Spiritual Rhythms

  • Knowing God, Spiritual Rhythms

    Finding Delight in the Lord

    • by

    What do you think of when you hear the word “delight”. What picture comes to mind? Do you picture a child’s face on Christmas morning or a dog who is joyfully running free in a large field without a care in the world. Maybe you picture biting into the best pastry in the world and savoring every bite.

    When I think of delighting in something, I picture experiencing joy, pleasure, contentment and a sense that all is right in this moment. I’ve had several moments of delight in seeing my kids grow up or spending quality time with a friend, or delighting in being in nature, hiking to my favorite waterfall, taking in all the beautiful spring flowers and the warm sunshine on my face.

    But the best kind of delight comes from times spent delighting in the Lord. In the Bible, delight is defined as finding supreme pleasure, satisfaction, and affection in God and His will. It’s more than a fleeting emotion; it involves an active turning of our heart toward God, producing a tender, loving, and trusting relationship with Him. To “delight yourself in the Lord” means to find your ultimate joy, satisfaction, and fulfillment in God rather than in the things of the world. 

    God created so many wonderful things for our enjoyment. As we delight in those things He created for our good pleasure, ultimately we are delighting in Him. Our hearts can’t help but overflow with gratitude and love when we think of all He has created and done for us because He loves us.

    We don’t just delight in the Lord but He delights in us as well. We see in the Bible that God takes great pleasure and delight in His people. 

    For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory. Psalm 149:4 NIV

    The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NIV

    How amazing is it that the God of the universe delights in spending time with you and me?! It isn’t an obligation or a have to, but rather a delight simply because you are His precious daughter. 

    When we take time to delight in the Lord we find a deeper sense of joy and strength in our faith. Often when we think of delighting in the Lord, we think of time spent in worship at church or in time reading our Bible, and those are part of delighting in the Lord, but I’m talking about a deeper level of delighting. 

    What I want for you is the kind of delighting that finds joy in simply dwelling and abiding in the presence of the Lord. The kind that comes from resting in the knowledge that you are loved by the God of the universe and that He delights in you. It’s the kind of delight that says, “the joy of the Lord is my strength” (Nehemiah 8:10). This deep, abiding kind of delight is a proclamation that no matter what we are facing in life, whether good times, bad times or difficult times, we can always find joy in God and in his promises–for He is our strength.

    One of the most common scriptures about delighting in the Lord is found in Psalm 37:4 and says, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart”. We often hear this and think it’s an if-then statement. If I delight in God, I will get what I desire. But this verse isn’t merely a prescription for getting everything you want, rather, as we delight in God, our personal desires begin to naturally align with His. We begin to desire the things He desires and thus He gives us “the desires of our heart”. As we spend quality time with our God, enjoying who He is and who we are in Him, we become more like Him and our will bends toward His, shaping what we long for so that it matches His perfect plan. As we delight in the Lord, our heart longs to want the things of God and we desire more of those things that are close to His heart.

    This kind of delight develops a close relationship with the Lord that makes it easier to surrender our plans and desires to the Lord, trusting Him and His timing. Psalm 37:23-24 says, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” 

    If you are unsure how to start delighting in the Lord, begin with paying attention to the things you find joy in this week. Take note of what you find delight in. Then spend some time dwelling in God’s presence, whether that is going on a walk or curling up in your favorite chair with your Bible. You could even write down some of the verses in this devotional to remember how much God delights in you. The goal is to spend a little quality time with your Heavenly Father. Finding joy in God’s presence means actively enjoying God—savoring His character, spending time in His Word, and resting in His love. May you find delight in the One who loves you beyond measure and experience the joy and peace of living life with Him.

    Read more

  • Prayer, Spiritual Rhythms

    Connecting with God in Prayer

    • by

    I love the ocean. I love everything about the ocean, watching the rolling waves and how they repetitively reach for the shore, inhaling the salty sea air, listening to the seagulls above. Part way through my morning walk while on vacation, I would always stop to sit on the sand and lean against a beached log to soak it all in. I love admiring the LORD’s handiwork in nature as I rest in all that He has created around me. No matter where I am in the world, I always like to walk to the edge of the ocean and put my hand into the water. This makes me feel as though I am connecting myself to the Pacific Ocean which is home. As I focus in on the repetitive lapping of the waves, I watch how they continually roll up and reach for the shore, over and over again. It is a reminder of how God is always reaching out to us. In order to connect with God, we too, have to reach back out to Him. One of the best ways we can reach out and connect with our Heavenly Father is through the act of prayer.

    Prayer is an incredibly powerful force and this divine privilege is available to us. Prayer connects us directly to God, making it possible for us to have a deep and personal relationship with Him. Prayer is one of the most important aspects of our daily Christian walk. As we look at Jesus’ life, we can see that He was a great man of prayer and had a very strong relationship with the Father through prayer. The Bible shows us how Jesus prayed passionately to the Father as He could be seen offering up “prayers and petitions” with “fervent cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV). Jesus being ‘God in the flesh’, nevertheless, saw the importance of prayer while He walked on this earth. Knowing this importance, Jesus calls us to pray as well and gives us examples of how to pray (Matthew 6:5-13).

    During a conversation with a good friend some time ago, I remember her sharing how she had heard a woman speaking on the importance of daily prayer. The speaker had told her audience if a person were to pray for 30 minutes a day for six months, their life would be radically different compared to a six-month period without daily prayer. This really caught my attention. I have never forgotten those words of the speaker. It made me think that if I were not in daily prayer with the Father, I was somehow shortchanging myself. I concluded that without regular prayer, I would not be able to completely fulfill the plans which God has for me.

    At first, I thought 30 minutes of prayer a day to be a fairly large segment of the day, especially if one’s days are busy. However, as with making the time to read God’s Word daily, making the time to pray daily started out as a process for me. As part of my daily routine, after reading God’s Word in the morning, I make time to pray as well to make sure that I am connecting with the LORD on an intimate, personal level. This was definitely a process for me. I began with 10 minutes of prayer a day. Then, just as I had increased my daily Bible reading over time, I soon increased my daily prayer time to what worked well for my lifestyle. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you my friend to try and find a daily rhythm that works for you to ensure you have a quality prayer time with your Heavenly Father.

    There are so many resources available to us about the power of prayer. One article I found to be very informative was “The Importance of Prayer: 10 Reasons Why We Pray” (Reece, A., 2024). I would like to share some of what I learned as follows.

    Prayer can bring us closer to God. It builds and strengthens our relationship with the LORD. I once remember reading that God’s greatest desire is to have a deep and intimate relationship with each one of us, His beloved creation. If you haven’t already done so, you can try welcoming God into every part of your life through prayer. Sound exciting? It is! It’s an incredible journey and something so wonderful to wake up to every morning. As we take the time and reach out to our Heavenly Father with an open and sincere heart, we can share everything with Him, including all our thoughts, feelings, heartaches, hopes and dreams. The LORD assures us that if we prayerfully reach out to Him, He will be there listening to us as His Word says, “Then you will call on Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” (Jeremiah 29:12 NIV). What an amazing and wonderful promise!

    Prayer can increase our faith and give us hope. As we pray and ask for God’s intervention regarding our circumstances, we are letting go of what we are in control of and allowing God Almighty to step in and be in the center of things. Letting go and trusting God, helps to build our faith as it exercises and develops our ‘faith muscle’, so to speak. God knows the future, we don’t. He also knows what is best for us. Therefore, letting go of things gives God the complete control of whatever our situation may be. As a result, we can simply rest in His care and feel hopeful regarding our situation, as the LORD promises us “Those who hope in Me will not be disappointed” (Isaiah 49:23 NIV).

    Prayer can give us a sense of true peace. When partnering with the LORD in prayer, we can keep in mind that we are never on our own. When we pray and surrender our circumstances to Him, we experience His divine, supernatural peace. This peace holds us steadfast and protects us from wavering, no matter what our situation may be. God promises that because of prayer, His peace which “transcends all understanding” will “guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NIV). Also, a little food for thought, it is a well-known fact that people who pray regularly tend to be less anxious and more content with their lives.

    Prayer brings us closer to God and glorifies Him, saves lives and transforms lives, equips us and strengthens us, increases our faith and removes obstacles, guides our path and shows us the way, anchors us in rough seas and brings us peace, heals us and renews us, brings us freedom and blesses us with joy. Prayer is the solution to every one of life’s problems.

    To help make prayer a part of my daily routine, I found that it made things easier if I committed to a regular prayer time each day. Soon, I found that the more I prayed, the easier praying everyday became, and with time, daily prayer became a habit. Also, the more time we spend with the LORD in prayer, the better we get to know our Heavenly Father.

    I like to begin the day with prayer and then pray throughout the day as opportunities present themselves. I choose to pray in the morning so that I can ask God to be over all the details of my day. A day when I have asked God to be over every detail of the day, as compared to a day when I did not ask this, made for two very different days. By asking the LORD to be over all the details, I found that things run so much more smoothly, efficiently and joyfully.

    Using a prayer journal for my prayer time is also very helpful. Jotting down prayers can help me to stay focused. Furthermore, if I have an intruding thought during my prayer time, e.g., remembering to make a doctor’s appointment, etc., I can quickly jot it down on a back page of my prayer journal and attend to it when I am finished with my morning quiet time. Keeping a prayer journal enables me to check off answered prayers as well which is so encouraging. This helps to increase my faith and acts as a reminder to thank the LORD for what He has done in my life and the lives of others.

    We can all feel very busy at times. However, I never want life’s busyness to keep me too busy to spend time with the LORD. It is good to be mindful that spending time with God in prayer is a way of honoring our LORD with our time. It also helps to build our eternal relationship with Him. Let us be encouraged that when we pray, God hears every one of our prayers. He never ignores one of His children’s pleas as His Word says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).

    My dear friend, I want to encourage you today to examine the days entrusted to you. Take a few minutes to ask yourself where you think you can consistently set aside time to be with God in prayer each day. This will ensure that you are connecting with the LORD on a deep and personal level. Your first step might be merely reaching out to God and telling Him that you need help with how to pray or making time to connect with Him daily.

    Wherever you are in your faith walk my friend, be assured that God is always there for you. All you need to do is reach back out prayerfully in order to connect with Him.

    My heartfelt prayer for you is that you find the time each day in this busy world to set all things aside and enjoy a quality, quiet time with the LORD, prayerfully connecting with your Heavenly Father and strengthening your eternal relationship with Him.

    Read more

  • Prayer, Spiritual Rhythms

    Your Prayers Have Power

    • by

    Some days, reading the news feels overwhelming—stories of war, violence, and poverty seem endless. It can feel like the world is drifting further from what God intended. With so much pain and negativity, it’s tempting to tune it all out and pretend it’s not happening. After all, what difference can one person make?

    That’s exactly what Satan wants—he wants us to feel helpless, like we’re stuck and nothing will change. But that’s a lie. We’re not powerless. There is something powerful we all have the ability to do: we can pray.

    You might be wondering, “Does prayer actually make a difference? Can it really help?”

    Yes. Yes, it does. 

    We see in James 5:16 tells us that “…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” History also shows us time and time again that prayer can be world-changing. Let me give you just one example.

    On an island in Scotland lived two elderly sisters, Peggy and Christine. Peggy was 82, and Christine was 84. Peggy was completely blind, and Christine had such bad arthritis, she could hardly move. Due to their health, they were unable to attend church in person, and they didn’t have Zoom or YouTube to watch it. Despite that, they had a great love for the church and were greatly burdened by the fact that there were no young people attending public worship. You would think, given their situation, that there was nothing they could do about the problem, beyond worrying and complaining about it. But Peggy and Christine chose a different path: they committed to praying about it.

    They prayed twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays. They would get on their knees at 10 pm and stay there until three or four in the morning, praying for the young people and the church.

    After weeks of committed prayer, Peggy received a vision from God of a packed church, crowded with young people, and an unknown minister standing in the pulpit. She then called her minister, shared the vision she saw, and told him it was time to act. 

    She suggested he should get together with the elders and deacons of the church and pray. So on Tuesdays and Fridays, the men would pray in a barn where there was more room, and the women would pray in their cottage. For several weeks, they poured out their hearts in prayer, asking God to pour out His Spirit on their church. But to their surprise, nothing noteworthy happened.

    Then one night, in the middle of praying, one of the deacons stood up and said, “This is humbug to pray for God to pour out his spirit when we ourselves are not rightly related to God.”

    He raised his hand and asked the Lord, “Do I have clean hands? Is my heart pure?” He got no further. He fell prostrate on the ground in a trance of prayer. From that point on, God’s Spirit spread across the Scottish Island and remarkable things began to happen. 

    Young people at dance halls would feel the pull of God’s Spirit leading them to the church building at 11 o’clock at night. The local bar would close because the people at the bar felt drawn to the church building to hear the minister preach.

    The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Scotland began in earnest because of the committed prayer of two elderly, disabled women, who were devoted to the Lord and His church. The spiritual health of Scotland changed because two women prayed. These bold women and the humble men leading the church showed us that there is power in committed, persistent prayer.

    I’ll be the first to admit, it can be hard to stay committed to prayer. When days and weeks go by and we don’t see an answer, we can easily lose heart and give up. But in Luke 18, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a widow who kept begging a judge to give her justice against her adversary. The judge didn’t care about justice and refused to give her what she wanted. But this woman was persistent, and after begging and pleading for a long time, the judge finally gave her the justice she was seeking. Not because he cared about her, but because he was simply tired of her asking.

    Then in verses 6-7, Jesus said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

    Jesus reminds us of the character of the God we pray to. Our God is a just and righteous God, and He delights in listening to us as we consistently and persistently bring our requests to Him. 

    Prayer is faith in action, and it has powerful results. The power is not in the vocabulary we use, or the eloquence of our perfectly curated prayers, but in the name in whom we pray. Each time we pray and say the words “in the name of Jesus,” we invoke the power of the One who conquered sin and death. There is no other power in heaven and earth greater than that.

    And just like Peggy and Christine, our consistent prayers can change the world around us. The full passage of James 5:13-16 encourages us, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

    So, the next time you feel overwhelmed, like there’s nothing you can do to change things in your own life or the world around you, don’t just worry about it; do something about it. Get on your knees and ask, beg, and plead persistently in faith for the God of the universe to intervene in the power of Jesus’ name for the broken and hurting in this world. You might be surprised at what God might do. Your prayers in the hands of our Almighty God have the power to change the world.

    Read more

  • Purposeful Living, Spiritual Rhythms

    Walking with the Light of the World

    • by

    As a Latina living in the Pacific Northwest, I often joke with my husband around this time of year that my DNA is not equipped for these cold and rainy, dark winters. While I love a good rain storm where I can curl up by the fire with a giant mug of coffee and work on my latest crochet project, the romanticism quickly wears off when I have to make a run to the grocery store and actually brave the elements. 

    Especially after the hustle and bustle of the holidays fades, it can be easy to feel like we’re staring down a long, dreary winter ahead. I think that’s true for a lot of people this time of year. Whether the long, dark winter is literal or metaphorical, we can find ourselves longing for both daylight and God’s light. 

    I had a realization, on the winter solstice which ironically is the shortest day of the year. We only had about eight hours of daylight, and as I inwardly lamented the lack of rays, I also realized that from that moment on, each day would be progressively brighter. I was flooded with hope and relief at this temporal “landmark” that signaled a shift not just in our daylight hours, but in my heart posture as well.

    I had just read John 8:12 that day, and was reminded that whatever the source of the darkness, we have unlimited access to the ultimate source of Light.

    As we abide in Christ and walk with Him in our daily lives, He renews our minds, restores our joy and refreshes our hope. And because God himself is the light, there is no darkness that can overcome it. (John 1:5) His light never flickers, fades, or fails. Its brilliance is not dependent on our power, resourcefulness, or strength and there are no circumstances that can diminish its glow. To live in this light, we need only to follow Jesus. 

    Over and over, God has proven to me that time spent in the light of His presence and truth will sustain me in any season. When I spend time reading the Bible and see how God interacts with His people with love and tender mercy, I’m reminded that He shows me that same love and tenderness. When I bring my heart to Him in prayer, I am transformed to be more like Him. I begin to see my circumstances from His eternal perspective instead of my own limited view. When I get together with other Christians at church, or for coffee throughout the week, I’m encouraged and bolstered in my faith as we share how God is working in our lives. As I invite Jesus into what I am doing each day, I am reminded of God’s goodness and grace, and I experience His love more fully, regardless of the season or circumstance.

    With the New Year comes new opportunities to reframe our winter ahead. Maybe you are facing the darkness of the post-holiday “meh’s”,  or battling the literal rain and gloom outside your window. It could be that you are going through a season of hard transition, grief or disappointment. 

    Whatever the source of the darkness, it can never overcome or outlast the light of our God who is walking with you now. Jesus, the Light of the World, our Prince of Peace, sees you, knows you and loves you with a love like no other. 

    So as you stand on the edge of a new year, I want to encourage you to pick one or two things that you can do each day to spend time with God and realign your heart with His truth. It could be spending a few minutes reading your Bible and jotting down what stands out to you. Or talking to God and inviting Him to walk with you as you go through your day. It may be texting a friend to ask for prayer, and seeing how you can pray for them, or starting a new Bible study to help you know and experience God’s character on a deeper level. 

    Whatever the season, wherever you are in your faith journey, I pray that you would lift your eyes up to Him, wrap up in His love, and lean into the light and life He offers. May He bless you, sustain and encourage you, and help you flourish in your faith this year, and in the years to come.

    Read more

  • In The Word, Prayer, Spiritual Rhythms

    How To (Re)Connect With God

    • by
    John 15:4

    This week, we are excited to have Jason Campbell, our Director of Theology (and Melissa’s husband), sharing with us. Jason started Regnare Project, a ministry teaching people how to develop spiritual disciplines that help them grow in their relationship with God. We hope this short guide to establishing or re-establishing a connection to God will be a blessing!

    ——————————————

    In these days of constant busyness and distraction, it has become more difficult than ever to maintain a life-giving relationship with the Father. This is a short guide to (re-)establishing that life-giving connection with the one that loves us and calls us into the good life of his kingdom.

    Start small.

    As always, we start small, beginning with ten minutes with God. That may not sound like much (or it may sound like a lot!), but rest assured that this is plenty of time to connect with the one that gives life freely to all who come to him.

    Pick a time (and keep picking until you find a time that works).

    It doesn’t matter when we do this: morning, lunchtime, evening, right before bed—just pick a time that appeals to you and try it. If it doesn’t work well at that time, don’t worry too much about it; just pick a different time the next day and try that.

    Repeat this until you find a rhythm that works for you. Remember, you aren’t angering or disappointing God if you have trouble with this; he knows every crazy detail of your life and is working with you to carve out this time. Jesus is called “Rabbi” (teacher) for a reason: pay attention to what he is teaching you about how and when to connect with him.

    Begin by laying down your burdens.

    Begin your time with God by laying down your burdens—whatever is on your heart, give it up to God. Could be good things, could be worries about upcoming events, could be something difficult you’re struggling through, could just be the condition of your heart (bored, frazzled, tired, thankful—anything). There is nothing too trivial, too embarrassing, too shocking, or too insignificant to share with God. He is your Father and he cares for you; if you care about it, so does he. That’s how love works.

    Listen for God speaking to you as you read Scripture.

    After you’ve spent some time laying down your immediate concerns, prepare your heart to listen. Now it’s God’s turn to speak.

    Open the Bible either in its printed form or on a reading device that is convenient. Then ask God to speak a personal word to you as you read or listen to a passage of Scripture.

    Listen closely as you read, paying attention to what God is saying to you through that Scripture. This is a particular approach to reading: we aren’t scanning a newspaper or a Facebook timeline looking for something interesting; we aren’t studying a textbook to pass a test; we aren’t even analyzing a passage of Scripture so that we can master it. We are coming to the living Word of God, listening for a personal word from him that speaks to us in our circumstances right now. Think of a soldier poring over a love letter from his bride-to-be while out on the front lines: he reads the words slowly, savoring them, picturing the one who wrote them, hearing in the words his beloved’s voice as the text brings her near.

    Stick to a chapter or so at a time, or even a smaller, contiguous chunk. After you’re finished reading it through, go back over it. Linger over sentences, phrases, or even single words that stand out to you. Ask yourself why that phrase stands out.

    Let the word lead you to the deep places of your heart. Let the word bring to mind thoughts you’ve had recently or nudges from God that you brushed off. Let the word unearth moments of thanksgiving that you’d forgotten about. Let the word bring to mind relationships in your life. If someone comes to mind, offer a brief but heartfelt prayer for them.

    Treasure whatever you hear from God—and act on it!

    Above all, if God has brought to mind something during your time in the word, write it down somewhere: put it on your calendar, write it on a sticky note, jot it down in a journal, share it with someone in a text message. If your time with Scripture or in prayer leads you toward an action (even just an inkling!), take it seriously! Don’t let the moment slip by. Give it weight by carrying it with you into the day and act on it.

    Nothing will ignite a thriving relationship with God like going where he goes and doing what he calls you to do!

    Try this out for a while and see how it goes. It might take a week or two to get into a good rhythm with it, but that’s okay. Talk with a friend about how it’s going and what you’re hearing in Scripture or during your times in prayer. Invite them to try the practice with you and see where it takes you.

    The good life of God’s kingdom is open to all, and it always starts small like a mustard seed (Luke 13:18-19). But given that small beginning, you can count on even small efforts to grow abundantly under God’s blessing. God can do wonders with even a few short minutes a day!

    Read more