Janet Ramsdell Rockey - Discovering God in Everyday Moments: 180 Devotions for Women

Especially for

From

Date

2015 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-62836-913-7

eBook Editions:

Adobe Digital Editions (.epub) 978-1-63409-142-8

Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-143-5

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: From Discovering God in Everyday Moments, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked CEV are from the Contemporary English Version, Copyright 1995 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.

Printed in the United States of America.

Blessings come when we least expect them. In a recent prayer, I mentioned my desire to learn more about Gods Word. I wanted to pore over the scriptures to understand the premise of each of the sixty-six books. But a full time job, family needs, and writing a novel left little time for this depth of study. I set my Bible-learning goal on a back burner, along with other someday projects.

The Lord pushed it right back to the front burner and turned the dial to high heat. The editor at Barbour Publishing asked me to contribute to their project, Prayers a Faithful Heart. That sweet assignment compelled me to examine Ephesians, preparing me for His next blessing. After I turned in my thirteen prayers, she asked me to write this devotional, using all sixty-six books of the Bible. Ive studied each book to ensure my everyday moments matched the context of the selected verses.

God answered my prayer with a bonus. Not only has He granted me this opportunity to dig through His Word, but I can also share what Ive learned with you.

He truly is in everyday moments.

Janet Ramsdell Rockey

Praise Him with timbrel and dancing; Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe. Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the L ORD . Praise the L ORD !

P SALM 150:46 NASB

Twenty-one-year-old Grace stood on the platform next to her younger brother, David. They picked up their violins and gently placed them on their shoulders. Pressing their fingers down on the strings, they drew their bows firmly to create the violins haunting voices. Their wrists quivered with just the right intensity as they played the time-honored hymn. With each rise and fall of the bow, a joyful noise floated toward heaven, lifting my concerns.

The psalms tell us repeatedly to praise the Lord with musical instruments. A young shepard named David soothed the tortured soul of a king with the sweet sounds of music. Every time he played his harp, the evil spirit departed from Saul, taking the kings distress with it.

The Lord bestowed a wonderful gift on these two young violinists. Like the psalmist, their training and talent played out on their stringed instruments calms our souls and causes us to praise God for His blessings.

God has gone up with a shout, the L ORD with the sound of a trumpet.

P SALM 47:5 NKJV

Our church organist played the dramatic notes of Jeremiah Clarkes Trumpet Voluntary, weaving a tapestry of majestic tones throughout the sanctuary. Able to duplicate other musical instruments, the digital organ produced a full symphony of strings, reeds, and percussion to deliver this heavenly composition.

Clarke composed this work in 1700 for Britains Queen Anne and her new husband. Many brides, including the late Princess Diana, have marched down the aisle to the sounds of this classical piece. The trumpets regal blasts, followed by the commanding melody, create music worthy of royalty.

Almighty God is the exalted King who ascends to the heavens and sits on His throne of holiness. But He loved us enough to descend to earth from His heavenly abode to be born in the form of a perfect man, Jesus. He died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven, providing a clear path for us to our heavenly Father.

Each time our church organist plays Trumpet Voluntary, my heart soars with joy, and I thank the Lord for the anticipated trumpet announcement of Jesus Christs imminent return.

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.

E PHESIANS 5:19 KJV