Devotional for March 16, 2021

Good Evening, Family! 🌨

This week, we praise God for:

💟 Karina is grateful for all of your prayers for Alejandro, especially after getting vaccinated and not feeling well. Please keep him and his shipmates in your prayers throughout their deployment.

💟 Bianca and Vishal are earnestly grateful for their Week of Love and how helpful it was to have dinner delivered every day during their first week as parents.

We are also praying for:

🛐 Maria, who has been suffering from Tinnitus in her ear. She’s asking for prayer as she is going to see a specialist. Let’s ask for wisdom and for the doctor to offer her much-needed relief and healing.

🛐 Alex's neighbor, Angie, who has contracted Covid. May the Lord protect her and keep her from serious illness.

🛐 A dear friend of Doris’, whose entire family is dealing with Covid and underlying conditions. May the Lord protect them and heal them.

🛐 Doris, and her daughters, Jackie, Amanda and their children, Skylar, Heaven Lee, Dorian, Zaire and Amir. May God keep working miracles in their lives.

🛐 Karina, to be led by God regarding her return to in-person school. May it be God’s will.

🛐 Nelly’s neighbor, Provi. She is a cancer survivor and just spent several weeks in the hospital for heart issues. She lives alone and shouldn't be unsupervised at this stage. Please pray that God will work this situation out for her and give her strength.

🛐 Carole is requesting we keep her friend, Alissia, in our prayers. She is a single mother of 2 who needs our prayers as she has tested positive for Covid and is not doing well. May the Lord intervene on her behalf and restore her to good health.

🛐 John Vega, whose surgery was postponed. Let's keep praying for God's timing and His protection over John.

🛐 Our beloved Seth, that God would be with him each and every day and that He would continue to bless and protect Seth in everything he does and everywhere he goes!

🛐 Karina asked that we keep praying for Tamara, that she will be convinced that God has great plans for her...greater than she can ask or imagine!

🛐 Anna Ortiz, who was in cancer remission, but the cancer has returned with a vengeance and is now in her bones. Please pray for her during this process. Pray for her family as well!

I went out to make an exchange for my mom, and left my old phone at home, where I had saved the Devotionals sent to me over the past couple of months. 😲

So I am sharing the Devotional thought for tonight. We will finish out our submissions beginning tomorrow. 🥰

I don't know if you have ever taken the time to notice, but when God is going to grant us an EXCHANGE in life, as He did in the verse above, His incredible policy of mercy is on full display. So unlike the exchange policies of this world, our loving God welcomes and excels at EXTREME exchanges.

He exchanges:

Our Ashes for His Beauty.

Our Brokenness for His Healing.

Destruction for Restoration.

Anger for Peace.

Addiction for Connection.

Doubt for Certainty.

The list goes on and on! 📝

However, what's always true is that the exchange won't happen at all if we don't actually hand off the things we want to exchange for something better. Once we state our intent to exchange one thing for another, we must relinquish what we no longer want.

I don't know which part I like the least about exchanges in the store - perhaps it's when the cashier holds up the thing that I am exchanging, so that everyone can see what I'm wanting to get rid of, and they can also wonder what I was thinking in the first place. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Or maybe it's the way the cashier checks what I'm seeking to give back for signs of wear and tear, seemingly not trusting my integrity. Or worse...carefully inspecting my exchange for damages, adding to my discomfort. 🔍

Ugh. 😩

But no so with God! Our gracious Heavenly Father instantly notices as we take the slightest step towards Him and instead of loudly calling out, "Next!", he meets us where we are, with love and mercy burning in His heart. He quietly invites us to hand over that thing that's hurting us, shackling us, or even destroying us. As soon as we release it to Him, He banishes it to the bottom of the ocean floor, without calling anyone else's attention to it. Without the spectacle of others wondering what we were thinking in the first place. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏽‍♂️

He doesn't question my reason for the return. He only cares about the wear and tear it's taken on my heart, because He loves me and wants to heal me. He doesn't hold me accountable for the damage I've caused before Him. He only whispers to me that I should hand it to Him and let it go...once and for all. 🤲🏼

The best part? I don't have to frantically search for a better replacement. I just hand over my mistakes and trust Him to give me what I really need. What fits me and my life best. What is better than anything I could've chosen for myself.🛍

In 50 years, I have yet to ever regret making an exchange at God's Storehouse of Grace. I can confidently say you'll never find a more generous exchange policy. Get in line! You have priority status. 👑