Do you feel anxious today? Does it feel as if there is a gorilla sitting on your chest making it hard to breathe? Do you feel like you are being choked? Are there situations or circumstances in your life that are causing you to lie awake at night? Does whatever is burdening you lurk in the back of your mind all day long and no matter what you do or say it has a grip on you? No matter how big or small your worries are, you do not have to live with panic and anxiety.

The English word anxious comes from the Latin word anxius which means troubled or distressed. The Latin word anxius actually is derived from another Latin word – angere – which means “to choke, squeeze, strangle, or to press tight.”

Today I simply want to say that in those moments when you feel as if life is pressing tight in on you, and you feel as if there is no relief in sight, you can rest assured that God is nearby, ready to exchange your anxiety for His peace.

If you are looking for a verse in scripture to draw upon in those moments when you feel anxious, try memorizing Psalm 94:19 – “When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul” (ESV). The NIV puts it this way – When anxiety was great within me, your consolation (comfort) brought joy to my soul.” And, in The Message – “When I was upset and beside myself, you clamed me down and cheered me up.”

In context, that verse is preceded by this – “Who stood up for me against the wicked? Who took my side against evil workers? If God hadn’t been there for me, I never would have made it. The minute I said, ‘I’m slipping, I’m falling,’ your love, God, took hold and held me fast” (vv.16-18, MSG).

You might be asking, why would God want me to dump my messes in His lap? The answer is simple; He loves you and cares for you. Don’t take my word for it, let’s turn to the Bible. 1 Peter 5:7 cuts right to the chase, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”    

Turning to Jesus helps you get that gorilla off your chest that is making it hard to breathe. Turning to Jesus helps to remove that squeezed feeling you have when anxiety takes over your daily life (Matthew 11:28-30). And regardless of whether God calms the storm around you or calms you in the midst of the storm, He offers you a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:4-7).

So, right now, kick the gorilla to the curb, ask Jesus for an exchange, and then allow His peace to ooze all over you like gooey warm chocolate sauce on ice cream!

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.

When we lived in eastern North Carolina we experienced numerous storms that caused flooding. The city we lived in was at ten feet of elevation, and on the confluence of two rivers, so the area was very susceptible to flooding from any sort of rain event. In preparation for those potential high rain events, particularly hurricanes, one of the important steps needed was to put everything in low lying places up on higher ground. Lawn furniture was either brought inside or put on raised decks. Due to the low elevation, homes do not have basements.

Therefore, to avoid water damage in first (ground) floor living areas, furniture was put up on blocks and items sitting on the floor put on countertops or shelves. You could say that anything in a low place was lifted up to some place higher. Things were safer and more secure in those higher places.

From time to time, in life, we find ourselves in low places, in a valley. All we see are the mountains all around us or the once lush riverbed that has all but dried up. In those low places we are more susceptible to being swept away by flood waters. If we are not swept away, we find ourselves standing in mud and muck. And mud, it is slippery, and it is sticky. If we fall into a pit where the walls and bottom are mud, it is difficult to climb out. You ever been there? I have.  

Let’s look at these words of King David, found in Psalm 40 – “I waited patiently for the LORD he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand” (vv.1-2).

I so often write about waiting on God. Waiting on Him is not a passive ho-hum kind of waiting. Instead, it is intently waiting, attuning your heart to Him. It is waiting expectantly.

Turned to me seems to imply that God purposefully bent down toward David, not just to listen but also to reach out His hand to lift David up out of his current low place (slimy pit, mud, mire) with the purpose of securing David’s footing (rock, firm place).     

Waiting on God is also trusting in Him completely – “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods [run after lies]” (vv.3-4).

Notice that sandwiched in the middle of those verses, we are told that David’s faith and patient waiting, along with God’s deliverance, is an effective testimony, inspiring others to see (perceive), fear (reverence) and trust (assurance) in the Lord.

If you are like me, when I find myself in the uncomfortable low places, in the pit, standing in the mud, you want out hurriedly. I am not a patient person. I want to quickly climb out, shower off, and run to the lush green pastures. (God leads us there as well; Psalm 23). But I’ve found when I cry out to God and wait upon Him, in my moments of deep distress, that He has lifted me up, given me a firm place to stand, time and time again. He will do the same for you!  

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.

Life in this country looked quite different back at the time of my birth (1958) and my early childhood than it does today. Cultural and societal norms have changed. I did not come home from the hospital in a car safety seat. Instead, I likely came home in my mother’s lap, as she smoked a cigarette. Child safety seats became available in the 1960s, but few parents used them, and it wasn’t until 1985 that federal child passenger safety laws were enacted, requiring children to be restrained in a safety seat. The safety seat we brought our oldest daughter home in back in 1987 looked and operated very differently than the child restraint systems in place today, ones you need an advanced engineering degree just to put in or take out of your car. 

Seatbelts did not become required in all designated seating areas of vehicles until 1968. In was commonplace to have passengers sit unrestrained anywhere in the vehicle. In fact, on long trips, my brothers and I used to alternate lying on the floor of our car’s back seat, using the middle hump as a pillow. This floor space also helped us avoid much of the smoke cloud that filled our car, as our parents puffed away. Today, New Hampshire is the only state without seat belt laws for drivers or passengers 18 years of age and older.

As a youngster, I remember my father and other neighborhood men taking their wives to the Playboy Club, because it had the “best steak in town.” And I suppose he subscribed to Hugh Hefner’s magazine simply for its literary excellence. I cannot imagine getting all dressed up and taking my wife to an establishment where the hostess and servers all wear skimpy outfits or white bunny tails.

In the sexually charged 60s, if a woman decided to go braless, she was likely making a political and cultural statement and was considered “liberated.” Today, going braless is often more for health or personal reasons than the freedom from patriarchal norms imposed upon women throughout history.

Clothing styles and trends come and go. Some thankfully so. Men, any of you still have a leisure suit and matching silk shirt in your closet? Not that long ago, men wore suits and ties, and women wore dresses and pearls, when going out of the house or being seen in public. For those of you old enough to remember the television show Leave It to Beaver, June Cleaver wore pearls to cook and clean the house. 

Cultural and societal norms change all the time. Century to century, generation to generation, decade to decade, year to year, sometimes even week by week. What was viewed as acceptable yesterday might no longer be acceptable today. As the world around us constantly changes, we have a good, good God who never changes. James 1:17 tells us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from our Father of lights, with whom there is no variation of shadow due to change.” The writer of Hebrews says this, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8). God makes this promise in the opening words of Malachi 3:6, “For I the LORD do not change.”

Not only does God never change, but what He expects of those who call themselves Jesus-followers is to never change either. Here is what we find in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

So, in a world of never-ending and constant cultural and societal change, imagine the impact we could and would have if we simply remained unchanged in our desire to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our good, good Father. Now that is something to never goes out of style.

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.

I live in Pennsylvania, in a region often referred to as Amish Country. While there is much to love about this part of the country, I am not a big fan of cold snowy winters. A major snowstorm is moving across the country. Some areas have or will get more than a foot of the white stuff. We are forecasted to get three to six inches today.           

Rather than snow, I much prefer the mild winters of eastern North Carolina, which allows for barefoot walks on deserted beaches, the cool sand squishing between my toes.

And even though I prefer sandy beaches over cold and snow, I must admit that there is tremendous beauty in a snowfall. The untouched snow on tree branches. The untrodden snow-covered ground. Both are serene and pristine, offering a sense of calm and peacefulness. But it doesn’t take too long for that beautiful white snow to turn dirty and ugly.

You have likely heard the phrase “white as snow.” This conjures up an image of pure white. What better describes whiteness than snow? Not only the intensity of the snow’s color on a winter’s day, but also the purity of untrodden snow.  In Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” Autolycus sings “lawn as white as driven snow.”

Scripture tells us that every man, woman, and child is a sinner, falling short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We also know from Scripture that it is the blood of Jesus that cleanses us from our sin (1 John 1:7). In the Old Testament blood symbolizes the atonement of sin, the sacrificial cleansing that comes from the shedding of blood. And it is the blood of Jesus on the cross that cleanses us when we repent and turn from our sin.

Our lives are like that pure white snow; when we sin, that pure white turns dirty and ugly. However, because of God’s great love and mercy, by sacrificing His son Jesus Christ on the Cross to bear the penalty of our sins, when we turn from those sins (repent) we are made white as snow. Here is what we read in Isaiah 1:8 – “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”

King David spied on Bathsheba, the wife of one of his senior advisors, as she bathed on her rooftop. He had an adulteress affair with her, got her pregnant, and then had her husband Uriah killed as part of the cover up plot. The prophet Nathan confronted David about this series of sins. Psalm 51 is a beautiful psalm written by David after that confrontation. I encourage you to read this psalm in its entirety. It begins with these words – “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.” In v.7 we read, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

And in v.10 we find a plea that I include as part of my morning prayer – “Create in me a clean heart (a pure heart), O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” David goes on to ask that he not be cast out of God’s presence (v.11), that he be restored (v.12), and to be delivered from his guilt (v.14).

So today, will you humble yourself and ask God to forgive you of your sins? When you do, you become in His eyes whiter than snow, white untrodden snow, beautiful beyond all imaginable beauty.

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.

If you are like me, you are excited for this year but also maybe a little apprehensive. What will the year bring? Some of you wish that 2024 never ended. It was a good year for you. For others, 2025 couldn’t come soon enough. You look back on the year that was, and just sigh. Or worse.

You want a good verse to meditate on in 2025?

Allow me to offer some context for the verse I propose. It is found in Deuteronomy 11, which could easily be titled, Love and Obedience Rewarded. As the people of Israel journey toward the Promised Land, Moses gives them some instructions. I want to look at one of those instructions today. Moses tells the people that the land to which they are headed is nothing like the land they left behind. This new land in front of them will be different than the land behind them. This new land will require them to think and act differently. It is a land that God will tend and care for. Moses tells the people that if they rely on God, He will provide for them.

Let me parallel that image of a new and different land with the year in front of us. It is also a journey into the unknown. It will most likely be different than the year we just came through. Think of this new year was that new land that Moses talked about. I believe that God promises us the same thing – if we depend on Him, He will never fail us. Sure, there will be mountains and there will be valleys, there will be sun and there will be clouds, there will be bright days and there will be dark nights, there will be joys and there will be tears, but for those who trust in Him, no drought, no flood, no hurt, no fears, no disappointment, no loss, nothing, is too great for God to guide around or through.

Okay, let’s look at the setup verse… “The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden” (Deuteronomy 11:10).

Now, here is the verse I will meditate on each and every day in 2025, and I propose the same for you … “But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (11:11-12).

2025 is our new land! I do not know what lies ahead in 2025, but one thing I am confident of is this – “And my God will meet all (my) your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

I will end with another verse as well as song lyrics –

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD. That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8).

“This land is your land, and this land is my land … this land was made for you and me.” (“This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie)

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.

If you have ever been to the beach, you have undoubtedly seen the ridge of sand that lies between the beach and the land behind it. Sand dunes are formed over many years when windblown sand gets trapped by beach grasses or other vegetation. These dunes play a vital role in protecting both the adjacent beach and the inland areas behind them. In addition, dunes provide nesting habitat for coastal and migratory birds. In some areas, man-made dunes are created by bulldozing piles of sand to the back of the beach. At the beach that was nearest our home in North Carolina, each year local residents were asked to drop off the Christmas trees that would then be used build up and fortify the dunes.

We all have personal sand dunes, helping to protect us from harm. We put on suntan lotion to keep us from getting sunburned. We use bug spray to keep us from being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects. We wear hats and gloves in sub-freezing weather to avoid frostbite. To protect our yards and homes we install fencing and security systems. Hopefully you wear your seat belt when riding in a vehicle. Kids riding in cars must be secured by car seats, seemingly these days until they are freshmen in high school. I am inclined to do dumb stuff; so, thankfully, I have a wife who repeatedly acts as a dune, keeping me from harming myself or others.

One danger that many of us fail to protect ourselves against is the enemy of God, known as Satan; also referred to as the devil. The Bible uses other names as well. Here are just five – accuser, adversary, evil one, father of lies, thief. How Satan came to be Satan is for another day, but in my opinion, the Bible is clear that Satan does exist, and loves nothing more than to trick us, tempt us, and draw us into sinful behavior; behavior that ultimately harms us and others.

The vast majority of us have dunes in place to keep us from committing murder or robbing a bank. Where we often fail is in those things we categorize as “little” dangers; things like gossip, lust, greed, pride, stealing Post-It Notes from our employer, little white lies. Those little dangers (sins) are dangerous, no less so than the ones we consider to be big. And often when we are at our strongest, it is those times that we are also at our weakest spiritually.

A good illustration of this is King David. As king, he was enjoying unprecedented success, fame, and wealth. He was seemingly invincible. Or so he thought. I am sure you are familiar with the story found in 2 Samuel 11 in which as David stood on his rooftop he saw a beautiful woman bathing, and if you know that story (even if you don’t), it went rapidly downhill from there.          

Think of it like this. We all know to lock our front door to provide safety from the big and obvious dangers. But, so often, we fail to lock our back door, thus allowing Satan quiet, and often unnoticed, access to our lives. If you are a Jesus-follower, every single day you are in a spiritual battle for your soul. Thankfully, you do not fight that battle alone. God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is your personal sand dune, protecting you from Satan’s dangers. We find these words in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 – “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.”

Jesus, in showing us how to pray, offers this – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

The apostle Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God as a sand dune against the schemes of Satan (Ephesians 6:10-17).   

So, as you jump into this new year, do you have a sand dune built into your life to help keep you safe? And, because life erodes away at that dune, will you continually strive to keep that dune built up and fortified? Right now, ask the Holy Spirit to be your sand dune while keeping your eyes and ears open, looking for, and fleeing from, the dangers that lurk all around you.

If you are encouraged by this or any of my writings, you can subscribe to be notified by email when I post something new. To subscribe, click here. Once you put in your email address you will then get an email confirming that you wish to subscribe. Thank you.