“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11, ESV).

Your soul may be in turmoil today. Your spirit may be cast down. You may be walking through a seemingly insurmountable struggle. You may not feel like praising Him.

And that’s what I love about this verse. The psalmist doesn’t say that he was praising God in that moment. Because he wasn’t.

Instead, he was reminding his heart to find hope . . . to know that he would—again, in the future—be strengthened in spirit by the One Who was his salvation, His God, and the true Source and Focus of that hope.

Don’t lose hope, my faith-friend. You WILL praise Him again!

This is what it looks like to prepare snacks ahead of time at the Henderson house. I know I can’t be the only one who will grab the worst possible snack out of the pantry if I haven’t prepared something healthier before the need arises.

If you’ve been here for any time at all, you know that I’m not a huge fan of the “no Bible, no breakfast” philosophy. The reason for that is that some people are more alert, less distracted, or have more time later in the morning or at another time throughout the day. I am, however, a huge fan of making sure that at some point in the day, time is set aside to listen to God’s thoughts (by reading them in the Bible) and talking to Him in prayer. It’s more about having a hunger and thirst for time with Him than about following a set guideline at a set time.

And that’s where these quick thoughts on preparation come in. For me, just like with the snacks, it helps if I prepare my “quiet time” space and any materials I need ahead of time. Otherwise—again, for me—it’s easy to make the excuse that since I can’t find the materials I’m looking for, I’ll just “do my devotional time” later . . . or tomorrow. So my Bible, my Twistables (my FAVE underlining and highlighting tools for Bible study), and a pen are kept right by my chair in the sunroom. No excuses.

It doesn’t take long. It works. And, just like these handy-dandy little pre-prepped snacks, it’s a way to help ensure that I make right choices!

“I still remember the days I prayed for the things I have now.” I purchased the wall art at Hobby Lobby a few years ago when I needed this reminder. It’s easy to believe the lies that we tell ourselves: that we’re “stuck,” that we have few, if any, blessings, or that we’re going nowhere with our lives.

Joe and I chose the word “truth” for our 2026 focus word, and it’s already been put to the test numerous times, in ways we would not have anticipated or desired. But our intentions have remained, or, in some cases, have been renewed:

1) We will speak truth to ourselves—and each other. The person who lies to me the most . . . is me. I feed myself the hoo-ha that the evil one is setting before me, and I neglect to tell myself what I know to be true. Truth is the most powerful gift we give to our own minds and hearts. It is also one of the most powerful gifts we give to others.

2) We will think on what is true. This principle is straight out of Scripture: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8, ESV).

3) We will seek God’s truth. The evil one started off with Adam and Eve when he asked them, “Did God actually say . . . ?” He continues to ask us that same question today. And yes, he has spoken it into our home and into our lives more than we dare to or care to admit. That’s when reading, learning, knowing, living God’s truth comes into play. That’s when we can reply to the evil one with the truths straight from the Bible, defending our hearts and minds from Satan’s subtle lies.

So when my mind is sidetracked by the gently whispered lies of the evil one, telling me that I have been “cheated” by what I have or have not received, I head straight to God’s Word. And now, I go sit in our living room and remind myself that Joe’s dream of being a pilot and my dream of being a writer were things we each prayed for and things we each received. God, Who cannot lie, has promised us that He will protect our hearts and minds with His peace. He is enough.