Monday Praise

 Yesterday's sermon by our Pastor about prayer was right on...from Luke 11:1-13.  I think you will enjoy it...but first you'll have to listen to the Praise Team singing "We'll Soon Be Done with Troubles and Trials"

"Some of these days I'm going home where no sorrows ever come,

We'll soon be done with troubles and trials.

Safe from heartache pain and care we shall all that glory share.

Then I'm gonna sit down beside my Jesus, sit down and rest a little while

We'll soon be done with troubles and trials

Yes in that home on the other side

Shake glad hands with the elders, tell my kindred good morning

Sit down beside my Jesus, sit down and rest a little while.

I shall behold His blessed face, I shall feel His matchless grace

We'll soon be done with troubles and trials

Oh what peace and joy sublime in that home of love divine.

Then I'm gonna sit down beside my Jesus, sit down and rest a little while

We'll soon be done with troubles and trials

Yes in that home on the other side

Shake glad hands with the elders, tell my kindred good morning

Sit down beside my Jesus, sit down and rest a little while

We'll soon be done with troubles and trials

Yes in that home on the other side

Shake glad hands with the elders, tell my kindred good morning

Sit down beside my Jesus, Sit down beside my Jesus

Sit down beside my Jesus, and rest a little while

Sit down and rest a little while, little while.

The part that struck me most about the Luke 11 passage was this:

Keep Asking, Seeking, Knocking

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 

10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 

12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 

13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

I have not been on Blogger much this past week, and only a few of you know the reason why. But I feel thankful and blessed so much right now that I want to share with you what has been going on.  

Our Son Benton and his wife Rose (picture taken last fall).

Saturday was our oldest son's 50th birthday! We had planned to have a wonderful family celebration for him on Friday because of their scheduling, etc.,  and family and friends were to come from quite a distance to honor his birthday.  Well, last Sunday our sweet Rose developed a fever and started having a cough and sinus issues. Yes, she tested positive for Covid. The next day Benton came down with the same symptoms, and therefore of course they had to close their business and stay home all week. Needless to say, the birthday party was cancelled until further notice. Thankfully my hubby and I had not been with them for over a week prior to when they got sick, and of course we have stayed away from them all week. We have, however, been cooking some meals, picking up groceries, etc., and delivering them to their front door. Of course they didn't open the door until we were way out of the way.

So, those verses our Pastor preached upon yesterday really hit home with me.  If a son asks for bread, would you give him a stone...or if he asks for a fish, would you give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, would you give him a scorpion?    I am sure you would all agree with me in responding "Of course not!"  We would do anything within our power to help our kids and relieve their suffering in any way possible.  If we could take their pain away and take it ourselves, we would.  But thankfully God has not asked us to do exactly that.  What He does ask us to do is Ask, Seek, and Knock...."A.S.K."  Ask God and it will be opened to you...Seek God and you will find...Knock on the door of God's heart, and it will be opened to you.  

That is what we've been doing this week...asking, seeking, and knocking...praying for healing for our kids.  It's been a rough week for them...and last night Benton was very concerned for Rose as she just didn't seem to be getting better. He was planning to take her to the hospital today if she wasn't significantly improved.  (BTW, when you test positive for Covid, they just send you home to fend for yourselves.  They had to call their doctor, and she told them what OTC medicines to take...no prescriptions were given or offered...just fight your way through this, and if you can't breathe, go to the emergency room, which is full, and our hospital is full, etc., etc.)  So when I heard that, my "asking, seeking, knocking" on heaven's door was turned up a notch.  I spent a rather restless night, and every time I couldn't sleep, I was praying for Rose to be better today.  Of course I prayed for Benton too, but he seemed to be getting stronger while she was not.  

So you can imagine my joy and elation and thankfulness when I called them this morning and Rose actually answered the phone, and she almost sounded like her "old self".  Still sounds like someone with a bad cold, but she sounded stronger, and she even giggled when I told her how happy I was to hear her voice this morning.  My heart is overflowing with thanksgiving and praise.  God heard my prayers and I do believe He has answered them.  I do believe they will continue to regain strength from here on out.

"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."

Psalm 18:6

For those of you who knew about this, I want to thank you for your prayers on their behalf.  And for those who are just now learning of this, prayers are still needed.  They still have a ways to go before they are ready to get back to work. They have a business to run, and everyday they are closed they are losing money.  Thankfully they had two women they know who are vendors in their store, and they volunteered to open the store on Friday and Saturday so they could hopefully make some sales.  And praise God, they made enough on those two days to actually cover what they probably would have made if they had been open all week!  God is so good.  This week is another issue, but again, I believe God is going to take care of them. He knows their needs and He knows exactly how to provide whatever they need.  Our God is an awesome God, and we are blessed and so very very thankful.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this.  You are all a blessing to me. 

"I Will Call Upon The Lord" -Reposted

This was originally posted on 10/26/2014, just 5 months after the passing of our precious son. Two years later, we are still learning to call upon the Lord during times of distress and heartache...and He has never let us down.  This message encouraged my own heart even as I wrote it at that time. I pray there may be someone (or many) who will be blessed and encouraged by this same message yet today.

Original Post from 10/26/2014:

"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."

Psalm 18: 1-3

"The Lord Lives!

Blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted."

Psalm 18:46

Mt. Washington, NH, picture taken October, 2013

Those of you who are familiar with scripture choruses may recognize one in the verses above.  I love it when I start reading from God's Word, and the words of the chosen passage jump out at me and cause me to start singing! Such was the case this morning as I read these powerful verses from Psalm 18.   Sing along with me if you know this little song:

"The Lord liveth,

and blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted!

The Lord liveth,

and blessed be my Rock!

And may the God of my salvation be exalted!

I will call upon the Lord,

Who is worthy to be praised...

So shall I be saved from my enemies;

I will call upon the Lord!"

What I really loved about reading these verses today were the several references to the word "Strength".   This past year I chose for my "One Word" for 2014 the word Strengthen.  Click HERE for more about that.   As we are drawing closer to the end of the year, I've been thinking about all the ways that God has indeed "strengthened" me throughout these months. It hasn't been easy.  The exercises (click on link) have been excruciating in most cases. I had no idea just how much I was going to have to endure to grow in strength.   (Click on the links for previous stories that will give you the background for this story).   But I have never been alone in that quest. 

The first few verses printed at the beginning of this post will tell you WHO has been with me, 

and WHO has actually been my strength, 

my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer...

Yes, it has been my GOD, My Saviour,

who has been my Strength...and in HIM I will trust. 

He has been my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!

So, since I've endured so much this past year, am I now some amazing strong woman, full of wonderful powers and strength beyond belief?  Well, no, I'd hardly say that.  It seems like when we get through one "feat of strengthening", it is oftentimes the building block upon which new challenges will be sent our way. We are never intended in this life to rest upon our laurels of great accomplishments of strength. We are strengthened for a purpose. It could be that God wants us to use our experiences to help others when they face the calamities and heartaches of their lives. It may be that we are strengthened so that we can learn just how dependent upon God we really are... so that we will know beyond a shadow of doubt exactly WHO it was who lifted us up when we were so weak we could not stand on our own.

"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."

Psalm 18:6

My dear friend, I don't know what challenges you are currently facing, or will face in the upcoming months.  But I do know One Who stands ready to be your "strength...your rock, your fortress and deliverer".  If you do not already know this wonderful God and Savior, I pray that you will take the time to get to know Him now, while things are good...don't wait until the hard times come to call out to Him in your distress...seek His face now...call upon the Lord "Who is worthy to be praised..." and I can assure you He will answer you. He wants to be there for you in the good times as well as the difficult days.  Then you will be able to sing this little song along with me:

"The Lord liveth,

and blessed be my Rock!

Let the God of my salvation be exalted!

The Lord liveth,

and blessed be my Rock!

And may the God of my salvation be exalted!

I will call upon the Lord,

Who is worthy to be praised...

So shall I be saved from my enemies;

I will call upon the Lord!"

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