“God, of thy goodness, give me Thyself;
for Thou art enough for me,
and I can ask for nothing less
that can be full honor to Thee.
And if I ask anything that is less,
ever Shall I be in want,
for only in Thee have I all”(Julian of Norwich).

Anything that we ask from God apart from God Himself will never be enough. And there can be nothing greater than to ask for God Himself.

It’s easy to get caught up in wanting things and results from God more than wanting God Himself, but what we’re asking for deep down is something God can only provide in and of Himself. No trinket, no toy, no relationship, no career could ever satisfy the deepest longings of our souls the way God can.

This little prayer from Julian of Norwich is something we all need to pray every day (though perhaps minus all the Old English thees and thous). We do well to come to God simply for God apart from anything else but simply to bask and rest in His presence and to be still and know He is God.

I’d like to say this is original, but it’s not. I do think it’s brilliant. It would be nice to invite all of you to visit me on my luxurious yacht somewhere out in the Mediterranean, but I’m not holding my breath on this one. Still, it’s clever.

“Joy happens not when all is well but when we are connected to what God is doing in the world– loving, saving, redeeming, caring. It’s not surprising that those who serve and share from their hearts find joy” (David Miller)

Sometimes, we think that for joy to happen, everything has to be going right. There can’t be any tragedy or pain or sadness. But I think we often confuse joy with happiness.

Happiness is based on circumstances, or on what happens. It’s an emotion and is as fickle as every other emotion. You can’t live your whole life on happiness. I can’t even make it through an entire day when I try to be happy every single minute of the day.

But joy is something else. Joy is an inner certainty, a calm assurance that God is over everything and working in everything for good. You can have joy even when you’re unhappy. Joy and sorrow can coexist. Joy and pain aren’t strangers.

Joy comes from having the right perspective because you’re focusing on the right things. Namely, you’re fixing your eyes on Jesus, the beginning and finisher of faith. The more you keep your mind on heavenly things, where Christ is seated, and less on earthly things, where nothing lasts, the more you will have joy.

I’m praying for joy for everyone reading these words. May all my brothers and sisters in Christ experience the true joy that comes from being forgiven and set free. May our joy come from being in the center of God’s will, serving and sharing and loving and caring those around us who God also loves. May our joy be overflowing and contagious. Amen.

“God uses broken things. It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. It is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever” (Vance Havner).

Don’t forget about the seed. Jesus taught that unless the seed falls into the ground and dies, breaking into little pieces, it remains just a seed. But when it falls apart, then it becomes something much greater and a multitude is born.

Also, remember that Jesus blessed and broke the bread and the fish before feeding the masses. As a wise woman said, that little lunch that would barely have satisfied a little boy ended up providing for thousands, all because it was blessed and broken and handed out.

God not only uses broken things, but it seems like He goes out of His way to include broken things and broken people in His plans. He chooses those that are nobodies in the eyes of the world to shame those who think that they’re somebody special. He chooses the weak to shame the strong, the lowly to shame the high and mighty.

Most of all, He chose you and me not because He had to but because He wanted to. If you’re looking and feeling broken, it’s only the start of a mighty work of God in your life for purposes that you can’t even begin to imagine right now. He will use your weaknesses to showcase His strength. He will take your failure and bring victory out of it.

Yes, God still uses broken things.

That’s it. Don’t worry. By the way, that’s not a helpful suggestion or a handy hint. It’s a command. It’s proof that God wants our obedience not as some sort of Cosmic Killjoy who wants to destroy our happiness but as a Gentle Father who only wants the best for His children and is looking out for their ultimate joy.

Have you ever heard the expression “sick with worry?” It’s not just an expression. You can literally worry yourself sick. You can shorten your lifespan through excessive anxiety. But God’s way is better. If you pray about anything and trust God with everything, you’ll find peace replacing worry at the center of your life.

I get that for some people, anxiety isn’t a mindset. It’s an actual medical condition caused by chemical imbalances. I’m completely okay with people who take medication for that kind of anxiety. Sometimes, it’s not faith or medicine, belief or science. Sometimes, it’s both.

But for most of us, anxiety is a choice. It might be a default setting, but it doesn’t have to be the automatic first response. The longer you walk with Jesus and immerse yourself in His Word and in prayer, the less you’ll find worry taking up a place in your thoughts. The more you’ll find that peace that passes all understanding really does guard your heart and mind.

Lord, make us people of Your peace. Help us to be intentional to seek Your way over the way of worry and anxiety, Give us courage to pursue counseling and medication if that’s what it takes. But most of all, may the Prince of Peace rule our hearts and minds more and more as we learn that it’s safe to trust in You. Amen.

“Lord, I praise You for being a good and faithful Father. Please remove any branches from me that aren’t producing fruit and prune those that are fruitful so that they might bear even more fruit. Remove any dead weight in me and remove anything in my life that isn’t pleasing to You. Make me more like You today and help me to bear much fruit today for Your glory. Amen.”

The Bible app has a guided prayer feature that I use every day. It’s a good way to center my thoughts and feelings on God. Often, it will voice my prayers to God better than I could. I’m all for coming to God with my own words, but sometimes it’s helpful to pray the words of saints who have walked the same paths as I have and have a lifetime of wisdom to share with me.

Anyone who knows anything about gardening (which I don’t) will tell you that pruning is essential to growth. If you don’t cut back dead weight, you hinder future growth in any plant. It seems counter intuitive to cut something to make it grow, but that’s how it is for those with green thumbs.

I don’t want anything in my life that doesn’t please the Almighty. I don’t want anything that keeps me from being all that God created me to be. The goal is not to be the best looking plant in the garden but to be one that bears fruit.

Ultimately, it’s about staying connected to the vine. When I’m disconnected, I’m as good as dead. I have no life apart from the Vine. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. Lord, whatever it takes, make me more like You. Amen.