Devotional Recommendations for 2017

The Lord has used the following devotionals to greatly bless me. I pray that they may be a blessing to you or to someone you know who is seeking a deeper walk with Christ! 

If someone were to ask me what devotional has had the greatest impact upon my life, I would immediately answer My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. This book spoke to me profoundly in my early years of following the Lord and beginning to learn the sweetness of surrender and obedience. The Lord was peeling away the crusty outer layers of my heart and pouring His truth into my soul. The fullness and richness of Chambers' devotional was daily nourishment to me. My early years as a Christian were years of sweetness and of sensing the Lord's presence and experiencing His nearness in a way that is indescribable. It was the spring of my life with the Lord, and I treasure those years and this devotional which the Lord used so powerfully to grow my heart in obedience and love for Him. 

My mother's copy of Chamber's devotional that she gave to me. 

As I began to grow in my faith, the Lord led me to another devotional which is equally precious to me, Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Morning and Evening. There is so much to glean from Spurgeon, and I have used this book for years and continue to return to it. Spurgeon's wisdom and insights as well as his deep and intimate relationship to the Lord spoke to me--this devotional has been like water to my thirsty soul over and over again. 

A third devotional that the Lord has used in my life is Streams in the Desert. This book, compiled by Mrs. Charles Cowman, was recommended to me by several people, and I finally ordered a copy. I have been enjoying this one immensely. The "old-time" writers' words have been ministering to my heart, and I have been enjoying selections from Pastors and authors like George Matheson (who wrote the hymn "O Love that Wilt Not Let me Go"), Frederick Faber, and others.  If you are seeking a deeper, more intimate walk with the Lord, this is a wonderful devotional to slowly read through. 

 Two other devotionals that the Lord has used to encourage me in my walk with Him have been Charles Stanley's Every Day in His Presence and Elisabeth Elliot's Keep A Quiet Heart. While Keep A Quiet Heart is not a yearly devotional, it is one that could be used devotionally for a shorter period of time and is so rich in wisdom. 

I pray that these recommendations would be helpful! The Lord bless you as you seek His face daily . . . Please feel free to share with me in the comments what devotionals have been an encouragement in your life! 



You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday, Fabulous January Party Link Up

Mercy in the Winter

Sometime ago, I read a Pastor's article about God's justice. He compared it to a harsh winter in the Midwest--fierce, cold, and beautiful all at the same time. I struggled with his comparison and was left somewhat empty, yet feeling the truth at least in part, in his description. 

We moved to the Midwest last year from New England. I have gained a new understanding of a bleak, barren, unbreakable landscape, of miles and miles of empty, open fields whose crops have been harvested and whose surface has been stiffened and stilled by fallen snow. 

I have felt the loneliness and desolation that comes from looking only at that landscape, of dwelling only upon the justice of God, real as it is--of standing in the wind and feeling the cold creep into my bones, remembering the coziness of a New England winter, and longing for light and longer days. 

We've been experiencing temperatures dipping below zero this week (and it is not even technically winter yet). The birds at our feeder are hungry, thankful for the seeds that come easily. The deer and turkeys have come out of hiding, searching for food in all of this white stone stillness. 

I've been pondering that description of God's justice that I mentioned earlier, now that I am experiencing winter in the Midwest for myself. 

And I keep coming back to this truth that I hold near and close in my heart--the truth that sustains me through the cold and gives me hope.--

That His mercy is just as real as His justice--and that the two cannot be separated. 

And I see mercy all around--

Mercy in vast cornfields, their leftover fragments feeding hungry deer . . .

Mercy in birds nests, alone in the barren trees--reminders of the hope of spring--of life coming -even on the coldest days of winter . . .

Mercy in watching the tiny sparrow that the Lord keeps alive day after day--so weak it can barely stand at our feeder to eat--and yet, every morning, there he is . . . 

Mercy in the warmth of Christian brothers and sisters--their love in Him stronger than the grip of winter.  Mercy in their fellowship and kindness.

Mercy in the beauty of a sunrise stretching like a band of fire across the frozen sky. 

Mercy beneath the brittle ground, life buried there in the fallen seeds, waiting, hoping, ready to burst with breath when warmer days come. 

Mercy. 

And mercy will ultimately bury justice deep--place the white lilies of resurrection over its grave and laugh into glory.

Laugh into spring.

Laugh into eternity and song and light and warmth and hope. 

I want to share this story that I have shared before--because it is one that always deeply touches me--one that reminds me of our loving Heavenly Father's care--and one that reminds me--

That in Him there is always mercy--for those who run beneath His covering for shelter--

I read a story, a long time ago now, about a naturalist who was documenting the survival of a flock of juncos (snowbirds) in a harsh winter. She was to record what happened to the juncos over the course of an extremely cold night in blizzard conditions. The temperature dipped well below freezing and the little birds were fighting for their survival. She was not allowed to intervene in any way while she was documenting over the course of the assigned hours. 

The woman struggled not to intervene as she watched the little birds. One junco especially caught her attention; he seemed weaker than the rest. The wind howled and the night grew dark. The little flock flew into a bush as the snow fell hard and deep. The woman felt overwhelmed and finally went to bed, despairing of what would happen to them, especially the weak little junco who had gained her sympathy.

In the morning she flew to the window and beheld the world covered in a thick encrusting of snow. She felt that the juncos could not have survived such conditions until, all of a sudden, the bush where they had flown into the night before, covered completely in a thick layer of snow,  literally burst open. 

The snow from the blizzard had actually kept them warm, provided them a shelter from the frigid cold and preserved their lives. The snow that appeared to be the enemy had actually given them protection and warmth in the midst of the storm. It had been their salvation. (The woman records that then she joyfully threw out handfuls of seed to the birds; she was no longer recording and was so glad that they had survived, especially the weak little junco). 

And I have come to conclude that there is beauty in God's justice only because it is undergirded with mercy. For a just God alone would be a terrible God--and I borrow this thought from (I believe) George MacDonald--one to be feared but not loved. 

But He is not just only; He is a Father of mercy. Light in the winter, shelter in the blizzard, warmth on the coldest day. 

And He will give mercy to anyone who runs to Him for rest. 

And now I can see beauty here, in the unbreakable winter--

The winter broken by the breath of His love. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blessed Christmas, dear friends! May your day be filled with the hope of His mercy and may the year before you be shadowed by His love, provision, and grace. I am thankful for each one of you--for your encouragement, for your thoughts, for your love. 

~~Rebekah
In Him was light and that life was the light of men. John 1:4

You might find me on these link-ups:

Strangers and Pilgrims on Earth, Inspire Me Monday, Literacy Musing Mondays, The Modest Mom, What Joy is Mine, A Mama's Story, Mom's the Word, Rich Faith Rising, Cornerstone Confessions, Mom's Morning Coffee, Raising Homemakers, Classical Homemaking, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Woman to Woman Ministries,  Testimony Tuesday, Tell His Story, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Messy Marriage,  Graced Simplicity, Children Are A Blessing, Imparting Grace, Thought Provoking Thursday, Soul Survival, Good Morning Mondays, The Weekend Brew, Counting My Blessings, The HomeAcre Hop, Mommy Moments Link Up, Grace and Truth Linkup, Faith Filled Friday, Tell It To Me Tuesdays, SHINE Blog Hop, TGI Saturdays Blog Hop, RaRaLinkup, Word of God Speak, Booknificent Thursday, Living Proverbs 31, Sharing His Beauty Blog Linkup, Coffee For Your Heart Weekly LinkUp, You're the Star Blog Hop, Homesteader Hop, Fresh Market Friday