Good morning, DearHeart.
Sitting here, feeling safe and quiet. Praying for my adults sons and their families. And – somewhere, in Ukraine, is a mom like me, praying desperate prayers for her adult sons and daughters, who are armed and defending their homes.
People are trying to get to the border. Others are huddled in subways, which have now become bomb shelters.
The images come of sons and daughters helping the elderly to safety. Parents with young children in tow and in their arms, some yet inside their mother’s womb … I cannot understand the range of emotions these people must be experiencing … the horror … fear … anxiety … concern for their loved ones. Will they even have a home when they leave the shelter?
The questions which must be going through their minds – How will we ever resume life? How do we rebuild? Where do we go from here? What kind of life will my children have?
Questions without answers.
And so I pray …
Jesus, You are the Prince of Peace. Come, Lord Jesus, and bring peace to the Ukrainians. In the middle of the chaos, the conflict, and the unknown, fill their hearts and minds with Your peace. Remind the people that You are with them. Give them strength to endure. And may you, Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who has never vacated His throne, be merciful to Ukraine. Come, Prince of Peace. In Your Mighty Name I pray, Amen.
” … And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6b, NASB)
*Symbol for peace created by Moscow born Natasha Alimova.

Good morning, DearHeart.
I hear sleet hitting the window and long for the warm days of blooms and butterflies. There is always a struggle in finding stillness, though. Fighting through that struggle, there is always a place where I cry-out and find grace in the Word of God. I hang on to scripture. This is how it often happens – I hear it in a song or in Bro Colin’s sermon, or a podcast … then it pops up in a text message, and it repeats again – my brain responds “that’s the same verse” … there is a pattern here and I need to pay attention. So, I latch on to the Word.
I choose to see blessings most of the time … a ‘cup half-full’ kind of person. I am a blessed woman. And, I do not take that lightly. I try to live my moments from a place of gratitude – no matter what – I am thankful. When life causes pain, and I ask Him for help, I often feel a sense of guilt for even asking – who am I to ask? Does that ever happen to you? Even there I’ve learned to remind myself that is the evil of the enemy trying to keep me from relationship with the One who said “You didn’t choose me. I chose you.” John 15:16
Still … I’d like to get to a point in my life that I hang on to scripture because everything -every little thing- … in my mind is at ease. Instead, what I find, is that there is always a pull at my heart. There is always a struggle. Maybe God allows us to be in a place of struggle so that never forget how much we need Him. Maybe the struggle sustains our search back to Him, our Safe Haven. John 14:8 “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
What verse is sustaining you with His grace through your current struggle?

Wake up.
Listen for the sustaining pattern of grace.
Go.