God's Gifts of Peace and Blessing

So here it is, Labor Day Weekend, and we really don't have any big plans...no picnics, no bar-b-que, no large gathering of people...seems strange.  But our sons are at home and that is sweet company!  And our new daughter-in-law-to-be will be visiting tomorrow...so that is also a time to celebrate!  Therefore, in honor of this occasion I decided to bake some Dutch Apple pies:

And this afternoon I am also cooking a Boston Butt roast in the crock pot for "barbeque pulled pork" for supper and for sandwiches tomorrow. So I guess we are having a bar-b-que of sorts after all!

When a new person is becoming a part of the family it is an exciting time!  As we get better acquainted with our oldest son's chosen "helpmate", I especially feel more and more blessed to be gaining a "daughter"...another woman to help balance out our mostly male family!  It is thrilling to me to know that this sweet girl not only loves our son, but she also loves to cook, to create beautiful things, and she seems to be very happy to become an active part of our family. We thank the Lord for bringing this beautiful "Rose" into our lives! (That is her name!)

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

For He has done marvelous things;"

Psalm 98:1

Earlier today I spent a little time walking through The Secret Garden.  I haven't spent much time there this summer due to the heat and the mosquitoes that just love to bite me whenever I step outside...but today seems a teeny weeny bit cooler and not quite as humid...so I ventured out to enjoy the beauty of that special place.

Upon entering the garden, I couldn't help but notice that some"one" had been visiting there before me:

One of our resident doves apparently left me a little gift to let me know he had flown by. (That feather is actually more gray than the picture makes it look)

I wonder which one of these it could have been? (There are actually quite a few more than these four doves in our back yard on a regular basis...here they are lined up in the morning waiting for me to bring out the bird feeders!)

I found this feather to be a gift...perhaps a kind of "sign" from the Lord...a sign of His everlasting peace...

The dove was a symbol of peace and God's promise to Noah and his children who were waiting on the Ark for the flood waters to recede so they could return to the earth and begin a new life. 

(Genesis 8:1-14)

This past week we have witnessed the ravaging floods along the coastal cities of Texas and Louisiana. Many lives have been disrupted and thousands of people are waiting for the waters to recede so they can return to their homes and begin a new life.

Perhaps the feather is a symbol of hope...the promise that life will soon be restored for these dear people.  

Tomorrow our President has proclaimed a National Day of Prayer for all those affected by this storm.

It is my prayer that our nation will truly take this opportunity to come together and pray for our country to be restored once again...in every way.

Have a blessed and peaceful Labor Day weekend! 

I know I will be praying for our nation...won't you join me?

Sing to the Lord...

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1

Today I chimed in on an interesting discussion on facebook about hymns vs. contemporary music, etc., which is a "debate" that has been going on for some time now.  It appears that the church is pretty divided on this issue...and then again, there are many who have compromised and split it down the middle...half hymns, half choruses...  They each have their place in our worship services...and the most important thing is this:  Just SING!!! If you look in the Bible you will find many many references to music, especially in the Psalms.  I will just share a few with you...and this expresses my feelings pretty much exactly:

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night, on an instrument of ten strings, on the lute, and on the harp, with harmonious sound." Psalm 92:1-3

"Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods."  Psalm 95:1-3

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth.  Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.  Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples.  for the Lord is great and greatly to be praised...."  Psalm 96:1-4

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! For He has done marvelous things;  His right hand and His holy arm have gained Him the victory. " Psalm 98:1

"Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises.  Sing to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; Shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.  Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth.  With righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity."  Psalm 98:4-9

"Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands!  Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing."  Psalm 100:1-2

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.  Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.  For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." Psalm 100: 4-5

"I will sing of mercy and justice;  To You, O Lord, I will sing praises."  Psalm 101:1

Need I say more?  Oh....but there is one more verse I want to share with you...Did you know that God also sings to us?  Yes, He does...according to Zephaniah 3:17 ~

"The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

To sum it all up: SING TO THE LORD...REJOICE IN THE LORD...SING NEW SONGS, SING OLD SONGS, JUST SING AND PRAISE THE LORD ON HIGH, FOR HE ALONE IS WORTHY OF OUR PRAISE! I LOVE HYMNS, I LOVE CHORUSES, I LOVE SINGING TO THE LORD ALL DAY LONG......JUST SING!!! DON'T FIGHT ABOUT WHAT SONGS ARE BEST...GOD JUST WANTS US TO SING AND FIGHT BACK THE DEMONS WHO ARE TRYING TO KEEP THE MELODY OF PRAISE OUT OF OUR HEARTS AND MINDS. OH, SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG! FOR HE HAS DONE MARVELOUS THINGS! HIS RIGHT HAND AND HIS HOLY ARM HAVE GAINED HIM THE VICTORY!!!!!! (PSALM 98:1) SO, PLEASE, PEOPLE OF GOD: SING!!!!!

"Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!!  
LET EVERYTHING THAT HAS BREATH PRAISE THE LORD!  Psalm 150: 1-6

And all the people said: "AMEN!"

"Shout Joyfully to the Lord"

Psalm 98:4-9 "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth in song, rejoice, and sing praises. sing to the Lord with the harp, with harp and the sound of a psalm, with trumpets and the sound of a horn; shout joyfully before the Lord, the King.

Let the sea roar, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell in it; Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the Lord, For He is coming to judge the earth, with righteousness He shall judge the world, and the peoples with equity."

Psalm 96: 10  "Say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns! The world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved."

You know, sometimes we just have to stop what we are doing and take time to praise the Lord!  As I was reading the above verses, one led to another...Psalm 95, Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 99, 100...All Psalms of praise and thanksgiving to God.  They each  talk about the power and majesty of our God, Who is "most high above all the earth; exalted far above all gods."  (Psalm 97:9)  Verse 4-5 says that "His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord."
In the New Testament, Luke 19: 39-40, it says that some of the Pharisees told Jesus to rebuke the people for rejoicing at His entrance into Jerusalem, but Jesus said to them, "I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out!"

How awesome is our God!  How marvelous is the Lord, Our Savior and King!  It is good to sing praises to Him...Praise lifts the broken hearted and gives comfort to the weary and weak.  When I am feeling sad,  lonely or afraid, if I start singing praises to God, whether it be in the form of a hymn, reading the Psalms, or calling out my own words of praise,  I cannot help but be lifted out of the gloom.  My focus turns from looking inward at my own struggles and problems to an outward expression of joy and thankfulness.

Do I always feel like praising God? Am I really that shallow that I can just turn off the sorrow and turn on the praise? No, I don't always feel like praising. So often my grief and pain is so deep that I don't even know how to express it adequately.  That is when this gift of praise takes control...I believe it is a gift from God to be able to praise Him in the midst of the crisis...it is not something I can do in and of myself. It often is an act of the will...I will praise Him, even when I don't feel like it. And when I deliberately set about to praise Him, something beautiful takes place.  There is a healing balm that covers my soul, causing the tears to flow where before they could not...and opens my heart to joy. That is the gift of praise...which, in turn, brings about more praise! 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice!" 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Philippians 4:4, 6-7

I guess I just needed to take this "praise break" today...for our God is an awesome God!!

Amen.