Heartlight/Leaves of Light

[Judy Harder]

October 6

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord is the Rock Eternal.

Thoughts on today's verse

When we see mountains we feel small, knowing not only how much larger they are than we are, but also how much longer they have been here than we have been. But the Lord existed long before any mountain and will exist long after it has melted into nothing. The only rock of security, and all the forevers we have, are found in him.

Prayer:

Eternal I Am, who is and was and will be forever, I trust that you are and will always be my God, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Shepherd, and my Father. I commit all my tomorrows to you. Through Jesus my Lord. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 7

Psalms 63:1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thoughts on today's verse

Addiction has been defined as "God-hunger directed to the wrong source of soul satisfaction." Psalm 63 reminds us this is true. Deep in us is a desire to seek after God because he is not far from us and longs to be known by us (see Acts 17). But often when our soul-craving need for God is greatest, he is the last place we turn for satisfaction.

Prayer:

Holy Father, fill my heart with longing for you and my head with understanding that it is your presence I crave. I confess that I have often sought relief for my hunger in things that do not satisfy. I pledge today to recognize all other sources of satisfaction to be temporary and false. I promise to pursue you and your will through your word and your Spirit until I rest in your presence and grace. In the power of Jesus my Lord, Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 8

Isaiah 43:11-12
"I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed -- I, and not some foreign God among you. You are my witnesses," declares the Lord, "that I am God."

Thoughts on today's verse

1 Peter 2 reminds us that we are here as witnesses to "declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light." We have seen and experienced God's saving work. We are recipients of his blessing. We are the people who anticipate his mighty deliverance yet to come. How can we remain silent? How can we remain bitter, pessimistic, or discouraged? The God who made the tomb empty and made the corpse our living Lord is our God and he is mighty to save. He is our Savior!

Prayer:

O Mighty God, I confess that I slip so easily into my day-to-day rut that I grow immune to the joy and excitement of your salvation. Give me eyes to see and a voice to tell of your glorious deeds, your mighty works, and your answered promises. I believe you are leading me to glory, so help me show and share that glory with those who do not know you as God, Savior, and King. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 9

Deuteronomy 13:4

It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

Thoughts on today's verse

So many people want us to follow their lead and obey their voice. But God has proved himself faithful and loving through the ages. In his might he is to be revered. But rather than seeing reverence as a "church thing," we are reminded by Moses it is a "life thing." We are to obey and keep his commandments, and we are to serve him and depend upon him in our daily lives. Rather than silence in the assembly, reverence is action to his glory!

Prayer:

Holy and Righteous Father, help me take my worship outside the church building into my day to day life as I try to live what I sing, practice what I say, and pursue what I pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 10

Proverbs 19:20-21
Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.

Thoughts on today's verse

"Man proposes, heaven disposes." Most of us rush to give advice and make grandiose plans. The wise man reminds us that wisdom comes from submitting to instruction for a significant period of time and then, only at the end of long listening, does it come. If you are like me, you would do much better to let your plans ripen a bit more in the light of the Lord before you launch into them. I am comforted that James, the wisdom writer of the New Testament, reminds us that God will give that wisdom if we seek it and not doubt.

Prayer:

Almighty God, teach me your ways and help me discern your paths for my life. I have so many plans and schemes, but I know if they are not from you, they will not stand. Lead me to your wisdom and I pledge to you that I will not only seek to know it, but also seek to live it. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 11

Psalms 62:8
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Thoughts on today's verse

It is so hard to share the secrets of our hearts with anyone. We want to keep our secret failings, embarrassments, and sins hidden, fearing others would reject us and we would shame ourselves. But hidden sin is only hidden from us, not from our Father. Hidden sin festers in our hearts and drives a wedge between us and the God who would forgive us and empower us to triumph over it if only we would pour out our hearts to him, because he is our refuge.

Prayer:

Loving Father and Holy God, today I want to confess to you several things on my heart. Father, I am afraid for others to know that I have. Holy God, I have sinned and ask your forgiveness for. Eternal Lord, I get anxious about. You alone are my refuge and strength. I trust these confessions with you and ask that you strengthen me by the power of your Holy Spirit not to fall into these same traps again and again. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 14

Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is -- his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

Thoughts on today's verse

Don't be molded by the world. Wow, isn't that a tough one to obey? It's a reminder that what we think is one of the places of greatest spiritual warfare. Sloppy thinking is more than sloppy, it's dangerous because we are fed messages constantly that distort God's truth and holy values. But rather than being incensed by the world acting like the world, let's be transformed by renewing our minds and doing what Paul said he did -- take every thought, every word, captive for Christ. We often think a tithe is giving ten percent of our money, but an even more vital tithe is giving ten percent of our thought time totally to the things of God!

Prayer:

O Lord, please guard my soul from pride, my heart from callousness, and my mind from too much focus on unimportant things and not enough on your things. Teach me in my heart what it means to be about my Father's business, especially in the world of my thoughts! Through Jesus, my greatest example of time spent with you. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 15

2 Samuel 7:22
How great you are, O Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

Thoughts on today's verse

"I am Yahweh, who saved you out of Egypt. You must never have any other god but me!" The Lord God Almighty said at the beginning of the Ten Commandments. What else is there to say?

Prayer:

Holy, Righteous, and Only Living God, I hold you in the highest place in my heart. Forgive me when I do not hold you in the highest place in my life. Empower me with your Holy Spirit to give up all the little things that distract my allegiance to you and interfere with you being the Supreme and Sovereign God in my day-to-day life. In Jesus name. Amen.

[Judy Harder]

October 16

Psalms 19:14
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Thoughts on today's verse

God does so much for us. He is the strength and promise that undergirds our lives. He is the one who has saved us from sin and death. Our worship comes from our gratitude for what he has done and recognition of who he is. But worship can never be compartmentalized and fit into church places or quiet times. Worship involves every aspect of life. That is why it is so important for us to tune the words of our mouths and the motives of our hearts to God's will and work. Then private worship, whether alone in quiet or in a group of Christians, becomes the tuning time for our hearts and lives so that our public worship, our lives lived out in the world, will play the song of God to a world who has not yet really heard it.

Prayer:

O Holy and Almighty God, I want this day to be a day of worship and honor to you. May m! y life praise you: not just in thought, not just in words, but also in action. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.'

[Judy Harder]

October 17

Psalms 25:14-15
The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them. My eyes are ever on the Lord, for only he will release my feet from the snare.

Thoughts on today's verse

Where does true deliverance come from? Only from God. Salvation is found in God through deep reverential respect for his holiness and might, through living in covenant relationship with him, and through maintaining our focus on him. Any other roads to salvation and deliverance are false and ultimately prove themselves to be a snare.

Prayer:

Precious Father, you have done so much to save me. You who are so holy and righteous have reached down to take my hand. Teach me your ways. Correct the wrongs in my life. Guide me into your truth. I want to not only be saved from my sin, but from days of uselessness and frustration. Make me a vessel that can be used to honor you. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.