I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
In the small details of her daily life as well as the big moments, Mary’s way of glorifying the Lord found favor with the Lord. This favor brought her some startling news. News that filled her heart with joy but brought a reality of being separated and set apart.
To hear the words that you are highly favored and will carry God’s son may have caused initial anxiety in some of our hearts, but Mary humbled herself to the Lord once again saying, “I am the servant girl of the Lord, let this thing happen to me.”
Yet, even though she humbled herself, she still quickly made her way to another who may have been the only one to understand what she was going through at the moment. The only one who could give her the encouragement she needed to hear so she could know that what she had just experienced wasn’t a dream. It was reality. A reality that would cause her to burst into glorifying the Lord even more.
Oh, Lord, may we also humble ourselves to your will and be your servants! May we glorify you in the big and small details of our lives!
Luke 1:38
Lord, you are holy and know what we need!
When you call us, instead of fighting you, may we be humble in heart like Mary and answer similarly:
“I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Oh, Lord, to have a willing heart to let you lead our souls and lives! That is what we want!
That is how we want to follow you!
In the One who is the ultimate example of how to walk in your ways – Amen!
Luke 1:39-40
God your grace is so good!
Not only did you choose to use Mary, your humble servant, but you gifted her heavenly and earthly support.
You knew that a pregnant virgin would gather some negative attention and be challenged, so you gifted her with a relative who was experiencing a similar miraculous event!
Lord, we know that when we trust in you that others will mock us too. Others will try to persuade us that following you is only causing us harm, but you are so good to support us spiritually and physically too.
Thank you for those who boldly walk in your ways and encourage others to do the same. Help us to be one of those who will trust in your ways even when it makes our lives more difficult.
You never promised this world would be easy, but you did promise you would walk with us along this journey.
In the One who walked the road to the cross on our behalf – Amen!
Luke 1:41-45
Lord, you know our hearts so well!
Even when we have listened and accepted the calling you have for us, sometimes we need affirmation. It seems like that is what you are doing here.
When Mary greeted Elizabeth, not only did little baby John leap for joy, but through the Holy Spirit, you confirmed a blessing upon Mary!
We can’t help but giggle that the blessing was exclaimed in a loud voice! Surely, Mary couldn’t have been far away. She was standing inside Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home and yet, you spoke loudly to her.
Maybe you needed her to hear you over her own thoughts.
Maybe she had just come from talking to Joseph, who was shocked at the news and didn’t know what to do.
Maybe from the time she left Nazareth to the time she arrived in the hill country of Judea, many thoughts had overtaken her and her heart needed to be reminded that this real and not just a dream!
It could have been any number of reasons, but you made a point to loudly exclaim that she was blessed among women.
Lord, we praise you for the reminders in our lives that we are loved by you and can trust you always.
You are an amazing God with an amazing plan. Your way of doing things is definitely not our way of doing things.
And we praise you for finding ways to strengthen our faith in you and what you are doing in our lives just like you did to Mary through Elizabeth!
In the One who proclaimed, “Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” – Amen!
Luke 1:46-56
Lord, Mary’s song to you is a beautiful reminder of how you take care of those who love you.
She humbled herself to you not only in life but in song. She rejoiced at how you remembered her humbleness and willingness to serve you.
May we remember how you have been faithful throughout the generations and extend your mercy from generation to generation.
We praise you for the amazing gift of life that she carried for 9 months. She literally carried the word of life in her.
Amazingly you have gifted us the Holy Spirit so we may carry the word of life with us too, in a different way, but still we can rejoice because you have gifted us, your humble servants, with such a wonderful blessing.
May we too honor you and choose to give you glory through our times of blessings and difficulties, instead of taking the credit ourselves.
In the One who sealed all who believe in Him and follow His ways with the gift of the Holy Spirit – Amen!
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
As we walk this faith journey with our Lord and Savior, he blesses us with perfectly timed encouragement along the way. He knows when our hearts need a little extra nudge, reassuring our faith to trust him to perform the seemingly impossible!
Perfectly Time Encouragement: Praying Luke 1:26-37
The Lord has given us an entire book filled with examples of how he takes care of his people and blesses them in unimaginable ways. Let us dive into the Bible and bolster our faith as we see how the Lord has always provided perfectly timed encouragement.
Luke 1:26-27
Your timing, Lord, is perfect!
Why do we doubt that you love us just because things aren’t falling into place the way we believe they should?
It is obvious all throughout Scripture that you have a plan. Your plan is to restore our relationship with you. Everything you do is to bring everyone to that point.
Lord, we praise you for your ways and how they are higher than ours. We don’t always understand them. We don’t even always look beyond ourselves and our desires.
But in your amazing graciousness, you bless us with precious gifts!
At just the right time, after waiting for Elizabeth to be pregnant for 6th months, you then sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, who would be surprised to learn your plans for her.
Everything was perfectly timed so that Mary would be encouraged by what you were about to do with her. You are constantly prepping our faith to grow and be encouraged even through the difficult times.
Oh, Lord, may we take hold of each of these gifts you’ve given us at the perfect time, even if they are gifts that seem more like hardships. The blessing of getting to walk this life with the Creator of the world guiding our steps is an honor.
Let us cherish these blessings like Elizabeth and Mary cherished the miracles you did in their lives!
In the One who shows us that honoring God and his timing may be uncomfortable, but is always worth it – Amen!
Luke 1:28-29
Lord, we praise you for never showing favoritism!
You choose to use and favor those who love you. Neither their wealth, social status, nor education qualify them. You qualify them!
You showed favor to a poor girl and used her for an amazing purpose!
She could not even imagine what those words, “You are highly favored. The Lord is with you” meant. But she loved you and even though she was initially taken aback by the greeting, you knew she would be willing to walk the path you had laid out for her.
Lord, we pray as well that we will be ready to be blessed by you. Your blessings do not always come in a pretty bow, but they bless the soul.
The blessing you gave Mary, would cause her to be ridiculed and thought a sinner by those who loved her most, but you walked through those struggles with her and blessed her in ways they could not see.
Let us remember that choosing to follow you is not always an easy road. But the blessing of being favored by you is more important than being favored by the world.
In the One who came to earth as a baby and needed a mother – Amen!
Luke 1:30-33
Lord, your checklists are pretty amazing!
From creating the world to planning a way to restore our broken relationship with you, you have always had a detailed plan in place.
And here…here you show us how sometimes you make your plans known to those who are willing to walk in your ways.
Those who are willing to obey you find favor with you.
Mary found favor with you and even though she was startled by the appearance of a heavenly being, your assurance of explaining your plan helped her focus on why Gabriel was there.
Your plans didn’t end with Jesus raising from the dead. You have personally called each one of us to reach out and share with others this amazingly detailed plan.
Jesus will come back one day soon. How we look forward to that day!
Let him find us diligently pointing others to you!
In the One who is the Son of the Most High God and reigns forever – Amen!
Luke 1:34-37
How? It’s a question we have all asked you, Lord?
Sometimes we ask out of doubt and sometimes we ask in awe.
Your ways are so much higher than ours ways, yet in your goodness when in awe Mary asks, “How?,” you explain.
Praise you, Lord, for allowing her and us to understand. You knew the entire world would all ask this same question!
How would a baby be born to a virgin?
As believers, we know you make what seems impossible possible, but how?
You point to two things, the Holy Spirit and what you’ve already done with Elizabeth’s barren body, to bolster our faith that the impossible with you is happening again!
Let us be a people of faith, who in awe say “how,” and trust you, as the Creator of it all, to do what is only possible for you to do!
In the only One whose power is great enough to do what seems impossible and bolsters our faith with the Holy Spirit and the truth of your past actions daily – Amen!
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
When the time comes for the Lord to answer your prayers how will you respond?
We often think we will respond with absolute joy, but in Luke 1 we see Zechariah responded with unbelief and fear. Prayers had been going up for years and prayers of thanksgiving were going up at that moment. When the time comes to pray, let us pray believing that God will answer our prayers in accordance to His will and aski the Lord to prepare us to accept His answer.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15
The amazing part of how the Lord answered the prayers of Zecharaih and Elizabeth is that he not only blessed them with a child but it was the child coming in the calling of Elijah! All children are special and have an amazing purpose from God, but this child was the one who would announce the arrival of the Messiah.
It was truly a blessing on top of a blessing! Yes, the prayer was answered in God’s timing instead of theirs, but look at how miraculous the occasion and blessings were. Are we willing to wait on God and his blessings?
Can we pray fully believing and patiently looking forward to the Lord’s answer when the time comes?
It might have seemed by chance that Zachariah entered the temple that day, but you had it all planned out. He loved you and served you. He continued to be righteous even though one of the prayers he had prayed for years and years had seemingly gone “unanswered.”
You chose from the beginning a specific moment to answer Zechariah’s prayer!
You are not fickle or uncaring. Very much the opposite! You seem to love to surprise us with your love!
When we start to doubt that our prayers are going unheard, help us to hold on to this passage and remember that your timing is perfect!
In the One who chooses the perfect time in our lives for everything – Amen!
Luke 1:10
Lord,you willingly sacrificed yourself for us and you ask us to do the same. There is nothing too difficult for you to do, but you ask us to trust you while you are doing it.
Sometimes this takes sacrificing our logical side. Suspending our physical reality to allow your spiritual power to work. Through prayer we praise you as the Lord of all, begging you to move mountains, and work in visible ways in our lives.
Let us not stand with doubting hearts as we pray, but with completely trusting hearts. May our prayers be more than just routine.
May our prayers be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of our hands be like the evening sacrifice. (Psalm 141:2).
In the one who calls us to be the aroma of Christ on earth and to sacrifice ourselves daily – Amen!
Luke 1:11-12
Lord, you are to be revered, feared, and honored!
Zechariah was there in the temple in your presence and yet the sight of the angel of the Lord took him by surprise and gripped him with fear.
To feel alone one minute and then be taken by surprise realizing that we are not alone, is a powerful gesture towards us as well. You sent Jesus to let us know that we are not alone and that we do not haveto walk this world in our own power but in yours!
Oh, Lord, let us realize that your ever present power is with us. That we are never alone in this life, even when we can’t physically see you.
In the One whose presence cast’s out all fear and yet leaves us trembling in His glory – Amen!
Luke 1:13-17
Lord, long before people started laying palm branches along the road and yelling “Hosanna,” you were preparing a way for us to recognize who the Messiah is.
You sent prophets and gave them specific details. You told Zechariah not to be afraid because he was going to have a son, who would prepare peoples’ hearts for the Lord.
Praise you Lord, for preparing us and our hearts to receive your son, our Savior.
May we help prepare the hearts of others by sharing your amazing good news with them.
In the One to whom we cry “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” – Amen!
Luke 1:19-20
Lord, you are so merciful and gracious! You are the best gift giver and want to share the joy of what’s coming.
When you did share the good news with Zechariah about the gift that would be coming, he had a difficult time believing you.
The angel was shocked that Zechariah did not believe someone who was sent from the presence of God to tell him about this amazing blessing.
Oh, Lord, help us to believe you not just as we read about your mighty ways in the Bible but that you still work in mighty ways in our lives daily!
Help us with wisdom and discernment accept the news of what is coming!
In the One who is our good news and is coming back – Amen!
Luke 1:21-22
Your blessings mean so much to us, Lord!
We wait on you and your blessings in our lives, like the Israelites waited on Zechariah to give them the customary blessing after he came out of the temple.
They had no idea that he was actually receiving such a tremendous blessing from you!
Sometimes, Lord, we become so focused and impatient on waiting on being blessed that we forget others need and are patiently waiting on your blessings too.
Let us graciously share what we have received from you with others with a cheerful heart. Help us to realize that as we share the blessings you’ve given us with others, their prayers for blessings are being answered as well.
Oh, Lord, you do work in mighty and wondrous ways still today!
May we glorify you as we rejoice in how you have blessed us through our Savior, Jesus Christ!
In Jesus’ powerful name – Amen!
Luke 1:23-25
Lord, we praise you for who you are! You have done amazing things in all our lives and have gifted us with our mothers.
Lord, this day that we celebrate motherhood is a joyous day but it is also difficult one for so many.
You are aware of those whose hearts and arms ache. We praise you because you know their hearts and comfort them.
Elizabeth is one whose heart ached. She was barren and was very old. Her hope of having a child seemed lost but then her faith remembered Abraham and Sarah having a child at 90 & 100. Her prayers continued.
Her faith led her to glorify you even when you had not blessed her with what she hoped. Then in your own timing and for your own purpose, you answered her prayer.
Lord, we pray for patience as we lean into you with heavy hearts praying with all our might. We pray we will lean into your will and timing in our lives and not our own. As our hearts ache, we thank you for comforting us and preparing us for the days ahead.
Thank you for never tiring of hearing the same prayers.
In the One who is the beginning and the end and yet, chose to be born as a baby into this world – Amen!
I am an Oklahoman by birth, a Texan by current living situation, but claim the world as my playground.I love to travel and hope to someday soon take our family on adventures to far off lands, where we can share God with others and experience all the wonders He has created.
I am a mother of 5 crazy, homeschooling children ages 10 & under, wife to an amazing man, and daughter of the King of the Universe!I enjoy reading, making my kids laugh, cooking, all things natural, learning to play guitar and dusting off my piano skills.One day I hope to run again, but until then I’m learning patience.
The book of James is considered to be written by James the brother of Jesus, which makes what he writes even more powerful. Why? Because James tried to stop Jesus. His family (brothers) thought he was crazy and didn’t believe Jesus when he said he was the son of God!
When his family heard about this, they went to take charge of him, for they said, “He is out of his mind.” Mark 3:21
The After-Resurrection Conversation
After Jesus rose from the dead, he appeared to James (1 Corinthians 15:7). Can you imagine that conversation? I’m sure it was filled with lots of tears, repentance, forgiveness, and Jesus’ amazing grace. After that episode, James becomes Jesus’ biggest supporter. As one of the leaders in the Jerusalem church (Acts 15), he bravely proclaims Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
The Book of James
In the book of James, James captures so much of what Jesus said in a shortened form. It’s almost like he is saying,
“Hey, brother! I know there was a time in my life when I didn’t believe you, but now I wholeheartedly do and I’m following you! I’ve taken what you said to heart and sharing it with others because I don’t want them to miss out on the gems you have passed on!”
Praying James 1:2-3
Lord, help reset our hearts and mind. We often have a “why me” mentality and fall into complaining when trials arise. Help us to consider it pure joy whenever we face any type of trial because we know that through it you will grow our faith as long as we lean into you and don’t give up. Then we can look back and see all the awesome things you did to help us persevere. We will see how you can use our situation to encourage others. Praise your name for using even the most difficult time for your glory. In the One who walked this earth and suffered more than we can imagine to bring you glory – Amen!
James 1:4
Lord, you are amazing! You not only give us unlimited love and forgiveness, but you make us complete! You never promise this life will be easy, but you do promise that everything we do for you is worth it. When we get tired and frustrated, you cheer us on. You give us the strength to keep going. By focusing on you, we are able to see that we will not lack anything in the end. You will provide all we need for the here and now and bless us in heaven one day too! Thank you for being our biggest cheerleader and providing the Holy Spirit to help us focus on you so that we can let perseverance finish its work to make us mature and complete. In Jesus’ name – Amen!
James 1:5
Lord, we look to you for wisdom because you know all! We humble our prideful selves before you and admit that we do not. It blows our minds that you, the God of all, takes time to listen to each of us when we call out to you. You promise to give us wisdom and guidance, if only we ask and not doubt that we will receive it. Help us use this wisdom to better understand how to love you and others.
You are awesome and holy! Thank you, Lord, for all that you give us, from your son to your time to your wisdom. Thank you for such good gifts that draw us closer to you! In the One who taught us about how much you love us – Amen!
James 1:6
Oh, Lord! When we call out to you asking for wisdom and guidance, help us to wholeheartedly believe you will give it to us! Every day, you are growing our faith so that as we mature, our belief grows stronger and doubts stop affecting us like they did before.
If we have any doubts, help us call out to you like the father of the demon-possessed son, who cried out, “‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!'” And oh, how you helped him, Lord!
You rebuked the spirit and through prayer his son was healed! We praise you, Lord, for sharing such an example with us of how trusting in you and leaning on prayer is so powerful!
In the One whom we can trust to take our prayers to his Father’s throne – Amen!
James 1:7-8
Lord, you are holy and mighty! We know this to be true. We trust the truth of the Bible and see how you’ve worked in so many different ways. Sometimes we find it difficult to understand how you are working in our lives or what exactly you want us to do. Help us to continue to be in your word so we can discern what is from you and what is not from you. We ask that we will hear clearly what the Holy Spirit guides us to do. Help us to trust that he will help us in our prayers.
We ask that we will be bold and courageous in our prayers. Father, let us come to you, fully trusting that you will not only hear our prayers but answer them in accordance with your will. We praise you, Lord, for this avenue of prayer. In the One who redeemed our relationship with you – Amen!
James 1:9-10
Lord, we praise you for creating each one of us in a unique and special way. We praise you because you don’t look on the outside or determine our worth based on our wealth. Instead, you look at our hearts. Our value is found in you and you ask each of us, whether rich or poor, to humble ourselves before you and to focus our efforts on what is lasting.
We pray that throughout our day we will humble ourselves to your will, even when the world tries to convince us that living a life in your honor is not worth it. Convict us to love you more than our physical possessions. In the One who gave us his heavenly comforts to humble himself to your will and save us from ourselves – Amen!
James 1:11
How this verse packs a punch, Lord! We praise you for telling the truth and not sugar-coating the consequences to a life not focused on you. These verses show us how our focus can get so off when the world’s idea of success consumes us, that we can “fade away” while going on with our business.
Oh, Lord, we pray we do not let that happen. We don’t want to spiritually fade in order to gain the worldly things which will never satisfy. If we allow material possessions to take over our lives, convict us so strongly that we are willing to give them up for you!
May you always have our hearts. Let us freely share our possessions so they will never replace you in our lives. May we focus our lives not on wealth, status, or power, but on honoring you with all that we are. In the One who humbles the proud and raises up the humble – Amen!
James 1:13
Lord, we praise you that only good fills every part of you! When we mess up, we often want to throw the blame anywhere but ourselves. We pray we will take responsibility for our actions. Help us lean into you when evil, tempting thoughts take root in our hearts and minds, so that they will not become actions that dishonor you. We thank you that you do not judge us by our temptations but help deliver us from evil. May we always remember that you will provide a way out when we are tempted. You will not let the devil deceive us into thinking this temptation is our only option. In the One who broke the hold Satan has over us – Amen!
James 1:14-15
Lord, we praise you once again for providing ways out when we are tempted. Help us not push the Holy Spirit aside, but to heed his warning when we rationalize why a sin isn’t so bad or so wrong. Instead of allowing the temptation to hold in our thoughts and hearts, help us flee from it. Help us ask for your help instead of trying to wrestle with it on our own. You are much stronger than we are. We know it’s by the powerful name of Jesus Christ that we can expel sin from our lives. May we reach out to you and call on your name instead of giving in to the evil desire and letting ourselves be dragged away into sin.
Our hearts break when we fall back into sin. But we praise you for being a God who will forgive us when we come to you with repentant hearts. Thank you for your love, grace, mercy, and ultimate forgiveness in Christ Jesus our Lord. It is in His powerful name we pray – Amen!
James 1: 16-17
Oh, Lord, help us not be deceived by Satan’s temptations. He tries to make his “gifts” look so enticing. He wraps up death in a pretty package, that once unwrapped, delivers pain and suffering.
Instead, help us remember that you and you alone give amazing gifts. All your gifts bring life! Help us remember this even when those blessings and gifts come wrapped in trials. Drawing closer to you through these trials gives us the most precious gifts of all. In the One who showed us how obedience to you brings you ultimate glory and us glory as well – Amen!
James 1:18
Oh, Lord how blessed we are that in you there is only truth and love! Even more so that you chose “to give us birth through the word of truth.” What a precious gift! You have not left us in the dark but provided us the light and life we need to walk through this dark world and to be a light to others as well.
We praise you because when you give gifts, they are never for us to hold onto selfishly but to bless others with in the process. Help us to shine your light of truth so others may see your glory. In the One who is our guiding light – Amen!
FREE "Gifts from God" 5 Minute Devotional Ebook
It contains 10 devotionals with thoughts & prayer pages, Bible Journaling pages & Memory Verse Cards.
You have Successfully subscribed! Check your email for your encouraging Ebook.
