Category: Psalms

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In Need of Light

Those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time know that I get up each morning, come to my rocking chair with my coffee, read my Bible, pray and then write.

However, that changed a bit this morning.

This is a picture of my surroundings this morning. You can see my chair, my coffee cup, my Bible sitting on my computer. What you don’t see is light. When the auto timer for the lamp clicked on there was no light. I manually turned the light on and off but still no light. The bulb had burned out.

The room was dim.

I hate to say it but there are times when we are spiritually dimmed. Our lifestyles cause us to hurry and worry too much. We don’t take the time to sit and read God’s word, which is a light to our path.

“Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.” Psalm 119:105 CEV

“Lord, you are my Light and my Savior, so why should I be afraid of anyone? The Lord is where my life is safe, so I will be afraid of no one!” Psalm 27:1 CEV

When the light is dim we don’t see very well. In fact, the shadows in the darkness can distort what is really there. I remember a fellow in the Bible, he was servant to the prophet Elisha. He got up early in the morning and when he walked out he saw an enemy’s army surrounding him. He went and reported it to his master.

“Elisha’s servant got up early that morning. When he went outside, he saw an army with horses and chariots all around the city. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, my master, what can we do?”

16 Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. The army that fights for us is larger than the army that fights for Aram.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “Lord, I ask you, open my servant’s eyes so that he can see.”

The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and the servant saw the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire. They were all around Elisha.” II Kings 6:15-17 CEV

When the Lord shed some light on the matter, Elisha’s servant could see things he hadn’t seen before. He saw the Lord’s deliverance and protection.

When we go through life, looking at the circumstances through our own dim knowledge and experience we see things in the natural but when we spend time letting the Lord’s word light our way we begin to see things from a spiritual perspective.

From God’s perspective!

I’m happy to say that Dave replaced the burned out bulb when he got up and now I have good light again.

When circumstances have dimmed our way, go the Father and in His word we will find that light we need. After all, didn’t Jesus say “I AM the light of the world”?

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Get Excited!

I was so excited when I picked up my Bible this morning because I knew I was going to be reading the chapter that contains my favorite verse.

“Balaam answered: ‘Pay close attention to my words—
19 God is no mere human! He doesn’t tell lies or change his mind. God always keeps his promises. 20 ‘My command from God was to bless these people, and there’s nothing I can do to change what he has done.'” Numbers 23:18-20 CEV

Balaam had been hired by a king, Balak, to curse the Israelites. He was fearful they would conquer his nation. Balaam told Balak that he could only say what God put in his mouth, and then he proclaimed a blessing over the Israelites. Balak was so angry but he gave Balaam a second chance to curse them. The words above are Balaam’s response.

The reason this is my favorite verse is because it attests to the faithfulness of God. God doesn’t lie; He keeps his word and no one, absolutely no one, can change what he has spoken.

Get excited! That means every promise that we find in God’s word is unchangeable! His promise of love, mercy, grace, kindness, goodness, peace, etc. are all unchangeable, irrefutable!

My prayer this morning was “Father, I want to be single-minded and focused on Your promises. There is only one thing I desire and that is to know You in a deeper way and never doubt Your word”.

“Armies may surround me, but I won’t be afraid; war may break out, but I will trust you. 4 I ask only one thing, Lord, Let me live in your house every day of my life to see how wonderful you are  and to pray in your temple. 5 In times of trouble,  you will protect me. You will hide me in your tent and keep me safe on top of a mighty rock” Psalm 27:3-5 CEV

His promise of safety and protection are constants; He is trustworthy! Get excited!!

The Bible tells us that a double-minded person is unstable in all their ways. One day they feel that point A is right; the next day they waver and side with point B. With God’s word as our absolute, we are stable and unshakeable because we are confident that it won’t change.

“She had a sister named Mary, who sat down in front of the Lord and was listening to what he said. 40 Martha was worried about all that had to be done. Finally, she went to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, doesn’t it bother you that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to come and help me!’

41 The Lord answered, ‘Martha, Martha! You are worried and upset about so many things, 42 but only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen what is best, and it will not be taken away from her.’” Luke 10:39-42 CEV

Instead of worrying about the many things that need to be done, let’s sit down in front of Jesus and listen to His words of instruction. In other words, spend time reading our Bibles and let the Father speak to our hearts.

Get Excited! God’s word is unchangeable; He doesn’t lie. His promises are true and everlasting, Like the sunrise and the sunset, God’s word is dependable for each day!

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Pursue Peace

Pursue: to run after, chase after, follow in order to catch or attack, overtake.

Most of the time the word pursue is used in the Bible it is referred to in a military setting. The Egyptians pursued the Israelites as they left Egypt. The Israelites pursued their enemies and overtook them because the Lord was on their side.

Have you ever chased after peace with such fervor?

What kinds of things do you pursue? There have been times I have pursued sleep…too much to do, running low on energy and I chased after a few hours of blissful sleep. We often pursue relationships – building friendships or developing a close tie with a family member who has been distant. Some pursue fitness – healthy body, healthy mind; while others pursue a good reputation.

All of these pursuits are good but they should never take first place in our lives.

This morning I looked up the word pursue in my Bible concordance. I found that there are 98 verses in the King James translation with the word pursue in them. Ninety of them make reference to a military-type pursuit.

“Turn your back on sin; do something good. Embrace peace—don’t let it get away (pursue)!” Psalm 34:14 MSG

That leads me to believe that when we pursue righteousness and peace we should do it with a vengeance, as if our very lives depend on it. Which they do. Many people have health related problems because of stress – the lack of peace.

“ But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast (pursue) in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.” I Timothy 6:11-12 MSG

When we run hard and fast after peace, when we seize it, peace will become the guardian or the sentry who keeps watch over what our minds focus on.

“ Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have. 7 And because you belong to Christ Jesus, God’s peace will stand guard over all your thoughts and feelings. His peace can do this far better than our human minds.” Philippians 4:6-7 ERV

Many people go out for a morning jog or run. May I encourage you to get your run into today – run after, pursue and overtake peace. Your day will be so much better!

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Bloom in Beauty

A while back a friend sent me a flower on Facebook, her way of making life a little more beautiful in the face of all we have going on right now. That really touched me.

In the grand scheme of things we are a lot like that flower. Here ever so briefly.

My question is – will my life bring beauty and joy to others as a flower does or will others be pricked by the thorns that my life may produce.

Today, I’m choosing to bring beauty; letting the love of my heavenly Father shine through me to others. Loving unconditionally, helping those who are hurting and lifting up those who have fallen.

We’ve all heard the saying bloom where you are planted. Not a scripture verse but a good instruction. God has placed beauty within us and we need to blossom so that others will see Jesus in me.

“His love for his followers is as high above us as heaven is above the earth.
12 And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.
13 The Lord is as kind to his followers  as a father is to his children.
14 He knows all about us. He knows we are made from dust.
15 He knows our lives are short, that they are like grass. He knows we are like a little wildflower that grows so quickly,
16 but when the hot wind blows, it dies. Soon, you cannot even see where the flower was.
17 But the Lord has always loved his followers, and he will continue to love them forever and ever! He will be good to all their descendants,
18 to those who are faithful to his agreement and who remember to obey his commands.” Psalm 103:11-18 ERV

Our beauty, our love and our influence are only temporary but the love of the Lord lasts forever!

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Golden Arches

Sometimes I just get so overwhelmed by the glory of God. Take yesterday for example. As we were coming up the drive to the campground I was taken back by the beauty of the golden leaves of the aspens. I’ve been waiting weeks from them to turn from green to yellow to gold.

So beautiful!  Almost majestic.

Driving under the branches of the trees, as they stretched across the road before us, I was stirred in my thinking to some verses in Psalms.

“Gates, proudly lift your heads! Open, ancient doors, and the glorious King will come in.
8 Who is the glorious King? He is the Lord, the powerful soldier. He is the Lord, the war hero.9 Gates, proudly lift your heads! Open, ancient doors, and the glorious King will come in. 10 Who is the glorious King? The Lord All-Powerful is the glorious King. ” Psalm 24:7-10 ERV

The King of Glory is none other than Jesus Christ. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

“On his robe and on his leg was written this name: King of kings and Lord of lords” Revelation 19:16 ERV

Revelation goes on to say in chapter 20 that we will rule and reign with Him. The majesty and splendor that are His are unrivaled in all the universe but we have an open door policy to be in His presence whenever we choose. He does not turn us away.

We are welcome there because we, too, are called the children of God and we share in the inheritance of Jesus, our brother, who died for us.

“And the Spirit himself speaks to our spirits and makes us sure that we are God’s children. 17 If we are God’s children, we will get the blessings God has for his people. He will give us all that he has given Christ. But we must suffer like Christ suffered. Then we will be able to share his glory.” Romans 8:16-17 ERV

Christ suffered by denying Himself and putting His love for the world ahead of His own pleasure. That’s what children of God do, we act like the Father.

I have imagined the heavenly throne room. The streets are gold that lead to His throne, I can only imagine that there would be columns and arches of gold too. After all, it’s the Father’s throne.

“ With Jesus as our high priest, we can feel free to come before God’s throne where there is grace. There we receive mercy and kindness to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 ERV

We come boldly to the Father’s throne with grateful hearts because we are His children, we’re royalty!

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Lead On!

In the early days, when settlers were heading West, the people who traveled by wagon train had scouts. These were men who had traveled the trail previously. They knew where there was water, they knew where game was plentiful. They also knew the dangers of rivers that needed to be forded and places where water was scarce, and the terrain was dangerous.

The scouts would lead the wagons on.

You already know that I’m a planner – a list maker. I imagine many of you are like me and looking forward to the end of the year. There’s so much to do, so, we better begin now.

This morning, I was making mental notes of all the things I need to do once we get home. (I had been doing it in my sleep and it robbed me of my rest.) I stopped my mental tracking and said, “Lord, what is it You want me to focus on?”

Lord, lead on!

Jesus is much better than those wagon train scouts. He came to earth to live in a human body so that he would experience all the things we face. He faced every trial and temptation and was victorious in all things.

“ Jesus clearly did not come to help angels, but he did come to help Abraham’s descendants. 17 He had to be one of us, so that he could serve God as our merciful and faithful high priest and sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of our sins. 18 And now that Jesus has suffered and was tempted, he can help anyone else who is tempted.” Hebrews 2:16-18 CEV

The safety of the wagon train was experienced leadership. Listening to the advice of those who had been there before and not striking out “doing it my own way”. The same is true of our Christian walk.

“ We have a great high priest, who has gone into heaven, and he is Jesus the Son of God. That is why we must hold on to what we have said about him. 15 Jesus understands every weakness of ours, because he was tempted in every way that we are. But he did not sin! 16 So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:14-16 CEV

When we humble ourselves and trust in His leadership, letting Jesus chart the path before us, He will lead us safely through to our final destination. He will keep us from calamity!

“Show me your paths and teach me to follow; 5 guide me by your truth and instruct me.
You keep me safe, and I always trust you.” Psalms 25:4-5 CEV

Lord Jesus, lead on!

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The Trees Are Singing

The other day I received some very sad news. My heart was aching and I told Dave I wanted to go through the campground and look at the aspens. I wanted to see some of the Lord’s beauty.

The trees are just starting to change, some are already yellow but the gold and fire red has yet to come full color. I have been waiting for this brilliant display for a couple of weeks. There was a slight breeze rustling in the tops of the trees and I could almost hear them singing.

“Tell the heavens and the earth to be glad and celebrate! And announce to the nations,  ‘The Lord is King!’ 32 Command the ocean to roar with all of its creatures and the fields to rejoice with all of their crops. 33 Then every tree in the forest will sing joyful songs to the Lord. He is coming to judge  all people on earth. 34 Praise the Lord because he is good to us, and his love never fails.” I Chronicles 16:31-34 CEV

The sound of the wind whistling through the trees was telling me that “The Lord is good, His love never fails”. They were singing their joyful song.

So often we fail to recognize the thing we need most. We get so busy, caught in the search, that we fail to recognize the simple answer that we seek.

“You have shown me the path to life, and you make me glad by being near to me. Sitting at your right side, I will always be joyful.” Psalm 16:11 CEV

The peace and contentment, joy and comfort we seek, can be found sitting in the presence of the Lord. Sitting quietly, telling Him our hearts’ disappointments and sorrows, gives Him time to fill our emptiness with all of who He is.

In the midst of our storm and crisis, Jesus speaks these words, “Peace, be still”!

“Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”

39 Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm. 40 He said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:38-40 ERV

He calms our fears and shows us His power is greater than our storm.

Maybe today, you’re like me, and just need to take time to hear the trees singing of His great love!

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All The Time

My thoughts are all over the place this morning. For the first time in months I slept in. I was shocked when I woke and saw that it was already 4:30 am.

I came to my chair in the living room, after starting the coffee, and told the Lord I loved Him. My heart was instantly stirred with the words of the old hymn, How Great Thou Art.

Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook, and feel the gentle breeze

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art

I sat here – reading, praying, and letting those words minister to my heart. How Great Thou Art!

In the morning God is great! At noon time God is great! In the evening, God is great! There is never a time when God is not great, loving, kind and good!

“Let the name of the Lord be praised now and forever. 3 From dawn until sunset  the name of the Lord deserves to be praised. 4 The Lord is far above all of the nations;  he is more glorious  than the heavens. 5 No one can compare with the Lord our God. His throne is high above,” Psalm 113:2-5 CEV

No matter the time, the day or the year God is great – all the time! Tell Him of your love today.

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Out In the Open

For the last several weeks it has been hunting season on the mountain. Deer, turkey, bear, antelope, mountain lion, elk and now duck. This is an area with an abundance of game.

For several days we traveled the road to town. It is so enjoyable because we would always see game in the open meadows or amongst the trees along the roadside. But about a week ago we noticed that the meadows were empty. It was hunting season and wildlife was scarce.

But two days ago they were back! The danger was gone and they felt safe to come out in the open.

I’m going to miss not being on the mountain! I’ve been reminded of so many of God’s truths in the last four months. These antelope brought another truth to mind. They retreated, they hid in the underbrush of the pine thickets during hunting season – they made it hard for their adversaries to find them.

In the Old Testament we find Scripture telling us that God is our hiding place. He protects us from our enemies.

” Show your wonderful love. Your mighty arm protects those who run to you for safety from their enemies. 8 Protect me as you would your very own eyes; hide me in the shadow of your wings.” Psalm 17:7-8 CEV

They hid instead of coming face-to-face with the enemy. But in the New Testament, we believers are instructed to “be bold”, unafraid, courageous as we face the enemy. Jesus told his disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the presence of the Holy Spirit who would fill them with power to be witnesses.

And that they did!

They went from hiding in the days after Christ’s crucifixion to standing boldly in front of the crowds and proclaiming the resurrection and new life in Christ. Their adversaries had them beaten and imprisoned. They were maligned and persecuted. Their response, they prayed for more boldness.

“Lord, listen to their threats! We are your servants. So make us brave enough to speak your message. 30 Show your mighty power, as we heal people and work miracles and wonders in the name of your holy Servant Jesus. 31 After they had prayed, the meeting place shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and bravely spoke God’s message.” Acts 4:29-31 CEV

Our reaction should be the same. When we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have the power of God defending us. There is no reason to hide. Ours is not a defensive battle against our enemy, we are on the offensive – taking ground – enacting the victory!

“Finally, let the mighty strength of the Lord make you strong. 11 Put on all the armor that God gives, so you can defend yourself against the devil’s tricks. 12 We are not fighting against humans. We are fighting against forces and authorities and against rulers of darkness and powers in the spiritual world. 13 So put on all the armor that God gives. Then when that evil day comes, you will be able to defend yourself. And when the battle is over, you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:10-14 CEV

We stand at the start of the battle and we will still be standing, victorious, when the battle is over!

Come out in the open and let the power of God bring us to victory!

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The Compass Rose

Most everyone of us has felt lost at one time or another – physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. It’s a sinking feeling!

I live with a man who loves maps. In fact for many years of our marriage a map would be the perfect gift for him for Father’s Day, birthday and even Christmas. He will sit for hours, it seems, with a map before him as he plans our next trip. He wants to know where we are going and which roads are the best for our journey.

Isn’t that just like the Lord?

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” Psalm 23:1-2

Dave and I have some big decisions to make over the next few weeks and months. We need to know that we are taking the right path; that we are following what the Lord has for us. In our younger years if we followed our own thinking and made a mistake we had years ahead of us to recover. But now, in our late 60’s and early 70’s we want to be sure that we are following the Lord’s leading. No time for mistakes.

“But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you. 21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.” Isaiah 30:20b-21 CEV

The compass rose is the center of the compass. “A compass rose, sometimes called a wind rose or rose of the winds, is a figure on a compass, map, nautical chart, or monument used to display the orientation of the cardinal directions (north, east, south, and west) and their intermediate points.”

When I searched for images of compasses this morning I chose this one because the compass rose is brilliant, bold and quite frankly it reminded me of the strength and wisdom that we find in Christ.

We once had a cowboy preacher friend of ours give us this advice, “If God says go North, He will provide. If you go South, you’ll think you died”. That has stuck with us for 40 years now. No more going South – we want to follow God’s leading. The Lord’s compass rose always points to true North.

“Shout praises to the Lord!
    He is good to us,
    and his love never fails.
2 Everyone the Lord has rescued
from trouble
    should praise him,
3 everyone he has brought
from the east and the west,
    the north and the south.

4 Some of you were lost
in the scorching desert,
    far from a town.
5 You were hungry and thirsty
    and about to give up.
6 You were in serious trouble,
    but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
7 Right away he brought you
    to a town.
8 You should praise the Lord
    for his love
    and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us…

19You were in serious trouble,
    but you prayed to the Lord,
    and he rescued you.
20 By the power of his own word,
he healed you
    and saved you
    from destruction.

21 You should praise the Lord
    for his love
    and for the wonderful things
    he does for all of us.” Psalm 107:1-8, 19-21 CEV

I would encourage you to take time to read the whole chapter of Psalm 107. Then “Praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things he does for all of us”.

The Lord is our rescuer, our deliverer. He is our Compass Rose and He will always lead us on the right path!

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