Heather Holleman's Blog, page 81
October 23, 2021
October in the Psalms: Keeping You Steady
My friend inspired me once to read Psalm 119 every day. It’s just so wonderful! I love this line: “Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me.” I think about areas of life where we feel “unsteady” or unsure of ourselves. What a great request of God: Steady our steps! Let us know if sin is beginning to rule us in any area! Amen!
October 22, 2021
October in the Psalms: Not Fearing
In Psalm 112:7-8, we receive a picture of an extraordinarily mature person. We read, “He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid.” What a peaceful heart! What a way to live! I think about this verse because of what one must believe about God to enjoy this firm, steady heart that fears nothing–even whatever bad news will come. It’s the deepest kind of surrender.
October 21, 2021
October in the Psalm: Seek Continually
This time, the verb refers to us. In Psalm 105:4, we’re invited to “seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” Seek! It’s a day for seeking: in praying, in reading the scripture, in listening, in journaling, in marveling, in singing, in church-going and fellowship, in thanksgiving, in remembering, and in meditating on truth. We seek His presence, yes, and also His strength. Today calls for strength we do not have. So we seek God’s strength, and we will do impossible things.
October 20, 2021
October in the Psalms: God Satisfies with Good Things
When I read Psalm 103:4-5 (NIV) as a younger person, I felt like peered into the goodness of God’s character in a fresh way. This is who He is and what He does: God is the One who “redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” Redeems, crowns, satisfies, renews. Carry those verbs in your pocket today like smooth pebbles of hope. And look for good things coming your way (often in unusual packages). Picture that eagle who hardly flaps her wings; she soars because she knows about the secret power source of the thermals. It’s a day for good things. It’s a day for soaring.
October 19, 2021
October in the Psalms: Worship and Bow Down
I love these lines from Psalm 95:6-7 “Oh, come let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker. For he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. . .” When I read this college, I knew I had accumulated many idols in my heart. I had a hardened heart that didn’t want to listen to God. I didn’t want to bow down. I had my own life to live. This independence led me to dark places. But then, I heard his voice again in my soul. That day, I responded with a soft heart. And I knelt down. Nothing was ever the same.
October 18, 2021
October in the Psalms: Satisfy and Establish
In Psalm 90:14-18, I think about how God satisfies us and establishes our work. I’ve also always loved this idea that we might see gladness for as many days as we’ve been afflicted.
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us,
and for as many years as we have seen evil.
Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us;
yes, establish the work of our hands!
October 17, 2021
October in the Psalms: Gladden the Soul
In Psalm 86:3-4, we find a great prayer for us all: Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. May God gladden our souls. May this day feel brighter, merrier, and happier because God has gladdened us in a way that only He knows how.
October 16, 2021
October in the Psalms: God Bestows and Does Not Withhold Himself From Us
I’ve always loved Psalm 84:11: “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” When I read this as a younger woman, I wondered about all the “good things” I thought God was withholding from me. I realized this: If God doesn’t give it, that thing wasn’t a good thing for me, or it wasn’t a good thing for me right then in my life. More importantly, I knew that the best thing I could ever have was the gift of God Himself—as the indwelling of the Holy Spirit —a gift God does not withhold from us when we ask. In fact, in John 3:34 we read that God gives the Spirit without limit; He does not withhold any part from us. We have the Good Thing.
October 15, 2021
October in the Psalms: God Hears
In Psalm 77:1, we read this: I cry aloud to God, and he will hear me. What a comforting sentence! Do we believe it? Consider the power of such a statement. God hears you. He listens to whatever it is you are saying to Him now. It’s nearly unbelievable to have an audience with this great and mighty King, yet here we are. We speak to God; He hears us. What would you like to say? What needs would you bring?
October 14, 2021
October in the Psalms: Go
In Psalm 71:3, we read a line of great hope regarding God. The writer implores to God, “Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go.” I love picturing God as a rock of refuge. I love thinking of God’s refuge as a place I can always go, no matter what time of day or what kind of circumstance. The rock of refuge is a hiding place, a strong position, and a place of safety. And I go there.
