The Connection Corner

A daily source of encouragement and inspiration to connect your heart to hope and faith.

Claimed by the Creator

Isaiah 43:1 — But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine.”

I saw something the other day that took me straight back to being a kid in grade school. Someone was talking about decorating their kids’ textbook covers.

And I suddenly remembered, “Hey, wait a minute… I had book covers too.”

Now, this person was talking about having one of those pre-made book covers and kind of bedazzling it. But for me, it was brown paper grocery bags.

You’d cut them open. Fold them just right. And somehow, that plain brown paper turned into a masterpiece because you made it yours.

If it was my history book, I’d write in bubble letters, put stickers and doodles all over it, and if I was really proud of it, I’d write my name in big letters across the front.

Looking back, those covers never really lasted the whole year. Truth be told, they probably lasted three weeks before the corners got torn and the tape started peeling.

But for a little while, that book felt like it belonged just to me because it carried my name.

And it made me think about something else…

How God does something similar with our lives.

We show up a little torn and a little imperfect. Well, who are we kidding? A lot imperfect. We carry stories, scars, and plenty of worn edges.

But God doesn’t wait until we’re polished before He claims us.

Our Creator says, “I have called you by name; you are mine.”

Think about that.

God knows your name. He knows your story, your scars, your mistakes, and every worn-out place, and He still calls you His.

He doesn’t just repair what’s broken. He redeems what was overlooked. He chooses ordinary people—not because they’re impressive, but because they’re willing to place their lives in His hands.

The beauty was never in the paper.

The beauty was in whose name it carried.

So today, if you’ve been defining yourself by the tears, the wrinkles, the mistakes, or the worn-out places, don’t lose heart.

Remember whose hands you’re in.

And remember whose name is lovingly written over your life.

You are known.

You are chosen.

You are His.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What part of your story makes you feel “worn” or imperfect?
What does it mean to you personally that God says, “I have called you by name; you are mine”?
Are you defining yourself by your past, or by what God says about you?
How does knowing God fully knows you—and still claims you—change the way you see yourself?
Who is someone in your life who may need to be reminded today that they are known, loved, and valuable to God?

August 10, 2026/by Denise Pagano

Meet Me in the Valley

Daily Devotional, Heart of the Artist

Psalms 144:1-2 — Praise the Lord, who is my rock. He trains my hands for war and gives my fingers skill for battle. He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer. He is my shield, and I take refuge in Him. He makes the nations submit to me.

The older I get, the more I realize the hardest man to face is the one looking back in the mirror.

The trouble is, you can’t outrun yourself forever.

Eventually, the calendar clears, the car gets parked, the phone goes silent, and you’re left with the questions you’ve been avoiding. I’ve found that’s often the exact moment God starts speaking.

That’s the heartbeat behind Tasha Layton’s song “Meet Me in the Valley.”

She spent three days alone in Death Valley—fasting, surrounded by silence, with no safety net. She said she kept sensing God whisper, “Get low.”

So she did.

And in the emptiest place she could imagine, she discovered she wasn’t alone.

We celebrate mountaintops, but Scripture has always been honest about valleys. That’s where people stop pretending. That’s where God reshapes what success, strength, and surrender actually mean.

Psalm 144 reminds us that God is our Rock, our fortress, our rescuer, and our shield. The God who steadies our hands for battle is also the One we can lean against when we have nothing left to prove.

The valley isn’t where God leaves you; it’s where He teaches you what will hold you when everything else lets go.

The wilderness doesn’t empty you of purpose. It can empty you of the noise that keeps you from hearing it.

Maybe you’ve been avoiding the silence because you’re afraid of what you’ll find there.

What if, instead, that’s exactly where God is waiting?

Today, don’t rush past the quiet.

Sit with Him.

Get low.

Let Him meet you in your valley, and watch Him become the strength you didn’t know you needed.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What do you tend to avoid when life gets quiet?
Which description of God in Psalm 144—Rock, fortress, rescuer, or shield—do you need most right now?
What might God be trying to teach you in your current “valley”?
Are there distractions or noise keeping you from hearing God clearly?
What would it look like for you to “get low” before God this week—to surrender your need for control, success, or answers?

L Y R I C S

You can’t see grace for what it is
Until you need it most
You don’t know what you really have
Until you lose it all

I’ve seen Your goodness
In the best, the worst
The joy, the hurt
Every loss and every win
So I’m calling out again

Meet me in the valley
I need you Lord
Be my shield
In the middle of the war
Tell me that I’ll make it
When I’m not sure
You’ll be faithful like You’ve been before
Meet me in the valley
Meet me in the valley
Meet me in the valley

If this is where the broken things
Are healed and brought to life
Then lead me through the wilderness
But keep me by Your side

I’ve seen Your hand at work
In the best, the worst, the joy, the hurt
Every tear that hit the ground
Is a testimony now

What You said on the mountain
Is still true in the valley
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, follow me
All You’ve said on the mountain
I’ll believe in the valley
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, follow me
Meet me in this valley
Come meet me in this valley
I need you lord
I need you lord

Meet me in the valley
I need you Lord
Be my shield
In the middle of the war
Tell me that I’ll make it
When I’m not sure
You’ll be faithful
Oh You’ll be faithful

To meet me in the valley
I need you Lord
Be my shield
In the middle of the war
Tell me that I’ll make it
When I’m not sure
You’ll be faithful like you’ve been before
Meet me in the valley
Come meet me in this valley

Oh You’ll meet me in this valley

Written by Tasha Layton, Keith Everett Smith, Jacob Scooter & Meredith Andrews

August 9, 2026/by David Hall

The Red Balloon Reminder

Bri Dunn, Daily Devotional

Psalms 147:3-5 — He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and calls them all by name. How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

Sometimes being the church means tying up a red balloon in the sanctuary.

When Hannah lost her son, Jude, she experienced a loss no parent should ever have to face. Jude had RCDP, and most children with this disorder live only about ten years. But Jude lived to be thirteen.

When he passed away, Hannah was surrounded by love. Her family was there, and her church family walked closely beside her.

During his service, they had red heart balloons. Before everyone left for the cemetery, one accidentally floated up into the high ceiling of the sanctuary.

“We’ll get it later,” they said.

But they never did.

For five months, that red balloon stayed there.

Every Sunday, in the middle of her grief, Hannah would look up and see it. Somehow it reminded her that Jude was not just a memory… and that God hadn’t stepped away from her broken heart.

Then one Sunday she walked into church…

…and the balloon was gone.

She stood there looking up, searching for it, and began to cry.

That’s when the pastor’s wife noticed. She had been looking for the balloon too. She walked over and simply wrapped her arms around Hannah.

A few weeks later, Hannah returned to church.

There was another red balloon.

Only this one wasn’t floating.

Someone had tied it securely to one of the beams so it wouldn’t drift away.

She asked the pastor, “What is this?”

He smiled and said, “I know it’s not the same balloon. But if this is what it takes to remind you that God loves you and He’s with you in this season, then this is what we’re going to do.”

I love that picture.

Psalm 147 tells us the God who counts every star and calls each one by name is also the God who heals broken hearts.

The One who holds the universe together also notices one grieving mother.

And sometimes, He reminds us of His love through the hands of His people.

So if you know someone carrying a grief you can’t fix, don’t underestimate what one small act of love can mean.

You may become the reminder that they’re not walking through it alone.

Because when God’s people stay close to the brokenhearted, they help make God’s presence visible.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Have you ever experienced a simple act of kindness that reminded you God hadn’t forgotten you? What made it so meaningful?
What does Psalm 147 teach you about God’s heart when it says He both names the stars and heals the brokenhearted?
Is there someone in your life who is carrying grief and simply needs someone to stay present with them?
How can you reflect God’s compassion this week through one intentional act of love or encouragement?
When you’ve experienced loss or heartbreak, what reminders has God used to assure you that He was still with you?