Month: September 2026

Day 271 of 365: Pick It Back Up…

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

“I learned that dropping it doesn’t mean I have to stop carrying it.”

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

Family,

Today is Day 271.

And perhaps the most honest thing I can say today is this:

I have not been as consistent as I intended to be.

There. I said it.

Sometimes we begin a journey with great intentions. We make commitments. We establish goals. We tell ourselves, This time, I am going to follow through.

And then life happens.

We become tired. We become distracted.

Something unexpected interrupts the plan.

Our bodies need rest. Our minds become overwhelmed. Our circumstances change. Sometimes we simply lose momentum.

And somewhere along the way, we look down and realize: I dropped the ball.

For some of us, that realization becomes the reason we stop altogether.

I missed too many days.

I got too far behind.

I should have done better.

I should be further along by now.

And shame begins whispering that because we were inconsistent, we might as well quit.

But Precious Family, I am learning something on this journey to wholeness:

Dropping it doesn’t mean I have to stop carrying it. I can pick it back up!!

There is a beautiful moment in Scripture when Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who sins against him. Peter suggests seven times.

Matthew 18:21-22

New International Version
The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]

We often read this passage in the context of forgiving other people.

But today, I wonder how many of us need enough grace to begin again?

How many times have you promised yourself you were going to change something?

How many times have you started praying again, exercising again, writing again, studying again, saving again, creating again, healing again, only to lose your rhythm somewhere along the way?

And how many times have you mistaken inconsistency for disqualification?

Maybe you dropped something you genuinely wanted to carry.

Pick it back up.

Maybe you stopped doing something God placed on your heart.

Pick it back up.

Maybe you were doing well and somehow lost your momentum.

Pick it back up.

Maybe you’re disappointed because you thought you would be further along by now.

Pick. It. Back. Up.

Wholeness is not always demonstrated by never stumbling.

Sometimes wholeness looks like developing the courage, humility, and grace to begin again.

The enemy would love for one missed day to become ten.

For ten missed days to become a month.

For a month to become a year.

And eventually, what began as an interruption becomes abandonment, not because we could not continue, but because shame convinced us that continuing no longer counted.

But grace says:

Come back.

Grace says:

There is still something worth carrying.

Grace says:

Yesterday’s inconsistency does not have to make today’s decision for you.

Precious Family, perhaps there is something lying on the ground beside you. not literally, but spiritually, emotionally, creatively, relationally.

Something you dropped.

Something you thought you had ruined.

Something you assumed you had waited too long to continue.

Before you walk away from it, ask God:

“Abba, is this something You still want me to carry?”

And if the answer is yes…

Bend down.

Pick it back up.

Adjust your grip.

And keep walking.

You don’t have to pretend you never dropped it.

You don’t have to erase the gap.

You don’t have to rewrite yesterday.

Just take the next faithful step today.

Because I am learning something here on Day 271:

I may have dropped the ball along the journey, but dropping it doesn’t mean I have to stop carrying it.

And neither do you.
 
                                Let Us Pray

Abba,

Thank You for meeting us in the places where we have fallen short of our own expectations.

Forgive us for the times we have allowed disappointment to become condemnation. Forgive us for believing that because we were inconsistent, we were no longer worthy of continuing.

Give us wisdom to know what You are still calling us to carry.

And when You tell us that the assignment is not finished, give us the courage to pick it back up.

Teach us that beginning again is not something to be ashamed of.

Thank You for grace that meets us today—not where we intended to be, not where we wish we were, but exactly where we are.

Help us take the next step.

And if we drop it again, Abba, remind us that Your grace will still be there, teaching us how to reach down, pick it up, and keep walking toward wholeness.

In the precious and powerful name of Christ Jesus. Amen, Amen and Amen.

Worship Song

You don’t have to go back and become the person who never dropped it.

The Called by Matt and Josie Minikus

Until we meet again, Precious Family, remember:

Just become the person who decided to pick it back up.

Keep walking.
The journey continues.

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)

Day 263 of 365: When the Next Step Is Waiting

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

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

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5

Family,

There are seasons in this journey when we know exactly what to do.

Take the step.
Make the call.
Have the conversation.
Try again.
Get back up.
Keep moving.

But then there are other seasons, seasons when we have done everything that is ours to do, and there is no additional step to take.

We simply have to wait.

And if you are anything like me, waiting can sometimes be harder than moving.

When I am moving, I feel as though I am doing something. I can see progress. I can measure distance. I can tell myself, At least I am getting somewhere.

But waiting?

Waiting requires a different kind of faith.

Waiting asks us to trust God when we cannot yet see what He is doing.

It asks us to live without having all the answers.

It asks us to resist the temptation to manufacture our own certainty simply because uncertainty makes us uncomfortable.

And perhaps most difficult of all, waiting asks us to surrender the illusion that everything depends upon us.

Precious Family, somewhere along our journey to wholeness, we must learn that stillness is not the same thing as stagnation.

God can be working even when we are waiting.

God can be arranging things we cannot see.

God can be preparing hearts, opening doors, closing others, giving wisdom, providing resources, bringing healing, changing circumstances, and preparing us for whatever comes next.

The silence does not mean that God has stopped working.

The waiting does not mean that God has forgotten us.

And the absence of an answer today does not mean there will never be an answer.

Sometimes we pray, “Abba, show me my next step.”

And perhaps His response is:

“There isn’t another step for you to take right now. Stay here with Me.”

Oh, Precious Family.

What if waiting is not the space between acts of faith?

What if waiting is an act of faith?

                       Psalm 62:5 says:

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”

Notice where the psalmist places his hope.

Not in the answer. Not in the outcome.
Not in the timeline.

In God.

There is a difference.

Because when my hope rests only in a particular outcome, I can have peace only when that outcome arrives.

But when my hope rests in God, I can begin to discover peace even while I am waiting.

I don’t have to know everything today.

I don’t have to solve tomorrow today.

I don’t have to force open the door.

I don’t have to run ahead simply because standing still makes me nervous.

I can breathe. I can pray.

I can listen. I can rest.

And I can trust that when it is time to move again, God will meet me there too.

So today, if you find yourself somewhere between what has already happened and what happens next, please don’t despise this part of your journey.

You are still on the Path.

You are still growing.

You are still becoming.

And perhaps your next faithful step is waiting.

Let Us Pray

Abba,

Here I am.

I confess that waiting is difficult for me.

I want answers.
I want direction.
I want to know what comes next.

But today, I release my need to have everything figured out.

Teach me how to wait without believing that I have been forgotten.

Teach me how to rest without believing that I am falling behind.

Teach me how to be still without believing that nothing is happening.

When I cannot see Your hand, help me trust Your heart.

When my mind races toward tomorrow, gently bring me back to today.

And when there is no step for me to take, remind me that I do not have to create one.

Abba, stay close while I wait.

Let my hope rest not merely in the answer I desire, but in You.

And when the time comes to move again, give me the courage to take the next step.

Until then, I will wait here with You.

In the precious and powerful name of Christ Jesus,

Amen, Amen, and Amen.

The official video of “Wait On You” from the album, Old Church Basement, by Elevation Worship and Maverick City, feat. Dante Bowe & Chandler Moore. Available everywhere now: https://elevationworsh…

“Wait On You” was written by Steven Furtick, Chandler Moore, Dante Bowe, Chris Brown, Tiffany Hudson and Brandon Lake

                    CLOSING THOUGHT

Precious Family, wherever you are on the journey today, remember:

Waiting does not mean you have left the Path.

Sometimes waiting is the Path.

Keep walking when it is time to walk.

Rest when it is time to rest.

Wait when it is time to wait.

And through it all, trust that Abba is with you.

Until we meet again on this Sacred Journey…

Peace, Light, Love, and Joy.

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)

Day 250 of 365: Anxiety vs God…

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

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

Scripture: Philippians 4:6–7

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…”

Today, I found myself wrestling with a passage of Scripture that I have read, quoted, prayed, and encouraged others with many times: “Be anxious for nothing.”

Those words can feel very different when you are the one experiencing anxiety.

What happens when we love God, trust God, pray to God and still find ourselves anxious?

What happens when our minds know the promises of God, but our bodies still respond with fear?

For some of us, anxiety does not always arrive announcing its name. Sometimes it disguises itself as overthinking. Sometimes it looks like avoidance. Sometimes it sounds like an endless stream of “What ifs?” Sometimes it appears as a need to control every possible outcome before taking the next step.

And sometimes we do not recognize how much anxiety has affected our lives until we begin healing enough to see it.

That realization can be humbling. It can also create a spiritual conflict.

If the Word of God tells me to “be anxious for nothing,” yet I experience anxiety, am I contradicting God’s Word?

Am I failing in my faith? Do I simply need to pray harder?

Precious Family, perhaps we need to keep reading.

Paul does not merely tell us what NOT to do. He tells us where to take what troubles us:

“…but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Perhaps “be anxious for nothing” was never intended to become another burden we carry.

Perhaps it is an invitation. Bring it here.

Bring the fear. Bring the trembling. Bring the questions. Bring the thoughts you cannot seem to quiet. Bring the situation you cannot control. Bring the part of you that knows God is faithful and the part of you that is still afraid. Bring everything.

I am reminded of David’s words:

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”   Psalm 56:3

Notice what David did not say.

He did not say, “Because I trust God, I am never afraid.”

He said, “When I am afraid…”

Fear was present.  And so was faith.

Maybe we have sometimes defined faith as the absence of fear when faith can also be the decision to turn toward God while we are afraid.

Even Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, did not hide His anguish from the Father. He brought it into prayer.

So perhaps our anxious moments are not necessarily evidence that God is disappointed with us.

Perhaps they can become invitations to encounter Him.

Healing may also require us to learn the difference between fear that needs to be gently challenged and limitations that need to be respected. Sometimes courage means taking another step. Sometimes courage means asking for help. Sometimes courage means acknowledging, “This is what I can safely do today.”

None of those moments require us to hide from God.

Tonight, I am learning something that I wish I had understood more deeply before:

I do not have to become peaceful before I come to the Prince of Peace.

I can come anxious.

I can come uncertain.

I can come shaking.

I can come without the right words.

I can even come quietly.

Because prayer is not where perfect people report that they have successfully conquered their emotions.

Prayer is where God’s children bring Him what is actually happening inside of them.

And then, notice the promise that follows:

“…and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

The passage begins with anxiety.  It moves through prayer. And it leads us toward peace.

Maybe that is the journey.

Not pretending anxiety never came, but learning where to take it when it does.

Sacred Reflection

Precious Family, is there something you have been afraid to bring before God because you thought you should already have enough faith to overcome it?

What if tonight you stopped trying to present God with the version of yourself you think He expects and simply brought Him the heart you actually have?

                     Let Us Pray Together   

Abba,

Here I am.

Not the version of me that has everything figured out.

Not the version that never becomes afraid.

Not the version that always knows exactly what to say.

Just me.

When anxiety rises within me, teach me not to condemn myself for feeling it. Help me recognize its voice without allowing it to become louder than Yours.

Give me wisdom to know when fear is asking me to retreat from something You are helping me face, and when my body is simply telling me that I need help, rest, or another way forward.

When I am afraid, teach me to trust You.

When I cannot find the words, receive my silence.

When my thoughts are racing, guard my mind.

When my body is unsettled, remind me that Your presence has not left me.

Abba, I bring You everything—the fear, the questions, the uncertainty, the progress, and even the parts of myself I am only now beginning to understand.

I do not have to become peaceful before coming to You.

I come to You because You are my Peace.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord,

Amen.

Precious Family, wherever you are on your journey tonight, remember:

Fear may be present, and faith can still be present too.

When you are afraid, turn toward the One who has promised to guard your heart and your mind.

One prayer. One breath. One step at a time.

Until we meet again on this Sacred Journey

May the Peace of the Lord be with you always.

Rev. Marcia Davis

Covington, GA (USA)

Worship Song of the Day

Day 256 of 365: When I Have No Words for God…

Sacred Journey Devotionals: A Journey To WholenessLeave a comment

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

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for…” — Romans 8:26

I have been unusually quiet with God.

That is difficult for me to admit.

I am accustomed to praying. I am accustomed to finding something to say. Even during difficult seasons, eventually I can usually gather my thoughts, sit before God, and find words for what is happening inside me.

But lately, the words have not come.

If I am completely honest, somewhere underneath my silence has been a question:

Abba, why am I going through this?

I don’t ask that question disrespectfully.

I ask it tired.

I ask it after pain, hospitalization, procedures, uncertainty, and learning that there are still more tests and another procedure ahead.

And perhaps what has surprised me most is that I haven’t felt compelled to fill the silence with beautiful spiritual language.

I have simply been quiet.

Precious Family, maybe somebody walking this Journey with me needs permission to know that silence before God is not necessarily absence from God.

Sometimes we don’t have a testimony yet.

Sometimes we don’t have an explanation.

Sometimes we don’t even have a prayer.

We simply have our presence.

And perhaps that is why Romans tells us that when we do not know what to pray, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

God does not require me to manufacture words so that He will remain near.

He already knows.

He knows the questions I haven’t asked aloud.

He knows the disappointment underneath my silence.

He knows the fear I don’t want to entertain.

He knows that I love Him even while I struggle to understand what He has allowed me to walk through.

And tonight, I am beginning to understand something:

My silence can still be prayer.

Perhaps faith is not always saying, “I understand what God is doing.”

Perhaps sometimes faith simply whispers,

“Abba, I don’t understand. But I’m still here.”

And maybe that is enough for tonight.

Precious Family, if you have found yourself unusually quiet with God, please don’t mistake your silence for failure.

Sit with Him.

Cry with Him.

Question Him.

Or simply breathe.

You don’t have to perform in His presence.

You don’t have to turn your pain into a lesson before you’re ready.

You don’t have to know how the story ends before you rest in the arms of the One who remains with you in the middle of it.

This is A Journey to Wholeness.

And tonight, my journey doesn’t come with many words.

Just one small prayer:

Abba, stay close while I take the next step.

Prayer

Abba,

Tonight I don’t have many words.

There are things I don’t understand, and I will not pretend that I do.

You know my questions before I speak them.
You know my disappointment.
You know my weariness.
You know my fear.
And You know that underneath all of it, I still love You.

So I will not force a prayer tonight.

I will simply sit here with You.

When I cannot speak, let Your Spirit pray within me.

When I cannot understand, hold me.

When I cannot see very far ahead, give me enough light for the next step.

And Abba…

Stay close while I take it.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen.

Worship Video of the Day

Rev. Marcia Davis, BA, MA

Covington, GA (USA)