Quiet You

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
       Zephaniah 3:17


Ever had those days when your emotions just seem to run wild?  You know what I mean, for no apparent reason you wake feeling sad or empty.  The more you try to figure out "what in the world is going on", the sadder or emptier you feel.

Feeling this way isn't necessarily wrong but there is a better way!  Trust in The Lord, take Him at His word.  His word says that He will quiet you with His love.  Don't know about you but that sounds like an extremely good promise to grab onto...

Picture with me for a moment or two, the love between a mom and her baby. The house would be quiet, so early in the morning, except for the uncontrollable crying of her baby. She has tried everything; changing the diaper, a warm bottle of milk, a favorite rattle but all to no avail.  The rocking chair in the corner looks inviting as she picks up the crying child and begins to gently rock to and fro.  Soon the baby is snuggling silently against her chest and all seems well once again!  Her love has quieted the cries.

I leave you now with that mental picture as I see the rocker and my Heavenly Father calling me to snuggle against Him as He quiets me with His love.

New Seasons and Dreams

 

Spring has sprung! Winter was slow giving way to spring but it had to move aside to wait in silent till it's time will come again.

Looking at my own life, I realize that seasons have come and gone.  Some passed slowly almost refusing to make room for the next.  Perhaps there were also those seasons that I clung to, refusing to move out of my comfort zone.

At times, we believe our season is long past. It has been put to rest with the dream that never seemed to come to fruition.  And yet the sense of wonderment, of could it be, lingers.

Reading a portion of Abraham and Sarah's story this morning once again brought hope to my weary bones. You can read their story in Genesis.

This two people without a doubt walked through many seasons in their lives.  They had seasons of hope, despair and fulfilled promises of God.  Sarah understood lack of fulfillment as she watched as her body aged, losing hope of the promised child. Yet that season was still not only in God's hands but also in His plans.

Do you have a season, a dream that you long for?  I too believe I am walking into a new season of life. Like Sarah waiting on God's promise of child, I probably have tried to give birth to my dream in my own ways time and again. Now in my older age, I too laugh as I hear the chance of God birthing that dream. The spiritual tummy is bulging and the heartbeat of the spiritual child seems stronger than ever.

Years ago, I felt God calling me to a particular task.  For years, I wrestled with the notion that I was not rich enough, smart enough, brave enough or strong enough to make the dream come to past.  Like the picture I shared yesterday, I needed to promise to remember that I was braver than I felt, stronger than it seemed and smarter than I thought.  But what I really needed was to simply take God at His word.

We all can rest in the knowledge of a loving God that promises to complete the good work He has begun in each of us.  If He has placed a dream, hope or promise inside you, wait on it.  It will surely come to past.  Do your part!  What is my part, you ask?  Our part is to obey, trust and love The Lord with everything within us!

Preaching at myself this morning, I remind us just as the labor pains of an expecting mother bring forth the cries of her newborn so God will bring forth the cries of the dream He placed within us!

A portion of Sarah’s story...

"So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, 'After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?'" - Genesis 18:12

God had promised Abraham and Sarah a son who would be the seed of a whole nation. Sarah was now beyond childbearing years. So when some angels from God paid Abraham a visit to inform him that Sarah was going to have a child, she happened to be listening outside the tent and laughter escaped from within her.  The thought seemed unbelievable to her. The angels reminded her that nothing is impossible with God.

"Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son" (Gen. 18:14).

Sarah gave birth to Isaac as foretold.

You will find more encouragment over at Spiritual Sundays

Make a Eternal Difference

A brand new week, a brand new day is upon us.  What will we do or say this week, this day that will make a eternal difference in our little part of this world?

Yesterday, Pastor Kemp spoke of each of us being a shepherd.  He challenged us, as Christians, to dust off our pulpits for those who matter more in our life. Asking us to go the extra mile, he challenged us to broadening the circle of our influence. His message (based on John chapter 10) was to convince us to become a shepherd like Jesus.

This morning reading one of my daily devotions I noted that David declared to do just that.  He declared to daily tell (write) of God's righteous and salvation.  I doubt if David knew his circle of influence would be used on this old country girl from Texas thousands of years later.  Perhaps today you can not even envision your influence being of importance.

Still I would remind each of us you never know what a seed planted will produce until you plant it. Praise Him aloud today!  Tell others what He has done for you! Sing of His goodness!

Even if you do not see or believe others are listening and watching - they are......


Abba Father,  please allow us to make an impact in the lives of others, bringing glory to Your name.  Help us to tell of Your goodness all of our days, even today as we reach out to both those we love and those You place in our path.  Help us to truly believe as David wrote "for I do not know their limits."  For Abba I believe Your love is immeasurable.

Psalm 71:14-15
New King James Version (NKJV)
14 But I will hope continually,
And will praise You yet more and more.
15 My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness
And Your salvation all the day,
For I do not know their limits.

Psalm 71:14-15
New Living Translation (NLT)
14 But I will keep on hoping for your help;
    I will praise you more and more.
15 I will tell everyone about your righteousness.
    All day long I will proclaim your saving power,
    though I am not skilled with words.

She Can Move Mountains

Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done.
      Matthew 20:21

In prayer, this morning she was asking God to move the mountains that stand between her and her dream.  The mountain range, at times, seem so large, some higher than others.  Each mountain has a name.  There is the mountain of fear.  One is called lack of (whatever at moment she believes she does not have nor can attain). The list goes on but you get the picture.

As she was praying the thought entered her mind that God did not say He would move the mountain but that with faith she could move the mountain. She thought whenever I am finished praying, I will search for that verse.


Searching turned out not to be necessary.  As she opened her very first email devotion, you guessed it, there the scripture was bigger than life...    Think God was telling her something?  How about you? Got any mountains you need to throw into the sea?


Let's be mountains movers today!  Ready, set, go!


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Just for Her

Looking out the kitchen window, the sight took her breath away. Just above the bare limbs of trees, the sky shimmered with rays of a gorgeous reddish sunrise.  It was as if God had painted the sky just for her, giving her yet another promise of His relentless love. Without a doubt, she knew, only God could design something so perfect and wonderful.

Knowing the camera would not do it justice still she must try to capture it. Just before she turned to go, she whispered "thank you so much God."

A sunrise always holds a promise for a new day, a day to start over.  Perhaps today you feel the need for that new start or maybe it is simply the need to continue with purpose that which God has planted in your heart.  Either way, today is that day for you!

The Mighty One, God the Lord, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.  Ps. 50:1 (NKJV)

Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV)
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “Therefore I hope in Him!”

I love the way The Message bible says the last of those scriptures....

I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).  He’s all I’ve got left.




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He Came Speaking Softly

In the wee hours of the night, God often speaks softly in our souls.  Softly, yet carrying weight that will still be there when we awake the next morning. Please allow me to explain as you read on.

We started 40 days of prayer and fasting last night.  The service was a time to reflect on where we are headed and what we truly want to accomplish.  As we were leaving the service my mind and heart seems so settled but it was temporary.  Around 1:00 a.m., I found myself wide awake with my eyes focused on the clock's projection of time on our bedroom ceiling.  Thoughts were running over and over in my mind of how and why God would shake us.

In my mind's eye, there I stood as a little girl.  I could hear the words "did you shake that rug or you sure you got all the dirt out?"  Mom was somewhat of a clean freak (a trait I must admit I inherited).   God was reminding me that just as I shook that rug to remove the dirt so He was about to shake me (us) to remove the sins of my life.

Think back with me to my post from January 16th.  Remember some of my words when speaking of "Intimacy with God".  God's word brought me to that of fasting right in the middle of my study on intimacy.  I have once again posted the scripture below.

After reading the scripture I understood that no matter what we fast what He truly desires it that we do so with great sorrow of our sin and sinful nature. His desire is that our heart is tender and pliable to His word and His will for our lives.  I left us in that post with this prayer: “Abba Father, please give me a clean heart.  May it be tender and pliable as you shake, shape and sent me forward!”

God hears and answers every single one of our prayers.  Perhaps not as we expected or when we thought they should be answered but He does answer…

And He is answering mine “make my heart clean, tender and pliable as you shake”.  He said last night, “I am shaking the sin from your life (our lives) as one shakes the dirt from the rug.”

God’s shaking is to get rid the dirt that is deep down in our lives. Even as a child I came to understand that sweeping or vacuuming at the top may make the rug appear clean, but that it must be taken outside and shaken (at times with force) to be absolutely clean.  How will He shake each of us?  I have no answer for that question.  For each of us may require our own type of shaking to be made clean.  Why will He shake us?  He will shake to rid us of all sin and uncleanness, so that we may be sent to represent Him well to this lost and dying world.  And He will shake us until we can become the spotless Bride of Christ ready for His returning.

 Psalm 51:16-17
New King James Version (NKJV)
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

She Set on His Lap

Don't you love it when you open God's word and it is as though He hand-picked the word of the day for you? As though He picked you up, sat you on His lap to read to you.  You know what I mean, when you are simply doing your daily reading and God gives you words for what is truly going on in your life.  It is as if He says, "pay attention this is what I need you to know before you move ahead" or "lest you forget allow Me to remind you."

We are about to embark on 40 days of prayer and fasting.  A time when we all search for what we should give up as we fast before The Lord.  For me it is no different, I begin to wonder should I do the Daniel Fast, give up my beloved Coke Cola, or perhaps I should just give up dinners.  Ok you get the picture...

So this morning in my study of "Intimacy with God",  I turn to Psalm 51.  There is was, my reminder of a true fast.  This Psalm was written by David at a time of repentance after his affair with Bathsheda.  In the beginning verses he repents then in verse 16 and 17 he reminds himself (and me, us) that what The Lord truly wants from us is a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.

In other words, no matter what we fast what He truly desires is that we do so with great sorrow of our sin and sinful nature. His desire is that our heart is tender and pliable to His word and His will for our lives.

Abba Father, please give me a clean heart.  May it be tender and pliable as you shake, shape and sent me forward!

Psalm 51:16-17
New King James Version (NKJV)
16 For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.