Spare Change & Sacred Soil

Inspired by a simple Thursday Facebook post and a Spirit-led song that wouldn’t let go.

Have you ever listened to a song that didn’t just move you… it ministered to you?

That’s what Spare Change by Brandon Lake did for me. It didn’t just stir emotion—it brought a holy pause. A moment where the lyrics wrapped around my soul and spoke things I hadn’t even dared say out loud. It met me in the tender, hidden places of my heart—the ones I sometimes pretend aren’t there.

Lyrics do that. They carry us back to people we’ve loved, places we’ve stood, moments that shaped us. They tell stories. They offer hope. They remind us we’re not alone. And this song—this one—is no different.

It tells the story of a Savior who doesn’t need our perfection. Just our heart.

Proverbs 18:21 says, “Life and death are in the power of the tongue”—so is it any wonder that songs and lyrics carry such weight?

A single lyric can shift our entire being. A good song can lift our spirits, It can make us laugh, cry, raise our hands—in praise or surrender. It moves us in body, soul, memory, and spirit.

Scripture reminds us that in the end, every tongue will confess and every knee will bow in worship before our Savior. So no—it’s no surprise that music and lyrics affect us deeply. It was created to.

In that stillness, I saw Him. Outstretched, scarred hands. A Savior who never asked for perfection—just surrender. One who paid the price fully… for me. For you. For all of us.

That moment prepared my heart for this week’s devotional.

This Sunday morning started just like the last—with a blanket, a chair, a book, and a cup of coffee. Simple, quiet things that have a way of becoming sacred when paired with stillness and God’s presence.

If you joined me last week, welcome back—it means the world to share this space with you again. And if this is your first time here, you are so welcome. I’m truly grateful you’ve pulled up a chair. These Sunday mornings have become something more than just a routine for me. They are an invitation. A rhythm. A remembering. A place where I reflect, write, pray, and just be.

Maybe your week looked a little chaotic. Maybe you’re still carrying some heavy things. Or maybe, like me this week, you’ve found yourself sitting in a calm that doesn’t quite make sense—except that God is in it.

This week was full of small moments that held big meaning. A celebration of my daughter and her fiancé’s elopement. Long days of work. And the quiet triumph of passing the first part of the process to get my broker’s license. But more than anything, it’s been a week of slow prayers and deep breaths—whispering to God in the quiet, resting in His presence, and leaning fully into His grace.

Have you ever felt Him so close you could almost feel Him breathing peace into your chest?

I did.

I didn’t expect much. But then, like He so often does, God met me with something unexpected. It came through a song—a moment of reverence. A pause. A deeper awe for who He is and what He does for the one who looks back at you in the mirror every day. The one who fails. The one who doubts. The one who feels broken.

I saw myself—kneeling, empty-handed, asking if He might spare some change. And Jesus, gentle and near, knelt too. He didn’t drop coins into my hand. He took it. Looked me in the eye. And said yes.

Friend, have you ever asked God for something and felt too small, too broken, too unworthy to even put it into words? That’s where I found myself.

But His answer wasn’t hesitation. It was YES.

Yes to peace.
Yes to comfort.
Yes to grace—even when I felt ungraceful.

This journey of faith—mine, maybe yours too—is visual. I don’t just read the Word. I see it. I feel it. I’m 57, and still, I believe in miracles. Maybe especially now. Because life tried to teach me otherwise—but God never stopped whispering truth.

Do you believe you’re chosen? Truly?

Because Scripture says you are. Not the you you wish you were. The you reading this right now.

I know what it feels like to be overlooked. To feel like the discarded child. But God—He stepped in and said, “I’ll give you mothers and fathers when yours fail.” And He did. He placed strong, God-fearing women in my path who reminded me that even the pieces of me I thought were unlovable were already claimed by His love.

This week I’ve been thinking about what it means to clean house. Not just in my home or my diet—but in my soul. I’ve been clearing out the toxins… and not just the physical ones.

We talk about detoxing our skin, our food, our homes—but what about our relationships? Our routines? Our thoughts? What about the hidden pesticides we’ve allowed to take root in our hearts?

Psalm 91:1–3 says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.”

That verse sank deep. It was one of those moments where Scripture doesn’t just speak—it settles. And even now, on this quiet Sunday morning, it’s still stirring something in me.

Because sometimes ‘pestilence’ doesn’t look like disease. It looks like exhaustion. It looks like the heaviness of relationships that drain us. It looks like emotional clutter, spiritual dryness, or the feeling that we’re stuck in something we can’t quite name.

And here’s something beautiful: one of the most effective natural pesticides in the garden doesn’t come from a bottle. It comes straight from God’s own creation—a simple mixture of garlic and hot pepper steeped in water. It repels pests and protects new life. But the key? Regular application.

The same is true for our spiritual lives. We can’t soak in God’s Word once and expect the pests to stay away forever. We need consistent time in the secret place. Regular prayer. Regular stillness. Regular spiritual nourishment.

We all need:
🌱 Seeds of truth
💧 Water from the Word
☀️ Light from the Spirit
🌳 Shade to rest in grace
🌮 Spiritual pesticide: Discernment and the presence of God

But here’s the challenge—can we still hear Him when the world’s voice is louder than our own thoughts? The world tells us to hustle, to numb, to perform. But God’s voice? It calls us to dwell. To abide. To rest in the secret place where the soil of our soul can actually heal.

So, what does your inner garden look like today?
What weeds have crept in unnoticed? What soil has grown dry from lack of Living Water? Are there voices in your life that feel more like pests than peace?

Take a moment to reflect. Invite the Holy Spirit to walk the rows of your soul and show you what’s blooming… and what might need pulling.

As for me, I’m still that little girl with big hope—asking Jesus if He might spare some change. Not realizing the thing I’m longing for isn’t a fix, but peace. The kind of peace that lets you breathe again.

The kind of peace Brandon Lake sings about in Spare Change—that moment where Jesus bends down, meets your gaze, and reminds you He never ran out of mercy. He is not sparing change. He is offering wholeness.

And His answer?

It’s always yes.

Not a reluctant yes. Not a hesitant yes. But the kind of yes that kneels beside you, sees your heart, and answers before you even finish the question.

That’s covenant love. That’s mercy that stretches beyond generations. That’s the faithfulness of a God who keeps every promise—even the ones we’ve long forgotten.

And that’s the story we get to live, one quiet Sunday morning at a time.

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Let this devotional linger in your heart. Don’t rush off too quickly. Breathe. Reflect. Let God speak to the soil of your soul.

Journaling Prompts:

• What part of this devotional spoke to your current season?
• Are there any “weeds” in your thoughts or emotions God is inviting you to pull out?
• What would it look like to live with more peace this week, even in small ways?
• What voices in your life might be polluting your spirit instead of refreshing it?
• How is Jesus inviting you to detox your soul today?
• How can you apply God’s presence as spiritual pesticide this week?

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A Simple Prayer:

Jesus, thank You for always meeting me in the quiet places. For kneeling when I’m on my knees. For whispering yeswhen I feel unsure. Clean out what doesn’t belong in me. Uproot the weeds and the pests that keep me from Your presence. Water me with Your Word. Cover me with Your shadow. Restore the garden of my heart and let me grow in peace and grace again. Help me remember the power of regular application—to abide in You daily, consistently, and joyfully.

With devotion from my quiet corner,
Marie
💖 Coffee, Covenant & Grace

(If you’d like, replace my name with yours in the prayer above and make it your own heartfelt offering to Jesus this week.)