Deliverance.... (reposted from March 30, 2010) Updated for 2023

Update for Palm Sunday,   picture is from the living room  of our
former "Camp Of the Woods Home " in Salt Springs, FL.  

UPDATE FOR PALM SUNDAY, 2013. 2014!  2015! 2016!   2017    2018   2019   2020! 2022,  2023! 

 I originally wrote this for Palm Sunday in 2010.  Not a lot has changed in  3 4  5  6  7 8  9  10   12  13 years...But, Jesus is STILL the answer...Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever!  Amen! (2014) And Amen again! (2015) and again! (2016)  and AGAIN! (2017)  And Again in 2018 and again in 2019  And maybe even more so  in 2020!  And especially in 2022!  And most especially in 2023!!

Psalm 34:4  "I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears."

Deliverance...what does that word mean to you?  It has a very welcome sound to the captive...those who are held captive in any kind of prison, whether it be a prison with bars and high walls, or a prison of fear and isolation...the thought of deliverance brings hope and joy and peace.  For many in today's economy, there is a tremendous amount of anxiety over the future...people fear losing their jobs, others fear not being able to find a job. Retired folks are concerned about their savings running out too soon, or having health issues that will rob them of what little security they have left.  Our nation is in turmoil over  (2010) health care reform and the brittle financial and housing market. (2015 AND 2016:  Race Relations, World Terror via ISIS, Religious persecution, upcoming election ) 2017 and 2018 and 2019: ALL OF THE ABOVE AND MORE...WORLD PEACE, IMMIGRATION... AND IN 2020, ESPECIALLY, WITH THE  COVID 19 CRISIS...:and in 2022, with the horrific war in Ukraine, rising inflation and cost of everything from gas to food, shortages of supplies, and the embarrassing incompetence in our current government leadership... and even still now, in 2023, the previous horrors continue in Ukraine, even higher inflation, etc., and add to that back to back tragic tornadoes and storms and earthquakes across our country and the world, leaving so many people homeless and in shock and pain, train derailments leaving toxic waste that may affect whole communities for decades to come, and a very harmful agenda of indoctrination of our little children and young people in our public schools and beyond that strikes right into the face of  our loving God, Who created us in His image and Who knew us and loved us when He wonderfully formed us in the womb. (Psalm 139)  People look to our national leaders and hope that they will make some wise decisions that will bring relief, and yet that so-called relief often comes with a high price tag that will endanger the future security of our children and grandchildren for many years to come. (I can't believe that the last sentence was originally written in 2010, and look how appropriate it is for today in 2022  2023!)

Where can we find this deliverance that we are seeking?  Is there any ONE who can come and set us free from our bondage to fear and doubt?

Psalm 34:15 says, "The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry." 
Verse 17 says "The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles."

The Jews back in the time of Jesus were desperate for a leader who could deliver them from the tyranny of the Roman government. As Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday, the people cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord! The King of Israel!" (John 12:13) They hailed Him as their King and Messiah, but they were seeking an earthly king for an earthly kingdom.

A few days later, when Jesus was betrayed by one of His own disciples, He  stood before Pilate, the Roman governor.  Pilate asked Him if He was the King of Jews.  Jesus responded to Pilate, 

"My kingdom is not of this world."...."My kingdom is not from here..."  (John 18:36)  He went on to say in verse 37, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice."

Jesus came to prepare our hearts for the kingdom that is yet to come, that is a Heavenly Kingdom.  In the meantime, His Holy Spirit gives us strength and grace to endure the trials and tribulations that are common to all of mankind. He came to deliver us from all our fears and troubles.  Do we still have financial difficulties? Do we still have health problems or other major concerns? Yes. As long as we are on this earth there will be trouble and sorrow...but hear what Jesus said in John 16:33~

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 

Through Christ, we are overcomers. 

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, 
and delivered me from all my fears."
  

Deliverance....yes, that is what Palm Sunday and Easter are all about....Think about it.  

This is just the beginning of the story...not the end.
Amen!

Have a glorious Palm Sunday today!

Here is our Pastor's message from Palm Sunday, 2022. I hope it will give you some hope and encouragement.  

Sing along with our choir as we sing "Who Is He?"

"Who is he who comes in triumph? Who is he who comes to die?

Comes in peace and comes in power, hidden One now lifted high?

Jesus, Jesus, Lord, Messiah, mighty Master of the grave!

See him ride, the King of glory! God himself has come to save!

See him there in humble splendor. Hear them shouting all around.

Joy explodes in wild procession. Praise is now the victor’s crown.

Glory, glory in the highest! Like the angels hear them sing

Dancing ‘round the Long-awaited, once their hope and now their King.

Rise and join the glad procession! Hear them passing by again

All the ransomed, all his children, marching to Jerusalem!

Look ahead the gates of splendor! Hear the everlasting hymn!

Open wide your hearts in worship! Let the King of glory in!"

Monday, April 3, 2023:  I hope you don't mind that I keep adding to this post each year. Many of you have already read it in years past and have commented.  I keep reposting it so we can see the things that are happening in our world each year at this time, and continue to pray for our nation, our world and our own families.  Jesus has entered our Jerusalem and I know He is weeping over it.   

Luke 19:41-44

41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 

42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 

43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 

44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Our Pastor preached about this in his sermon yesterday (April 2, 2023).  

Today Christ is weeping over us once again, because our world has its eyes blinded by Satan, and we still have not recognized the time of His visitation...Christ came to us and offered us the free gift of salvation, but so many have turned their backs on Him and have literally spit in His face, mocked and scorned Him and have totally and utterly rejected Him.  

May God have mercy on us.

I pray that we will open our hearts and lives to Him now before it is too late.

I truly believe the time of His coming again is very very near.

Have a blessed and meaningful Holy Week.

Amen.

"Monday Monday..."

 Who remembers that song by the Mamas and the Papas?  "Monday Monday...so good to me...Monday Morning it was all I hoped it would be..."

Step back in time with me to 1966 and the Ed Sullivan Show, with Mama Cass and the rest of the group and sing along...(and if you let this video go on to the next one, "California Dreamin" will come up next...can't forget that song either!)

This was a fun little walk down memory lane from my teen years...it just popped up in my brain because it's Monday morning and I know I need to write something...so this is what you get today. LOL. Actually, this Monday morning may not be so wonderful for many people who are suffering from the various storms and crises of this past weekend...you are very much in our thoughts and prayers... more about that later...

Nothing too exciting to share from my neck of the woods. It's been so hot lately that we spend most of our time indoors, trying to stay cool. We did take a little ride on Saturday morning down to the town where we used to live in the Ocala National Forest.  One of our favorite places to to stop is the boat ramp park on Big Lake Kerr.  Two reasons, the view is always beautiful, and they have a clean public restroom! LOL.  Here are a few pictures from our visit to the lake (not the restroom! )

Just a peaceful Saturday morning, out fishing on the lake!

It really was a beautiful day...not a cloud in the sky, and the lake was calm and smooth as glass...

until this big boat came flying in, leaving quite a wake in its path...

But not even that could distract this honeybee from having his breakfast on this lovely wildflower along the shore:

Love to see these busy pollinators out doing what they do best:

Just so long as he doesn't mistake ME for a flower! LOL.

The waters of Lake Kerr are pretty clean and clear, so clear I could see these fish swimming about...

They are still too small to have to worry about being caught by a fisherman, so I hope they enjoy their freedom to swim wherever they please...

Back on land I managed to "capture" this dragonfly while he rested on the grass...

And I guess that was all the pictures I managed to get!  Oh, until we took our walk later in the day at our usual walking place, and I saw this lovely hawk up in the tree:

Not sure if he is a Red Shouldered Hawk or a Red Tailed Hawk, and actually there were two of them in the tree when we first arrived, but the other one flew away as soon as he saw us. This one stayed put and kept a hawk-eye on us!  They were both quite large! I am glad that I am also "quite large", so they won't come preying upon me!

I know that all of us who have been watching the news this past weekend have been heart broken for the good people left behind in Afghanistan.  Our prayers are with them for their safety and peace and safe deliverance from the evil forces that are there seeking to destroy those who are believers in Christ, as well as anyone who has supported or assisted the American government. May God cover them with His strong arm of protection and shelter them in His mighty wings. Psalm 34 is a favorite Psalm of mine. The following verses in particular stand out to me this morning as I pray for the people of Afghanistan:

Psalm 34: 15-22

"15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

And His ears are open to their cry.

16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,

To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,

And delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,

And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,

But the Lord delivers him out of them all.

20 He guards all his bones;

Not one of them is broken.

21 Evil shall slay the wicked,

And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.

22 The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,

And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned."

I am also praying for the people in Tennessee who have had such a horrible flood over the past few days...many have lost their lives, homes, and livelihood, and there are still quite a few people missing. Also many have suffered from the flooding in upstate NY this past week, and now many are enduring heavy rains and flooding from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Henri along the north east coast and further inland.  May God be merciful to them and lift them up out of the floodwaters to safety.  Also praying for the many who are truly suffering from Covid right now, and there are many here in our area. Sadly our hospital is full of patients and even sadder,  I understand our funeral homes are full as well...that is a very sobering thought.

I am quite humbled as I contemplate all these who are suffering so much in our land and around the world. My heart goes out to them, and I wish there was more that I could do. I am not financially able to help, and not physically able to go and do any kind of rescuing...but I know WHO is able to do all of the above, and the best thing I can do is pray. Yesterday our pastor delivered a wonderful sermon from the book of Isaiah, chapter 38, about  King Hezekiah's prayer and healing from the Lord.  You can listen to the sermon here on this video.  This message was one of hope and faith that God does hear our prayers and yes, He does answer our prayers!  I hope you will enjoy this message...as well as the Praise Team singing "Through it All" at the beginning of the video.

Through It All

by Andre Crouch

"I've had many tears and sorrows

I've had questions for tomorrow

There's been times I didn't know right from wrong

But in every situation

God gave blessed consolation

That my trials come to only make me strong

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to trust in Jesus

I've learned to trust in God

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to depend upon his word

I've been to lots of places

And I've seen a lot of faces

There’ve been times I felt so all alone

But in my lonely hours

Yes, those precious lonely hours

Jesus let me know that I was his own

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to trust in Jesus

I've learned to trust in God

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to depend upon his word

I thank God for the mountains

And I thank him for the valleys

I thank him for the storms He brought me through

For if I'd never had a problem

I wouldn’t know that He could solve them

I'd never know what faith in God could do

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to trust in Jesus

I've learned to trust in God

Through it all, through it all

I've learned to depend upon his word"

So, I hope this "Monday Monday" will be a good day for you.  May the Lord lift you up out of any deep waters in which you may be treading, trying to keep your head above water today. May He deliver you safely to the shore and take care of your every need.  

Friday Foto Friends ~ A Place of Peace and Deliverance

A few weeks ago I shared with you a place that was special to us, Lake Swan Camp.  Well, this morning I didn't have any pictures to share with you for Friday Foto Friends, so we decided we needed to take a little ride anyway and get away from the TV for a while.  Sometimes you just need to have a change of perspective in your view so you can see things more clearly, or at least see things that are more pleasant and positive.  Therefore, I will share the pictures I took this morning at Lake Swan Camp.

The lake was very calm and peaceful, soothing to my spirit.

If I'd brought my paddle, I might have been tempted to go for a canoe ride:

They have a very interesting Miniature Golf game there:

A fun way to learn some key scripture verses as you play your way through the golf course.

Then I was intrigued by this wonderful firepit, with all the benches around it. I can just imagine campers singing "Kum By Ya, My Lord, Kum By Ya".... and

 "Pass It On" 

(By Kurt Kaiser)

It only takes a spark to get a fire going,

And soon all those around can warm up in its glowing;

That's how it is with God's Love,

Once you've experienced it,

Your spread the love to everyone

You want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is spring,

When all the tress are budding

The birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming;

That's how it is with God's love,

Once you've experienced it.

You want to sing, it's fresh like spring,

You want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend

This happiness that I've found;

You can depend on God

It matters not where you're bound,

I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD!

I want the world to know

The Lord of love has come to me

I want to pass it on.

I'll shout it from the mountain top - PRAISE GOD!

I want the world to know

The Lord of love has come to me

I want to pass it on.

https://lyricstranslate.com/en/kurt-kaiser-pass-it-lyrics.html

Then roast some marshmallows and make some s'mores, share testimonies around the firepit, pray for one another...makes me want to go to camp...how about you?

As I left that comforting spot I walked through the gorgeous old live oak trees and came to a sunken place where there was an old pond with a kind of marshy area in the middle.  Of course I had to move in a bit closer to check it out.

I could just barely see something hiding in the middle of the bushes...

A beautiful white egret, who I am certain was hoping I wouldn't discover her hiding place.

Reminded me of another song that you may have heard or sung at camp or at church:

"You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

With songs of deliverance

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You

I will trust in You

Let the weak say I am strong

In the strength of the Lord

You are my hiding place

You always fill my heart

With songs of deliverance

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You

I will trust in You

You are my hiding place (I will trust in You)

You always fill my heart (Let the weak say I am strong)

With songs of deliverance (In the strength of the Lord)

Whenever I am afraid

I will trust in You"

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Michael James Ledner

You Are My Hiding Place lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

This song comes from Psalm 32:7

"You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; 

You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah"

From there we drove past the chapel and dining hall, nestled in among the lovely old oak trees...

After spending some time walking about these beautiful grounds and soaking in the comforting warmth of the Holy Spirit's Presence into our souls, we felt refreshed and ready to head back home and face whatever the future may hold.

During these days of uncertainty, I believe we each have to seek our own place of peace. 

No matter what lies ahead, we know that we are safe in the protection and strength of the Lord.

He will never leave us nor forsake us, and 

God is STILL in control, no matter what!

I hope you are also able to find this kind of peace of mind.

It's taken me all day to get this post written as there have been several interruptions...

had to get my hair cut, had to tend to some other business matters...and now I must tell you that we are going to be away for a few days, on a little getaway trip to the "mountains" with our kids.

They were sweet enough to invite us "old folks" to go along with them as they head for the hills of Georgia to celebrate their upcoming 3rd anniversary next week. So I may be offline for a few days, but you can be sure I will be taking plenty of pictures and will have plenty to share with you when we get back. And if you are a friend of ours who lives in Ga., please don't be offended that we aren't able to stop and visit on this trip. Since we are traveling with our kids we are on their schedule and are kind of along for the ride.  There are several dear ones we know whom we would love to visit, but that will have to be at some other time when we are traveling on our own.

Have a blessed and beautiful weekend everyone.

Keep praying for our country!

And look for ways to find some peace.

 

Where Do I Go? Who Do I Run To?

Someone asked me the other day who I had to lean on when going through difficult trials. There was and is only one answer:

"I will love You, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my ROCK and my FORTRESS and my DELIVERER;

My GOD, my STRENGTH, in Whom I will trust;

My SHIELD and the HORN OF MY SALVATION, my STRONGHOLD.

I will call upon the Lord,

Who is worthy to be praised;

So shall I be saved from my enemies.

The pangs of death surrounded me,

and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me;

The snares of death confronted me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord,

and cried out to my God;

He heard my voice from His temple,

and my cry came before Him,

even to His ears."

Psalms 18:1-6

"He sent from above, He took me;

He drew me out of many waters.

He delivered me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me,

for they were too strong for me.

They confronted me in the day of my calamity,

but the LORD was my SUPPORT.

He also brought be out into a broad place;

He DELIVERED me,

because HE DELIGHTED IN ME!"

Psalm 18:16-19

"For who is God, except the Lord?

And who is a rock, except our God?

Is is GOD who arms me with strength,

and makes my way perfect.

He makes my feet like the feet of deer,

and sets me on my high places."

Psalm 18:31-33

"The Lord lives!!

Blessed be my ROCK!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted."

Psalm 18:46

AND I CRIED OUT "HALLELUJAH!!"

It is God and no other Who has saved me!

It is God and no other Who has rescued me!

There is NO GOD like JEHOVAH!!!

My dear friend...Let me tell you from personal experience...Jesus is the Rock that you can cling to when all the world has turned against you.  He is the ONLY Savior Who will rescue you from sinking sand and the overwhelming floods of life.  There is no other who can save you. There is no other who can restore you. There is no other who can carry you when you cannot take one. more. step.  

Do you know this Jesus?  Have you learned to call upon His Name? That's all you need to know.

He is all you need to know.  Call upon HIS MIGHTY NAME, and your cry will come before 

God Almighty..."even to His ears!" (see verse 6 above)

I don't think there is anything else I need to add to this.  God's Word is true. He does not lie.

If you are lost and feeling all alone, cry out to the Rock of YOUR Salvation! 

He will not turn you away. 

"Therefore I will give thanks to YOU, O Lord, among the Gentiles,

and sing praises to YOUR NAME!"

Psalm 18:49