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?
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.
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
Have your sound on please. Oh to dwell and never leave… there is no where else for me… Jesus ~Jesus at your feet Oh I long to rest Oh I long to wait Oh I long to worship at your feet.
Still resting and recouping. Antibiotics are working. I am not as congested and not as ‘sick’ as in the beginning. Still very weak and still coughing. My appetite is very low food has been very minimal for 5 days now. I have been sleeping 12 hours at night and still needing sleep in the day. It has been a very bad bug.
Will try to get back to writing on Monday. It has been one year since this blog was created. I cannot believe it is one years old.
I came down with a respiratory infection, bad cough and wheezing at times and fevers between 101-102 and feel like a truck hit me and left me along side the road.
Not a flu just head and throat stuff.
I may not be writing three times a week this week.
It is just enough for me to get a juice glass or feed my dogs and cat.
Haven’t eaten anything solid for at least three days.
Did try some chicken soup and that didn’t even taste good.
Had to muster the strength to shower and go to the doctor it was hard since I had a fever and felt like I was freezing.
I want to share something I found on a blog today.
The credit goes to a man by the name of Paul David Tripp.
Investigating who he is I think he is a pastor out of Pennsylvania and this quote comes out of a book of his.
I am not sure if it is it is proper etiquette to use a quote from someone else so long as I give him credit it might be alright.
Excerpt from “Lost in the middle” by Paul David Tripp:
Standing in a Pile of Your Own Leaves
You’re now in the autumn of your life, and you are quite aware the leaves are off the trees. You’re standing in a pile of the leaves of your marriage, your parenting, your extended family, your friendships, your work, and your ministry. These leaves of the past have grown wrinkled and dry, and you know you cannot put them back on the tree. It’s tempting to sit down in the pile and examine leaf after leaf and wish you were holding a new bud from a new sapling, but you aren’t. The harvest has come in and it is what it is. Yet in all of this, there is hope because your Lord is the Lord of new seasons. With the new season comes the freedom to plant new and better seeds. With the new season comes the expectation of a new harvest of new fruit.
Stand up and walk away from your pile of yesterday’s leaves. Take the seeds of a new way into your hands, press them into the soil of your life and thank God that you will live to see a better harvest.
Isn’t this just awesome?
I feel like I am in the autumn part of life, turning 56 just a few days ago. Feeling a tad out of shape and old. Not so old that I can’t learn to forgive if it is needed or redeem a wrong or learn a lesson or two. Life is just as this writing says, a series of leaves that fall, and you rake them up and wait for another ‘tumbling’ of sorts.
Seasons change us.
They help us grow and restore ourselves.
They help us renew old thoughts and purge out the negative.
They help us strengthen our weak places and reinforce the strong ones.
Winter will leave us soon and this season of chill will be replaced with a bit of warmth.
Then one day we will wake up and spring will be here and new birth awaits the morning.
Birds will sing and make nests, and bulbs full of life will bulge from frozen ground.
I think I am ready for spring.
For the newness of life.
For relationships to grow deeper and more open.
For quietness in my soul to settle into the routine again.
I want to live to see a better harvest… of family and friendships and growth in God.
As we hold the new seeds of the seasons may we have a thankful heart for whatever is ahead of us.
(picture taken by Shelly Collis ~ Newberg, Oregon)
A new year ahead of us.
A time of change.
A time for new beginnings.
A time for new commitments or habits.
Eve… a Hebrew word meaning LIFE. ( also a threshold, verge or vigil)
The evening preceding something else.
Eve… the eve of a new year.
What will our year be like?
For us…
the last year brought many changes.
A death of a dearly loved mom,
death of relationships that shattered within the context of misunderstanding,
a birth of a beautiful grandson,
new thoughts processed about life and death and living and relationships.
A new year is ahead of us.
What will your new year be for you?
Will you allow change?
Will you allow new beginnings?
Do you have old habits to break and new commitments to make?
On this eve of a new year…
what do you want for yourself and your family?
Are there new spiritual goals to meet?
Are there new plans and accomplishments you want to see fulfilled?
On this eve of a new year
I ask you …
What do you want to write
on your blank calendar or blank wipe on/wipe off board?
As a new one begins I pray this gives you something to think about.
(winter leaves picture)
As the Christmas season winds down and the new year begins very soon.
What will you do with this Jesus? This babe in the manger… this sweet little Jesus child?
When we gather the boxes of ornaments and other decorations and put them away back in storage.
Do we wrap this baby delicately in bubble wrap and tissue to not let him break till the next season of display in December?
The box holds a figure, a resin like image, what does your heart hold?
Can you allow this babe in a manger who came to save the world come into your heart?
This real God who came as a gift of love for a world who would not often accept him.
The nativity story is not just for Christmas it is for every day.
That is why I leave a nativity up all year long so that I can remember… the reason.
What will we do with this Jesus as we hold the resin made cherub and marvel at the innocence of the painted face.
Do we remember that he lived 33 years to die a horrible disfiguring death?
Do we remember that the face we marvel at in innocence becomes horribly beaten and un-recognizable because HEchose it? Because He knew that was the only way…
Because he loved us so much that the plan to come in a form we would know and understand was His gift for us. There are so many reasons to be thankful for the nativity. For the Love given. For the Love shown to us on that day in the city called Bethlehem. God reached down and touched our hearts… so we could in turn could allow our hearts to turn towards Him. What will you do with this Jesus? that is my question for you.
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Philipians 4:13
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ==================== Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow." Courage is not the absence of fear but it's taking action in the midst of it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A diamond is a chunk of coal that made good under pressure.
It's your heart, not the dictionary that gives meaning to your words. Matthew 12:34 (msg) version.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Below you will find a few of my favorite websites or blogs. They have given me encouragement and challenged me on this journey.
Ann Voskamp's blog A holy Experience This image of a bleeding heart represents a journey of healing from brokenness to wholeness. Some of my favorite books: One thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
Married over 46 years and entered into my 65th year of life.
I am a mother of two and grandmother of six and mom to two very spoiled kitties. I love to worship and encourage and of course write whenever I can find a topic or subject to share about.
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Thank you for visiting my blog.
I hope you find it encouraging and that it gives you
'Something to think about'. The vision for this is to challenge the reader into a new and different way of thinking. I appreciate and always value your comments. Having others walk alongside and join in the sharing is part of the process.
Thank you for joining me... on this journey. As we get encouraged ~ Lord help us to encourage others. "And the day came when the risk to remain a tight bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin my blog button The crosses are found on a beach at Winema Christian Camp on the Oregon coast.. a place to relax and find God in the process. My favorite place ....to rest and restore my spirit.
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