Meditation from Still Waters Pond

 

I was reading things in the news before I went to bed last night, and I went to bed with a lot of troubling thoughts on my mind regarding our current "world situation", and I tossed and turned all night long. I prayed and asked the Lord to give me peace and help me sleep, but I kept waking up and those thoughts kept coming back to me...and I was praying that God will give me and my family and loved ones the courage to stand strong and not give in to the pressures of the enemy. It was not a restful or peaceful night. I apologize for even sharing this with you now because I certainly don't want to cause anxiety or alarm.  But these are difficult times and we do have grave concerns about the future of our country.

But I woke up this morning and began to read our devotions, and the Psalm that we read was Psalm 9:8-13, but in particular verses 9-10 jumped out at me from the page, and I had to just stop and read it again out loud:  

"The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. 

 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; 

 for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You." 

 And then it was so pleasant to look outside and see the Great Blue Heron out there in Still Waters Pond, fishing for his breakfast and finding refuge in a peaceful little cove, oblivious to the bright sun and noises of the traffic on the other side of those trees. He was focused on one thing, and didn't seem to worry about the "what ifs" of life...he just went about doing his daily routine, seeking nourishment in the place where God had placed him. 

We also read from Habakkkuk 2:4 

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

I continued reading our devotions for the morning, and the next passage was from the Gospel of Matthew 17:14-21.  

And the response that Jesus gave His disciples when they asked way they could not cast out the demon from a young boy, Jesus said to them in verse 20:

"Because of your unbelief.

For assuredly, I say to you,

If you have faith as a mustard seed,

you will say to this mountain,

'Move from here to there,'  and it will move;

and nothing will be impossible for you."

And when you put all of this together, you have the following formula for peace of mind and courage for the future:

Release. Trust. Believe.

Nothing will be impossible for you.

I think I will sleep much better tonight. And I hope you will also find refuge and peace for your soul as you consider these words as well.

A daily meditation from Still Waters Pond.

"Be Silent, All Flesh, Before the Lord"...A Sunday Meditation

"Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord,

for He is aroused from His holy habitation."

Zechariah 2:13

"Behold the proud,

His soul is not upright in him;

But the just shall live by his faith."

Habakkuk 2:4

 "But the Lord is in His holy temple.

Let all the earth keep silence before Him."

Habakkuk 2:20

This was the scene I stumbled across early this morning as I took a quick walk before breakfast.

This doe was resting in the tall grass inside the fenced lot of an empty vacation home. She awakened and stood up, and suddenly all these other deer stood up in the lot and gathered together. I had no idea they were all there until then. It was quite a scene.  

When she stood up, she gave me quite the look and stuck her tongue out at me as if to say, 

"Why did you wake us all up?  Now we'll have to get up and move from our peaceful resting place."

I tried to reassure her that I meant no harm, but nevertheless, she gathered up the family and they moved on to quieter spaces where nosy people wouldn't disturb them.

Even though I know I disturbed them, it was a blessing to me to see them this morning.

As many of you know, we have had quite the week, and it's not over yet...but this was a welcome respite from the deluge...it helped me to silence my mind and prepare my heart for worship today at church, which was exactly what we needed. It was so wonderful to be embraced in the loving fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ and to know that we are not alone in our journey. Of course, we already knew that...so many people are praying and have expressed their love and concern...but to have hugs and prayers and words of comfort face to face was indeed comforting.

Like these deer, we are stronger together.

Thank you all for your prayers and expressions of love this past week. Today we are waiting for the final call regarding my mother in law. We know it is just a matter of time, and probably not very much time right now. But we know where she is going, and we are comforted.

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

and He will make me walk on my high hills."

Habakkuk 3:18-19

Final view of the deer as each one eventually leaped over the fence and headed for the safety of the deeper woods.