Shirlee Abbott

A Measured Life.

Posted on August 27, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

I’ve been reading from the book of Isaiah. I’m always amazed by the prophet’s inspired choice of words.

Isaiah 28:17 (NIV)
I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line …

Our house started out as a hand hewn post-and beam barn. I don’t think the builder had a plumb line (a long string with a weight on the end, used to keep walls perfectly vertical). I don’t hold it against him; he didn’t know his barn would be turned into a home.

My life is a bit like my house — a bit off-kilter.

Good morning, Lord. Forgive me for bending the rules to fit the circumstances. I sometimes finagle things to my advantage and favor the folks who can do something for me. Keep me on the straight and narrow, for Your name’s sake, amen.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Isaiah 28:17, plumb and measured, straight and narrow | 4 Comments

See You in a Few Days

Posted on August 23, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

I’m taking a break while my computer gets a tuneup.

Tune me up too, Lord … restore my soul!

May God grant you an end-of-summer tuneup, a few hours or days to restore your soul.

Posted in Vacation | 6 Comments

To Count or Not to Count

Posted on August 21, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

Job 14:6 (NIV)
Surely then you will count my steps
but not keep track of my sin.

Good morning, Lord. You keep count of the hairs on my head, the days of my life, every step I take … but not my sins. Amazing grace!

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Job 14:6, kep count | Leave a comment

Too Many to Count

Posted on August 20, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

Job 5:9 (NIV)
He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

I can’t count the wonders God has performed on my behalf. I don’t know the half of them.

Good morning, Lord. How many times have You blocked a path leading to trouble? How many times have You delayed me and kept me out of danger? How often have You miraculously intervened to protect me from disaster? Far more than I know. I thank You for blessings I cannot count.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged Job 5:9, miracles, wonders | 2 Comments

How Many Hairs

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

God counts the hairs on my head.

Luke 12:7 (TLB)
And he knows the number of hairs on your head!

I can’t even count the hairs I pull off my hairbrush and throw in the trash.

Good morning, Lord. You are all-knowing: how many stars, how many grains of sand, how many hairs on my head. You not only know where I am and what I’m doing, You know where I will be later today, next week, next year. Set my feet on the path of righteousness and keep me between the guardrails of Your protection, in Jesus’ name.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged hairs on my head, Luke 12:7 | Leave a comment

Grains of Sand

Posted on August 18, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

In the eternal scope of creation, my life is like a single grain of sand flowing through the divine hourglass — hardly noticeable. And yet, God notices.

Psalm 139:17-18
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.

Good morning, Lord. Every second of every day, You’re thinking of me. Would that I thought of You as often. Forgive me for getting distracted, for thinking only of myself, for failing to notice Your presence. Open my eyes, ears, heart and mind to the blessings that surround and sustain me.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged grains of sand, Psalm 139:17-18 | Leave a comment

A Drop in the Ocean

Posted on August 17, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

“Little drops of water,
Little grains of sand,
Make the mighty ocean
And the pleasant land.”
Julia Abigail Fletcher Carney (1923-1908)

I’m a little drop in the big sea of humanity …. just like everyone else.

Good morning, Lord. Your eye is on every single person in all the world — amazing! And You have a plan for each one of us. Show me Your plan for me for this day, this week and into the future. Your will be done, by me and through me, amen.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Timeless Wisdom | Tagged drop in the ocean, Julia Carney, Little Drops of Water | 2 Comments

Be Faithful

Posted on August 14, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

Hebrews 10:23 (MEV)
Let us firmly hold the profession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

Because God is faithful to me, I am faithful to Him.

Good morning, Lord. I look back and see Your hand guiding me to this point in time. This gives me confidence to trust You to lead me going forward. Your will be done, in me and by me, today and in the days to come, amen.

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged faithful, Hebrews 10:23 | 1 Comment

No Faith

Posted on August 13, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

Do you have doubts? Do you struggle to believe?

To live with no faith at all would be worse.

Isaiah 1:4 (NASB)
… People weighed down with guilt,
Offspring of evildoers,
Sons who act corruptly!
They have abandoned the Lord,
They have despised the Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away from Him.

Woe to those with no faith at all.

Good morning, Lord. I want to be as faithful to You as You are to me. “I believe, help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24).

Posted in Constructive Thought, Morning Prayer | Tagged faithlessness, Isaiah 1:4, Mark 9:24 | 2 Comments

Faith-Filled Wisdom

Posted on August 12, 2026 by Shirlee Abbott

“Faith sees the invisible,
believes the unbelievable,
and receives the impossible.”
Corrie ten Boom (1893-1983)

Good morning, Lord. I cannot see You, but I trust You. I do not believe the beauty of this world came into being on its own — it is a reflection of Your glory. May the delicacy of roadside flowers and the splendor of tree-covered hillsides remind me how much You love the world and all who dwell there in, including me.

Posted in Morning Prayer, Timeless Wisdom | Tagged Corrie ten Boom, faith | Comments Off