Category Archives: Listening

Finding Joy in Final Moments

Bible Passages

Read John 14:1-4

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

Devotion

A friend of mine, suffering from a serious illness for a very long time, texted me one night a few months ago. He wanted me to know he’d checked himself in to hospice care at the local hospital. I immediately prayed for him, then texted back for details so I could go visit him the next day, which I did.

He was in good spirits. He’d had several visitors before me, mostly family. He assured me his affairs were in order. His dog, his only companion since his wife died, moved in with his daughter. His will was finalized. He’d taken care of the myriad of minutia of his 70+ years, save a few things he handled from his hospital bed.He could no longer fight the disease consuming him, since it was too painful to eat. His meals came in liquid form, but he still didn’t eat or drink much.

I visited him every day. Every day I offered to pray for him. Every day, he told me he and God were good, and he didn’t need any fuss. When he would drift off, I’d sneak in a prayer anyway. On the fourth day, I felt him slipping away, so I prayed harder. As I lifted my head (he thought I was napping too!), I was suddenly filled to overflowing with joy. In fact, the whole room was filled with God’s love and joy!

As I opened my eyes, I saw and felt gigantic white wings encircle both of us! It felt like the room was full of angels. I could almost see them. I was witness to a miracle I’m still trying to sort out in my mind four months later.

I left shortly after that, knowing I’d never see him again on this earth. But the joy that filled me in that hospital room was strong and persistent. I drove home with tears running down my cheeks and a smile that stretched from ear to ear! I went to bed still overflowing with God’s love and joy.

The next day I went to the hospital as usual, but this time I stopped at the nurses’ station first. Yes, he had passed away.

I was so honored to have been invited to visit him during his final days. I was speechless and amazed that I was allowed to witness his moment of transformation! What a privilege it was.

That was such a special moment, and God allowed me to be a part of it. I will never forget how marvelous it felt. That joy starts welling up inside me all over again every time I relive that moment. Just thinking about it conjures up eager anticipation for my own special moment of transformation, once my work on this world is complete.

Prayer Focus

Those living or working in hospice care.

Prayer

Faithful and Heavenly Father, Who comforts those in distress, we ask You for Your comfort and peace when we fade from this earth. Remind us and those around us that this world is our temporary home. Our forever home is in heaven, where You have prepared a special place just for each of us. Hold us in Your mighty arms of protection and give us Your peace and joy as we make the final move into Your home. Comfort those we leave behind. Let them know we are not touched by death. Help them grieve, and fill the void in their hearts with Your love and joy.

Final Thought

This world is our home for just a short time. Our true home is in Heaven, where we will spend all eternity with the God who created this world and the entire universe! He loves us. He wants us to be happy. When we’re right with God, we will be filled with happiness and joy forever.

I Will Give You Rest

In this passage in Jeremiah, you are given God’s assurance that He loves you and He will do all the heavy lifting. Trust in Him.

Finances, family drama, drugs, alcohol, bullying, sex, jealousy, abuse, illness, physical challenges, mental challenges. All the things which burden you, don’t burden Him. Fixing these might take some time while He gets all the players and pieces lined up. It might involve earthly helpers like doctors or lawyers or accountants or friends. If we wait for His perfect timing, He will work all things to our good. Why? Because He created us. He loves us. He wants you to rely on Him for everything. He wants you to come to Him about everything.

What you eat, what you wear, where you go, who you trust. All these things are provided by the God who made you. He wants you to lean on Him, even in the small stuff. He doesn’t think of you as a pest. He thinks of you as His child. Yes, YOU are a child of God! Isn’t that amazing?!

“God Is Not a Slot Machine”

“God Is Not a Slot Machine”

Bible Passage

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

Proverbs 4:6

Devotion

“While it’s true the Bible says you get the desires of your heart through prayer and supplication, that does not mean you get what you want. If you read the entire chapter, Proverbs 4, it says you first have to align your heart with God. Once we do that, it changes the desires of your heart. When you’re aligned with God, your heart desires what God desires for you. God teaches us that He will “While it’s true the Bible says you get the desires of your heart through prayer and supplication, that does not mean you get what you want. If you read the entire passage (Proverbs 4), it says you first have to align your heart with God. Once we do that, it changes the desires of your heart. When you’re aligned with God, your heart desires what God desires for you. God’s Word tells you that He will ” supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Proverbs 4:19)

This is a hard concept to understand. You may have heard God referred to as a Sculptor. He forms you from clay, just as He formed Adam. When you pray for God to direct your path, you are inviting Him to teach you the things He wants you to know, and to do the things He wants you to do. It’s an invitation for God to change your heart. What you want becomes less important. At the same time, what God wants for you becomes all-important.

Yes, sometimes it hurts. There will be times when you fall to the ground in despair. There will also be times when you are so happy you openly weep tears of overflowing joy. As you grow and mature spiritually, the times of deep despair lessen. It’s not because your challenges vanish. It’s because you are more confident that God is with you and will see you through whatever it is.

Prayer Focus

Those struggling in their faith.

Prayer

Dearest Father, Maker of all things, Sculptor of my life, thank you for always being there with me in all things life throws at me. Strengthen me. Mold me. Help me to be more like Your Son, Jesus. Give me what I need to be what You made me to be, so I may bring You glory. Make me into a loving child who makes You happy. In the name of Jesus Christ, my God and Savior. Amen.

Final Thoughts

If I ask, God will bring my heart into alignment with Him.

A Godly Man

A Godly Man

A Godly Man

Some denominations use the title of Deacon to describe a lay person, who fulfills specific helper roles and responsibilities. In other churches, the title of Deacon is used as an ordained minister’s rank and well-defined duties and responsibilities. Deacons do God’s work, and help tend His flock. In this particular case, deacon refers to a lay leader.

I often listen to TVangelists. This morning, I was listening to Dr. Robert Jeffress. His story began, as with all good stories, with the introduction of the main character. His description of this person is what caught my attention. “He was a deacon, a godly deacon.”

Did you catch that? It seems to me he wouldn’t need to add the word ‘godly’ to describe this deacon.

It saddens me to realize that we, in these times, must add the word ‘godly’ to indicate a person filling such a role in the way of God. When that role was created, nobody had to question whether that person was godly.

As sad as it makes me, I can only imagine how deeply it must sadden Lord Jesus.

Ash Wednesday 2024

Ash Wednesday 2024

The Upper Room has been a staple publication in our house as long as I can remember. Today’s devotion was so wonderful and appropriate, I felt compelled to share it with the world in it’s entirety. I hope you get as much from it as I did. We all need to work on forgiveness. After all, The Lord’s Prayer does not say that God forgives us so we should forgive others. The Lord’s Prayer says God forgives us in proportion to how we forgive others. Present tense. Not past tense. Not future tense. Right now! Please join me as I review everyone I haven’t yet forgiven. I’m sure I missed someone. Lord, please help me to do a better job of forgiving. Amen.

Vol 90 No 1. Copyright 2024 by The Upper Room. All rights reservedf.

Bad-Mouthing Jesus

Bad-Mouthing Jesus

In Acts 9, Jesus appeared to Paul as a bright light from heaven. Jesus identified himself as “Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” [Acts 9:5] As Reverend Kenneth Copeland pointed out, Jesus didn’t say Paul was persecuting His people; he told Paul he was persecuting Jesus himself.

When we criticize our fellow Christians, we must be very careful. It is not for us to know what their mission is. We don’t know their personal battles. Leave harsh words for those who belong to this world. Criticism must be given in love, not “good intentions.” We are to correct our brothers and sisters when they step off the path, but only when and how the Holy Spirit tells us.

When we whisper behind their back, we are helping the enemy. STOP IT! Gossip comes from Satan’s toolbox.

When we are called to correct a fellow Christian, we are to pray for guidance. Let God work through you to lead the stray sheep back to the path of righteousness. God knows the right things to say and do. Give Him the lead on this, as in all things.

One Good Thing Each Day

One Good Thing Each Day

Psalm 100

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Finding Fun and Laughter

A child’s laughter is my favorite sound! It is full of sheer joy. A child can be fully in a happy moment. They aren’t concerned with who is watching them. They don’t care if they get loud and rowdy. Catching the scowl of an adult can sometimes start a whole new round of giggles!

When Jesus told us we must be like a child, I think this is one of the childlike qualities He wants us to have. Do you have that “joie de vivre” (exuberant enjoyment of life), able to take joy from the present? Can you still giggle for no apparent reason?

If it’s been a while since you really laughed, it’s way past time! Find something that makes you laugh. Watch a funny movie. Watch a good comic. Dry Bar is a good start at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvlVuntLjdURVD3b3Hx7kxw. Just laugh. It’s good for you and it’s good for the environment. When you laugh, honestly and unashamedly, you bring a smile and light and mirth to those around you. You can change the atmosphere in the room. You can bring happiness into your life and others, even if it just for a moment!

Prayer Focus

Someone needing to laugh and have fun.

Prayer

Dearest God, who created laughter for us, your beloved children, help us to laugh more and to enjoy the life you gave us. Remind us how to have fun and how to share it with others. Show us how to laugh, honestly and fully, with our whole bodies. Amen.

Today’s Thought

How can I share my joy and peace with someone who needs to remember how to laugh and have fun?

Help Wanted Near You

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Bible Passages

Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 (CEB)

Those who are gracious to the poor lend to the Lord, and the Lord will fully repay them.

Proverbs 19:17 (CEB)

Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.

Hebrews 13:16 (CEB)

Devotion

This ministry needs your help. I need your help. At this point, I am a one-person army. As much fun as it is, I can’t reach everyone who needs help. This is a worldwide ministry, after all. But, there are even needs in my own neighborhood I am having trouble fulfilling. Here are some of the people I visit in my small 55+ community. Of course, these are not their real names.

Mable lives alone. She is very frail. She has a lung condition that requires she give herself oxygen treatments every few hours. Like all of us, she has things she needs done around her house, including yardwork and mowing. I watched her walk from her kitchen to her living room, not very far at all, the other day. It took her more than a couple of minutes. There is no way she can do much for herself. Her son helps some, but he is not young and lives too far away to run over every time she needs help.

One neighbor, Sarah, moved in with another neighbor, Beverly, to take care of her as best she can. Beverly is also on oxygen, and I have never seen her without hoses in her nose. Sarah can’t drive anymore, so Beverly does the driving when they go shopping, run errands, or go to doctor appointments. Both ladies know this is not a very safe situation. Their primary need is for a driver, and help with grocery shopping and errands.

Violet is a shut-in, and needs someone to talk to, and to check in on her. She doesn’t leave her house. The only other person she sees is her caregiver, who came in on a Monday and found Violet had fallen on Saturday and badly injured herself. Worse, she was still where and how she fell, with nothing to eat or drink all weekend.

Theresa has scoliosis. Her house has some basic handyman needs. There is a soft spot in her floor at the entryway. She has a wiring problem she seems to think is minor, but needs to be fixed. There is an inside door that sticks, and when it does she has to walk all through the house to go the twenty feet from her kitchen to her living room.

I’m sure your neighborhood has a Beverly, a Mable, a Violet, a Sarah, or a Theresa. Look around. Do you have neighbors you have never seen, who are perhaps shut-ins? Would it hurt to just knock on the door occasionally to see if they are okay? Is there something you can do to help make their isolation a little less depressing and solitary? Even if they greet you gruffly and with suspicion, keep going by. One day, they will realize you are trying to be a friend. After all, it took time for them to build those barriers between them and their neighbors. It will take time to break them down.

Keep trying and keep praying. The rewards are well worth the effort! Join me, and we will conquer the world with love, one neighbor at at time.

Prayer Focus

Neighbors in need

Prayer

Lord, lead me to someone who needs my help. Show me how to reach out to them and connect with them. Let me be a blessing to them. Amen.

Final Thought

Join us!

Acting On a Dream

Photo by Mike Horton.

Bible Passages

13 Why do you complain against Him that He does not give an account of all His doings? 14 Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it. 15 In a dream, a vision of the night, when sound sleep falls on men, while they slumber in their beds, 16 Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction, 17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, and keep man from pride; 18 He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing over into Sheol.

Job 33:13-18 (NASB1995)

“I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

John 16:33 (NABRE)

Devotion

I have a friend who is a struggling Vietnam veteran. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep since he arrived in Vietnam. He was wounded, and pain flares up at times. He has also been a widower for only a few years. He misses his wife every day. He suffers inwardly much more than he lets on outwardly. He has told me several times that he lives in hell.

An ordained minister, he left the church after an incident in Vietnam. Fortunately, he never left his relationship with God. He is still very religious, and prays often. This has saved his life many times as he faces life’s difficulties.

Now retired, he makes and sells birdhouses, just to have something to occupy his mind and body. He does other woodworking projects from time to time, too. He makes beautiful furniture and decorative pieces. He is very creative and talented.

One day, he acquired a burled piece of wood he really liked, but had trouble figuring out what to make out of it. After it sat on a shelf several weeks, staring at him and begging him to make something with it, he asked God for help. That very night, he actually had a dream about it. God showed him exactly what he needed to do with that piece of wood.

With the help of an artist friend who painted the backdrop, he created the crucifixion scene pictured here. He added the crosses, but had trouble figuring out how to do the blood on Jesus’ cross. God whispered in his ear. Obedient, he grabbed a nail and pierced his own finger. He used his own blood as paint, letting it drip on the four places it was needed. He added the landscaping features and sealant. It looked just like the one in his dream.

Crucifixion scene in natural room lighting. Photo by Mike Horton.
Photo by Mike Horton.

He then brought it to his shop and put it on a display shelf. A couple of people asked him about it, but he could not part with it. A few days later, he decided to bring it home. He put it on a table in his living room, next to a scented lamp. He’d enjoy it when he passed by, but he didn’t really think much more about it than that.

Last night, he decided to light the lamp sitting next to it. Later, he left the room and turned the light off, forgetting to turn off the lamp. When he came back in the room, the cross grabbed his heart. Out loud, he exclaimed, “Whoa!” He got so excited, he took these pictures and sent them to me. Then he called. He just had to share the profound effect this had on him!

He actually got over 8 hours of sleep last night! A peaceful night’s sleep.

I believe God is using this to help him heal. By giving him a vision and a direction, God instilled in him an immediate love for that piece. Working on it gave him a new sense of purpose. His heart would not let him part with it. Now, having fully realized what he created, he is filled with a new sense of awe and wonder at God’s plan for his healing.

Side-by-side comparison of both photos.

I believe he’s going to be okay. It will take time, but he’s on the road to recovery. Obedience to God is vital to healing. Because he listened, he was rewarded with a new peace, which is beginning to settle in his soul.

Prayer Focus

War veterans

Prayer

Gracious God our Father, thank you for being there during our darkest moments, holding us tight and seeing us through to the dawn of a new day. Amen.

Final Thought

You will be amazed at what God can do when you obey.