Psalm 139:7-10 - Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. (NIV)

In my sky-blue Malibu, I was driving alone across a wide expanse of white-bright, flat, flat prairie on a narrow road untracked since the night's soft snowfall. My car tires crunched snow into the gravel, sketching parallel lines in the rear-view mirror, lines that stretched back into the morning's mistiness.

The sun-bright haze ahead suddenly became encompassing fog, rolling gossamer wisps of white horizon over the windshield. All around, I could see no sign of habitation -- not a building, not a tree, not even a fence post. I was in an immense and glowing igloo that moved with me as I rode.

On and on. Alone. Alone, yet not alone, for the Lord God was there.

My soul merged with the Spirit of the Lord filling that great ethereal space. There, communion was spontaneous, Friend with friend; friend with Friend.

The praise of the psalmist became my voice: "If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast" (Psalm 139:9-10 NIV).

As we experience God's Word in our times of devotion, let us rejoice in the presence of God, for we can all say with the apostle Paul, "he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:27b-28a NIV).

Prayer: (Psalm 8:1a NIV) "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!" Cause us to glory in Your presence and live communing with Your Spirit of majesty. Amen.

Isabel Allison <allisonisabel@mymts.net>
Roland, Manitoba, Canada

John 16:24 - Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. (NRSV)

My walks take me by a skating rink, and I enjoy watching the young and old pleasure skating to music that swells from speakers.

A young one who barely walks is in good form with small skates and loving hands holding the toddler up: first steps taken on skates. Another child has fallen, and is crying for the failure. Hands reach to help, to pick up the fallen. Some one more experienced is sliding gracefully on the ice.

Grandparents on skates are holding a grandchild by hand on his first skates -- a picture of beginnings and learning and skills.

I think how becoming a Christian might be like that, getting on spiritual skates to take off in a new direction to journey the road of faith.

Just learning to trust Jesus, we will likely fall. It's all part of becoming experienced. We might get up again and laugh at ourselves when we get it wrong. Or we might give up. We might not persevere.

But God perseveres. Once He has gotten us on the skates of faith, He will lift us up. He will support and guard us. When we fall on our spiritual skates, Jesus is ready and willing to help us up again. He will take us to the next step and lead us on to take the next leap in faith. We might circle around getting nowhere on our own, but He motivates us to try again.

Jesus is before us -- we are not getting into anything that He has not already seen. Jesus says, "Follow me!"

With new skates on our feet, we should be anxious to go where Jesus wants us to go. His invitation has something deeply encouraging and purposeful. We will trust and obey! We will follow!

For each follower, Jesus has a plan for how to skate through the days. Each one is a part of His body -- a foot or a hand to Him. Each one is fitted with a gift like no other. Each one is a unique tool in His hand. Even a small effort becomes huge when Jesus is in our heart.

"Jesus first" is our team song! Everything else will follow suit. Our family will follow if lost; our friends and neighbours will follow. Our prayers are asking God to make our lives count for His glory.

Though darker, rougher, grows the way,
And cares press harder day by day,
With patience in His love I'll rest,
And whisper that He knoweth best.

- Pentecost

Prayer: Jesus! Thank You for our fellow believers who are in the arena of faith, the rink of believers far and wide with Your guidance, following You, trusting You, praising You, living and dying for You! We shall meet some day in the highest heaven. What a day that will be when we see You and each other face to face! Thank You, Jesus! Till then, our joy is full. Amen!

Kirsti Sipila <mrssipi@rogers.com>
Brantford, Ontario, Canada

In early December 2011, we were victims of hurricane-force winds, clocked in excess of eighty miles per hour. These winds caused a power outage where I live, one which lasted several days. At the time of the power outage, we were still dealing with bacteria in our water supply. Some of our Daily readers were concerned about my lack of water. The water problem has now been essentially resolved for me.

Most of the residents handled the electrical situation quite well. They went to bed earlier than usual, and flashlights were brought out, though some were less than adequate. Those of us with heavy-duty flashlights experienced a little more comfort. One of the difficulties was that the store which housed the local pharmacy was closed, causing a delay in starting new medications.

This event gave me thought as to how we handle the various storms that occur in our lives. We all have trials and tribulations that may turn our lives into turmoil. We may begin to worry, much like the disciples in our passage for today. Or, we may deny that the problems exist, only to find that we eventually must face them. Perhaps a wayward child, a painful divorce, or a chronic illness plagues us. We long for peace, quiet, and tranquility.

As Christians, we have the reassurance that the Lord will give us the strength to overcome our adversities. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the winds of turmoil will change.

Romans 8:26 - In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. (NIV)

Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for giving us the Holy Spirit to help during our times of distress. May we come to You during the storms of life, in which You will give us Your peace through the power of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus' precious name, we pray. Amen.

Parise Arakelian <parakelian@roadrunner.com>
Arcadia, California, USA

Luke 12:13-15 - Someone in the crowd said to Him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But He said to him, "Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?" And He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." (NASB)

Have you ever received an inheritance from someone? Several institutions and family members received an inheritance from my mother-in-law after she passed on last year. I am sure that these financial windfalls have proven to be great blessings to all those concerned. I have even witnessed how some of the things that were purchased are now being used in serving God.

Not all inheritances come as blessings to either mankind or God. We have all heard of how some inherited gifts have become curses. Envy, strife, greed, and even hatred are some of the curses or thorns which sometimes accompany the fragrance and beauty of what were meant to be lovely inherited bouquets. Due to discrepancies in giving, some beneficiaries have not felt as valued as others. Well-intentioned gifts often lead to divisive ways and create lasting nightmares.

We should not get caught up going down such paths. Earthly things, such as flowers or cash, often fade away before we die. We certainly cannot take them with us. Spiritual inheritances like salvation are lasting and are promised equally for all believers in Christ. It is by seeking spiritual wealth, inspiration, and guidance that we are truly blessed. In today's verse, Peter tells us that we are "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away".

Prayer: Loving Father, we thank You for all the gifts that You have bestowed upon us. Thank You for sending Your Son to free us from all the sins that so easily entangle us on this earth. Help us always to see our hope in You through the imperishable inheritance that we receive through faith in Christ Jesus, Your Son. Help us to live with this spiritual hope that we have in Him and to share it with others. Amen.

Bruce McCowan <brucemccowan@ymail.com>
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

When Post-it® notes came along, I was thrilled. I could get organized quickly by using only the minimal number of key words as reminders. No more wasting notebooks and reams of writing to keep me on track! Granted, my desk was littered with coloured Post-it® notes for the various meetings, needs, and messages I had to complete before calling it a day, but I liked the colours, and once a task was completed, that little reminder was thrown away! What a relief to get the end of the little notes before the end of my day -- success easily visible!

So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when the whiteout pen appeared like a knight in shining armour, keeping me mistake free in every way! Wow! Before that, whenever I made an error, I would tear up the sheet and start all over again from the first. That was time-consuming, and although some days were better than others, it was those others that kept me feeling defeated and rushing to finish my work! Granted, sometimes my finished sheet looked somewhat leprous, but at least it was correct, and the offending spelling, grammar, or phrases were all "whited-out" and corrected!

That's how our relationship is with God. When we confess our sins, He takes His whiteout, so to speak, and covers all the mistakes we have made so that we have an unblemished day -- no mistakes showing in His view. Oh, we know where we goofed up, but He doesn't choose to remember. His Word tells us:

Hebrews 8:12 - For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (NKJV)

They're all gone -- wiped out -- of His memory. We don't have to see the tell-tale marks where they were, and we won't ever have to face them again. He does not remember them or hold them against us -- ever!

A clean sheet of paper, or a brand new day, gives us the privilege to start over and do things right. We don't have to keep looking back to see what is following us as we live, work, or play. God will keep us steady and on the right track -- if we allow Him, by asking Him to show us the way and love us through all the rough spots. Will we make mistakes? Sure we will. But He chooses not to remember them, as long as we trust Him to get us to the end of our day.

We are always in His sight! Maybe now would be a great time to use some Post-it® notes to remind us that our daily journey of faith is a walk alongside God who will keep us on track so we can finish our tasks effectively. What a mighty God we serve!

Prayer: Dear God, we are so thankful that You lovingly erase all of our sins and remember them no more when we confess them to You. Thank You for walking with us so that we never have to feel that we are alone to face whatever comes our way -- You are already there! Amen.

Lauretta Balderston <laure@eastlink.ca>
Kensington, Prince Edward Island, Canada

We don't usually get much snow in the corner of Canada where we live, but sometimes we really get it. That happened in January, when over a period of several days, we received successive dumps of snow, accompanied by a deep-freeze. Twice a week, I deliver a free community newspaper to two hundred homes. With eighteen inches (45 centimetres) of fresh snow underfoot, I faced an intimidating task. Fortunately, I didn't have to do my route for the first time until a day after the biggest snowfall, and most people had by then shovelled out their driveways and sidewalks, and most of the roads had been plowed. However, walking in and out every driveway, and along the street to the next driveway took twice as long as cutting across people's lawns as usual. When I did attempt the shortcuts through the deep snow, it put me quite out of puff.

Two days later, I had to do it all again. But this time, I noticed that the carrier for the competing newspaper had preceded me, and with more energy than I had, had trudged across the lawns through the deep snow. I discovered that if I placed my boots carefully in his tracks, I could negotiate the shortcuts without becoming out of breath.

I considered my spiritual walk in this light and thought about how much easier it is for us to live a life faithful to Christ when we follow carefully in the steps of those who have gone before us in the faith. We can always learn spiritual coping techniques from older and wiser Christians who have been through similar situations. We can do this through reading the biographies of Christians from other centuries, reading the testimonies of contemporary Christian authors, and fellowshipping with other Christians of like mind.

This learning opportunity places upon us a double responsibility. We need to be prepared to listen to and learn from those more experienced than we are, and we need to be ready to share with others what we have learned along the way. Many people go through life with the attitude, "Nobody's going to tell me what to do." This kind of pride is not beneficial to anyone. On the other hand, many seniors have the attitude, "Nobody will listen, so there's no use even trying to mentor anyone." Who knows whether there's someone out there who considers us to be a pioneer of the faith!

No matter where we are in our spiritual walk, we can be thankful that Jesus is the Pioneer of the faith. He's already been through what we're going through.

Hebrews 4:15 - For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (NKJV)

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You lead us and guide us through life's experiences, sometimes learning from others, sometimes sharing what we've learned. Incorporate us into Your overarching plan to shape Your church into the image of Christ. Amen.

Robin Ross <rross@telus.net>
Mission, British Columbia, Canada

Fear has a way of taking root in our lives and then remaining there and rearing its ugly head at times and places in our life.

Do you know people who, when they go into a coffee shop or restaurant, like to be seated so that they can see what is happening in front of them? They don't like to sit in the middle of the room with people constantly passing them -- it is unsettling for them. Not being able to see what is happening or who is coming towards them is unsettling for them.

Imagine going into a coffee shop or restaurant with another person who also feels that way, and there is only one seat that is the choice seat. That was when it became evident to me that it was time to face it. When confronted with another person whose thoughts were the same, it became evident that I was looking into a mirror, and what I saw was fear. But Lord, that fear could not be in my eye, or could it? Well, it was, and I came face-to-face with fear that day.

Circumstances in one's past can leave a person growing up with a feeling of not being safe and a fear that is so deeply rooted that the person isn't aware that it shouldn't be there -- until confronted with it up close, which Jesus did that day with me. It took a few weeks for the fear to be totally gone from my life. It disappeared only through the revelation given to me that day, and my act of not allowing the fear to overcome me. At times, during an outing, I would have to quote Scriptures that I had memorized and hidden in my heart, but as I became stronger in the truth of the Word, then my fears became less and less, until completely gone from my life. Here are two of the Scripture verses that I would say to myself:

2 Timothy 1:7 - For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (NKJV)

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (NKJV)

Prayer: Dear Lord, thank You that we are able to overcome the things of our past that try to pull us down and keep us from a complete life in You. Help us to show others the way of victory in You. Challenge us in areas of our lives that need to be brought to the cross. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Julie Bowles <julieanni@rogers.com>
Barrie, Ontario, Canada