Whenever I can, I wake up before the kids to spend some time with God. Usually this looks like writing out my prayers in a journal and then reading my Bible. I am in a reading plan that takes me through the Bible in a year but the main thing I love about this plan is you read a bit from different books each day. Right now it is having me read a Psalm, a few chapters from Isiah and then a chapter from 1 Corinthians. This plan has kept me engaged so much more than reading a handful of chapters from one book at a time and its the furthest I’ve gotten in reading the Bible in a year (previous years I usually give up around Leviticus). Here is the link if you are interested in this plan for yourself.
One thing that is interesting is I started this reading plan last October knowing I would fall behind. And I am, right now I am about fifty five days behind, but the readings have lined up so many times with something that is going on or God has on my mind. Lately the Psalms I read have felt like a direct answer to my prayers that I just journaled out. This morning I woke up feeling a little off and prayed about feeling down, and I told God that I wanted to drawn near to Him and feel Him close by today. I then went on to read Psalm 100 and the verse that stuck out to me the most was verse 3. This Psalm is one of thanksgiving and reminds me that we can give thanks to God whether we are in a season of blessings (which I am) or having a tough time. While overall we certainly are in a season of blessings, we have been walking through some very tough situations over the past few years and truthfully the reality of having four young kids gets overwhelming sometimes. You can feel like you are working so hard and trying to do so many things but some mornings just getting out the door is a battle and you are drained by 7am.
Verse three says:
“Know that the Lord, he is God!
It is He who made us and we are His;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture”
The words “it is He who made us and we are His” was like a response to my prayer saying I wanted to feel Him close by today. Through his living word He was reminding me that I am His and that he is my Shepard. A Shepard protects his flock and that gentle reminder through Psalm 100 was very comforting.
I pray that you are able to turn to God no matter how you are feeling and that this is a reminder that we can give thanks to him however we are feeling. He will respond to us and he will protect us.
