The Upper Room Daily Devotional of Nashville,, Tennessee, United States "Higher Ground" for Saturday, 16 April 2016 with Scripture: Isaiah 40:1 “Comfort and keep comforting my people,” says your God.2 “Tell Yerushalayim to take heart; proclaim to her
that she has completed her time of service,
that her guilt has been paid off,
that she has received at the hand of Adonai
double for all her sins.”
3 A voice cries out:
“Clear a road through the desert for Adonai!
Level a highway in the ‘Aravah for our God!
4 Let every valley be filled in,
every mountain and hill lowered,
the bumpy places made level
and the crags become a plain.
5 Then the glory of Adonai will be revealed;
all humankind together will see it,
for the mouth of Adonai has spoken.”-------
The psalmist wrote, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth."[Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)]
I was driving when I looked up and saw the hills ahead of me. They seemed very tall. Then I drove on, my thoughts on other things and the hills forgotten. A few minutes later I looked up again and was surprised to see that the hills ahead weren’t nearly as high as I had thought. What happened to those hills? I asked myself. Then I realized that without my noticing it, the road had been climbing upward. I was now on higher ground.
So often my problems can be like those hills. They can seem large and insurmountable from the valley of my own perspective. However, when I spend time praising and worshiping God and bring my problems to God in prayer, then I move to higher ground. The problems no longer seem huge and insurmountable. From a perspective shaped by God, they have become something God and I can easily cope with together. I need to constantly make the decision to shift my focus from myself and the burdens of life to God. On higher ground with God, although all things are not easy, all things are possible.
Read more from the author, here."Cast Your Cares"
I was driving when I looked up and saw the hills ahead of me. They seemed very tall. Then I drove on, my thoughts on other things and the hills forgotten. A few minutes later I looked up again and was surprised to see that the hills ahead weren’t nearly as high as I had thought. What happened to those hills? I asked myself. Then I realized that without my noticing it, the road had been climbing upward. I was now on higher ground.
So often my problems can be like those hills. They can seem large and insurmountable from the valley of my own perspective. However, when I spend time praising and worshiping God and bring my problems to God in prayer, then I move to higher ground. The problems no longer seem huge and insurmountable. From a perspective shaped by God, they have become something God and I can easily cope with together. I need to constantly make the decision to shift my focus from myself and the burdens of life to God. On higher ground with God, although all things are not easy, all things are possible.
Read more from the author, here."Cast Your Cares"
A recent painting of mine was inspired by the verse in 1 Peter 5:7: “Cast your cares on the Lord because he cares for you." While deciding how to portray this on canvas I was reminded of my Dad who loved to fish. He would fish anywhere, but I remember him especially enjoying fishing from the beach. He would cast his line out with his long casting rod and wait for the fish to bite. He knew that he needed to cast out over the waves to a deep spot. If he didn’t get over the waves his line would be washed back to shore.
In the same way, I have worries, anxieties, fears and burdens that I need to give to my loving Father, and I’m sure that you do too. Sometimes our stresses can overwhelm us. At the moment I have a 13-year-old granddaughter in hospital recovering from major spinal surgery. The surgery went well and was successful; however, she is struggling with pain and the process of recovery. I need to give my cares for her to Jesus. I need to cast my fears into the deep of his great love and light, where my granddaughter is safe. I must watch that I leave my burden in the depths of his grace and not pick up the burden and start worrying about her again but instead thank and praise our good God for the finished work of the cross and all that means for her. I am reminded to cast my burden for her over the waves of worry and doubt or I will not experience the peace that God can provide. I like to be in control and it’s so easy to give my cares to God and then pick them up again!
Casting our cares is a lifelong process. I remember my Dad practising the skill of casting his fishing line on the sand. It didn’t come naturally to him but was a skill he needed to practice and learn until he had mastered it. Casting my cares on my Lord is something that I need to practice until it becomes a natural response.
I know that I can leave my cares with God because he cares for me. I am deeply loved by my Father God. He takes delight in me and longs for me to give my worries to him. His love is constant and past experience has proved him to be faithful and trustworthy. As 1 Peter 5:7 says in The Message Bible: “Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
May God bless you with his peace as you live the carefree life he promises.[Ann Stewart]
The Author: Ann Stewart (South Australia, Australia)
Thought for the Day:
I can decide to make God the focus of my life.
Prayer: Father God, help us to focus on you each day so that we can see things from a spiritual perspective and know that with you all things are possible. Amen.
Prayer focus: For perspective when problems seem insurmountable
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In the same way, I have worries, anxieties, fears and burdens that I need to give to my loving Father, and I’m sure that you do too. Sometimes our stresses can overwhelm us. At the moment I have a 13-year-old granddaughter in hospital recovering from major spinal surgery. The surgery went well and was successful; however, she is struggling with pain and the process of recovery. I need to give my cares for her to Jesus. I need to cast my fears into the deep of his great love and light, where my granddaughter is safe. I must watch that I leave my burden in the depths of his grace and not pick up the burden and start worrying about her again but instead thank and praise our good God for the finished work of the cross and all that means for her. I am reminded to cast my burden for her over the waves of worry and doubt or I will not experience the peace that God can provide. I like to be in control and it’s so easy to give my cares to God and then pick them up again!
Casting our cares is a lifelong process. I remember my Dad practising the skill of casting his fishing line on the sand. It didn’t come naturally to him but was a skill he needed to practice and learn until he had mastered it. Casting my cares on my Lord is something that I need to practice until it becomes a natural response.
I know that I can leave my cares with God because he cares for me. I am deeply loved by my Father God. He takes delight in me and longs for me to give my worries to him. His love is constant and past experience has proved him to be faithful and trustworthy. As 1 Peter 5:7 says in The Message Bible: “Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.”
May God bless you with his peace as you live the carefree life he promises.[Ann Stewart]
The Author: Ann Stewart (South Australia, Australia)
Thought for the Day:
I can decide to make God the focus of my life.
Prayer: Father God, help us to focus on you each day so that we can see things from a spiritual perspective and know that with you all things are possible. Amen.
Prayer focus: For perspective when problems seem insurmountable
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