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When you need an anchor to secure your heart and bring peace to your soul, remember that the Lord directs your steps. David discovered this powerful truth and found rest in the midst of life’s storms: “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23-24). When the Lord is present, you can count on His guidance, joy, and strength. Then, even if the rain begins to fall, there are no worries for you. He will take you to the next place in your journey with Him in spite of the tempest of the waves. These words by Annie Johnson Flint are some of my favorites – Enjoy!

“I stood on the shore beside the sea;
The wind from the West blew fresh and free,
While past the rocks at the harbor’s mouth
The ships went North, and the ships went South,
And some sailed out on an unknown quest,
And some sailed into the harbor’s rest;
Yet ever the wind blew out of the West.

I said to one who had sailed the sea
That this was a marvel unto me;
For how can the ships go safely forth,
Some to the South and some to the North,
Far out to sea on their golden quest,
Or in to the harbor’s calm and rest,
And ever the wind blew out of the West?

The sailor smiled as he answered me,
‘Go where you will when you’re on the sea,
Though head winds baffle and flaws delay,
You can keep the course by night and day,
Drive with the breeze or against the gale;
It will not matter what winds prevail,
For all depends on the set of the sail.’

Voyager soul on the sea of life,
O’er waves of sorrow and sin and strife,
When fogs bewilder and foes betray,
Steer straight on your course from day to day;
Though unseen currents run deep and swift,
Where rocks are hidden and sandbars shift,
All helpless and aimless, you need not drift.

Oh, set your sail to the heavenly gale,
And then, no matter what winds prevail,
No reef shall wreck you, no calm delay,
No mist shall hinder, no storm shall stay;
Though far you wander and long you roam,
Though salt sea-spray and o’er white sea-foam,
No wind that can blow but shall speed you home.”

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for directing my steps today, delighting in every detail of my life, and holding my hand along the way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Do you ever find your trust in the Lord wavering with the tide of your circumstances? And then, your need for control kicks in and you fall into full-blown worry? Think about the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:25-33. Again and again, He says “Do not worry…” He says, “Look at the birds…your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?…See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.” When the people watched Jesus in action, effectively turning lives upside down as He healed and taught, they were “overwhelmed with amazement” and said, “He has done everything well.”

I recently read a little story in Streams In The Desert about two monks who each planted a tree. One monk told the Lord exactly how to take care of it, asking for each provision—first rain for growth, then sun, and finally frost to hopefully make it stronger. Well, at the end of all the monk’s constant control, the tree died one evening. The monk sought the advice of another monk, and shared his strange experience. His friend replied, “I, too, planted a little tree, and see! It thrives well. But I entrust my tree to God. He who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me. I laid no condition. I fixed not ways or means. I prayed Lord, send what it needs—storm or sunshine, wind, rain, or frost. Thou hast made it and Thou dost know.”

As I think about that little story, I realize that many times I am like the first monk, laying out exactly what I think is the best way for the Lord to accomplish His plan and purpose. In quiet time, He helps shift my focus away from circumstances and control, to dependence on Him and eyes fixed on Him. The Holy Spirit knows exactly where I need help and He faithfully and daily, moment by moment, transforms me into a woman who trusts Him. But I am definitely in process. For many times, I try to jump into the pilot’s seat, thinking I know best. I love the words of the second monk in the story, when he says, “But I entrust my tree to God. He who made it knows better what it needs than a man like me.” That’s essentially what Peter said, when he exhorted believers to “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

I often think about a time when Corrie ten Boom enjoyed the hospitality of a friend in a beautiful home. And for a brief moment, she entertained the thought of how wonderful it would be if she could have a home like that. The Lord had called her to travel throughout the world as His spokesman telling all who would listen that “With Jesus, even if the worst happens, the best remains, and His light is brighter than the deepest darkness.” Because of God’s plan for her at that time, she was, as she called herself, “a tramp for the Lord.” And so, in that brief moment, in the comforts of a home, she imagined what it might be like to have earthly security and stay in one place. And then, she caught herself, and turned to what she knew was true and spoke that truth out loud, “Lord, You do everything well.”

Today, I am finding comfort in knowing that the Lord is working out a plan and purpose in my life even if I don’t always understand the finer details of my daily circumstances. I’m going to be like that second monk and “entrust my tree to God.”

Yes, leave it with Him,
The lilies all do,
And they grow-
They grow in the rain,
And they grow in the dew-
Yes, they grow;
They grow in the darkness, all hid in the night-
They grow in the sunshine, revealed by the light-
Still they grow.

Yes, leave it with Him,
‘Tis more dear to His heart,
You will know,
Than the lilies that bloom,
Or the flowers that start
‘Neath the snow;
Whatever you need, if you seek it in prayer,
You can leave it with Him-for you are His care.
You, you know
–Selected from Streams In The Desert

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You that You do everything well. Today, I cast every care on You and trust You to care for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have you discovered the “mighty hand” of the Lord today? Peter sensed the mighty hand of God most in the fiery trial. He gives direction about the mighty hand when you are suffering. He says, “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7). I don’t know about you, but I have experienced those times when the Lord seemingly refuses to let go on one particular point. I can choose to walk away, not trust, and fall into despair. And the temptation is great to do exactly that—the mountain I must climb is too high, seemingly too steep and treacherous. And the mighty hand of God is waiting, pressing down on me, urging me to make the alternative, seemingly more difficult, “God choice” of drawing near, believing BIG with a HUGE trust empowered by the Holy Spirit and inspired by God’s Word, and ultimately walking with hope in my heart.

The Lord’s mighty hand will help you press through to a new and greater faith. I love how Oswald Chambers puts it in My Utmost For His Highest (November 1 reading): “The first thing God does with us is to get us based on rugged Reality until we do not care what becomes of us individually as long as He gets His way for the purpose of His redemption. Why shouldn’t we go through heartbreaks? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us fall and collapse at the first grip of pain; we sit down on the threshold of God’s purpose and die away of self-pity, and all so-called Christian sympathy will aid us to our death bed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, and says—Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine. If through a broken heart, God can bring His purposes to pass in the world, then thank Him for breaking your heart.”

Do you need to press through the pain and on to a higher place in your relationship with Christ? He will help you make this next step of faith into a deeper devotion and greater trust. Habakkuk discovered a new ability to believe God in loss—his crop had failed, the fields weren’t producing food, and there were no cattle in the stalls. Here’s the place that God enabled him to travel—he said, “…yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights” (Habakkuk 3:18-19). Jeremiah discovered this same joy and hope in his own temptation to despair in the trials: “Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 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” (Lamentations 3:21-23).

Do you see the secret? Grasp God’s mighty hand, hold on to Him, and press through the trial to the place where the Lord is leading you. You cannot see it now for the fog is heavy. But remember, the shadow of His hand on you has a bright side—He is present and you are not alone. And He is greater than any trial you face. So today, make that “God choice”. Refuse to give up, stand strong on His Word, and press through to a new joy and hope given to you through the power of the Holy Spirit. Here’s the promise to embrace, trust, and live out today: “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10).

My Response: Lord Jesus, I find in myself a tendency toward self-pity and a readiness to give up at the first hint of pain and suffering. Will You strengthen me today with Your mighty hand, and help me press through to faith, trust, and hope in You? Thank You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I wonder today how many are weighed down with soul suffering and are becoming weary of the fight of faith? Oswald Chambers says that walking by faith is “a fight always, not sometimes.” The road-weary faith traveler finds new strength in a big dose of God’s Word. Nothing so fuels your faith as the great promises of God. And the bright hope of eternity will bring a new sparkle to the eyes of your heart. Guaranteed, my dear friends.

Yesterday, I attended a memorial of a friend who suddenly died of a heart attack at the age of 49. His graduation to heaven was a shock to all of us. Barry was a sharp guy and the chief of staff for a California state assemblyman. I knew him because we served together at our church and he was my student in some of the Biola classes I taught. I’ve been thinking about him so much. And while I was sitting at the memorial, my mind entertained the fact that Barry is now looking into the face of Jesus—he sees His face! This reality of faith becoming sight is just mind-blowing to me. My friend, Kris, stated it well as we were walking in to the sanctuary, “Don’t you envy him? Don’t you just wish we could all be in his place?” I looked at her in wonder and thought, “Did she really say what I think she said?” And then I nodded in agreement, “Yes, nothing is comparable or better than face to face with Jesus.”

Some of the best words you will ever find in Scripture are in Luke 24. The women arrived at the tomb of Jesus with prepared spices and fragrant oils. They found the stone rolled away and the body of Jesus gone. They were greatly perplexed. Then, two angels appeared and said, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24:5). Jesus forever confirmed our hope of eternity and heaven when he said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” (John 11:25-26). Jesus’ words here are HUGE – if we die, we shall live and if we live and believe in Jesus we shall never die. I read these words in my Bible during the memorial of my friend – that’s when the BIG thought came to me – he is alive and he sees Jesus face to face! When you turn to the promises of eternity in God’s Word, you are going to have amazing aha God moments where you realize eternal truths in a new and deeper way. You knew it before, but now you really know it! You will find your faith set on fire and your heart renewed and restored.

God promises those who suffer that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). Therefore, as Paul says, “we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). He continues, “…Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” All sufferers can find comfort in knowing that even great and painful suffering is considered “light affliction” and momentary WHEN COMPARED to your future in eternity. You will experience “a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Think on that amazing hope for a few minutes. What glories will you know in heaven? Just turn to Revelation 21 and 22 and you will find the tide turn in your own heart with the “weight of glory” to come—God Himself will be with you and will be your God, He will wipe away every tear from your eyes, and there will be no more death, sorry, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:3-4). You will serve the Lord, you will see His face, and His name will be on your forehead—you are His, basking in the light of His glory, and reigning forever and ever (Revelation 22:3-5). These are the things we look at and see when we open the pages of God’s Word (2 Corinthians 4:18). So my friends and fellow journeyers, take a long look at God’s eternal truths in His Word, and find a new strength to fight the good fight of faith.

My Response: Lord Jesus, today I am thinking about the hope of seeing Your face and living with You forever. Thank You for dying on the cross for me and giving me the hope of heaven and eternity where I will serve and reign with You forever and ever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

There are days when the cloud of the unknown weighs heavy on the soul. When those times come, take comfort in knowing that Jesus knows. He knows your heart. He knows the future. He knows your journey. He knows your challenges. He knows your accomplishments. He knows His plan for you. Jesus knows. Peter found comfort in realizing that Jesus knew his heart when he said, “Lord, You know all things” (John 21:17). Jesus knows where we are going and what lies ahead for us. The disciples were able to minister effectively when they “found everything just as He had told them” (Luke 22:13). The seven churches of western Asia Minor received a knowing message from Jesus when He said to them, “I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance” (Revelation 2:2), “I know your tribulation and your poverty” (Revelation 2:9), “I know where you dwell…” (Revelation 2:13), “I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance” (Revelation 2:19), and “I know your deeds…” (Revelation 3:1, 8, 15).

Knowing that Jesus knows gives me a more intimate, ongoing sense of the Lord’s presence. He is, as Scripture says, “intimately acquainted with all my ways” (Psalm 139:3). I am comforted that in this impersonal world there is One who is hands-on and personally gets involved with every aspect of my life. He will never leave us or forsake us and is always with us. You can count on Him today more surely than the sunrise or the sunset. And so today, in whatever you are experiencing on life’s journey, find comfort in the fact that He knows.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for Your constant, all-knowing presence, and Your compassionate caring and comfort. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were misjudged and misunderstood? How can you smile in those dark days? Find comfort, as David did, in the Lord Himself. He is the One who lifts up your head. David found himself in the midst of one of life’s low points when his son, Absalom, literally tried to steal his own father’s kingdom away from him. Absalom deceptively stood at the city’s gates and attempted to win the favor of the people, stealing their hearts one by one away from loyalty to his father, the king. But Absalom was like a fish trying to swim upstream, fighting an overwhelming power greater than himself—the power of Almighty God. David relied on God’s power and presence in the midst of his adversity. “But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head” (Psalm 3:3).

Something we must never forget when everything seems to come against us is the favor of our Lord. Paul knew this bright hope when he said, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And Paul, of course, experienced the strength of Christ in his own dark days. He said, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).

And so, in those situations, where you might sink in despair, you can still smile for He has taken His hand and turned your face toward His. Look into His face, and find comfort in His loving presence and gracious favor.

The Lord took me to Psalm 3 today and prompted these thoughts through one of my favorite authors, John Henry Jowett. In Jowett’s book, Thirsting For The Springs, he says: “The failures of men, the many obstacles they have to encounter, and especially the malice and contempt of their fellows, might humiliate them, and cause them to hang their heads in the confusion of face. The man whose external life passes from defeat to defeat, and who never sits down at the festival of success, is apt to acquire the attitude of severe depression. But Thou, O Lord, art the lifter up of mine head. The Lord’s companionship is my pride and my boast. The sublimity of man’s surroundings often gives a loftiness to his bearing. A man who companions much with kings may unconsciously gain the kingly carriage. How then, must it be with men who companion with the Almighty, and who find in Him their shield and their glory? It is a simple fact, that the intimate companions of the Lord are characterized by a certain, stately dignity, which is never so manifest as when they are in the minority, and are compelled to stand alone. God is the lifter up of their head. Is it any wonder that these wealthy conceptions of God should be accompanied by glad and ceaseless communion? Men were unfriendly; circumstances were unsympathetic; this man cried unto the Lord, and He heard him. There was a constant festival of fellowship, a fruitful responsiveness between man and his God.

Have you learned this great secret? Have you run into the presence of your Lord and become a “companion with the Almighty”, thus discovering Him as your shield and your glory? David enjoyed intimacy with God and we can also know Him in depth and detail, experiencing the intricacies and delights of His Person, His works and His words. Draw near in your desperate hours, and allow Him to lift your head. And then, dear friend, no matter what happens, hold your head high in the light of your Lord’s love for you (Romans 5:11 Phillips Translation).

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You for always lifting my head, and surrounding me with Your everlasting love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

I am so excited to introduce you to Jean Tan, who has just released a CD entitled Dance. I received an email from her a few days ago. Her email to me began this way: Hello Catherine! I’m Jean, a girl in her twenties in the little isle of Singapore halfway round the globe from where you are. Well, you can just imagine how blessed I was to hear from her. She wrote a song called “Dance” and has included it on this album. In December, her boyfriend found my book, A Woman’s Heart That Dances, in a bookstore, and gave it to Jean. Jean was thrilled to find that the dance I wrote about was the same dance in her song. How amazing that she and I, sisters in the Lord, were both led to share about the dance and encourage others to lean in to His embrace, follow His lead, and then dance. So everyone, I’m encouraging you to listen to some of Jean’s music below. You can also find her at Jean Tan Oops Asia Singapore.

Have you been impatiently tapping your foot, wishing that certain things you hoped for would finally happen? Grab your Bible, your notebook, a cup of coffee, and sit down with the Lord for a few moments. Here’s why. In our frustrating “hurry up Lord” moments, we’ve got to get our perspective adjusted to His and our timing back on course to match His timetable. Know this from Isaiah 55:9. God’s ways are higher than our ways. We learn here that our ideas of what could and should happen are sometimes different than God’s plans for us. And that includes timing of events. Jesus says, “Follow Me.” And that is exactly what He is asking of us: Follow Him. Not lead Him, but follow Him! And I’ve discovered that Jesus is never in a hurry. And He is never early or late, but perfect in His timing. If what you hoped for hasn’t happened – at least not yet – then there is a reason for the Lord’s ways. He sees the end from the beginning and He knows you better than you know yourself. John Henry Jowett says that sometimes there are long waits in preparation for a great mission. He goes on to say: “When God delays, He is not inactive. He is getting ready His instruments, He is ripening our powers; and at the appointed moment we shall arise equal to our task. Even Jesus of Nazareth was thirty years in privacy, growing in wisdom before He began His work.”

Mrs. Charles Cowman speaks to this very idea of timing in Streams In The Desert today: “The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time. A short, sharp pang is easily borne, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years, and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony, the heart loses its strength, and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair…We may not see now the outcome of the beautiful plan which God is hiding in the shadow of His hand; it yet may be long concealed; but faith may be sure that He is sitting on the throne, calmly waiting the hour when, with adoring rapture, we shall say, All things have worked together for good. Like Joseph, let us be more careful to learn all the lessons in the school of sorrow than we are anxious for the hour of deliverance. There is a need-be for every lesson, and when we are ready, our deliverance will surely come, and we shall find that we could not have stood in our place of higher service without the very things that were taught us in the ordeal. God is educating us for the future, for higher service and nobler blessings; and if we have the qualities that fit us for the throne, nothing can keep us from it when God’s time has come. Don’t steal tomorrow out of God’s hands. Give God time to speak to you and reveal His will. He is never too late; learn to wait.”

I am learning to fix my eyes on Jesus and focus on Him as He leads me in what I call the dance. He is making my heart into a heart that dances. He is showing me how to follow Him. Sometimes the dance is slow and sometimes fast. He is teaching me to focus not on the tempo or on the dance itself, but on Him. With my eyes fixed on Him, my heart fills up with His joy and His peace. His beauty and His very Person are better than any earthly endeavor. Focused on Jesus, the time no longer matters for in touching Him and knowing Him, our thoughts are planted in eternity, and our life is filled with eternal things (see 2 Corinthians 4:18). And so, today, let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), as He leads us and guides us into the Lord’s plans and purposes. And then, while you dance, look into the face of your Lord, and experience the unparalleled wonder of His smile today.

My Response: Lord Jesus, thank You that You are not in a hurry and know where You are leading me today. Help me keep in step with the Spirit, and follow You as You lead me in our dance together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Here it is! I promised to give everyone the opportunity to read Chapter 1 of A Woman’s Walk In Grace. This new book on grace is hot off the press - just arrived a few weeks ago at Quiet Time Ministries and is only just now available at Amazon. I believe that God’s grace is one of the least understood truths in the lives of Christians today. Your life will never be the same when you truly swim in and immerse yourself in the magnificent, extravagant grace of God. This book is available at Amazon, Christian bookstores, and at the Quiet Time Ministries Bookstore. God bless you as you enjoy this first chapter online here!

Here’s a chance for you to read Chapter 1 in A Woman’s Heart That Dances. The cover art is by my friend, Kathleen Rousar and you can see more of her art at Kathleen’s website. Then, you can order A Woman’s Heart That Dances on Amazon or at the Quiet Time Ministries Online Bookstore. There is also a companion Study Guide & Journal for both individual use and small groups. I think you will have fun reading this first chapter online - you can even enable the full screen option. I found this great way to put together chapters digitally for you to read - advance each page with the arrows - very cool - enjoy! I’ll post the first chapter of A Woman’s Walk In Grace in the next few days.