Being Renewed-Recharged! Day by Day - RENEWED!!

This was written last year about this time, and I was surprised to see that it fits right in with my One Word, RENEW, for this year.  Last year's word was "REST".  God was preparing me for a lot of things by teaching me to REST in Him, and this year He is continuing that process by helping me to become renewed day by day.  Sometimes I have to go back and see where He was leading me last year to help me understand better where I am going today...so here is a "renewed" message from the past that I hope will be a blessing to you as well:

Original Post written 1/5/2017:

"Therefore we do not lose heart.

Even though our outward man is perishing,

yet the inward man is being renewed day by day."

2 Corinthians 4:16

"Being Renewed Day by Day...."   Yes...that is what I long for, groan for, earnestly desire...to be renewed by God's Holy Spirit day by day...even though my outward woman...my body...is perishing...my inward woman is being renewed, strengthened, helped, restored day by day...

How can I make this happen?

Think about your electronic devices...your phone in particular...something that everyone seems to becoming more and more dependent upon for just about everything and anything...from appointments to travel directions, shopping, bill paying, all communication...think what happens when you forget to recharge your phone...it dies, shuts off, becomes useless until recharged.  So, what do you do religiously every day?  Yes, you plug it in to recharge...you set aside a special place in your home or car or wherever you are...and make sure that the phone(s) all get recharged or you know you won't be able to function.

And so it is and should be with our inner person, our soul and mind and spirit...if we don't stay plugged in, recharged, renewed daily by a steady diet of communing with God, we will soon find ourselves unable to function.   As I yield my heart and mind to Christ each day...as I allow myself to REST in Him, by setting aside time and space specifically for this purpose each day, I am being renewed, restored...recharged for service.

That is why I believe God is encouraging me (maybe even pushing me) to set aside this special place for daily recharging...you've already heard me talking about it for the past few days..."The Secret Garden".  A quiet place away from the distractions of the world, the things going on inside the house, the TV, the Computer, the news, the housework...a place where I can "plug in"  and meditate upon God's Word, allowing His Holy Spirit to recharge my spirit as I relax and revive, surrounded by the beauty of His creation.

Now don't get me wrong...I can still commune with God and meditate on His Word in my recliner in my living room, or in the rocking chair on the front porch or in the dining room or sitting on my bed in the bedroom...or standing at the kitchen sink washing dishes...I don't HAVE to have a "Secret Garden" to do this...but for some reason it just seems like this is what I am supposed to do right now...and even the thought of creating this lovely space has energized me in a way that I've not experienced in a while.

Perhaps God just knew that I needed an extra push to get serious about communing with Him...and that I also needed to truly learn how to REST in Him. Whatever the reason...I am grateful to the Lord for taking the time to teach me and show me His abiding love and grace.

I wonder if you may also be feeling the need to be recharged, renewed, restored in your relationship with God?  You don't have to have a Secret Garden to do this...but I would recommend that you find a place that is special for you...a quiet place free from distractions of the world...and get plugged in to the Lord.

Some recommended reading about meditating on Jesus and preparing a secret place to do so is a little book I am currently reading by one of my new Facebook friends:  Live Free ~ The Inner Journey to Healing by Gayle Belanger.  You can also learn more about Gayle's "Live Free Healing Ministry" at  http://www.livefreeministry.org/.

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 4 "Keep Silence Before Him"

"The Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

"Truly my soul silently waits for God.

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,

for my expectation is from Him."

Psalm 62: 1, 5

Some thoughts on entering "The Secret Place" (Garden)...an excerpt from the book I've been reading entitled "Live Free, The Inner Journey to Healing" by Gayle Belanger, shared with permission of the author. (pages 27-28)

"As you enter the secret place, picture a communion table set just for you and your Lord.  Allow your table to be a joyful place; a place you feel comfortable and safe; a place set up just for you to share your heart and be transparent with Jesus.  This is a time to give Him ALL of you.  Let Him have complete access and recall..."not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42b NIV).

As I opened my heart and mind and soul and ears to what the Lord would say to me today...as I sat silently waiting for Him, I could sense His Presence surrounding me.  I could hear His voice singing in the cooing of the doves in the background, and I could feel His warmth enveloping me as the light of the sun filtered through the cool breeze and shade of the trees over me.  As I sat silently waiting for Him to lead me, I was somewhat distracted by the chattering of a little chickadee...who obviously wasn't sure he wanted me invading his space.

But as I focused on the Lord, and His Presence, and the sweet communion we would share, He directed me to Psalm 37:3-7.... a familiar Psalm for sure, but perhaps He wanted me to see something differently today.

3.  "TRUST in the Lord, and DO GOOD,

DWELL in the land, 

and FEED on His faithfulness.

4.  DELIGHT yourself also in the Lord,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

5.  COMMIT your way to the Lord,

TRUST also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

6.  He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light

and your justice as the noon day.

7.  REST in the Lord, and WAIT PATIENTLY for Him.

DO NOT FRET because of him who prospers in his way.

As I read through these verses I noticed that there were 10 commands from the Lord...action words for me to perform.  I wrote those "commands" in all caps above.   Then I was directed down to verse 23-24, which is where I understood that God meant the above to be the STEPS of a good man (or woman)

23.  The STEPS of a good man (woman) 

are ordered by the Lord,

and He (God) delights in his way.

24. Though he (she) fall, he shall not be utterly cast down,

for the LORD UPHOLDS him WITH HIS HAND!!

As we learn to walk with the Lord, these will be our STEPS, and God will DELIGHT in the way we are walking with Him!  And even if we should fail, He will uphold us with His very own hand! Now that's a comforting thought.

Then I went on to read verses 25-26:

25.  I have been young, and now am old;

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.

26.  He is ever merciful and lends;

and his descendants are blessed."

I always had misinterpreted the "He" in verse 26 to mean GOD, but as I read it today I realized that it was talking about "the righteous" man ...is ever merciful and lends.  We, God's people, (me) are to be merciful and "lend"--be generous and kind, show mercy to others...and our own descendants will be blessed.  In other words, don't be selfish with what we have been given, even though we may not feel that we have much...but be kind and merciful and our own descendants will be blessed.  

Verse 37 says:

"Mark the blameless man,

and observe the upright;

for the future of that man is PEACE."

Who doesn't long for PEACE?  Follow the STEPS of a good man/woman, and you will find PEACE.

Thank You, Lord, for shedding a new light on these passages today.  Today I want my steps to be ordered by YOU...I want to:

1. TRUST in the Lord
2. DO GOOD
3. DWELL in the land
4. FEED on His faithfulness
5. DELIGHT myself in Him
6. COMMIT my way to Him
7. TRUST in Him again!!!  (He mentions the TRUST word twice! Must be important!)
8. REST in the Lord, (which literally means to "be silent to the Lord)*
9. WAIT PATIENTLY for Him
10. DO NOT FRET

* Reference to Psalm 62:1 "Truly my soul silently waits for God..."

"Truly my soul silently waits for God.

From Him comes my salvation.

My soul, wait silently for God alone,
for my expectation is from Him."
Psalm 62: 1, 5

Amen

Here are a few pictures from in and around the Secret Garden today that I think will bless you as we delight ourselves in the Lord....spring is coming!  Have a blessed day in the Lord, my friends.

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 3 "His Banner Over Me Is Love"

Welcome to Day 3 of The Secret Garden Chronicles.  I'm not sure this will always happen every day...nor am I certain that I will share everything that God teaches me everyday, as some days may be too personal...but so far it seems that He wants me to be a vessel for His voice as He speaks to me in the garden...it would appear that these treasured moments are not for me alone...but for you as well. So bear with me...and glean what God has for you from these messages each day.  What He says to you may be different than what He speaks to me...because His Word is living and vibrant...and His Holy Spirit teaches to the heart of the believer whatever He wants us to hear.

As I opened my journal to begin writing, this little bookmark fell out and its message caught my attention:

As I sit here in the Secret Garden,

  I reflect on the beauty of this place, 

and it IS lovely...and this gives me great hope...

for what the Lord is going to do here in His "sanctuary"...

It IS delightful...

and this gives me great joy...

Oh, and it is DEFINITELY calming...

and this gives me peace....

And as I reflect on the LOVE of Christ Jesus, this old hymn came to my mind:

"Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free;

Rolling as a mighty ocean, 

in its fullness over me...

Underneath me, 

All around me,

Is the current of Thy love;

Leading onward, leading homeward,

To my glorious REST above.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,

Spread His praise from shore to shore;

How He loveth, ever loveth,

Changeth never, nevermore.

How He watcheth o'er His loved ones,

Died to call them all His own;

How for them He intercedeth,

Watcheth o'er them from the throne.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,

Love of every love the best;

'Tis an ocean vast of blessing,

'Tis a haven sweet of REST.

Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus,

'Tis a heaven of heavens to me;

and it lifts me up to glory

For it lifts me up to Thee."

(Oh the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus, by Samuel T. Francis)

"All around me is the current of Thy love..."

As I sit here writing there is a gently breeze blowing all around me...sometimes not so gently, but blustery, swirling around me, and causing the trees to whisper as they sway to and fro above me...

Reminds me of a song that was popular back in the 70's, 

"The whispering wind seems to softly say...

there's something different about today...

I wonder, what can it be...?"

Back to my friend Gayle Belanger's book, "Live Free, The Inner Journey to Healing", on page 23 Gayle is talking to us about how to prepare to enter your secret room, or in my case...my secret garden, the place that has been set apart for "communing with the Lord"... and I am comforted by the fact that what she describes is actually exactly how the Lord has been directing me in this experience of "Christian meditation".  This is what she wrote:

"Christian meditation is not specifically a time for 'prayer' as you may traditionally think of it. 

Although asking God for things and petitioning Him on behalf of others is important, 

this is not the place, nor is this a time of seeking His leading as to what path to take 

or choice to make. 

This is purely a time of worship. It is to be a loving, positive time full of giving thanks, praise and gratitude; a time where you learn how to develop a continuing loving relationship with Him."

This is a confirmation to me that this time of worship, and listening for God's voice through His Word, is the right way to proceed for this time.  Yes, I do pray for others, and often names are brought before me as I sit and meditate on God's Word...and then I do lift them up before the Lord in prayer. But primarily this time is for listening for the Lord to speak to my heart about the messages that He wants me to hear from His heart...and I try to remain focused on Him and His communication with me.  It's not always easy for me, but it is a discipline that God is trying to instill in me...to BE STILL, and to REST in HIM.

Last night I was reminded of a little chorus that we used to sing in church, "His Banner Over Me Is Love", and I knew that it came from scripture, but I wasn't sure exactly where...so I looked it up because that was the recurring theme that kept coming back to me as I sat before the Lord...and you'll never guess where that passage comes from in the Bible!  The Song of Solomon! One of God's most tender love stories in the Bible!  It not only depicts a love story between a man and a woman, but it is also a picture of God's love for His people Israel, and also the beautiful love story of Christ and His Bride, The Church, of which I am a part...and so are you if you belong to Christ.

Song of Solomon 2:4 says:

"He brought me to the banqueting house,

and His banner over me was love."

The wind was blowing the clouds over the tree tops, and it reminded me of a banner scrolling through the heavens...
"His Banner Over Me Is Love"

Listen to this delightful passage from chapter 2:8-14

"The voice of  my beloved!

Behold, he comes leaping upon the mountains,

skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Behold, he stands behind our wall;

He is looking through the windows,

Gazing through the lattice."

(This really struck me because we have installed this lattice wall in our Secret Garden, and I couldn't help but smile and glance at this while I was reading...God is present even in these things we felt led to erect in the this place dedicated to Him)

"My beloved spoke, and said to me:

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

For lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

and the voice of the turtledove is heard in  our land.

The fig tree puts forth her green figs,

and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell.

Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away!

O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of the cliff,

Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

for your voice is sweet,

and your face is lovely."

Yes, today the Lord wants me to know how much He loves me...

He gave up the splendor of heaven 

for me...

He suffered much pain and anguish~even torment, 

for me...

He gave up His life willingly...

for me...

He died a cruel death on the cross...

for me...

He overcame death and lives eternally...

for me...

He's coming back to take me home to live with Him...

to claim me as His Beloved Bride...

in heaven...for eternity...

He's preparing a marvelous banquet in the banqueting house of heaven...

for me...

And His Banner Over Me Is LOVE!

"Oh the deep, deep love of Jesus!

Vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!!"

Amen

The Secret Garden Chronicles-Day 2 "I Am Your Servant"

This is Day 2 of The Secret Garden Chronicles...and I must say I am a bit overwhelmed...by God and His love...and by you, my friends...and how you have blessed me with your overwhelming response to how God is ministering to us through this place. Thank you for your words of encouragement and affirmation on yesterday's post.  You are truly an inspiration to me, and also a confirmation that God is in this new adventure in the Secret Garden.  I truly hope you will continue to come along with me as the Lord shares His message through His Word and His creation.

Lord, I am Your servant...I am listening for Your voice...

Micah 6:8

"He has shown you, O man (woman!),

what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you...

1. But to do justly
2. To love mercy
3. And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 7:7

"Therefore I will look to the Lord;

I will wait for the God of my salvation;

My God will hear me."

Not  sure where all of this is leading, Lord...

     So I started to sing:

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side.

I am Thine O Lord,

I have heard Thy voice,

And it told Thy love to me;

But I long to rise in the arms of faith

and be closer drawn to Thee...

(Chorus)

Consecrate me now

to Thy service, Lord,

By the power of grace divine;

Let my soul look up with a steadfast hope,

and my will be lost in Thine.

(Chorus)

Oh, the pure delight of a single hour

that before Thy throne I spend,

When I kneel in prayer, 

and with Thee, my God,

I commune as friend with friend!"

"Draw me nearer, nearer blessed Lord,

To the cross where Thou has died...

Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer 

Blessed Lord,

to Thy Precious bleeding side."

(Draw Me Nearer, by Fanny Crosby)

 Psalm 73:28 says:

"But it is good for me

to draw near to God;

I have put my trust in the Lord God,

that I may declare

ALL YOUR WORKS!"

So, Lord, Is this why I am being drawn to this Secret Garden...so that I may draw nearer to YOU, and then that I may declare ALL YOUR WORKS to others?

My friend Gayle Belanger writes in her book Live Free, The Inner Journey To Healing, (pgs. 22-23)

"In order for your inner man or woman to commune with God, you must intentionally

prepare yourself and your surroundings.

First, find a favorite place that is quiet and free from distractions.  

It is of utmost importance that you take time each day to commune in a 

beautiful, peaceful and loving space (location) with your Lord.

Preferably, the same place each time.

I find the anointing of His Spirit builds up in that spot and

it becomes a sacred place.

As you make this your daily routine, you will find the Lord 

waiting there for you."

Oh yes, Gayle, You hit it right on the head with this!  Every day I am seeing more and more how extra special this place is...it has been set apart as a place to commune with my Lord; a place where I can draw nearer to Him...and He is there waiting for me, in the stillness, the quietness, the calm, the beauty...

Even the birds as they fly to and fro going about their business...they pause a moment to watch...

and I believe they too sense God's Presence here...and then they go on about their way, blessing me with their sweet songs!

Yes, "I am Thine O Lord, I have heard Thy Voice..."

As this precious time of listening to God's Voice drew to a close, I thought about what the Lord was teaching me...and then another old hymn came to mind...

"Jesus, I would faithful be,

Give me the power, give me the power...

Jesus I would walk with Thee,

Each passing hour, each passing hour.

In Thy footsteps place my feet,

As Thou dost will, as Thou dost will;

And if thorns my pathway meet,

Bid me be still, be still."

(Jesus I Would Faithful Be" by J.O. Hillyer)

"BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD;

I WILL BE EXALTED AMONG THE NATIONS,

I WILL BE EXALTED IN THE EARTH!"

Psalm 46:10

Thank You, Lord, for speaking to me today. Thank You for drawing me nearer to Thee.  Now help me to be faithful to my task..."In Thy footsteps place my feet...and if thorns my pathway meet...Bid me be still...be still!"  Amen.

Now for some practical thoughts concerning spending this time in the Secret Garden with the Lord...I thought of some things I need to remember each day:

1. My Bible
2. My Journal
3. An ink pen that writes smoothly!
4. A hymnbook because the Lord keeps reminding me of special songs and I want to get the words right!
5. My camera...(of course!)
6. And...this should be #1:  An open heart, open soul, open mind, and open ears!!!

Here are a few more pictures of my latest project for the Secret Garden! (I told someone this isn't finished yet...always something new to add!)

We have a new next door neighbor in the house behind us...and this old wire planter was on the back porch...and he said he was going to be taking some things to the dump...so I asked him if he intended to take this to the dump as well...and he asked me if I wanted it, and I said yes, I'd very much like to have it for my Secret Garden...  Yes...I know it is all rusty and ugly...but so were some of us before the Lord cleaned us up and changed us and made us a new creature!!!

 And so this morning, armed with a can of white spray paint...this little planter became a useful and beautiful vessel for the Secret Garden....

I needed a small table beside the bench to put my cup of tea or water on when I sit out here...and this little "table" is perfect!

So, thank You, Lord...and thank you, new neighbor!!!

Here's one more "new thing" in the garden:

The little camellia bush that my friend Karen gave me is blooming again!!!  Isn't it lovely?  Thank you, Karen...and thank YOU Lord, for Your beauty all around us!!!

Yes, Lord, I AM YOUR servant... and I have heard Your voice...

"And it told Thy love to me;"

"Consecrate me now to Thy service, Lord...

By the Power of grace divine;

Let my soul look UP with a steadfast hope,

and MY WILL be LOST in Thine!"

Amen!!