God is Bigger


Last week I kept mentally repeating a sentence to myself.

God is bigger than this.

It wasn't a particularly hard week, but still it kept running through my mind. Perhaps it was just a reminder that no matter what I'm dealing with, it's no match for God.

God is bigger than whatever problems I'm facing. {Tweet this}

He's greater than the worry I keep trying to give to Him and the emotions that often get the best of me.

He's stronger than any strength I can muster up.

He's more powerful than anything I can plan and accomplish on my own.

It reminds me that my perspective is limited, but God's is not. I can only see what's around me, but God sees it all.

He knows our yesterdays, our todays, and our tomorrows, and there is nothing He can't accomplish if it's in His will to do so. {Tweet this}

No matter what you're facing today, might you pray this Scripture verse with me?

We confess—there is nothing greater than You, God, nothing mightier than Your awesome works. I will tell of Your greatness as long as I have breath.
Psalm 145:6 Voice


We confess all that is in us and praise Him for who He is.

We sit in His presence, rest in His assurance, and wait for His plans to unfold before us.

And all the while, we bask in His love, His grace, mercy, and peace that we'll find nowhere else.

God is indeed bigger than this.

In Christ,
Laura 

[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]


What Others Think


Last week after work I stopped at Target for dinner ingredients and a few miscellaneous items. Not in a hurry, I stopped first in the cosmetic section where I met an employee, who also happened to be a cosmologist. She was very friendly...and loud...boisterous...with a voice that traveled for anyone in the general area to hear.

And she was so. much. fun!

We chatted. She talked about products. And I let her find the correct color for me—in the Target aisle...where other shoppers were walking by and, I'm sure, could hear our conversation.

I thought about this briefly as she wiped off the makeup I was wearing. I wondered if she had attracted attention our way, but I realized I didn't care because it was fun.

A day later, I was still thinking about it...

Why are we so concerned about the opinions of people we don't know and may or may not ever see again?

Why do we worry about being judged by people who are going to judge us no matter what we do?


How often do we keep ourselves from having fun because of what others might think? 

Maybe it's...

the movie no one else wants to see, so we go alone.

the question we ask even if we fear looking dumb.

the new activity we try even though we don't know what we're doing.

Or perhaps it's whatever we later regret not doing because we let the fear of what someone might think stand in our way.

When we constantly worry about what others think, we keep ourselves from enjoying the moment we're in. We miss out on things that can make us smile and distract us from the heaviness of life.

And sometimes it's the distraction alone that makes us smile and face the rest of the day.

In Christ,
Laura

[Photo credit: Unsplash.com]


14 Verses for When It Feels Like God is Silent


I’m convinced that emotions can wreck us. On any given day, I can go from laughing to crying; feeling angry to craving connection; feeling hopeful to feeling desperate. Emotions take us all over the place, use up what little energy we have, and leave us feeling spent.

Truth can get lost in emotions…if we let it.

For a while now, I’ve felt like God has been silent. I know He’s with me. I know He hears me, sees me, and knows every detail of my days. I know that. But, sometimes I don’t feel it.

As I pray, I’ve been reminding myself that the truth and how I feel are not the same.

In my frustration, I want to demand, God, where are You?!?

Instead, I’ve been confessing, Lord, I know You’re here, but I feel like I can’t find you. Why am I struggling to connect with You?

One expresses my anger, the other cries out for help. God knows I feel both.

Anger clouds my vision and opens the door even wider for doubt and suspicion. (Both of which are in the enemy’s arsenal.) But, expressing my need for Him keeps me looking for Him, watching for even the smallest reminder that He’s with me. It keeps me expecting to see Him.

I imagine I’m not alone in struggling between truth and emotions. Fortunately, God’s Word is filled with His truth to remind us He’s with us, even when it feels like God is silent. {Tweet this}

14 Scripture Verses for When It Feels Like God is Silent

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

When you face stormy seas I will be there with you with endurance and calm; you will not be engulfed in raging rivers. If it seems like you’re walking through fire with flames licking at your limbs, keep going; you won’t be burned.

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.

The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Don’t panic. I’m with you.  There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.  I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you  and wait expectantly.

My soul clings to You; Your right hand reaches down and holds me up.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What verses do you turn to when you’re struggling to feel God with you? {Tweet this}

In Christ,
Laura 

[Photo credit: Unsplash.com/@aaronburden]