“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”—Exodus 14:14

Even in the busiest days, being aware of God’s presence gives us rest. When I find a chaotic day starting to consume me, I need to take a pause for a moment of thanks. Lord, I thank You that my mother is living where she is to help manage her worsening dementia.

If I can’t change my perspective by thanking God for both the good and the bad in my day, it will become a stumbling block for me. Blessings can emerge from the challenging times.

Refueling my inner peace will get me through that unexpected crazy day. The reality is that my mother’s Alzheimer’s is progressing. My word, Focus and scripture (Philippians 4:8) for the year along with moments of silence, prayer and engaging in scripture are what will keep me connected to my Savior.

In fact, I was able to put this in practice and reap the blessings when I did just this. I knew I had a busy week ahead of me. The prior day had been a rough one with my mom. Even though the initial test showed she might have a urinary tract infection, the culture had come back negative. I was told to follow-up with her primary care physician. I cried out to God, Lord, I don’t have time tomorrow to take her to the doctor, but I trust my day to You.

Knowing I wouldn’t be able to go to the gym the rest of the week, I was planning to get one more work-out in the next day. Sunday evening, I got a text that class would probably be cancelled. Thank You Lord for removing something from my busy schedule.

Usually, I spend about 30 minutes with my prayer and devotion time, but with not going to the gym, I have extra time to listen to God. Again, impressing on my heart to trust Him with my day.

I had started to read a devotion. I set it down to warm up my coffee. When I opened it back up, I couldn’t believe what I read, it said to thank God for my problems and to ask God to lift my worries from my thoughts. Lord, Thank You that I am able to help with my mother’s caregiving needs. Show me how to handle the situation with her today in the most effective way.

I then realized; I was reading January 8th devotion not January 6th. Of course, that was Divine Intervention. I needed to be reading that devotion on that day. It gets better. Our church was emailing daily devotions for 3 days.

The one for Monday was Hebrews 11:1; “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” It talked about life being full of unexpected moments and to invite God into the hard place and trust Him. It ended with this; “living in faith is choosing to keep our eyes focused on God.” There’s that word again…Focus.

Monday morning, God gave strength through stillness in His presence. After my mother’s erratic behavior on Sunday, it took everything in me to not check my phone, especially since she hadn’t called me. I found myself saying to God, Lord, help still my soul when I get these worrisome thoughts.

I have a place close to my house where I normally go for a pedicure. On Monday afternoon, after I left my mom’s, I went somewhere else near her facility. As I pulled out my knitting, in walks a friend from the gym. She asked how things were going with my mom. She had helped care for both her father and sister who had dementia. Thank You, Lord for providing another person who knows my burden at the exact moment I needed it most.

Another divine moment appointed by God in my day. Peace took ahold of me when I saw how He was providing for me. I was able to take moments throughout my day to pause, breathe, thank God and pray. How it warmed my soul to see God’s hand was on my day the moment I gave it to Him.

Exodus 14:14 tells us; “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” This is exactly what God did for me. In my stillness, God moved. I was able to let go of my fears and worries before they took a stronghold. What peace I felt knowing God was holding me.

From my morning devotion to an article at dinner I read about self-care for those caring for someone with dementia, I was in awe of God’s loving kindness. He does hear our prayers and wants us to cry out to Him. We are not meant to live feeling the weight of what is burdening us. God wants to lighten our load. As soon as God revealed Himself to me during my quiet time, I knew He was going to make my way through that day’s waves in the storm.

Father God,
Let me see the newness of each day. Shine upon me. Brighten my path for 2025.  Thank You for fighting for me in the stillness. Trusting You with my day brings blessings better than I can imagine. Your love renews my strength and gives me hope for a brighter tomorrow. I lift those up to You who are in the middle of a storm. Let them feel Your mighty hand holding them up. It is in the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray these things. Amen.

 January Verse

“In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable”—Philippians 4:8 (GNT)

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