Devotions By Jan

Category Archives: Peace


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Elephant Ear

Scripture for Today: Psalms 85:8  “I will listen to what God the Lord says; He promises peace to His people, His faithful servants –  but let them not turn to folly.”

The reason for the name of this plant is obvious. The size and shape of this plant’s leaves resemble the ear of the elephant. In fact, this invasive plant can overshadow the surrounding flowering plants with its big leaves, blocking their sunlight. The leaves of the Elephant Ear, or Colocasia, can grow three feet long and two feet wide, or more! If their ears could actually hear, I wonder if they would hear their gardener grumbling about their size and tendency to take over the garden!

I wish my spiritual ears were as big as this plant so as not to miss God’s voice! In today’s verse God’s voice promises peace to His faithful servants. It begins with the psalmist’s statement of intention, “I will listen.” There are a myriad of sounds out there clamoring to be heard. But listening to the Lord through His Word takes intentional effort and discipline. And listening to Him keeps us from folly or doing anything foolish.

He speaks peace to those that belong to Him. What a promise! So many times I have come to Him in prayer totally agitated and stressed. He calms me down and listening intently I hear reminders of His love and control in my circumstances. I get in that troubled state usually because I have not been listening to Him in the first place! If I am honest with myself, I realize I am quite capable of doing all kinds of foolish things with impeccable rationale! Listening to Him daily through His Word is the best way to avoid my own folly. And I so need the peace and calm He offers.

Lord, keep me peaceful by listening to You!

(Look familiar? This is a repost from 2020)


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Meerkats

Scripture for Today: Ecclesiastes 7:12 “Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.”

These meerkats might be more recognizable standing up on their haunches, looking out for predators. Or maybe Timon the meerkat from The Lion King comes to mind. In any case, they are very often seen digging in the dirt. In fact, they could be considered as nature’s little excavators. Even as young pups they seem to instinctively know to dig. Their burrow and elaborate labyrinth of tunnels are their shelters from predators and from inclement weather. Inside they feel safe and protected in their shelter.

Today’s verse describes something as a shelter that we do not normally consider: wisdom. We do look at tax shelters, retirement savings and expensive insurance as a shelter. And of course, money squirreled away is a kind of shelter but according to this verse, it can fall short. In the end, money cannot preserve life. Wisdom however does. And this wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, living a life of obedience to Him. (Prov. 9:10) Life is preserved when not inviting into our days the natural consequences of sin!

When looking around me there seem to be many who live with every kind of monetary advantage. But the true advantage is a life lived connected to the Source of wisdom, Christ the wisdom of God. (I Cor. 1:30) The Lord is my wisdom and it is He that preserves my life. He is my shelter. I run to Him when worry threatens to overwhelm me. I run to this shelter when I see an uncertain future. The Lord invites me to shelter in Him when looking for the peace I so desperately need! Money and a life of ease can never give me this advantage!

Thank you Lord for being my wisdom and shelter.


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Sniffing Dogs

Scripture for Today: Psalm 139:23 “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”

(Photo by C. C. Chapman, https://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/31305542651)

Our furry friends, it turns out, are more than faithful companions. The fact that their presence gives emotional support for those suffering PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks is well known. But recently a study was done that shows that certain breeds can detect stress in humans through their nose! That is because our breath and sweat have a particular odor when producing the stress hormone, cortisol. And the dogs in this study detected that stress 93.75% of the time!

Today’s verse is part of a beautiful psalm that reveals just how intimately the Lord knows us. Not only does He know when we are up or down, in or out, He also knows our heart’s emotions and our thoughts. He knows when we are anxious even when we do not recognize it ourselves. He not only knows but He provides us the solution. It is through our prayers and petitions that we can release that stress and anxiety before it wreaks havoc in our lives. He offers us peace in its stead. (Phil. 4:6-7)

That stress hormone can show up quite often in my life and usually it is a result of thoughts that are negative and anxious. Included are those annoying thoughts of, “what if?” Anxious thoughts can rob me of sleep and do nothing to improve my circumstances. A dog can comfort and cuddle but it’s my Creator that has the power to calm me down, change the direction of my thoughts and feelings and give me peace. He waits for me to turn to Him in prayer, over and over, as long as it takes.

Thank you Lord, for handling my stress today.


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Smiling Horse?

I Samuel 2:1 “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.” (NKJV)

This horse completely ignored me as I passed by him. It’s not as if I wasn’t friendly. I made my voice gentle and clicked my tongue at him. But he would have none of it. How did he know that I did not have a carrot after all? (I didn’t!) But as I passed by the same path on my return, he became interested and flashed what looked to be a smile! Don’t tell me it did not mean anything! It made me feel better about my morning!

Today’s verse has Hannah smiling. For years she had suffered under the constant goading of Peninnah, her husband’s other wife. She was constantly reminded of her barrenness while Peninnah bore many children. The Lord listened to her cries and gave her Samuel. In gratitude and to fulfill her vow, she gave Samuel back to the Lord, to live in the temple and serve Him. Hannah could rejoice and be delighted, even at the moment of separation. She could smile at her enemies as she was vindicated. And God’s blessing continued with the birth of many other children.

One day I know I can smile at my enemies! One day I will be completely vindicated for anything I have suffered at their hands. God has the last word and His justice will prevail. He will even prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies! (Ps. 23:5) I don’t fret about the wicked as God promises to vindicate the righteous (Ps. 37:6). I don’t want to waste mental energy or indignant emotions on the wicked. The Lord will take care of it.

Thank you Lord, for the peace I have with You.


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Woody

Scripture for Today: Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Meet Woody (the one on the left!). This well-loved quarter horse belonging to our cousin was cared for and cherished for thirty seven and a half years! This particular breed is listed along with four others as likely to live the longest. But that just makes their departure so much more devastating. Woody’s gentle loving spirit will be sorely missed. But what was especially heart-wrenching was learning of those last moments. The vet allowed Jenny to lay down over Woody’s heart as it slowed and stopped, assuring him of her love.

Today’s verse is all about the heart. Not only is it the seat of our emotions and will but the heart determines everything in life. It is with our hearts that we ultimately make our decisions. Everything we do flows from what our heart is telling us to do. If we could just understand our hearts then we can faithfully follow it and all will be well. Except that the heart is deceitful and no one can understand it (Jer. 17:9). That is why we are told to carefully guard the heart.

How do I guard my heart? Because it is deceitful I need the truth of God’s Word to have any kind of perspective. When I face a life-changing decision, I do not trust my fickle heart. It is through my prayers, petitions and thanksgiving that I can guard my heart and mind with the peace God promises (Phil. 4:7). His peace replaces the anxiety and second guessing. With every beat of my heart, His peace reassures me of His love and presence!

Lord, guard my heart with Your truth and Your peace.