What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?

What Do You See Outside YOUR Open Window Today?
Remember: "When God closes a door, He always opens a window!" You never know what might be out there waiting for you!

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

More Advent Delight!

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, 
and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

As we fully enter into the Christmas season we look forward to more ways to celebrate Christ's birth and share His good news of love and salvation to others.  One way of doing that is to encourage our fellow sisters (and/or brothers) in the Lord as many have issues that can easily detract from the joy and weigh us down with anxieties, fears and sorrows.  Many people are carrying burdens that are extremely difficult to bear, and adding to that the stresses of the holiday can often exacerbate an already overwhelming situation.

Our Lovely Ladies of the Lord meeting for prayer and
study from the Bible
So, today our "Lovely Ladies of the Lord" prayer group met for our monthly time of prayer and fellowship.  I consider this monthly gathering to be one of the ways that God gives me the desire of my heart... as we come together we are all delighting in the Lord, by sharing His Word and lifting each other up in prayer. 

Today's message came from a devotional reading for December 7th found in "Streams of the Desert"...and it was a blessing to each of us in a powerful way.  The verses shared were from 2 Kings 3:17-18 KJV,  which says:

"For thus says the Lord: 
Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain;
yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink,
both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 
And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord;
He will deliver the Moabites also into your hands."

Now, you may not grasp the powerful message of this little passage, but to a group of ladies who each have their own personal and family issues that appear to be overwhelming and impossible on the surface, the little phrase encased in this passage, 
"And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord" 
offers great hope and encouragement, bolstering our faith in ways beyond what the naked eye can see.  

The devotional reading for this passage goes on to say:

"To human thinking it was simply impossible, but nothing is hard for God."

Where have we heard that before?  How about in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, when the  angel Gabriel is explaining to a virgin maiden how she was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God...and Mary asks the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" (verse 34), and Gabriel tells her that 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (verse 35) 

and in verse 37 he says:

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Think about the message of hope that the Christmas story offers...Jesus, born to a virgin maiden, the very Son of God, came to bring salvation and hope and eternal life to a world lost in sin. He offers comfort and help and strength to us when we are feeling alone, fearful and weak. He tells us in the Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30 ...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Ah, yes! That IS the Christmas message, is it not?  The prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah found in the book of Isaiah 40:11 says:

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
and carry them in His bosom,
and gently lead those who are with young."

He will carry His lambs in His bosom...He will take our burdens and give us rest...He will comfort us and gently lead us. 

Dear friends, if you are feeling the effects of "too much" during this Christmas season...or at any time...I hope you will cast your burdens on the Lord, and let Him carry them for you.  If you are weary or sick, or if you have loved ones who are suffering and you feel helpless to be able to render them aid, if you are lonely and heartbroken, or just feeling down because you can't make ends meet one way or the other...please look to Jesus.  Put your trust in Him. Let Him carry your burdens...better yet, let Him carry YOU.  Have faith in God.  Why?  Because...

"This is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord"   and...

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Enough Said! I hope you will take this message 
to heart and be blessed today.

Now, after our ladies met at one of our local churches for our time of prayer and Bible study, we moved on to the local diner for lunch and fellowship and more delight:


It appears that I am always talking...and we had a special "guest" at the next table, one of our wonderful local officers of the Sheriff's Department. We all thanked him for his service and care for our community.

And here's another special "guest":

Jolly Old St. Nicholaus was there to greet customers as they entered...Ho! Ho! Ho!  A jolly good time was had by all!  

Merry Christmas my friends!  
I hope you will be delighted in the Lord today!!!














8 comments:

  1. You gave us such a DELIGHTFUL post that it is easy to be reminded to DELIGHT in the Lord. What a great group of friends you have! A blessing for all. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you Terri! It truly was a DELIGHTFUL time, and I am simply DELIGHTED that you enjoyed it too! Yes, I feel blessed to have these lovely ladies as friends...but I am also blessed to count you as a lovely lady friend as well!!! Maybe from a distance, and yet, not really so very far at all!!! As close as this page on my computer! And knit together in the heart! Thank you.

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  2. Thank you for this, Pamela. It was good to read. I did some online shopping today and then somehow felt overwhelmed because there is still so much to do. I have to make fudge! I haven't done the cards yet! it is hard to stop twirling. Cast your cares... ahh... deep breath. :-)

    Your words were a blessing!

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    1. Oh, please don't remind me about CARDS. I thought of it once tonight, and decided I wasn't ready to tackle that yet...I guess I need to get with it soon, however. Yes, we all have our lists of things to do, but we need to just take time to BREATHE, and delight ourselves in the Lord...and not forget why we have this season in the first place!! Thank you for stopping by and brightening my evening! Yes...cast your cares....

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  3. Thank you for highlighting those passages from God's Word. They reminded me of Isaiah 49:6 "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth."

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  4. With God, nothing is impossible . . . Something we all need to remember and take to heart every day.
    And what a great group of ladies! I can tell you all have fun just by looking at the happy faces.
    Blessings, Pam!

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  5. Pam: You have encouraged me with this post. I have been housebound since Thanksgiving due to being ill. Now that I am feeling better, the Arctic blast may keep me in a few days more. But these things are very minor when I hear of a friend's sister-in-law who feels helpless as she tried to care for her husband who has cancer.

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  6. Pam, what a delightful time you and your sisters in Christ had enjoying time together in prayer and in the word and in fellowship. I love how God seems to specialize in doing the "impossible". Casting my cares is (or should be) a daily thing.

    Blessings!

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