Praise be to you, Lord, for how faithful and good, wise and powerful you are. We see this in the expanse of the heavens, which you stretched out for billions of not just miles, but light years. You filled it with stars gathered into galaxies which are gathered into formations—and you know the name of each of these trillions of stars, you know their number and you keep them in place.

As you are able to administrate all that, so you are certainly able to deal with the details of my life. Being outside of time, you know every event that will come and can shape them to be useful in our lives, or prevent them if it is best.

I think of the hundreds of times I’ve had close calls in driving: you prevented an accident each time and kept us safe. And I’m sure there are thousands of times you have protected us in every area over the years but we were not aware of it. You are certainly the Deity of details, the Shepherd of strength, the Lord of lavish love. You are the One we can trust, rest in and rejoice in.

Last night when I went to give a discipleship lesson, the couple had just gotten a new little dog. He’d been suddenly taken from his familiar environment where he’d lived all his 3 years and was feeling very unsure and insecure in this new situation. For some reason he avoided the females in the house and jumped up on the man’s lap for a bit, then onto mine where he snuggled down and stayed for the whole lesson. Somehow he felt safe there, and enjoyed the scratching I gave him.

So it is with us and you, Lord. No matter how challenging our situation or how dangerous and painful the happenings in our life, we can snuggle down in your embrace, knowing that you have already prepared a path through whatever is facing us, that you will accompany us along the way and carry us through. You are faithful, you are able, you have a plan.

The only element we have to add is trust based on our knowledge of who you are; then you will pour peace, joy and hope into our lives (Rom. 15:13) along with more than enough grace (undeserved help) to move through any circumstance with power.

I praise you now, Lord Jesus, for the day you have laid out before me. Help me to keep on the full armor you have provided, to trust you by getting up the shield of faith through offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving and to join you in what you are doing so that I may give you more and more honor each day.

Praise you, Lord, for this, the first real day of my retirement from Christar. This is primarily a financial change, as I plan to keep on doing all the things I did before (teaching, counseling, writing, and traveling to speak as opportunities come), I just won’t get paid for them!

So this will be a financial adventure, seeing how the Lord provides beyond social security. We are waiting for Him to provide renters for the storage spaces in the barns. They seem to be slow in materializing, but one thing we know for sure, the Lord is our Shepherd and therefore we will not want.

A second way that retirement will change me is in attitude. I feel free now to do spontaneous things, like going out to breakfast with the guys after men’s prayer meeting on Friday mornings instead of getting back to work. I don’t want to become less disciplined in how I use the time left, but want to be less focused on work and more on people.

This retirement coincides with my turning 70 this year. In the past I’ve found that decadel milestones often bring changes in focus and responsibilities. So I expect this to be a bigger one than previous “big O” years.

Hebrews 12:1-17 is my map. It certainly is a pleasure to walk with Jesus into the future, to know that He has the course laid out for us and calls us to join Him in the adventure of the rest of our lives. I do want to lay aside every weight and sin that can so easily entangle, and run with patience the race He has set out before me.

It will require patience, for as we move into the future, I’m going to be losing things: strength, endurance, hearing and other physical abilities. Truly old age is the process of losing things, but maturity is letting them go and using these losses to focus on what God has for us. I suspect that worship and intercessory prayer will become the primary focus, with discipleship/counseling being the second.

Whatever it is, I can take my cue from Jesus, fixing my eyes on Him who “for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Truly, to know Him is to have hope, to have peace and joy as we trust in Him, and move into the future with His presence, provision and protection. I look forward to living this on a new level! Praise be to Him!

January 1, 2016, Friday.

Praise be to you, Lord, for a new year, a new day, a new start. I praise you that you have already been through this year and in your sovereign knowledge know all that will happen.

I praise you that you have laid out a course for each of your children to run the race you have for us (Heb. 12). Help us both to lay aside all the weights and sins that so easily entangle us, and to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:10-18).

I praise you now for the protection, the guidance, the grace and the goodness you will give. I thank you for how you will lead us through valleys, up steep hills, over the top with a wider view, down into another valley. You will take us over, around and through obstacles.

And each step of the way there will be opportunities to honor you by offering the sacrifice of thanksgiving in the little frustrations, disappointments and failures as well as in larger losses, tragedies and evil happenings. Help us to praise in all, knowing that whatever happens you will be with us every step of the way: “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me” (Ps. 23).

I praise you, too, for the many opportunities you will give us to grow (James:1:2,3). And through those opportunities to do the dance of grace on the stage of faith that those around us may see you at work in our lives.

Help us to trust you so that you may fill us with all joy and peace, and so that our lives may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:13). Thereby we can be hope-carriers to all those around us.

Give us  discernment each day so that we can understand what you are doing and join you in it, first in prayer, then in action. Help us to recognize the opportunities you will give us to share about you with all those around us who are ready to hear. Bring them to us, give us the words and bring many into your Kingdom this year.

May we be glory-givers, grace-receivers and grace-givers. May you be honored, exalted and pleased with what you hear from our lips all year. Amen.

Psalm 14:1 “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

[This is a clear definition of what a fool is: one with no spiritual discernment or interest, who rejects truth in favor of his own unfounded opinion.

The statement that there is no God is so far from reality, entirely limited to this tiny earth, moment, and view, making it a sorry position, void of hope, truth, goodness, meaning and a future. I pity the person who thinks that, as he is caught in his own delusion and ends up in the darkness of a meaningless, hopeless existence.]

“They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

[We are all by nature fools, making ourselves our own god until we meet the true and living God. In our natural selves there is no good, no ability to do true good, for all we do is corrupted by our sin and selfishness. This is reality, this is why we desperately need you, Lord, you who are goodness itself and desires to give all people a new heart filled with righteousness, joy and peace so we can do the good works you have prepared for us (Eph. 2:10)]

Psalm 14:2 “The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

[This means, Lord, that you look at and into every single person, you check them out, you are concerned for them. Only an infinite God could do that, be in close contact with 6 billion people all the time! You are a wonder! And in doing so, you love them, wanting each to come to you, giving each a chance to enter your Family, your Kingdom, your Eternity with you.]

Psalm 14:3 “All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

[The sad truth is that not one single person in the whole world, in the whole of history ever sought you out on their own. Not one person naturally followed you in the right way. We have all turned away from you, we are all corrupt. Because we are sinners, any good that we do is tainted with selfishness, pride and deceit (we convince ourselves we are good).

What a hopeless situation! In ourselves we are unable to alter it. But praise you, Lord, that you have entered history, made it possible for us to be released from the hand of the enemy and our own wickedness so we can come into your Kingdom of Light and Life and Love! May we be ever thankful for your unwarranted grace, goodness and love. May my life, being focused on you, reflect your love and light to all around me  today.]

Lord, as we face the uncertainty of the future, the pressures of the unknown, the fears and worries that arise from our souls, it is wonderful to know that you hold our future in your hand. You deal the cards and make sure we get what is good, what will present us with the most opportunity to give you glory, be it pleasant or tough for us.

You are the Loving King, the Good Shepherd, the Wise Counselor, the Good and Great God of all. I praise you that today, this month and in the coming year you will bring what is best.

Guide me, Lord, give me the direction that I need and I thank you now for how you will answer. To you I can give honor and praise long before I see what I desire coming to pass, for you are fully trustable. Truly my soul finds rest in you alone (Psalm 62:1)

So I give you glory for your faithfulness, honor for your wisdom, exaltation for your power, thanksgiving for your goodness, worship for your righteousness and obedience for your love. May you be lifted up, glorified and exalted today in my life, in my motives, thoughts, words and actions, for you are worthy of all honor.