Good Morning, Lord: I Don't Know Where You're Going Today, But I'm Going With You

by Sheila Walsh

Overview

Delight in each day as an adventure in trusting a faithful God.

Whether facing day-to-day frustrations or long-term struggles with fear, insecurity, or the weight of a painful past, Sheila Walsh takes women by the hand and helps build unbridled trust in The One who gives hope, healing, peace, and redemption.  Each ‘day’ starts with a devotion geared toward real life situations that women often face, and ends with questions for thought and space for journaling personal reflections.   The invitation is to journey through lessons that women can use immediately to establish a deep, life-altering trust in the Father.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781404190047
Publisher:	HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	226
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Sheila Walsh is a powerful communicator, Bible teacher, and bestselling author with almost six million books sold. She is the author of the award-winning Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, It’s Okay Not to Be Okay, Praying Women, Holding On When You Want to Let Go, and more. She is cohost of the inspirational talk show Life Today with James and Betty Robison, which is seen worldwide by a potential audience of over 100 million viewers. Sheila lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Barry, and son, Christian, who is in graduate school.

Read an Excerpt

Good Morning, Lord

---

By Sheila Walsh

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2010 Sheila Walsh
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4041-9004-7

---

Chapter One

Today I will look for evidence that you are in everything I encounter.

Charles Finney once said, "A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart." Everything. Mr. Finney doesn't offer fine print or exclusions. Everything. Consider your life right this second. Do you easily see the hand of God in everything that is happening right now? What, for instance, are you dealing with right now that you don't remember signing up for? Life's harsh intruders often make it hard for us to recognize the truth that our God is always present with us.

But you may be like me. Usually I know enough when a crisis hits to turn to God for strength, grace, and guidance. It's the small stuff that gets me, those moments when my plans are messed up. Those are the times I must learn again to trust God. It's hard for me, because it means I have to let go of my agenda. As I look back over my life, I can think of many times when my plans seemed to fall apart. I see now that God's grace was right there, available, every single time, but sometimes I didn't reach out and receive it. To have my hands free to receive God's grace, I have to be willing to let go of whatever I'm clinging to.

When do you find it easier to turn to God—when you're suddenly facing a huge crisis or as you deal with the small, daily stuff of life? Why do you think that is? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Think back on a time when your carefully laid plans seemed to fall apart. In what ways was God's grace available to you in that situation? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Omnipresent, omnipotent God, how wonderful it would be to see you in everything! Continue to grow me toward that end, that I may live with gratitude, especially for the grace of your unfailing love for me and your constant presence with me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. —Proverbs 3:5–6

Today I will rest in the truth that you are always watching over me.

I like cats, but forty-three are about forty-two cats too many for me. But forty-three is what my hostess in Bristol, England, had when I stayed with her one night after an evangelistic meeting. I drank my cup of cocoa (despite the cat fur floating in it), thanked my hostess, and headed for bed. "My little darlings will follow you!" she sang out after me. "Your room is where my darlings sleep, too!"

The next morning I woke with a start. I was suffocating! I must be in a cave, a tunnel, I was drowning.... No, it was worse than that. "Help, Lord, there's a cat on my face!"

With all my years of traveling, I've slept in some strange places. My great comfort is that the Lord never sleeps. In fact, he watches over me whether I'm in Bangkok, Britain, or Boise, Idaho. And I don't know about you, but that truth is good for me to know. Is it ever hard for you to close your eyes at night? Do you worry about what tomorrow will hold or if you will be safe until morning? Remember this: God never closes his eyes. He is always watching over you ... even when you have cat fur in your cocoa.

When have you clearly, beyond a shadow of a doubt, known the Lord's protection? Tell of a time when you were very aware that he preserved you from evil. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Let's be honest. Is there a time in your life when you could make a good argument that the Lord was napping? Talk to him honestly about the pain and repercussions of that experience—and listen for him to reveal how he was, in fact, watching over you. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

I believe, Lord, that you are always watching over me and that you preserve me from all evil. I believe; help my unbelief.

He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.... The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. —Psalm

Today I will follow Jesus.

If we say we're willing to follow Jesus, what do we mean? I believe there is only one valid reason for following Jesus: because he is worth it. And he is worth it because of who he is in all his love, his understanding, his compassion. Following him means doing so with no strings attached; it means not telling God, "I'll do this if you come through with that." Either Jesus is worth hanging onto in hard times only because he is Jesus, or he is worth nothing. When life doesn't make sense anymore, we can give up, or we can remember who Jesus really is and that, no matter how dark it gets, he is worth it all.

As you've undoubtedly experienced, we may not get an explanation as to why certain things happen—why the dark times are as dark and persistent as they are—but living our lives with certain things unresolved is what faith is all about. For years I drank deeply of the false belief that if only I had enough faith, everything would go my way. But that is simply not true, and so many people are caught and lives are wrecked in the wake of this teaching. "Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong?" we cry. Heaven cries back, "You've done everything wrong, but I love you anyway. Always have, always will."

When have you been able to extend love to a family member or friend who had done something sinful or hurtful? Be specific about your thoughts and feelings, about your interaction with the person involved, and about how your love was received. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ When has someone shown love for you despite your sin that impacted him/her, your hurtful words, or your thoughtless ways? What did that experience teach you about God's love for you—and about the kind of love we, his people, are to have for others? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Lord God, I have made so many mistakes, but you love me anyway! That's wonderful and wondrous news! May I respond by living confident in your love for me and generous in sharing your love with others.

I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans8:38–39 NLT

Today I will listen for your voice directly and not rely solely on what someone else has heard you say.

I love to read good Christian books. I enjoy attending events where I have the opportunity to hear speakers talk about their experiences with God or teach on a particular passage. But it's not enough to know what someone else is learning from God, as encouraging as such times may be. I need to be learning and growing too, and such growth happens directly and personally. God talks to his people—to each one of us—through his Word, through the counsel of godly friends, and through the Holy Spirit.

Yet—and you don't need me to tell you this—it takes deliberate and continuous effort to carve out time in our overfull schedules to listen to the voice of God. I am not at all suggesting that we reject godly counsel from those we trust and respect. One of the ways God speaks to us is through the wise counsel of other believers. But God loves one-on-one conversation. Will you take him up on that invitation? He'd love to talk!

When have you been especially encouraged or helped by a godly friend's counsel? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ What are some specific steps you can take to help ensure that a conversation with Jesus, where you have time to listen, happens regularly? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Lord God, I long to hear your voice but not just secondhand through teachers, as wonderful and godly as they can be. I long to hear your voice firsthand. Enable me to intentionally carve out time in my schedule to listen to your voice—and then, Lord, to recognize and obey it.

I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father.... I have other sheep, too, that are not in this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd. —Jesus in John 10:14–16 NLT

Today I will practice keeping my mind "stayed on you."

God loves to give us the perfect verse from his life-giving Word at the perfect time. After the death of his beloved wife, for instance, Pat opened his Bible and read of a God who promised peace in the midst of turmoil and joy in the deepest sorrow. At first Pat's hopelessness made him feel as if he were losing his mind, and he asked God to hold on to him. But as he kept his mind on God's Word and on the promises he read there, peace began to edge out despair. He read, "You will keep him in perfect peace, / Whose mind is stayed on You" (Isaiah 26:3). Pat asked God to strip him of the lies and half-truths Satan loves to whisper in our ears so that his mind would be focused on the one true God.

Perfect peace is translated from the Hebrew shalom shalom, which means "fulfillment, abundance, well-being, security." The phrase whose mind is stayed on You comes from two Hebrew words: the first meaning "will, imagination"; the second, "dependent, supported, firm." When our wills and imaginations are dependent on God, when we choose to turn our thoughts to him, we learn the simple truth that God is enough. We find out, as Isaiah wrote, that "in the Lord ... is everlasting strength" (26:4), and in God's strength we discover fulfillment and security.

What keeps you—your will and imagination—from being entirely dependent on God? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ When, if ever, have you experienced for yourself the simple and soul-satisfying truth that God is enough? Why don't we believers experience that more regularly? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Holy God, you know before I tell you how easily distracted I am. As the old hymn says, my heart is prone to wandering, and my thoughts wander too. Yet you alone offer fulfillment, abundance, security—and that's just the beginning of a long list of the blessings I find in you. Teach me to live focused on you.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock. —Isaiah 26:3–4 NLT

Today I will praise you for your amazing grace!

He was a criminal sentenced to execution, to being crucified on a cross, the most brutal punishment Rome had devised. Yet whatever wrong choices this man had made in life, with his final breaths he made the only choice that eternally matters. He recognized that the Man hanging next to him was Messiah, King of kings. And this scene from Calvary offers a vivid picture of grace.

When we speak of grace, we define it as unmerited favor, yet so often we feel as if somehow we should measure up to this gift. In the life of this man hanging on a cross, the true meaning of grace becomes abundantly clear. There was not one thing that criminal could do to live a life worthy of Jesus' invitation other than open his heart to the love of God. There was not one deed he could do as a last-minute "Thank you!" All he could do was accept Jesus' gift. That is grace. And, yes, grace can be unfair. Say the criminal's brother lived a life of total devotion to God, honoring the Almighty in every way he knew possible. The grace extended to him would be the same as the grace extended to the brother who had wasted his life. No, it's not fair. It's grace.

In what ways are you still trying to measure up to God's gift of grace? If you're not sure, someone who knows you well might be able to help you answer this question. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ When did you first accept God's grace? Being able to tell your story helps others come to accept God's grace as well. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________

Father, I am grateful that your grace isn't about getting what's fair! Your grace is all about your heart, not our hard work or good behavior. The truth is, no matter what I do or how much I try, I could never deserve your gift of salvation. Thank you for looking beyond what is fair and sending your Son to die in my place so you could extend to me your gift of eternal grace.

Then [the criminal] said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom." [Jesus] said, "Don't worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise." —Luke 23:42–43

Today I will let your light shine into my hidden places.

Let me introduce you to someone you probably have something in common with, and you may even have met her before. I'm talking about the Samaritan woman whom Jesus spoke with at the well (John 4). Stopping for water as he walked the dusty roads of Palestine, Jesus let his light shine into her hidden places when he said, "Go and get your husband." This lonely, beaten-down woman realized her hiding was over: "Sir, I don't have a husband." Looking at her and seeing all her sin and guilt, Jesus nevertheless loved her: "I know. You've had five husbands, and you're not married to the man you're living with now." At that point she could choose to have the painful, healing light of God's love set her free.

(Continues...)

---

Excerpted from Good Morning, Lord by Sheila Walsh Copyright © 2010 by Sheila Walsh. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---