Today

As you may have noticed, I'm reading Toward Jerusalem, by Amy Carmicheal.  It is a book of devotional poetry.  There are no Bible verses cited in it,

but God

reminds me of verses that I can apply to Amy's poems.

Here is the poem I read this morning:

TODAY

O God, renew us in Thy love today;

For our tomorrow we have not a care;

Who blessed our yesterday

Will meet us there.

But our today is all athirst for Thee.

Come in the stillness, O Thou heavenly Dew;

Come Thou to us-to me-

Revive, renew.

These are the questions that came to mind as I read and reread the poem:

How will God renew me in His love today?  I plan to shop for shoes and be home in time to have my washing machine repaired.  Give me eyes to see Your renewal of me in mundane activities, Lord.

Do I truly not have a care for tomorrow?  No, I worry a lot about the future.  Please help me receive Your loving comfort in this area today, Lord.

Is recalling God's past blessings my go-to strategy, no matter what my circumstances are?  Not always.  See #2.
 

Is my today "...all athirst for" Him?  Frankly, no.  See #2.

Have I allowed the heavenly Dew to fall on me in the stillness of our quiet time so I can pray the last 3 lines and truly mean them?  By His grace, yes, I have.

And grace is what I put my hope in.

(Word Nerd alert:  Sorry about ending that last sentence with a preposition.)

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.  He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.  My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.  Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge."  Psalm 62:5-8

"Rejoice in the Lord always...Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [Karen's] heart and [her] mind in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 4:4, 6-7

I pray that you and I will be revived and renewed in God's love today.

Grace to you!

Love, Karen