Monday, September 24, 2012

Psalm 46


Psalm 46
One Sunday morning not long ago, I was doing some daily Bible reading. Ps 46 was in the que. 

As I was reading it, the song Peace Be Still came to mind and I decided that I should memorize this passage in an effort to learn more Bible verses.

Being able to quote this passage from memory has served me more than I would have imagined. Here are my thoughts on this amazing passage of comfort:

Vs. 1-3 - God is our refugee and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Thought the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.

Daily, everyone of us can stand to hear a reminder that God is our strength. He is with us in trouble. We face trouble on daily basis.  More often than we want to admit, we are weakened and are driven to our knees.  If we would only grab ahold of this verse and cling to its Holy Promise! During the moments in my life when the mountains seem to be falling into the sea, I have been able to pull comfort from these verses. 

Praise the Lord for being my strength and help in trouble.

Vs. 5 - God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

 This verse reminds me that God Will help and wants to help.  That I do not have to go through my journey alone and scared.  God, the creator of the universe, the Master of the seas, the One that the winds obey his very voice, is in the midst of MY journey.  How amazing is that?

Vs 10a - Be still, and know that I am God...

Worry has a way of grabbing ahold of us and not letting go. We drag our worries around with us, fretting about tomorrow. We wonder what are we going to do, we waste precious time that we could be making a difference for Heaven on worry. That is what satan wants from us. He wants to distract us, so that we forget about this verse. 

We need to remember to be still and KNOW that God will take care of us, he wants to take care of us and will continue to take care of us. Instead of looking around at the raging storms and taking our eyes off of our Lord, we need to remain focused on him. 

We need to fix our eyes our heavenly Father and run to Him. We need to crawl right up into his lap and just be still, knowing that He is in control, that He wants to bless us, guide and direct us. Knowing that He is God!

I'm just as guilty as the next person about worry, about discouragement, about distractions.  Having hid these verses in my heart, where I can grab them at a moments notice has proven beneficial so many times. Speaking with my best friend on the phone who is afraid for her prodigal daughter. Consoling my daughter when she feels like she can't keep fighting gastroparesis. Re-assuring my son that God will provide the necessary funding for college as well as direction. 

When my own heart is aching, with the desire to give big and do more for others, but the finances simply will not allow it, with the need to see my son, with various heartaches and breaks - I too, claim these promises from the Lord.

Have you hidden these words in your heart? Can you grab them when you need them? 

You know the storms are coming, you know the battle will rage? 

What other passages do you need to hide in your heart?


Monday, September 17, 2012

For Today


Father,

For today, help your child that is struggling to feel deep peace and happiness even though their mind is filled with thoughts of uncertainty.

For today, bring unspeakable joy in the midst of the storm so that we are reminded that YOU, alone are God and are worthy to be praised.

For today help us to know you are there, holding and comforting us, walking beside us each step of the way, even though our hearts are fearful, worried and unsure.

For today, help us to know that what you have waiting is all that we truly need to get through this day.

Even though we can’t see the rainbow for the rain, for today - help us to trust you, your unfailing love, your never ending grace, mercy and desire for us to be blessed beyond measure.

For today, help us to know that you delight in our delight and that we can be completely free of pain and hurt while we trust you to direct us as you heal our broken hearts.

For today, help us to see what a beautiful soul we are and that our love is a gift to others.

Help us to see that for today and always YOU are all we need.

In Jesus Precious HOLY Name, Amen!

This is my prayer for you today and always!

HUGS wrapped in prayer

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Back to School 2012


Helping those that can’t help themselves….isn’t that what giving and spreading joy is truly all about?

Y O U are awesome at just that.

Y O U were instrumental in giving away 251 backpacks over the course of 3 weekends to children that may grow up to become Pastors, Teachers, Doctors, Lawyers, Nurses, Business Owners,  etc.

They would have gladly ran up and hugged you and said thanked you personally, (well, the shy one’s would have quietly whispered thank you while looking down at their feet…but know that their hearts were soaring) but they couldn’t, so I’m using my voice to thank you!

The laughter, giggles and listening to them exclaim with delight as they picked out their favorite color was great fun!

Because of your heart, your giving spirit and your willingness to do what you can, where you are with what you have; these children went back to school with a huge smile on their face and joy in their hearts.

Here are the items we included in each bad for the kids: 
  • 3 Spiral Notebooks
  • 1 package of loose leaf paper
  • 1 Package of pens
  • 1 package of pencils
  • 1 box of crayons
  • 1 package of colored pencils
  • 1 bottle of glue
  • 1 glue stick
  • 1 highlighter
  • 1 eraser
  • 1 pocket folder
  • 1 pack of snack crackers
  • and ONE Package of Reese's Cups!


Thank you just doesn’t seem to be enough, but it comes wrapped with great love and gratitude!


Thank you to those who had a desire to give big, but finances didn’t allow them to, so they used their voice!


Thank you to all those who gave financial gifts so that we could go out and purchase the items needed to help get their school year off to an amazing start!

Thank you to the volunteers for making this event go as smoothly as it did!


Thank you to New Grace Baptist Church for allowing us to host the main event at your fellowship hall.
Thank you to those who went shopping with me and for me, when I had went to every store within an hour’s drive and still came up short for what we needed.

Thank you to Pastor Williams and Pastor Paul for your part in sponsoring this event and partnering with us to bring hope and joy to these kids!


Thank YOU – without YOU, we wouldn't be helping the shy kid that quietly asked for purple or the excited kid that loudly proclaimed he wanted green and all the other kids in between that shared ideas on how THEY can make a difference too! Also, without YOU  there would be more mom’s in tears, wondering what they are going to give up so that they can simply get the basic supplies for yet another year of school.  




Thank you for helping 251 less moms shed those kinds of tears this year!



Y O U are awesome at spreading JOY!
 Thank YOU


 
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