Grateful and Thankful 6, Timely Tidbits of Truth, God’s Will is Not by Chance

Grateful and Thankful 6, Timely Tidbits of Truth, God’s Will is Not by Chance
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Lo, I come to do thy will, O God (Hebrews 10:9 KJV).

“Chance” and “luck” do not sit on the throne of heaven, but a loving, personal Creator does. Life is not a gamble and fate does not guide your destiny. God did not bring you into this world to live without a purpose, to exist without a reason, or function without meaning. He loves you, cares about you, and wants you to know Him and do His will.

Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Lord God, I am so grateful and thankful that you are not a god of wishes, or spells, or chance. I am blessed to know that you are a real, kind, and loving God, and that you have purpose and a plan for my life. I love that you created me with intention (flaws and all) and that you will perfect me as I walk with you. Have your way with me, Lord! Change me to be more like you! In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #Psalm46 #hardships

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 5, Hardships Working for the Good

Grateful and Thankful 5, Hardships Working for the Good
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Are you going through difficult days?
Are you being pruned by the Vinedresser?
Do you sense the discipline of your loving Heavenly Father’s hand?
Have you been persecuted for the sake of righteousness?

These and many other things are experienced our lives as we follow the Lord in a walk of faith and obedience…
Wheat is crushed before it is turned to bread.
Incense is cast upon the fire before the fragrance within is set free.
Soil feels the blade of the plow before the seed is planted.
Pressure is applied before the diamond can be formed.
Irritants are added before pearls are created.
Gold is refined before it can be become pure.
Wine is poured out from vessel to vessel before its taste can be sweet.
Vines are pruned before there can be much fruit.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1 NIV).

Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Thank you, Father God, for your presence in these times where I find myself troubled. I know that the inconveniences of my life are small in comparison to what Jesus faced leading to the cross, but I know that you understand how heavy these things are to me, in my humanity. Please cover me with your peace and help me to feel your purpose in my day to day difficulties. I know that you are growing me, creating something good and beautiful in me through every bad situation. I am so grateful and thankful for your place in my life, and I willingly come underneath your covering. In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #Psalm46 #hardships

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 4, My Morning Prayer, The Mountain

Grateful and Thankful 4, My Morning Prayer, The Mountain
-Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley

The Mountain
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge (Psalm 18:2 AMP).
 
Years ago, I lived in Southern California, in the city of Glendora. A few miles behind our house stood a mountain. When you stepped outside our front door you couldn’t miss it! There were days, however, when you couldn’t see that mountain. It happened when big storms blew in, when the thick fog rolled in, or when the gray smog drifted into our neighborhood. On those days, you could stand in front of our house and have no indication that a mountain stood a few miles away.

Because I saw that mountain on clear days, I never doubted if it was there on stormy days, foggy days, or smoggy days. I knew, beyond a doubt, that once the storm, the fog, or the smog lifted, the mountain would still be there, unchanged. I never lost a night’s sleep worrying about that mountain. On the days I couldn’t see it, I never questioned if the mountain had moved.

The Bible tells us that Lord is our Rock (Psalm 18:2). I don’t know how big a Rock the Lord is, but I am confident that He is bigger than the mountain outside my old house in Glendora, or any other mountain. The Lord is our “huge” Rock, in whom we trust and take refuge.

You may be in a time when the storms of life, the fog of circumstances, or the smog of hardships have settled over your soul. In the darkness, you may be wondering what has happened to the Rock you beheld so vividly when the days were clear and His presence was unobstructed. Be assured, He has not moved, changed, or disappeared. The darkness is temporary, the Rock is eternal. The storm will pass, the fog will lift, the smog will blow away. Your Rock remains!

There is another important difference to remember…your Rock always sees you! The storm, the fog, and the smog create no visual obstacle for Him. He has His eye upon you, and you will never be out of His sight or His care.

My Morning Prayer
-Marina Bromley

Thank you, Lord, for being my mountain, strong and sure. Thank you for seeing me, no matter how buried I am in my troubles, and thank you for being with me always, no matter where else I am looking for relief. Help me to remember that you are here, with me, always. I love you and need your help every day. I am grateful for the difference you are making in my life. In Jesus's name, amen.

#prayer #mymorningprayer #psalm18 #gratefulandthankful #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 3, Timely Tidbits of Truth, As Only Your Father Could

Grateful and Thankful 3, Timely Tidbits of Truth, As Only Your Father Could

-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

The things your sight does not observe,
His eyes see clearly—
The things your thinking does not understand,
His mind knows fully—
The things your hands cannot grasp,
His grip holds firmly—
The things your strength cannot subdue
His power conquers completely—
The things your resources cannot fulfill
His riches meet abundantly—
The things your love cannot give
His heart gives endlessly!

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NLT).

Prayer

-Marina Bromley

Father God, thank you for all that you do for me...so much more than I could ever imagine or ask. Thank you for providing what I truly need, and for holding back on things that will take away my dependance on you. In this difficult season, please help me to be content in you—mind, body and spirit. I love you and need your love like I need every breath. In Jesus's name, amen.

#gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #timelytidbitsoftruth

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 2, Greatness

Grateful and Thankful 2, Greatness
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children” (Matthew 19:14 NLT).

The kingdom of the world and the kingdom of God both celebrate greatness—the difference is found in how greatness is defined. While the steps on the world’s ladder of greatness go up—as in “climb the ladder of success”—the steps on the kingdom’s ladder of greatness go down. They don’t go down as in “darkness, bondage, fear, or defeat,” they go down as in “humble yourself under the mighty hand of God.”

When the disciples asked Jesus about who was greatest in the kingdom, Jesus didn’t direct them to the biggest one in the crowd but to the smallest, not to the most successful one but to the neediest, not to the one who had all the answers but to the one who needed to be shown the way. Greatness in the kingdom was identified as childlikeness (Matthew 18:1-5).

As we look upon a little child we discover three characteristics that help us understand kingdom greatness:

• Humility- Humility is a disposition that says, “There is no greatness in me.” Little children are not concerned about their status, title, or how much they know. As kingdom people our prayer should be, “Lord, help me to be less so You can be more.”
• Dependency- Little children are dependent upon another to provide for them, guide them, protect them, and care for them. As kingdom people we are as dependent upon the Lord as a branch is upon the vine.
• Trust- Little children live in simplicity. Life isn’t complicated. They don’t live under a cloud of doubt. As kingdom people we live by faith, and our trust is fully in the Lord.

The song of the kingdom is not How Great I Am, it is How Great Thou Art. Kingdom greatness is found in God Himself—His is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Our greatness is found in having the childlike characteristics of humility, dependency, and trust in the Lord that allow us to discover His greatness.

Prayer

-Marina Bromley

Thank you, Lord, that you created me to be a child. Thank you Jesus, that you are dependable, trustworthy, and that your life on earth demonstrated greatness in humility. Help me to walk in these God-qualities in my day to day life, giving you all the glory. Help us to “humble ourselves under your mighty hand.” In Jesus's great and mighty name, amen.

#greatness #gratefulandthankful #meetinginthemeadow #roylessin #matthew19 #childlike 

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.

Grateful and Thankful 1, My Morning Prayer, Reflections on Philippians 4:6-7

Grateful and Thankful 1, My Morning Prayer
Roy Lessin and Marina Bromley

Hello Friends!

This month we will turn our focus to "Grateful and Thankful" in our devotions. Although not all of you live in a place that celebrates Thanksgiving at the end of the month, we pray that this will help align our hearts with an attitude of "thanksgiving" in our hearts and minds. May you be encouraged and blessed!

Grace and peace,
-Marina

Reflections on Philippians 4:6-7
-Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT).

Anxiety—don’t carry it, walk with it, eat with it, live with it, or go to bed with it. Don’t entertain it, support it, encourage it—not in big things or little things, present things or future things, pressing things or perplexing things. It is a foe not a friend, a downer not an edifier, a binder not a freer. It will quickly introduce you to its close cousins, fret and fear. When anxiety knocks at the door of your heart or mind, be sure to renounce it, reject it, and refuse it any place.

Instead of being anxious about anything, you can begin to pray about everything. Prayer means that you have a God to go to and to talk to, who hears and answers prayer. Mix your prayers with thankfulness. Thanksgiving reflects an attitude of gratefulness to God for inviting you to come to Him, and it shows that you truly trust Him to take care of you, regardless of your circumstances.

As you pray and trust God to work, He will give you the assurance that He is in control. He will do this by giving you His peace. God doesn’t give you circumstantial peace, but His peace, a peace which remains constant and undisturbed through every circumstance.

God’s peace is His answer for anxiety. His peace will quiet you and calm you; it will minister health to your nerves and rest to your spirit. God’s peace is more powerful than anxiety, fear, or worry, and His peace will defeat any foe that tries to attack your heart and mind. At the heart of these attacks is an attempt to have you to turn your faith away from God and to focus instead on your needs and circumstances. God’s peace strengthens you from these attacks by giving you the assurance that God is for you and that no weapon formed against you will prosper.

Never turn away from God’s peace. Yield and surrender your heart and mind to His peace. Say, “Yes, Lord, I receive Your peace.” You do not need to understand why certain things are happening in order to have God’s peace. His peace transcends your understanding. God’s peace is the same peace that Jesus said He would give to you. It is a peace that the world cannot give you. His peace belongs to you because you belong to Him.

My Morning Prayer

-Marina Bromley

Yes, Lord, I receive your peace. I desire your peace. I NEED your peace! I do not need anxiety, stress, fear, faithlessness. I need more of YOU, God! Thank you for providing a place to lay down all the things that keep me from resting in your peace. Thank you for being available for me to lay down in your rest. Come Holy Spirit, and replace my weaknesses with your truth and strength. In Jesus's name, amen.

#prayer #mymorningprayer #philippians467 #gratefulandthankful #roylessin #meetinginthemeadow

©2025 Roy Lessin, Meeting in the Meadow. Photo and prayer by Marina Bromley. Used with permission, all rights reserved.