I AM

"Moses answered God, 'If I go to the Israelites and say to them: 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' they will ask me: 'What is his name?' What shall I answer them?' God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO AM. This is what you will say to the sons of Israel: 'I AM sent me to you.'" - Exodus 3:13-14

It is way beyond me to comprehend the meaning and the power behind the Name of God: I AM. The little that I understand completely blows me away because the awesomeness of God is reflected in His Name, and if we meditate just a little bit on it, it will help us increase our faith and hope in God. By saying that His Name is I AM, God is saying that all that has existed, all that exists, and all that will exist, exists in Him. He is saying that there is no time for Him, there are no changes, but He is an eternal, constant truth always at work. If we think about it further, it means that once God promises us something it never changes because to the great I AM it is already something concrete since He has already willed it. The Name I AM implies constant action - not wavering action - but the will of God that is always at work in revealing His love and great mercy. Think about the story of Moses in relation to the Name of God: generation after generation of people passed in between the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob until the time God finally revealed Himself again to the Hebrews to bring them out of Egypt. To them, God had probably forgotten them and abandoned them, but the great I AM was always at work even though the people didn't see it. To the people there was silence from God, but God, whose will never changes, was already in action to powerfully bring His people out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.

In our lives, the Name of God means that if God promised to always protect us and love us, this isn't going to change. It means that even if we're going through something horrible and we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and we're tired and lost hope, I AM is at work in ways we will never understand. Ask God for the ability to meditate upon His great Name and to feel the peace it means in our lives.

Today's Prayer:
Father, Your Name reflects Your great power. Let me always be mindful of it and respect it. Let it be a source of peace in my life and constantly remind me that You have greater plans for me than my limited vision can see. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Strength In Weakness

"He answered, 'My grace is enough for you; my great strength is revealed in weakness.' Gladly, then, will I boast of my weakness that the strength of Christ may be mine… for when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2nd Corinthians 12:9-10

In every sport, an opponent studies their competition, finds their weakness and exploits it. The devil - our enemy - is no different. He knows exactly where to hit us so that one day we're happy and positive and the next we feel completely drained and defeated. Now, it's perfectly natural to sulk and feel like there's no hope and no help from God, but that's why Paul gives us the definition of faith in Hebrews 11:1… faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. And what we have to hope for and be certain of is that God is by our side and is our great defender. Romans chapter 8 tells us that nothing, nothing at all, can separate us from the love of Christ. At our weakest, more than ever, we need to hold on to what Jesus promised us. The devil will never hit us in a spot where we feel confident. He only hits us where he knows it will do the most damage hoping to destroy our faith and knock us down… that's right where he wants us… but are you going to let him get you there? Or are you going to hold on to faith and believe that in Jesus, we are more than conquerors?! And when we defeat this one obstacle that has us feeling depressed and heartbroken, we can show the enemy that he who walks with Jesus Christ has the strength of the Almighty God on their side and nothing can ever overcome them!

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my strength and You are my protector. Nothing that comes at me can ever harm me if my trust is in You. Defend me, uplift me, and give me strength to fight in faith whatever evil comes my way. In Your Name we pray, amen.

Eye Contact

"The Lord's eyes are upon those who fear Him, upon those who trust in His loving-kindness." - Psalm 33:18

I think that people who can't look you in the eyes have something to hide. There's a part of them they're keeping guarded so they don't have the openness or freedom to look you in the eyes or allow you to really look at them. And if you're having a conversation and this happens, then they're obviously preoccupied with what they don't want you to see. How wonderfully different is it then when you come across someone who is open and lays everything out on the table for you so that you could really get to know them and they can get to know you? I think this is the way it is with God and that's why the psalmist says that the eyes of the Lord are upon those who trust in Him. His eyes are upon them, not because they're better than other people, but because they're making that direct eye contact with God. They see God and God sees them clearly. They're not holding anything back from God and because of that, God has an open invitation to work wonders in their lives. But then there are the people who are guarded. They don't make that direct eye contact with God because they're looking elsewhere… at the sin they don't want anyone to see… at their own hands because they rely only on themselves to get through situations. Although they need the help, they're telling God, "no, I'm good… I can do this on my own and I don't need your help." There's nothing to keep from God because all we are, even our most vulnerable points, are open for Him to see… it's a matter of looking up so that He knows we are looking only towards Him and waiting on Him.

Today's Prayer:
Father in Heaven, to You I lift up my eyes because I know You see all that I am. I invite You to come in and help me, heal me, guide me through everything You see. Allow me to always look up to You. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Faith Inheritance

"While Jacob was sleeping, he had a dream in which a ladder stood on the earth with its top reaching to Heaven and on it were angels of God going up and coming down. And Yahweh was standing there near him and said, 'I am Yahweh, the God of your father, Abraham, and the God of Isaac. The land on which you sleep, I give to you and your descendants.'" - Genesis 28:10-13

Every time I speak to someone about their faith, whether religious or not, they smile and tell me about that one super religious person in their family who has exemplified the faith to them. I usually hear about a grandma who was always praying the rosary or a mom whose faith was rock solid. In each case, and even with me when I think of my grandma who prayed the rosary probably like 3 times a day, we put that person in a higher category than us… we say that they were really close to God, as if saying that we aren't.

In many ways, I'm sure Jacob in the book of Genesis could relate. Jacob wasn't a very honest guy. He schemed his brother and was always trying to run some kind of scam. He wasn't very religious at all, but like some of us, his grandpa Abraham, our father of faith, certainly was. His father Isaac was also a good man. But what does God do in this passage? God knows who Jacob is… what he's done right and what he's done wrong, but because God is so loyal to those who are faithful to Him, He gives Jacob the same blessings He promised his grandfather Abraham! How amazing is that?! God is so good! God promised Abraham as many descendants as the stars in the sky because Abraham was a good, faithful man, and in His great love, God supports Jacob and continues His loyalty as if Jacob were the man of faith his grandpa was! This means that right now you and I are seen in the same way God sees our prayerful grandparents and parents… or whoever has shown us the faith. God is that faithful! So, let's call on God and continue the work He has begun in our family so that we can carry through the same blessings to our own descendants!

Today's Prayer:
Father, thank You for being so kind and generous. You have given the great gift of faith to my ancestors and have blessed me greatly through it, although I have not deserved it. Help me to be appreciative of it and continue the work You have already started in my blood line. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Give When Asked

"If someone forces you to go one mile, go two miles with him. Give when asked and do not turn your back on anyone who wants to borrow from you." - Matthew 41-42

This is a toughie for me. How many times haven't I turned my back on someone who needs me? How many times don't I answer someone's call? How many times don't I bother to call or visit someone who I know could use the company? Or, how many times have I neglected to help someone because I was too lazy? Sadly, far too many times.

I had an experience last week where, after not answering a call, I decided to answer. I was home, it was kinda late and I didn't want to be bothered. When I picked up, I heard a distraught friend asking for help and they turned to me because I was the only one who could help. Immediately, feelings of guilt and shame rushed into my heart because this person genuinely needed me and I would have brushed them off. See, Jesus isn't on Earth anymore like He used to be to heal the sick and help people, but that's what we're here for. We can be tired or lazy, or whatever the case may be, but someone could really need our help and we're the ones God puts in the way to help them. We have to be more self less. We have to care more about others. If we feel in our hearts that there is anything we can do to help someone else, even if it seems like we have to go so far out of our way, we have to do it because it is a unique call God has asked us to answer.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, make me more like You. Make me self less… help me to not give myself so much comfort so that I can use my energy to provide the comfort to someone else in need. Give me the strength to look beyond what's convenient for me and do Your will. In Your Name we pray, amen.

The Cry of The Poor

"When the poor cry out, the Lord hears and saves them from distress." - Psalm 34:7

Our definition of poor is limited to those who lack money, but the word poor can be extended to describe anyone who is lacking in anything essential to living a healthy, full life. As I meditated on this psalm, my mind didn't go to the homeless on the street or the starving children in Africa. My mind went to people I have met in my life who are poor in God… people who have taken the wrong path and now their sins have left them broken and alone… people who have been so rude and obnoxious that nobody wants to be their friend… even people who have become so bitter that they don't even want to hear the name of God. And I think that not having had the opportunity to experience the love of Jesus is bad enough, but we make it worse because sometimes we disregard these people. We feel better than them. We think God is on our side and not on theirs… because if we're honest, these type of people come off as obnoxious and we think to ourselves, "God certainly isn't happy with that one!" Yet, they are so poor in spirit and they are so poor in love from us, their sisters and brothers, that when one of them is in pain, God hears their cry. God goes to comfort them. There aren't sides for God, only wrong actions. His compassion and mercy is so great that when the most wretched sinner cries out in pain from their loneliness, God is there even if he or she doesn't feel a thing. Now, wouldn't it be great if we could show that same kind of love, or at least that kind of understanding?

Today's Prayer:
Father in Heaven, You are the Creator of all and so rich in mercy and compassion. I ask that today You give me some of Your richness so that I can see all the poor with the love You see. Let me not see the sinner, but open my eyes to see the brokeness in their lives and then fill me with the love to help them. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

Awake!

"They woke Him up and said, 'Master, don't you care if we sink?' As Jesus awoke, He rebuked the wind and ordered the sea, 'Quiet now! Be still!' The wind dropped and there was a great calm. Then Jesus said to them, 'Why are you so frightened? Do you still have no faith?'" - Mark 4:38-40

In a lot of ways, Jesus, although He was asleep, was a lot more awake than the apostles as their boat shook in the storm. There's an attitude that we as His followers need to embrace in order to really keep the faith. Has God not told us repeatedly that if He is for us, no one can be against us? But we still let falter and we still get scared. The Lord does something powerful for us today, but in the face of something new tomorrow we become like the apostles, shivering and screaming on a boat as if they hadn't already seen His glory. In contrast, Jesus sleeps peacefully because He knows the power of His Father in Heaven, and drawing from that power, He commands the wind and sea to be still in full confidence… something that you and I have the power to do if we believe.

But before we get down on ourselves and let our lack of faith discourage us, I believe there is a reason Jesus picked people who stumbled and struggled, so that we can find strength and comfort in their faith journeys. They saw miracles first hand and still doubted Jesus, yet the Lord didn't give up on them and kept giving them grace upon grace to make those terrified, weak men the pillars of the Church. How much more will Jesus give strength to us who haven't seen Him with our eyes or touched Him with our Hands? Yes, awaken yourselves in your faith. Yes, have trust in Jesus because His love endures forever… but never let your setbacks hold you back forever. Awake and keep on going!

Today's Prayer:
Jesus, I need continued renewal in Your Word and Your promises. I so easily forget today what You have done for me yesterday. Help me renew my faith each and every day so that I can be Your good and faithful servant. In Your Name we pray, amen.

When No One's Around

"My soul finds rest in God alone; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation; with him as my stronghold, I shall not be overcome." - Psalm 62:1-2

Sometimes we can be surrounded by friends and having a great time, but there are also times when it feels like everyone has abandoned us. Those people who we thought we'd always be close to start to reveal other sides of their personalities, so it feels like we don't know them anymore and we might not even know ourselves. The Lord says in the book of Jeremiah that we should never put our trust in men, but it's hard when people let us down. It's hard when we start to see ourselves how we think others see us, and this gives our egos a major beating. We doubt ourselves and become isolated and sad. However, if all we have in the world are our friends, there would be a reason to get upset, but we have so much more than that. The Psalmist calls God His rock because no matter who went in and out of his life, no matter what people did or said to him, God was the mainstay. More importantly, he didn't allow his self-esteem to be composed of what others said or thought. His self-esteem only depended on what God thought of him.

For each of us, our self-esteem needs to come directly from God and never from what others think of us, because others will always let us down. We're human beings whose emotions and thoughts go back and forth like the waves, yet God is a rock. He is a stronghold and if He tells us that we were created in His image and we are important to Him, that doesn't change. Jesus had His closest friends abandon Him… they weren't there for Him at all when He needed them, but Jesus didn't get bitter and kept on depending only on what
God thought of Him. We should always keep this in mind when it comes to negative attitudes or comments from others, especially when the others are the people we consider our closest friends.

Today's Prayer:
Father in Heaven, when all others fail us, You are our rock. When others abandon us, You are our constant companion. Help us to always depend on You and only You. In Jesus' Name we pray, amen.

In The Everyday

" I beg you, dearly beloved, by the mercy of God, to give yourselves as a living and holy sacrifice pleasing to God." - Romans 12:1

Since I make it a point to watch my soul and watch my emotions, I've definitely noticed my prayer life suffering over the last few months and it's all been due to the fact that I'm getting married in one week. All the planning and preparing has taken up so much time that unfortunately, it's my relationship with God that gets put in the back seat. But when I don't have Him to balance me, I feel like sin takes an easier hold of me. I brought all these feelings to confession today and the priest gave me wonderful advice. He told me that all of my life experiences serve to hear what God wants to tell me or make known to me at that moment. I don't necessarily have to sit in prayer for an hour each day in order to be a spiritual person, but if I offer my life as a living sacrifice, I can still see God in everything around me. I need to make myself more aware of His movement in my life and learn to see Him in the people I encounter and the things that I do. I may not have the time for peaceful prayer, but that's not the only place to meet God. He really is all around us and His presence becomes so much more real to us when we make the effort to acknowledge Him during all the busy moments of our lives.

Today's Prayer:
Lord Jesus, teach me to see You everywhere. Teach me to see You in the people I talk to, to think of You as I attend a baseball game, to marvel at Your work when I look at a flower, and to thank You when I'm out with good friends. All that is pleasing and good comes from You. Help me to always see that and be grateful. In Your Name we pray, amen.

He Loved Us First

"He loved us first." - 1st John 4:19

Our human nature makes us very self-centered. If we think about arguments we've had, we're quick to point out what the other person did to us without considering what we did to them. And if we aren't speaking to someone, there's usually no way we'd speak to them unless they broke down first. Even in dating we wait by the phone for the other person to make the first move. We're like this in every way, yet God, who deserves everything from us, loved us first. He loved us without expecting anything. He loved us without us deserving it. He loved us before we could even do anything to "win" His love in anyway. And He loved us before we were even created, when He knew the faults and the weaknesses we'd one day have to endure.

The way I see it, God pretty much prepares everything for us, we just have to show up! He loved us first. He protects us. He guides us. We just have to say yes and respond to His love.

Today's Prayer:
Father in Heaven, You loved me immensely from the moment I was just a thought in Your mind. Without me doing anything to merit it, You love me. Help me to accept that love and respond to it day after day. In Jesus' Name, amen.