May 3, 2026

I Place My Hope

June 22, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

The troubles of my heart
They’re tearing me apart
How I need Your saving hand
To grant me a new start
Lonely and afraid
I call upon Your name
Save me from my enemies
And cover all my shame

I will lift my eyes
From this fragile life
For You will rescue me
You are my Prince of Peace
And I lift up my soul
To You who makes things whole
Oh, mercy-love of old
In You I place my hope
I place my hope

So guide me in Your truth
Be my strong refuge
Oh, forgive my doubting heart
And lead me back to You
Help me to believe
Your love is all I need
Even when the storm is strong
You will provide for me

Even in my darkest place
There’s a promise I will claim
Those whose hope is in Your grace
They will never be ashamed

Singer/Songwriter: Ellie Holcomb (with Ben Bannister)
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This song gives me such a joyful conviction to sing out my profession of HOPE and TRUST in God’s promises. My favorite part is the bridge where Ellie Holcomb sings “…there’s a promise I will claim—those whose hope is in Your grace, they will never be ashamed.” I, too, do claim that promise!  How about you?

We have this HOPE…we do rejoice in this HOPE…we are not ashamed by this HOPE.

Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us,
for God’s love has been poured out in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us.
Romans 5:5 AMP

Listen to what Paul writes (in verses 1-4) leading us to this promise:

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we have also obtained access by faith
into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings,
knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character,
and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame….

I trust (and pray) that these words inspire and strengthen your hearts (as they do my own)! Truly it is not in our own ability to figure it out but rather to recognize this grace and hope…and believe and trust. Our part is to ‘hold…firm’ and to “stand” and to “grasp and hold fast.” Jesus did the hard part! And God has made His promise and oath!

So when trials come (and we know they do!), and we are suffering (as does happen at times), we only need to grab hold of the sure and steadfast anchor of our soul—our HOPE.

For me, memorizing Scripture is the only sure and reliable way to hold these truths from the Bible in my mind.  ‘Cause I can’t always sit down at the computer, and log into some Bible software, and pull up a verse or two!  Or I don’t always have my Scripture memory book or memorization cards right at my fingertips. But (for better or worse!) I do always have my mind with me…and can reach into this treasure of memorized Scripture passages to be encouraged and made strong.  Here are some additional verses you might memorize (or write down on little cards to carry along with you!).

Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope.
Psalm 119:116

For we share in Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end,
Hebrews 3:14 RSV

This was so that, by two unchangeable things [His promise and His oath] in which it is impossible for God ever to prove false or deceive us, we who have fled [to Him] for refuge might have mighty indwelling strength and strong encouragement to grasp and hold fast the hope appointed for us and set before [us].
[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,
Where Jesus has entered in for us….

Hebrews 6:18-20 AMP

I encourage you, friends, to sing along with Ellie; be strong in your conviction that “...there’s a promise I will claim—those whose hope is in Your grace, they will never be ashamed.”  Praying for you (myself, too!) that we will remember that we HAVE this HOPE and that we will cling to the anchor of our soul!  God always keeps His promises!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Who Is Like The Lord

June 21, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

1 Praise the Lord!  (Hallelujah!)  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forever

3 From the rising of the sun to the going down of it and from east to west, the name of the Lord is to be praised!

4 The Lord is high above all nations, and His glory above the heavens!

5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who has His seat on high,

6 Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!

7 [The Lord] raises the poor out of the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap andthe dung hill,

8 That He may seat them with princes, even with the princes of His people.

9 He makes the barren woman to be a homemaker and a joyful mother of [spiritual] children.  Praise the Lord!  (Hallelujah!)

Psalm 113

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You’re all that I ever wanted
You’re all that I ever need
And though I wasn’t looking
You were after me
For Your love for me is eternal
And this I know is true
I could never repay
The debt of love I owe to You

For who is like the Lord my God
Compassionate and full of mercy
Who compares to Your great love
There’s none in all the earth
I will sing of Your love and grace
That covers all my guilt and shame
In all the earth who is like the Lord

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Cranberry Orange Scones (Gluten-Free)

June 20, 2014 by

Cranberry Orange Scones resize

If you have kids, you probably know what summer break is like:  trying to keep them busy and entertained without letting their brains turn to mush!  One of my favorite ways to do that is baking together.    I have my older girl (first grader now!) read the recipe out loud, and both girls love to stir and mix and pour ingredients.  Today’s group baking exercise?  Cranberry Orange Scones!

These are gluten-free, made with coconut flour.  If you’ve never tried it, I can’t recommend it highly enough.  For six big scones, you only need half a cup of coconut flour!  I like making treats for the girls that are single serving – that way there’s no arguing over whether the slice of bread is big enough, or having to share the last one.  These came together in a snap.  The original recipe (found on the Elana’s Pantry website) directs you to mix all the ingredients in a food processor, and I’m sure that would have made the recipe go even faster!  But because my girls wanted to help, we mixed them by hand – dry ingredients in a large bowl, wet ingredients in a smaller bowl, and then mixed wet into dry.

Try these little heaven-scented beauties today!

Cranberry Orange Scones (Gluten-Free)     makes six large scones

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil or softened butter
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
  • zest of one orange, plus the juice of half the orange

Directions:

  1. In a large bowl, blend together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
  2. In another bowl, beat together the coconut oil or butter, honey, and eggs.
  3. Mix the egg mixture into the flour mixture.  Stir in the cranberries, orange zest, and orange juice.
  4. On a Silpat mat or parchment paper, make six mounds of dough.
  5. Bake for about 15 minutes at 350*F.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can You Feel His Majesty?

June 20, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

1 Praise the Lord!  Servants of the Lord, praise him!
    Praise the Lord’s name.
2 May the Lord’s name be praised
    now and forever.
3 May the Lord’s name be praised
    from where the sun rises to where it goes down.
4 The Lord is higher than all nations.
    His glory rises to the skies.
5 There is no one like the Lord our God.
    He sits on his throne high in heaven.
6 He is so high above us that he must look down
    to see the sky and the earth.
7 He lifts the poor out of the dirt
    and rescues beggars from the garbage dump.
8 He puts them in important positions,
    giving them a place among the leaders of his people.
9 He gives children to the woman whose home is empty.
    He makes her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!

Psalm 113

From the moment of conception, life is a miracle. Although we carry the child for 40 weeks, it seems like forever before we give birth. I know women that have been blessed with many children and those who are blessed with one. Then there are those who may not have given birth to children of their own, but have love enough to share with children as an adoptive mom or as a servant of the Lord at church or in a teaching situation where their influence is great upon those they touch.

God gave us that capacity to love and to love others. Sometimes life will throw us curve balls. We may make a wrong turn down God’s path, get lost along the way, but know that He is there to catch us, no matter what our choices are. King David made mistakes, and truly repented, and God forgave him. Consequences were meted out, but all was forgiven.  After all, do we not want forgiveness in the end? Do we not want the shame, guilt and self-condemnation to be taken away? For all of this to happen, we need to forgive ourselves as God forgives us.

When Jesus died on the Cross for our sins, He took on every single thing we would ever do or think. He knew who we would meet, talk to, be friends with, laugh with, and who our parents would be. And, knowing all of this, He chose to die on the Cross for us.  I have mentored teenagers who have refused to accept that God would just love them. It is hard to teach someone who is not ready to hear that God loves them unconditionally. The best way is to show them unconditional love. This is best demonstrated by our service to our children, whether it is our own or loving on other children.

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Father, help us to remember that all are Your children. We each have gifting that allow us to minister to those that are hurting. Help us to be content with planting seeds, or with watering seeds, or with helping those seeds grow into a fully-developed Christians. Forgive us for when we do not look to You for guidance, but instead look to others or into ourselves. You have made us to seek You and be a part of community. Give us courage to seek godly women who will help us grow individually. I thank You for this group of women. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

He Found Her

June 20, 2014 by

nameLordstrongtower
There is a story in the Bible about a mother that no one loved. Is there a name that comes to mind?  My first guess was Rebekkah, the mother that deceived her husband and stole the birthright from her firstborn. But it is not. Do you remember Hagar? She was the Egyptian handmaid to Sarah, the wife of Abraham.

Sarah was unable to have children, so Sarah suggested that Abraham have relations with Hagar so he could have a son. She thought she would be fine with it. She wasn’t at all. See, she wanted an heir for Abraham so badly and she was not willing to wait on the Lord, and the plan turned on her. She became really jealous. She put her will before God’s.

So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar and she became pregnant.
But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.
Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault!
I put my servant in your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt.
The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”
Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit,”
Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
Genesis 16:4-6 NLT

So, you can see that Hagar is the least-loved mother  in the Bible.  She was young, she was pregnant, and she was all alone.  Instead of help, she received harshness and Abram, the father, turned his back on her also. She had no one—no family or friends.  But she had God.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness,
along the road to Shur. The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant,
where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“Im running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. The angel of the Lord said to her,
“Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son.
You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’),
for the Lord has heard your cry of distress.
Genesis 16: 7-11

What do you think of Hagar? When the world was ready to blame her, the Lord redeemed her. Hagar was lost and the Lord found her. She was alone in her wilderness, and really alone but God came to her rescue.

For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.
Luke 19:10

The Lord found her… the Lord favored her. He promised her more descendants than she could count and told her that she was already pregnant!  Ishmael is full of God’s favor yet the world thinks differently. Did she deserve it? No, but Jesus says in Matthew 11:28,”Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest.”

The Lord became her friend. “Therefor, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said,”You are the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). Hagar gave her new friend a new name that day, “El Roi,” which means ‘the God who looks, inspects, considers’.  She considered Him the God who saw her needs and decided to help her. God never left her alone.

Is this you today? Do you feel alone or abandoned? If the world has cast you out or maybe you have retreated to your own desert, the Lord sees you. He knows where you are and He will meet you right there! He loves you and He is your friend. He sees you! Hold on to His love today and cry out to Him. There is so much joy waiting for you and blessings beyond your wildest dreams. And if you don’t know Him or you don’t know how to reach Him, then pray this with me:

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Dear God, I am a sinner. I know I need Your forgiveness and mercy. I want a new life, and I want to walk with You. Today I ask You into my heart, to guide me and direct me. Thank You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen!

{{ If you prayed this prayer today, please let us know in the comment section.  We  would love to rejoice with you in this journey and be praying for you! }}

Filed Under: encouragement Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Only Love

June 19, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

He maketh the barren woman to keep house,
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

I don’t know what it is like to not have the ability to have children.  I’m a mother, I have been since I was a young woman. However, through the years I’ve learned an important lesson—you do not need to bear children to be a mom, to be a mother. I have come across many women who are mothers to their own children and to others. I’ve come across women who do not have children but who have taken on that role, nurturing and guiding others in life.

This verse doesn’t simply tell me that He will create opportunities for women to fill a void they may have from not having children of her own. What this verse tells me is that God will always meet our needs, He will always make certain that our voids are filled, but it’s not the house or the kids, or whatever it is that’s missing from your life. What He fills that void with is His love. It’s His love that brings the joy that we have as we go about our day

So yes, Praise ye the Lord! Praise Him for meeting our needs, for filling our voids, and for the joy to live out our destiny even when the circumstances don’t match our plan.

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Let’s Pray: Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes we look at our situations and see that they don’t meet our plans, we have voids; we have empty places, and there is only One Who can fill those voids—and that is You and Your love. Thank You for Your joy that allows us to live each day.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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I Am

June 19, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place where we can’t find peace
There’s no end to amazing grace
Take me in with Your arms spread wide
Take me in like an orphan child
Never let go, never leave my side

I am holding on to You
I am holding on to You
In the middle of the storm
I am holding on, I am

Love like this, oh, my God to find
I am overwhelmed what a joy divine
Love like this sets our hearts on fire

This is my Resurrection song
This is my ‘Hallelujah Come’
This is why to You I run
There’s no space that His love can’t reach
There’s no place that we can’t find peace
There’s no end to amazing grace

Singer / Songwriter: David Crowder (with Ed Cash)

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“There’s no space that His love can’t reach….” Oh, how much God loves us…do you know how loved you are ???  This blogpost I came across states this beautifully:

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You Are ‘The Apple of My Eye, The Treasure in My Heart 

“You are not worthless; you are the apple of His eye and the work of His hands. God is saying to you, “You are the apple of my eye, the treasure in my heart.”

The Bible states, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:20-22). In the sight of God you are His treasure, and where His treasure is, there His heart is also. His heart is with you, yes, with you His treasure.

God wants you to know you are deep in the core of His heart and He is watching over you daily. His thoughts are with you. They are thoughts of good and not of evil.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  (Jeremiah 29:11, 12)

You may not know or understand it, but He wants me to reassure you that He is watching over you daily. You are the work of His hands, His own treasure. If you can put your trust in Him, you will see a transformation in your life. His hands are wide open towards you right now, He is waiting to embrace you, wanting to heal and set you free. If you are feeling alone, abandoned like there is no one to help, the Bible states that God is our Helper, He is the glory and the lifter of your head.

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, And save them, Because they trust in Him. Psalm 37:40)”

from Prayer for Today blog 

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There is no place we can’t find peace in the storm. In Mark 4 we find the example of Jesus calming the storm….

On that day, when evening came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Let’s go across to the other side of the lake.” So after leaving the crowd, they took Him along, just as He was, in the boat, and other boats were with Him. Now a great windstorm developed and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was nearly swamped. But He was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. They woke Him up and said to Him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” So He got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Be quiet! Calm down!” Then the wind stopped, and it was dead calm. And He said to them, “Why are you cowardly? Do you still not have faith?” They were overwhelmed by fear and said to one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and sea obey Him!” (verses 35-41)

We must stand firm in our faith and keep believing. We must go by faith and not by what we see. He is faithful and, in the end, we will have the victory!

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Heavenly Father, I thank You that there is no place that Your love can’t reach…that there is no place that we can’t find peace. In the middle of the storm may we choose to hold on to You— the One who is faithful…in Jesus’ name, amen!!!

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

A Mother to All

June 18, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

He maketh the barren woman to keep house,
and to be a joyful mother of children.
Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 113:9

In all my adult years, I never thought I would meet anybody who would not want children. Now, I have met women who were not able to have children or who, with their husband, had established their families through other means. Needless to say, of all the women in the aforementioned descriptions, they have all felt blessed and that this is the way God intended for their lives to be led. These women still have homes and husbands to care for, but they also have another calling.

There are some of these women in every church. I know of a few in ours. One of these great ladies works with the children in our church. She finds great joy in her role as their teacher. She teaches Sunday School, children’s choir, creative movement, and much more that involves the children of our church. She finds great joy in fostering the spiritual side of the children she works with each week. She finds great joy in the pursuits of her own family and those of working with our children. God has made her joyful in what she does.

Ladies, whether you have children or not, you are blessed to be put in the position you are in. As mothers, we are blessed with the joy of having a family and taking care of it. Barren women can find joy in helping foster a godly spirit in their friends’ children and the children of the church. Through these roles they praise God through their actions. Children look up to both their parents and their elders for guidance. As women of God, barren women still can find joy in helping with children through doing God’s work.

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Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the women that You have placed in our lives. Without them we could not learn from one another or be good examples for each other…or for our children. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Mighty Warrior

June 18, 2014 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

You call us out from the depths
Into Your freedom
Our chains are gone
No weapon formed shall prevail
Your Word is stronger
We overcome

Your glory resounds through the age
All saints declaring
Your great renown
Your Kingdom forever will stand
We won’t be shaken
We will not fear

Our God a mighty warrior
You’re a consuming fire
In victory You reign
We triumph in Your name
Jesus the great commander
You conquered death forever
In victory You reign
We triumph in Your name

And we declare Your name is power
Exalted One, no name is higher
You stand alone our Strong Defender
Above You there’s no other, above You there’s no other

Jesus the great Commander
You conquered death forever
In victory You reign
We triumph in Your name

Songwriters: Chris Brown, Jane Williams, Matthews Ntlele
Performed by Elevation Worship

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Is there anything that can destroy us if we are His children? As you listen to this song, I hope you are reminded that nothing is impossible for Him and there isn’t anything that is more powerful than our God.
There is freedom in His Name and chains are broken and we are victorious over anything that attempts to destroy us. Because He sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place and to redeem us and restore us, we will forever live with Him in His home, Heaven.
We won’t be shaken, we will not fear, for nothing can ever separate us from Him. No weapon can be formed against us. Forever we will be free. Our God is to be exalted in the Heavens and the earth, now and forever more. He is to be praised and worshipped and loved by His children. We are to spread His hope to this dying world. He alone is our Joy and our Hope. He is our Rock and He never changes.
Oh friend, I pray today that you know Him. I pray today that you can rest in Him. Get into His Word and hear all He has for you—all His promises and blessings that are yours. And if you don’t know Him, reach out today. Your life will never be the same!

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Let us pray: Dearest Lord, we praise You and we love You. We thank You for being our Rock. You are our Provider. You give us joy and peace and make our lives here on earth so much more fulfilled. All around us are Your wonders and Your artwork. Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us and restore us. Thank You for breaking chains and giving us freedom in Your Name. Your Word is our shield and our hope. We can do anything with You as our God. Thank You for songs like this, that remind us of Your character. You give each one of us a way to glorify You. Help us to use it for Your glory. Give us courage to spread the hope of You to this world, for it’s in Your son’s name we pray, amen.

 

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

God’s Condescension

June 17, 2014 by

SeekingHimLogo

He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Psalm 113:6 NLT

Who humbles Himself to regard the heavens and the earth!
Psalm 113:6 AMP

As I was researching this verse, I kept coming across the phrase “God’s condescension.” I did not like the way that sounded. Who thinks of God as condescending? To me, condescending meant ‘patronizing superiority’.  But biblically it means the exact opposite. I looked it up in several biblical dictionaries and found that condescension means ‘gentleness, meekness, or humility’.  It is used to describe God’s benevolence towards us.

Think of it this way—God’s glory is above all things, even the heavens.  Job 5:15 says: “Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones, And the heavens are not pure in His sight” (NASB).  Yet, He never neglects any of His creations.  Psalm 138:6 puts it this way: “Though the Lord is on high, Yet He regards the lowly” (NKJ).  He gives us His constant care and attention. God is aware of even the smallest of details.  Psalm 11:4 tells us: “The Lord is in His holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes watch; He examines everyone.”  There is not one thing that He does not see, guide, and direct (as if there is nothing else to demand His attention).

What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him?
Psalm 8:4 NASB

Lord, what is man that You take notice of him? Or [the] son of man that You take account of him?
Psalm 144:3 AMP

Who are we that God should be so mindful of us?  Job 36:5 reminds us: “Behold! God is mighty, and yet despises no one nor regards anything as trivial.”  He is infinitely perfect and all-sufficient; and yet, it pleases Him to think of us.  He stoops from His throne on high to lay His hand upon us. God chooses to open Himself to us. Humble beyond any comparison, He stoops to offer us reconciliation.

In the words of Charles Spurgeon:
“It is God making Himself little which is the cause of our being made great.”

If that doesn’t blow you away, nothing ever will!

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Father God, I stand amazed and in awe of You. That You, to whom even the heavens are unclean, should stoop down and take notice of me. Mere words will never adequately express the gratefulness and appreciation I feel that You should humble Yourself on my behalf. Thank You Father. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray – Amen, so be it!

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