The Secret Garden Chronicles- Day 16-How Excellent Is Your Name!

The view from the Secret Garden tonight:

Evening Praise:

Psalm 8:

1.  "O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name in all the earth,

Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

3.  When I consider Your heavens,

The work of Your fingers,

The moon and the stars,

which You have ordained,

4.  What is man that You are mindful of him,

and the son of man that You visit him?

5.  For You have made him a little lower

than the angels,

and You have crowned him with

glory and honor.

(these pictures were taken yesterday evening)

9.  O Lord, our Lord,

How excellent is Your name 

in all the earth!"

Psalm 9:1-2

"I will praise You, O Lord,

with my whole heart;

I will tell of all Your marvelous works.

I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name,

O Most High."

Today was another busy day, but happily so. I didn't actually have time to spend in the Secret Garden today, but that's okay.  I think God had other plans for me again.   My cousin and her husband came to visit us all the way from Ohio.  We grew up together and share many happy childhood memories from growing up in small neighboring towns back in the late 50's-60's.  It was wonderful to reminisce and laugh about some of our childish antics.  It's always great to spend time with someone who knew you back in the carefree innocent days of yore.                         Thank you, cousin Becky, for blessing my day with your presence!!! It was wonderful to be with you and your hubby!

Not long after our guests departed to continue their journey further southward, we were "blessed" with another visitor on our front porch:

"Blue Boy" was a lost, tired, thirsty blue tick hunting dog, who thankfully had a very good collar which included his master's name and phone number.  (the rope came from us, to keep him here until his master could arrive)

So we called his master, who lived about six miles or more away, and he was happy to know that "Blue Boy" had been found.    Apparently he had escaped their fenced yard early this morning and had been running all day long.  He is fourteen years old, and traveling over six miles through woods , thickets and brambles all day had to be very exhausting for this sweet old boy.

He sure was happy to see his master.  However, please pray for his master, as he told us that he has cancer, and he definitely did not look well...so tonight we say a prayer for him...and thank the Lord for this "chance encounter".   (No chance encounters with God, right?)   Well, read on...

After this experience, my hubby took a quick walk before supper.  When he came back he said he'd had another interesting encounter while out on the road.  A man drove up beside him and slowed down and stopped, and my hubby said he could tell the man seemed to be very sad, possibly had been drinking, and was practically crying.  He asked my husband if he was a preacher...(which we aren't sure how he knew that as we do not know this man)  and then he told him that his brother had died earlier this week and he just can't get over it.  So my husband was able to talk with him and pray with him and encourage him and then he drove on his way.  

You know, sometimes we may tend to think that we don't have much influence or purpose in life when we retire and just stay around home minding our own business...and then God brings people and even "critters" to our doorstep, and we see several things...

1. There is no such thing as "retiring" from serving the Lord.
2. There is no such thing as "chance encounters" when you belong to Jesus.
3. We need to always be ready with a word of hope or encouragement or prayer for those who may have "lost" their way or be lonely, sick or grieving.  
4. And in all things,  

"I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; 

I will tell of Your marvelous works!"