Photo Quests: Discovering The Moon

Intro: I woke up at 5 am. I looked out a window and saw the moon was still awake. I grabbed my camera, and I took photos of the moon as it began to hide behind the hill. I was excited even though I didn't know how they'd turn out as my past ones weren't good. 

Quest Ending: The photos didn't turn out how I'd like, but I thought they were okay. I'm sure that someday I will get some awesome photos of the moon. I just don't know when or how, even when the moon seems to escape me every time. But I'll see you again, moon!

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson

Devotional: The Power of Prayer

Prayer is more powerful than we think. In the spiritual realm, it's how we communicate with God. And not only is it essential for connection, but also for our closeness to the Heavenly Father. I see it as talking with someone I love, but with true reverence. We often, ourselves, see it as a way to ask God something. There is nothing wrong with asking, but I believe it has to be more than that. I like to talk to God, but I don't always listen. I try, but my mind is always going. I'm practicing to still my thoughts and my heart for His voice.

When I was a young girl, I prayed often. I prayed every night. God answered a few of my prayers. I had wanted a horse, so I prayed for a black one. A friend of ours that had horses asked me and my parents if I wanted a free horse. And he was black! I couldn't believe it. It was truly a gift. Another prayer was answered when I was much younger. An outside cat of ours went missing one day. I prayed for that cat often to come back, and he did two years later. These prayers being answered strengthened my faith. I would pray little prayers for something that I had lost, I would find it and thank Him. I thanked Him for everything.

Because I've seen the power of prayer, I believe God can create a gift or a miracle in anyone's life. He also answers a lot of our smaller prayers, as well. If we're full of humility, patience, and love, He can do anything. Prayer is powerful. Don't underestimate what God can do through your prayers. I remember praying for a dear friend and relative of mine to become a Christian. I prayed each night. My Mom purchased a Bible for her. I gave it to my friend. She was elated! I found out later that she had given her heart to Christ. God can answer any prayer with a yes. Now, sometimes He doesn't. It's hard to accept that.

I've seen some prayers not answered with a yes, and it's been heartbreaking. I had to give up some dreams. But I understood. God knew better. I know He always does. I just have to trust Him. But that doesn't mean I should give up praying. Keep praying. You never know what'll happen. For myself, talking to God has been one of my favorite things in this life. And I'm so thankful that He gave us a way to connect our spirits with Him. Remember, our prayers are a special gift. A gift that can bless us and others. God can answer any prayer, too. Don't ever think your prayer is unimportant or too big. Just keep praying. 💓

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson

Devotional: His Abundant Blessings

We don't always receive good things. Sometimes life is difficult. I know what these days are like. I've faced many of them. Life can also be back and forth. There will be hard days and easy days. There will even be a mix of both. I've discovered for myself that there's usually some kind of blessing in a day no matter how hard it is. This isn't always the case, however. I know that life can get unbearable. But know this, there can be blessings. If we're given some rest and peace, we can then see the gifts of that day. When we can see them, it brightens our day like nothing else. It's a wonderful blessing from God.

God's blessings can be anything, I believe. He can make our day brighter through someone else. That person could be led to bless you. He can bless you with what seem to be simple gifts, but in turn, become the biggest blessings. I love it when my cat gets to cuddle with me. I'm reminded of the gift that I have a wonderful cat that provides me with comfort. And God created my cat! How awesome! We can experience God's blessings through prayer, too, which is one of the reasons why it's so important. Keep praying. You never know what could happen through talking with God. Don't give up, please. Together, we can keep at it.

We can receive God's blessings through almost anyone. Even you could be that blessing for someone. If you specifically feel led by God, He might just use you to help a person you know, and a stranger. It's so important to learn how to listen to God. He might be moving your heart to touch another heart out there. You can bless people by giving, helping, encouraging, or assisting them. It's limitless, and I wish more people would be open to it. We can become so engrossed in our own lives that we forget. But if we truly open our hearts, wonderful things can happen. With God, we can help change someone's life. 

Only with Him, can we experience His blessings. And He gives them out. I hope you find some of His blessings today and throughout. So, I pray, may His blessings flow abundantly to you when you need them. His gifts are many, and He is a generous God. Now, I don't mean He's going to make you rich with money. But He'll make you rich in His love, faith, and hope. And I pray you'll be gifted with much of those and are able to share them with others. He loves you so much. I'm sure He'll bless you in some way. So, take His blessings and offer them freely to others. You might just change a heart or two for His Kingdom.

His abundant blessings. 

"May He grant you your heart's desire and fulfill your whole plan!" - Psalm 20:4 NASB

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson

Devotional: God's Ways Are Higher

We might assume we know what God is thinking. We also may proclaim how God does things in the lives of this world. Nothing could be further from the truth. God is not us. He's God. His thoughts and ways are not the same as ours. We might presume to know them, but that's it. That's as far as we can get. We can't control God. We can't control His thoughts or His ways. The world often gets into trouble with this. It even likes to speak for Him, but that can be dangerous. God is not bound by us. Nothing can bind His thoughts. He's I AM.

Honestly, we can forget that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. We shouldn't try to figure Him out, because that's not possible. We can, of course, love Him. We can grow close. But since He's deep and holy, I don't think we can ever be able to know Him completely. I do mean, when we see His creation and everything that exists because of Him, we remember that He's vast. He's not simple. And since He's all-powerful, we can't possibly predict Him. We also must not assume for Him. Now, God can give us words, but they're His, not ours.

Our thinking is limited compared to His. People seem to forget this. His thoughts are so far that it's compared to the height of the heavens from the earth. That's how different and long they are. This actually should give us comfort. We can trust Him because He knows much better. Remember, He knows all. And it's good that He's not like us in His ways and thoughts. On the other side, we came from God. He created us, so yes, we get a likeness from Him. But we're not infinite like Him. He's holy. He's God. He's I AM. Remember this.

When we don't know what God is doing in our lives, it can be excruciatingly hard. But we know that He loves us. He cares for us. This world is not what it should be because of sin, so we have to live with this mess. But we know that God is trustworthy. I don't know about you, but I'm going to trust Him, because He's got a plan. I don't, and my own plans aren't particularly good. I also love how He's God. I'm not powerful. I can't control anything. In the end, He's got you, and He's got me. That's all I need in this world to feel at peace.

God's ways are higher.

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9 NASB

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson

Devotional: Waiting Patiently

If you're like me, it's hard to be patient. Especially, when we are hopeful about something. In reality, we can wait for something unseen. We may even hope for something that's not tangible. And we can face adversity during our wait. There might be a delay, too. We may not know why, but we need to be patient in waiting. I know it's hard. I've struggled with this all my life. There are some big things that never happened that I just still don't fully understand. I struggle with being patient and sometimes hope eludes me. But I don't want to give up. I want to wait, nonetheless. Even if it takes years, I'll be patient for the future.

We can't give up on hope. Hope for what our spirit longs for. Hope for the world. But to truly hope, is to be patient. We have to wait for God's timing. His timing is not ours. That's why we must remain patient. We know that God can give us what our hope longs for, but we don't know when He'll give us that gift. We can face anything while we wait - struggles, delay, and uncertainty. As children of God, we can become impatient with our Father. It's wise to listen and wait for His Word. During this time of waiting, we can find answers and comfort in the Bible. We can also speak with Him and praise Him during it.

He has reasons for us waiting. Because of that, we must keep hoping. We simply can't give up. We must keep looking for encouragement, understanding, and humility. And waiting builds perseverance, love, and strength within us and others. I, myself, don't want to rush. I've learned that being patient opens up a different perspective. We discover a lot when we surrender to God. When we rely on Him completely, sometimes He reveals why we're all waiting. It can come from His Word. I would be careful, though, about receiving it from someone, unless it's backed by scripture. But if we listen, He can speak to us.

Our complete hope is in Him. We have the hope that we will be with Him one day, forever. This is our hope as Christians. This hope can get us through anything that we face. Truly! And while we wait patiently here, Jesus is preparing a place for us in Heaven. This is one hope that we can wait for. Although, some of us can be impatient at times for it. Waiting patiently is good for us. It really is. It can strengthen our spirit. It may not always seem like it's good, but we can trust God when our soul waits. He knows what's best for us, and I have faith that He does for my own life. Right now, I'll keep waiting and hoping. 

Waiting patiently.

"But if we hope for what we do not see, through perseverance we wait eagerly for it." - Romans 8:25 NASB

Many blessings,
- Grace Thorson