Category: Articles

God News / A Golden Start

In God’s Word in Deuteronomy 11:18-20, we are encouraged:

 Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 

 Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 

 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates . . .

So, I set out to write devotions to help families talk to their kids about good news, which I call God News. I hope these little devotions help in bringing up discussion. Let me know if they add content to your conversations.

Toni

A golden start, we will have with God News for Kids. We will talk of golden things.

Gold is a precious metal hidden away within the dirt and rock.

The stories go, that men sought out gold with shovels,  a lot of sweat, and eyes and heart filled with hopes for a great find.

“Gold diggers” they were called from the wild West, looking for treasure to make them rich.

Well, what happens when dig out the letter “L” from the word “gold?”

What do you find?

G-O-D.

Yes, You find “God.”
Is finding God like finding gold?

We can find God by reading the Bible, His Word:

The laws of the Lord are true;
    each one is fair.
They are more desirable than gold,
    even the finest gold.

(Psalm 19:9b-10).

More desirable than gold, even the finest gold?

“God’s laws? What does all that mean? Are they just rules and stuff like that?” You might be asking.

If they are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold, then God’s laws must be precious, and pure, and of great cost.

Yes they are, and Psalm 119 in the Bible tells us:

Joyful are those who obey his laws
    and search for him with all their hearts, (Psalm 119:2).

How can a young person stay pure?
    By obeying your word, (Psalm 119:9).

Turn my eyes from worthless things,
    and give me life through your word.
 Reassure me of your promise,
    made to those who fear you, (Psalm 119:37,38).

I will walk in freedom,
    for I have devoted myself to your commandments, (Psalm 119:45).

Your promise revives me;
    it comforts me in all my troubles, (Psalm 119:50).

Gold is the Word of God. Pure and bright, and even more—for our path, a light:

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
    and a light for my path, (Psalm 119:105).

God is golden and His Word is a treasure. Kids, Let’s pray that we begin to “Love His law, (His Word, His promises, His stories, Old Testament, and New).

That we might have this promise from Psalm 1:

But they (who) delight in the law of the Lord,
    meditating on it day and night.
 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
    bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
    and they prosper in all they do, Psalm 1:2,3.

Now this is gold. Yes, and Amen.

Delighting, or being happy to spend time with the Lord in His Word helps us have lives that are like trees full of fruit!

Because of His new mercies, my meditation is a song.

A Psalm of David, so long ago, was penned and written for the Chief Musician.

Psalm 139, I pray will stay close to my heart as I take hold of His hand.

Before my feet hit the floor, may I meditate on who He is, and by His help better understand.

My walk is as a messy poem, but God in His great mercy never leaves me alone:

 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.
 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.

 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.

 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.

If these words be true, (You have pronounced Your Word as truth), help me today to believe.
Help me remember . . .You.
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth, John 17:17 states.
So, in knowing and seeing it all, You can see clearly, I often make many mistakes.
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John15:3.
I don’t completely understand, but I receive a washing in the morning as  I read.
Let this Word be a continual song I sing:

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;

Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

Yesterday’s pain, struggle, and loss feel like heaviness falling on me, but if even the night shall be light about me; . . . and the night shines as the day;

I receive Your Word that I don’t completely know, but when I look at a candle, only light surrounds it, so . . .

I can see that You are with me, and light even my night.

You are greater than all of my anxiety, ugliness, and fright. Your Word, the powerful sounds, are healing the doubt that so often surrounds.

 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.

Deep calls to deep. These thoughts are not as man’s. These Words pierce me through. My days you write in a book? Truly from beginning to end? I clearly see, I want more faith, more faith each day to trust You!

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!
 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.

Clearly, a lifetime it will take to comprehend such thoughts. Give me wisdom and knowledge. Help me understand the price You paid on the cross.

A Love so real. You laid down Your life for me. Even though You knew how wretched many of my steps would be.

I want to be on Your side, dear Lord.

Please keep me from being an enemy. With doubt, and unbelief. Making excuses to sin.

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Psalm 119.

Get my eyes in Your Word, more and more, dear Lord.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

This is a hard prayer to pray in the morning, and even more so, at night.

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You for covering my sin with Your blood. I thank You for showing me You walk with me and know, every step that I take, and every word I speak, and even the thoughts that I think. And You still love . . .

You knew me in the beginning and promise to know my end days as well. Today, let me be new, tear down, rebuild, clean up and move.

Help me walk more closely. Help me let You lead. Let this be my song that I continually sing,
making the choice each day, to acknowledge You,  King:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

In Jesus Name, I, and all who believe ask, “Let it be, yes, let it be. Amen.”

When Jesus is Silent

A mother’s child was sick. The mother, (a Gentile woman) must have been following and watching Jesus for some time.
She spoke the Jewish dialect, unlike her own, when she made her cry to Him:
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
“But He answered her not a word.” 
“And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, for she cries out after us” Matthew 15:22-23.
Jesus was silent, and the followers of Jesus were cold-hearted,  impatient, and more.
But the desperate woman knew something . . .  deep down—Jesus was her only hope.
Then, Jesus spoke, “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Are these sharp words of Jesus worse than silence?
Is this “No?” from the mouth of the Lord?
Jesus broke His silence, but the words to this desperate woman seem so far from compassionate: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
As my eyes read on recovering from Jesus’ reply, thinking, “I don’t understand,”
The next verse informs:  “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
This Gentile woman was not offended by His words.
 She most likely witnessed Jesus previously being with the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the house of Israel, of whom He said,
”These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me” Matthew 15:7-9.
This Canaanite, gentile woman sought Jesus, not with the right words, but with her whole heart, and she worshiped Him.
 “But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the little dogs.” (Matthew 15:26). 
Israel is a nation, but Israel means, “one who strives with God.” This woman, with all her heart, believing Him to be her only hope, believing Him to heal her daughter, worshiped Him and asked for help—a lost sheep striving with God:
“True, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from the Master’s table”Mat. 15:27. 
 “Lord, I know I am a Gentile, but even the crumbs from Your table will be enough for me.”
Jesus wasn’t silent to be cold-hearted. Jesus didn’t reply to offend, but reveal her heart:
 Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.”And her daughter was healed at that moment Matthew 15:28.
Today, it’s “heart-check” time. Are we offended by the Word of God? Perhaps we do best to follow closely through the Gospels and walk with Jesus for awhile, to witness His grace and truth for ourselves.
“Give us understanding Lord, to Your Word. We are in desperate need of You for healing and hope. In Jesus Name, Amen.”
 For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” 1Sam. 16:7.

Crushed grapes to wine is as brokenness to joy

When Jesus sat on a hill and spoke to the multitudes of people, He spoke words contrary to man’s natural inclination,

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” Matthew 5:3.

Another translation  puts it this way, “You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.” (The Message).

In ancient Bible times, crushed grapes produced wine. There is much argument about this topic, levels of fermentation, etc. but today, I seek to focus on the Bible’s symbolism of wine for joy.

A large scale mural has been painted by Aniekan Udofia in Ivy City, Washington D.C. *

When we’re crushed, (when we face the pressing trials of each day), do we produce wine? or whine?

“He who believes in Me,” Jesus said, “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” John 7:38.

Being tried and crushed through the everyday pressures, how do we produce wine? Out of our hearts is flowing . . .

rivers of living waters? Where’s the joy?

God tells us a story. John 2 explains,

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there,  and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water;” so they filled them to the brim.

Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so,  and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

Then he called the bridegroom aside  and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

“Do whatever He tells you,” Mary said to the servants.

These are hard words. It’s hard work to fill six 20 to30 gallon jars with water.

As a branch surrendered to the Vine, (who is Jesus), I will discover the ability to produce fruit. Fruits of love are: joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

John 15: “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.  This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.  I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.  My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

Are we abiding, surrendered to the Vine?
Then much fruit will come.

The Ninety and Nine, a hymn for today

Writing the words of an old hymn so we might speak aloud, or if desired, to sing. But there is so much comfort in reading words from over a hundred years back, and feeling as if they were penned today. Oh, how they shed new light on familiar themes:

There were nine-ty and nine that safe-ly lay In the shelter of the fold, But one was out on the hills a-way, Far off from the gates of gold,

A-way on the mountains wild and bare, A-way from the tender Shepherd’s care,
A-way from the tender Shepherd’s care.

Lord, Thou hast here Thy nine-ty and nine; Are they not enough for Thee? But the Shepherd made an-swer:

“This of mine has wan-dered a-way from Me, And al-though the road be rough and steep, I go to  the des-ert to find My sheep,

I go to the des-ert to find My sheep.”

But none of the ran-somed ev-er knew How deep were the wa-ters crossed; Nor how dark was the night That the Lord passed thro’

Ere He found His sheep that was lost. Out in the des-ert he heard its cry Sick and help-less, and read-y to die, 

Sick and help-less, and read-y to die.

Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way,

That mark out the moun-tain’s track?

They were shed for one who had gone a-stray Ere the Shep-herd could bring Him back. Lord whence are Thy hands so rent and torn? They’re pierced to-night by many a thorn, 

They’re pierced to-night by man-y a thorn.

But all thro’ the mount-tains, thun-der riv’n, And up from the rock-y steep, There a-rose a glad cry to the gate of heav”n;

“Rejoice! I have found my sheep!”

And the an-gels echoed a-round the throne, Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own, 

Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own.

Elizabeth C. Clephane had written a poem that found it’s way in 1874 in a penny newspaper of those days. Ira D. Sankey, a song leader for Evangelist D.L. Moody, cut it out and put it in his music notebook.

At a meeting in which Moody gave a sermon on the Good Shepherd,  he asked Sankey, “Do you have an appropriate solo in which to close?”

It is told that Ira Sankey prayed a quick prayer and turned to the poem in his notebook, and, on-the-spot, wrote its melody!

Today, so many years later, melody known or not, the words comfort, touch, and move us to hope deeper and believe greater in our dear Good Shepherd’s love. We must read it aloud and rejoice in our hearts that our Good Shepherd never tires to seek and to save the lost.

The old hymns, they remind us that He loves most. 

And His good Word reminds us that His love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13).

God’s love is deep and wide. Human-kind can’t comprehend God. Perhaps we spend our lifetimes understanding His amazing grace. And then,

one day, we shall see Him, face to face.

Holidays can bring inside rain. The Remedy?

Holidays. Family plans. Thoughts of giving and sharing—overwhelm. Memories. The good, and the bad—stir up at times, a storm.
Christmas lights and music. Christmas movies and food. Along-side of  family needs, and neighbors’ crisis, and attacks of  the enemy. We are tempted to break down like a blown fuse.

Light vanishes. Darkness makes its move. Feelings and tired nerves leave heavy judgments to dis-prove. Busy-ness and time crunches cloud up our Holiday mood.
Then a song comes from no-where. A song to turn my head. I see the words and I read them. As if, God says, “Think on this, instead:

‘Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.'”

Oh, how the Lord loves us. He is a present help in times of need. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are active and alive. God again and again, saves me, He saves us from life’s oppression.

He saves me from my self. From my doubt. He lifts my head to see. He uses words of old hymns and familiar melody. Somehow, it’s a mystery. God transforms me. O let the hymnal sing:

“O soul are you weary and troubled. No light in the darkness to see. There’s a light for a look at the Savior and life more abundant and free”

“Thro’ death into life everlasting, He passed and we follow Him there. Over us sin no more hath dominion. For more than conquerors we are!”

It’s as if a wave of hope comes upon me. Everything inside begins to breathe. Words and music, and new songs begin to flow. God’s Holy Spirit directs my heart to sing. Time and time again:

“Fall on your knees, O hear, the angel voices, O night divine, O night , when Christ was born. O night divine, O night . . . when Christ was born.”

It is night for so many. It is a time of great dismay. But, Christ is born. Right here, right now! He is come to be our help this day.

“His word shall not fail you, He’s promised.

Believe Him and all will be well.

And go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell.”

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,. . . 

He’s the lifter of our head. He’s the light, the hope of heaven. He is our Immanuel.

When my God seems small . . .

When my God seems small, I need to stop. To behold. To take time. To look and read.

Then the Bible reminds me:

I Am that I Am.

The Creator. Provider. King of all Kings.
I Am in the heavens, the oceans, the grass, and the air. I AM Spirit. Evidence of Me is seen everywhere.

I Am Father. I Am Son. I Am Holy Spirit, Elohim.

I Am one God, but three. I Am great mystery.

Do you doubt? Are you confused?

I Am greater than any darkness that surrounds.

I Am God Almighty. I Am God Most High.

Open My Book, that you might be touched by My Light.

Are you cold? Encompassed by darkness and sharp, noisy sounds?  Or is it  a silence that follows you around?

I Am the Light of the world. I warm the heart. From death to life. I Am able to revive.

Believe Me now. Is there still delay? My grace is sufficient to be all you need, to bring a new start. I Am Who I say. I Am faithful.

I Am forever the same.

Are you hungry?

I Am the Bread of Life.

Come to Me and devour My Word. My Word is True.

I promise comfort and deliverance.

Ask, seek, and knock. I Am the Door, Come to Me. I will open.

I will answer you.
You are more than body. I gave you spirit inside.

Call My name,. . .

“Jesus.”

I Am here.

I am Immanuel, “God with us,” the Christ Child.

I Am a present help in trouble, I Am by your side.

Faith is believing.

Faith breaks through this moment of time.

I Am able to turn water . . .to wine.

I Am spiritual Bread.

Spiritual Light.

Spiritual day to help you endure your night.

I will sustain you, strengthen you, help you and hold. Believe Me?
This moment. Be Still and Behold.

I Am the good Shepherd. I gave my life for my sheep. I can see you. I hear all of your cries. Let deep cry to deep.

Faith believes I AM the Way. I AM the Truth. Faith is experiencing time and time again, that  I Am life. I Am the Resurrection.

I Am the Alpha, the Omega, the beginning the end. I Am gracious,
compassionate, slow to anger, . . .

I no longer call you servant. I now call you, friend.

This, and so much more than you can comprehend, this is,
Who I Am.

“And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:14).

“I am the bread of life.He who comes to Me shall never hunger” (John 6:35).

“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”), (Matthew 1:23).

“I am the door” (John 10:9).

“I am the true vine” (John 15:1).

 
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

“I am the resurrection and the life”(John 11:25).

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you,” (John 15:15).

Your Faithfulness Reaches to the Clouds, Ps. 36:5

Your mercy, O LORD is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds, Psalm 36:5.
This Word makes me look up. Something happens inside, yet outside nothing changes.

I’m stirred, something’s awakened. My heaviness is pushed off,  my soul is lifted to  new heights.

I can believe again.

I can see something not seen. My heart still beats. My lungs still breathe.
I’m restored enough to dream.

By faith, I’m moved from strife and unrest, to hope, and a peace that goes beyond my comprehensiveness.

Your mercy, O LORD is in the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds, Psalm 36:5 proves to resuscitate my being.

Curious, I seek to find, “What is the rest?” Though the dark clouds remain, I ask God, speak now to my brokenness:

I have a message from God in my heart
    concerning the sinfulness of the wicked:
There is no fear of God
    before their eyes.

 In their own eyes they flatter themselves
    too much to detect or hate their sin.

 The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful;
    they fail to act wisely or do good.
 Even on their beds they plot evil;

    they commit themselves to a sinful course
    and do not reject what is wrong.

 Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the skies.

 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
    your justice like the great deep.

    You, Lord, preserve both people and animals.
 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!

    People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
 They feast on the abundance of your house;

    you give them drink from your river of delights.
 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light, Psalm 36:1-9.

His unfailing Word speaks deep and  through time.

Faith pours in me. As water fills an empty vessel. I ask of the Lord, “Increase my faith. Help me feel Your healing touch. O God of the heavens, help me look up at the clouds, and in You, fully trust.”

This is the way, walk in it.

Moving furiously to draw me away, from You, O God, I cry.

Distractions and needless attractions and vices move to catch my eye.

And what about Fear, who continuously lurks nearby?

And Doubt, his best friend who endlessly tempts me to trust only in me, myself, and I?

What a whirlwind of destruction and deception and such. In circles, ever appearing—giant waves of human-ness!

But God, He’s the same. There is none like Him.
He’s able.

His mercy has no end.

He loves not like men.

But I forget . . . unless His Word is on my table!

The stories, the history, God’s provision, the songs. God proclaims salvation from the beginning. His heart . . . so longs:

But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said,

“Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?”

Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea.

“Silence!” He commanded.

“Be still!”

And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm.

“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”

Mark 4:37-40, tells a story for me, and you? “Do you still have no faith? . . . Why are you so afraid?” 

“Forgive me O God. May I continually seek Your unfailing aid. Give me an ear to hear Your voice in the morning. May I, in awe and wonder, faith-fully  obey.
And may I remember You and Your powerful Word. May I not forget, time and time again, that You are ever with me, that You are,
my Lord.”

 Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more;

with your own eyes you will see them. 

 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, . . .

“This is the way; walk in it,” Isaiah 30:20,21.

Snapshots of Thankfulness to God through my doubts and confusion

I am thankful. Thankful to God, because He hears our cries for mercy.

But first, I must confess a snapshot of yesterday morning.

One of disappointment, confusion, stress, and unrest.

Yes, ultimately, I wasn’t disappointed about circumstances or people, (but, consciously, I might of thought myself to be), but because I truly believe the Lord is in control and that everything that happens is “filtered through the Father’s fingers,”

I need to be flat out honest here, in all reality, my anger and disappointment was toward God.

I believe in God. But yesterday morning, every ounce of my being was in warfare. I was fighting a battle in my mind, and my heart, I suppose, as I woke to face a challenging day.

Just do the next thing, words I remembered from Elisabeth Elliot came to mind, so I opened God’s Word,  in Psalm 34 in my rough state of being:

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
 My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; . . .

I couldn’t find a song. It’s as if it were lost. I felt I was dangling in an ocean’s depths with seaweed around my neck.

In this snapshot of  my moments of confusion and doubt, I felt as if trying to believe His word, but as in a dream, unable to reach the destination.

Trying to find some solid foundation,  but the seaweed of confusion had me sunk below the surface.

“I sought the LORD, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears, . . .” 
More like, ” I fought the LORD, and doubt had silenced my cry.”

I read on in Psalm 34, but I was unable to grasp anything to bring rest and peace to my heart.

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him.
 The young lions lack and suffer hunger;

But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

Because of circumstance, I was sinking in unbelief. I later sent texts for prayer.
I called a family member who knows me—the good, the bad, and the ugly. Prayers to our God were given.

The next snapshot of the day, is the struggle to breathe in and out through activity and interaction, minute by minute, hour after hour.  And, all the while, fighting inside to find the air of Peace, and Truth, and Comfort, and Joy.

Just do the next thing . . . this thought, my only motivation.
But, in hectic and schedule, I walked through a door. His hand picked me up. His arms took hold of my weak flesh. He turned my lack into abundance.
God did.
The very One whom I was disappointed in before.

God reached out and touched my sinking heart by hands from . . . the Church. 
The Snapshot: People pooled together in energy ignited by the Lord, (because He did hear my cries. God does hear our voice.)  Out of the ocean’s depths of sorrow, I was picked up in an instant.

Immediately, lifted from heaviness to light was I.

So, this morning I write. “Thank you God for Your faithful love and grace. And Thank you Lord for Your hands touching me through the Church. Dear Lord, help us remember and believe past our unbelief:

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry . . .
 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all,

I believe You dear Lord, and I thank You for Your Word, and the loving hands of Your Church.

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed. 

To Psalm 34, the Lord’s faithfulness, and the Love of the Church, I say this new morning, Amen.”

The Snapshot: Joy.

 

Yes, I make mention of the enemy of mankind. His days are numbered. We must keep that in mind . . .

We believer’s in God are instructed to “pray in Jesus’ name.” And we do to bind the work of the enemy  each and every day.

We pray for God who is greatest to bind this enemy—the deceiver, the lier, the father of lies, the hater, the stealer, the destroyer of mankind.

Lucifer by name, was cast out of heaven. This story is not made up in some fairy-tale book. It’s found in Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Chapter 12 in the Revelation’s Book. Ask, seek, and knock as you search . . .
and look.

He was cast out by God and sent to earth. He is on earth twisting words, bringing pain, destroying. In lives, deceptions . . .
he births.

He wants everyone to believe he doesn’t exist. His name can’t even be mentioned. He’s deceived the world that God is to blame for all of this!

But God so loved the word that He sent down His Son. Jesus told us in this world we would have tribulation. Satan is working to deceive the whole world, . . .
but Jesus came.

The very Word.
To lay down His life.
Whoever believes—receives . . . eternal life. He is Lord.

Heaven is the place we will call home.

We are simply passing through.

Created by God in this broken world to do one great thing—and that . . . to proclaim His name.

So, the deceiver, the hater of all of mankind has done his job to make sure the Book is closed. He paints his pictures throughout the earth with pointing fingers, brining guilt, or prideful poses.

But God is not anxious. God does not pace. From the Beginning in Genesis to the End in His Word, God’s Rescue Plan is proclaimed. Yes, Satan will bruise the heal of the Lord, . . .

But God has crushed the serpent’s head, and his numbered days have been told.
Warning, warning! The alarm must no longer be on snooze. ARISE, the Gospel message was sent. We need this Good News.

Everyone on this earth is loved by God. Get your eyes up, and your heart humbled, and soft. Stop pointing fingers. Let your focus be Him.

Read His word. Satan’s days are about to come to an end.

Satan is cast out of heaven. Sent down to earth to deceive. But God . . .

is on the throne.

His arms are opened wide. He gives wisdom, and healing, and power, to all who receive.

Receive. Him. Receive Truth.
Read God’s Word. It is time to stop weeping. It is time to . . . Believe:

“A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 

She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 

 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 

 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 

 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”

 And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 

 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.

 Then war broke out in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon,

 and the dragon and his angels fought back. 

 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 

 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,

    and the authority of his Messiah.

For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.

11 They triumphed over him
    by the blood of the Lamb

    and by the word of their testimony;

they did not love their lives so much
    as to shrink from death.

 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
    and you who dwell in them!

But woe to the earth and the sea,
    because the devil has gone down to you!

He is filled with fury,
    because he knows that his time is short.”

 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 

 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 

 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 

 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 

 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus,” Revelation 12:1-17.

 Where can we find the fall of Satan?

Isaiah 14:12-14. Ezekiel 28:14-18. Luke 10:18. Revelation 12:3-4. Revelation 12:9.

Read. Read God’s Word—that you might have ability to see and understand.

Pray without ceasing at this time, in our dark day.

The Light is coming. Our King is on His way.

a prayer for the morning

Today, Lord God, give me a teachable heart. Let my mind bend and not be fixed and stubborn.
Give me willingness, that I might listen.

Teach me honor. What it means to honor You, my Father in heaven. What is honor to mother and father and family, or those who most closely watch over me?

Your Book is not all honey, it brings light to my faults. May I make changes toward harmony. Search me and show me where to start.

Take the critical and bitterness out. Season the words from my mouth . . . with salt.
Teach me to put other’s interests and ideas above my own. Minute by minute, I can’t do this alone.

Make me to lie down, and discover Your pastures, they are sufficient for me. To Be still and know “true love.” Give me sight that I might “see”
that perhaps, I need to make things right.

To turn around in my ways and consider Your broken heart. Today. Today, let me walk in a new light.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Mold me into a vessel for Your glory and not mine. As well watered clay, transform me . . . by Your love.

Help me live this day, as if it were my last day in earthly time . . .

In Jesus name, Amen. Hear my morning prayer, again, and again.

Psalm 51: 1-15, to be read aloud, that we might hear with our ears, the sounds, and let God’s love abound:

Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
    blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity
    and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
    and justified when you judge.
5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
    sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
    you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins
    and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
    or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
    and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    so that sinners will turn back to you.
14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
    you who are God my Savior,
    and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 Open my lips, Lord,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.

O Lord, may our consolation be speaking the hymn, Nearer, My God, to Thee

Let us pour out our broken and sad hearts to You. Our lips are parched, we thirst. Be to us as the morning dew:

Near-er, my God, to Thee, Near-er to Thee, E’en though it be a cross That rais-eth me!

Still all my song shall be, Near-er, my God, to Thee; Near-er, my God, to Thee,
Near-er to Thee!

“Speak in Psalms, speak in hymns,” perhaps this is our only consolation in,
pain, and suffering, and agony of spirit. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near,”(1) this is our prayer, that we feel Your love and not the fear.

Though like the wan-der-er, The sun gone down, Dark-ness be o-ver me, My rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I’d be, Near-er, my God, to Thee;

Near-er, my God, to Thee,
Near-er to Thee!

Oh God, help us let our thoughts rise to heaven.

“For we know that if this tent which is our earthly home is destroyed, we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (2)

There let the way ap-pear, Steps un-to heav’n; All that Thou send-est me, In mercy giv’n An-gels to beck-on me, Near-er, my God, to The;

Near-er, my God, to Thee, 
Near-er to Thee!

“In everything give thanks,” (3)

O God, we can’t without You showing us, revealing to us, healing and carrying us through.
God, You are love. You are light. We are poor and needy, Lord Jesus come rescue us in our plight.

We worship You because You loved us first. You suffered and died for each one of us as you hung in the cross.

Then, with my wak-ing tho’ts Bright with Thy praise, Out of my ston-y griefs Beth-el I’ll raise, So by my woes to be, Near-er to God, to Thee;

Near-er to God, to Thee,
Near-er to Thee!

Your word is sweet as honey sometimes. Your word is bitter as well. Help change and transform our hearts and our minds. That we might” prove what is the good and acceptable will of God,” (4) that we might say, ” I am Yours.

No matter what, I will trust in Your Love.”

Or if, on joy-ful wing Cleav-ing the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, Up-ward I fly, Still all my song shall be, Near-er my God, to Thee, 
Still all my song shall be, Near-er my God, to Thee, Near-er to Thee.

Our song is sad in light of today, but God, only You are able to comfort our pain, with word pictures of life forever with You. . .
With streets of gold, praises to sing,  in the presence of the King of all Kings, for all eternity.

We sing a psalm. We speak a hymn. Or perhaps we simply cry, in hope and the light of Him.

(1) James 4:8
(2) 2 Corinthians 5:1
(3) 1 Thessalonians 5:18
(4) Romans 12:2
Nearer, My God, to Thee (Sarah F. Adams 1840).

Honoring Brenda

  Brenda Smith. Many of you didn’t know her. Some of you did.
Today, I write so you can meet “Meemaw.” We all need to be introduced to a powerhouse of faith in our lives.
Mind you, she did not have the appearance of a “power-house.” This thin, frail (looking) woman in her late 70’s would pull up to church in her mini van with 4 (or sometimes more) of her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, always a step (or 20 feet) behind their toddling and youthful feet.
Meemaw brought the little ones to church. Not just once in awhile. Not just every Sunday, but most every Wednesday night too.
Don’t let her tiny size fool you, a mighty warrior (in the Lord’s army,) was Brenda. Meemaw had every excuse in the book not to come to church. But she came to church, and she didn’t come alone.
She brought the kids, but she invited the town and everyone she ran into.
Meemaw knew the importance of walking through the doors of God’s house.
She understood the power for the kids to hear songs about God and to sing to God.
To learn to say “Thank you God.”
To be taught to pray to God.
 The Lauren Daigle song, I will trust in You was a song her great-grands would sing to her and she would be filled with delight. I know, because she drove all the way to my house one Saturday so they could learn to sing it better and have some motions for it:
Mighty warrior, king of the fight
No matter what I face You’re by my side
When You don’t move the mountains
I’m needing You to move . . .
The grands, and great-grands probably belted out these words as they had time in their living room or made trips in the car,
I don’t really know. But Meemaw was touched by their songs, making mention of it to me over and again.
When You don’t give the answers
As I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You
And the whole reason these kids even knew a song like this or even had any idea about trusting God for the hard-stuff was . . .
because Meemaw taught them about God, she listened to Christian music, and Meemaw brought them to church.
Even after fracturing her hip and going through a surgery and physical therapy, Brenda, within a short time, . . .
walked through the doors of God’s House with the kids.
She was weak, but she was there. She loved the Lord and believed in worship and prayer. She came, and I believe her prayers are and will move mountains.
I was teaching the little 3 year old twins that morning, after her recovery.
What a privilege to be part of Children’s Ministry, to be there to share Bible lessons and silly, (yet, powerful) songs to the children. I watch faith  be born in the kids. What an honor to be part of the spiritual growth of  children.
I remember helping her to the van that Sunday.
That was the last time I saw Brenda. She had a stroke while driving during that week, and within a few days, she went home to be with her Jesus. But her memory remains in my heart.

Brenda wanted everyone to come to church to be encouraged in God, moved by His grace. She wanted hearts to be softened by His mercy and forgiveness. Brenda prayed for everybody, especially her family.
God is answering her prayers. The little ones, well, . . . I was able to be a part in teaching them about Jesus last Sunday. God is moving mountains, . . .
and now Brenda can see clearly.
“Dear Jesus, Thank you for giving me Brenda to teach me so many wonderful things. I treasure those moments that we bowed our heads together in prayer, casting a world of care to You. Thank you for moving  mountains. I can see! I can see. In Jesus name, Amen.”

(Lauren Daigle, I will trust in You).