Category: Psalms

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Thoughts – Pleasing Thoughts

It was windy last night and there was something popping outside. I thought that we had possibly left a storage door open or something of that nature, so I ventured outside to see if I could figure it out.

Everything was buttoned up tight. I came back in, it was 2:30 am and I knew there was no going back to sleep. It was time to pray. I began to meditate on God’s goodness…what a wonderful, comforting and strengthening thing that is to do.

A verse from my childhood Sunday School memorization came to mind.

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, Oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14 KJV

I will be honest with you – my thoughts at 2 am were “this is going to be a long day” and if I would have continued to think on that I know by mid-day I would be worn out and somewhat grumpy. Not an acceptable meditation.

So, I opened my Bible to read the entire chapter of Psalm 19. When we ask the Lord to redirect our thoughts, He will.

“The Law of the Lord is perfect, giving new strength to the soul. The Law He has made known is sure, making the child-like wise. 8 The Laws of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The Word of the Lord is pure, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The Lord is always true and right in how He judges. 10 The Word of the Lord is worth more than gold, even more than much fine gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey straight from the comb. 11 And by them Your servant is told to be careful. In obeying them there is great reward.

12 Who can see his own mistakes? Forgive my sins that I do not see. 13 And keep Your servant from sinning by going my own way. Do not let these sins rule over me. Then I will be without blame. And I will not be found guilty of big sins. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in Your eyes, O Lord, my Rock and the One Who saves me.” Psalm 19:7-14 NLV

I have a choice today – so do you. We can meditate (think on continually) how tired we are, how little sleep we’ve had, how little strength and joy we have, how we are misunderstood and mistreated, or we can choose to make the thoughts of our heart centered on God’s Word.

His word will give us strength and make us wise. His word will give us joy and understanding. His word will never fail but instead will last forever. His word is more valuable than gold and sweeter than honey.

If we insist on going our own way and following our own thinking we can be led astray and possibly into sin – the sin of worry, self-pity, anxiousness and frustration.

We have a choice! I choose to make my thoughts and my words pleasing to the Lord!

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Casa de Esperanza

The last few homes Dave and I have lived in we have named. The atmosphere of our homes has been a testimony to the Lord. We had people tell us that our home in Montana was so peaceful and it was. Nothing but prairie and mountain vistas as far as the eye could see.

When we came to Southern Arizona and moved into our Spanish style home, we named it Casa de Paz, or house of peace. When we poured the patio slab, we inscribed it with the words, Casa de Paz. Visitors told us of how well they slept; they were able to relax and just let the stress of everyday living go. It was a joy to hear – we felt God’s presence and it was good to know that others sensed that peace as well.

Now, we have a new home. And although there is no fresh concrete to write a name in, we have agreed that this should be Casa de Esperanza, house of hope. For truly, we hoped for a home like this – it was the desire of our heart – and without God it wouldn’t have been possible.

“I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace as you trust in him. Then you will have more and more hope, and it will flow out of you by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 ERV

There are so many today who are lacking both hope and peace. They struggle to find purpose and once they find it there is a struggle to see it fulfilled. Without our confidence and trust in the Lord, we would be living that way too.

“So, brothers and sisters, stand strong and continue to believe the teachings we gave you when we were there and by letter. 16-17 We pray that the Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father will comfort you and strengthen you in every good thing you do and say. God loved us and gave us through his grace a wonderful hope and comfort that has no end.” II Thessalonians 2:15-17 ERV

One of God’s gifts to us is hope. His grace, blessing us when we are undeserving, is the conduit through which hope flows. Many lack hope because they feel God is mad at them and is looking for an opportunity to punish them. Quite the opposite is true – He loves us and is looking for opportunity to bless us and give us hope.

“ Do not give me over to the desire of those who hate me. For people who tell lies about me rise against me, and breathe a desire to hurt me. 13 I would have been without hope if I had not believed that I would see the loving-kindness of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord. Be strong. Let your heart be strong. Yes, wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:12-14 NLV

We have no idea where the Lord will take us in this journey but we are excited about the trip. We look forward to bringing hope to those who are hurting as we travel down the road in our Casa de Esperanza.

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Continue to Focus

There hasn’t been a day since I was in the fifth grade that I didn’t realize the importance of being able to focus.

That’s when it became obvious that I wasn’t seeing correctly. Things were blurry, very blurry. As I sat on the piano bench, I would lean in so the notes on the page would come into focus. My teacher told Mom that she thought I was having a hard time seeing what was written on the black board. I found myself sitting closer to the TV to see my favorite shows.

Mom took me to the optometrist, and I was assessed with myopia; I was near-sighted, and it was pretty bad. I remember the first day I went to school wearing glasses – it was horrible. I thought they were pretty, but they were thick and heavy and made me look awkward. It was bad enough that I was a band geek but now I had glasses to boot. I remember being so self-conscious.

But I could see and eventually that outweighed the negatives. One of the first things I do each morning is put on my glasses (if I’m not wearing my contacts). I never take seeing clearly for granted.

I guess that’s why I start each morning with prayer time and reading my Bible, I like having things focused properly. It’s not a one-time event, focus once and forget it – no, it’s a daily practice. I need to keep focused on what the Lord says about me and to me.

I have several places in my Bible that I read each morning. They set the tone for the day. I hope you will focus on one of them with me this morning.

“With all my heart I praise the Lord, and with all that I am I praise his holy name! 2 With all my heart I praise the Lord! I will never forget how kind he has been. 3 The Lord forgives our sins, heals us when we are sick, 4 and protects us from death. His kindness and love are a crown on our heads. 5 Each day that we live, he provides for our needs and gives us the strength of a young eagle. 6 For all who are mistreated, the Lord brings justice…The Lord is merciful! He is kind and patient, and his love never fails. 9 The Lord won’t always be angry and point out our sins; 10 he doesn’t punish us as our sins deserve. 11 How great is God’s love for all who worship him? Greater than the distance between heaven and earth!” Psalm 103:1-6, 8-11 CEV

You may be spiritually near-sighted, only seeing what’s closest to you and not able to get the whole picture clearly or you may be spiritually far-sighted, only seeing heaven in the sweet by and by and missing the Lord’s love and provision for each day.

Get your eyes checked and your vision corrected; continue to focus on God’s amazing love and the power of His word.

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Protected

Some of you live in areas where the ground has been snowed covered for quite some time but that’s not how it is here. We get colder weather but not for extended periods of time and snow is a rarity.

Before we sold the house and moved into the RV, I had many plants in our yard. Most of them were resilient to the cold but others had to be covered, protected. I loved working with my flowers and plants but had to leave most of them behind. I was only able to bring a few of them with me – our space is limited.

This last week we had freeze warnings and I brought a few of them in and covered the larger, stronger ones. The weather forecast has predicted warmer days this week and night before last was above freezing so yesterday I pruned a few frost-bitten leaves and placed the plants which had been inside back out on the patio.

Much to my chagrin when I got up this morning our thermometer had a reading of 30*. That’s upsetting because I didn’t cover any of them last night. It’s one of those should have, would have, could have situations and frankly, I’m praying that they were protected even though I was neglectful.

I am very grateful that our heavenly Father isn’t caught off guard by anything and He has given us His promise of protection.

“Live under the protection of God Most High and stay in the shadow of God All-Powerful.
2 Then you will say to the Lord, “You are my fortress, my place of safety; you are my God, and I trust you.” 3 The Lord will keep you safe from secret traps and deadly diseases.
4 He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or city wall. 5 You won’t need to worry about dangers at night or arrows during the day. 6 And you won’t fear diseases that strike in the dark or sudden disaster at noon.” Psalm 91:1-6 CEV

He cares for us like we would care for a young and tender plant. This is the Lord’s promise for our protection and safety. We can put our hope, our faith and trust in Him; He keeps His word, God does not lie!

“If you honor the Lord, his angel will protect you. 8 Discover for yourself that the Lord is kind. Come to him for protection, and you will be glad.” Psalm 34:7-8 CEV

We must not let fear rob us of those things that the Father has promised. His faithfulness is our shield, our covering, our protection!

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Stay Anchored

A few weeks back we were at our oldest daughter, and I shared with her and Dave something I had written in my prayer journal early in 2020.

Plans for 2020/2021: Sell house, sell 5th wheel, sell Cadillac. Buy newer 5th wheel, pay off any bills, find a place to live full time.

Now here we are just a few days from the end of 2021 and each of those things has come to pass. WOW!!

However, there were times over the past two years that we waivered and even doubted that this would be possible. But we had our hope!

The longest we had ever lived in an RV was 10 weeks in the summer and we had been busy working so had very little extended time in our small place. Could we do it? Well, this last summer our 2-week camping trip turned into four months of camp hosting – yes, we could do it.

What about selling our home and most of our earthly possessions? Could we do it? The kids were great in encouraging us to “go for it” and they took many of the things we didn’t want to lose. Two huge garage sales and yes, we were ready for a minimalist lifestyle.

We spent two years researching RV’s on the internet. Which one would work best for us? We settled in on one brand but were divided between two different models. The Lord worked all that out – amazing! (but that will be a whole story all of its own)

The house sold six days after listing it and while we thought we needed to sell the Cadillac the Lord had other plans. He had us give it to a wonderful young couple – a blessing to them and to us.

But you may be wondering why I used a picture of a harbor and lighted boats and titled the blog this morning “Stay Anchored”. Glad you asked.

“God cannot tell lies! And so his promises and vows are two things that can never be changed. We have run to God for safety. Now his promises should greatly encourage us to take hold of the hope that is right in front of us. 19 This hope is like a firm and steady anchor for our souls. In fact, hope reaches behind the curtain and into the most holy place. 20 Jesus has gone there ahead of us, and he is our high priest forever…”Hebrews 6:18-20 CEV

When you know that the Lord has put a dream in your heart storms of doubt, fear and circumstances will come to try and shipwreck you and your dream. That’s when you drop anchor and hold fast to the promises of God!

“Do what the Lord wants, and he will give you your heart’s desire.” Psalm 37:4 CEV

We gave the Lord our dream. We asked Him to change it, if needed, to mold it and to refine it so that we could give Him all the glory. He did just that. The way He refined it is so much greater than what we dreamed possible.

Maybe you’re wondering if your dream will ever come to pass. Let God’s promises be the anchor that holds your soul secure. When waves of doubt and fear come, being anchored to the solid rock of God’s word will keep us from being capsized or blown off course.

My advice for upcoming 2022, “Stay Anchored”! God is bigger than the waves.

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Old Fashioned or Timeless

Yesterday Dave and I took time to slow down a bit. We watched an older Christmas movie, one from 1983, “The Best Christmas Pagent Ever”.

It hadn’t been re-mastered so the cinematography was grainy – certainly not high def – but the story line was timeless. It was about a church Christmas play that everyone thought would be ruined because some delinquent children were unfortunately cast in the leading roles.

But instead of being a disaster, hearts were changed. That’s the timeless story of Christmas, the story of lives being changed.

Some think that going to church, reading the Bible and having a personal trust in the Lord is old-fashioned, quaint, out-of-date, passe. Many just don’t have the time for anything of faith. But for me my faith isn’t old-fashioned it’s timeless. When something is timeless it is highly valuable and to be treasured.

“I will tell of your greatness, my God and King.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
2 I will praise you every day.
    I will praise your name forever and ever.
3 The Lord is great and deserves all our praise!
    No one can fully understand his greatness!
4 Each generation will praise you
    and tell the next generation about the great things you do.
5 Your majesty and glory are wonderful.
    I will tell about your miracles.
6 People will tell about the amazing things you do,
    and I will tell everyone how great you are.
7 They will talk about your goodness
    and sing about your justice.

8 The Lord is kind and merciful,
    patient and full of love.
9 The Lord is good to everyone.
    He shows his mercy to everything he made.
10 Lord, all you have made will give thanks to you.
    Your loyal followers will praise you.
11 They will tell how great your kingdom is.
    They will tell how great you are.
12 So others will learn about the mighty things you do,
    about the glory of your kingdom—how marvelous it is!
13 Your kingdom will never end,
    and you will rule forever.

The Lord can be trusted in all that he says.
    He is loyal in all that he does.
14 The Lord lifts up people who have fallen.
    He helps those who are in trouble.
15 All living things look to you for their food,
    and you give them their food at the right time.
16 You open your hands
    and give every living thing all that it needs.
17 Everything the Lord does is good.
    Everything he does shows how loyal he is.
18 The Lord is near to everyone
    who sincerely calls to him for help.
19 He listens to his followers and does what they want.
    He answers their prayers and saves them.
20 The Lord protects everyone who loves him,
    but he destroys all who do evil.
21 I will praise the Lord!
    Let everyone praise his holy name forever and ever!” Psalm 145 ERV

The Father’s loving care isn’t old-fashioned; it’s timeless and priceless. May we all be changed by the depth of the Lord’s unconditional love!

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A Bit of Sweetness

A Christmas tradition that my Mom started was the making of peanut butter balls. It’s a favorite of everyone who visits. After all who doesn’t like chocolate, peanut butter, rice crispies and powdered sugar?

This year there has been no time to get into the kitchen to make them. My daughter has said she made some for us and we are looking forward to having a sweet treat!

I’m not sure how the tradition of having sweet cakes, cookies, breads and candy became a part of Christmas but I’m glad it did. Must have been a Scandanavian influence – my Mom had to have “just a little something sweet” after every meal, including breakfast.

Maybe you are a lot like her and don’t feel the day is complete without a little sweetness. I have just the thing for you.

“You have been my teacher, and I won’t reject your instructions. 103 Your teachings are sweeter than honey. 104They give me understanding and make me hate all lies.” Psalm 119:102-104 CEV

In one translation the word “teachings” is interchanged for the “word”. Your word is sweeter than honey…When Jesus came to earth John the apostle wrote:

“In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God. 2 From the very beginning the Word was with God…The Word became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father. From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have come down to us.” John 1:1,2,14 CEV

Jesus is the living word of God. His influence makes our lives sweeter than we could possibly imagine.

If you’re like my Mom and need a “little something sweet” after each meal I invite you to indulge in God’s word. No need to count calories or carbs – the Word of God is nourishment to our souls.

We should all have a regular diet of this kind of sweetness!

Sorry for the late post – technical difficulties.

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Light Up the Night

I remember my grandmother had a Christmas table decoration when I was a small child. It had four small candles and when they were lit the heat from the candles would cause the mobile to turn and the angels would strike a bell causing it to ring.

I would be fascinated for what seemed like hours just watching it.

This morning, as that memory came back, it was also accompanied with some words of Scripture.

“But you are his chosen people, the King’s priests. You are a holy nation, people who belong to God. He chose you to tell about the wonderful things he has done. He brought you out of the darkness of sin into his wonderful light. 10 In the past you were not a special people, but now you are God’s people. Once you had not received mercy, but now God has given you his mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 ERV

The message of Christmas, Christ is born, is a message of hope and light. Through Christ we are brought into a right relationship with God, the Father. Our relationship with Him is one of mercy, grace and love. We no longer have to live in the darkness of our own futile efforts, we are given His light. After all, He is the light of the world.

Have you ever been to a candle light service where all the lights are off and then one person lights a candle and then they light the candle of the person next to them and so it goes until everyone in the church has a lighted candle and the room is fully illuminated? It’s a memorable experience to say the least.

That’s how we are to be in our world, our sphere of influence – we are to bring in the light, the light of God’s love.

“The sun will no longer be your light during the day. The light from the moon will no longer be your light at night. The Lord will be your light forever. Your God will be your glory.” Isaiah 60:19 ERV

The Lord is our light that shines forever!

When there’s no light we stumble in the darkness. I have stubbed my toe numerous times getting out of bed in a strange place with no light to guide me. The same holds true in our spiritual lives. That’s why God tells us that His word will be a light for our path.

“Your word is like a lamp that guides my steps, a light that shows the path I should take.” Psalm 119:105 ERV

God has chosen to let His light shine through us. He chose us to share His love and goodness with the world. Let’s go out and light up the night!

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The Last Two Minutes

We ended our day watching a Hallmark Movie and as we were heading to bed last night I said, “The kiss always comes in the last two minutes”. Dave laughed and said it sounded like a good title for a blog.

Happy endings, the perfect way to end each day and they are a part of God’s plan.

“Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits. 8 Love will never end.” I Corinthians 13:7-8 ERV

God has promised us that His love will never end!

Life isn’t a Hallmark Movie, it’s so much more than that. The challenges that we face, the victories we celebrate, the mundane, the heartaches, the overwhelming joy, the hope, the peace…His love endures forever.

“I will sing forever about the Lord’s love. I will sing about his faithfulness forever and ever!
2 I will say, ‘Your faithful love will last forever. Your loyalty is like the sky—there is no end to it!'” Psalm 89:1-2 ERV

Jesus told the story of a young man who wanted to be out from under his father’s control. He wanted to live life on his own terms. The young man collected his inheritance and went off on his own. He was impetuous. He was foolish and I’m sure he was taken advantage of. Life led him down a path of loss.

At his lowest point, he decided to go home and ask to be a servant on his father’s estate. As he was coming up the road, his father saw him. What the young man didn’t know is that his father had been watching and waiting for his return. The father ran to his son to welcome him back.

Now, wait for it…

“I will leave and go to my father. I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But let me be like one of your hired workers.’ 20 So he left and went to his father. While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him coming and felt sorry for him. So he ran to him and hugged and kissed him.” Luke 15:18-20 ERV

There it is – the kiss! The forgiveness, the reconciliation, the connection, the love!

The Father’s love never fails. His love is unconditional, His mercy lasts forever and His grace is amazing.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Hurry! Bring the best clothes and put them on him. Also, put a ring on his finger and good sandals on his feet. 23 And bring our best calf and kill it so that we can celebrate with plenty to eat. 24 My son was dead, but now he is alive again! He was lost, but now he is found!’ So they began to have a party.” Luke 15:22-24 ERV

Sometimes we get “lost” in life. All we need to do is come back to the Father and He welcomes us with open arms. He celebrates our return.

May I encourage you to take “the last two minutes” of each day to thank the Father for his never-ending love. And if you wait for it, I know you’ll sense His loving kiss.

 

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Scattered

Many of you know that we spent the summer in the mountains. For two weeks we were in an “evacuation ready” status. The grass and the trees were dry, we’d had no rain and the conditions were right for lightning strikes.

One thing we were told to watch for were smoke plumes. If we saw smoke in an area where we hadn’t seen it before we were to notify our managers who would in turn relay the information to the Forest Service.

We were always on alert.

Oftentimes we experience the same conditions in our everyday life. We are emotionally dry, adverse circumstances come and we begin to smolder. The smoke plume is evidence that we may begin to burn. This isn’t a good sign but it’s something the Father knows how to correct. We alert Him to the danger we are experiencing.

“God, get up and scatter your enemies! May all your enemies run from you. 2 May your enemies be scattered like smoke blown away by the wind. May your enemies be destroyed
like wax melting in a fire. 3 But let good people be happy. Let them gather before God and enjoy themselves together.” Psalm 68:1-3 ERV

God scatters His enemies like smoke blown by the wind, scattered like the seeds of a dandelion, scattered like dust across the prairie. The Lord scatters our enemies, putting out the fire of contention and destruction and brings us to a place of joy.

One of the names the prophet Isaiah used when foretelling the coming of Christ was “Powerful God”, Mighty God.

“This will happen when the special child is born. God will give us a son who will be responsible for leading the people. His name will be “Wonderful Counselor, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 ERV

Our powerful and mighty God is victorious in battle, able to defeat His enemies and also those who seek to do us harm. He has given us victory, He has scattered our enemies.

“ Loving God means obeying his commands. And God’s commands are not too hard for us, 4 because everyone who is a child of God has the power to win against the world. 5 It is our faith that has won the victory against the world. So who wins against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I John 1:3-5 ERV

Our faith in Jesus and who He is and what He has done for us is what brings us to a place of victory. Our Mighty God, our loving Father stands with us against our enemies, (physical, emotional and spiritual). As we stand with Him, we can boldly proclaim “Let God arise and His enemies be scattered!

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