Inspiration in the Key of "J"
"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of
you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." (Jeremiah
29:11--MSG)
I have been writing devotionals for a few years now. It all started rather
innocently. I was subscribed to the Presbyterian Church in Canada's Daily
devotional which I read every day. At the end of each devotional, there is a
little blurp about praying about writing devotionals. That started my seeing
spiritual lessons in everyday events. I wrote only a few at first and submitted
them. As time went on, I kept writing and submitting others.
A few years ago, one of the readers from another country offered to publish a
book of my devotionals. That was an exciting thought, but I never pursued it. I
finally decided that I could self-publish right here in my own town in order to
save the cost of freight. I prayed a lot about this and talked to my
accountability partner, Gwen, about it. She illustrated the book for me with
photos that she had taken over the years. From there, we decided to pursue it
with a couple of local printers.
About ten months after beginning the process, the book, 101 Inspirations in the
Key of "J", was completed. It included a piano music CD that I had made. That
was also a lengthy process-times of waiting for others to do what I couldn't.
But what joy to see and hold the book that I had penned, that Gwen had
illustrated, and that we had self-published! What a delight! What excitement!
The joy of the Lord filled our hearts!
"The joy of the LORD is your strength." (Nehemiah 8:10 NASB)
In our lives, we often have a goal. Sometimes, it may get blocked by numerous
obstacles. Often, they are problems that are beyond our control. We can be
impatient, but the ultimate goal is for us to learn patience through these
times. To cover these times in prayer is so beneficial.
"There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed
in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience
in us." (Romans 5:3 MSG)
Prayer: Thank You, Lord Jesus, for giving us goals and dreams. How sweet it
would be if the road were smooth to accomplish those goals and fulfill those
dreams. So often, the enemy attacks during these times. Help us to look to You
continually for strength and perseverance to continue on the path that You want
us to go on. Bless us, we pray, as we seek to fulfill Your plans for us. We know
that Your plan is to take care of us and to give us a future that we hope for.
Thank You. Amen
Judy Miller