Netted Together is a compilation of devotionals that invites readers to feel at home as they learn about a variety of stories and scriptures, and then journal their thoughts. Netted Together's lighthearted and conversational tone makes it stand out among other devotionals, with its unique stories that highlight scripture and illustrate God's faithfulness. The types of stories woven into the devotionals range from fiction, movies, gardening, Bible stories, history, and personal essays. Each day the reader will walk away more informed, inspired, and encouraged by seeing how God's words can be intertwined into everyday experiences, much like the way a fishing net intertwines.
The individualized, devotional stories within this book are prayers netted together from my own personal sighs to encourage you. Each devotional is woven together to form a prayer mesh that prevents sighers like me from slipping through life without a Godly help-net. My sighs were longings about God's timing—"Lord, how long must I wait?" Sighs about decision-making—"What shall I do?" And, yes, sighs about daily living.
The responses to my sighs are shared with God's eye shields, that restricted my wondering thoughts and gaze toward Him.
It was God who shielded me from my unsteady surroundings, teaching me dependency, agreement, and especially partnership with Him. He taught me that when my prayers are in partnership with Him, my answers can be, too. They have the potential of being in agreement with His purpose. In the context of science, there's a similar notion of being in agreement. For instance, scientists discovered that under pressure and high temperature, ice, water, and water vapor can be present at the same time — indistinguishable. It's called the triple point. Imagine that! At triple point you can actually see all three substances thriving at the same time without dimensioning.
You may think this is crazy, but it reminded me of the response two blind men received when seeking Jesus for healing. In Matthew 9:28-29 (MSG), Jesus gave a thought-provoking response to their request to be healed. He said, "'Do you really believe I can do this?'... He touched their eyes and said, 'Become what you believe.' It happened. They saw." I would like to express it this way: Are you able to dismiss the blindness of your past, the struggles of your present, and entrust the outcome of your future to be in agreement with Jesus? Can you see yourself no longer as a beggar, but as a valued resident? How about walking freely without any aid? In this moment, it became a triple point experience between Jesus and the blind men. Agreement with Jesus says, you have confidence that what He has spoken is already done. So as you read these daily devotionals let your will become indistinguishable from His.
