“On the day I called, you answered me;
my strength of soul you increased.”
– Psalm 138:3

As we grow and mature in Christ, we gradually realize just how precious and perfect this particular answer to prayers is. We call on the Lord and He answers by strengthening our soul. Strengthening our soul to walk with Him through the valley of the shadow of death. Strengthening our soul to serve Him amidst sorrow and suffering. Strengthening our soul by giving us peace amidst chaos and comfort despite pain. Strengthening our soul by reminding us that He is in us and with us. Strengthening our soul by reminding us that Jesus is our Suffering Savior, Who loves and walks with us, never leaving or forsaking us. Strengthening our soul with His peace and presence.

When we first become aware of the privilege of prayer, we can treat it like a visit to a department store Santa. We make a wish list send it up to God. We then judge God and define our relationship with Him based on whether He does or doesn’t give us the things on our wish list. We can fail to understand that what’s best for our soul isn’t getting everything we ask for, it’s getting a deeper portion of the Lord.

When have you called on the Lord and He strengthened YOUR soul? Give thanks for His answer to your prayers! Do you need to call on God to strengthen your soul today? If so, don’t wait. Call on the Lord. He will increase the strength of your soul. #FollowJesus

“In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.”
– Psalm 95:4-5

As summer unofficially starts this weekend, may you be blessed with opportunities to enjoy God’s creation in the coming months. When you do, be sure to stop and praise God for making the beautiful things of this world. The oceans and beaches. The mountains and lakes. The prairies and rivers. God created it all and He sustains it all. The highest heights and deepest depths rest in His hand. All of it exists because of God’s good will.

Enjoy the wonders of creation. Delight in them. But delight even more in the Creator! When a beautiful scene takes your breath away, let yourself be filled with awe for the Lord. Rejoice that He didn’t just make mountains, He also made you. He doesn’t just sustain oceans, He also sustains you. He doesn’t just know how many blades of grass are in the prairies, He also knows how many hairs are on your head.

The awesome and glorious Creator of the Universe knows you, loves you, and brought you near to Him through His Son, Jesus. Praise Him today and let your experiences in His creation lead you back to praise over and over again. #FollowJesus

“Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your son will live.’ The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way.” – John 4:50

Early in the earthly ministry of Jesus, there was an official who had some amount of interest and faith in Jesus. The critical question was, how much??? The man’s son was sick and he thought Jesus could help if He’d just come to his house in Capernaum. To evaluate this man’s faith, Jesus didn’t agree to come with him. Jesus simply told him to go back home, trusting that Jesus had already healed the child.

To do that, without arguing, requires far more faith than hunting down the latest miracle worker and asking him to come over and do something. It was a real test to make the multi-day walk back home with nothing to show for your efforts. No Jesus. Just a promise. Nonetheless, the man believed and he went home. His faith was genuine! The next day, while still walking home, he was met by his servants eager to tell him the good news that his son had recovered at the very moment Jesus spoke these words.

Jesus is compassionate, loving, faithful, and powerful. However, He won’t hesitate to test your faith to see if it’s genuine. It doesn’t take much faith to give something a shot when you’re desperate. It takes far more faith to walk away from that last shot with nothing to show for your efforts but a promise. It turns out that official had tremendous faith in Jesus though he had far less evidence to base it on than we have today.

So, what’s your faith like? Is it like the official’s? When you pray to Jesus, can you trust and be at peace when He tells you it’s going to be OK? Or do you continue trying to control His response, even after He’s quietly given you everything you needed? Jesus is trustworthy. Cultivate faith like this official’s. #FollowJesus

“My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.”
– Psalm 42:6b

The Apostle Paul commands believers to “take captive every thought”. However, we struggle to do so. It’s difficult and we often deny the very possibility of doing so. Thankfully, David illustrates how to do so throughout the Psalms. From his writings, it’s clear that David struggled with overwhelming dark thoughts we might label depression. It’s certainly understandable, given the many terrible things that happened to him throughout his life, especially early on. However, David wasn’t content to stay in the dark places where his mind went.

When David’s soul was “cast down” – he was deep in despair – he consciously chose to think about other, better things as Paul later commanded in Philippians 4:8. David said that when he was deep in the valley of sorrow, suffering, and self-pity, overwhelmed by darkness, “therefore” he chose to remember God. He intentionally began thinking about God’s greatness and His great works across the history and land of Israel. From the waters of the Jordan in the east (which God parted to bring the people into the Promised Land) to the snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon in the north to the many “little hills” throughout the land (the meaning of Mizar).

God is everywhere and always active. IF we choose to look and see. IF we choose to remember and celebrate. That’s what David shows us how to do when his thoughts turned dark and he looked deep within himself. He took his thoughts captive, turning them outward and upward. He remembered what is true of God. His many attributes. His many activities. His perfect faithfulness and love. His presence.

May we all learn to do what David did. To take our thoughts captive when they threaten to derail our life and service. To turn our thoughts outward and upward when we’re overly focused downward and inward. To praise God, even in the darkest valleys of life. #FollowJesus