The Connection Corner
A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.
Daily Devotional
- A Deeper Experience of GodMarch 23, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Let Go of the StruggleMarch 22, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Mother’s Miracle MomentMarch 21, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Willingness Over PerfectionMarch 20, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Ask Boldly, Receive AbundantlyMarch 19, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Ice Cream and FriendshipMarch 18, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Embracing Moments that MatterMarch 17, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Turning Pain into HopeMarch 16, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Be the Support Someone NeedsMarch 15, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Breathing Easy in FaithMarch 14, 2025 - 6:30 am
Heart of the Artist
- Praise in Every StormJanuary 25, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Find New Life in JesusJanuary 16, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Walk in the Park with GodJanuary 11, 2025 - 6:30 am
Stories About Songs
- A Deeper Experience of GodMarch 23, 2025 - 6:30 am
- Turning Pain into HopeMarch 16, 2025 - 6:30 am
- A Song of Hope in FearMarch 10, 2025 - 6:30 am
- There is Power in the BloodMarch 9, 2025 - 6:30 am
- You Are Safe in His Everlasting ArmsMarch 2, 2025 - 6:30 am
A Deeper Experience of God
Daily Devotional, David Hall, Stories About SongsDarlene Zschech had always loved leading worship, but this was different. God’s presence felt closer than ever. Every time she opened her Bible, every moment of prayer, every song she sang—it all felt alive in a way she could not explain.
She was not the only one feeling it. Her church leaders had noticed a shift. People were desperate for more than just another song. They wanted to know God in a way that was personal and transformative.
So, when Darlene and the worship team met, they kept circling back to the same question: How do we lead people into a deeper experience of God?
They did not want to write songs that just filled a setlist. They wanted to create something that made space for real worship—something that could be sung in living rooms, in cars, and in quiet moments alone with God.
That night, as Darlene sat with her guitar, she let go of all expectations. She was just worshiping and pouring her heart out before God. And as she lifted her voice, the words and melody began to form together.
“Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing
Power and majesty, praise to the King
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name”
What happened next took her breath away. The song “Shout to the Lord” did not stay within her church. It spread like wildfire. Because people everywhere—no matter their denomination, their background, or their struggles—were desperate for the same thing: a real encounter with God.
Maybe you are, too. Maybe stress has dulled your joy, and you are longing for something to break through the noise. Worship is not about singing; it is about surrender. It is about lifting your eyes and letting your heart remember who He is.
Right now, in this moment, will you worship?
Lyrics
Verse 1:
My Jesus
My Saviour
Lord there is none like You
All of my days
I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love
Verse 2:
My Comfort
My Shelter
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath
All that I am
Never cease to worship You
Chorus 1:
Shout to the Lord
All the earth let us sing
Power and majesty
Praise to the King
Mountains bow down
And the seas will roar
At the sound of Your Name
Chorus 2:
I sing for joy
At the work of Your hands
Forever I’ll love You
Forever I’ll stand
Nothing compares to
The promise I have in You
—
‘Shout To The Lord’
Words & Music by Darlene Zschech
© 1993 Hillsong Music
CCLI #: 1406918
Let Go of the Struggle
Andy Youso, Daily DevotionalI wiped my forehead, squinting up at the sun. I had only mowed half the yard, but my arms already felt like jelly.
It was a game I played with myself—how long could I go before flipping on the automatic drive? At first, it felt like a challenge, something to prove. But now? Now, it felt ridiculous.
“This is for the birds,” I muttered, flipping the switch.
The mower surged forward like it had been waiting for me to give in. Effortless. Smooth. I barely had to touch it.
And that is when it hit me.
How many times had I done this in life? How often did I push through and strain under the weight of stress, worry, and control—when all along, there was power far greater than my own, just waiting for me to surrender?
I had wasted so much energy. So much time fighting battles in my own strength, when God had never asked me to.
I finished the yard, but I could not shake the thought. Because the truth was, I was not the only one struggling.
People all around me were pushing through life exhausted, just like I had been with that mower. And maybe they just needed someone to remind them that there was a better way. That God’s power was not something to reach for as a last resort but something to rely on every single day.
Maybe you have been pushing too hard, too. Maybe someone you know is quietly struggling, thinking they have to handle life alone.
But they don’t. And neither do you.
Let go of the struggle. Flip the switch and show others they can too because God’s power is already here.
A Mother’s Miracle Moment
Afternoons with Lauren, Daily DevotionalIt is rare to come across a story that stops you in your tracks, but a mother wrote to us recently about her son—her bright, beautiful, nonverbal boy with autism, and I was left speechless.
Every morning, they would drive to school with Christian music filling the car. He could not express what he was thinking, but she could see something shifting. His eyes would light up, his hands would still, and his whole posture would change as if something was unfolding inside of him.
Then one morning, everything changed.
Out of nowhere, he spoke. “I want to give my life to Jesus.”
The words hit her like a tidal wave, and she nearly had to pull the car over. In ten years, he had never spoken a full sentence like that. And yet, there it was—clear, certain, and life-changing.
She had no idea that music was laying a foundation in his heart, but God knew. He was working through something as simple as a song on the radio, reaching her son in a way no one else could.
And it makes me wonder—how often do we dismiss the small things? A song, a conversation, a moment of kindness. We think they don’t make much of a difference, but what if they do?
What if the way you show up today—the words you speak, the things you share—is the very thing God wants to use to reach someone?
You may never see it firsthand. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening.