Real worry...

My prayer:

Thank you for a wonderful day Lord. You are so generous. My mind is still racing and worrying a bit but not as much. I seem to be letting worry get the better of me quite a bit these days. That is not usually a problem for me but lately my worry is outweighing my trust. 

I know I shouldn't let it. I know it does not good. I am doing all that I know how to stop it. But, I have not yet succeeded. 

I ask for your help.

What God Said Tonight:

The worries, the struggles and the battles are all very real. This is not a case of your mind playing tricks on you. Your worry is a result of the reality around you. 

However, there is another part of the reality around you. There is the part, the point that I am God. I am in charge of you and and your life because you have asked me to be. I will not let the circumstances, no matter how dangerous, get to you. You are mine and rely on me to get you through. 

My children have always had to live in circumstances that are threatening, because this world is not your home. 

In God's arms...

My prayer:

I am worn out God. This week has gotten the better of me. I am ready for your beautiful and rejuvenating rest. Thank you for always sticking with me and always bringing me through every situation. I love you and could not live this life without you.

What God Said Tonight:

Come, into my arms and rest. I will keep the world and the stress from you, at least for a little while. I will keep you in my peace. I will keep you in my protection. 

The world will still be there later. For now, rest in me and let the worries and stress of the world slide off. I am with you, I love you. You are being made well.

Stars...

My prayer:

Today was long and annoying. Nothing horrible but annoying. I don't want to dwell on it, that will just make it worse and bigger than it was. But, I don't seem to be able to think of anything else except for the long list of annoyances. 

Well, like the old saying says, since I don't have anything good to say, I shouldn't say anything. I can listen though God. Can you tell me something wonderful that erases this day?

What God Said Tonight:

I made the stars. Have you looked at them lately? They are pretty great. I made the mountains and the trees. I made you. 

The world is full of beautiful things that I made just for you, my child. My love for you is evidenced all around when you look in the right places. 

Get your eyes off of the barriers and  the problems for a minute and look instead upon what I have put here, now, for no other reason than to give you a bit of joy. I sprinkled your day with them. Spend some time hunting through your day and I bet you see them. 

I love you and tomorrow's focus will be better.

Violence...

My prayer:

Thank you for your help and peace today God! You are so good to me!

But, tonight, my thoughts are not really about me. Things down here are getting pretty bad. Daily shootings, hit and run car accidents, near constant violence and people treating each other like garbage. Add to it the craziest campaign for presidency of this country that I have ever seen. 

It all seems to be spinning out of control and the only thing I can do is pray and ask for your help. We have made a mess of things God. Please come help clean it up.

What God Said Tonight:

I have not abandoned or left you. I am right here and what have I always told you? You are under my protection. I will not let your life end in violence. 

Blankets...

My prayer:

Awesome Father. More than usual, I need your favor and your wisdom. We are walking into a make or break situation (at least it seems that way) tomorrow at work and I know from experience that with your favor, it will all go smoothly. Without your favor, it will blow up in a disaster. I pray and ask for your favor which you are so generous with. Thank you for your help tomorrow (and always).

I also need your wisdom. There appears to be a choice coming in my life and there seems to be equal but different rationale for choosing each side. Help me to make the right choice. Open the doors you want open for me and shut the doors you want shut. I pray for your will in my life.

Thank you for being my ever present help God.

What God Said Tonight:

Blankets have many different uses. You can cover up with them, sure. But you can also fold them up and use them as a a cushion to kneel on. You can also spread them out and have a picnic on them. You can use them as a towel. You can use them to make a fort out of them. 

Your life, your talents, all that you are can be used in many different ways. No one greater than the other and all useful in their right time. Just because you have found great success and satisfaction in one use of your talents, does not mean that there are not other uses. 

You have been more open to change, to the new things. Stay open. My opportunities for you may not always seem usual but they will always be for your good. 

I love you and I will guide you in all that you do. I will favor you, always. I will love you for eternity.

Evergreens and aspen...

My prayer:

Thank you God for your healing power and all of the people you healed tonight! I love seeing you do your thing! Thank you as well for giving your people such generous hearts. One of my favorite things is to see your children acting like children of God, loving and providing for others. We don't always get it right but once in awhile we do and it is beautiful.

There is one more thing I would like to ask for before the day is done. God, I pray for a heart of thanksgiving in me and in all your children. It is so easy for us to get focused on what we don't have and that next big thing that we often lose sight of the blessings that you have for us right now. I ask for a heightened awareness and appreciation for your right now blessings in our lives. 

Thank you Jesus!

What God Said Tonight:

Evergreens are unusual in that they do not change nearly as much as other trees. They stay green all year. They produce pine cones to reproduce. They are sturdy and stable. But, when you go on your hikes, how often do you look at an evergreen and say, "wow, what a beautiful tree." You don't. But the aspen, trees that change dramatically with each season, you see them and can't get enough of their beauty. You make special holiday trips just to look at them. 

There is something about things that are stable and unchanging that make it more difficult for you to recognize and appreciate them. It is not a right or wrong thing, it just is. 

I never change. I am , always. So, if you are going to appreciate me and the things that I do, you will have to make an effort. It may not come naturally all the time. Just as you walk through the evergreens, hoping to find an aspen grove, you walk through your life with me on the look out for the miracle. The miracles are great and beautiful but the everyday things I do for you, that don't change and are always there, those things are good too. 

Take time to appreciate the evergreens in your life. I love you.

Problems don't last forever...

My prayer:

I am so grateful to be at the tail end of this week God. It was a tough one and I made it only because of your mercy, grace and strength in my life. Thank you for everything. I have had a lot to say all week. I think it is time for me to be quiet and just listen. What is on your mind tonight God?

What God Said Tonight:

The problems in this world are very transient. They seem monumental at times but they are only for a moment, for a season. My joy is everlasting. My peace passes all understanding. My love is forever. 

Problems, pain, these things come but they also go. They are not from me. They are from the enemy and he is not the author of life so everything he creates dies. It is only here for a season. Every thing I create stands and does not change. 

I am yours, now and forever.