On Saturday  November 8th, 2008 my world blew apart – literally.   I was carrying a package I thought was a gift when it exploded in my hands.

We had recently sold our cozy townhouse and were excited to move into a larger home with a yard for our daughters.  The day started out with a quiet breakfast of tea and cinnamon buns.   We were reflecting on the many fond memories from our time living in this wonderful, friendly neighborhood of beautiful Walnut Grove. Moving to a new neighborhood was going to be harder than we thought.

After breakfast, my wife Lynda and I kissed our two daughters ages one and three good bye as they joyfully went to spend the day with their Oma.   We didn’t want to  worry about them getting in the way during a hectic day of moving.  The moving truck and a handful of family and friends came right on time to help us load up and get on our way. One of the last items that needed to be loaded onto the truck was the BBQ. I tossed the wet BBQ cover over the balcony railing, and my father helped me carry the BBQ down the stairs. As I went to retrieve the BBQ cover from the back yard I discovered an unexpected package sitting directly in front of the back door.

“How nice!” I thought, “one of our friendly neighbors has left us a going away present.  I really will miss this neighborhood. It’s too bad the kids aren’t home to discover and enjoy this, whatever surprise gift they would find inside.”   As I picked it up and as I walked through the back room and into the garage I remember wrestling in my mind about what I should do with the gift.  Should I put it on the truck for the kids to open later?  Should I run it up to Lynda for her to open?  While I stood there wondering, the brightly colored package violently exploded in my hands.

The deafening blast felt like a vicious slap by a tsunami of fire.  It had enough force to send me flying backwards, violently knocking the wind right out of me.  I was stunned, injured and in excruciating pain. My first thoughts, next to the utter shock of realizing that it was a bomb, were towards God. Before I hit the ground I sensed a deep connection with him as I asked with great surprise: “What do you want to do with this?”

Lying on the garage floor, holding my face together and gasping for breath my thoughts quickly turned to how grateful I was that my two precious daughters were not here to experience this horrific trauma. I was also grateful that my wife was upstairs packing, and my father was in the back room picking up boxes.   The blast sent razor sharp shrapnel tearing through my face, chest, arms and legs. I was bleeding from my face and having a difficult time catching my breath. All I could do to breathe was to breathe through a scream. The garage was full of thick smoke and I could hear my dad and my wife Lynda calling for me. As I lay on the floor desperately trying to stop the blood that was gushing from my face I could hear many people scrambling and screaming for someone to call 911.

The bomb left me with a severely lacerated face, abdomen, chest, and arm. I had a hole in my abdomen and burns from my knees to abdomen.  My sinus was shattered and my jaw was cracked.   I was relieved to find so many people quickly coming to my aid. The police were just down the street when they received the many frantic 911 calls. And the ambulance seemed to only take minutes to arrive on the scene.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting outside on the sidewalk with a towel pressed up against my face. Then I was whisked off in the ambulance for a number of surgeries and 5 days in the hospital.

I had the opportunity to return to our townhouse after I was released from the hospital. I was shocked to learn the extent of the damage done to our home. The blast blew large holes through the walls, ceiling and even the cement floor. It even blew through the neighbor’s window across the street. When I saw the damage done to one of our hardwood dining room chairs that was waiting to be loaded in the truck, I knew that it was only by the grace of God that I was still alive.

The experience sent my family and entire community into absolute chaos, with everyone asking the question, Who would plan to bomb and kill an innocent family like ours?
While I have great confidence in the Langley RCMP and the officers who we have trusted to bring the people or person responsible to justice, a year after the incident, the question of who still remains unanswered.

While there is no evidence to suggest that the bomb was targeted towards me or our family in anyway, we can clearly see that whoever planned, built and carefully planted this evil device must have been tormented with incredible anger and hate.

Ever since our peaceful world had been so violently interrupted, I have become much more aware of the violence that continues to make headlines throughout our world and community.  Whether it is international news of a child suicide bomber, the latest victim of gang violence, or headlines of police being deployed with automatic assault rifles, we all recognize that something is terribly wrong with our world. We know deep in our souls that this is not how the world should be.

We are so inundated with acts of violence in our news whether it be from our local community or from the other side of the world that we are almost numb to it.  At least until it happens to you or someone you know and love.

We can try to ignore violence as long as possible, but every act of violence affects our entire community. One act of violence doesn’t just damage one life, it damages many others and potentially generations. Now through the power of the internet one act of violence is felt around the world, as we are increasingly becoming one global community.

I have recently read a book called Soul Cravings and I have really appreciate what my friend and author Erwin McManus has to say about the common thread between love and community as opposed to hate and isolation.

In entry 5 of Soul Cravings Erwin writes: The farther we move from community, the closer we move to violence.

Why is this? Because the farther we move away from understanding and caring for the needs of others, the closer we are to selfish judgment, prejudice and hatred.

This may not be true in every case of violence, but it seems to be true in the case of the quiet community of Jefferson County Colorado when two teenage boys planned for over a year to ruthlessly massacre as many students and teachers at Columbine High School as possible.

In Soul Cravings Erwin writes:

If I know nothing else about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, I know that they had given up on love. They no longer considered themselves as part of the human community. They cared for no one and cared about no one, not even themselves. Where there is no love there is no value for life. When hate consumes our hearts, all we can think of, all we desire is to destroy.
When there is disengagement from human community, there is the potential for inhumanity.

The human heart was not created to be a container for hate.

When we allow bitterness, jealousy, envy, racism, lust, greed, and arrogance to fuel our souls, we create an environment within us to be agents of violence.

We live in a time when the most terrifying bomb is not a nuclear one, but a human one.

As a follower of Jesus, I believe that we are created for love and to love, not to hate. I believe that we are created to live and thrive in community, not in isolation or exclusivity. The danger of loving nothing or loving ideas that teach that one view of the world is superior over another, is that these ideas only fuel racism and fanaticism.

There is a dramatic difference between fanaticism and love.

Fanaticism justifies and defines who you hate.

True love is unconditional – true love sacrifices oneself for another without expecting anything in return.

Unconditional love embraces and forgives and leaves no room for violence.

So if we are created for love, what happens inside a human being when belief in an ideology becomes more important than a human life?

I recently read that the security costs for the upcoming Vancouver Olympic Games were originally estimated to be $175 million dollars, but now critics are claiming the new estimates for security will push past $1 billion.  I am all for the games, and believe that we need to have security at the games. But it is the fear of violence that costs us all in the end. You don’t even need to know the ins and outs of world politics to realize that something’s wrong with this picture, that this is not what the world was created to be like.

How dark must a human soul become to justify taking the life of an innocent person just to make a point?

In light of what happened to us last November, this question resonates with us the most. Even though we may never know the true answer to the question of motive, I think it is what our entire community seeks to know.

I think my friend Erwin communicates the issue relevantly when he writes in Soul Cravings:

We stand in the midst of a human dilemma.

We long for community; we long to belong; we long for love.

Yet what we long for most we seem incapable of sustaining.

Humanity has no natural predators except each other.

We are safer in the jungle than in the city.

We are our own worst enemies.

I have heard many people say that religion is one of the main causes of violence and war, both historically and presently. As a person of deep faith and a follower of Jesus, I really think that the world has a skewed perception of the difference between organized religion and having a dynamic, life transforming relationship with Jesus Christ. It is through my relationship with Jesus that God has absolutely transformed my life.

As a Christian, my holy scriptures describe God as a loving creator and father. As a father who is deeply involved and concerned about his creation he knows the depth of our potential to hate, inclination to be violent, so he provided a way to deal with this problem through Jesus. Jesus took on the full judgment/penalty of God’s anger against humanity’s violence (Jesus took on all the violence).  A father who is passionately pursuing us much more than we are trying to pursue him. The Bible is filled with stories of God reaching out to us with mercy, grace and love despite our sin/wrong doings, how we make a mess of our lives, society. The main message of the Bible can be simplified to one simple yet profound passage:

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son. Who ever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” What great news!

It’s simply about trust and acceptance of God’s gift of love. I’ve come to discover that it’s not about do’s and don’ts or rules to follow, which is what the religions of our world has taught us to believe. In the book of Jeremiah, God says that he loves us with an everlasting love. God’s heart is that no one would perish but have everlasting life and relationship with him.

Again, I really like what my friend Erwin McManus says about love in his book Soul Cravings:

We speak of true love not only lasting a lifetime, but lasting forever.

We can’t manage [what’d it be like] to meet the standards of love [forever], and so we just accept that love isn’t all it’s made out to be. Prepare to be disappointed. Isn’t that the history of love? We can never live up to its standards. I think we recognize this when it comes to God. If God loves conditionally, we’re all in trouble. And this, when you whittle it down to its bottom line, is the basis of all religion.

God loves but on condition. Meet the conditions and gain the love. Love is something that is attained. Oh, we use different words for it—forgiveness, mercy, acceptance, grace—all really different words for love.

In this it appears that all religions are the same. They give God a name and then establish the rules that we must follow if we are to gain his favor and affection. I think this is why a lot of us see all religions as different ways of getting to the same thing.

Some girls want flowers; others, chocolates; others, meaningful conversation (and you thought the flowers and chocolates were expensive); all different ways of trying to get to the same place— to be loved, to find love.

Religion exists not because God loves too little, but because we need love so much. In the end all religions misrepresent God. They either dictate requirements for love or simply become a requiem for love. I think many of us have rightly given up on God on this basis alone. We’ve been told that God is a reluctant lover and that his standards must be met before there can be any talk of love. This is lunacy. Love exists because God is love. Our souls will never find satisfaction until our hearts have found this love that we so desperately yearn for.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is in the book of John chapter 8 when the religious leaders try to trap Jesus by bringing him a woman who was caught in the act of adultery. In that day the crime of adultery was punishable by a violent death of stoning:

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she said.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:3-11, NIV)

Through this passage we see God’s heart of unconditional love and forgiveness. The world seems to view Christianity as a set of rules, but this passage clearly reveals God’s true heart and love for people.  God’s main message is about relationship and forgiveness.

It is only through experiencing God’s unconditional love and forgiveness in my own life that gives me the ability to pass on love and forgiveness to others. Whether it be someone who cuts me off in traffic, or the very person who placed a bomb at my doorstep that nearly took my life.

If we really believe that the only way we are going to see an end to violence in our world today, and experience community in the way God has created it is to live a life of unconditional love as Jesus did.

And the only way I know to live like Jesus is to follow him.  God is good and approachable, he is not hard to find as he says in his Holy word. If you seek me you will find me when you seek me with all of your heart.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised. Is this the life for you?

If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest. Please let us know about your decision by clicking below, and let us know how we can help you continue your journey!

Have you ever made decisions about your relationships based on your feelings instead of the facts? When it comes to love, feelings rule the day. Emotions guide the ship. Goose bumps call the shots. But should they? Can feelings be trusted? Can a relationship feel right but be wrong?

Feelings can fool you. Yesterday I spoke with a teenage girl who is puzzled by the lack of feelings she has for a guy. Before they started dating, she was wild about him. The minute he showed interest in her, however, she lost interest.

I’m thinking also of a young mom. Being a parent isn’t as romantic as she anticipated. Diapers and midnight feedings aren’t any fun, and she’s feeling guilty because they aren’t. Am I low on love? she wonders.

How do you answer such questions? Ever wish you had a way to assess the quality of your affection? A DNA test for love? Paul offers us one: “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6 NIV). In this verse lies a test for love.

Want to separate the fake from the factual, the counterfeit from the real thing? Want to know if what you feel is genuine love? Ask yourself this:

Do I encourage this person to do what is right? For true love “takes no pleasure in other people’s sins but delights in the truth” (1 Cor. 13:6 JB).

If you find yourself prompting evil in others, heed the alarm. This is not love. And if others prompt evil in you, be alert.

Here’s an example. A classic one. A young couple are on a date. His affection goes beyond her comfort zone. She resists. But he tries to persuade her with the oldest line in the book: “But I love you. I just want to be near you. If you loved me …”

That siren you hear? It’s the phony-love detector. This guy doesn’t love her. He may love having sex with her. He may love her body. He may love boasting to his buddies about his conquest. But he doesn’t love her. True love will never ask the “beloved” to do what he or she thinks is wrong.

Love doesn’t tear down the convictions of others. Quite the contrary.

“Love builds up” (1 Cor. 8:1).

“Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light and will not cause anyone to stumble” (1 John 2:10).

“You are sinning against Christ when you sin against other Christians by encouraging them to do something they believe is wrong” (1 Cor. 8:12 NLT).

Do you want to know if your love for someone is true? If your friendship is genuine? Ask yourself: Do I influence this person to do what is right?

From A Love Worth Giving
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, 2002) Max Lucado
Used by permission

Question: Have you been influencing people you know (at home, work, school …) to do what is right?

About this Author: Max Lucado

Take action: Join Power to Change’s efforts to make a difference in the world by supporting our humanitarian partner Global Aid Network (GAiN). Explore what GAiN is doing to help people in the world and how you can help!

You said it: This week Em shared on the Into All the World women’s devotional, saying “It is so tempting and easy to ‘hate’ certain people, especially in this world. People can be so ‘unlovable.’ However, I know that is the way the world does things. We all need God’s grace, mercy & faith to help us to love.” Read the rest of the comments on Into All the World, and join the conversation on Devotional for Men and Devotional for Women, each updated daily!

Life Lesson: Secrets: How to Stop Hiding
Just before Adam & Eve sinned, “neither of them felt any shame” (Genesis 2:25). Yet soon after that, “they hid themselves among the trees.” (Genesis 3:8) Gee, that makes sense. “God’s coming! // Quick! Into the trees!” We do this too sometimes: We try to “hide” from God. Read more

Devotional: God’s Mission: Adoption
When we come to Christ, God not only forgives us, he also adopts us. Through a dramatic series of events, we go from condemned orphans with no hope to adopted children with no fear. Read more

Coming up next week: One of the topics of our upcoming online chats is “What gives meaning to your day?” Join us in the chat room November 9th 2009 @ 12:15pm EST for this chat or see also our full chat calendar for other upcoming topics.

Are you experiencing peace in your life right now? Do you want to talk to someone?

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”  (Galatians 2:20, NKJV).

In choosing to follow Jesus, we have two important decisions to make. The first one is, when we come to the understanding that Jesus died on the cross for us, and that when we receive His sacrifice on our behalf, we receive forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Wonderful!

The second decision is when we come to see that we have been bought with a price, purchased by His blood.  We are not our own, it is Christ who is to live in and through us.  We must come to the point of knowing that we need to surrender our lives to Him, and allow Him to be Lord  over all the details. When we are willing to make this second decision, He fills us with the power of His Holy Spirit, and we truly do become His hands and His feet to the world around us.

As those filled with the Spirit we begin to know a deep and abiding joy in spending time with Jesus through our prayer and Bible reading. We sense His presence and begin to know and experience His voice in the various ways that He speaks to us and leads us.

The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control begin to be evident to us and others. Our prayers go from “Lord, this is what I am going to do for you, please bless it” to “Lord, just tell me what you want me to do and I will do it!”

Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Galatians 5:24 & Romans 8:6, NKJV).

Questions: How are some ways that God speaks to you and leads you? How can the fruit of the Spirit become evident in one’s life?

About the Author Emmie Stanley

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NKJV)

In choosing to follow Jesus, we have two important decisions to make. The first one is, when we come to the understanding that Jesus died on the cross for us, and that when we receive His sacrifice on our behalf, we receive forgiveness and the promise of eternal life. Wonderful!

The second decision is when we come to see that we have been bought with a price, purchased by His blood.  We are not our own, it is Christ who is to live in and through us.  We must come to the point of knowing that we need to surrender our lives to Him, and allow Him to be Lord over all the details. When we are willing to make this second decision, He fills us with the power of His Holy Spirit, and we truly do become His hands and His feet to the world around us.

As those filled with the Spirit we begin to know a deep and abiding joy in spending time with Jesus through our prayer and Bible reading. We sense His presence and begin to know and experience His voice in the various ways that He speaks to us and leads us.

The fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control begin to be evident to us and others. Our prayers go from “Lord, this is what I am going to do for you, please bless it” to “Lord, just tell me what you want me to do and I will do it!”

Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Galatians 5:24 & Romans 8:6, NKJV)

Question: How could your spiritual journey be improved if surrender began to play a greater part?

About this Author: Emmie Stanley

For some people, getting pregnant is the easiest thing in the world.

November is National Adoption Awareness month,  a time to recognize a whole host of miracles.  I am amazed by, and so proud of,  the women who are willing to carry a child they cannot keep.  They tend a miracle for nine months and then do the unspeakably heroic: they let the child go.

Biology is not what makes a family, love is. A husband and wife become family by choosing to love each other forever.  Children enter families the same way, adopted or not.  It is not blood type or genetics that determine love.  Love is always a choice.

As Julie Stobbe wrote in her excellent article, “Life is Not an Accident”:

Through the years my birth mother had become my heroine.  I no longer thought of her as a loser or as an irresponsible young teenager. To me she had become an incredibly courageous young woman, a person of great strength and integrity. She had given me all the things that I never would have had if she had kept me or aborted me. I wanted to hug her and show her I had turned out all right. Every single goal I’ve ever accomplished has been a direct result of her decision to not abort me and to give me to my family. She put my needs before her own. It was not easy, but it was right. She loved me that much.

Life, love, and pregnancy, whether planned or unplanned, these are no ordinary miracles.

To hear the rest of Julie’s story, read her article “Adoption: Life is not an Accident”. If you have questions about adoption, if you’re pregnant and wish you weren’t or are not and wish you were, we’re here for you.  Send us an email and one of our mentors will respond.

Check out the new CWT site and let us know what you think!

“…for His name’s sake your sins were forgiven” (1 John 2:12).

We were flying to a conference. I was in the middle seat – certainly not my choice – but my husband and I have an agreement that if a woman is sitting by the window, I sit in the middle, if a man is in the seat by the window, Marvin sits in the middle.

Barely was I settled, when I discerned that the young woman sitting next to me was very sad and deep in thought. Making conversation, I asked her where she was from, where she was going and what she did.

She was a student and had been attending university in Poland – the homeland of her father. Then she told me sadly that her father had died. She had chosen to attend college in Poland against her father’s wishes and they hadn’t forgiven each other before he died.

She seemed so sad and I recognized a deeper issue. I asked her if she had forgiven herself for not complying with her father’s wishes. She answered that she couldn’t forgive herself and felt so guilty. Slowly, I began to tell her about God’s love and forgiveness. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, her sins were forgiven and guilt was removed. I encouraged her to believe that because God had forgiven her, she could forgive herself no matter how awful she thought she had been. As I spoke, I prayed and my husband prayed.

I told her about something I had done as a teenager for which I had felt guilty about for many years. How I had come to the place where I was faced with the choice of forgiving myself because Christ had already forgiven me or I could continue feeling guilty the rest of my life. I had chosen to forgive myself.

The light in her eyes went on. She began to understand she was totally forgiven and could forgive herself. She could be free and happy. “God meant for you to sit with me today, she told me at the end of the flight.

How about you? Is there something in your life for which you feel guilty? You don’t need to. Simply accept God’s love and forgiveness.

Father, thank You that Jesus Christ took our sin and guilt upon Himself at the cross. Thank You for setting us free. Thank You for Your love. Amen.

Questions: Can you think of a situation in your life that you need to forgive yourself for? How can one deal with one’s guilt feelings from the past?

About the author Katherine Kehler

Please open your Bible and read John 3:1-15.

Did you ever think of God as “up close and personal”? Instead of being distant and unapproachable, the Creator of the universe has constantly sought to come near to us. In order to save us, He chose to identify with us; He also made it possible for His Spirit to indwell us as our counselor and guide. God extends to everyone a personal invitation for an intimate relationship with Him and to follow Him closely.

If we look at His call to many people throughout Scripture’s recorded history, it’s clear that this is not a general, vague offer. (Jeremiah 1:5) God desires that you seek Him with all your heart so that you would find Him and the future He has planned for you. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

But before anything else, God’s first call to any of us is a call to salvation – He wants us to open the door of our heart so that He can cleanse us and do a transforming work in our lives. He calls you as an individual to receive His love, His forgiveness, and a new identity through spiritual rebirth.

Your eternal destiny depends upon your decision to answer His call with an open heart. To say “yes” is to embark on the adventure of a new life full of purpose – the life with Him that you were created to live. Have you responded to this incredible call on your life? If you have, reaffirm your commitment to Him. If haven’t answered His call yet, make today your spiritual birthday by receiving Jesus as your personal Savior and making Him the Lord of your life.

Question: Do you have an intimate relationship with God?

About this Author: Charles Stanley

I’ve seen a thousand Hallmark cards about love, but I’ve never seen one that celebrates trust.  I wonder why that is? Trust is silent, but vital.  If there’s no trust in your relationship you will feel it.  In love, as in life, we are constantly choosing based on trust.  Will he show up? Did she really mean that? Does he feel that way about me? Will she laugh when I’m gone?

Shakespeare warned us, “Love all, but trust a few.”  Love is easy.  Trust takes time and effort.  For many people, trust can be scarier than being in love.  Trust puts us in a vulnerable position.   But is this openness, this willingness to be seen that creates a place where love can flourish.  Although it can be scary, if the person is truly worthy of your trust, being in their hands is the safest place of all.

Trust allows you to reveal who you really are. In spite of all the tricks we use to try and impress someone during the early stages of dating, intimacy is founded on knowing and being known. Your partner has to get to know the real you – what you’re like when you’re tired, angry, frustrated, elated or talking to your Mom on the phone. He has to love you as you are, not as he hopes you might be.  And you have to love him the same way.  Anything less won’t last.

To learn more about trust, read “Can You Trust Him”.  If you have been hurt by broken trust or just have questions, send us an email.  Our mentors would love to hear from you.  And in the meantime, how about that card?

How real is your God? Talk to someone about that.

Join us for our Daily Devotional Chat today in our Women’s Chatroom at 10:30 am EDT.

“They sought God eagerly, and He was found by them” (2 Chronicles 15:15).

Eagerly: fervently, enthusiastically, readily, willingly, keenly. One dictionary even includes “raring to go” as a synonym! Many years ago we owned a horse that perfectly fit that last definition. While he needed firm encouragement to keep up speed on the way out of the stall, once the barn was in sight, this steed was definitely “raring to go.”

Is that how I approach my personal time with God? Do I enter my quiet space with fervor and enthusiasm? Am I ready to settle into His presence? Willing to hear His voice? Keenly aware that He stands ready to divulge His love through His Word?

The last sentence of the verse quoted above gives a hint of what might lie in store if my complacency were turned into eagerness: So the Lord gave them rest on every side. In the case of the Hebrew people, that rest was absence of war, but for me it could very well mean a settled confidence that God is in control, or perhaps a mind uncluttered with daily cares to hear His whisper of love.

Our horse headed for the barn because he knew that within it were shade, food and water—and a back unburdened by saddle and rider! We can know far greater sustenance and freedom if we make it a habit to “eagerly seek.”

“Eagerly seeking” takes determination and practice, Lord. Thank you for all you provide as I walk expectantly into your presence.

Questions: How eager are you to go to God’s word? Do you expect Him to speak to you? What are some things that you are anticipating to hear from God?

About the Author Marilyn J. Ehle