When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness..
[exodus13:17&18]

“When we’re on a desert road the first thing we tend to ask is what we did wrong.”
Maybe God has us on a desert road for a blessing. Maybe He is protecting us from something that awaited us on the other road that He knew we are not yet ready for.
The Israelites fought the Philistines many times over the years ahead of them, but God knew that if they fought them now, they would return to Egypt, return to bondage. Why? Because they feared the battle that awaited them. So instead He led them the way of the wilderness, a safer way, at that time, than any other would be.

This desert road, this way of the wilderness, is a way of milk and honey compared to the threat of turning back, of abandoning freedom for chains for fear of the war.

“I do not want to be in a battle, but waiting on the edge of one I can’t escape is even worse.” -Pippin, Lord of the Rings

Will I see this desert road as a place of rest, as a place to be equipped, a place to be healed? Will I let my Lord, on this desert road, make my feet ready for battle and my heart free of fear? Will I recognize this place as a blessing, not a burden? As a safe place, not a curse?

He came for the broken, and the fact of the matter is, whether I recognize it or not, I’m broken. If He came for the broken, yet I ignore my brokenness, what place do I have with Him? Will I acknowledge it, bring it into the light, and let Him heal it? Let Him make me whole, fully equipped, ready and standing steadily, prepared for the battle that awaits Him and I?

And praise be to the Lord, that no matter how I come to Him, whether it be walking, limping, or crawling, He will always come running.
For I serve a running God.

“And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”
[luke15:20]

Psalm 33

10  The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;

he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11  The counsel of the Lord stands forever,

the plans of his heart to all generations.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,

19  that he may deliver their soul from death

and keep them alive in famine.
Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

Psalm 34
4  I sought the Lord, and he answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.
5  Those who look to him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

8  Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 

18  The Lord is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the Lord delivers him out of them all.
Psalm 37

23  The steps of a man are established by the Lord,

when he delights in his way;
24  though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,

for the Lord upholds his hand.

25  I have been young, and now am old,

yet I have not seen the righteous forsake
n
or his children begging for bread.

Psalm 38
8  I am feeble and crushed;

I groan because of the tumult of my heart. 

15  But for you, O Lord, do I wait;

it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

Psalm 39

7  “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
My hope is in you.

Safe Place — Enter the Worship Circle

You whisper a song over me
I’m slow to answer slow to speak
I’ve found a safe place
How wide is your love
How high, how deep, it’s untouched

And I’m not enough

I’ve found a safe place in you


Remember the day you called my name
I was a stranger in your house but just the same

I’ve found a safe place


You are the one my heart is waiting for

You are my treasure, you are the key, you are the door
You hold me tight, you hold me quiet, you hold me safe

Mark 4

9 And he said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”
10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables.
11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables,

Renaissance — Mat Kearney

I’m trying to remember all the words you said in the past
Through the ash, siren screams and red beams

I hear you sing softly to me
I can be the wall when you fall down
Find me on the rocks when you break down
I heard it in the song when you call out

But I got to say now it’s got to change


This is my broken heart

This is my bleeding start

This is the way I’ve come to know you

This is my winding road

This is my way back home

This is the narrow door you know that I will walk through

Isaiah 37

14 Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord.

Jesus Calling — 28th
“Taste and see that I am good. 
My ways are mysterious, even to those who know me intimately. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways and thoughts higher than your ways and thoughts. Do not try to fathom my ways..”

Isaiah 55
2  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food.

3  Incline your ear, and come to me;
hear, that your soul may live;

6  Seek the Lord while he may be found;

call upon him while he is near;

8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.

9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10  For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven

and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

12  For you shall go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall break forth into singing,

and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Jesus Calling — 27th

“Rest with Me a while.
The way ahead is shrouded with uncertainty. Look neither behind you nor before you. Instead, focus your attention on Me, your constant Companion. Trust that I will equip you full for whatever awaits you on your journey.

The highest level of trust is to enjoy Me moment by moment. I am with you, watching over you wherever you go.”

Hold on — Phil Wickham
There is a battle in the distance

I see it flashing in the sky

It’s gonna be a long, long night

All that was holding you together
Is crumbling apart

And left you with an aching heart

Take my hand, here I am
Love is gonna make it right

Just hold on, just hold on
There’s mercy in the morning light

When you’re weak love is strong
Hold on


There is a river in the desert

I feel the winds about to change

And you won’t ever be the same
I’m gonna carry you through fire
I’m gonna hold you in the rain
You don’t have to be afraid

Take my hand

Here I am


Everybody lift your eyes

Morning light has finally come

Luke 8
24 And they went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 He said to them, “Where is your faith?” 
38 The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 ”Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him.
48 And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”
54 But taking her by the hand he called, saying, “Child, arise.” 55 And her spirit returned

My Utmost for His Highest - June 27th & 28th
“Wherever God sends us, He will guard our lives. Our personal property and possessions are to be a matter of indifference to us, and our hold on these things should be very loose.. Having the proper outlook is evidence of the deeply rooted belief in the overshadowing of God’s personal deliverance.”

“We are not here to work for God because we have chosen to to so, but because God has ‘laid hold of’ us. And once He has done so, we never have this thought, ‘Well, I’m not really suited for this.” .. Keep your soul steadfastly related to God.”

Faithful — Brooke Fraser
So I whisper soft Your name, let it roll around my tongue,

Knowing you’re the only one who knows me,

You know me
And I want You more than I want to live another day
And as I wait for You maybe I’m made more faithful


Show me how I should live this

Show me where I should walk
I count this world as loss to me
You are all I want



Philippians 3

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 

10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,

14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

When our enemy is closing in can you not trust me enough to cry out My Name? I will be right there for your rescue. Its not that I don’t believe its hard to follow Me, and I know it doesn’t seem fair, but I also know that when you look from My perspective and when you lean on My strength, we an beat this and in the end we will stand. We will stand far stronger together than ever before. I know you can’t see this now, but one day you will look back and thank Me for this opportunity to be weak. So will you battle with Me today? Will you let Me fight for you today? I promise I will win your heart if you let Me.

Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid…” [Revelation1:17]

And He took the children in His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them. [Mark10:16]

Alone to trust midst the rubble and the dust
Humbled, it took this much to break down and understand
Spent half my life on castles made of sand
Tossed in the breakers in the palm of Your hand
Now I can finally stand

“I can be the wall when you fall down
Find me on the rocks when you break down
I heard it in the song when you call out
But I got to say now it’s got to change”

This is my broken heart
This is my bleeding start
This is the way I’ve come to know You
This is my winding road
This is my way back home
This is the narrow door You know that I will walk through

This is my renaissance
This is my one response
This is the way I say I love You

—Remaissance, Mat Kearney

Where can I go where You don’t know?

Where can I be without Your peace?

Where can I flee where you won’t come and speak to me?

God resurrect my love to thee.

Make it purely Yours and sweet.

Capture my heart for thee.

I only wanna be in love with You.

On this lonely road tonight,

I need You to be my guide.

Can You take me, can You lead me to Your side?

All I want is to be with you tonight.

Can You hold me in Your hand?

This ground I’m on is shifting sands.

I’ve got no where to go and You’re all I know to get me through,

To get me through this night.

Cause You, You know

That I can’t go, no I can’t go

Without You here

Where can I go where You don’t know?

Where can I be without Your peace?

Where can I flee where you won’t come and speak to me?

Acts 28:1-6 makes me laugh so much!

“After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The native peoplet showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justicet has not allowed him to live.” He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.”

I canNOT wait to meet Paul! Talk about the peace and power we can have through Christ!! Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.