Alone, maligned, wronged, mistreated.  She felt insignificant and like her life didn’t matter. She had not one person she could count on; she felt slammed by God.  Sure, she had not been without failings, but she didn’t deserve this!  Life was not fair. Betrayed and rejected, all she could think to do was to run away.

Peace be still. Jesus calmed the storm and He can calm our restless hearts. Lord, I invite you to quiet our hearts today, take us to that place deep within our spirits where you commune with us--- Let us leave aside the rush and strife of our daily lives and rest in the presence of the Living Lord. Let’s join Mary as she sits at the feet of Jesus, just to be with him. God is inviting us to come away with Him.

Jesus tells us in John 10 that His sheep follow Him and that they know His voice. This means we have the ability to discern His voice from all the other voices in our lives. We simply need to dial it down, turn off all the media that are shouting for our attention, and intentionally tune into the voice of God. Let’s do that for these next few minutes as we consider this passage from the Living Word of God.

Psalm 119 teaches that the entrance of Your Word brings light. Lord we are people who live in darkness and we want to abide and to walk in your light. Will you shine your light on us today as we consider your eternal Word? Will you bring your brilliance to any dark place in our souls?

Give us this day our daily bread. These oh so familiar words may have become trite to our ears, but they are profound. God meets us day by day with His daily bread, His eternal word. He will meet you today with his fresh manna that will nourish, strengthen and encourage you. He’s a personal God and He will meet you with just what you need for this day, this season.

Psalm 19 teaches us that the Word of God is more desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold. His word is a treasure chest that we turn to again and again for invaluable gems of truth. We will never get to the bottom of this treasure! So, Lord today we seek you, the pearl of great price, we tune our hearts to your heart.

Jesus tells us in John 4 that His Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. This is astounding --- our heavenly father who is Lord of all, is seeking something or rather, someone! May we be those people today as we turn aside from all the activities of our busy lives and intentionally focus on the majesty of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40 promises that those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength, they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get weary, they will walk and not get tired. Today let’s wait on the Lord, let’s turn our focus to Him, let’s listen with our hearts and see what He has for us.

Hope is the anchor of our soul. Our hope is rooted in the promises of God. These promises are certain and settled. We are confident that what He said, He will accomplish. His word is settled and sure. Our hope is secure.

Are you experiencing a season of grief or loss? Is there some sadness in your life that you are holding onto? You are invited through our reading to turn to the God of all comfort and see what He has for you today.