Psalms 40:17 NIV — But as for me, I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.

NEWS FLASH! Life is hard! I am sure that is not news to you. It certainly isn’t news to me. We have many ups and downs in life. Sometimes we seem to walk through a valley for a long season, and sometimes we fall into a dark pit.

Has there been a time when you felt like you were walking in an endless valley? Have you ever fallen into a dark pit? Perhaps you are currently in a dark and difficult season. Join me this week as I share my experiences of digging out of a dark pit and walking through an unlit valley. Spoiler alert: God holds the shovel that can dig you out of the darkness and He is the trailblazer through the difficult terrain of a valley. 

Let’s pray with the guidance of today’s scripture. Dear Lord, “think of me. You are my help and deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

If you feel that you are struggling with depression, you don’t have to struggle alone. You can call The National Mental Health Hotline at 866-903-3787 to speak to a professional about depression and get help with mental health resources.

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Join us on YouTube for See You Saturday as we talk about gratitudes and lent.

Psalms‬ ‭69‬:‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Books referenced are “Pauses for Lent” by Trevor Hudson and “Don’t Give The Enemy a Seat at Your Table” by Louie Giglio.

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

In today’s verses, Jesus found the unnamed man and revealed that He was Jesus. He made two requests of this man, that he would not sin and that he would share who his healer was with the Jewish leaders. Jesus knew that this radical healing would result in this man and others believing and trusting who Jesus was. 

We have talked recently about sharing our vulnerability with others. Jesus was the ultimate example of vulnerability. He knew that this healing would lead to His crucifixion. Just like Jesus leaves the ninety-nine to search for one lost sheep, His love continually finds us. He loves us so much that He died for you and I.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for finding me and loving me. Thank you for wanting to be in a relationship with me. I desire to help others be found so they, too, can experience Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV — Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.‬‬

Often to the human eye, our good deeds go unseen. Unfortunately, our sinful nature and mistakes tend to make more of a lasting impression on those around us. Satan would love for us to get stuck in our sins and keep our good deeds to ourselves. Thankfully through the strength of God, when we share in good deeds and show Him praises, we can trample our enemy, Satan. 

We can thank God this day by joining together and proclaiming His name in unity as the Psalmist writes in ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 

Will you make Him known among the nations? Water Walkers is one way we can share God’s word together one blog post, one story, one photo at a time.

Let’s pray. Dear God, I desire to give You praises so all who know me, see You. Help me to rise above the enemy’s schemes and share good deeds. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Worship with “Christ Be Magnified” by Cody Carnes.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV — But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.‬‬

Lent is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection as we journey to the cross. This year I have made the choice to give up my time by reflecting daily on five gratitudes. On Water Walkers, we often share about writing daily gratitudes, but it is a habit that I am not always consistent with. I’ve noticed that I am at my weakest when I am not cultivating a heart of gratitude.

Lent can be a dark time as it represents Jesus’ journey to the cross. Writing gratitudes can be a way to shine God’s wonderful light on the joys we get to experience on this side of the cross. We can share that joy with others when we speak of His wonderful deeds as the Psalmist writes in Psalms‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I  will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Let’s pray. Dear God, I am looking forward to sharing my gratitudes with You. Thank You for the joy I can experience on this side of the cross. I desire to draw closer to You during this time of Lent. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — For in Scripture it says: “‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,’ and, ‘A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.’” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

A cornerstone is a strong corner piece to the foundational structure of buildings. Jesus, the cornerstone of our faith is the strength of our spiritual houses. Trust doesn’t always come easy but it is essential to our relationship with others. It is however easy to stumble as we are destined with our human nature. It is those stumbling blocks that Satan would like to use to tear us down. If we are open and willing God builds us up by using our stumbling blocks to cultivate transparency and vulnerability in our relationships. 

Allow yourself to trust God so when you sing His praises, your heart leaps for joy as the Psalmist writes in ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭28‬:‭7‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.

Let’s pray. Dear God, I praise Your precious name. My heart leaps for joy. You are my strength and shield. Help me to offer transparency and vulnerability to those in need. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Do you ever feel rejected? Maybe you didn’t get invited, someone used hurtful words, or plans were canceled. Think about Jesus and how He came into the world knowing He would face the ultimate rejection. Good news, just like Jesus’ story was made for more, we are made for more as well. It is important that we protect our Spiritual Houses. We can do this by offering God a sacrifice of praise as the Psalmist writes in ‭‭Psalms ‭116‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.

We are God’s living stones with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. All we have to do is call upon the name of the Lord. Imagine with each praise to God, another brick in our spiritual houses being placed. In the midst of human rejection, we must continue to lay our bricks with the love of Christ Jesus.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for choosing me to be Your living stone.  I praise You through rejection, knowing I am made for more. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

You can read this week’s full passage from 1 Peter 2: 4-10 @biblegateway.

Worship with, “Made For More” by Josh Baldwin, featuring Jenn Johnson.