Author: J Brad Mitchell

When I travel, I depend heavily on my GPS.  Even if I know the route, I will turn it on anyway.  There are a couple of reasons for this.  I do this because if I am thinking about something else, off in my own world,  I will miss a turn even when I know where it is.  It has happened quite a few times.  All of a sudden, I look around and realize I don’t know where I am.  Now, that usually is not so much of a panic because I stay lost so much.  Directionally challenged doesn’t begin to describe it.  So I end up figuring out where I went off course and getting back to the right place.  The other reason is because of these newer features on my GPS.  Now the GPS will tell me if there is a roadblock, roadwork, an accident, or any other issue upcoming.  

Yesterday as I traveled the interstate, I was making good time.  I had to go through some fairly large cities so traffic was a concern.  I left extra early and my arrival time reflected I would be 45 minutes early.  That’s perfect.  At some point in the trip, I looked down to see my arrival time begin to change.  At first, I was going to be 30 minutes early, then 15.  Before I knew it, the arrival time had me 30 minutes late!  All the time, I am traveling along with no problems.  What did the GPS know that I didn’t?  It knew there had been an ‘incident’ that had blocked all the lanes of the interstate about 50 miles ahead.  This was going to be an issue – except it wasn’t.  

When I got close to the slow down, my GPS did this thing called “re-routing”.  Normally I am not a fan of re-routing.  I like to travel the same way all the time.  I like the comfort of knowing where I am going and seeing familiar surroundings.  I ride this road enough I know where the good places to eat and where the rest stops are.  I don’t like to get off the path.  I like the path.  I know the path.  In this case, though, I welcomed the scenery.  The interesting thing is if I had not known about the incident ahead, I would have ignored my GPS and it’s need to re-route.  I would have kept on going on my same path.  Because there was something causing such a delay, I gladly followed wherever the GPS took me.  And it worked.  I ended up getting there in plenty of time.

Our lives get re-routed way too often, in my opinion.  I like the sameness.  I like the comfort of the beaten path.  I like knowing what’s next and seeing the same scenery daily.  There is a security in all of this.  So when I am taken off path, I resist.  I resist with every part of my being.  I don’t want to.  I like it the way it is.  I know the other way may be better but I KNOW this way.  Yet, God knows what’s ahead.  And sometimes it can feel like he is carrying me straight through a crash site.  Sometimes it feels like I am taken right through the trouble.  In reality, he is guiding me where he needs me.  He is taking care of me because he knows what is ahead.  He is preparing me for the ‘incident’ and showing me the right way to go.  The problem usually arises when I decide I don’t like the re-route and I stick to my own plan.  And I usually end up late and frustrated and upset.  I usually end up in a mess.  I should have taken the re-route.

Today, maybe God is taking you on a path you never have approached before.  Maybe you are on a journey that is unfamiliar and quite scary.  The scenery is not what you are accustomed to seeing.  You don’t recognize the signs or the landmarks.  I challenge you to look to the Navigator.  If God is directing your paths, there is nothing to fear.  He knows what is ahead and he promises to be with us through it all.  So go, follow, and be willing to be re-routed.  You just may find God in the unfamiliar.  He just might be waiting for you there.

Focus Scripture:

Matthew 4:20

²⁰ Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

To say ‘God is good’ indicates some sense of trust and reliance.  It means we do not understand and we are okay with it.  It has this ingrained belief that God is merciful, kind, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love as we are reminded he is.  Or it could simply be a statement we are clinging to and hoping it is really true.  It is hard to say until all we know is questioned.

When all goes well, God is good becomes a motto we can hold fast.  We can rely on it because all we have and all we do point to this fact.  We often equate goodness with prosperity, good health, and overall success.  So if all is going well, it does make the statement more tangible.  But what happens when all doesn’t go well?  What happens when we do lose it all?  What happens when our loved one dies too soon?  What happens when we lose our job or something tragic happens?  What about the times when all doesn’t appear so great because it isn’t so great?  Is God still good then?

If we measure goodness simply by our standards, then we may waiver in our belief.  We may find ourselves in a wasteland wondering what went wrong.  We may think that God has forgotten us.  Maybe we need a new measurement.  Maybe God is good anyway.  Maybe God’s goodness is not measured by our earthly, American standards.  Maybe, just maybe, God’s goodness isn’t based on the things we hold so close.  

What if God’s goodness is really based in those attributes we read about?  God’s goodness could, in fact, be based on the fact that he is merciful, kind, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.  Those things have nothing to do with our creature comforts on this earth.  These are the things which carry us through those tragic times.  These are the things that are there when nothing else can be.  These are the things which wrap us tight when we are falling apart.  God is good.  He is good not because all will go well for us.  God is good because he is there for us in the good times and in the bad.  He is good because he doesn’t leave us when all the rest of our world collapses.  He is good because he is faithful.  We don’t need to understand his goodness, we simply need to rest in it.  

May God’s goodness wrap you tight today and provide you with all you need for the next breath.  May you find God’s goodness all around you – and not in things.  May you see God’s goodness at work.  God really is good.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 103:7-9

⁷ He made known his ways to Moses,
    his acts to the people of Israel.
⁸ The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

If you have ever written a paper on a computer, you know the value of the word count on the bottom of the screen.  You have likely stared out it, hoping to hit the key number of words so you can call it done.  I think the worst part of the word count is zero.  When you sit down to begin, you see the zero glaring up at you, almost taunting you – daring you to begin.  Those are the times we can find ourselves brain-locked, unable to form a complete sentence.  I don’t know about you, but there were times when I would put my name and the date on the top, just to move past the zero mark.  It was intimidating and held me back from starting.  I had zero words.

As someone who now writes often (and not for a grade), I don’t worry about the word count.  Those days are long gone.  But I do find myself with zero words to say sometimes.  I know it can be difficult to think I have nothing to say.  But there are times and situations for which I have nothing.  I am confused and completely speechless.  The loss of loved ones can have this effect, especially when we have lost loved ones before we think it is their time to go.  I look at the families left behind and I have nothing.  I think of all the heartache and deep longing  – and I have nothing.  There are so many things we feel which do not have words.  There is no language in all the world that allows for the feelings that form in the depths of our soul.

It is in these times – the times when words are insufficient – that I feel most connected to the writings of Paul in Romans 8:25-27, “²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.²⁶ Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷ And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

Help us in our weakness, guide us through the prayers when words are insufficient, and an intercession of sighs too deep for words – YES – this is where we can find ourselves.  We don’t need words.  We don’t need answers.  Nothing is required of us, because zero words are completely okay.  And I rest knowing that God understands. 

May God help you in your weakness today.  May he guide you through your prayers.  May he intercede with sighs too deep for words.  May you know that there are no words sometimes, only the love of God.  And that is enough.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

This Advent week is focused on peace.  All of the themes of Advent are challenging, but this one seems to really add an extra bit of difficulty.  We do not live in a peaceful world.  So much of what we experience is not peaceful.  Anxiety, fear, and worry seem to drive our actions all too much of the time.  I find myself waking up worrying about all the things that are left undone.  How will I get them all accomplished? What can I do to make things better?  How will I find the time for all that still needs to be done on top of what I have for today?  These thoughts awaken me from my sleep and I find anything but peace overtaking my heart and mind.  So to consider peace, to think of how peace may be a part of my life, seems a far reach from my reality.  

Here’s the thing…peace is actually closer than I could imagine.  Peace is so close yet I leave it untouched because I am looking for it beyond where it can actually be found.  I will not find peace in things or activities or people or places.  I will not find peace in catching up or doing something else.  I will not find peace in routine or control.  I find peace when I look within.  

Jesus teaches his disciples that he will be leaving them physically.  This had to be a shock.  This had to rattle them more than a little.  How would they get everything done?  How would they know where to go next?  What would it look like to go places and do things without their leader?  And I could imagine if I was one of them, my anxiety would be through the roof.  How could you leave us in such a time as this?  Do you not know what is going on?  Do you not know how much I need you?  My mind goes on and on in a loop I am sure would play if I had been at Jesus’ feet that day.  I know because my mind goes on a similar loop now.

Jesus tells them not to worry (yeah right – as if this is possible).  He gives them a reason not to worry, though.  He tells them that he offers peace.  This peace will not be found in people or places or things.  This peace will not be dependent on anything external.  This peace is a gift from God.  It isn’t something they need to understand.  It isn’t something they need to find.  All they need to do is search within.  They have all they need with them all the time.  Jesus is the peace they search.  And we are given the Holy Spirit – living in us – to provide us with this Jesus peace. 

So we can stop searching.  It can’t be found in any of the places we are looking anyway.  We simply need to look within.  He is there – and that is all the peace we could ever need.  Peace Be With You.

Focus Scripture:

John 14:25-29

²⁵ “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. ²⁸ You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. ²⁹ And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe. 

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

My devotion for today is near the end of the day.  I often focus on beginning the day, but it is Saturday.  And many people begin the day slowly – or at least slower than the rest of the week.  But conclusions to the day, they seem to be about the same to me.  I have done what I could or at least what I thought needed to be done, I have settled down, and now I rest.  With Leo by my side, I consider the ending of another day.

Yet, it isn’t just another day.  No day is ‘another day’.  We can’t treat any of our days like this.  Each day is unique.  Each day brings unexpected joys if we are paying attention.  There are tragedies and struggles.  There are days that are absolutely devastating.  There are also days where the sun shines a bit brighter and all seems well and all is well.  But no matter how this day goes, God is with us.  God’s love overwhelms us.  God’s mercy sets us free.  We are not alone.  We are loved.  We are free.  

All of this sounds good unless you are experiencing the really bad day and nothing seems well.  If we are missing a loved one or struggling with an addiction or finding ourselves in what seems to be impossible circumstances, we don’t always understand how God is with us, how we are loved or how we are free.  We feel beat down, defeated and destroyed.  But we aren’t.  We don’t get to understand it all – and for the most part, I am grateful for this fact.  I am thankful I do not have to understand it all because then I would feel the need to fix it all.  I am thankful I do not always get why and how things happen.  This isn’t my job.  It isn’t why I was created.  It isn’t part of me.  I, instead, have no choice but to rely on my Creator.  I have no option but to look to my Redeemer.  I cannot do any other than trust my Savior.  

As I conclude this day – this exceptional, unique day of gifts – I rest knowing that no matter what, I am loved, I am free and I am not alone.  I rest knowing that no matter the number of my days, I have the opportunity to appreciate each and every one.  I rest knowing that the world continues with or without me, but that God has a unique and special plan for me until he calls me home.  I rest because God has this all taken care of – even when I don’t.

Rest, my friends, for you are loved, you are free, and you are not alone.   

Focus Scripture:

2 Corinthians 17-18

¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

We often want too many things in life ‘one and done’.  We would like to have one day of eating healthy and feel better.  We would like one day of exercise to translate into the body we so desire.  We would like one time of praying to be all that is needed.  To do it once and have it done seems so appealing.  But that isn’t at all how we live the Christian life.  It is anything but ‘one and done’.  It is more like a continual focus on following Christ.  It is about falling down (a lot) and then getting back up (also a lot).  It is about getting more things wrong than right but know that Christ is with you and still loves you.  It is about the slow, methodical rhythm of being in sync with the Creator and not rushing ahead at our own pace.  And this all makes it hard.  

Jesus tells his followers that as disciples, they must continue in his word.  For me, that means it is a process.  Jesus wants them to know that just because they are following today doesn’t mean they will get it right tomorrow.  Just because they are faithful today doesn’t mean they won’t stumble tomorrow.  And there were more than a few examples of this being very true.  

Why would we expect any different as followers today?  We also have to continually follow Christ by studying his actions, his paths, and his speech.  We must hear him instruct us where to go, even if it is found in the instructions of the Bible.  Most of the time, that means we block out the noise of all that is going on around us.  And even more often, it likely means we are choosing a path that is different than anyone else.  Jesus’ path is filled with love and compassion.  His path is filled with kindness and help for those who we meet.  His path is filled with experiences of non-judgment.  Jesus’ path requires a constant focus on him and not on us.  May we be continually in his word today, following the footsteps of the One who created footsteps.  

Focus Scripture:

John 8:31-32

³¹ Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

The holidays are upon us.  This also means holiday shopping is upon us.  Holiday shopping on top of holiday events and an already packed schedule can be a recipe for anxiety, stress and anger.  It can so easily happen.  And anger is often misdirected.  It can be seen anywhere.  A person is angry at something else that has happened and takes it out on the worker at the fast food restaurant who simply forgot a sauce.  A person is hurt because of something that was said and lashes out at the receptionist in the doctor’s office who is just trying to follow a policy she didn’t create.  Someone else is dealing with medical issues and takes it out on the driver that cut him off.  These are already reactions that happen and when compacted with the holidays, this can become a real problem, real fast.

What can we do about it all?  We can’t make someone else not yell at the worker or the receptionist or the driver.  We can’t stop others from carrying their anger and taking it out on the first person to receive it.  We can’t make others see that Christmas is not about all of the things which bring up so much anxiety.  What we can do is work on us.  I can work on me.  You can work on you.  We can make sure we are not the one yelling at the restaurant worker.  We can make sure we are not the one becoming hateful at the doctor’s office.  We can take a deep breath when we are cut off in traffic and simply be okay.  We can change ourselves.  We can find kindness in us.  We can be the difference.  We can show love where there seems to be so little of it.  

This year, I think this is especially important.  We not only have stress and anxiety with the holidays, but we also have this pandemic we are all having to deal with.  This year, we can make even more of an impact.  If you have the love of Christ in you – share that instead of your anger.  If you have the peace of Christ in you – let that rule your hearts and minds rather than hatred.  If you have the hope of Christ in you – let that hope shine through so brightly others see the hope in you.  If you have the joy of Christ in you – may it be the first thing others notice.  We make the difference if we have Christ living in us.  What is shining through you today?

Focus Scripture:

Matthew 5:13-14

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

Lord, protect me.  Protect my mouth from speaking hatred or spewing meanness.  Protect my heart from exposure to the things which stain.  Protect my mind, that I will think good things which bring You glory, Lord.  Protect my spirit, that I will not allow those who mean evil to beat me down.  Protect me, Lord, that I may serve you.

We don’t often consider how exposed we can be.  We too easily allow others to influence our hearts and our minds.  We give control to those who should not be allowed to have control over us.  We allow ourselves to be manipulated without ever realizing it has happened.  Before we know it, we are not the people we sought to be.  We don’t realize how much protection we really do need.  But God does.  And so many times, we read how the Psalmist does.  

When we are in times of physical war, we seek protection.  When we clearly see the enemy, we become defensive and ready – prepared for what is ahead.  But when the enemy sneaks into our lives undetected, we are unprepared.  We miss how we have allowed others to control our attitude or steal our joy.  We don’t recognize when we have lost all sense of who we are and given ourselves to things which are unhealthy (spiritually, physically, and emotionally).  We miss it because this evil is hidden among the good. 

So today, we seek protection.  May God protect us from those things which we do not see or recognize, but that harm us in so many ways.  May God give us clean and fresh air to breathe so that we might see him.  May God cover us with his wings so that we are not exposed to the harshness that can so easily surround us.  May God protect our hearts, our mouths, our spirits, that we will be the instruments of his peace and love.  And may we live, truly live, protected by the hand of the Almighty God.

Focus Scripture:

Psalm 141:8-10

⁸ But my eyes are turned toward you, O God, my Lord;
    in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
⁹ Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me,
    and from the snares of evildoers.
¹⁰ Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
    while I alone escape.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

There are times it is simply enough to know that God is the God of Hope.  There must be.  When we don’t have the answers, when we don’t understand the outcome, when we don’t get what is going on – our only hope is found in God.  It doesn’t take away our hurt.  It doesn’t fix things.  This isn’t some magic potion that clears everything up and all is well.  It also isn’t some pie-in-the-sky thinking either.  We don’t live well without hope and our hope cannot be placed in the hands of any other.  We cannot move forward without hope, but we cannot look elsewhere for hope or we will be let down.  Hope is only found in the God who created it all, including us.  And since he created it all, he certainly can be a resting place for our hope.  

Hope in God transcends our circumstances.  Hope in God illuminates our path and reminds us we are not alone.  Hope in God gives us the courage to take one more step when we feel too frightened to even lift our foot – as if we were stuck in cement and it had already hardened around us.  

As we enter the holiday season, there is so much to celebrate.  There is so much to look forward to discovering.  There are good times ahead.  But that doesn’t mean we will all celebrate.  It doesn’t mean the holiday season is great for us all.  It doesn’t mean there aren’t people struggling with grief, loneliness, fear, and hurt.  That’s all the more real than the celebrations for so many.  And this year everything seems to be amplified.  

But what isn’t lost in it all is hope.  It isn’t a hope in things getting better.  It isn’t a hope we will get what we want.  It isn’t a hope in people or places or situations.  Hope is found in God who reminds us that no matter what, there is always a reason to take one more step.  There is always a reason to pick up your head and see his glory.  There is always a reason to lift your eyes to the hills – that really is where your help comes from.  If God made the heavens and the earth – if he cared enough to make you – then he cares enough to provide you a wellspring of hope.  

May your heart be lifted ever so gently to the God of Hope.  May he surprise you with glimmers of goodness.  May your spirits find rest and strength so hope can be discovered, one more time.

Focus Scripture: 

Psalm 121

¹ I lift up my eyes to the hills—
    from where will my help come?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ He who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
⁸ The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time on and forevermore.

Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery