Rest is not just sleep, not just relaxation, not just a fun time, but a deep sense of hope and peace that will only abide in us to the degree that we abide in Christ and the grace He provides. Rest is not just punching out the time-clock and putting up your feet, it is resting in the fact that grace covers you, that mercy and protection are extended to you, and that your days are numbered and ordered of the Lord. That’s not something we typically find remembrance of while napping or knitting, but while tuning out the world long enough to plug into God’s amazing perspective.

"Sometimes it feels as if God isn’t listening to me.” Those words, from a woman who tried to stay strong in her walk with God while coping with an alcoholic husband, echo the heartcry of many believers. For 18 years, she asked God to change her husband. Yet it never happened.

What are we to think when we repeatedly ask God for something good—something that could easily glorify Him—but the answer doesn’t come? Is He listening or not?

Let’s look at the life of the Savior. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He agonized for hours in prayer, pouring out His heart and pleading, “Let this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39). But the Father’s answer was clearly “No.” To provide salvation, God had to send Jesus to die on the cross. Even though Jesus felt as if His Father had forsaken Him, He prayed intensely and passionately because He trusted that God was listening.

When we pray, we may not see how God is working or understand how He will bring good through it all. So we have to trust Him. We relinquish our rights and let God do what is best.

We must leave the unknowable to the all-knowing One. He is listening and working things out His way. —Dave Branon

Not ours to know the reason why
Unanswered is our prayer,
But ours to wait for God’s own time
To lift the cross we bear. —Anon.

When we bend our knees to pray, God bends His ear to listen.

Life with Midge

Well, Midge decided to take a stroll this morning. Thankfully I had some clothes on and not just my pj's as I was up and down my block trying to convince her to come home. She missed being hit by a car twice and finally went into my neighbor's yard where I was able to corner her. We need to work on the command "come".

Well I delivered Jen's package to the post office and when they asked me if there was anything liquid, etc in the box I said "I have no idea". He just looked at me and I said I am just returning it to my daughter--she sent it to me and said don't open it so I didn't. Luckily-he let me send it.

Work is kind of interesting--the dynamics between everyone constantly changes--sometimes it makes for tension. My doctors appt was rescheduled again but at least they faxed me my blood work so I could see what my cholesterol was. Still a bit high but not much more than last time.

The state fair starts Thursday and we will be going Saturday night. They have some free concerts and I will just kind of look around. Last year my sister was up and we saw a rooster crowing contest-it was fun! A bunch of people stand around a group of roosters and encourage them to crow....

Vacation is coming up the end of October. Rented the car on line the other night.

Looking forward to fall.

MY Space

My Space--how addicting--four hours have gone by--better get to bed. But it was great to see and read about the kids from Trinity and where they are now.

We can't just play any old music that comes into our heads, we can't just wing it and hope that it will work. We owe God better than that. We owe God the discipline, the mature and wise imagination, to recognize God's glory and reflect it. And worship in such a way that is yearning toward the day when the world will be full of the Glory of God as the waters cover the sea.


This is from an article from a post on Molly's blog. So often we just go through the motions without doing any preparation--without giving our best to what we are doing and when things don't go well we wonder why the "spirit didn't move".

There is an awesome picture of the tree of life made from turned in weapons that can be accessed through the Wharton's blog. I wonder if Mark had seen it.

Lord help us to seek more of you.

God, you are not only the Almighty, you are holy! Holy, Holy, Holy are you, the LORD God Almighty. May the whole earth be filled with your glory and may that glory be shown in what I do and say. Forgive me for my own sin and hypocrisy. Bless me with purity and holiness as I pledge my life to your glory. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Instead of verbalizing your frustrations, discouragement, and anxiety to the Lord or others, practice verbalizing pleasure about the blessings of God in your life.
In moments where harsh words and/or actions seem to fit the scenario, practice the discipline of asking the Holy Spirit for His gentle touch so you can portray a gentle response.
Instead of becoming bitter and cynical toward God because of unpleasant circumstances, press into Him, trusting that He is near, available, and ready to help you.
Press into God through prayer. Instead of getting anxious and stressed, let His peace sweep over you by laying your need before Him with a thankful heart that rejoices in all He is capable of doing.

Psalm 91:1
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Thoughts on today's verse

How good it is to be as close to God as his shadow and share in the comfort of his shelter. He is not far if our hearts choose to draw near him.
Prayer:

O great Almighty God, tender Shepherd and Abba Father, make known to me your nearness. I long to live in your presence and reflect your holiness and grace. By Jesus' blood I draw near to you in full assurance of your love and grace. Amen.'
Would you like your own copy of this devotional?

God promised through Jeremiah: “You will seek me and find me [and be able to see me],” says God, “when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Hot Hot Hot ......June 18 and very hot. Went to see The Break Up today. Is a good movie and we can learn from it. Should have done the lawn when I got home but decided it was too hot. Maybe tomorrow after work.

The dogs are chewing away on their raw hide donuts. Time to go watch a little TV, finish the paper and then to bed. Monday morning comes quickly.

It is so hot.......I am not a summer person--much prefer the cold.

Had a nice weekend visit with Jen in Ohio. The only negative was the heat. So why are we going to Orlando in October???? Hopefully they will have a cold spell. When we went back in 1990 we went in December and the weather was perfect for me. Needed to wear a coat in the mornings--there were no lines at Disney. Much has happened since that trip some good some bad. I just read something that said that everything that has happened in the past was a building stone to what is happening now. God was building a foundation for what He wanted to do at this time. And what is happening now is a building stone for what will happen in the future.

Well this weekend I am dog sitting in PA. The weather is supposed to cool down which will be nice.

The following weekend is Claudia's shower in NJ.

The following weekend John is going to Michigan and then to see Jen. We are just ships passing in the night for now.

Romans 12:15
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Thoughts on today's verse

We are not alone. God has given us each other to live our lives for him and get us back home to him. Along the way, we want to share each others' burdens, soar on each others joys, and love each others' hurts. There is no such thing as a solo Christian.
Prayer:

Loving Father, lead me to the people today who need their burdens lifted and their joys shared. Let me be your presence in the world of your children today. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

off to Columbus Ohio later today--weather looks like it is going to be a bit warm--quite a change from the last week where I have had the heat on.

Made some arrangements for the trip to Florida--it is seeming more real now. Plan to book the airfare when I get to Columbus.

Time to get started for work

This was at the end of the Our Daily Bread Devotional for today's reading.


The devil has many enticements,
There's danger wherever you go;
But if you are tempted in weakness,
Ask God for more grace, and say, "No!" —Palmer

A New Day

It is a new day. Work is starting to pick up which is good. The mix of employees has changed since I've started there and it is interesting to see how people inter act over time. The weather is starting to get nice and I am happy to say that Midge is starting to go outside--but can I trust her??? Not yet. But she brings me joy.

I miss dancing with the Stars.

Jesus said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
--Luke 9:23-24
New International Version

THOUGHTS ABOUT TODAY'S VERSE...
"I've just got to find myself." Won't ever happen. We do not "find ourselves, our life" by pursuing it. We find it by losing it to something or someone greater than ourselves. We find our life be losing it to Jesus and the work of his Kingdom.

MY PRAYER...
Master and Maker of all that lives and breathes, take my life and every breath and use it for your glory. May my words and actions this day be pleasing to you. Through Jesus I offer you this prayer and praise. Amen.

Henri Nouwen said, "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the 'Beloved.' Being beloved constitutes the truth of our existence." How different could our lives be if we agreed with the Sacred voice, rather than the condemning voice? We have to choose each day, sometimes hour by hour or minute by minute, which voice we will listen to: the Sacred Voice of God, or the lying, condemning voice of Satan. Romans 8:1 assures, "There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus." (NLT)

Paul says in Romans 8:38, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love." (NLT) You, my friend, are beloved - highly thought of and adored. Rejoice today, beloved, because you will always hold that status in your Heavenly Father's heart.

My Prayer for Today:

Thank You, Lord, for Your love. May I listen to Your sacred Voice today and always. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Strength & Comfort

Today's reading from Our Daily Bread:



March 27, 2006

Strength & Support

Read:
Job 4:1-11

Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened the feeble knees. —Job 4:4

Bible In One Year: Judges 1-3; Luke 4:1-30

The local newspaper reported that a mother is devastated because her 21-year-old son, who had always seemed like an upright young man, had been arrested for dealing drugs.

Also in our community, the parents and siblings of a 15-year-old are grieving because he was killed in a gun accident.

An aged friend is heartbroken because her only daughter, the person she depended on more than all others, died from cancer.

People who are hurting have a common need: the comfort that comes from trusting God. They need to be assured that tragedy and grief are not a mark of God's disfavor but that He weeps with them, He loves them, and He will never leave those who are His.

Eliphaz said to Job: "Your words have upheld him who was stumbling, and you have strengthened feeble knees" (Job 4:4). Job earned this tribute despite his own deep suffering. And when we offer comfort to sorrowing and suffering people, we not only emulate Job—we emulate Jesus.

In the midst of a host of hurting people, each one of us can reach out to become a comforter like Job. Let's ask God to make our hearts tender enough to support and strengthen those who are hurting. —Herb Vander Lugt

Reach out and give your love to the loveless,
Reach out and make a home for the homeless;
Reach out and shed God's light in the darkness—
Reach out and let the smile of God touch through you. —Brown
© 1971 Word, Inc

God doesn't comfort us to make us comfortable, but to make us comforters.

God knew I would need this today. He is in control.

God, please have mercy on Amy & Micah and all of the LP people. They need you to carry them for now.

Thank you God for allowing me to have known Mark and for allowing him to have touched so many lives in the short time he was on this earth.

Psalm 126:6, "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him." (NIV)

Devotion:

In yesterday's devotion, we learned about my friend, Monika, and the troubles she experienced within a short period of time - a move to a new state, the loss of her faithful dog, the death of her beloved husband. Unbelievably, yet another crisis lurked around the corner. Within a year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The destructive cancer dictated aggressive treatments: surgery, chemo and radiation.

She struggled with physical pain. However, in her heart she knew her God, Jehovah-Jireh, provided and cared for her. The pain in her body could not dampen the comfort in her soul. She no longer questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart now cried out to Him, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." (Job 23:10, NIV)

Even though she felt like Job in the Old Testament, who lost everything including her health, Monika also knew that in the end God blessed him. For Scriptures states, "The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys." (Job 42:12, NIV)

Now Monika didn't receive fourteen thousand sheep. (Of which she is very grateful!) But the Jehovah-Jireh did pour out a few surprise blessings.

She fully recovered physically. No trace of cancer lingers in her body after four years. She feels wonderful physically, mentally and spiritually. Monika bubbles enthusiasm for life and boasts in the trustworthy hand of Jehovah-Jireh.

But wait there is more. Her youngest son, unbeknownst to her, entered her name in a national horse food contest. Can you guess who won the grand prize of a two-week equestrian vacation to the countryside of France? Monika!

Then she wrote an essay about cancer survivors, which won her a three-day trip to an ultra exclusive spa in Arizona. (Oprah visits there.) The list goes on and on of God's faithfulness in her life. Sometimes with a grin across her face, she calls Him, Jehovah-Surpriso. For her life truly reflects our key verse, Psalm 126:6, "He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him. (NIV)

You see, despite the trouble and crisis that hit Monika's life, God never left her. He stood beside her in the darkest of moments. Then He changed her tears of sorrow, to the joy of laughter.

And now, she wants to share that joyful knowledge with other people whose lives are hit with a tidal wave of despair. She is the living fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 1:3-5:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. (NIV)

Take heart my friend, Jehovah-Jireh, our God, is there to provide for you no matter how dark your days may be. Take heart joy will come again. Take heart and share with other's how God' provides for you.

My Prayer for Today:

Lord, I thank You that You are always by my side to comfort me. Allow me the privilege to share Your goodness with others. Give me the correct words to comfort the hurting people that I meet. Thank You for the joy that comes after the weeping. I love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

from one of my devotionals:

Death, doom and depression stalked my friend, Monika. She had just moved to Las Vegas. (Not many women really want to move here.) She knew no one. Her children were scattered across the United States. The desert landscape depressed her. The summer heat of 110 degrees moved her to tears. Her faithful dog died of cancer shortly after the move. It seemed like things couldn't get much worse.

Yet, they did. Her beloved husband of forty years developed terminal cancer. Monika felt like Job. Although, a Christian for most of her life, she felt completely abandoned by God. She questioned God's trustworthiness in her life. Her heart cried out to Him,

My face is red with weeping,
deep shadows ring my eyes. (Job 16:16, NIV)

Why do you hide your face
and

consider me your enemy? (Job 13:24, NIV)

Even as her faith stumbled, God heard her and the answers were on the way. Just as Scripture assures us, "Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:24, NIV)," the Lord responded.

Monika dropped by a Bible study I was teaching on the Names of God. The day's lesson happened to be on Jehovah-Jireh - God will provide. I read "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:13-14, KJV).

Although familiar with the Bible, Monika listened carefully as I taught on the Lord as our Provider. God whispered comfort to her aching heart, "Monika, I will be Jehovah-Jireh to you. I will provide for you."

After that, God confirmed His message to my friend. Within a week, Monika received a postcard from a local card store inviting her to come and select a gift. As she strolled over to the designated table, she could tell most of the offerings were junk. Left over broken candles, mismatched cups and saucers. Her eyes swept the table expecting to find nothing she would bother to take home and then her eyes landed on a small devotional book, titled Jehovah-Jireh. Ah ha! A token of love sent straight from heaven through a retailer's promotional event. On that day, Monika realized that although her troubles abounded God knew all the details and He cared for her. She acknowledged she needed to rest in His love and His plan for her life.

Indeed, sometimes it is hard to trust God, especially when everything seems to go wrong. But God is faithful even when we feel otherwise. Babbie Mason sings a beautiful song titled, "When You Can't Trust His Hand, Trust His Heart." The song explains even when we can't understand all the problems of life, we can trust in the goodness of God-our Jehovah-Jireh.

My dear friend, Monika, soon learned that God would not only provide for her every need, but would surpass her greatest expectation for provision with bountiful blessings. Tomorrow we'll see just how Jehovah-Jireh blessed her.

My Prayer for Today:

My Jehovah-Jireh, help me to trust Your heart when I do not understand my circumstances. Open my eyes to Your love and care even in the small details of life such as a store promotion. Reveal Yourself to me as my personal Jehovah-Jireh. In Jesus' Sweet Name, Amen.