This July was special. My family officially grew by one member. My brother and his beautiful bride were finally able to celebrate their wedding day, after having to postpone it due to the Covid-19 shutdown. It was a celebration that was beyond worth the wait. I have gained another sister, and I am excited to see God's promise to bless them with children become fulfilled (hopefully soon!) Blessings on Blessings!

Amidst all of the wedding preparation and celebrations, I read my way through four more books of the Bible.
I also participated in Beth Moore & Living Proof Ministries' 31 Days of Prayer Challenge on Instagram.
It was a month packed with wisdom, insight, and spiritual growth for sure.
If you've been with me since day one, you might remember that the One Year Bible plan I selected initially called for four readings per day - one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament, along with one psalm and one proverb. As I learned in June that the book of Psalms provides us with an average of one Psalm per day, July taught me that there are 31 Proverbs for the very same reason.
I believe reading through a chapter of Praise and a chapter of wisdom per day will undoubtedly prove to be the antidote for all of our earthly troubles! I know that nothing God does is coincidental. He is the Master Planner, who gives us insight and wisdom as long as we ask for it. He is, by far, the best teacher any of us could ever hope to have.
The Holy Bible was written as a gift to all humanity, to guide us along our life paths to live the best lives possible. When I think about how many books I've read in my life - hundreds for sure - I wonder how much more enriched my life could have been if I had spent more time curled up with these 67 books since I learned about them; if I had spent more time studying them the way I studied so hard in school. You see, God wants us not only to read his word, as we would any chapter book, but He wants us to study it, meditate on it, and grow in the knowledge and love that He so freely gives us.
"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" ~ (Joshua 1:8, NIV)
God has been calling me to trust in Him since I was a little girl. While I'm pretty sure my love for Christ has always been evident to others, I will admit that I was never fully invested. God has always been a huge part of my life, but He wasn't always as central as He is now. I didn't trust Him to have complete control of my life or allow Him to use me the way only He knew best, keeping him at arm's distance for a very long time. Now I know for sure that His purpose for my life is far better than anything I could have imagined for myself.
"I have {truly} found the one whom my soul loves," Song of Solomon 3:4.
It's a wonderful feeling to look at my Bible and see that I am more than halfway done with my first ever cover-to-cover reading. Beth Moore's 31 Days of Prayer, strategically occurring just past the halfway point in my year, refreshed my soul, kept me focused on the task I committed to and motivated me to finish what I started. As I look ahead into the last months of this trying year, I can forge ahead with a solid foundation, holding onto the promise of Philippians 1:6 "that He who began this good work in [me/you] will carry it onto completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
I can happily say that I have officially reached the point where I can relate to and uphold the timeless words of King Solomon, who "decided it was more important to enjoy life. The best that people can do here on earth is to eat, drink, and enjoy life, because these joys will help them do the hard work God gives them here on earth." ~ Ecclesiastes 8:15 (NCV)
God longs to be included in all of our days. Not just the good ones, but the bad ones too. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths."
Thank you, Lord, for leading me on this path to discovering who you are and really understanding just how much you love us. Thank you for allowing me to share the lessons from your Word with others. I pray you will lead more of your children back into deep fellowship with you and that a revival spreads across all the nations of this beautiful world you created. I pray, Lord, that you will open the eyes and ears of all of your people, that we might all have peace in our day.
For those doing the good work of the Lord, in these very uncertain times, I will continuously lay claim to the promise of Isaiah 40:28, "The Lord is the everlasting God. No one can measure the depths of His understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youth will become weak and weary, and young men will fall in exhaustion, but those that trust in the Lord will find new strength, they will soar high on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."
For all of you reading this month, I pray that our Heavenly Father will:
meet you exactly where you are,
place it on your heart to draw near to him,
renew your mind,
give you rest for your weary souls.
As always, I pray you will join me on this Bible-reading adventure! Please pick it up where you are, and start reading. I promise it's a real page-turner. 😉
May God bless you and protect you and your families.
Thanks for reading,
Jen 🌹
"Love wisdom like a sister; make insight a beloved member of your family." Proverbs 4:7
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