Miriam Drennan is a freelance writer and, by God's grace and providence, works in print, broadcast, and web. When she's not putting words together, you'll usually find her at the dog park with her pups, Sophie and Chance. Visit her at www.that-writer.com.
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. . . . So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. – NIV
"And God saw that it was good.” It sure is–especially when you have an oceanfront view!
Grasp that for a moment. The sea, the sand, the rocks, the birds, the fish, the waves–God made every detail. Every molecule, every grain, every crevice, feather, and gill–He made the entire scene you’re taking in. And then, He went even further: He gave us His Son, who provided a way for us to live forever.
Whew! That’s a lot to absorb. And it’s all nice, and we certainly believe all that, but some of us live on planet earth and have our daily realities to face. Realities like a lost job. Or a broken marriage. Or a failed class. Or a missed opportunity. Or…or…Yes, God may have provided the way for us to have eternal life, but what about the groceries we need for this week? the unexpected bill that came in the mail? our child’s rebellious attitude? those little, day-to-day details that nag and aggravate and weigh us down? How would He have time to deal with that and–better yet–why would He care?
From our vantage points, life can seem overwhelming and even out of control, but He who loves us with a steadfast love is as into the details of our lives as He was when He created the details of bringing together the water and the sandy shores. As Christ said in ,
"... the Father knows every bird and He cares for them. How much more He cares for us as His prize creation!" (NIV)
So, have you given your details to God to figure out? Yes, He knows them already, but when we hand them over to Him, something wonderful happens. He arranges them into a bigger picture–with a broader view–to help us work our way out of our futile processes. He’s got this plan. It’s purposeful. And we may not see the bigger picture as clearly as His oceanfront views, but we can trust that He sees it, and He is working it out. And we’ll see that it, too, is good.
Lord, sometimes I forget that while You’re “up there,” You’re also “down here.” You know my needs, my cares, my desires–whether it’s for wars to end, for a way to pay the orthodontist’s bill, or for wisdom in relating to my teenager. Help me release any distrust and doubt, so that I may fully know Your love and care.
Excerpted from Devotions for the Beach by Miriam Drennan. Thomas Nelson © 2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
Then Judah said, “The strength of the laborers is failing, And there is so much rubbish that we are not able to build the wall.” – ">
Pick up a small handful of dry sand and really examine it. Look at the colors and how smoothly it passes through your fingers. Think about the tiny grains that together make up the entire beach. A small handful is easily moved, but moving an entire beach would be impossible.
Sometimes, there is strength in numbers; sometimes, the numbers are given strength.
Seventy years—that’s how long the Israelites complained about the state of Jerusalem. It’s so much easier, after all, to complain than to take action, work hard, and risk failure.
Thank goodness Nehemiah was not of the same opinion. Miraculously getting the proper permissions, Nehemiah organized the Israelites and began building. Confronted with ridicule and threats, the Israelites wilted. Debate, instead of work, ensued.
How many times have we gotten involved in a project, but never completed it? Or we begin a sentence with “Someday, I want to . . .” and then, the excuses rush in like a tidal wave. We don’t have enough help. We don’t have enough money or time. No one else seems to think this is a good idea. Proceeding might lead to bigger problems.
When God provided a way—and He did so in an unmistakable way—Nehemiah was given the responsibility of keeping projects organized and moving. He confronted those—both inside and outside the Israelite community—who tried to sabotage or give up on the work. He knew that God would not have brought His people this far to abandon them. Nehemiah knew that failure, in this case, would be due to disobedience.
So after complaining for 70 years, the Israelites managed to complete the city’s wall in just 52 days. What an accomplishment!
Now as you pick up and examine another handful of sand, think again about how much tiny specks create such a large expanse. Watch how, individually, they blow in the wind, but when packed together they form a beach that may shift and change, yet always remain intact.
Is there something big you’ve written off as impossible? If God provides, are you willing to be responsible with what He’s given you to do?
Lord, I think about those grains of sand and the Israelites who complained and debated, and their defeatist attitudes. If I’m tasked with a seemingly impossible project, I will trust You to provide the opportunities and to strengthen me. Give me an obedient heart, so that I will not be discouraged. And a grateful heart that I was chosen by You to organize and execute Your plans.
Excerpted from Devotions for the Beach by Miriam Drennan. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. . . . My loved ones and my friends stand aloof . . . And my relatives stand afar off. –
Manatees are plant-eating mammals with no known enemies. Their survival skills are quite impressive, and their gray-to-white brain matter proportion is even greater than humans. In recent years, they’ve garnered a lot of attention, primarily because they are an endangered species. Yet, they are solitary creatures.
While many single women may identify with the manatee, it is not their choice nor desire to be alone. And to add insult to injury, they may be shunned or ignored by friends, family, and, yes, even churches—ranging anywhere from social invitations, not fitting into a church’s programming, or even being relegated to the kids’ table at holidays, because, you know . . . “you’re single.”
Women get married for myriad reasons, and not always for love. And it’s true that marriage doesn’t solve problems; it can, in fact, create more (). And of married women, plenty are lonely.
But these factors still do not resolve the yearning for those who want to be married.
Whether our desires haven’t aligned with God’s, or marriage is not in His timing yet (or at all), these feelings are very real and the void is very present—and therefore should not be discounted by anyone. You are whole. No other person can contribute to or take away from the completeness of God in you, so don’t give credence to those who try.
To ask that God take hold of our sense and sensibilities on this issue is a step in the right direction. Taking responsibility for our attitude and behavior, of course, is another.
So ask God to plant women in your life who can be a source of encouragement as you figure out this journey He has you traveling. Do you know anyone whom you consider a spiritual mentor? Someone who, married or single, lives a life that demonstrates wisdom and peace? Spend time developing those relationships to help bring balance to your life.
You may be single, but you’re not alone. And none of us are meant to live like the manatee. Whether you’re unmarried for a season or for a lifetime, relish the freedom and fullness that singleness offers, including the opportunity to choose for yourself a family of encouragers and supporters.
Lord, I have a special desire to meet someone with whom I can share this journey. I would love that someone to be my husband, one chosen by You, especially for me, if it is in Your will. In the meantime, help me find those who will encourage me to discover Your specific will for me, so that my desires align fully with Yours.
Excerpted from Devotions for the Beach by Miriam Drennan. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
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Miriam Drennan is a freelance writer and, by God's grace and providence, works in print, broadcast, and web. When she's not putting words together, you'll usually find her at the dog park with her pups, Sophie and Chance. Visit her at www.that-writer.com. Send Miriam your comments.
So [Elijah] said, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; as they seek to take my life.” –
White pelicans are fairly lone creatures, due in part to the way they must drain their pouches after catching fish. The process can take up to a minute, giving other sea birds plenty of time to steal the pelican’s food from its mouth. These uninvited dinner guests will take every last morsel from their host, so it’s no wonder white pelicans prefer to dine alone.
Do you identify with the pelican? Does it seem like the world just takes and takes, leaving you to starve mentally or emotionally? In some ways, you are no longer fed? Maybe it’s your family, friends, work, church commitments, even social engagements . . . or all of the above. No one seems willing to step up and help, and you’re alone in the chaos of it all. Okay, but some of it may be self-created.
Elijah was frustrated with God’s people and ready to give up. The Lord pursued, asking him why he fled. Elijah’s response was to talk about all that he’d done for God—or not done against Him—and that he was the only righteous man left. The last man standing.
Now, keep in mind that Elijah chose a life of isolation. Fleeing to the desert was just a geographical form of it. And by doing so, he was abandoning those who were faithful and supportive, even if they were outnumbered by the wicked and corrupt. In all fairness, Elijah’s life was, indeed, threatened, but he’d left those who were counting on him.
If you’re familiar with the story, you know that God directed Elijah to stand in His presence. God then sent great winds and hurricanes, but Elijah did not find God in the calamity. He was found in the very small voice that followed. The voice directed Elijah to go back and enlist help.
God knew Elijah was worn out, and He knows you are too. But we are to honor our commitments unless He directs otherwise. You won’t find answers in the calamity and chaos. Listen instead for the still, small voice that may be telling you to go back and enlist help.
Lord, when it comes to _________________________, I have been feeling like that pelican. I’m trying to do what I think is best, but it’s never good enough nor quick enough. It seems like everyone wants to just take from me without any regard for whether it’s right or fair. Give me strength to confront them and humility to enlist help. And, Lord, I release all of this to You. So I ask for discernment, should Your answer be that someone else needs to take this mantle from me.
Excerpted from Devotions for the Beach by Miriam Drennan. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
Miriam Drennan is a freelance writer and, by God's grace and providence, works in print, broadcast, and web. When she's not putting words together, you'll usually find her at the dog park with her pups, Sophie and Chance. Visit her at www.that-writer.com.
"I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." NIV
Say what?
Kind of makes your head spin, doesn’t it? Paul could be delightfully convoluted sometimes. You can practically see his two hands, gesturing back and forth, as you read this verse and the subsequent verses. It’s like watching a volleyball game of words and will.
Volleyball is a fun game, whether you’re a spectator or player. It’s suspenseful, particularly if the ball is kept in the air for a long period of time. It bounces from player to player, across the net, back and forth, and the stakes grow higher the longer the ball remains in play. Who will dive for it? Who will miss? When this happens, players and crowd alike will often react with each hit.
The internal struggle Paul described in Romans 7 isn’t much fun. We go back and forth with sin. We willingly participate, hating ourselves for our own weakness, questioning how real our faith is, wondering if we are really saved. We have periods when we feel like giving up and giving in, and sometimes we do. But God doesn’t. He knew in the beginning, and knows now that we need a Savior.
Still, there are those times when, regardless of what we’ve learned and how far we’ve come, we want to bounce back over. Maybe life was more exciting then or you were having more fun, or making more money, or had more dates, or ... or ... Maybe if we just take a little taste of what we’re missing, then we’ll bounce back over to the other side of the net? Just a quick visit. After all, if Christ took care of the game point already, why should we be concerned?
Thankfully, Paul covered this in Romans 6 by asking a very important question: “What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of?” (v. 21 NIV). Now, be honest with yourself and your Lord as you answer this question: How does that “benefit” compare to a peaceful mind and heart in the present? How does that choice to sin show gratitude for the eternal life in the future?
We can take heart that Paul struggled as we do, and was honest enough to write down the crazy game that plays out in our minds, hearts, and actions. But, honestly, aren’t you tired of playing?
Lord, lately I’ve been wondering if I’d be better off going back to __________. It just seems like life was more __________ back then, but I know our relationship would suffer. I ask, first, for forgiveness and, second, for strength and patience as I want You to work on my heart and mind so that I may overcome this urge. And because I know You’re You, please take this part of my past and use it toward Your glory.
Excerpted from Devotions for the Beach by Miriam Drennan. Thomas Nelson ©2012. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson, Inc. www.thomasnelson.com.
