Category: Articles

A Shelter in the Time of Storm

  ‘A Shelter in the Time of Storm’.
A hymn written by Vernon J. Charlesworth sometime in the 1880’s, has power to change worry to calm. Oh the power of the hymn, if we only knew these words as they did back when:
A Shelter in the Time of storm: “The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide, A shelter in the time of storm; Secure whatever ill betide, A shelter in the time of storm.”
“O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land; O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land; A Shelter in the time of storm.”
“A shade by day, defense by night, A shelter in the time of storm; No fears alarm, no foes affright, A shelter in the time of storm.
“The raging storms may round us beat, A shelter in the time of storm; We’ll never leave our safe retreat, A shelter in the time of storm.”
“O Rock divine, O Refuge dear, A shelter in the time of storm; Be Thou our helper ever near, A shelter in the time of storm. O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land; O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land; A shelter in the time of storm!”
Thank you Vernon J. Charlesworth for your pen, that chose to write, way back when, so my heart and mind can think of this, and speak these words that bring about peace.
A hymn, so powerful to bring a calm. Rich in truth and and a healing balm. God’s word, a sword against our foe, can be our help when the storm rages so:  “You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalms 32 verse seven. Do I make the choice to receive this in faith? Do I take hold of the truth, so that I might finish the race?
God gave us choice. What then? Do we stop and be still so we can hear Him? Oh, the struggle. Oh, the fight. Our very natures resist being still! We want to ‘get back’ we want to ‘be right!’
‘Pause and think quietly upon all of this.’ “Selah” is the remedy for quiet bliss: Psalm 32 verse seven is written, that I might open it up to seek God’s face in heaven.
‘Even though we may walk in the valley of the shadow of death we will fear no evil,’ because ‘in Him’ we reside.  He is a Shelter in the Time of storm, and  – in Him – we hide!
“Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you ,again” and again,  “it is a safeguard for you.” (Philipians 3:1, emphasis, mine.)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.”  (Let us choose to cling to God’s word at this time), Philippians 4:4, is our key to remember that the Lord is watching, the Lord can hear, the Lord knows everything – and yes, He is near!
‘He knows our frame. He knows we are dust’ (1). He knows we need forgiveness. He knows all the mess. He is Sovereign, …
He is Omniscient, …
He is Omnipotent.
Turn to Him,  for salvation, One time is enough, but moment by moment, draw near to Him – for power and strength and a refuge in the storm. He is Love, He is Able, He is the LORD.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -… 
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things… and the God of peace will be with you.” Phillipians  Four, 8 and 9. God’s word, and hymns and Psalms are divine, full of supernatural strength for all time.
Today, do you choose to take refuge in Him? Moment by moment, call out His name. He hears, He guides, and He calls you to come, to take refuge under the shadow of His loving arms. “Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28; God’s word, a refuge for us.
“The raging storms may round us beat, A shelter in the time of storm; We’ll never leave our safe retreat, A shelter in the time of storm.”
“O Rock divine, O Refuge dear, A shelter in the time of storm; Be Thou our helper ever near, A shelter in the time of storm. O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, A weary land, a weary land; O Jesus is a Rock in a weary land; A shelter in the time of storm!”
May these words become well-worn. Thank you Vernon J. Charlesworth for ‘A shelter in the time of storm’. But most of all, thank you Jesus, for Your righteous right arm!
(1) Psalm 103:14.

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A song of my miseries? No, only discoveries "What a Friend we have in Jesus"

The Songs to Choir Master, the Psalms to the Chief Musician written and penned by the hand of David, the man. Breathed and expressed by God – who made him. When the Book is opened, when my heart fails, I almost think the song is my wail.

But then something happens when the words are read again, suddenly, I realize, This is Jesus, my Friend:

“Save me, O God!
    For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
    with waiting for my God.

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
    are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?” Psalm 69 verses 1-Four.

Sorrows, deep sorrows rushed in like a flood. Jesus, He knows what its like when bitter griefs steal the heart.

Sometimes, I’m so concerned about ‘me’ that I fail to see that the whole entire mess and sin was nailed upon the Tree.

“Twas not the insulting  voice of scorn So deeply wrung his heart; The piercing nail, the pointed thorn, Caused not the saddest smart: 

But every struggling sigh betray’d a heavier grief within, how on his burden’d soul was laid the weight of human sin.

O thou who hast vouchsafed to bear, Our sins’ oppressive load, Grant us thy righteousness to wear, And lead us to our God.” (A poem  in response to the Psalm 69,  by Spurgeon in his devotions,  this morning, now mine).

So today, I choose to leave my devotions with a song that I can sing in my heart, or with voice speak and say:

“Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble everywhere? We should never be discouraged; Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a Friend so faithful? Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; Take it to the Lord in prayer.”

“Are we weak and heavy laden, Cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge! Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Do Thy friends despise, forsake Thee? Take it to the Lord in pryer.

In His arms He’ll take and shield Thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.”

“What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry Everything to God in prayer!”

 “What a Friend we Have in Jesus,” written  by Joseph Scriven in 1855, but today, these old words will take residence in my heart and give me peace and help my soul revive! (I sing it even with emphasis, mine.)  Will you also choose a hymn, or a new song instead, of worry and fret – let us choose ‘faith’ instead!

 

My prayer is already written

Psalm 51. To the Chief Musician…

“Have mercy on me, O God,
    because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
    blot out the stain of my sins.
2 Wash me clean from my guilt.
    Purify me from my sin.
3 For I recognize my rebellion;
    it haunts me day and night.
4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
    I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
    and your judgment against me is just.
5 For I was born a sinner—
    yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6 But you desire honesty from the womb,
    teaching me wisdom even there.

7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
    wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
    you have broken me—
    now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
    Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit[d] from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
    and they will return to you.
14 Forgive me for shedding blood, O God who saves;
    then I will joyfully sing of your forgiveness.
15 Unseal my lips, O Lord,
    that my mouth may praise you.

16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
    You do not want a burnt offering.
17 The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
    You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
18 Look with favor on Zion and help her;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then you will be pleased with sacrifices offered in the right spirit—
    with burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings.
    Then bulls will again be sacrificed on your altar.”

This is my prayer to my Chief Musician as well.

Calculations …

Abraham Lincoln told stories that have survived generations. Here is one that contains calculations: If a tail of a dog is counted as a leg, tell me now, how many legs have the dog?’  The answer would then be proclaimed, ‘Five.’ Yet, the response by the tall man with a smile was given , “No, Four – because calling the tail a leg, doesn’t make it a leg.”
What do you say?
Calculations are made by man, but does it matter? People develop conclusions from outside appearances, but God …He’s got the whole picture, He knows the whole plan. (1) God knows the beginning from the end. (2)God knows everything within.(3)
Man can devise his own math problem, proclaiming: “Every man’s way is right, tolerance of all things is true. And those that hold to standards of old, must be moved out of the way, for it’s time for ‘equations-anew’.
So we have math problems being made, all new indeed, but actually the same as it’s been from the beginning of history. It is the battle with , “I, myself, and me.”
Forgetting, … (for some),  that there is  – a “Father,  a Spirit, and  a Son.” Yet, God’s word makes it quite clear that “there is none, righteous. No, not one.” (4)
We live in a world of circus-type atmosphere, but there are some, whose vision remains clear. Just as good -‘ol Abe and his story from long gone, we have a tried and true solution.  God, the Father who sent His Son to take our failures and nail them to the tree, His shed blood clears the  debt account in full, for all those who believe.
When the ancients were shouting, “The world is flat!” some monks were reading of the ‘circle of the earth’(5) from the ‘ol Book as they sat. They spoke of an earth that was round – they were scorned and ridiculed and told to not speak a sound!
So calculations are made in the whims of the age. Words of man spoken and written out on the page. People adding 1+1= Me. They have ‘I’, and ‘myself’, and  well, I’ve heard it said, some follow the trinity of stupidity! Don’t be offended. Math is a perfect science. If at first you don’t succeed … Seek, ask and knock, and you will soon see.
The Bible,  penned by many authors through a long period of time, inspired and breathed upon by the breath of God – Holy and Divine. By faith many believe He is able to do all things,
even by the Word of His mouth. He’s Creator of all we see – North, East, West and South.
Let us calculate which is best for others? 1 + 1+ 1 = 3, requiring faith to grasp the great mystery. God the Father, who sent His Son, to shed His blood for everyone, and dying, yet rising, leaving the Holy Spirit to seal, each and every heart that believes He is and He will give us life forever, for all eternity still!
“You don’t understand. We’re too smart for all this. You take your faith in God, and we will trust our Science.” These are the words that we often hear today, but the man of God goes home  and prays. He opens ‘ol pages and reads words in the Holy  Bible – for wisdom and understanding and knowledge for survival!
Yesterday, today, forever the same. No matter what man says, God is God, He is God the same!
If the tail were a leg? How many legs have a dog? King Solomon wrote, “the conclusion of the whole matter, …
is “Fear God!”
“Fear God and keep his commandments: this is the whole duty of man.” For God will bring every work into judgement, every secret thing, good or bad. God will expose every secret thing, this is God’s word in Ecclesiastes 12:14.
Do the math. It’s best to trust God and to obey Him – this in turn produces …
happy children!
 
 
 
(1) Jermiah 29:11, ” For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace  and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Romans 3:10,11 “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; no one who seeks God.…”
(2) Revelation 22:13, ” I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and Last.
(3) 1 Samuel 16:7, “But the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.
(4) Romans 3:10, 11, “as it is written, ‘ There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God…”
(5)  Isaiah 40:22 “It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to live in;”
(6) Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.

Appearances … we often hide the inside.

We wake. We put on a face. We present ourselves all together and lovely. God alone knows the heart of man.
Oh, how sad, and sick and full of sin, is the human heart that lies within.
So, we grow  in circumstance and receive education, but the viper’s poison still remains, even when it imparts no sting. Our hearts are dark within.
The sin of one man destroyed us all. (2) Adam, in the beginning, in the fall. But grace is as a great blot of ink, because the thought of blood is hard to think … yes, grace blots out and covers in full. The blood of the Lamb, shed to cleanse mankind all –  red, brown, yellow, black, and white – The name of Jesus makes ‘crimson’, white as snow.(3)
It all sounds like ‘religious stuff’ but in fact it’s knowledge that leads to hope. It’s words written on a page of history forever, for all eternity changed.
“We were lost, but we are found,” reads a song of hope in Spurgeon’s poem,
“Dead, but now alive are we;” the poem reads in simplicity.
“Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God:” (3)
“As by the offence of one, judgement came to all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one came the free gift upon all men unto justification.” (Romans 5:18, almost too good to believe!)
“Dead, but now alive are we;” We were sore in bondage bound, But our Jesus sets us free.”
“Strangers, and he takes us in, Naked, he becomes our dress. Sick, and he from stain of sin, Cleanses with his righteousness.”  These are words of a Spurgeon poem, that lead the way to peace and home.
Where is home? Where is home? Sometimes it’s hard to understand and know. God help us to shed the dark heart within, that we might have a new countenance, outside … and first, in.
Give me back a smile upon my face in knowing that You love me and have given me grace. O God, restore me again and give me inner joy. Lift up Your countenance on me Lord, let it be evident on my face.
Then I will say aloud the words on the page, as if they are my own, from my own heart the same:
“Therefore will I sing his praise, Who his lost ones hath restored, Hearts and voices both shall raise 
Hallelujahs to the Lord.” 
May my countenance be changed moment by moment, breath by breath, as I seek the Lord and His righteousness. There is no righteousness in me, except in believing that He IS HE! Today, today let my prayer be, and old Spurgeon poem written just for me:
“Lord, from anger purge my heart, Bid all enmity depart; New-created from above, Let my very life be love. 
Quench in me each evil fire, Envious thought or false desire. Flame from heaven upon me fall! Love of God be all in all!” (5)
 
(1) Jeremiah 17:9-10, (NLT) “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
    and desperately wicked.
    Who really knows how bad it is?
10 But I, the Lord, search all hearts
    and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
    according to what their actions deserve.”

 Mark 7:21, For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness …”

(2) Romans 5:15, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.”
(3)  Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.
(4) Romans 5:18, “ Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
(5) Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible pg. 8,10.

His Gospel song. (Believe Me now.)

When sorrow runs deep. And there’s no place to go from the pain that pierces the heart so …so dis-heartening, this world, this moment in time.  But God, somehow, in His preciousness, speaks to man’s soul, your soul and mine.
“I know suffering, rejection and pain. Even at only the mention of My name. Creator of all things, yet forgotten by most. The blue sky so brilliant, with puffs of white. The clouds rolling in, bringing rain to delight. The seed that is planted in the ground all around, to produce fruit that nourishes and brings joyful sounds.
“I AM with you. ‘I AM with you always.’ (1) ‘I Am the Rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys.'(2)
Through the mess, the sickness, the loss, the shame – from before you were formed, I knew your name.(3)
Much of mankind has turned it’s back to Me. But I AM above all you can think or see. I AM God Almighty.”
“Even when you were ashamed of my name, I stretched my hands wide, and I was nailed to a tree. (4) My blood was shed to wash you, clean. Completely. I laid down My life, so you might be free.”
“Will you be willing to believe Me now? The angels sang over My Creation in the beginning, (5) but I sing over you songs of new mornings. (6) I sing over you, the greatest of  truths, that My grace is sufficient to make you new!”(7)
“They were just words in the past, but now the words are My tender touch. My nail pierced hands –  will you let them teach, will you let them lead you to believe in My  forgiveness? 
I love you forever. I love you right now. Shed from your heart, the heavy sorrow. I have risen. I’m alive forevermore. I Am here, Follow Me now.”
An exhortation: If we only choose to listen, to give ear, not our backs, to the One who cares most, the One where there is no lack.  If we only choose to lose ourselves and let Him fill us to the full. Finally admitting our hearts are dark, believing in hope He can make them white as wool.
A Response: “At this present hour, this moment in time, God we sense You, drawing us to Your powerful Spirit, Divine. We take off old garments and receive now from You, a garment of praise, a garment of joy – ’cause you took all our ashes and our failures and sin, and in Your merciful, loving kindness, have let us begin again.
Out with the old, in with the new. Jesus, Your name now, I proclaim as my Savior, and my Bridegroom.  “I do!”
(1) Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew  28:20.
(2) “I am the rose of Sharon, The lily of the valleys.” Song of Solomon 2:1. 
(3) “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5.
(4) “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.
(5)”When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy…” Job 38:7.
(6)”The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17.
(7) ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.’ 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Impossible possibilities

Rejoice Always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.

‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[a] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’ Acts 17:28.

 

My God is so great, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do, for you.

A child’s song. Perhaps it’s so much more than we ever imagined.  It could be the spark that lights up a new flame. One that had been quenched.

“Is God in control?
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms;  He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, ‘Destroy!’” Deut.33:27.
This is hope. God – a refuge. God – with everlasting arms.God – able to destroy our enemies.
“But I can’t see Him. How can I have hope?” You might say?
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us…”
Hope does not disappoint, when you and I hope in God.
You see, when you and I hope in God, the Holy Spirit begins to minister His unfailing love to us – not once and for all – but moment by moment when we keep all that we are, heart, soul, and mind , on Him.
But we think, “But what about tomorrow?”, “How am I going to pay this bill?”, or “How am I going to get through college?” or “How will I ever…?”, or,  “What do I do with this child?”, or  “What about this  seemingly hopeless situation?”
What did Peter tell us in 1Peter 1:13? “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest you hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
“Gird up! Rest your hope fully”… so I am to take all my hope and rest it on the grace that is brought to me at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I am to take whatever hope I have and rest it on the unmerited favor that God has for me revealed in Jesus.
“Well, then, I need revelation, and I need it now!”
God’s spoke to Job out of the whirlwind after he was instructed to ‘Gird up’ or ‘prepare himself like a man’ Job 38:3. Today, I need to hear Him:
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?…”Job 38:12,13.
“Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?  Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.”Job 16,17.
Job has lost all his belongings, his wife left him with no comfort,  each of his children have died, his friends are judgmental and harsh, and Job is suffering with boils and extreme  pain! How is God speaking to him?
He is reminding Job, “I am in control.”
“Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? By what way is light diffused. Or the east wind scattered over the earth?” Job 38:22-24.
God is Sovereign. Are you in need? “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” (1 John 5:4). 
“Then I need more faith,” you might say. “Faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17).
Faith is increased in the hearing and believing in this: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah
“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, The holy pace of the tabernacle of the Most High, God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God shall help her, just at the break of dawn…The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
“Come, behold the works of the LORD, Who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah   Psalm 46.
God is in control, and He has calmed and quieted my heart by His transforming word. “Lord, though ‘the earth be removed’, so to speak, and ‘waters roar and are troubled’, the river of life that You have placed in my heart, the Holy Spirit, has reminded me, today, once again, as a ‘very present help in trouble’ that You, the God of Jacob are my refuge.  I do not need to be afraid. You are in control. Yes, Lord,
 “You, will keep me in perfect peace Whose mind is stayed on You, Because I trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD is everlasting strength.” Is. 23:6.

And that is how we can ‘rejoice in the Lord, always’, He’s got us in His everlasting, ever-loving arms, and He knows those who trust in Him. We can ‘be still’ because we know… He knows.

School that matters most …

Graduation is incredible! A time to celebrate. You did it! You finished! You completed the task!  So we stand, we clap,  and mama’s cry at the sight of your cap. But for some, mama’s not there to witness the cap and the gown. For some, papa is not present in attendance to be found,
But there is a Father who is always there for you. And the school that matters most, is your knowledge that that’s true.
The school of faith is what matter most. There are no alarms, no schedules, it’s all by choice you know. No need to rush or fret or worry about some answers on a test – it’s about knowing Your Father and His Son that He has sent.
The school that matters most, is that you know God loves you. Now don’t be too smart for this, keep on learning past today.  If God’s love were a coin, every coin has two sides, wouldn’t you say?
The one side  is merciful and suffers l-o-n-g, which is the theme of many a song. The other side is firm, demanding discipline. Remember always, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (1)
There is a choice that must be made, by you and everyone for that matter! School never ends if you want to be part of life everlasting. Life that never ends has a dictionary definition, “ This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17 verse 3. But this was not written by Webster, this is written by God for all to see!
Grow in the Lord. Draw near to Him. Read His word. Give thanks to Him. This is the school that never ends, because life continues forever, for all eternity … in Him!
Set your alarm for time in His word. Ask the Holy Spirit daily to refresh and come in. Keep your hands together in prayer. Clap in praise to Him.  But this is not all ‘basket weaving ‘ you know. Because each day, God’s searching light will reveal things that have to go.
If you choose to let Him search and ask Him to. He will give you a cleansed heart, He will give you a new story! He will mold you, He will make you a vessel that brings Him glory.
This is school that matters most – your faith! It’s the victory that overcomes the world.
And in case you are not quite sure how you are to pray, Jesus gives the answer so we may always know the way:
“ Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
  Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
So ‘Let it be’ we will say, again and again. And as time goes by, again.  This is the schooling that never ends!
(1) Psalm 111:9,10. …”He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the LORD  is the beginning of  wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”
 

Fire burns. Fire purifies.

When fire comes and the flesh is burning, run Not,   or the fire will be fed to raging.
Stop and drop and look for a covering, to smolder the flames, and be still.  Let the help come to cover the burns, this is what as a child, we learn.
With time and tender compassionate dressing, with ointments that heal the wounds. The flesh heals, in time and long minutes,  yet the scars remain – that we remember, the pain, but the healing is greater still. The healing is greater still.
How do we know such things? The Bible tells us so:
Malachi 3:2-4: “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap.
“He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.…
The word of God, the precious, powerful word of God. Let it refine us as silver. Let us receive it to refine and purify. Let us give thanks this day, in our hurting, that because of the Lord’s mercies and loving-kindness, we are not consumed:
“It is of the Lord’s mercies and loving-kindnesses that we are not consumed, because His (tender) compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion or share, says my living being; therefore will I hope in Him and expectantly wait for Him. The Lord is good to those who hopefully and expectantly wait for Him, to those who seek Him  – inquire of and for Him,…” Lamentations 3:22-24.
Praying a Psalm today. Praying Psalm 17.
“Hear a just cause, O Lord,
Attend to my cry;
Give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips.
2 Let my vindication come from Your presence;
Let Your eyes look on the things that are upright.

 3 You have tested my heart;You have visited me in the night;

You have tried me  …

6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
7 Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand,
O You who save those who trust in You
From those who rise up against them.
8 Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
Hide me under the shadow of Your wings,
9 From the wicked who oppress me,
From my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They have closed up their fat hearts;
With their mouths they speak proudly.
11 They have now surrounded us in our steps;
They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
12 As a lion is eager to tear his prey,
And like a young lion lurking in secret places.

13 Arise, O Lord,
Confront him, cast him down;
Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword,
14 With Your hand … O Lord …”
15 As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness;
I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

Refine me as silver, purify me as gold. Today, in newness, I will walk, with Your hand to hold.

Rejection? Ask God, He knows all about it …

“What would the Lord have to say? About rejection, or anything for that matter? The answers can be found. Oh yes, they are spoken, they’re wide open, yet they are closed until the pages of The Book are read. The words are recorded here in the New Living Translation, simple and easy, yet from the Lord, heart-shaking.

The LORD is good that He shakes up our hard and stoney earth. His word is true. His word is power. He is able to break up the fallow ground that fruit might once again grow and we can again have hope to flower. But He leaves the choice completely to us. The Lord speaks of His rejection. Let us take time to hear His side of the story:

I am opening The Book to Jeremiah Chapter 2. The Lord gave me another message. He said, 2 “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says:

“I remember how eager you were to please me
    as a young bride long ago,
how you loved me and followed me
    even through the barren wilderness.
3 In those days Israel was holy to the Lord,
    the first of his children.[a]
All who harmed his people were declared guilty,
    and disaster fell on them.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

4 Listen to the word of the Lord, people of Jacob—all you families of Israel! 5 This is what the Lord says:

“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
    that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
    only to become worthless themselves.
6 They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
    who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
    a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
    where no one lives or even travels?’

7 “And when I brought you into a fruitful land
    to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
    corrupted the possession I had promised you.
8 The priests did not ask,
    ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who taught my word ignored me,
    the rulers turned against me,
and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal,
    wasting their time on worthless idols.
9 Therefore, I will bring my case against you,”
    says the Lord.
“I will even bring charges against your children’s children
    in the years to come.

10 “Go west and look in the land of Cyprus[b];
    go east and search through the land of Kedar.
Has anyone ever heard of anything
    as strange as this?
11 Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones,
    even though they are not gods at all?
Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God[c]
    for worthless idols!
12 The heavens are shocked at such a thing
    and shrink back in horror and dismay,”
    says the Lord.
13 “For my people have done two evil things:
They have abandoned me—
    the fountain of living water.
And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns
    that can hold no water at all!

The Results of Israel’s Sin

14 “Why has Israel become a slave?
    Why has he been carried away as plunder?
15 Strong lions have roared against him,
    and the land has been destroyed.
The towns are now in ruins,
    and no one lives in them anymore.
16 Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis[d] and Tahpanhes,
    have destroyed Israel’s glory and power.
17 And you have brought this upon yourselves
    by rebelling against the Lord your God,
    even though he was leading you on the way!

18 “What have you gained by your alliances with Egypt
    and your covenants with Assyria?
What good to you are the streams of the Nile[e]
    or the waters of the Euphrates River?[f]
19 Your wickedness will bring its own punishment.
    Your turning from me will shame you.
You will see what an evil, bitter thing it is
    to abandon the Lord your God and not to fear him.
    I, the Lord, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!

20 “Long ago I broke the yoke that oppressed you
    and tore away the chains of your slavery,
but still you said,
    ‘I will not serve you.’
On every hill and under every green tree,
    you have prostituted yourselves by bowing down to idols.
21 But I was the one who planted you,
    choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best.
    How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine?
22 No amount of soap or lye can make you clean.
    I still see the stain of your guilt.
    I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!

Israel, an Unfaithful Wife

23 “You say, ‘That’s not true!
    I haven’t worshiped the images of Baal!’
But how can you say that?
    Go and look in any valley in the land!
Face the awful sins you have done.
    You are like a restless female camel
    desperately searching for a mate.
24 You are like a wild donkey,
    sniffing the wind at mating time.
Who can restrain her lust?
    Those who desire her don’t need to search,
    for she goes running to them!
25 When will you stop running?
    When will you stop panting after other gods?
But you say, ‘Save your breath.
    I’m in love with these foreign gods,
    and I can’t stop loving them now!’

26 “Israel is like a thief
    who feels shame only when he gets caught.
They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets—
    all are alike in this.
27 To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,
    ‘You are my father.’
To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,
    ‘You are my mother.’
They turn their backs on me,
    but in times of trouble they cry out to me,
    ‘Come and save us!’
28 But why not call on these gods you have made?
    When trouble comes, let them save you if they can!
For you have as many gods
    as there are towns in Judah.
29 Why do you accuse me of doing wrong?
    You are the ones who have rebelled,”
    says the Lord.
30 “I have punished your children,
    but they did not respond to my discipline.
You yourselves have killed your prophets
    as a lion kills its prey.

31 “O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
    Have I been like a desert to Israel?
    Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!
    We don’t need him anymore!’
32 Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
    or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
    my people have forgotten me.

33 “How you plot and scheme to win your lovers.
    Even an experienced prostitute could learn from you!
34 Your clothing is stained with the blood of the innocent and the poor,
    though you didn’t catch them breaking into your houses!
35 And yet you say,
‘I have done nothing wrong.
    Surely God isn’t angry with me!’
But now I will punish you severely
    because you claim you have not sinned.
36 First here, then there—
    you flit from one ally to another asking for help.
But your new friends in Egypt will let you down,
    just as Assyria did before.
37 In despair, you will be led into exile
    with your hands on your heads,
for the Lord has rejected the nations you trust.
    They will not help you at all. (Jeremiah Chapter 2 in completion, emphasis added, mine).

“And when I think, that God, His Son, not sparing – sent Him to die. I scarce can take it in. That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing. He bled and died to take away my sin …” (How Great Thou Art)

Today. Today. I turn to the Lord and say: “I am yours dear Lord, and You are mine. Don’t ever let me leave You. Let my heart be tender to You all the days of my life. Let me sing and You abide in my praises, “Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee, How great Thou art. How great Thou art. Then sings my soul, My Savior God to Thee:

How Great Thou Art! How Great Thou Art!”

 

‘Eye’ will not worry, this time, again!

We love a picture, so we hang it on the wall to view over and over again. We love songs and listen time and time again. Well, I have a speech that moved me and inspired me and so, I put it down, so I can read it anytime, over and over again, when I get overwhelmed or worried. Are you prone to worry? Here is a speech given at a pinning ceremony of a nursing graduate; Wh-eye worry?
“Did you know that there are 47 different structures that make up the human eye that all have a unique function? Did you know that there are 6 extra-ocular muscles, 4 cranial nerves, and 1.2 million nerve fibers in each optic nerve.
Did you know that when light waves touch my eye, without even thinking about it, I blink to protect them from too much exposure.
And when that amount of light changes, my pupillary light response reacts without a thought, so that only the right amount of light is let into my eye.
Did you know that there are four-out of the twelve- cranial nerves that work specifically for the eye, so that they can not only allow me to focus on an object and read it, but also so that they can move in different directions.
There are 9 different structures that all play a specific role in receiving light messages before they even get to the brain. And it is not until those messages get to the occipital lobe of the brain that I can interpret what I am actually seeing.
The eyes receive millions of light waves and messages everyday, but my brain has a specific area that lets only the important and significant messages through so that the brain doesn’t get over-stimulated.
And did you know…
that the God who told me to cast all my cares upon Him, and that He will never leave me nor forsake me, that I should be anxious for nothing, was the very one who designed this whole system and hundreds like it! So that we can live and move and breathe every second.
And did you know that He didn’t have to lift a finger,
and He didn’t sweat a drop to think of it.
He just breathed on one man, and He knit us together and formed us in our mother’s womb
before you were even a thought in her mind.
And now tell me,
What are you worried about?
What will you be worried about when you come up to those hurdles that are bound to cross your path?
I want you to think of your EYE! and tell me,
that your situation, your problem, your worry is too big
for the God who created you and the world you live in
to handle.”
A young graduating nursing student  gave this speech on her mom’s birthday.  “What are you worried about? I want you to think of your eye!”
We can’t hang it on our wall, but we can read it over and over and over again. And share it with others that we might not be tempted…ever again, to worry.
Thank you Carolyn, my ‘song of joy’. I pull out these words when I’m tempted to worry! God’s got this! He has a plan. We can trust God always. He loves greater, so much greater than any man. Well, any man besides Jesus, the Son He has sent. That we might receive Him and His forgiveness and be new forever and ever, and ever again!
 

my life unfolds at the Potter's house …

Walking around much like Eeyore at times, Pooh comes beside and says, “Lets check out this house! Perhaps there is something sweet inside!” Eeyore replies, “I can’t find my tail. I just want to hide.”
Characters tell our stories time and again. And it helps us chuckle and get back on the horse again!
Today, I accept the invitation from ‘Pooh’ and go for a visit to the House of the Potter. I open the door and I see with my eyes, and hear with my ears, the Potter, Himself, talking to me. (1)
“I, the Potter, am creating from clay, (originally something common and worth very little). I will make it useful, above any price. I will make this vessel, even more than just useful, I will make this vessel, Beau – ti – ful! I AM able, I Am all wise. (2)
“Yes, I, the Potter, make beautiful things out of earth. I raise it up to express all that I AM. I make all things beautiful in time, I AM able. This is My work. (3)
So, I watch and I listen with the wheel spinning around. Around and round. The Potter throws the clay –  and I must say, “This is my life!” Going around in circles and again, and feeling ‘bruised’ by the Artist, but as I watch it all becomes clear that my thoughts are marred, as I watch the Potter and the clay, they soon became one in His hands this day.
“What’s going on?!” My life goes on in circles, it seems. I’m heading no-where right now! “Get me off this wheel! I want to get off!” We look for all the ways somehow.
Unfortunately, unlike the lump of clay on the wheel, we have choice to steel away and not seek God’s will.
But the picture before me: the Potter at the wheel with a thrown down lump of clay being made to be still. Even amidst the turning and moving around and around, pressure is applied and the lump seems sound. So, I think of the pressures and problems and struggles of life, oh if we be but clay and ‘be still’ and not strive!
But we throw ourselves off the wheel of the Potter, landing on what we think is adventures evermore. But then we find we are stepped on and walked on and beaten and broken, and we cry out, “O God, pick me up. I am hurting and sore!” (4)
And He does! He does! The Potter picks the clay up again, and throws it center on the wheel to be a new creation!
The clay does no more demanding. The clay is yielded and softens as the water is brought to its hardness by the Potter’s hand’s touch! (5)
As I watch, I can see so clearly what is so hard in life; to trust the Potter, to completely yield – this is what’s best! He makes beauty out of hard old dirt. He has a plan, He can be trusted. ‘Be Still’, let us pass this test! (6)
Who is the Potter? Who is the Lord? As the Master Craftsman applies pressure and water, and lovingly makes a vessel of honor, to give honor to Him, the One who is good, the one who is patient, forgiving and so very kind. He chose us when we were rebelling. He chose to pick us up after our fall.
He is the Potter and He has saved this broken and hurting lump of clay! And a new (old) song I sing each day:
“When I think about the Lord, how He saved me, how He raised me, how He filled me up with the Holy Ghost! How He healed me to the uttermost! When I think about the Lord, How He picked me up, He turned me around and He set my feet, on solid ground!’ It makes me want to shout, “Halleluiah!” Thank You Jesus, Lord You’re worthy of all of the glory, all of the honor, all of the praise! …” (When I think about the Lord).
How do I know the Potter loves me so? The Bible tells me so:
(1) “Go down to the Potter’s shop, and I will speak to you there.” So I did as he told me and found the potter working at his wheel.” Jeremiah 18:1,2.
(2) He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10.
(3) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.
(4)  But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make. Jeremiah 18:4.
(5) “But who are you, a human being, to talk back to God? “Shall what is formed say to the one who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ ” Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use? Romans: 9: 20,21.

(6) For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. Romans 5:6-10.

make my heart new. O God, I need You …

I’m setting my goals high. I’m changing my course. I now set my eyes on Jesus. I’m making the choice.
Forsaking the lies. I now choose to die, that I might live and love and be completely new inside.
God, You love the poor. You love the needy. You love the maimed. You love the ugly. You love higher than my brain can comprehend …
Will You lift me above this rude, painful earth? That I might know You and Your love — bring in me a new birth.
I’m tired and weary, life’s yoke is so heavy. Building my house on sand has made me unsteady.
The waves are crashing down hard upon me. God Almighty have mercy on me! Lift me Lord  that I might see once again. Lift Me God with Your powerful right Hand!
I give you my unforgiving, hard and stubborn heart. Will You exchange it, Father in heaven, and give me a new start? Teach me Agape. It is high, I cannot attain it.
Fill  me – with  – Your  – Spirit!
Teach me, dear Lord, today … I ask that You show me the way!
Unconditional love is not found on this earth. It is from the heavens far above the dust and thorns. I’ve been torn. I have been running, in the dark, in the night. I turn my direction, guide me with Your light.
Forsaking the past, believing now with each step. I  receive. I respond to Your love now completely. That I might move in this world with a Love like Your own –with faith, abiding,
in You alone.
I set my goal on Agape love. I will fail, I know …  Help me forgive others their failures as I go.
I’m changing course. I talk hold of Your hand. Lord Jesus, will You be just that, my Lord and Savior. I am  completely Yours!