by Christine Matthie on April 15, 2025
Recently I asked a few women to share some personal experiences or thoughts with you in the form of our usual devotional. Please enjoy this devotional from one of our own friends at Timberline: Christine Matthie
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Recently, I was listening to Christine Cain and sensed God speak to me as I listened and worshiped. I wanted to share this experience with all my friends.
Foremost, God is all I need. I was convicted that sometimes I seek other things; my mom, friends, family or books before I seek God. As I listened to the study, The Promise and Power of Easter, I instantly thought of three things.
First; “Seek Ye First” as in Matthew 6:33.
Second, a very old worship song by Michael W. Smith, “Draw me close”, which I renamed “You’re ALL I NEED."
Finally, two Psalms which speak of worship and coming into the presence of God. “Better is one day in Your house than a thousand elsewhere” (Ps. 84:10-12) followed by “O magnify the Lord and exalt His name forever” (Ps. 34:3).
During illness, loss, bills, tax season, hardship, estranged relationships, kid-rearing (young or old), life can just feel off, then God draws me unto Himself. I prayed I would seek Jesus first. I prayed I would have “no other Gods before Him” (Exodus 20:3). I would value or treasure nothing more than or above my time with Jesus. Then, God prompted my heart with more words of Jesus, “draw near to Me, and I will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Jesus, take the wheel, I say. But GOD!!! Jesus says, “draw near to me” which invokes my obedience to His calling. Yesterday I heard this statement, “You don’t really know whether God is all you really want or need until He’s ALL you’ve got” (Cain, The Promise and Power of Easter). Have I cried out or sang out loud, “You’re all I need” and then not gone to Him, spent time in His presence or picked up my Bible? Ugh! I was convicted to revisit my closet, literally my prayer closet, and spend more time with Jesus rather than anything else, especially baking or scrolling etc.
About ten years ago, I was walking through a very dark time, a time I do NOT ever want to repeat. I remember praying and re-reading Job and Amos. God had brought me to an ash heap of tears and loss for me to truly cry out “God, you can take everything from me, but please do not take my salvation and Your presence (Ps 51:11). In Job, we find him sitting on an ash heap, clothed in a sack cloth, weeping. I was not sitting on a literal ash heap, yet I felt so low and had cried so many tears, I really had nothing left. I ached. In fact, I gave my Granny’s eulogy in May 2016 and could not even cry. I was all cried out! Job 19 reminded me to trust God’s promises and speak out loud, “I know that my Redeemer lives and that… in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:25-27). What is more, God said, “I will restore what the locust has eaten” (Amos 5:24). God restored. God restores. God is restoring. God is in the restoration business.
Lastly, as we pray and seek Him first, He will add ALL these things unto us (Matthew 6:33). God wants us to seek Him first, THEN and only then, does He add. I want to close with one more reflection thought from The Promise and Power of Easter, “Are you chasing the blessings of God without chasing the God of the blessings?” (Cain). For example, He gives us what we need just as He fed the Israelites mana and was a cloud by day and a fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). He gives us our basic needs. While I believe “He gives us the desires of our heart” (Ps. 37:4), He is sovereign Lord and knows what’s BEST for us. (This verse also has a condition: “delight yourself in the Lord”.) By His mercy and grace, He provides. He provided the best substitute for me. He gave me His son (John 3:16) and taught me to live is Christ (Phil. 1:21) and that people will know us as Christ-followers, by our love, for He is love (John 13:35, I John 4:7-8). May we bear His image as Imago Dei; we are His image bearers.
I pray we seek Him first today before we run off to work or volunteer or whatever is on our agenda today.
Thank you, Jesus, for speaking to me this past week. Thank you, Jesus, for my friends. Thank you, Jesus, for calling us unto yourself and us responding to You in obedience. Thank you for Your presence as in Isaiah 4:4/Zech. 4:6. Move us and implore us to do NOTHING without Your presence. As the Israelites, we will NOT enter the promise land without You! We choose YOU, Lord! May we volunteer and see others today. Please create divine appointments and may we extend a listening ear, hand or hug! Thank you, God for being our Savior, Lord and friend. May we emulate You and love others so much that we give.
Yours,
Christine
