebrews starts off with this. Why do you think that is? I think because all those works planned for us won’t be easy. I think they’ll come with questions and statements like:

“God, is this really what you want me to do?”

“God, what do you want me to do?” 

“God, I can’t do that.”

“This seems hard. Too hard.”

“I’m confused.”

“I’m scared.”

“This isn’t working out like I thought.”

“How can this be good or pleasing to you? You do see this, right?”

“Am I in your will? I don’t even think I know what your will is!”

“Oh for the love, Jesus, talk to me!!”

I think it’s a right-off-the-bat reminder that the God of peace is working and if he’s our God, then he’s also our peace. No matter what what questions we have or statements we declare.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to blog about this week until my good friend, Melissa Tagg wrote a guest post about Leviticus on Jenny Hale’s blog. So join me Wednesday, don’t be scared!, while we dive into Leviticus and the peace offering and what significance it has on us today. I promise to guide you to some fascinating treasure pulled from what some might consider dry places (including myself once upon a time). 

But for today…

Musing/Meditation Prompt: The God of all peace…are you at peace right now? Why or why not. Think on the amazing power it took to raise our Lord Jesus from the dead! That same power resides in you? Think of that everlasting covenant. You belong to him! Forever. God has marvelous plans for you. Think of occasions when you fulfilled some of those plans. Trust God today with them.

What would you say robs you of peace most quickly? What is one thing you can do today to change that?

Musing on Psalm 31:24

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Sometimes God will
ask you do something so far out there you have to ask, “God, was that you
or that extra chili dog I ate last night messing with my brain?” Those are
the times we have to lean on this verse. Be strong, take courage to obey and while
He works behind the scenes, wait, hope and expect!
I have a such a
great story to share with you about wild commands, crazy actions and a long,
long wait full of hope and expectation and yes even questioning, doubt, and
angst. So come back on Wednesday!
Musing/Meditation Prompts: What promise has God
given you? Are you waiting with hope and expectation or are you full of anxiety
and doubt? How can you actively take courage today to revive that hope and
expectation? Strengthen yourself by musing on past victories, past promises fulfilled.
What
is one thing you can do today to take
courage?

Musing on Exodus 14:13-14: Winning Battles

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

 

 
This could be one of
my favorite verses in the Bible. Of course, I say that about every verse we
muse on. What I’m going through at the time determines my favorite verse for
that moment.
 
On  Wednesday we’ll unpack this verse. Does being
still mean doing nothing? What is the difference between standing firm and
being still, or is there one?
 
Meditation/Musing Prompts: Look at the picture
with the little girl walking alone on the beach. Miles of sand. A huge ocean at
her back and sides. How does this photo parallel to these verses? Put yourself
in the place of the child. Think about times God has fought for you. Meditate
on the deliverance He brought, the victory you felt, let it encourage and
strengthen you for the next challenge/battle/war that comes.  Examine yourself; do you let God fight for
you? Think of some times you tried to fight in your own power, how did it turn
out? Picture the LORD as a “a Man of War, trained for battle” take
comfort in His expert skill and leadership.
 
Prayer for today: Lord, with all the miles we
have to walk, the hot sand on our feet and an endless ocean of battles that
seem too hard to beat, with taunting waves that threaten and overwhelm us, we
know that you fight for us. That you love us. We are not alone. Thank you for
the times you’ve delivered us, extended and lavished grace and mercy. Thank
you, that you never fail us. You never leave us deserted and alone. Even when
we feel like you do. Thank you that we don’t have trust our emotions, even when
our faith sinks and we can’t trust that, we can trust the facts. The facts of
your word are true and faithful. They are reliable. They are guarantees. And
your word says, that you will fight for us. You will deliver us. You will show
yourself might and strong on our behalf. That you are with us to the very end.
Bless your name, Lord.
 
A
picture says a thousand words. In your own words, what do you see when you look
at the above picture? It can relate to the verse, but it doesn’t have to. It
can be serious or funny. I love to see how each mind is unique and thinks
differently. It’ll be fun reading the comments, come back if you have time and
see how we all look at one picture but see many different things!

Words From the Lover of Your Soul

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch
 

I can think of nothing that gives me warm shivers like the book of Song of Solomon, especially when I understand the meaning according to my Savior–the Lover of my soul. It’s a beautiful love letter (like all of the Bible), but it’s intimate. Lovely. And yes, even romantic.

Wednesday, we’ll unpack this verse. I think it’s fitting since this week we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day. There is no greater special Someone than Jesus Christ, Himself. 

Musing/Meditation Prompts:  Reflect upon the times Jesus has spoken to your heart words of affirmation, reassurance, hope. When was the last time He asked you to rise up and come away with Him? What did winter look like in your life before Jesus blew in a new season of spring? Muse on His goodness for seasons. The passing of old ones. The springing forth of new ones.

 

What season would you say 
you are in at the moment? 

Musing on Proverbs 19:23

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

Today’s meditation
and musing comes from Proverbs 19:23. Here it is in a few other versions.
“The fear of the Lord leads to life;
then one
rests content, untouched by trouble.” NIV
“The fear of the Lord leads to life,
 and
whoever has it rests satisfied;
 he
will not be visited by harm.” ESV (English Standard Version)
“The fear of the Lord leads to
life,
And he who has it will abide in satisfaction;
He will
not be visited with evil.” NKJV

We’ll unpack this
interesting scripture on Wednesday. The key question: If we will not be visited
with evil or harm, then why does evil and harm happen to us? Hmmm…. Yep, there
is an answer and we’ll discover it in our study.
Musing/Meditation prompts:  Reflect and ask yourself what fearing the
Lord means to you? How can this lead to life? If I feared (had a deep awesome,
revering respect) the Lord how would my life look differently? Contentment to
me is….? How does my version of contentment line up with what scriptures says
about contentment? Remember when God satisfied you during evil and/or
frightening times. Give Him praise for those occasions.
What
does the perfect restful 
day look like to you?
Here’s mine: I would
sleep in (you know till like 8:30 lol) and my back wouldn’t hurt from being in
the bed too long. Coffee would already be brewed. I’d spend some time in my
Bible and chatting with the Lord then  my
husband would fix a big calorie-killer breakfast. Yes, it would involve bacon.
The house would be dust and clutter free. Candles lit. I’d read on my hammock
(since the day would be a perfect 70 degrees with sunshine and a light breeze).
Take a nap if I wanted. Write. No fussing or questions from children. My dog
wouldn’t have fleas or poop on my tile. And the Lord would be so close I could
breathe Him in. Then I’d take a hot bath, put on fresh PJs, climb in bed and
read the Word before going to bed. Perfect restful day!
**Feel free to pin the photo to your Pinterest board! If I knew how to put a “pin it” button on my blog, I would! If you know how, email me. jrpatch(at)yahoo(dot)com

Reaching the Top

Posted on by Jessica R. Patch

It’s another Meditation Monday! I love the following verse. Truly, I do. And since we’ll be talking about Daniel on Wednesday, I thought it would be fitting to meditate on some of his most powerful God-breathed words. 

“…the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great
exploits.” Daniel 11:32

Meditation Prompts: Think about your accomplishments, education, abilities in comparison to simply knowing God! God is looking for those who will get to know Him to do great things. He’s not looking for the smartest, prettiest, best dressed, best mom, dad, sister, brother, teacher, or the richest. He wants someone who is willing to give them their time–to know Him! What dream is inside you that will take strength? How can you know Him better today? 
What does knowing God 
look like in your life? And why do you think people who know God can be strong and carry out great exploits?

*Just a reminder, I’m now offering critiquing services! Are you entering the Genesis contest? About to query sample pages? Need a fresh eye on your manuscript? I’d love to partner with you to make it shine. Please see my Critiquing/Editing page, with endorsements, HERE! (at the top right of the sidebar)
*photocredit for repelling: freedigitalphotos/SuraNualpradid
**photocredit for climbing a mountain(first photo) freedigitalphotos/SuraNualpradid