Original Post : February 26, 2010:
Psalm 130 says, "Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning--Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption! He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
So I've decided to begin this blog idea...and I honestly am not too sure what I am doing. It seems as though every where I look I am seeing others with the same idea...a new beginning...an open window. Perhaps because we are still in the early part of a new year and a new decade...or perhaps because there are so many of us out here struggling and searching for a way to begin anew...whether it be a new job (or ANY job), a new home, a new family, a new situation in life that blows our mind, recovering from devastating loss or illness...whatever our reasons...we are out here...and we need each other!
Like the Psalmist above, I have cried out of the depths, "Lord, hear my voice! Let Your voice be attentive to the voice of my supplications!" In other words, "Lord, are you listening to me? Please listen to me when I am pouring out my heart to you!" Then I think, "Well, maybe because of my sin or my stupidity I have gotten myself into this mess, so why should God want to help me?" I love what verses 3 and 4 say in response to my doubts and fears:
"If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that You may be feared."
God reassures me here that even though I may have made a mistake, or even if my circumstances are not of my own doing, God has forgiven me and is already "on the case". The psalm is completed with an admonition to Israel...and to me, to "hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is abundant redemption!"
Last night I picked up a magazine and tried to read, but I really wasn't concentrating too much on the article because I was fretting over my future (or lack of) and what to do next. However, the very last words of the story jumped out at me and gave me a sense of the message that God was trying to get through to me:
"Looking for inspiration? Follow the path that's calling you. It's sure to be an adventure." (Samantha Brown, "Travels From the Heart", Guideposts, March 2010, page 58)
And so, here I am again...looking at this "Open Window" that God has placed before me, and like the Psalmist, I am waiting for the Lord..."and in His word I do hope....more than those who watch for the morning."
If you have been in similar circumstances, or maybe you still are...can we stand together and work through this time in a spirit of hope, encouragement, and inspiration? Would you share your thoughts, ideas, and dreams with us so we can learn from each other? This is your opportunity as well as mine, to begin anew, start a new adventure, and leap through that "open window". Are you ready? Then let's get going!!
Thank you for joining me today for Random Journal Day. Now go check out what others are writing here,
