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Lamentations 3:22-24 – Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." (NIV)
As I approach the corral, it is still dark, and the icy morning seeks to penetrate the warmth of my parka. My headlamp illuminating the way picks out the horses as they hover at the gate. They are waiting in expectation, as they know there could be special treats in my pocket. As I silently laugh to myself at their eagerness, I consider the lesson that their behaviour is prodding me to embrace.
How expectant am I of the special treats that God has for me each day? God is a good God, and He gives good gifts to His children. For the asking, He strengthens us daily to do all that we need to do. He blesses us with friends and family, jobs and homes. He causes the sun to rise in the morning and the moon at night, the snow to fall and the rain to patter. Each and every day, He blesses us with opportunities to help others, to treat our neighbour as ourselves. We have eyes to see the glorious multitude of shades and colours that our world is adorned in. We have ears to hear the singing of the birds, the barking of a dog, the purring of a contented cat, the cry of a newborn, the laughter of a child. We have a mouth with which to praise Him and to encourage our fellow human beings. We have a sense of smell to savour fresh bread coming straight from the oven, blossoms in spring, wet leaves in the fall, and the sharp tang of winter. He blesses us with healing from our wounds emotionally, spiritually, and more often than not, physically, as we struggle to recuperate from colds, the flu, and a myriad of other common illnesses. For the asking, He grants us wisdom, which we must then not doubt. He forgives our sins and renews our spirit when we have fallen short of the life that He calls us to in Christ. His Word assures us of eternity with Christ when we have faith to believe in the work of the cross and resurrection. And He is even now, through Christ, preparing a home for us in heaven. Yet how often, I must ask myself, do I stand at the gate of prayer each morning, waiting with expectation to recognize and receive these special treats which come daily from the hand of my heavenly Father? Not nearly as I often as I should — I know that for certain.
How about you? Great is His faithfulness. Most wonderful are the gifts of His hand each and every day. I pray that I may not forget this lesson that the horses have revealed to me, and I pray that you might embrace it, too, as need be within your life.
Prayer: Father God, thank You that because of Your great love, we are not consumed, for Your compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. Help us to cultivate more and more an attitude of joyful expectation of seeing, receiving, and appreciating the good gifts which come from Your hand, each and every day. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Thank you.
Thanks, Lynne. How could we not praise Him?
Thank you, Lynne, for another beautiful devotional!
Thank you, Lynne, for this heartfelt devotional. Blessings.
Thanks, Lynne.
May your treats from the Lord be many.
Thank you for the great reminder, Lynne. May God bless you each and every day!
You have written such a beautiful devotion about our Lord. Amen. Blessings to you.
Thank you so much for your beautiful, meaningful devotional! It truly touches the heart!
I would draw a parallel with my cat-upturned face, alert pose, waiting by her bowl for breakfast. Thank you for examples that make it easier to live God’s love.
Again, thanks Lynne, as busy as you are with your farm chores, you still find time to write these devotions.
Blessings.
Good morning Lynne, Thank you for another wonderful devotional.
What a comprehensive list of blessings we have from the Father’s hand.
Blessed day!
Lynne
Thank you for this devotional. It is just what I needed to hear given what we are both going through with our health right now.
Blessings.
Praise our LORD, Lynne, for this devotional on such a day as this! For right now I’m basking in the blessing that God sent me today, by His precious Holy Spirit!
He is good, He is so very faithful, and He is always victorious! My heart sings because I know He is mine and I am His! Thank you for writing what you did.
Only this morning as I prepare for a test at the hospital, I thought as I opened my computer, ‘Maybe today there will be a devotional from Lynne…’ So blessed with your shared understandings from the hearts of your four footed furries, something to carry with me in my heart. You paint the best word pictures of anyone I know, dear Ms. Phipps. Grateful.
Dear Lynne
Thank you for your thoughts this morning. We take so much for granted every day and fail to give God thanks for all that he does for us on a daily basis. We forget that even the very simple thing are a blessing from Him.
My wife and I look forward to your contributions to the devotionals. They too are always a blessing.
Greetings Lynne,
Many thanks for another beautiful and very mindful devotional today. You really make the point of how many gifts we have from our loving Saviour and He so deserves our faithfulness, abundant praise and constant thankfulness.
His love and care of us is never ending for sure.
Blessings to you for these special writings and the beautiful heart you have in caring for many animals on your property.
(B.C.)
You really “nailed” this, Lynne!
We loved it; brought emotional tears to my eyes and a goose egg my throat!
We always know when it’s you when you start immediately in the sharing of your “farm” and surroundings. I have a clear visual in my mind’s eye of all you describe in your word pictures. Thanks so much for your dedication in sharing spiritually with the readers in PresbyCan.
Keep up your wonderful work for our Lord Jesus.
We look forward to your next offering.
(NH USA)
Hello Lynne
Thank you for this devotional. It is so true, and I find it just puts a bounce in my step as I expect, out of nowhere, something from God. It makes the day interesting and charged!!!
I had an experience recently and it amazed me how it happened. I laughed as I said to God, you are amazing. Now I know why I didn’t even think of that store as I was going by, even though that was one of my main reasons for leaving the house. And then, to think, I was going to find out how to contact someone and would you believe, as I walked across the street that person was standing right there. So, we talked and as I left, I chuckled to myself. God, even if nothing materializes from this talk, thank you for how You arranged this to happen. I know You know what I need, and I just thank you.
God bless.
This is so beautifully written I could picture it all as I read it.
Thank you.
Dear Lynne,
Your devotions tend to build up from beginning to end to show the greater and greater goodness of God. Thank you.
My God be praised.
Keep writing.
Hi Lynne, I want to thank you for your devotional. Your devotional today is another that is very helpful, hits the mark and reminds me of how I want to live and how I want to wait on God and be his person.
You are one of the few devotional writers that are regulars and whose devotionals I am always glad to have read. And yours have been distinctive because of where you live and your activities and lifestyle. I have been very interested in how you are living life.
Recently we met a single lady and learned she was from the Yukon it was irresistible for me to ask her if she knew of a place called Atlin. She flashed a surprised smile and told me that is where she lives!!! I then told her why I had asked and before I could mention your name, she said – Lynne Phipps?
What an amazing gift to me to meet someone who knows you. God works in incredible ways.
So Lynne, after a long time I am writing to tell you how I greatly value your devotionals and also hear something about your life in Atlin. I give thanks for this happening and will be praying for you and our new friend.
Dear Lynn. You have a rare and wonderful talent for releasing deep inner feelings; I read today’s message after a restless night thinking and praying about the awful “happenings” going on in our beloved country. I have read and reread today’s scripture and, thanks to you, cling to the thought that no matter how bleak and evil the situation is, not only in Canada but in the world, we have God’s unfailing reassurance that his mercies never come to an end. Thank you and God bless.