Month: July 2026

Day 185/186 of 365: Wilderness or Vacation?

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

Greetings, Precious Family. May the Peace of the Lord be with you always.

Family, have you ever heard the phrase, “I’m in my wilderness season”? Typically, that means someone is going through a very difficult time. But what if the wilderness wasn’t always a bad thing? What if there could be the gift of a vacation in the middle of it all? Let’s talk about how a wilderness experience can become a holy vacation with God.

What I have realized recently is that God is not necessarily punishing me when I enter a season of isolation. Sometimes isolation is exactly what the Great Physician has ordered so that I can return as my best self, or perhaps even better than before. We have to remember that God always has something precious He wants to teach us during those quiet seasons.

Drawing close to God and spending one-on-one time with Him should be a beautiful experience. Don’t get me wrong; there are seasons of isolation that are deeply painful, and I definitely know the difference. (You’ll just have to trust me on that one.)

Holy Scripture

Psalm 62:1-2
New International Version
Psalm 62[a]
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.

1 Truly my soul finds rest in God;
    my salvation comes from him.
2 Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
    he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.

The difference is not always where we are, it is often why we are there.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in difficult seasons because we have resisted God’s direction or wandered from His will.

Other times, God lovingly leads us away from the noise of the world into a quiet place of healing, renewal, and preparation.

The first is a place of loving correction.

The second is a place of holy restoration.

In both, however, God is present, and His desire is always to draw us closer to Him.

Family, whether you find yourself walking through a wilderness of loving correction or resting in a season of holy renewal, take heart. You never walk alone. The great I AM WHO I AM is already there, faithfully being everything you need for every step of the journey.

Let Us Pray

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for being the great I AM WHO I AM. Before we ever knew what this day would hold, You were already there. Before we ever took our first step into this season, You had already gone before us, preparing the way with Your love, mercy, and faithfulness.

Lord, today we bring You every heart reading these words. Some are walking through a wilderness of loving correction, learning to trust and obey You more deeply. Others are resting in a quiet season of healing, renewal, and preparation. No matter where we find ourselves, remind us that we are never alone.

Your presence surrounds us, Your Spirit strengthens us, and Your love never fails.
Teach us to embrace the seasons You have ordained for our lives.

When You call us to be still, help us to rest without guilt. When You call us to move forward, give us courage to take the next faithful step. Protect us from comparing our journey to someone else’s, and help us to trust that Your timing is always perfect.

Father, thank You for being our Shepherd when we need guidance, our Healer when we are wounded, our Peace when life feels uncertain, our Strength when we are weary, and our Refuge when we need a safe place to rest. You truly are everything we need because You are the great I AM.

As we close this time together, quiet every anxious thought and calm every troubled heart. Fill us with the deep assurance that You are working all things together for our good, even when we cannot yet see the whole picture. May we walk into tomorrow with hope, joy, and confidence, knowing that the One who began a good work in us will be faithful to complete it.

We surrender our wildernesses, our holy vacations, our questions, and our dreams into Your loving hands. Lead us one step at a time, and may every step bring us closer to You.
In the precious, powerful, and loving name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen, Amen, and Amen.

Worship Video of the Day

Draw Me Close/Thy Will Be Done · Marvin Winans
Marvin L. Winans Presents: The Praise & Worship Experience
℗ 2012 MLW Productions, Inc
Released on: 2012-06-26

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)

Day 183/184 of 365: Independent But Never Alone…

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

Greetings, Precious Family. May the Peace of the Lord be with you always.

Family, as I reflected on Independence Day, I realized that many of us are stepping into new seasons of life.

Every year a new group of people are transitioning to a new level of independence.

Whether it is a young child taking their first steps into school or a high-school senior throwing their graduation cap in the air, there is a new level of independence for all, including the parents.

As parents, you have watched each step your child has made. You have nurtured, encouraged, taught, and loved your child with the goal that each year they learn about themselves and the world around them.

I know, like me, everyone is not a parent. I still pinch myself when I think about  graduating with a masters degree just six months ago. As I get older there are several things that are new for me, especially as someone who is in their 50s.

Whether it’s beginning a new job, facing health challenges, or becoming empty nesters, every season we are learning to trust God in unfamiliar places. Change has a way of reminding us how much we need Him.

Family, while the world often celebrates independence as standing on our own, Scripture teaches us something even greater. Every new season is an invitation to become more dependent upon God.

We may become more independent in life, but we never outgrow our need for our Heavenly Father. In every new beginning, every unfamiliar path, and every unexpected change, God walks beside us. He does not send us ahead and wish us good luck. He goes before us, walks with us, and remains behind us as our protector.

So as we celebrate Independence Day, let us also celebrate the freedom we have in Christ. We are free from carrying tomorrow’s burdens by ourselves. We are free to trust the One who already knows what tomorrow holds.

Family, we may be independent in many ways, but with God we are never alone. Amen

Let Us Pray

Father, thank You for every season of growth You bring into our lives. When You call us into unfamiliar places, remind us that You never ask us to walk there alone. Teach us to trust You more deeply than we trust our own strength. As we celebrate the freedoms we enjoy, help us never forget that our greatest freedom is found in Christ. Walk beside us in every new beginning, calm every fear, strengthen every weary heart, and remind us each day that because You are with us, we are independent in life but never alone. In Christ Jesus’ name, Amen, Amen, and Amen

Video of the Day

Dependable God (Medley) · Victor Thompson

Dependable God (Medley)

℗ 2967292 Records DK

Released on: 2021-10-22

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)

Day 181/182 of 365: Positioned To Grow

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

Greetings, Precious Family. May the Peace of the Lord be with you always.

Family, as a continuation of yesterday’s devotional regarding going where God leads you, tonight is about how to grow once you get there. Where God plants you is where He intends to nourish you.

Psalm 1:1-3
New International Version
BOOK I
Psalms 1–41

Psalm 1

1 Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers.

Family, every one of us is walking a different road, but the secret to spiritual growth is always the same. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, our character begins to reflect His character. Our words, our choices, our attitudes, and our actions become evidence of the One who has been nurturing our hearts.

One thing I say often is:

DEPENDING ON WHAT KIND OF SEEDS YOU PLANT, YOUR FRUIT WILL ALWAYS TELL ON YOU, GOOD OR BAD.

God is far more interested in our faithfulness than our popularity. Before He entrusts us with greater responsibilities, He watches how we steward what He has already placed in our hands.

The Bible says it this way:

Luke 16:10
English Standard Version

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Family, don’t become discouraged if you don’t see fruit overnight. Trees don’t grow in a single day, and neither do disciples. God is patient with us because He knows that healthy roots produce healthy fruit.

Stay planted.

Stay faithful.

Stay close to the Living Water.

In His perfect season, the fruit will come, because the word of God says:

Galatians 6:9
New King James Version

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Welcome to your new season, Family. If by chance this season feels familiar, take a moment to look back at the one before it. Ask yourself, What did God teach me? Where did I grow? Were there lessons I overlooked? Then sit quietly with God. He is faithful to reveal what still needs to be cultivated within your heart.

His grace and mercy will walk with you every step of the way.

Let Us Pray

Abba,

Thank You for planting us exactly where we need to be. Teach us not to rush the seasons You have designed for our growth. Help us to send our roots deeper into Your love, Your Word, and Your presence.

When the journey is steep, give us steady feet. When the path is uncertain, remind us that You walk beside us. When we grow weary, strengthen us to remain faithful until the fruit You have promised appears in its proper season.

Lord, cultivate within us hearts that trust You completely. Remove anything that keeps us from becoming all You created us to be. May our lives bear fruit that brings You glory and offers hope to those around us.

We choose today to stay planted, to stay faithful, and to stay close to the Living Water, knowing that You are working even when we cannot yet see the harvest.
In the precious name of Christ Jesus, we pray. Amen, Amen and Amen.

Worship Video of the Day

JAMAL ROBERTS – He’s Preparing Me / July 2011

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)