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Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)
My dad has dementia. He started to wander and get violent in mid-November 2019. There were two trips to the emergency room in three days, admission to the hospital for twelve days, and then admission into a nursing home.
During this time, I asked myself many questions that went something like, "What am I going to do about this?" and "What am I going to do about that?" It was always about me and what I needed to do to fix the situation. My stomach was upset non-stop, and the worry consumed me!
Then, I remembered a song based on 1 Peter 5:7 about casting my cares upon Jesus, and I recalled a sermon that I had heard entitled “Do Not Worry”, based on Matthew 6:25-34. I could hear the preacher saying over and over, "Do not worry!"
Then the Lord led me to this passage:
Philippians 4:1b,4,6-7 – Stand fast in the Lord, beloved. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (NKJV)
Then God led me to these beautiful words from Isaiah that reached deep into my heart and pulled me out of my worry:
Isaiah 55:8-9 – "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (NKJV)
All those I questions that I had been asking were crazy, because I should have been using You instead. I started re-asking all those questions, only replacing I with You. "What are You going to do, Lord? How are You going to work out this and that?"
When I let go of my pride and really started to trust God, He was able to work! Hallelujah! I mean, really, do I honestly believe that I can do a better job with this situation than God Almighty can? Of course, I cannot — and neither can any of us!
Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (NKJV)
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You for Your Word. We pray that You would help us to lean fully on You, trusting You and recognizing that You are in control. Thank You that You do know what You are doing. Help us to admit our sin of pride when we try to handle things on our own. Enable us to yield our hearts to You, and give us the peace that passes all understanding as we rely on You today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen!
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daughter: "Update May 19, 2025: Please keep praying for our daughter. She has another health concern which we..." 
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Thank you.
Thanks, Laureen. I needed this today.
Perfect, Laureen. Thank you.
(Texas)
Blessings, Laureen. My wife and I are beginning that journey with my mom also.
Dear Laureen,
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Blessings.
Thank you for your devotional today. Your words come at a time that this was very helpful.
So many wisdom-filled passages that have carried me through tough times over the years. Thank you for sharing. Praying for you and your father.
Blessings.
Thank you for your devotion.
I’m glad you put these things together for yourself and shared them with us.
Keep writing.
Dear Laureen,
Thank you so much for your devotional. Truer words were never spoken. Trust in the Lord always. Amen!
God bless you.
This is a lovely thought for today Laureen. Thank you for sharing it. Yes, our loving Lord longs to aid us in all circumstances, we have but to ask for HIS intervention.
(Ontario, Canada)
Thank you for a good and encouraging word Laureen. This is indeed a truth we must be pulled back to time and time again. I pray that your dad and you and your family are adjusting as well as possible to his new situation and circumstance.
Blessings.
Dear Laureen,
Your devotion, Trust God, went right to my heart and brought me back. Isn’t it interesting that we can trust God in the morning, and by the afternoon, we may be trusting in ourselves again? Your prayer is powerful.
Be blessed by God.
Thank you for your devotional. I like the passages that you share and several years ago I came across a math formula for Phil. 4 – verses 6+7=13, which is 10 words that you can say on your fingers, then add 6 to 13 and get to verse 19 which is somewhat of a conclusion and takes faith to believe – and we need Romans 10:17 as we must keep on hearing the Word of God.
My favourite Christ given principle – “call on the name of the Lord “, which I try to remember to do in every instance. When I tell others to do so, the typical response is … He cannot hand me the answers… to which I reply … but if you pose the question and ask Him, He will surely guide you and open your mind to the very answers you are seeking – plus!!! This has been my experience. Thank you for pointing out the dangers of ‘spiritual pride’.
Greetings Laureen,
Thank you for this very good devotional. Yes, God is truly our refuge and He is ever ready to help us through our life trials. I agree we can so easily get caught up in worrying about things but what feelings of peace and reassurance we receive when we stop and take our concerns to the Lord and be patient to wait for His reply. Trusting in the Lord truly frees us from worry.
Blessings for writing.
(B.C.)
Laureen
What a wonderful, inspiring reminder to ‘trust God’ and keep focused on Him! The Scriptures chosen really spoke to my heart today!
My goodness, I had never thought of it being ‘pride’ before. I guess my upbringing promoted being a problem-solver and ‘self-sufficient’. Yikes. Now, that almost ‘screams’ at me… that’s not looking to God but just being ‘independent’! Thanks for the ‘heads-up’!!!
Blessings to you as you travel that journey called ‘the long good-bye’. My father had Alzheimer’s and one of my sisters has now been diagnosed with it as well. My other sister is showing definite signs of dementia. I need to ‘Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not unto my own understanding!!’ I do need to look to Him, walk closely with Him at all times and I know He will guide me!
Thanks be to God for His Word and for your devotional!
Thank you for sharing this encouraging devotional with us. Blessings.
Grateful for your sharing the old, old message that is always new again to us in our need. So happy that you took the time to remind us that God is still on the throne and we are safe in His care. Love to you today, Laureen.
This one is definitely a keeper.
I have a close friend showing signs of dementia and I have asked God, what should I be doing?
I like your question better!
Thank you so much for wise words.
(B.C.)