If you came over from Encouragement for Today, welcome! I’m so thankful you are here. We are in the midst of an amazing #livingalifeofthankyou series. Come on in. Make yourself at home. I can’t wait to get to know you better. ~ Suzie
One day I’m going to bungee cord.
I’m going to let them strap me in and I’ll step off. I’ll swoop down like a bird, and then boomerang back up.
It’s on my bucket list and I’ll post pictures when it happens. Maybe some of you will be with me, and we’ll do it together.
As exciting as this sounds, I don’t want the same experience in my faith. I don’t want to feel like I’m stepping off a ledge, only to plummet and then swoop back up, and yet that can happen.
A good day = up.
On a good day, God is good. On a good day, I am good. On a good day, life is working out like I hoped and so God must be in control.
A bad day = down.
On a bad day, God has forgotten me. I wonder if he sees what is going on. I question whether faith is worth it. Doesn’t faith equal a good life?
In Matthew 7, Jesus describes two houses. One built on the sand. The other on a rock. A storm sweeps down from the mountains, and batters the houses.
The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:25)
The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!” (Matthew 7:27)
The storm was the same; the outcome was different.
Why?
One house was built on the sand. The other on had its foundation on the rock.
This was no ordinary rock. This rock was under the sand. The builder had to dig deeper to find the rock below. This rock was unmovable, unshakeable. Building the house on the rock took more work. It took more time. It was tempting to set the foundation on the sand and take your chances. If you built your foundation on the rock, it would hold forever.
This verse might sound like Jesus is saying, “Work harder. Do more.”
It’s not that at all. He’s talking to his disciples and followers, whom he loves. He’s telling them that storms will come. We will face adversity. Life will hit us unexpectedly.
Anchor deep.
That’s his loving words to them. Dig deep into your faith. Come closer to me. Fix your heart on what is true over what is temporary. If you do these things, you’ll come through that storm.
I know that some of you are in a storm and the thought of #livingalifeofthankyou feels impossible, and yet Jesus is reaching for you with the same loving instruction:
Dig deeper into your faith, for it will hold you fast.
Fix your heart on what is true over temporary.
Come closer to me. I’m reaching for you.
Feel those hands of yours reaching for him. Yes, that’s faith!
Listen to those words coming from your mouth that say, “It’s hard, but I am not alone.” That’s courage!
Seek him before anything else. That’s building your house on the Rock.
Feel that inner peace that cannot be touched by your outward circumstances. It cannot be robbed. It cannot be taken from you.
Anchor deep, sis.
The skies will clear. The winds will die down. And you’ll be standing. A little battered. A little windblown, but your faith and your feet firmly fixed on the Rock, no matter what the outer circumstances are.
We will have up and down days. Because of Jesus we do not have to have up and down lives. #livingalifeofthankyou #ComeWithMe wp.me/p4jbdw-3YC Click To Tweet
There’s a Savior who loves you. He’s with you, even if you don’t feel it in the moment. Turn toward him. Soak in his presence today, and tomorrow, and the day after that. Invite him in to the bad days, and he promises to walk through them with you.
A good day = God is good and he loves you.
A bad day = God is good and he loves you.
Father, for my sister who is struggling, we are digging deep into our faith today. We aren’t going to rely on feelings, on fickle advice from those who say “just give up.” We feel the wind. We feel the rain. We feel the storm sweeping all around us. Yet we are thankful, for we are anchored in your love. Your strength becomes ours. Your hands hold us above the water, and keep our feet right where they need to be. Whether today is a good day or a bad day, you are good and we praise you for that. In Jesus’ name.
Back to that bungee cord. When I decide to take the plunge, I’ll tell you. I’ll probably need your prayers as I stand on the edge and take a leap.
As far as my faith, however; you and I will walk a straight line. Our heart secure. Our mind at peace. We’ll have a up and down days, but we won’t live up and down lives.
Suzie
Day #11 of 21 Days to Living a Life of Thank You
All week long we are looking at barriers that keep us from a life of gratitude. Tomorrow we have a special challenge and I can’t wait. I’ll share instructions tomorrow. I hope you’ll come back!
- Read today’s Encouragement for Today devotion where I shared how I was crying over an answered prayer. God was giving me something good, but because it brought challenges I couldn’t see the good in it.
- Read Jeremiah 17:8. Draw a tree in your journal or the margin of your Bible next to that verse. Put your name next to that tree. Draw the source of your strength.
Related resource:
Come With Me: Discovering the Beauty of Following Where He Leads
I do need to realize that God is good despite my circumstances. I have a wonderful husband and this year it will be our 20th anniversary. Throughout these years I have prayed for Him to accept the Lord Jesus in his life. He is from a Jewish background and at first seemed open to the Lord. After some years of hemming and hawing, he is definitely not open to my words. I am still involved in my church and read the Word, but desire the fellowship and unity that comes when we have the Lord as our center of the marriage. Pray I would be patient and loving, exhibiting the Lord in all my words and actions. I know this matter is in God’s hands and in His time. I know God is good despite the way life is now. Thank you for your article to inspire and give me faith to wait on the Lord.
“A good day = God is good and he loves you.
A bad day = God is good and he loves you.”
If anyone who reads this takes away nothing but this, they have gleaned EVERYTHING. Our standing is sure in CHRIST! You got me worshiping, Suzie! 🙂 Good stuff, friend! <3
I will worship with you, friend. God is good. He’s so very good.
I loved your anaology about the Israelites. I also appreciated your thoughts about the storm. I am going to write your prayer on a card for my friend who just lost her handbags.
Please pray for me. I’m battling clinical depression, panic disorder, anxiety and agoraphobia
Lord, cover Hilda with your perfect peace in the name of Jesus, amen.
Hilda, I encourage you to go to http://www.drmichellebengtson.com and check out her book, Hope Prevails. It helped me immensely in dealing with depression.
Merciful Father, we uplift Hilda and place her in your hands. You love her, help her understand how precious she is. She is created in your own imagine. Perfect by your blood. Pour your presence of protection over her. Amen
“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise-in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Psalm 56:3-4
Hold to the truth of our Savior and Healer. He loves you so.
Michele, Living Free Together Serve Team
Father, thank you for bringing Hilda to this community today. Lord, I thank you for your power that calms our anxious thoughts, that frees us from those things that hold us captive. Hilda is loved by you. She is seen by you. Thank you for daily walking with her, right where she is, until she crosses to the other side (and you’ll be with her then too).
Our current storm is a legal battle that we have found ourselves in because someone is out to intentionally destroy us…actually, it my husband that he wants to destroy but what affects him affects us both. This person is a former state trooper in our small town who, so far, has been able to do and say whatever he wants, with absolutely no regard for the truth and is getting away with it. I have learned that everything I thought I knew about the law is a lie. My husband is facing the possibility of a year in jail (and a huge fine plus court costs) for defending himself against a man with gun who threatened to kill him. I thought the law gave us the right of self-defense but no…not when the person pulling the gun is retired law enforcement. All my husband did was punch him…not the Christian thing to do I admit but not all of us respond with the right words or actions when threatened with a gun. If my husband goes to jail for a year, I don’t see any way that I will be able to keep our home. We are a 2-income family for a reason. We have already had to fork out money we didn’t have to pay for a lazy, shoddy attorney who has done absolutely nothing…but we simply couldn’t come up with enough money to get a decent lawyer but yet because we own our home (well..us and the bank), the judge said he didn’t qualify for a court appointed attorney. Please just pray that God will see us through this storm, and that my husband will be cleared of the charges against him. Thank you!
Prayers for you and your family, Donna, as God walks you through “the storm.” Michele, Living Free Together Serve Team
Lord, you are aware of every detail. Please bring truth to light. Open doors that seem closed. Help this family that is in such a hard place. Let their faith shine in Jesus’ name, but may you shine even brighter as you hold them close, as you walk with them.
Your devotional at Encouragement for Today impacted me greatly. Thank you for your words and I find myself looking past the obstacles towards God’s faithfulness and provision.
I just keep thinking about what you shared!
A good day = God is good and He loves me.
A bad day = God is good and He loves me.
Oh what joy to truly live like I really and truly believe that! I want to live that and be an example to my daughters, who have allowed what type of day it is to determine the joy in their lives. I hope this makes sense. My prayer request is for my daughters to live a life of thankfulness no matter what kind of day they may be having.
I read a wonderful quote today by Dr. Tony Evans (father to Priscilla Shirer), “Faith is acting like it is so, even when it is not so, so that it might be so, simply because God said so.”
Powerful! It’s one thing to say I have faith and quite another for me to act in alignment with God’s truth, even though I can’t SEE the outcome.
Praying but also thanking God! I’ve asked the Lord to bring our kids out of public school and back to homeschool. We homeschooled for 3 years, they went back to school this year and the Lord has seen fit to answer our prayers in allowing us to homeschool again, only this time, much like Suzies answered prayer, I too am crunching numbers for potential co-ops with no money planned for curriculum, yet I am being asked to walk by faith and I just can’t see the silver lining…. all I can do I be reminded that God is at the helm, he did say yes, and I have to trust and let go for the rest, here goes…..
Praying for you and your family Emily. God will provide the resources!!
Lord, thank you for answered prayer. You gave the Israelites manna — enough for each day’s needs. We ask the same for Emily and her family and we praise you for it. Thank you for your provision.
Prayer request my mom fell at work little while ago and is in the er to get CT scan.I need a job.husband needs healing in his hands and he struggles in school. I also have pain in my left shoulder back and neck that’s making it hard to move.thank u for praying on my behalf and thank you for giving us this opportunity to win.
Father I lift Noel and her family up to you. Provide them healing and give them your peace. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord, we lift these requests to you and at the same time we praise you that we can come to you so freely. You are aware of every need. We thank you for healing, for provision, and for the blessing of your presence over this family today.
Noelle, you are the winner of the autographed copy of Come With Me. Please send your mailing address to me. Blessings!
Thank you for your message today. I have a prayer request for a dear family friend named Jim who is battling cancer.
Lord, we lift Jim up to you today. May his heart and faith be secure in you. May he sense you close. Ease his pain and fear, and heal his body with your powerful healing touch. In the name of Jesus.
Thank you Lord for your sweet son Jim. You know the cries of his heart for healing. Thank you for your gift Lord when Jesus conquered all sickness and disease at the foot of Calvary. Your Word says, “…thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” There is NO cancer in heaven and in Jesus’ name, I declare heaven to invade earth and break off any and all cancer in Jim’s body. Praising you Lord for all healing and total restoration, Amen.
I liked ” either on a good day or bad day = God is good and He loves you.” My grandpa always said no matter what happens it is a great day. “God is good all the time.”
My prayer request today is for me, my kids and my niece to get this place i am applying for. We are in dire need of our own home. i know i serve a God who answers prayers if it is in his will.
Father I lift Savina and her family up to you in prayer. Provide for their needs and guide them in their steps. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
My prayer request today is to love Jesus more. For Him to be my greatest dream over every earthly thing or being.
Father open Joy’s heart to you. Take her deeper in love with you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
A great reminder that come what may,I need to be anchored to the Rock!
I am so new to my faith journey (I mean just a few days into consistent prayer and bible study) and I cried reading this. What beautiful encouragement and so timely! I almost feel as if it was written just for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
The Lord absolutely has a way of bringing us just what we need, at just the right time. Praying for you as you step into a life devoted to Him. It will be the greatest journey of your life!
I always pray that these words will land in the hearts of those who need them, and who are on his heart. I love that you took time to share that. I pray I (and all the others who come here) can be an encouragement to you in your faith. I’ve walked with Jesus for nearly 40 years now. That’s crazy, and I’m grateful for every day. Welcome to this beautiful journey!
What beautiful encouragement, Suzie. Thank you. We don’t have to have up and down lives because of Jesus. That is something to remember on my many up and down days. Also, just because my feelings may be up and down, doesn’t mean my life is! I have Jesus!
Good luck with that bungee jumping! You’re braver than I am!
Suzie, thank you for all the encouragement you give us. I loved the analogy of the bungee cord. I will cheer you on but not participate 😃 I love your book and your 21 days. Thank you for following Gods’s way for you.
No bungee cords for you? : ) I will need many to cheer me on. I have a fear of heights.
I first want to say thank you for the invite!! It is so warm and personal and I look forward to your words each and every day! My prayer request is that you are able to continue your work to reach out and touch more women in their daily struggle! This reading today was so poignant for me as these last few months have been riddled with fear and anxiety and worry. Somehow between these readings and praying, sometimes out loud and certainly in the middle of the night and early morning hours has helped and His Peace and Serenity comforted me. We just built a house and have been in it now for 6 months and I was thinking about watching it being built on that firm foundation and my Husband and I prayed over every corner of our lot and wrote our family and friends favorite scriptures all over the walls and beams before they dry walled, we also buried our marriage covenant that our 3 girls (we are a blended family, 2nd marriage for both of us) signed along with us in the foundation…talk about built on a rock!!!
Please pray for my girls and I as we are still in a spiritual and financial battle with my ex husband, their father. Please pray that he and his mothers eyes and hearts become open to what they owe us financially via a court order and judgment as well as back child support. I fret over this every day and I want to be free from it and I want Brooklyn and Claire’s hearts healed form the hurt and abandonment…
Thank you, in His Name, AMEN AND AMEN!! God Bless You!
Melisa, What an awesome testimony-I love how you and your husband prayed over and wrote scriptures on the very walls and foundation of your home and included your children. Lifting your financial needs, ex husband and his mother-also for your daughters hearts to be healed. God is in the healing business for sure!
I love the idea of praying over the walls and foundation and burying a family covenant within the floor. That’s powerful!
I was a little surprised recently when I took a spiritual gifts assessment. They had changed dramatically. I remember my friend telling me almost 2 years ago that I will come out of a negative broken pit I call the black hole. Depression, anger, unforgiveness and open wounds of rejection. “You will get through this and you will come out of this stronger than you have ever been. God is with you and I believe this to be true.”
At the time she was one of the few that showed love, not pity, grace instead of avoidance. The assessment confirmed what we both knew was true. I had emerged stronger. I glowed with God’s love.
I know God is preparing a hard right turn in my path. I want to know the Why, What, and How. I get little steps. I am still discovering insights about myself, and my roots grow a little deeper. They are attached to bedrock deep below the surface. It helps me when I am afraid. I am so grateful for this 21-day adventure learning about myself.
Oh Lyn! How I get this! I was also dragged into a pit of negativity, depression, anger, bitterness, wounds of rejection – all of it and more! And I also just KNEW WITH ALL MY HEART that God was going to use it ALL for His glory, and my good. Why? Because I was determined to keep seeking His will above my own, listening to His voice above all the others, surrendering to His passions instead of succumbing to my own. It has NOT been easy. Our human nature is completely opposite from the Lord’s, and when we are broken and hurt it’s even harder to reject our desire to lash out, get back, or give in. But Praise God, He has given us a great Helper! By the power of the Holy Spirit, and the truth and comfort of God’s word, we can have victory over all of it! It’s not to say we won’t stumble. I have many times. But we keep seeking and striving. And He is absolutely faithful! I promise you — He is faithful! “For we know, that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28 I cling to this verse every day! I love that you are looking INWARD instead of focusing only on the outward. That’s so key! God’s got this! You’re doing all the right things! Blessings to you
Hi Lyn, it is Michele O. God wonderful, He the Source (as Suzie called Him in her blog yesterday), holds true to His word. He pulled you out of that pit and He will continue to love you through life moments that you do not always understand. I am praying and thinking of you.
That’s beautiful. I love how we come out on the other side stronger because of the Rock.
I have a prayer request. We need confirmation from God on having another child. There are lots of things in the natural that would make having another child difficult. I want to be sure God is calling us to this and not just my own desires
Believing with you for God to give you peace and wisdom. Trust in His timing 🙂
Father, while knowing your will is not always easy, you also are not a God of confusion. So make your will known to Tracy and her husband. Give them clarity and wisdom. You are with them always. You will help them always. Bless them for their desire to seek Your will above their own. Give them peace that YOU are the giver of life – and they only need to trust in You and honor You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
I have had a lot of bad days in the past several months since I lost my Dad. I believe that God is with me, and I believe with all my heart that my Dad is with God in Heaven. But that doesn’t make me miss him any less. My Dad was my compass. He always seemed to know just the right things to say and do to keep me on the straight and narrow. I’m beginning to see that I allowed my Dad to come before God. When I should have sought God in prayer, I called my earthly Father instead. I have repented for that, and I know I am forgiven, but I still miss my Dad. I miss his laugh, his wisdom, his love. I struggle with my grief every day. I would ask that you pray for me to find peace and that I would seek God first from here on out.
I’m so sorry, Alicia. Praying for you to feel the comfort of your heavenly Father. Praying that God allows you to never forget your sweet daddy’s laugh, wisdom, and love. May you feel your dad close every single day through the love of Jesus.
Grieving is such a necessary part of saying goodbye. Praying for you today.
Alicia, I hear your sorrow and missing your dad in your words. I am sorry. Grief and healing come in stages. I pray for peace over you as you move through those stages. Remember, you are not alone. I say that a lot. But I know, God is always with you, and He understands your grief. Me too is what He is saying to you right now. Peace my friend.
Love Love the analogy of the storms being the same and our faith calling us to draw closer to Jesus. This not only encouraged me but was able to share with our son who’s in middle school and really having a tough time with social issues. Thanks Suzie!
My daughter struggled immensely in middle school, Lee. Praying right now for the Lord to scoop your son up and carry Him through this difficult time. Praying for strength and courage to stand up for what he believes, but to be surrounded by encouragers and dear friends who will do the same.
Thank you Crystal!
I needed this today. To remember God’s truth, and not to listen to everyone telling me give up. Strong Faith. Thank you for your encouragement.
Do not give up! The Lord is your strength, and He will give you exactly what you need to keep going in him!
Thank you so much for this encouragement. So Thankful i found your blog today. Ijust found out on got shingles on top of 2 bad weeks. But God is faithful.
Oh Carrie, I am so sorry! I’ve heard those are incredibly painful. Praying for healing and peace in Jesus name!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am not only encouraged, but am FINDING courage in my Faith. Press on.
Cheering you on!
Thanks for the encouraging words. I’ve been working through the loss of my father and it has been so incredible how God brings just the right words I need to hear at just the right time.
I’m so sorry for your loss, Kathy. Praying you feel comfort in the arms of Jesus as you mourn the passing of your sweet daddy. May you feel Him close as he guides you.
I woke this morning feeling hopeless. Your devotion was what I needed to hear. God is my Rock! That’s all that matters.
De, I’m so sorry. I am sending hugs from MO your way. Praying that you feel Jesus wrap you up in him arms today as he offers his love, acceptance, and comfort. May you feel surrounded by encouragement in the midst of your trial.
Dee, when we stand on the rock we can’t be hopeless. He is the ruler of all. Praise Him, Worship Him, Stand in His Word. At the end of a bad day we can look up and instead of darkness we see His light. Live for eternity.
I praise God that a complete stranger lifted me up this morning by responding to a need in my life. God is good!
Reaching for a huge hug all the way from NW Arkansas. : )