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Waiting

by | Jan 20, 2011 | Uncategorized

Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 33:20
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
when they carry out their wicked schemes.
Psalm 130:5
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice;
in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.
Lamentations 3:24
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
1 Corinthians 4:5
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes.
He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart.
At that time each will receive their praise from God.

We often don’t like to wait.
In the fast culture we live in where slow cooking is replaced with micro waves and horse and buggy replaced with fast cars. We don’t like to wait.
To stop and be quiet. To slow down and be still.
The word tells us there is a blessing for us when we wait.
To wait:
dictionary.com says: to remain inactive or in a state of repose, as until something expected happens~ to be available or in readiness~ to look forward eagerly~ to expect~ to be in readiness for- to remain neglected for a time.

Oh we don’t like that last one… to feel neglected for a time?
But don’t we feel like that at times when we wait and wait and wonder if God is listening?
I love the last promise that says; each one will receive their praise from God.
Does that really mean we get God’s praise?
I think of my grand children and when they do good I say. “Good job~that was wonderful.”
As I say it I can see them stand up taller and take it inside themselves, “yes I did good”.
Is God really going to do that for us?
This is just a little word study for us to think about.
Waiting patiently is sometimes really hard but we miss the blessing when we don’t wait with the right heart attitude.
How are you doing at waiting these days?

He is with you

by | Jan 17, 2011 | Uncategorized

Zephaniah 3:17
“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.” NIV

This weekend we spent time with our grandsons.
Samuel is 6 1/2 Josiah is almost 3
and Seth is 3 months.
When I read this verse it reminded me of the way grand parenting is for us.
We rejoice over them. We take delight over them.
When Seth fussed I held him and he calmed down and went to sleep.

Quieted by love and kindness.
(along with his own singing himself to sleep which was very cute)

I love this verse and I think it will be my ‘years’ verse.
I love to think of how God quiets me with his love.
When I get anxious or overwhelmed I can think of the verse, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’.
He delights in me. In us. Can you imagine?
He rejoices over us with singing?
Oh I would love to hear the Savior sing to me.
I wonder if it was like that in the garden before Adam and Eve made the wrong choice and listened to the wrong voice.
I think of the old hymn called ‘In the garden’. My husband and I used to sing it together all the time as a duet in church. Harmonizing every note.

And he walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own
and the joy we share as we tarry there non other has ever known.
He delights in me
In you ~ too
Oh that we could grasp that delight to the depths of our hearts.
No matter what painful words are spoken or negative behaviors given towards us by others.The Lord Our God is with us. He takes delight in us and he sings over us with gentleness and quiet love. Like a lullaby he rejoices over us with singing. I so wonder what that would be like. Do you?? Just something to think about as we begin a new week.

A new year ~ A new heart

by | Jan 13, 2011 | Uncategorized

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you;
I will remove from you
Your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit in you and move you
to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Ezekiel 36:26-27

What a wonderful promise from God.
He really IS concerned about the heart’s condition.
For he has said, “where your treasure is there will be your heart”.
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit,
to sustain me.

That is a prayer.
Create in me…a pure heart
Renew in me…a steadfast spirit
(dictionary.com says: steadfast is fixed in direction; firm in purpose;
unwavering; firmly established).
Restore to me…the joy
Grant me…a willing spirit
Do not cast me:
(dictionary.com says: to throw or hurl; to cause to fall upon in a direction;
to throw out or down; to part with shed or drop; to set aside or throw forth; to place hastily or with force to reject or discard).

Do you get it yet? It is a prayer…
Do not discard me or push me away Lord
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Is that even possible? That He would take His Spirit from us?
That would be a scary thought.
The Holy Spirit is our comforter. Our discernment.
It would feel so empty without the spirit with us.
Lord God we ask for a new Heart … we seek a new heart…
for this new year.
Along with that we ask for a new spirit too.
Help us Lord to have hearts that cry for others
with tenderness and compassion.
Lord God as we walk in your word and abide in your truth
we pray that you will sustain us with a willing spirit
as you restore in us the joy of your Salvation.
May THIS year be the year of joy and salvation and hope and healing.
Are you ready?

Light of my heart

by | Jan 12, 2011 | Uncategorized

St. Augustine wrote one time:
“Light of my heart, do not let my darkness speak to me.”

I think this is a profound saying because in this time of season where greying days are the norm and the weather is not an invitation to go out and enjoy. The darkness of the day can sweep over our spirit and dare to remove our joy or our hope or our spark of life.

It is easier to want to wrap in a blanket, drink tea by the fire and hibernate.
In order for something to speak to us we have to listen.
We have to be quiet and be still and listen.
Let me lean in and tell you something:
Do not LISTEN to the darkness talking…
1 John: 5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you:
God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

So the message is this.
Darkness is not from God.
When our spirits feels downcast and sad and the darkness of the overcast day leaves us with a mood that feels defeated it is not from God.
We are to speak LIGHT to our day for God is light and life and hope and we stand in HIM.
Do not let the darkness speak to your heart.

Light of our hearts illuminate your love to us.
Shine it so brightly and so acutely that we will have no reason or desire to doubt or stay in the dark.
Light of our hearts
we thank you
for being who you are and for loving us.
Help us to stay in your truth
Help us to walk in fellowship with you
and help us Lord to keep our hearts pure.
Thank you Jesus for all that you do. Amen