Working Hands

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Psalm 90:17 (ESV)
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

 

What sort of work has God established for my hands? Honest work, creative work, helpful work. Sometimes it is dirty or heavy work. Sometimes it is light or quick work. It’s always good work.

 

Good morning, Lord. Put my hands to work according to Your plan. Stop me short when I start to do the wrong work — hurting others, blocking progress, destroying what is right and good.  Strengthen my hands when the work is hard. Grant me a gentle touch when the work involves others. Give me firm hands in moments of panic. May I do good and not harm all the days of my life (Proverbs 31:12).

 

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Lazy Hands

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 


A bit of working wisdom from God’s Word:

 


Proverbs 6:9-11 (CEV)
How long will you lie there doing nothing at all?
When are you going to get up and stop sleeping?
 Sleep a little. Doze a little.
Fold your hands and twiddle your thumbs.
Suddenly, everything is gone,
as though it had been taken by an armed robber.

 


Good morning, Lord. It is so tempting to hit the alarm’s snooze button and grab a bit more sleep, to scroll and click a few more minutes, to binge-watch one more episode. Rest is good, yes, but too much is no good. Teach me to rest well, but also to get up and get going — for my good and Your glory.

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Open Hands

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


The woman of noble character (Proverbs 31) has open hands:

Proverbs 31:20 (AMP)
She opens and extends her hand to the poor,
And she reaches out her filled hands to the needy.

 

Good morning, Lord. My hands are full, I have more than I need — thank You. May those full hands be in the habit of sharing, consistently reaching out to others. Teach me to give generously, without thinking “what’s in it for me?” Show me how to give graciously, as You do, for their well-being and not my own. I want to give as I have been given, in Jesus’ name.

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Hoarding Hands

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 


Jesus told a story of a hoarder, a man who had more than he needed.

 

Luke 12:19-21 (ESV)
And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.

From God’s perspective, the hoarder is poor … and foolish.

 

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for holding tightly to things I don’t need. I tell myself I may want them some future day, but someone else could use them this day. Teach me to give cheerfully, not reluctantly (2 Corinthians 9:7). You have given me more than I need, thank You. Open my eyes, open my heart, open my hands.

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My Hands

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

“Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.”
Frances Havergal, 1874
From the hymn “Take My Life and Let It Be”

 

Give my hands to God? What an interesting idea.

 

Good morning, Lord. Here are my hands. I use them to write, to scrub, to plant, to dust, to help. I sometimes use them to hurt, destroy and lead others astray. If my hands are Your hands, Lord, they will do what is good. When I turn my hands over to the enemy, they do evil. Take my hands, O God, and put them to work for Your glory.

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Know Better

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

Nothing I tell God is news to him. But transparency on my part improves our relationship. It doesn’t change Him. It changes me. It opens the door to honest conversation.

 

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

I learn to see myself through God’s eyes. I start to know myself better.

 

Good morning, Lord. Let me see myself as You see me — the good, the sin, the worries, the gratitude. Show me how far I’ve come and what to do next. Walk and talk with me every step of the way. I want to see the world as You see it — with justice, grace and mercy. I want to know You better, know myself better, know the world better.

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I Know God

Posted on May 29, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


I know about God, and I know God. But I don’t know everything about God.

I have questions, sometimes I doubt, I’m often mystified.

 

Jeremiah 16:21 (AMP)
“Therefore,” [says the Lord] “behold, I will make them know— This time I will make them know My power and My might; And they will know and recognize [without any doubt] that My Name is the Lord.”

 

 

Good morning, Lord. I want to know more about You. I want to know You as God Almighty, Savior and Friend. I’m listening. Teach me what I need to know. 

 

 

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God Knows Me

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott


Psalm 139:1-2 (NIV)
You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
 you perceive my thoughts from afar.


God knows me better than I know myself. Nothing I say or do surprises Him.

 


Good morning, Lord. You see me at my best and at my worst … and it’s all the same to You. At my best, I feel like I know You well. At my worst, I try not to think about You at all. I’m the one who changes, not You. You know my good intentions and my selfish deeds. You love me just as I am, and Your goodness makes me want to be better. 

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To Know and Be Known

Posted on May 27, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

 

“Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know Thee …
Let me humble myself and exalt Thee …
Let me die to myself and live in Thee.“
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430)

 

The Hebrew word for knowing comes from the root word yada. Yada is to know well, to have a close connection, to be intimate friends, to recognize and regard. It’s a two-way connection—to know and to make oneself known.

 

Good morning, Lord. You are truth, and I want to be honest with myself. You see it all, and I have blind spots. You are all-knowing, and I have secrets I hide even from myself. You seek perfect justice, I make excuses. You are merciful, I play favorites.

The better I know You, O God, the better I will know myself.  

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Remember. Tell Their Stories

Posted on May 26, 2025 by Shirlee Abbott

Here in the US, today is Memorial Day — a day to remember, honor and mourn those who have given their lives protecting our country and our freedoms. 

Over the years, it has become less a day of remembering and more a day of partying, celebrating the start of summer.

Psalm 78: 1-3, 6 (NLT)
O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us …
so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.

Remember. Honor history. Tell their stories.

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