scripture

Seeing God in Nature

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Seeing
  • Breathe out: God

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12
Isaiah 55:12

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
    and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
    giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
    it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
    and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out in joy,
    and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
    shall burst into song,
    and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress;
    instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;
and it shall be to the Lord for a memorial,
    for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Isaiah 55:10-13

Seeing God in Nature

When I see a beautiful sunset after a hard day,
I remember God is with me in the hard times as well as the good times.

When I see a rainbow,
I remember of God’s promises.

When I see the ocean,
I am in awe of the majesty of God.

When I see the birds on the beach,
I remember the diversity of God’s creation.

When I see the trees swaying in the wind,
I remember to praise God.

When I see the mountains,
I remember God is in control.

When I see the rain,
I remember my mistakes are washed away.

When I see the snow,
I remember God can cover all sin.

  • What would you add to this list?
  • Where do you see God?
  • What part of nature helps you to understand God?

-Please take a moment.-

  • Breathe in: Seeing
  • Breathe out: God

Creator, thank you for all you have created. When I look at the world around me, I remember your love and care. You have made a beautifully diverse world, and I am privileged to be part of it. Please help me to continue to see your character in all of nature.

Restoration

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Restore
  • Breathe out: Me

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:20
Colossians 1:20

[God] has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Colossians 1:13-20

As I think about this New Year, I think about my need to be restored. As a result, restoration has become my word for 2021. I know I am not the only one who feels the need for restoration.

As I have thought about my restoration, I remembered that Jesus came to the world to restore humanities relationship with God. As Colossians 1:20 says, “through [Jesus] God was pleased to reconcile to [God’s self] all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” My reconciliation to God comes through Jesus’ blood. Jesus is my restoration.

Jesus came to this earth to be our mediator.
Jesus came to this earth to help us see God.
Jesus came to this earth to show us God.
Jesus came to this earth so we can know God.

  • Where is your restoration?
  • What is your word for the New Year?

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Restore
  • Breathe out: Me

God of restoration, thank you for taking the time to reveal yourself to us through your son Jesus Christ. I pray that your restoration will be with us throughout the New Year, and that we can feel a true restoration of all that has been lost. Amen

Peace on Earth

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Peace
  • Breathe out: On Earth

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. Luke 2:13-14

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Luke 2:8-20 AKJV

“On earth peace, good will toward men.” This is the greeting the angels gave the shepherds as they were in the field watching their sheep. We want peace on earth, and in our own lives. Both of these forms of peace do not come easily. It takes work to have peace. Sometimes it takes more work to have peace than to have chaos.  

I have found that when I catch my heart racing, or find myself worrying about things I cannot control it is time for me to stop, take a few deep breaths, and relax. This is my answer to Psalm 46, which says, “Be still and know that I am God.”

In between the breaths, I can find God.
In between the breaths, I can find my calm.
In between the breaths, my heart begins to stop racing.

  • Try taking some deep breaths when you are feeling anxious.
  • Take a moment to be still with God.

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Peace
  • Breathe out: On Earth

God of peace, thank you for being with me in my anxious moments. Thank you for reminding me that I need to breath during these times. Thank you for being with me in between my breathing. Amen

Micro Joys

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Little
  • Breathe out: Joys

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. Psalm 126:5-6
Psalm 126:5-6

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
    we were like those who dream.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
    and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
    “The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us,
    and we rejoiced.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
    like the watercourses in the Negeb.
May those who sow in tears
   reap with shouts of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
    bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
    carrying their sheaves.

Psalm 126

Our joys this year seem to be smaller than in years past. So much is happening that finding joy in the midst has become hard. Even those things that are great joys, like births, weddings, celebrations, etc., seem not to be as big as they used to. This is why I have begun to look for the little joys in my life. Those joys I do not always recognize.

As I walked on the beach last week, the sun was out, and the sand was smooth. I looked down, and saw what looked like sparkles. I began to think about these sparkles, and realized they are always there. Even when I do not see them, because the sun is not out. The only reason I could see them, at that moment, was because the sun shone and was reflected back to me by small particles that are in the sand. I began to think of the sparkles as points of joy. I came to realize two things about joy in my life.

There are sparks of joy throughout my life. Just as the sparkles in the sand though small were scattered all over the beach. Joy is everywhere, and at times it becomes common place. I the importance of recognizing the joy that is all around me.

The other thing I realized is that joy is always in my life. Just like the sparkles in the sand that are there even when the sun is not shining. Joy is in my life even when I do not see it. Micro joys are popping up all around me. They are still there even on the dark days.

  • What joys are in your life?
  • What are the micro joys?

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Little
  • Breathe out: Joys

Loving God, thank you for all of the joy in my life. Help me to be more open to seeing the micro joys. Help me to remember that joy is all around me. Thank you God for all of the joy in my life. Amen

God is Faithful

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, you begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Peace
  • Breathe out: Faithfulness

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky. Psalm 85:11
Psalm 85:11

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
    you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
    you pardoned all their sin.Selah
You withdrew all your wrath;
    you turned from your hot anger.

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away your indignation toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
    Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
    so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us your salvation.

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for he will speak peace to his people,
    to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
    that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
    righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
    and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
    and will make a path for his steps.

Psalm 85

I know God is working in each of us to bring us to be righteous. I know this because I have seen it in my own life. I used to work to become a righteous person, a better human. I worked to be the person I believed God wanted me to be. It was not until I came to a time in my life that I was too tired to work any longer. All I could do was live one day at a time. Looking back at this time, I realize God was able to bring about more change than I had been able to bring about in all my striving to be righteous. The change came not because of what I was doing, but because I finally let go and let God have control. This is the faithfulness of God. God is faithful to bring about the changes in our lives that need to happen. These changes happen when we stop striving to become something. When I stopped my striving to become a better person, and let God do the work in me, I became more like the person I wanted to be, and I was able to find a peace inside me that I did not know was there. This peace has been there to support and keep me through all life has put in my path.

God will speak peace to the faithful. Faithfulness will spring up from the ground. God is faithful. You can trust God to give you salvation. You can trust God to give you the gift of peace. There might not be peace in you right now. There might not be peace in the world around you right now. The peace God gives helps us to remain calm in the midst of struggle. We can trust God to give us what we need at the time of need. This trust or faith is what we need to continue to live a life that leads to peace, and embraces peace.

  • Are you letting God work in your life?
  • Where do you see God at this moment?

-Please take a moment.-

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Faithfulness
  • Breathe out: Peace

God of peace, thank you for bringing me to the point where you can do the work in me that needed to happen. I pray that we will guide and keep each person reading this in you loving embrace. I pray you will guide them into a life of peace. Amen

Hope

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath, begin to clear your mind.-

  • Breathe in: Love
  • Breathe out: Hope

-Continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.-

Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22
Photo taken by Audrey Atchley

The Lord looks down from heaven;
    he sees all humankind.
From where he sits enthroned he watches
    all the inhabitants of the earth—
he who fashions the hearts of them all,
    and observes all their deeds.
A king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a vain hope for victory,
    and by its great might it cannot save.

Truly the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
to deliver their soul from death,
    and to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

Psalm 33:13-22

Our hope is in the Lord. The king’s army does not save him; the warrior is not delivered through his strength; our hope of victory is not in the warhorse. Only the Lord can truly save us. Like the king or warrior, we might look to things or people to bring about change, a new beginning, healing, etc. The things and people we look to are not always what will save us. God is the one who brings about salvation, even when that salvation comes through tangible things. God is always there to bring about salvation.

We can hope in the love of God. This love is what brings us through all the struggles of life. It has God walking beside us in the midst of our valleys. The love of God is carrying us through our darkest times. Our hope is in the love of God!!

  • What are you hoping for?
  • Visualize God setting with you waiting for the solution.
  • Visualize God bringing the solution that is needed.

-Please take a moment.-

Photos taken by Audrey Atchley

-Take some deep breaths.-

  • Breathe in: Hope
  • Breathe out: Love

Loving God, thank you for being with us in the midst of our darkest valleys. Thank you for loving us through the hard times that we face. Thank you for setting beside us when we feel like there is no hope. Thank you for loving, caring, and being with us. Amen.

God Judges with Equity

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.–

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “God”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “will judge”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.–

Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.” Psalm 96:10

Say among the nations, “The Lord is king!
    The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved.
    He will judge the peoples with equity.”
Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
    let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before the Lord; for he is coming,
    for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with his truth.

Psalm 96:10-13

Meditation

The psalmist is excited that God is coming to judge the earth. Who looks forward to judgment? I do not look forward to judgment unless I am not the person who is being judged. The only person I can think of who might happy about judgment is the person who has been judged wrongly, and knows God will see past the wrong judgments to judge with fairness. To be judged with equity is something we all hope for. Judging without prejudice: without preconceived notions of who a person is. This is what is being celebrated.

As human beings we are not always fair in our judgments. Even when we think we are being fair, we still use prejudices we have been taught to make our determinations. I know there are times I am shocked to realize prejudices I have are influencing how I think. There have been many times in my life when I look at someone and think something; then it strikes me my thinking is not as a result of knowing that person, but as a result of the way I was taught to think about people who look, act or live like that person.

I am so glad God does not look at me based on the way some people look at me. God is able to see what is in my heart: not just the way I look, act or live. Thinking about judgment this way, I can rejoice with the psalmist that God is coming to judge the world with equity.

  • Take some time to imagine what it will look like when God is judging the world.
  • Think about you last week. Have you judged others with equity?

-please take a moment to do one of these things. After meditating you might want to write your thoughts down.-

Prayer

God, you look down on this earth and see each of us where we are. You see our faults and our triumphs. You are able to look past the things people judge us on, and look into our hearts. Thank you for judging all of the earth with equity and fairness. Please help me to be able to judge the people around me with equity as well. Amen

Restore Us

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Restore us”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Oh God”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. Psalm 80:3

Restore us, O God;
    let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
    how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
    and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
    our enemies laugh among themselves.

Psalm 80:3-6

Restore us, Oh God. The first few times I read this I thought it said, “Restore me, O God.” Living in an individualistic society, many times I think of things as being personal. I struggle against this tendency, and when I realized I was reading I instead of we I could not believe myself. I struggle against this tendency because I know the culture that the bible was originally written in and to was a more communal society. There was more concern for the group and less concern for the individual.

That being said, I know of so many people who are struggling with setbacks this year. Some have been medical, some relational, and others financial. This has been a rough year for many people, but it has also been a rough year for the world as a whole. This psalm can be prayed for many individuals in our world, and it can be prayed for the world as a whole.

Last week I went to a drive-in prayer meeting. The focus verse for the prayer meeting was 2 Chronicles 7:14, “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” Our land is hurting right now. All of the Earth is hurting right now. The Coronavirus has not just hit one nation, but the whole world. The prayer for restoration might begin as an individual prayer, it quickly moves to a prayer for our nation, and then a prayer for the whole earth.

  • What in your life needs restored?
  • What needs to be restored in your community?
  • What needs to be restored in the world?

-please take a moment to do one of these questions.-

Restoring God, we pray that you will bring restoration to what has been lost. Reach down and heal our land. Heal our hearts and our souls. We seek your restoration, and ask your help in teaching us how to help bring restoration. Thank you for your restoration of our lives, our community, and our world. Amen

God’s Character

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you can begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “Grace”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Mercy”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love Psalm 145:8

I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you,
    and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
    his greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall laud your works to another,
    and shall declare your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
    and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
    and I will declare your greatness.
They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
    and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.

The Lord is gracious and merciful,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

Psalm 145:1-8

On Mount Sinai “The Lord passed before him (Moses), and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). There was a time in my life I begun a search to understand God better. Through this search, I was lead to this passage in Exodus. When I read Psalm 145 I was struck by how similar verse 8 is to the Exodus passage. It reads. “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 145:8).

This verse comes after several verses that talk about worshiping God. The Psalmist uses words like extol, bless, praise, etc. to explain worship of God. Then comes the description God used when passing in front of Moses. The psalmist worshiped God because of the mercy and grace of the Lord!

When I am struggling with life, whatever part of life I find difficult at the time, I remind myself that God is loving and compassionate. That God is there with me in the midst of what is happening. This gives me a sense of awe. It gives me a heart that cries out to God in worship. The psalm, on the other hand, starts with the praise, and then give the reason for the praise, God’s character. There are times I can start with praise, and then remind myself of who God is. Other times I have to start with reminding myself of God’s character. Then come to worship and praise. It does not matter how we start to worship God. The important thing is God’s character of grace, mercy and slow to anger. These are characteristics that do not change.

  • What keeps you going?
  • What do you have to be thankful for?
  • Why do you worship God?

-please take a moment to think about one of these questions. You might want to write your answers down.-

  • Tumwater Falls
  • Rattlesnake Ledge
  • Porter Falls

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “Mercy”
  • Breath out: “Grace”

God of grace and mercy, we praise you for being there with us, and for being slow to be angry when we make mistakes. Continue to show us your grace and mercy. Continue to forgive us when we fail. Amen.

Forgiven

–Begin by taking some deep breaths. As you breath you begin to clear your mind.

  • Breath in by saying or thinking “I am”
  • Breath out by saying or thinking “Forgiven”

-continue this breathing exercise until you feel you are ready to continue.

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
    slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
    nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
    nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
    so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
    so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
    so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.

Psalm 103:8-13

As I walk on the sand at the beach I am amazed at how the wind and water erase all traces of activity. The wind blows over the foot prints whether they are human, bird, dog, deer, vehicle or something else. All that is left are ripples in the sand. In the same way the water rises, and washes away all trace of what was on the sand before it. This reminds me of the working of the Spirit in our lives. (Jesus compared the Spirit of God to the wind in John chapter 3 verse 8.) The wind blowing away all traces of what has gone before is a reminder for me of God removing my sin, mistakes, and transgressions. They have been removed like the wind blowing over the sand.

There are some mistakes that I tend to dwell on. They are the ones I cannot forget or even at times forgive. Walking on the beach and watching the waves, helps me remember these mistakes, sins, and transgressions are forgiven. I practice watching the wind and waves just to remind myself how forgiven I am.

-please take a moment to do one of the things listed below.-

  • Try taking a walk in the sand or by water.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being washed out to sea.
  • Visualize your sins, mistakes, or transgressions being blown away with the wind.

Take some deep breaths.

  • Breath in: “I am”
  • Breath out: “Forgiven”

Forgiving God, we are so blessed to have your forgiveness. Help us to receive your forgiveness when we have trouble receiving your free gift of forgiveness. Remind us that you are with us throughout our lives, and walk alongside us in our journey. Amen