Scriptures and thoughts – His Mercy is New

Summer in the Psalms

“If you need a guide for your ongoing relationship with God, read Psalms.”
― Jim George

“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayers become.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Psalms have been my prayer book, my hymn book, my conversation with God book for so long. Any time I feel the nudge to slip away and spend time with the Lord, the Psalms is my go-to. If I feel a need to re-focus and get back to my first love, I head to the Psalms. We see the humanity of David. We see the battles fought, the confession and repentance, the worship, the HOPE. We see David crying out to God in the depths of his despair and we see him preaching the gospel to his heart as he reminds himself of where his true hope lies.

Spend a few moments each morning this summer reading one or two Psalms. You can take this deeper and WRITE the Psalms. Pray them. Journal them. Speak them. Choose one verse to meditate on for the day. Make this reading plan your own.

I will not be posting daily on social media, but if you want to follow my STORIES on Instagram or Facebook, that is where I will share the most often. I will periodically share a post in both of those places, too. Join me on Instagram or Facebook. If you decide to share posts as we go along, I would love for you to use the hashtag #summerinthepsalms

I would love for you to join me!

Extra: If you’d like a devotional to use as we read through the Psalms (totally optional!) I love this one by Timothy Keller! The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms. (I will follow the number of the Psalm and not the date as I’m reading.)

Print the Summer in the Psalms Reading Plan

Click the graphic or this PDF link to print your own copy!

Summer in the Psalms PDF

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Isaiah 55 and the Thorns of This Life

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
for an everlasting sign,
that will endure forever.”

Isaiah 55:8-13

I was looking back at the passage I chose for my verse this year: Isaiah 55:11-13. Right before verse 11, it says “My thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways…” and then by the end of this chapter it says “This will be for the Lord’s renown…” it talks about beautiful trees growing in the place of where thorns once were. Doesn’t that fill you with hope today?

What thorns do you see in your own life?

5 Take Aways from this Passage

1. God’s ways are not our ways.

2. God’s Word will not return void. (Are you clinging to His promises?)

3. You WILL go OUT in joy.

4. You will be led by peace. (Do you need the reminder of Who our true peace is?)

5. This will be for the Lord’s renown.

Those beautiful trees growing where thorns once were…can you BELIEVE GOD for it? And when it all comes to fruition…He gets the glory. He is made famous. He shows off His work and hand in your life and others will see His faithfulness.

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Made for anticipation…

In a recent conversation with a wise friend it came up that I’m a “worst case” person. I tend to think the worst pretty often. And it’s probably all my fault, too. But in a recent counseling session something she said to me has stayed with me…she said, “Candace, it’s ok to anticipate good. It’s actually a good thing. Our hearts were made for expectation.” Then, the very next day I was at church exercising and I overheard this quote on a tv sermon that was playing, “It is good to expect God to do good things.”

Well then, God. Ok, I’m listening.

Looking back at the faithfulness of God + meditating on His Word + praise = readies our heart to anticipate good. He has been faithful in the past and He’a going to do it again.

Do It Again by Elevation Worship

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet
Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet

I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again
Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again

I’ll see You do it again

If you’ve never listened to this song, go listen now and then put it on repeat.

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When the Storm Doesn’t Let Up & a Psalm I’m Praying

In this world we will have trouble…yes, we live in a broken world…and sometimes we find ourselves in a storm that we aren’t sure is going to let up. Or, we may wonder what the outcome will be. How is this going to end? What if it doesn’t end well?

Yesterday I woke up with this pit of hopelessness about a situation our family finds itself in. I found myself dwelling on the outcome and what it might be.

I realized I had taken my eyes off the prize: Jesus.

Our hope is Jesus. Not in outcomes, circumstances or other people. Jesus, only Jesus.

I’m sharing about a Psalm that I’ve been clinging to this week as well as a song that has become a favorite. I pray it encourages your heart, too!! (scroll down to read Psalm 130.)

You can also see me talk about 3 of the oils I’m using during this storm of my own life.

(If you’re reading this in an email, click here to watch the video.)

Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.

Did you catch that?? With Him is FULL REDEMPTION. The NKJV says “abundant redemption.” Oh those words make me want to cry.

Our God is busy redeeming all things. With Him is ABUNDANT REDEMPTION. I wrote the words “He will redeem…” on a card and have been carrying it with me. He is so faithful, friends!

Morning by morning new mercies I see…

P.S. the study on The Forty Day Word Fast has been postponed.

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Verses About the Power of Our Words

“We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” James 3:2

Just take that in for a moment. “God’s Word says that if we tame our words, we can tame our body and mind. That’s powerful.” Tim Cameron

I don’t know about you, but I need that kind of taming. I’ve been on a journey to change my mindset and I’m learning about how powerful my thoughts are…but also how powerful my words are! I want to speak life and rid my life of the toxic words I have spoken for so many years. Toxic words of judgement, criticism, sarcasm, complaining and negativity. I am learning that I can be TRANSFORMED by the renewing of my mind! Praise God!

In his book, The Forty Day Word Fast, Tim Cameron shares that if we can get our words under control, “we move from what is true to the truth, from the seen to the unseen, from the physical to the spiritual, from the negative to the hopeful. We will quit living in the past, allowing our failures, mistakes and sin to paint our identity with hopelessness. We will move into God’s intentions and promises for us. We will see God’s kingdom come to earth in our midst.”

I want that, don’t you??

Join me as we go through this book, The Forty Day Word Fast, during the month of May. I will be doing roughly 1 video per week on my facebook page. You can join in or watch later at your convenience. (I will not have a schedule but typically my videos are mid-morning. I will try to post ahead of time with what time I will be going live!)

As we read the book, I also encourage you to read at least 1-2 of these verses daily. Read them, write them, pray them, meditate upon the truth found in them.

Verses About the Power of Our Words

the words we speak PDF

Find more Praying the Scriptures & Verses here.

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