The Secret Garden Chronicles: I Will Bless The Lord At All Times

"I will bless the Lord at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

The humble shall hear of it and be glad.

Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt His name together."

Psalm 34:1-3

The last couple of days I was a little "under the weather" and didn't feel much like writing or doing anything to speak of!  But this morning I feel so much better...and I want to praise the Lord for His goodness and kindness and great mercy.  

We've had a lot of rain here lately, and everything is lush and green and growing like a jungle!  In my few ventures out into the yard, in between swatting mosquitoes, I managed to take a few pictures of the crepe myrtles blooming so profusely...so I thought I should post them for posterity...to remember in the lean years when things don't bloom so well:

 Notice the wisteria vines along the fence...they really came back strong after we cut them all down to put up the new fence!

 In the Memorial Garden...definitely looking more like a memorial "jungle"....

I was just thinking about the statement I wrote above: "so I thought I should post them for posterity...to remember in the lean years when things don't bloom so well".... and I thought to myself, 

Isn't that exactly what the Bible is all about?  God's Word was written many years ago, when the Lord was speaking through His prophets and servants and when Jesus, God's Son actually walked upon the earth, and it was written for a future generation...for the "lean years" when perhaps things might not be going so well...so that a future generation would know about and remember God's promises and words of hope and salvation...The Bible even tells us that:

"This will be written for the generation to come,

That a people yet to be created may praise the Lord."

Psalm 102:18

And again in Psalm 78:5-7

"For He established a testimony in Jacob,

And appointed a law in Israel,

which He commanded our fathers,

That they should make them known to their children;

That the generation to come might know them,

The children who would be born,

That they may arise and declare them to their children,

That they may set their hope in God,

And not forget the works of God,

But keep His commandments."

Yes, it is good to record God's blessings and times of encouragement and answers to prayer...so that we can reflect and recall them in the "lean years", and be reminded of God's faithfulness forever!

This lovely deer was walking through our yard early one morning, and I was blessed to able to snap a couple of pictures before she darted back into the woods...

"O taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him."

Psalm 34:8-9

So, perhaps these words of praise and encouragement will bless you today...and if you find yourself in the midst of a "lean year", be reminded of God's goodness and kindness and mercy...and remember that He never changes...He will always be there for you...

"The poor man cried out,

and the Lord heard him,

and saved him out of all his troubles!"

Psalm 34:6

Have a blessed day, my friends!!!

Have Faith In God

Have Faith in God

Wow! What a night! I don't know how many of you stayed up late last night (this morning) watching the election results.  I made it until about 1:30 a.m. and just couldn't stay up any longer. Went to bed feeling hopeful, and woke up this morning with a feeling of great comfort...and a calm and peaceful sense of having a "clean house"...   (not my own personal house...but a much larger place...)

But then I was faced with the reality that not everyone felt as elated as I.  To some, the results of this election seemed to bring fear and panic, and a sense of financial instability.  For me, not having any real savings  or stocks and being totally dependent on social security and a very small government pension, has its benefits.  Nothing to lose.  But for those whose livelihood is based on a 401K or other type of retirement savings account, the news from the stock market created a great feeling of insecurity and grave concerns about the future.  Even though the experts remind the world that this is only a temporary setback and will soon recover, for those not having that kind of foresight there is major anxiety.

While contemplating this apparent calamity in the lives of those around us, the chorus to an old hymn kept pressing into my heart:

"Have faith in God,

He's on His throne;

Have faith in God,

He watches o'er His own;

He cannot fail,

He must prevail;

Have faith in God, Have faith in God!"

The last verse of this hymn also seems appropriate at this particular juncture:

"Have faith in God tho' all else fail about you;

Have faith in God, He provides for His own;

He cannot fail tho' all kingdoms shall perish,

He rules, He reigns upon His throne!"

"Have Faith in God", by B.B. McKinney, 1886-1952 , Click HERE to hear it sung by a Youth Choir in Singapore

But perhaps not everyone understands or has confidence in having faith in God. And I would be insensitive to flippantly say that is what one should do when they feel their world is crashing down around them. Faith in God is not something that is learned overnight or easily understood.  It may take years of learning to trust in the One true and living God, learned only through personal trials of loss and God's provision, sorrow and regained peace, heartache and restored joy.  This does not come easily, and I have learned that it only comes when I am willing to surrender my control over the things around me...my finances, my home, family, job, health, world events, wars, elections, friendships, and the list goes on and on.  When I recognize that I never had control over those things anyway, it frees me to rest in the Lord and let Him take charge.

Psalm 33:18-22 speaks comfort to my soul and hopefully to any out there who are struggling today:

"Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,

on those who hope in His mercy,

to deliver their soul from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;

He is our help and our shield.

For our heart shall rejoice in Him,

because we have trusted in His holy name.

Let Your mercy, O Lord,

be upon us,

just as we hope in You."

Our God is not lax in His care of us individually or as a nation.  He is very aware of the outcome of this election and its effect on His children, whether it be good or bad.  He is still on His throne...and He will not forget His promises to us.  So...

"Have Faith in God!"

Psalm 34:8-9 says:

"Oh taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

O, fear the Lord, you His saints!

There is no want to those who fear Him."

It is my prayer that as we reflect on the outcome of this election and all that it portends, we will be reassured that our God IS still on the throne, and that He is in control...and that we truly have nothing to fear. Amen!