Precious Promises

Psalm 36:7-8

7.  "How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!

Therefore the children of men put their trust 

under the shadow of Your wings.

Sand Hill Crane Family Portrait

8.  They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, 

and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.

Psalm 37:1-2

1.  "Do not fret because of evildoers,

Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity,

2.  For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,

and wither as the green herb."

 (aftermath of the little storm that went through here Sunday afternoon)

Psalm 37:3-5

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."

(Family visiting with our grandson Noah and his girlfriend, who came all the way from Maine to see us on their spring break.) (Note: Noah is our only grandchild, the son of our son Matthew who entered heaven's gates almost four years ago. Noah will graduate high school this June...and we are so very proud of the young man he is becoming.  We know his daddy would be very proud as well. )

More Advent Delight!

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, 

and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:4

As we fully enter into the Christmas season we look forward to more ways to celebrate Christ's birth and share His good news of love and salvation to others.  One way of doing that is to encourage our fellow sisters (and/or brothers) in the Lord as many have issues that can easily detract from the joy and weigh us down with anxieties, fears and sorrows.  Many people are carrying burdens that are extremely difficult to bear, and adding to that the stresses of the holiday can often exacerbate an already overwhelming situation.

Our Lovely Ladies of the Lord meeting for prayer and
study from the Bible

So, today our "Lovely Ladies of the Lord" prayer group met for our monthly time of prayer and fellowship.  I consider this monthly gathering to be one of the ways that God gives me the desire of my heart... as we come together we are all delighting in the Lord, by sharing His Word and lifting each other up in prayer. 

Today's message came from a devotional reading for December 7th found in "Streams of the Desert"...and it was a blessing to each of us in a powerful way.  The verses shared were from 2 Kings 3:17-18 KJV,  which says:

"For thus says the Lord: 

Ye shall not see wind, neither shall ye see rain;

yet that valley shall be filled with water, that ye may drink,

both ye, and your cattle, and your beasts. 

And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord;

He will deliver the Moabites also into your hands."

Now, you may not grasp the powerful message of this little passage, but to a group of ladies who each have their own personal and family issues that appear to be overwhelming and impossible on the surface, the little phrase encased in this passage, 

"And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord" 

offers great hope and encouragement, bolstering our faith in ways beyond what the naked eye can see.  

The devotional reading for this passage goes on to say:

"To human thinking it was simply impossible, but nothing is hard for God."

Where have we heard that before?  How about in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 1, when the  angel Gabriel is explaining to a virgin maiden how she was chosen to become the mother of the Son of God...and Mary asks the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" (verse 34), and Gabriel tells her that 

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." (verse 35) 

and in verse 37 he says:

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Think about the message of hope that the Christmas story offers...Jesus, born to a virgin maiden, the very Son of God, came to bring salvation and hope and eternal life to a world lost in sin. He offers comfort and help and strength to us when we are feeling alone, fearful and weak. He tells us in the Gospel of Matthew 11:28-30 ...

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden,

and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, 

for I am gentle and lowly in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

Ah, yes! That IS the Christmas message, is it not?  The prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah found in the book of Isaiah 40:11 says:

"He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

and carry them in His bosom,

and gently lead those who are with young."

He will carry His lambs in His bosom...He will take our burdens and give us rest...He will comfort us and gently lead us. 

Dear friends, if you are feeling the effects of "too much" during this Christmas season...or at any time...I hope you will cast your burdens on the Lord, and let Him carry them for you.  If you are weary or sick, or if you have loved ones who are suffering and you feel helpless to be able to render them aid, if you are lonely and heartbroken, or just feeling down because you can't make ends meet one way or the other...please look to Jesus.  Put your trust in Him. Let Him carry your burdens...better yet, let Him carry YOU.  Have faith in God.  Why?  Because...

"This is but a light thing in the sight of the Lord"   and...

"For with God nothing will be impossible!"

Enough Said! I hope you will take this message 

to heart and be blessed today.

Now, after our ladies met at one of our local churches for our time of prayer and Bible study, we moved on to the local diner for lunch and fellowship and more delight:

It appears that I am always talking...and we had a special "guest" at the next table, one of our wonderful local officers of the Sheriff's Department. We all thanked him for his service and care for our community.

And here's another special "guest":

Jolly Old St. Nicholaus was there to greet customers as they entered...Ho! Ho! Ho!  A jolly good time was had by all!  

Merry Christmas my friends!  

I hope you will be delighted in the Lord today!!!

Where Does the Time Go?

     

"I have been young, and now am old..." Psalm 37:25a

I've been noticing lately that I tend to become easily distracted...can't seem to stay focused on any one thing for very long...keep getting side-tracked and off course. Before I know it, I look at the clock and say, "Where does the time go?"  How can it already be time to...

• get ready for work, or 
• get ready for church, 
• get supper ready, 
• get ready for bed, 
• get up in the morning...?

It's not just time that I seem to lose, but it is also what I am doing at one moment, and can't remember the next.  You know, like:

• Now, why did I come in here?
• Ok, where was I?
• Where did I put that...?
• What am I looking for?
• Ok, I'd better get back to what I was doing before I interrupted myself...what was I doing?

And then there are those constant questions that I ask myself out loud...

• Now, why did I come in here?
• Ok, where was I?
• Where did I put that?
• What am I looking for?....

Oops, I think I already said that!  Ok, you get the picture!

I don't think there is anything to worry about. Almost everyone I know at my age has the same problem...if they would only admit it.  It's just becoming a bit bothersome.  I keep forgetting what I am trying to say here. 

I know I am not alone...this has probably struck a note with many of you. Old age is creeping up on us...waking up (not breaking up) is so very hard to do...you know, stretching the joints back into place so we can get out of bed, frequent wake up calls during the night so we can go you know where, turning up the TV or the phone so we can hear, oh, why bother to list everything...the list is getting too long.

I found it kind of interesting that The Psalmist, King David, had similar complaints:

"I am troubled, I am bowed down greatly;

I go mourning all the day long.

For my loins are full of inflammation,

and there is no soundness in my flesh.

I am feeble and severely broken;

I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;

And my sighing is not hidden from You.

My heart pants, my strength fails me;

As for the light of my eyes, 

it also has gone from me."

"My loved ones and my friends 

stand aloof from my plague,

and my relatives stand afar off.

Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;

Those who seek my hurt

speak of destruction,

and plan deception all the day long..."

Psalm 38:6-12

For those of us who are fortunate enough to still be employed, we sometimes fear that the younger co-workers will be watching and waiting for us to make a big mistake, perhaps so they can move in and take over our jobs, citing our incompetence due to "old age".  It would be so easy to give in to despair and fear, throw in the towel and say, "Ok, I quit!" before we are really ready.

However, rather than giving in to paranoia and despondency, there is one thing I do know for certain:

"But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord;

I say, "You are my God,"

My Times are in Your hand."

Psalm 31:14-15a

And:

"I have been young, and now am old;

Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,

Nor his descendants begging bread." Psalm 37:25

I do not need to fear old age creeping up on me, nor do I need to fear what others may try to do to me...for I know that God is always by my side...and always ON my side. What I do need to do is:

 

"Trust in the Lord, and do good;

Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.

Delight yourself also in the Lord,

and He shall give you the desires of your heart."

Psalm 37:3-4

I may not always remember what I am doing from one minute to the next...and I will always have questions. But I will not forget to trust in the Lord...He will carry me through to the next stage of life...and then someday graciously and lovingly carry me home to be with Him forever. Even if I do forget this, He will NEVER forget me!!! Now that's something worth remembering!!