Ah, my Lord, from the cross that day, drops of grief fell with your blood. From those hands pierced through with nails, drops of shame fell with your blood.  From your feet stabbed through with a rusty spike, drops of sin fell with your blood.  From your side where your exhausted heart burst, drops of disgrace fell with your blood. I can only begin to understand what you went through spiritually on the cross that terrible day. That day of horrors which you turned into a day of victory. That day of degradation on which you were crowned with glory.

You are my bread of life that feeds my hungry soul as it yearns for you. You give drink to my heart that longs to be refreshed in springs of mercy. You provide a path for my wandering spirit as it seeks to join you in that holy of holies, heaven. You keep me alive when I am weak, breathe your love into me, and hold me in your everlasting arms. How can I thank you for loving me this much? I worship you.

The scripture for today, November 24 (11/24), is Ezekiel 11:24 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

“The Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babylonia in the vision given by the Spirit of God.”

How did the Holy Spirit move people? Not by making them fall down, but by lifting them up. Ezekiel was the prophet who experienced this most often, and the Spirit never made Ezekiel swoon and fall down. It always lifted him up.

Jesus said in John 14:17 that he would send the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth. And in John 17:17 he said, “Your [God’s] Word is Truth.”

The Word of God does throw some people off emotionally but not physically, and that’s because they don’t like everything it says. So they, in turn, throw the Bible down in a symbolic sense, not literally.

Even today, the Word of God lifts up the soft-hearted and receptive. If we let it, the Word of God can turn our lives around (in a symbolic sense ~ we don’t physically turn around) and our souls can soar to the throne of God (in a symbolic sense, not literally).

Be careful when reading something in the Bible that is symbolic to not turn it into something literal. Symbolism is there to convey a greater understanding of God that cannot be put into human words.   Keep on reading the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit continue to lift you up.

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My God, your steadfastness and predictability reassure me every day that you keep your promises. I see it in all you created ~ the repeated path of the stars, the rotation of the planets, the regrowth of hair and fingernails, the germination of a seed to reproduce more seeds, animals, and people who reproduce ourselves, the rising and ebbing of the tides, the cycle of the seasons. Everything you set in motion has stayed in motion just like you have. You are the self-existent one and you never change. Therefore, I completely trust you and that you will fulfill all your promises to me.

Lord, thank you for the animals large and small that you put here for our delight and to help us in our work.  Big and gruff ones, little and gentle ones.  Tough-skinned ones and fluffy ones.  Once they trust us, they become inseparably close to us and love us better than we do them sometimes. Such loyalty.  They realize they cannot think of the kinds of things we think of or do the kinds of things we do. When they begin to rely on us and love us at the same time, we become gods to them. They are examples of what we should feel for you, our Holy God. Thank you for their innocent trust.

Ah, my Lord, you love me when I feel unloved and unlovable. You are patient with me when I am not patient with myself or anyone else. You continue to work when I give up and quit. You forgive when I sin. You never stop. You are always working to preserve my soul long enough to join you in heaven. You want your children to be gathered around you. I want that too. Give a strong vision of that to my soul so I can extol your love, your patience, your work, and your mercy forever.

You came back to life, Jesus. It was on a morning so long ago. You defied nature, confronted Satan, and filled the angels with awe.  You actually returned to your body and proved to this world and all other worlds it was possible. You made it possible for me too.  In the blink of an eye, it will happen to me.  Someday. I cannot even begin to thank you for all this and heaven too.

I stood on the greatest philosophy I have ever encountered and basked in its brilliance. But I fell.  I stood on patriotism for the best place to live on earth and savored its opportunities. But I fell.  I stood on equal rights around the world, defending the underdog everywhere. But I fell.  I stood on Christ, God in bodily form, and, and, and…  I stood tall and strong. Nothing could interfere or change or destroy. Ah, Lord Jesus, you are my solid rock. Everything else is quicksand. On you I will stand for eternity for you are the majestic wholeness of all that exists now and forever.

Thank you for daytime and night. In the night I am forced to stop whatever I am doing and rest. You made my body to need it. It cannot go on indefinitely. And my body influences my mind. Without enough rest, I cannot think clearly. And so, as the sun sets, I slow down until I recognize my tiredness. Night time is precious. Then there is morning. I wake up with the sun and hear the birds happily singing outside my window. A new day of starting over fresh. A day of new beginnings and second chances. Thank you, Lord, for daytime and night.