The Connection Corner

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

The Rescue That Took Its Time

Psalm 9:10 – Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

I didn’t know Lori. I still don’t, really, but for months, I watched her from my car as I drove through downtown Monroe.

She was always in the same spot, under the same shade tree near Warehouse No. 1. Beside her lay the same black dog, curled low to the ground, like the world had already taught her too much.

Later, I learned what had happened to that dog—and why Lori loved her the way she did. She’d been dumped by her owners. Left behind. And she ran after them. That detail stays with you.

The heartbreak lingered. The dog would approach people just long enough to sniff, then bolt the second a hand reached out. Too many broken promises. Too much fear. People tried to catch her. No one could.

Then there was Lori.

Day after day, she showed up under that tree. She brought water. Food. Blankets. Whatever might help the dog feel safe. At first, she sat far away. Over time, as trust grew, she moved closer. Eventually, she could touch her.

Every single day. For months.

I imagine that dog was learning how to love again.

One day, she finally climbed into Lori’s car. Off to the vet they went. Needs were met. Supporters stepped in. And the dog once known as “the black warehouse dog” was given a new name—Queenie.

She sleeps in a warm bed now. Surrounded by people who adore her. She will never again wonder if she’s good enough. The ones who left her behind have no idea what a treasure they abandoned.

And I can’t watch Queenie’s story without seeing my own.

I know what it’s like to keep God at arm’s length. Close enough to test Him. Not close enough to trust Him. I know what it’s like to hesitate, to pull back, to need time, and I know how patient my Heavenly Father has been. He stays near, unoffended by my fear, unwilling to walk away.

What stuck with me wasn’t the rescue. It was the waiting.

Lori never chased the dog. Never cornered her. Never demanded trust she wasn’t ready to give. She stayed close enough to be present, far enough to be safe. Love didn’t raise its voice. It proved itself by returning.

That kind of love changes things. Slowly. Steadily. Until fear loosens its grip and trust finds room to breathe.

I’ve seen that same patience in my own life—not in dramatic moments, but in ordinary ones. In the seasons I hesitated. In the days I didn’t have much faith to offer. And still, God stayed near. Not hurried. Not offended. Not gone.

Scripture names that kind of faithfulness plainly: “Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You” (Psalm 9:10).

That verse isn’t a challenge. It’s a reassurance. A reminder that God doesn’t confuse slowness with rejection. He doesn’t abandon the cautious or the wounded. He remains present long before trust ever feels easy.

And maybe that’s where this story is supposed to end—not with a command, but with permission. Permission to believe that God’s nearness isn’t fragile. That His love doesn’t depend on how quickly we respond. That even now, He is still right where He’s always been—close, steady, and willing to wait.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Are there places in your life where you’ve been keeping God at a safe distance rather than fully trusting Him?
What past experiences might be influencing how easily—or cautiously—you trust God now?
How have you seen God remain present and patient with you, even in seasons when your faith felt small or hesitant?
What does it mean to you that God does not confuse slowness with rejection or fear with disobedience?
How does knowing that God is willing to wait for your trust change the way you approach Him today?

January 30, 2026/by Bri Dunn

Align Your Days the Jesus Way

Daily Devotional, David Hall

Matthew 6:6 —But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

You’ve had those days—when the house is quiet, but your mind is racing, and the year ahead already feels heavier than you thought it would. You want stillness, the kind that doesn’t come from scrolling or muting your notifications, but from something deeper.

And it’s in that longing that a story comes to mind. It’s one where we’re reminded that Jesus knows what it’s like.

You see, there was a season of Jesus’ life where His days were packed full too. Crowds were everywhere surrounding Him. People followed Him from town to town. Every knock at the door was someone who needed healing, comfort, and answers that only He could give.

Every day demanded everything He had. Yet He would slip away. He didn’t give a dramatic farewell. No “be right back” or explanation. He just made the steady decision to stay behind after He dismissed the crowds and then His disciples so He could spend time in prayer with God His Father.

Out there, with nothing but cool air and scattered stars, He let Himself breathe. Not because He was escaping responsibility, but because He refused to let the noise define what came next. The Father’s voice mattered more than the crowd’s expectations. Prayer wasn’t a task on His list; it was the place where His direction was shaped. This gave Him the alignment He needed to keep going.

So, if this year is already hectic and tugging at you from all sides, I just want to encourage you that you too can find a different rhythm. One where you find the peace that your soul is aching for.

Matthew 6:6 tells us exactly how He did it: “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” He didn’t wait for life to calm down. He didn’t wait for the right moment to feel ready. He just stepped into the quiet, alone with God, and that was enough.

You don’t have to retreat to a hillside or slip out before sunrise. But you can choose small pockets of stillness where your heart can realign, where the noise can loosen its grip, and where the One who sees you fully can steady the parts that feel scattered.

And who knows—somewhere in those quiet moments, you may find the same thing Jesus found: clarity from remembering Who leads you forward into the year ahead.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

What usually keeps you from slowing down and spending quiet, uninterrupted time with God?
When life feels noisy or overwhelming, where do you tend to go first for relief—and how does that compare to where Jesus went?
What would it look like for you to “shut the door” this week, even in a small or simple way?
How might your days change if prayer became a place of alignment rather than another item on your to-do list?
Is there something God may want to speak to you in the quiet that’s been hard to hear in the noise?

January 29, 2026/by David Hall

When Obedience Becomes the Strategy

Brenda Price, Daily Devotional

Isaiah 40:29 — He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

I can’t stop thinking about how fascinating the stories in the Bible really are.

I’m sitting with my Bible open, mid-afternoon light slipping across the room, and I land back in the story of Gideon. I’ve read it so many times before, but this time it feels different—like it’s reading me right back.

Gideon starts with a decent-sized army. Thirty-two thousand men. That’s not small. That’s comforting. That’s the kind of number that lets you breathe a little easier when you know a fight is coming, and then God says something that makes absolutely no sense. “It’s too many.”

I can’t help but picture Gideon blinking at the sky, thinking, “Lord… have You seen their army?” Because if I’m honest, I’ve said that same thing—about my finances, my energy, my confidence, my resources. Too many is not the problem. Too few is.

But God keeps trimming. He sends some home. Then more. Then comes that strange moment by the water where God trims them down even more based on how they drank water—and suddenly Gideon is standing there with three hundred soldiers left. Three hundred. Against an enemy that should have crushed them.

I imagine the awkward silence. The weight of it. Three hundred people holding torches and clay pots, not swords. This is not the kind of strategy you brag about. This is the kind you only follow if you trust the One who gave it.

And when they do exactly what God says shattering their pots and sounding the trumpets, the enemy panics and runs. This was no clever military strategy or show of strength. No, it was just obedience, and God does the rest. He gave that ragtag band of three hundred men victory.

That’s when I think about how scripture tells us “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29. Did you see that? He gives strength not after we get stronger. Not once we feel ready. But right in the middle of our lack.

God has never been impressed by our numbers. He’s interested in our trust.

So today, whatever feels trimmed down in your life—your energy, your options, your confidence—don’t despise it. Hold it faithfully. Step forward anyway. Let God put His strength on full display through what feels painfully small, and walk in the confidence that the victory was never meant to come from you.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

Where in your life do you feel “trimmed down” right now—emotionally, financially, spiritually, or relationally?
How have you been measuring readiness or success by numbers, strength, or resources instead of trust?
What might God be inviting you to do in obedience, even though you don’t feel fully equipped?
How does knowing that God gives strength in weakness—not after it—change how you view your limitations today?

January 28, 2026/by Brenda Price