The LORD, the LORD, THE COMPASSIONATE AND GRACIOUS GOD, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, Exodus 34:6
I find it interesting that God describes Himself as being compassionate and gracious before He says He abounds in love. Love must be expressed through compassion and grace before love can be experienced. It must be expressed from one person to person. It cannot be in word only. God did not just tell us in His word that He is compassionate and gracious, He showed us in the word that became flesh - person to person.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Exodus 34:6 Monday
The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, Exodus 34:6
To end this month's meditations about God, I want to use God's own words He says to Moses when He tells Moses who He is, for us to meditate on this week. These same words are repeated almost verbatim in Numbers 14, Nehemiah 9, Psalm 86, Psalm 103, Joel 2 and Jonah 4. As I have already said earlier, I'm saying very little about each day's meditation. I want the Spirit to reveal to you what you need to hear. Please feel free to share your own thoughts each day with the group. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.
The LORD: Jehovah (the existing one). The proper name of the one true God.
Here are four other versions of this same verse.
The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, NKJV
The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, NASB
YUD-HEH-VAH-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ADONAI] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; Complete Jewish Bible
God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient--so much love, so deeply true-- The Message
To end this month's meditations about God, I want to use God's own words He says to Moses when He tells Moses who He is, for us to meditate on this week. These same words are repeated almost verbatim in Numbers 14, Nehemiah 9, Psalm 86, Psalm 103, Joel 2 and Jonah 4. As I have already said earlier, I'm saying very little about each day's meditation. I want the Spirit to reveal to you what you need to hear. Please feel free to share your own thoughts each day with the group. Meditate. Meditate. Meditate.
The LORD: Jehovah (the existing one). The proper name of the one true God.
Here are four other versions of this same verse.
The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, NKJV
The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth, NASB
YUD-HEH-VAH-HEH!!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [ADONAI] is God, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; Complete Jewish Bible
God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient--so much love, so deeply true-- The Message
Friday, September 25, 2009
Isaiah 40:11 Friday
He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; HE GENTLY LEADS THOSE THAT HAVE YOUNG. Isaiah 40:11
In Genesis 33:13 Esau is hurrying Jacob along and Jacob replies:
"My Lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."
Jacob knew the pace the nursing cattle could go. He knew the danger to the pregnant ewes and cows if they were pushed to go further. I believe God knows the pace that moms, dads, and children need to go. He knows the importance of slowing down. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He MAKES ME lie down in green pastures, even though I may not want to.
Let's be like Jesus (i.e., gather our children in our arms, carry them close to our hearts), and slow down so we, ouselves, can rest and enjoy them.
In Genesis 33:13 Esau is hurrying Jacob along and Jacob replies:
"My Lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."
Jacob knew the pace the nursing cattle could go. He knew the danger to the pregnant ewes and cows if they were pushed to go further. I believe God knows the pace that moms, dads, and children need to go. He knows the importance of slowing down. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He MAKES ME lie down in green pastures, even though I may not want to.
Let's be like Jesus (i.e., gather our children in our arms, carry them close to our hearts), and slow down so we, ouselves, can rest and enjoy them.
Those That Have Young
She is our waitress that waits on us at Bob Evan’s practically every Saturday morning. David and Kelly came to know her when she waited on their table approximately six weeks ago, when she described for them what had happened to her the night before, which left her feeling totally exhausted. She told them she was 21 years old, had at least one child (Kelly can’t remember how many for sure. But for purposes of this article we’ll say she has one), her name was Bre and she lived in Smith’s Grove. That she not only had the job at Bob Evans she also worked at Motor City Grille. That she had a heart condition, her doctor had told her to slow down but that she couldn’t because she had to support her family. She told them she knew where they could go if they needed a mini vacation that was cheap, nearby at the Best Western Motel. She had taken her child there the night before, so he could swim and she could relax. She could sleep in late the next morning since she didn’t have to drive in from Smith’s Grove and Bob Evans was nearby. Her plans went perfectly until she remembered she had to take her child back to Smiths Grove to stay with his babysitter. That meant she had to make the trip back to Smiths Grove and then back to Bowling Green and try to make it to her job on time. The relaxing evening she thought she was going to have at the Best Western turned into something more like the fiasco at the OK Corral. But, even after telling them the events of the last twenty-four hours she was there waiting on David and Kelly, telling them where to go to have a relaxing evening.
This past Saturday morning Bre was our waitress again. She acknowledged our entire family, as she always does, asked us how we were doing, and told us she had been there since the wee hours of the morning. I asked her when she would be able to go home and she said that oh, she had four jobs. That the day before she had gotten off at two o’clock from Bob Evans, had gone to her second job, and had just gotten home, when the Medical Center called to see if she wanted to work her third job because someone else couldn’t come in. And she told them yes she could. I’m sure that meant getting back into her car, taking her child back to the babysitter. Getting back into the car, driving back to Bowling Green from Smiths Grove, and putting a smile on her face as she walked back into the Medical Center. I know that’s what she must have done, even though she never said it.
I asked her how many hours she had been up and she told me approximately forty-eight. I asked her when she could go home and rest and she told me she got off at 2:00, but that after she got off from Bob Evans she would have to go to her other job. I looked at her in disbelief and asked her how many hours she could stay up like that and she told me she could go for six days without sleep. I then asked her if she was manic-depressive and she looked at me in disbelief. As her face flushed she answered, “Yes, I am.”
I’m sure Kelly knew the direction this conversation was going and that I was going to ask the twenty questions she knew I was going to ask.
How long have you been manic-depressive? I asked.
A long time.
Are you manic now?
Yes.
How long have you been in a mania this time?
Approximately four days.
Do you remember the last time you weren’t high?
Oh, it was about two months ago.
Do you take medication?
No they put me on Cymbalta a few years ago, but I couldn’t take it. It made me worse.
I couldn’t take it either. I had to quit taking it. I’m manic-depressive myself.
What do you do to help you deal with it?
Nothing.
So basically you’re always high. Aren’t you?
Yes.
How long’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep.
Nineteen days.
Have you ever been hospitalized?
No.
I can’t believe you’ve avoided it. You’ve just handled it on your own?
Yes, basically.
Have you ever completely lost touch with reality?
What do you mean?
Lost touch with reality? Gone into another dimension? Out there in another realm?
Yeah. And it hasn’t been that long ago. I was nineteen. It’s been almost three years ago.
Was there anyone there to help you?
No.
So you went through it alone?
Yes. I had to.
I can’t believe you went through it alone.
(Silence.)
Do you have any relationship with your parents?
No not really.
Do they ever tell you they love you?
Sometimes--my dad does when I call him.
Do you have to call him?
Yeah.
You have a heart condition don’t you?
I have an enlarged heart and arthritis in my hip, which is not good for this job.
Do you realize that you probably have the heart condition because you can’t sleep? That partly the reason for your heart condition is that you don’t sleep; they go hand-in-hand. And your body can’t heal as long as you’re awake. You have to sleep for your body to heal.
Yeah, but when I go home and should sleep, I can’t.
Why not?
I dream crazy. Even after my little boy goes to sleep, I just lay there and go in circles.
That’s expected since you’re always manic. You don’t have to sleep and you don’t have to eat when you’re manic.
Oh, I eat. I can eat a lot. Sometimes I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. When I hadn’t slept for nineteen days the last seven I didn’t eat or sleep then.
Do you have anyone that tells you they love you?
Not really.
Do you know how valuable you are? Do you have any idea how valuable you are?
Yeah (she said reluctantly).
Does anyone ever tell you how valuable you are? That you do such a good job? You are sooo valuable. I want you to know how you always do a good job for us, whether you’re tired or not. I want you to know just how valuable you really are.
She looks at me like she’s heard the word valuable for the first time. It was a word I wanted her to hear and if she wasn’t going to hear it from anybody else, I wanted her to hear it from me today.
I looked at her for several seconds without saying a word, wondering what more I could say as she looked at me saying nothing.
Does anyone ever hug you?
And she looked at me with eyes that spoke volumes. And then I stood up and hugged her, until she pulled away.
I went to the car and recounted to Phil what had just happened. Tears welled up in both our eyes as we thought about Bre and wondered the rest of her story.
If you are a Bre, don’t think you’re going unnoticed. God sees that you’re giving your all for your children, just like He gave for His. If he notices the “nursing ewes” as the NASB calls them, He notices you.
If no one has said “I love you” lately, consider yourself told. His compassions never fail, they are new every morning. He makes His face shine upon you. He gave His son just for you.
He gathers you in his arms. He carries you close to his heart, just like you do your family.
God gently leads those that have young. If you’ve never been told He gives you a place of special honor, know that He does.
This past Saturday morning Bre was our waitress again. She acknowledged our entire family, as she always does, asked us how we were doing, and told us she had been there since the wee hours of the morning. I asked her when she would be able to go home and she said that oh, she had four jobs. That the day before she had gotten off at two o’clock from Bob Evans, had gone to her second job, and had just gotten home, when the Medical Center called to see if she wanted to work her third job because someone else couldn’t come in. And she told them yes she could. I’m sure that meant getting back into her car, taking her child back to the babysitter. Getting back into the car, driving back to Bowling Green from Smiths Grove, and putting a smile on her face as she walked back into the Medical Center. I know that’s what she must have done, even though she never said it.
I asked her how many hours she had been up and she told me approximately forty-eight. I asked her when she could go home and rest and she told me she got off at 2:00, but that after she got off from Bob Evans she would have to go to her other job. I looked at her in disbelief and asked her how many hours she could stay up like that and she told me she could go for six days without sleep. I then asked her if she was manic-depressive and she looked at me in disbelief. As her face flushed she answered, “Yes, I am.”
I’m sure Kelly knew the direction this conversation was going and that I was going to ask the twenty questions she knew I was going to ask.
How long have you been manic-depressive? I asked.
A long time.
Are you manic now?
Yes.
How long have you been in a mania this time?
Approximately four days.
Do you remember the last time you weren’t high?
Oh, it was about two months ago.
Do you take medication?
No they put me on Cymbalta a few years ago, but I couldn’t take it. It made me worse.
I couldn’t take it either. I had to quit taking it. I’m manic-depressive myself.
What do you do to help you deal with it?
Nothing.
So basically you’re always high. Aren’t you?
Yes.
How long’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep.
Nineteen days.
Have you ever been hospitalized?
No.
I can’t believe you’ve avoided it. You’ve just handled it on your own?
Yes, basically.
Have you ever completely lost touch with reality?
What do you mean?
Lost touch with reality? Gone into another dimension? Out there in another realm?
Yeah. And it hasn’t been that long ago. I was nineteen. It’s been almost three years ago.
Was there anyone there to help you?
No.
So you went through it alone?
Yes. I had to.
I can’t believe you went through it alone.
(Silence.)
Do you have any relationship with your parents?
No not really.
Do they ever tell you they love you?
Sometimes--my dad does when I call him.
Do you have to call him?
Yeah.
You have a heart condition don’t you?
I have an enlarged heart and arthritis in my hip, which is not good for this job.
Do you realize that you probably have the heart condition because you can’t sleep? That partly the reason for your heart condition is that you don’t sleep; they go hand-in-hand. And your body can’t heal as long as you’re awake. You have to sleep for your body to heal.
Yeah, but when I go home and should sleep, I can’t.
Why not?
I dream crazy. Even after my little boy goes to sleep, I just lay there and go in circles.
That’s expected since you’re always manic. You don’t have to sleep and you don’t have to eat when you’re manic.
Oh, I eat. I can eat a lot. Sometimes I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I can’t. When I hadn’t slept for nineteen days the last seven I didn’t eat or sleep then.
Do you have anyone that tells you they love you?
Not really.
Do you know how valuable you are? Do you have any idea how valuable you are?
Yeah (she said reluctantly).
Does anyone ever tell you how valuable you are? That you do such a good job? You are sooo valuable. I want you to know how you always do a good job for us, whether you’re tired or not. I want you to know just how valuable you really are.
She looks at me like she’s heard the word valuable for the first time. It was a word I wanted her to hear and if she wasn’t going to hear it from anybody else, I wanted her to hear it from me today.
I looked at her for several seconds without saying a word, wondering what more I could say as she looked at me saying nothing.
Does anyone ever hug you?
And she looked at me with eyes that spoke volumes. And then I stood up and hugged her, until she pulled away.
I went to the car and recounted to Phil what had just happened. Tears welled up in both our eyes as we thought about Bre and wondered the rest of her story.
If you are a Bre, don’t think you’re going unnoticed. God sees that you’re giving your all for your children, just like He gave for His. If he notices the “nursing ewes” as the NASB calls them, He notices you.
If no one has said “I love you” lately, consider yourself told. His compassions never fail, they are new every morning. He makes His face shine upon you. He gave His son just for you.
He gathers you in his arms. He carries you close to his heart, just like you do your family.
God gently leads those that have young. If you’ve never been told He gives you a place of special honor, know that He does.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Isaiah 40:11 Thursday
He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; He GENTLY leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
Lead Me Gently Home, Father
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
When life’s toils are ended,
And parting days have come,
Sin no more shall tempt me,
Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,
If Thou’ll only lead me,
Father,Lead me gently home.
Refrain:
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
In life’s darkest hours, Father,
When life’s troubles come,
Keep my feet from wand’ring,
Lest from Thee I roam,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home
Refrain:
Lead me gently home,
Father,Lead me gently home,
In temptation's hour, Father,
When sore trials come;
Be Thou near to keep me,
Take me as Thine own,
For I cannot live without Thee,
Lead me gently home.
Refrain:
Will T. Thompson (w. 1879)
Lead Me Gently Home, Father
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
When life’s toils are ended,
And parting days have come,
Sin no more shall tempt me,
Ne’er from Thee I’ll roam,
If Thou’ll only lead me,
Father,Lead me gently home.
Refrain:
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home.
Lead me gently home, Father,
Lead me gently home;
In life’s darkest hours, Father,
When life’s troubles come,
Keep my feet from wand’ring,
Lest from Thee I roam,
Lest I fall upon the wayside,
Lead me gently home
Refrain:
Lead me gently home,
Father,Lead me gently home,
In temptation's hour, Father,
When sore trials come;
Be Thou near to keep me,
Take me as Thine own,
For I cannot live without Thee,
Lead me gently home.
Refrain:
Will T. Thompson (w. 1879)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Isaiah 40:11 Wednesday
He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms AND CARRIES THEM CLOSE TO HIS HEART; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
There is a place of quiet rest,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where sin cannot molest,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
O Jesus, blest Redeemer,
Sent from the heart of God,
Hold us who wait before Thee
Near to the heart of God.
There is a place of comfort sweet,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where we our Savior meet,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
There is a place of full release,
Near to the heart of God.
A place where all is joy and peace,
Near to the heart of God.
Refrain
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Isaiah 40:11 Tuesday
He tends his flock like a shepherd; HE GATHERS THE LAMBS IN HIS ARMS and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
The following excerpt, taken from Steve Brown's book Approaching God, pages 20 and 21 is what immediately came to my mind when I thought about today's meditation. I think after reading it you will agree, it requires no further explanation as to why I chose it. After determining which type of lamb you are, visualize for yourself how Jesus is carrying you.
"A number of years ago a young woman came into my study without knocking. No respect for the clergy. I looked up from the book I was reading and asked her if I could help her."No," she said, grinning, "I'm going to help you. I have something that you will use in a sermon sometime. Last night I went to a Bible study, and the Bible teacher said something that you will like. She said, 'It is hard to hug a stiff kid.'"
"That's good," I said, remembering how difficult it was to hug our teenage daughters, especially when they were angry and sullen--sort of like hugging a telephone pole."
But that's not all. Last night after the Bible study, I went to baby-sit a two-year-old boy. He had been playing in the dirt all day and was the dirtiest kid I've ever seen. When I went into his room, he lifted up his arms to be hugged. Do you know," she asked, "what I learned?'
"What?"
"That it is easier to hug a dirty kid than it is to hug a stiff kid."
Now read it like this:
That it is easier to hug a dirty lamb that it is to hug a stiff lamb.
He tends his flock like a shepherd; HE GATHERS THE LAMBS IN HIS ARMS and carries them close to His heart.
hmmm.
The following excerpt, taken from Steve Brown's book Approaching God, pages 20 and 21 is what immediately came to my mind when I thought about today's meditation. I think after reading it you will agree, it requires no further explanation as to why I chose it. After determining which type of lamb you are, visualize for yourself how Jesus is carrying you.
"A number of years ago a young woman came into my study without knocking. No respect for the clergy. I looked up from the book I was reading and asked her if I could help her."No," she said, grinning, "I'm going to help you. I have something that you will use in a sermon sometime. Last night I went to a Bible study, and the Bible teacher said something that you will like. She said, 'It is hard to hug a stiff kid.'"
"That's good," I said, remembering how difficult it was to hug our teenage daughters, especially when they were angry and sullen--sort of like hugging a telephone pole."
But that's not all. Last night after the Bible study, I went to baby-sit a two-year-old boy. He had been playing in the dirt all day and was the dirtiest kid I've ever seen. When I went into his room, he lifted up his arms to be hugged. Do you know," she asked, "what I learned?'
"What?"
"That it is easier to hug a dirty kid than it is to hug a stiff kid."
Now read it like this:
That it is easier to hug a dirty lamb that it is to hug a stiff lamb.
He tends his flock like a shepherd; HE GATHERS THE LAMBS IN HIS ARMS and carries them close to His heart.
hmmm.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Isaiah 40:11 Monday
HE TENDS HIS FLOCK LIKE A SHEPHERD; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11
When I was growing up, everything with my dad was either black or white; there was no middle ground. You were either right or wrong, and if you disagreed with him you were wrong. (I might add it's still a lot like that today except I'm the adult obstinate child who can now tell him HE might be wrong and not worry about being punished for it.) He had a leather belt and knew how to use it--maybe not the "child abuse" way but definitely the "spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child" kind of way. He was someone I feared but had no real relationship with.
Anyway, as I grew up and became a Christian, and even as I got older as an adult, I looked at God the same way I looked at my dad. I was fearful, never dreaming that He could love me unconditionally. I doubted I could ever meet his expectations and couldn't imagine him ever being proud of me.
It was not until I read A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller, that I saw God from an entirely different perspective. Phillip Keller was an actual shepherd who wrote about the shepherd's relationship with his sheep. He was tender, loving, kind, caring and protective of every sheep, in ways I could not imagine, especially for the ones that went astray. And I felt that was me.
This week I want to look at God as our shepherd, from the sheep's perspective. I want us to meditate on his tenderness when he "tends" us, his devotion when he "gathers" us, his strength when he "carries" us and his gentleness when he "leads" us. It's a depiction of God I wish I had had all my life.
When I was growing up, everything with my dad was either black or white; there was no middle ground. You were either right or wrong, and if you disagreed with him you were wrong. (I might add it's still a lot like that today except I'm the adult obstinate child who can now tell him HE might be wrong and not worry about being punished for it.) He had a leather belt and knew how to use it--maybe not the "child abuse" way but definitely the "spare-the-rod-and-spoil-the-child" kind of way. He was someone I feared but had no real relationship with.
Anyway, as I grew up and became a Christian, and even as I got older as an adult, I looked at God the same way I looked at my dad. I was fearful, never dreaming that He could love me unconditionally. I doubted I could ever meet his expectations and couldn't imagine him ever being proud of me.
It was not until I read A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller, that I saw God from an entirely different perspective. Phillip Keller was an actual shepherd who wrote about the shepherd's relationship with his sheep. He was tender, loving, kind, caring and protective of every sheep, in ways I could not imagine, especially for the ones that went astray. And I felt that was me.
This week I want to look at God as our shepherd, from the sheep's perspective. I want us to meditate on his tenderness when he "tends" us, his devotion when he "gathers" us, his strength when he "carries" us and his gentleness when he "leads" us. It's a depiction of God I wish I had had all my life.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Psalm 46:1-2a Friday
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore WE WILL NOT FEAR. Psalm 46:1-2a
When I got afraid as a little girl I would hide under the covers. I guess it was there I thought the "boogie man" wouldn't get me. Today, when I'm afraid I want the opposite; I want to be found. I want someone to be there so I'm not alone. I have great solace knowing God is my refuge and strength, always there, not just when I think I need him, but even when I think I don't. That I'm not alone.
When my granddaughter, Bella was a little younger, she would fall back into Kelly's arms, without even looking back because she knew Kelly would be there to catch her. At first Kelly, had to coerce her into falling, because Bella was so afraid. But eventually, Bella fell and Kelly caught her so many times, that Bella developed a trust in Kelly that made Bella fearless of falling. The falling backward went from coercion to enjoyment, when Bella learned to trust Kelly 100%. She believed Kelly would catch her every time she fell and Kelly, never wanting to drop her, caught her every time.
When I learn to have the same trust in God that Bella has in Kelly, I will trust Him to be there for me 100% and I will not fear either. How do I develop that trust? Be with him like Bella is with Kelly 24/7, inseparable, drinking from his cup, feasting on his word, listening to his voice, sitting at his feet, becoming familiar with his touch. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will.
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When I got afraid as a little girl I would hide under the covers. I guess it was there I thought the "boogie man" wouldn't get me. Today, when I'm afraid I want the opposite; I want to be found. I want someone to be there so I'm not alone. I have great solace knowing God is my refuge and strength, always there, not just when I think I need him, but even when I think I don't. That I'm not alone.
When my granddaughter, Bella was a little younger, she would fall back into Kelly's arms, without even looking back because she knew Kelly would be there to catch her. At first Kelly, had to coerce her into falling, because Bella was so afraid. But eventually, Bella fell and Kelly caught her so many times, that Bella developed a trust in Kelly that made Bella fearless of falling. The falling backward went from coercion to enjoyment, when Bella learned to trust Kelly 100%. She believed Kelly would catch her every time she fell and Kelly, never wanting to drop her, caught her every time.
When I learn to have the same trust in God that Bella has in Kelly, I will trust Him to be there for me 100% and I will not fear either. How do I develop that trust? Be with him like Bella is with Kelly 24/7, inseparable, drinking from his cup, feasting on his word, listening to his voice, sitting at his feet, becoming familiar with his touch. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will. Falling in love. Catching the Spirit. Trusting His will.
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Thursday, September 17, 2009
Psalm 46:1-2a Thursday
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. THEREFORE we will not fear,...Psalm 46:1-2a
The word therefore introduces a statement resulting from, or caused by, what immediately precedes it.
In this verse, the fact that we will not fear is BECAUSE God IS our refuge and strength and IS our very present help in time of trouble. The implication here is that if I fear, then God must NOT BE my refuge or strength or a very present help in trouble. My sisters, would you ask yourself right now if you have fear in your life? Are you afraid more than you're not. Do you worry a lot? Does your family call you a "worrier?"
Worry is fear with a target. Anxiety is fear without a target. I know that because I suffer from acute anxiety. It's called Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. And it's miserable. [If you want me to discuss GAD with you further, please message me so I can give you more information.] For me it was and is a chemical imbalance. I have no control over the physical effects GAD causes, which for me, are diarrhea, irritable bowel and panic attacks. And because of these symptoms I have to be medicated. If you respond totally off the charts with anxiety, please do not beat yourself up that it's lack of faith. This is not the worry and anxiety I'm talking about. Do I hate to admit that I have to be medicated? Yes. But I feel I must to ease the conscience of people who have it and don't know what they have.
The type of fear I'm talking about is chronic worrying, wondering if God is capable of taking care of you, doubting that He can. It's wringing your hands because you can't "fix it" and worrying that God doesn't know how. I know what fear feels like. I know that it doesn't feel like faith. It freezes. It paralyzes. It stagnates. It does exactly what Satan wants it to do. It's what Jesus told his listeners not to do, in the sermon on the mount. He called the worriers "O you of little faith." I wonder if I had been there that day, would I have even realized he was talking to me? Would I have worried about what I had worn that day? Would I have worried about what I was going to eat that day? Would I have worried about "life" that day?
I believe the answer might lie in how I would answer the question, "Did I worry about anything today?" Did I......worry.......about anything.......today?
Ladies if we live in fear, especially about nature (natural disasters) and the nations (what will happen to the United States) like David is specifically referring to in this chapter, then God must not be our refuge, strength and help in times of trouble. We cannot just give lip-service and say that he is, when our emotions say something different. Only when God really is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, will I be able to say and mean it, "I am not afraid."
The word therefore introduces a statement resulting from, or caused by, what immediately precedes it.
In this verse, the fact that we will not fear is BECAUSE God IS our refuge and strength and IS our very present help in time of trouble. The implication here is that if I fear, then God must NOT BE my refuge or strength or a very present help in trouble. My sisters, would you ask yourself right now if you have fear in your life? Are you afraid more than you're not. Do you worry a lot? Does your family call you a "worrier?"
Worry is fear with a target. Anxiety is fear without a target. I know that because I suffer from acute anxiety. It's called Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. And it's miserable. [If you want me to discuss GAD with you further, please message me so I can give you more information.] For me it was and is a chemical imbalance. I have no control over the physical effects GAD causes, which for me, are diarrhea, irritable bowel and panic attacks. And because of these symptoms I have to be medicated. If you respond totally off the charts with anxiety, please do not beat yourself up that it's lack of faith. This is not the worry and anxiety I'm talking about. Do I hate to admit that I have to be medicated? Yes. But I feel I must to ease the conscience of people who have it and don't know what they have.
The type of fear I'm talking about is chronic worrying, wondering if God is capable of taking care of you, doubting that He can. It's wringing your hands because you can't "fix it" and worrying that God doesn't know how. I know what fear feels like. I know that it doesn't feel like faith. It freezes. It paralyzes. It stagnates. It does exactly what Satan wants it to do. It's what Jesus told his listeners not to do, in the sermon on the mount. He called the worriers "O you of little faith." I wonder if I had been there that day, would I have even realized he was talking to me? Would I have worried about what I had worn that day? Would I have worried about what I was going to eat that day? Would I have worried about "life" that day?
I believe the answer might lie in how I would answer the question, "Did I worry about anything today?" Did I......worry.......about anything.......today?
Ladies if we live in fear, especially about nature (natural disasters) and the nations (what will happen to the United States) like David is specifically referring to in this chapter, then God must not be our refuge, strength and help in times of trouble. We cannot just give lip-service and say that he is, when our emotions say something different. Only when God really is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, will I be able to say and mean it, "I am not afraid."
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Psalm 46:1-2a Wednesday
God is our refuge and strength, A VERY PRESENT help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,...Psalm 46:1-2a
Even though I’ve never lost a parent or a child, I’ve been told by those who have, it’s something you never get over. The wife calls out the name of her husband, expecting him to answer, waiting, wondering why he doesn’t. Then she realizes she’s alone, never going to hear his voice again. Parents see children the same age their child would have been and wonder what if. I’ve been told the pain never goes away; life just goes on.
With God, He is a very-present, ever-present, always-there, never-leaving-us-nor-forsaking-us God.
He knows when we sit down or stand up. He knows our thoughts even when we’re far away. He sees us when we travel and when we rest at home. He knows everything we do. He knows what we’re going to say even before we say it. He goes before us and He follows after us as well. He places his hand of blessing on our heads.
If we go up to heaven, He is there. If we go down to the grave, He is there also. If we ride the wings of the morning, if we dwell by the farthest oceans, even there His hand will guide us and His strength will support us. If we ask the darkness to hide us and the light around us to become night—even in darkness we cannot hide from Him. To God the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to Him.
He even made all the delicate, inner parts of our bodies and knit us together in our mother’s wombs… He watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives were recorded in His book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
With all of these things in mind, why should we ever doubt that God is a VERY PRESENT help in times of trouble.
*Scripture modified from the New Living Translation.
Psalm 139
Even though I’ve never lost a parent or a child, I’ve been told by those who have, it’s something you never get over. The wife calls out the name of her husband, expecting him to answer, waiting, wondering why he doesn’t. Then she realizes she’s alone, never going to hear his voice again. Parents see children the same age their child would have been and wonder what if. I’ve been told the pain never goes away; life just goes on.
With God, He is a very-present, ever-present, always-there, never-leaving-us-nor-forsaking-us God.
He knows when we sit down or stand up. He knows our thoughts even when we’re far away. He sees us when we travel and when we rest at home. He knows everything we do. He knows what we’re going to say even before we say it. He goes before us and He follows after us as well. He places his hand of blessing on our heads.
If we go up to heaven, He is there. If we go down to the grave, He is there also. If we ride the wings of the morning, if we dwell by the farthest oceans, even there His hand will guide us and His strength will support us. If we ask the darkness to hide us and the light around us to become night—even in darkness we cannot hide from Him. To God the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to Him.
He even made all the delicate, inner parts of our bodies and knit us together in our mother’s wombs… He watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives were recorded in His book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
With all of these things in mind, why should we ever doubt that God is a VERY PRESENT help in times of trouble.
*Scripture modified from the New Living Translation.
Psalm 139
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Psalm 46:1-2a Tuesday
God is our refuge AND STRENGTH, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...Psalm 46:1, 2a NKJV
I asked my mother years ago if she could take a day off from her job so she could help me do something. She told me she couldn’t because she had to work. I told her that God would work it out if she could leave and help me, to which she replied, “God doesn’t move my pencil.” (I realize God doesn’t want us to up and leave our jobs just on a whim, but if leaving our job for a short period of time enables us to help someone else, then why not give Him a chance to work it out. Plus I knew my dad was her boss and I thought surely he would let her). I did not reply to her what I thought I should have, but am glad I didn't--If God can make the trees that made your pencil then I believe He might be the God who can move your pencil. I believe He might even be the God who made your finger that moves the pencil. I believe He might even be the God who made the ligaments, muscles, tendons, bones, blood vessels, arteries, veins, brain and central nervous system that enables you to move your finger. I believe in Him we live and move and have our being and when we think WE have to do something because HE can’t, we greatly underestimate God and His power.
Here is an example of what I'm talking about. When my son David was in sixth grade he wanted to buy a compact disc player. He asked how much it would cost and then started counting the money in his bank to see if he had enough money to make it happen. We knew full-well that he didn’t but he told us he would pay half if we would come up with the rest. We told him we would, knowing full-well that he couldn’t.
Well…………………….David “worshiped” Michael Jordan, as most boys did at that time at that age. He had Michael Jordan t-shirts, jerseys, shoes, probably socks, pendants--you name it; he probably had it. Well, not only did he have all the right stuff to be like Michael Jordan he practiced shooting the basketball like Michael Jordan did, especially the three-pointers, every day. He just forgot to practice the lay-ups.
Well………………………as we often did, we attended a WKU basketball game where people at random were selected to “shoot for loot.” Pam Hereford, the person in charge of picking the people who shot for loot, happened to be a member of our church and knew David loved to play basketball. So, she asked him, only one day after we had talked with him about buying the CD player, if he would like to “shoot for loot.” And I bet you know what he said. And I bet you know the rest of the story.He had three shots: one lay-up, one free-throw and one three-pointer. He would make $25.00 if he hit only one shot. He would make $50.00 if he hit two shots and he would make $100.00 if he hit all three.
Well……………………….he missed the lay-up, hit the free-throw AND THE THREE-POINT SHOT which gave him $50.00--enough money to buy half the CD player. Viola’ he had come up with the money. And we immediately went to Wal-Mart.
I’ve never forgotten this story nor has anyone else in our family who saw it happen. We all came away amazed at God’s strength and his power to do for David what David could not do for himself. When David, the psalmist, says that God is our strength in times of trouble, he knows from first-hand experience. He had seen God deliver him from the mouth of lions and the hands of Goliath. I don’t know what your trouble is today, but I know if you were to ask David, my son or David, the psalmist they would both tell you He can do more for you than you could imagine. And you may not even have to ask.
I asked my mother years ago if she could take a day off from her job so she could help me do something. She told me she couldn’t because she had to work. I told her that God would work it out if she could leave and help me, to which she replied, “God doesn’t move my pencil.” (I realize God doesn’t want us to up and leave our jobs just on a whim, but if leaving our job for a short period of time enables us to help someone else, then why not give Him a chance to work it out. Plus I knew my dad was her boss and I thought surely he would let her). I did not reply to her what I thought I should have, but am glad I didn't--If God can make the trees that made your pencil then I believe He might be the God who can move your pencil. I believe He might even be the God who made your finger that moves the pencil. I believe He might even be the God who made the ligaments, muscles, tendons, bones, blood vessels, arteries, veins, brain and central nervous system that enables you to move your finger. I believe in Him we live and move and have our being and when we think WE have to do something because HE can’t, we greatly underestimate God and His power.
Here is an example of what I'm talking about. When my son David was in sixth grade he wanted to buy a compact disc player. He asked how much it would cost and then started counting the money in his bank to see if he had enough money to make it happen. We knew full-well that he didn’t but he told us he would pay half if we would come up with the rest. We told him we would, knowing full-well that he couldn’t.
Well…………………….David “worshiped” Michael Jordan, as most boys did at that time at that age. He had Michael Jordan t-shirts, jerseys, shoes, probably socks, pendants--you name it; he probably had it. Well, not only did he have all the right stuff to be like Michael Jordan he practiced shooting the basketball like Michael Jordan did, especially the three-pointers, every day. He just forgot to practice the lay-ups.
Well………………………as we often did, we attended a WKU basketball game where people at random were selected to “shoot for loot.” Pam Hereford, the person in charge of picking the people who shot for loot, happened to be a member of our church and knew David loved to play basketball. So, she asked him, only one day after we had talked with him about buying the CD player, if he would like to “shoot for loot.” And I bet you know what he said. And I bet you know the rest of the story.He had three shots: one lay-up, one free-throw and one three-pointer. He would make $25.00 if he hit only one shot. He would make $50.00 if he hit two shots and he would make $100.00 if he hit all three.
Well……………………….he missed the lay-up, hit the free-throw AND THE THREE-POINT SHOT which gave him $50.00--enough money to buy half the CD player. Viola’ he had come up with the money. And we immediately went to Wal-Mart.
I’ve never forgotten this story nor has anyone else in our family who saw it happen. We all came away amazed at God’s strength and his power to do for David what David could not do for himself. When David, the psalmist, says that God is our strength in times of trouble, he knows from first-hand experience. He had seen God deliver him from the mouth of lions and the hands of Goliath. I don’t know what your trouble is today, but I know if you were to ask David, my son or David, the psalmist they would both tell you He can do more for you than you could imagine. And you may not even have to ask.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Psalm 46:1-2a Monday
GOD IS OUR REFUGE and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear...Psalm 46:1, 2a NKJV
Psalm 46 was the scriptural catalyst for Martin Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God." It extols the adequacy of God in facing threats from nature and the nations. God indeed protects His people upon the earth from the unstable environment of Nature and the unstable environment of the Nations. I thought it appropriate to use this psalm since there is so much doubt as to where our country is headed. As a nation, are we one nation under God or not? And should we be afraid of our president and newly appointed political leaders? This psalm reassures us we should not.
Please read all eleven verses to get the context, which puts verses one and two in perspective.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Even though the earth vanishes and mountains move or shake or totter or slip, (both being symbols of stability) do not fear the instability of nature or the nation(s) because of the transcendent stability of God.
Psalm 46 was the scriptural catalyst for Martin Luther's great hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is our God." It extols the adequacy of God in facing threats from nature and the nations. God indeed protects His people upon the earth from the unstable environment of Nature and the unstable environment of the Nations. I thought it appropriate to use this psalm since there is so much doubt as to where our country is headed. As a nation, are we one nation under God or not? And should we be afraid of our president and newly appointed political leaders? This psalm reassures us we should not.
Please read all eleven verses to get the context, which puts verses one and two in perspective.
1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear,
Even though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling.
4 There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,
The holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;
God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved;
He uttered his voice, the earth melted.
7 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,
Who has made desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two;
He burns the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!
11 The Lord of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Even though the earth vanishes and mountains move or shake or totter or slip, (both being symbols of stability) do not fear the instability of nature or the nation(s) because of the transcendent stability of God.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Acts 17:25 Friday
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath AND EVERYTHING ELSE. Acts 17:25 NIV
Three verses come to my mind immediately. Listen to how they read in The Complete Jewish Bible along with the NIV.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Moreover, God has the power to provide you with EVERY gracious gift in abundance, so that ALWAYS in EVERY way you will have ALL you need yourselves and be able to provide abundantly for EVERY good cause.
And God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in EVERY good work.
Philippians 4:19
Moreover, my God will fill EVERY need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
And my God will meet ALL your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 23:1
Adonai is my shepherd; I lack NOTHING.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Acts 17:25 (The Complete Jewish Bible)
nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and EVERYTHING to EVERYONE.
He gives life and breath and EVERYTHING to EVERYONE.
If enough is never enough and I am constantly in need--never satisfied, what am I saying to God?
Three verses come to my mind immediately. Listen to how they read in The Complete Jewish Bible along with the NIV.
2 Corinthians 9:8
Moreover, God has the power to provide you with EVERY gracious gift in abundance, so that ALWAYS in EVERY way you will have ALL you need yourselves and be able to provide abundantly for EVERY good cause.
And God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in EVERY good work.
Philippians 4:19
Moreover, my God will fill EVERY need of yours according to his glorious wealth, in union with the Messiah Yeshua.
And my God will meet ALL your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 23:1
Adonai is my shepherd; I lack NOTHING.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
Acts 17:25 (The Complete Jewish Bible)
nor is he served by human hands, as if he lacked something; since it is he himself who gives life and breath and EVERYTHING to EVERYONE.
He gives life and breath and EVERYTHING to EVERYONE.
If enough is never enough and I am constantly in need--never satisfied, what am I saying to God?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Acts 17:25 Thursday
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, BECAUSE HE HIMSELF GIVES ALL MEN life and BREATH and everything else. Acts 17:25
Genesis 2:7 says that "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. This breath was the breath of God that created life in man. What I want to emphasize though, is the breath of God that creates life in the spirit. The word for breath of life and the word for Holy Spirit come from the same word--pneo or pneuma. (We recognize pneuma because we know the word pneumonia which means lack of breath.) The life God breathes into us by His Spirit is as essential to us as the breath God breathed into Adam for his life.
Paul tells us in Romans that "the mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." John tells us "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
"If the flesh counts for nothing then why does man emphasize it? Because Satan knows if man continuously looks at it, he cannot fix his eyes on Jesus. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith and the stronger our faith, the stronger God's spirit is in our life. Our weak faith does not limit the might of God's power--our weak faith prevents us from stepping out to be empowered. That power to step out comes from the Holy Spirit, which leads to greater faith, which leads to greater power.
The Holy Spirit (God's breath) empowers us to live spiritually, just like God's breath empowered Adam to live physically. For many years the Spirit has been the silent member of the godhead, but He is as alive today as Adam was when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. We have been so afraid of the Spirit that our "bodies" have almost died. We need to revive them by being led by the Spirit.
**Look for an article I'll be posting soon, about what it means to be Spirit led **
Genesis 2:7 says that "The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being."
He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being. This breath was the breath of God that created life in man. What I want to emphasize though, is the breath of God that creates life in the spirit. The word for breath of life and the word for Holy Spirit come from the same word--pneo or pneuma. (We recognize pneuma because we know the word pneumonia which means lack of breath.) The life God breathes into us by His Spirit is as essential to us as the breath God breathed into Adam for his life.
Paul tells us in Romans that "the mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace." John tells us "The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.
"If the flesh counts for nothing then why does man emphasize it? Because Satan knows if man continuously looks at it, he cannot fix his eyes on Jesus. Jesus is the author and perfector of our faith and the stronger our faith, the stronger God's spirit is in our life. Our weak faith does not limit the might of God's power--our weak faith prevents us from stepping out to be empowered. That power to step out comes from the Holy Spirit, which leads to greater faith, which leads to greater power.
The Holy Spirit (God's breath) empowers us to live spiritually, just like God's breath empowered Adam to live physically. For many years the Spirit has been the silent member of the godhead, but He is as alive today as Adam was when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. We have been so afraid of the Spirit that our "bodies" have almost died. We need to revive them by being led by the Spirit.
**Look for an article I'll be posting soon, about what it means to be Spirit led **
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Acts 17:25 Wednesday
And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, BECAUSE HE HIMSELF GIVES ALL MEN LIFE and breath and everything else. Acts 17:25
Tonight when I was thinking about what I was going to write about today's meditation, I remembered a quote I had read years ago and had written down in one of my old Bibles. I knew that the quote started with "I learned first through my wife's illness," but I could not remember anymore. Going through some of my old Bibles I found the entire quote, which I thought had been taken from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God but did not know for sure, since I had failed to include the source when I typed it and taped it in the front of my Bible.
So believing that the quote was from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God I attempted to find the book in my disorganized array of books but couldn't. So like the OCD woman that I am, I called Barnes and Nobel at 9:50 p.m. knowing full well they closed at 10:00. As I was on hold while the clerk was looking for the book, I took off my gown, threw on my clothes, grabbed my earrings with phone-in-hand and was just about ready to head out the door when the clerk informed me he couldn't find Yancey's book, even though the computer said there was one copy in the store.
Taking off my clothes and putting my gown back on I decided to Google the words to see what might come up and sure enough I found them in the book When God and Cancer Meet: True stories of hope and healing, written by Lynn Eib. Eib's book contained the quote I was looking for which was indeed taken from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God I had read in 1988.
"In Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God, he writes about a man named Douglas whom he interviewed because he thought Douglas might feel great disappointment with God. Life, as Yancey describes it, had been very unfair to Douglas. While his wife was battling metastatic breast cancer, Douglas was in a car accident with a drunk driver and suffered a terrible head injury that left him permanently disabled, often in pain, and unable to work full-time.
"But when Yancey asked this victim of unfairness to discuss his disappointment with God, Douglas said he didn't feel any and instead told Yancey the following."
"I have learned to see beyond the physical reality in this world to the spiritual reality. We tend to think 'Life should be fair because God is fair.' But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life--by expecting constant good health, for example--then I set myself up for a crashing disappointment."
"If we develop a relationship with God apart from our life circumstances," said Douglas, then we may be able to hang in there when the physical reality breaks down. We can learn to trust God despite all the unfairness of life." (end of Yancey's quote)
And then Eib continues, "Cancer is very unfair. Even if you "did" something to "get" cancer or didn't do something not to get it, it's still unfair. Maybe you're a smoker diagnosed with lung cancer. Cancer is still unfair, because only about 20 percent of smokers develop lung cancer; 80 percent do not. Maybe you quit smoking twenty or thirty years ago and you still get cancer. Hardly fair!"
"Perhaps you didn't get regular mammograms, PAP smears, or PSAs, and now you have cancer. Guess what? It's still not fair, because lots of people don't get those screening tests and they don't get cancer. Besides some people get them faithfully and the cancer isn't even detected! That seems even more unfair."
"Go ahead and say it.
It's not fair that I have cancer.
It's not fair that my loved one has cancer.
It's not fair that this has happened to us right now.
Say it, but don't be confused that life should be fair because God is.
Life is not fair, but God is not life."
"God is, of course, much bigger than life, and what he is doing in our life will truly change this life as well as ultimately transcend life itself."
God is the GIVER of life. Don't confuse him with BEING life in a world that's unfair.
Tonight when I was thinking about what I was going to write about today's meditation, I remembered a quote I had read years ago and had written down in one of my old Bibles. I knew that the quote started with "I learned first through my wife's illness," but I could not remember anymore. Going through some of my old Bibles I found the entire quote, which I thought had been taken from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God but did not know for sure, since I had failed to include the source when I typed it and taped it in the front of my Bible.
So believing that the quote was from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God I attempted to find the book in my disorganized array of books but couldn't. So like the OCD woman that I am, I called Barnes and Nobel at 9:50 p.m. knowing full well they closed at 10:00. As I was on hold while the clerk was looking for the book, I took off my gown, threw on my clothes, grabbed my earrings with phone-in-hand and was just about ready to head out the door when the clerk informed me he couldn't find Yancey's book, even though the computer said there was one copy in the store.
Taking off my clothes and putting my gown back on I decided to Google the words to see what might come up and sure enough I found them in the book When God and Cancer Meet: True stories of hope and healing, written by Lynn Eib. Eib's book contained the quote I was looking for which was indeed taken from Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God I had read in 1988.
"In Philip Yancey's book Disappointment with God, he writes about a man named Douglas whom he interviewed because he thought Douglas might feel great disappointment with God. Life, as Yancey describes it, had been very unfair to Douglas. While his wife was battling metastatic breast cancer, Douglas was in a car accident with a drunk driver and suffered a terrible head injury that left him permanently disabled, often in pain, and unable to work full-time.
"But when Yancey asked this victim of unfairness to discuss his disappointment with God, Douglas said he didn't feel any and instead told Yancey the following."
"I have learned to see beyond the physical reality in this world to the spiritual reality. We tend to think 'Life should be fair because God is fair.' But God is not life. And if I confuse God with the physical reality of life--by expecting constant good health, for example--then I set myself up for a crashing disappointment."
"If we develop a relationship with God apart from our life circumstances," said Douglas, then we may be able to hang in there when the physical reality breaks down. We can learn to trust God despite all the unfairness of life." (end of Yancey's quote)
And then Eib continues, "Cancer is very unfair. Even if you "did" something to "get" cancer or didn't do something not to get it, it's still unfair. Maybe you're a smoker diagnosed with lung cancer. Cancer is still unfair, because only about 20 percent of smokers develop lung cancer; 80 percent do not. Maybe you quit smoking twenty or thirty years ago and you still get cancer. Hardly fair!"
"Perhaps you didn't get regular mammograms, PAP smears, or PSAs, and now you have cancer. Guess what? It's still not fair, because lots of people don't get those screening tests and they don't get cancer. Besides some people get them faithfully and the cancer isn't even detected! That seems even more unfair."
"Go ahead and say it.
It's not fair that I have cancer.
It's not fair that my loved one has cancer.
It's not fair that this has happened to us right now.
Say it, but don't be confused that life should be fair because God is.
Life is not fair, but God is not life."
"God is, of course, much bigger than life, and what he is doing in our life will truly change this life as well as ultimately transcend life itself."
God is the GIVER of life. Don't confuse him with BEING life in a world that's unfair.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Acts 17:25 Tuesday
AND HE IS NOT SERVED BY HUMAN HANDS, AS IF HE NEEDED ANYTHING, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. Acts 17:25
Friday night as I was carrying Bella to the car, like I have done many times, while carrying Bella to the car, I looked up and said, “Bella, look at the moon! Look up at the moon, honey.” Expecting her to say what she normally says, while carrying her to the car, I expected, “The moon. The moon, Mammie! The moon.” However what she said caught me completely by surprise. With clouds strategically placed over the moon’s face, horizontally, in two perfect places she looked up at Mr. Moon and said, "It’s broken." [Long pause and sadness] "It’s broken, Mammie.” And now looking at the moon through the innocence of a two year old's eyes, I looked up and, indeed saw why she thought the moon was broken. Still pondering what Bella had just said, thinking it was the sweetest comment I'd ever heard, Bella melted my heart again. “I fix it, Mammie. I fix it. I gotta fix it.” And Mammie said to the entire family in amazement, “Did you hear what Bella just said?” And I repeated what Bella said. And then she said it again.
Bella in her innocence, at two years old, said to the moon what I say almost every day, to the God who made the moon, in my obstinance. “God it’s broken. It’s broken but I can fix it. I gotta fix it,” with whatever problem I have. Seeing God through clouds of doubt, I put more faith in myself than I do in Him.
This month's meditations are all about God and God alone. To continue "fasting from asking" and "raising the praising" I want us to concentrate on who and how powerful God really is. Please click on the featured song You are God Alone that goes perfectly with this week's meditation; the words bring home the point of what Bella’s words brought home to me. Read them. Listen to them. And let them sink in.
YOU ARE GOD ALONE
You are not a God
Created by human hands
You are not a God
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a God
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is
[chorus]
You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You were on the throne
You are God alone
You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You’re the only God
Who’s worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And that’s just the way it is
[chorus]
[bridge]
Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That’s what You are
[bridge]
[chorus]
[bridge]
Friday night as I was carrying Bella to the car, like I have done many times, while carrying Bella to the car, I looked up and said, “Bella, look at the moon! Look up at the moon, honey.” Expecting her to say what she normally says, while carrying her to the car, I expected, “The moon. The moon, Mammie! The moon.” However what she said caught me completely by surprise. With clouds strategically placed over the moon’s face, horizontally, in two perfect places she looked up at Mr. Moon and said, "It’s broken." [Long pause and sadness] "It’s broken, Mammie.” And now looking at the moon through the innocence of a two year old's eyes, I looked up and, indeed saw why she thought the moon was broken. Still pondering what Bella had just said, thinking it was the sweetest comment I'd ever heard, Bella melted my heart again. “I fix it, Mammie. I fix it. I gotta fix it.” And Mammie said to the entire family in amazement, “Did you hear what Bella just said?” And I repeated what Bella said. And then she said it again.
Bella in her innocence, at two years old, said to the moon what I say almost every day, to the God who made the moon, in my obstinance. “God it’s broken. It’s broken but I can fix it. I gotta fix it,” with whatever problem I have. Seeing God through clouds of doubt, I put more faith in myself than I do in Him.
This month's meditations are all about God and God alone. To continue "fasting from asking" and "raising the praising" I want us to concentrate on who and how powerful God really is. Please click on the featured song You are God Alone that goes perfectly with this week's meditation; the words bring home the point of what Bella’s words brought home to me. Read them. Listen to them. And let them sink in.
YOU ARE GOD ALONE
You are not a God
Created by human hands
You are not a God
Dependant on any mortal man
You are not a God
In need of anything we can give
By Your plan, that’s just the way it is
[chorus]
You are God alone
From before time began
You were on Your throne
You are God alone
And right now
In the good times and bad
You were on the throne
You are God alone
You’re the only God
Whose power none can contend
You’re the only God
Whose name and praise will never end
You’re the only God
Who’s worthy of everything we can give
You are God
And that’s just the way it is
[chorus]
[bridge]
Unchangeable
Unshakable
Unstoppable
That’s what You are
[bridge]
[chorus]
[bridge]
Friday, September 4, 2009
Luke 5:16 Friday, continued
Here I am again, after saying last night, in today's meditation, that you wouldn't be hearing from me until next Tuesday. But, I want to share with you a prayer I pray every day of my life, sometimes several times a day, that I call my ABC prayer, that's obviously based on the letters of the alphabet, that I think might help you carry out my request to "fast from asking" and "raise the praise" I asked you to do last night. I came up with this idea to help women learn how to pray, who thought they couldn't pray prayers of adoration. Here is mine you can say or use as an example to write your own.
GOD YOU ARE
Almighty the
Builder of everything
Creator
Deliverer
Eternal
Father the
Great and glorious
Holy, Holy, Holy
I AM.
YOU ARE
Just and
Kind
Loving and
Merciful
Noble and
Omniscient, all
Powerful, the judge of the
Quick and the dead
YOU ARE MY
Rock, my righteousness, my
Shelter in the time of storm. In you I put my
Trust, the God of the
Universe that gives me the
Victory that overcomes the
World. I
eXalt you King of
Zion.
I have written other ABC prayers that are very similar to this one. But I call this one THE VERSE prayer. In it, each sentence begins with that letter of the alphabet, or contains a word that is emphasized, that begins with that letter. Here is the beginning of that prayer.
God, As for me and my house we will serve you.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it.
You Called me before the world began.
Thank-you for Delivering me from all my fears and anxieties.
Every cow on a thousand hills is yours.
I have Faith in You that can move mountains.
Even after this week-end is over, I want us to continue "fasting from asking" and "raising the praising." I think, as many of us have already found out, it will change our relationship with God, for the better.
Have a great week-end!I love you all very much.
GOD YOU ARE
Almighty the
Builder of everything
Creator
Deliverer
Eternal
Father the
Great and glorious
Holy, Holy, Holy
I AM.
YOU ARE
Just and
Kind
Loving and
Merciful
Noble and
Omniscient, all
Powerful, the judge of the
Quick and the dead
YOU ARE MY
Rock, my righteousness, my
Shelter in the time of storm. In you I put my
Trust, the God of the
Universe that gives me the
Victory that overcomes the
World. I
eXalt you King of
Zion.
I have written other ABC prayers that are very similar to this one. But I call this one THE VERSE prayer. In it, each sentence begins with that letter of the alphabet, or contains a word that is emphasized, that begins with that letter. Here is the beginning of that prayer.
God, As for me and my house we will serve you.
Before a word is on my tongue you know it.
You Called me before the world began.
Thank-you for Delivering me from all my fears and anxieties.
Every cow on a thousand hills is yours.
I have Faith in You that can move mountains.
Even after this week-end is over, I want us to continue "fasting from asking" and "raising the praising." I think, as many of us have already found out, it will change our relationship with God, for the better.
Have a great week-end!I love you all very much.
Luke 5:16 Friday
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places AND PRAYED. Luke 5:16
Since the word for today is prayed and so many of us have been touched, as several of you have told me, by Vivian McClellan’s comments this week, I want her words to be the comments for today’s meditation.
August 30
There are many different times in my life that I have learned more about faith and what true faith is. But I guess the biggest jump in my faith came when I started trusting God to know and meet my needs and I basically stopped praying for my wants and needs. I now spend most of my prayer time in Praise. My faith changed when I started spending 98% of my time in praise and almost none on asking for anything. I thought David praised God because he was a man after God's own heart, until I learned that David was a man after God's own heart because he Praised.
September 1
If you try Praising and not asking for a few days, you will be amazed how much more clearly you see His will in all things. While I am a firm believer in the healing and therapy that comes from taking our needs to God, there is a line in which the focus becomes our needs, instead of the focus on the One that can meet our needs.For several months now, I have "fasted" from praying for my needs and I am convinced this has allowed me to see opportunities for His will, I would have missed before.
September 2
I have that verse/prayer "just enough" in my bathroom to read each morning, and I love it!....Being able to see the power and majesty of God and to feel secure in that power to truly take care of us, becomes much more real when there is "fasting from asking" and more "raising the praising."end quotesI have heard the words “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” over and over again in my head since reading them the first time. I think they need to be written on our foreheads and doorposts like Moses told the Israelites to do in Deuteronomy. (Thank-you so much, Vivian, for saying them).
Today while Ruth and I were on the treadmill, "justawalkin’andatalkin’," I asked Ruth if she had tried “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” since she had read Vivian’s comment. And she told me she had; she did it yesterday, and then she added it was very hard. And I agreed. Then I asked her if she had asked God for anything, yesterday, regarding her sister Marilyn’s illness. And she said “no” but that you could turn any request into a praise like this: “God I know you know about my sister’s illness and I thank you for being able to heal her. And I accept that your will will be done.” And she's right.
I want us to try “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” for just three days and then report back on Tuesday, after the long Labor Day week-end is over, about how we were affected. Would you please do that with me?
And finally, here is the verse/prayer that Vivian referred to. I suggest we read it too, like she does every morning.
Just Enough
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Good-bye."
Since the word for today is prayed and so many of us have been touched, as several of you have told me, by Vivian McClellan’s comments this week, I want her words to be the comments for today’s meditation.
August 30
There are many different times in my life that I have learned more about faith and what true faith is. But I guess the biggest jump in my faith came when I started trusting God to know and meet my needs and I basically stopped praying for my wants and needs. I now spend most of my prayer time in Praise. My faith changed when I started spending 98% of my time in praise and almost none on asking for anything. I thought David praised God because he was a man after God's own heart, until I learned that David was a man after God's own heart because he Praised.
September 1
If you try Praising and not asking for a few days, you will be amazed how much more clearly you see His will in all things. While I am a firm believer in the healing and therapy that comes from taking our needs to God, there is a line in which the focus becomes our needs, instead of the focus on the One that can meet our needs.For several months now, I have "fasted" from praying for my needs and I am convinced this has allowed me to see opportunities for His will, I would have missed before.
September 2
I have that verse/prayer "just enough" in my bathroom to read each morning, and I love it!....Being able to see the power and majesty of God and to feel secure in that power to truly take care of us, becomes much more real when there is "fasting from asking" and more "raising the praising."end quotesI have heard the words “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” over and over again in my head since reading them the first time. I think they need to be written on our foreheads and doorposts like Moses told the Israelites to do in Deuteronomy. (Thank-you so much, Vivian, for saying them).
Today while Ruth and I were on the treadmill, "justawalkin’andatalkin’," I asked Ruth if she had tried “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” since she had read Vivian’s comment. And she told me she had; she did it yesterday, and then she added it was very hard. And I agreed. Then I asked her if she had asked God for anything, yesterday, regarding her sister Marilyn’s illness. And she said “no” but that you could turn any request into a praise like this: “God I know you know about my sister’s illness and I thank you for being able to heal her. And I accept that your will will be done.” And she's right.
I want us to try “fasting from asking” and “raising the praising” for just three days and then report back on Tuesday, after the long Labor Day week-end is over, about how we were affected. Would you please do that with me?
And finally, here is the verse/prayer that Vivian referred to. I suggest we read it too, like she does every morning.
Just Enough
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough “Hello’s” to get you through the final “Good-bye."
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Luke 5:16 Thursday
But Jesus often withdrew TO LONELY PLACES and prayed. Luke 5:16
Last night Vivian McClellan, resident scholar of the Titus 2 Group (sorry Vivian I know you didn’t want me to say that but I just had to) wrote the following in her response to Amy Hartford’s answer she gave to this week’s forum question on faith, that made me change what I wrote last night regarding today’s meditation, at 6:10 this morning. This is what she wrote and I quote: "Being able to see the power and majesty of God and to feel secure in that power to truly take care of us, becomes much more real when there is "fasting from asking" and more "raising the praising." Even though I had never even considered that this might have been what Jesus did when he went to lonely places and prayed, this may have been exactly what He did. This morning I’ve had to ask myself these questions: “What kinds of questions would a miracle worker ask?” And I repeat, “What kinds of questions would a miracle worker ask God?” And “who was Jesus praying to while here on earth when the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, anyway?” “Was He talking to Himself? (I don’t think so.) Did he withdraw just because the whole town was standing at the door—the whole town whose illnesses he knew he could heal and whose demons he knew he could cast out—all of them? Did he really go to offer prayers and petitions that sound like ours when we pray? Did I even begin to hit the mark with what I wrote last night? Could it be that Jesus withdrew to a lonely place just to hear the silence God spoke to Him?
Listen to the following excerpt regarding silence that I found in John Main’s book Moments of Christ; The Path of Meditation which more likely reveals why Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. Read slowly and take in every word.
"I think what all of us have to learn is that we do not have to create silence. The silence is there within us. What we have to do is to enter into it, to become silent, to become the silence. The purpose of meditation and the challenge of meditation is to allow ourselves to become silent enough to allow this interior silence to emerge. Silence is the language of the Spirit.
"With this in mind, then, I kneel in prayer to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes it names, that out of the treasures of his glory he may grant you strength and power through his spirit in your inner being, that through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts in love (Eph. 3:14-16)."
The words we use in trying to communicate the Christian message in the Christian experience have to be charged with strength and power, but they can only be charged with strength and power if they spring from the silence of the Spirit in our inner being….Leaving behind all other words, ideas, imaginations and fantasies is learning to enter into the presence of the Spirit who dwells in your inner heart, who dwells there in love. The Spirit of God dwells in our hearts in silence, and it is in humility and in faith that we must enter into that silent presence. St. Paul ends that passage in Ephesians with the words, “So may you attain to fullness of being, the fullness of God himself.” That is our destiny.”
I am much more convinced this morning that Jesus’ prayer did not consist of prayers and petitions like ours do, which I had envisioned last night. I believe more likely than not, (like John Main must have felt), that Jesus withdrew to hear the silence so He could experience the FULLNESS of God and asked for nothing.
Last night Vivian McClellan, resident scholar of the Titus 2 Group (sorry Vivian I know you didn’t want me to say that but I just had to) wrote the following in her response to Amy Hartford’s answer she gave to this week’s forum question on faith, that made me change what I wrote last night regarding today’s meditation, at 6:10 this morning. This is what she wrote and I quote: "Being able to see the power and majesty of God and to feel secure in that power to truly take care of us, becomes much more real when there is "fasting from asking" and more "raising the praising." Even though I had never even considered that this might have been what Jesus did when he went to lonely places and prayed, this may have been exactly what He did. This morning I’ve had to ask myself these questions: “What kinds of questions would a miracle worker ask?” And I repeat, “What kinds of questions would a miracle worker ask God?” And “who was Jesus praying to while here on earth when the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one, anyway?” “Was He talking to Himself? (I don’t think so.) Did he withdraw just because the whole town was standing at the door—the whole town whose illnesses he knew he could heal and whose demons he knew he could cast out—all of them? Did he really go to offer prayers and petitions that sound like ours when we pray? Did I even begin to hit the mark with what I wrote last night? Could it be that Jesus withdrew to a lonely place just to hear the silence God spoke to Him?
Listen to the following excerpt regarding silence that I found in John Main’s book Moments of Christ; The Path of Meditation which more likely reveals why Jesus withdrew to a lonely place and prayed. Read slowly and take in every word.
"I think what all of us have to learn is that we do not have to create silence. The silence is there within us. What we have to do is to enter into it, to become silent, to become the silence. The purpose of meditation and the challenge of meditation is to allow ourselves to become silent enough to allow this interior silence to emerge. Silence is the language of the Spirit.
"With this in mind, then, I kneel in prayer to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes it names, that out of the treasures of his glory he may grant you strength and power through his spirit in your inner being, that through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts in love (Eph. 3:14-16)."
The words we use in trying to communicate the Christian message in the Christian experience have to be charged with strength and power, but they can only be charged with strength and power if they spring from the silence of the Spirit in our inner being….Leaving behind all other words, ideas, imaginations and fantasies is learning to enter into the presence of the Spirit who dwells in your inner heart, who dwells there in love. The Spirit of God dwells in our hearts in silence, and it is in humility and in faith that we must enter into that silent presence. St. Paul ends that passage in Ephesians with the words, “So may you attain to fullness of being, the fullness of God himself.” That is our destiny.”
I am much more convinced this morning that Jesus’ prayer did not consist of prayers and petitions like ours do, which I had envisioned last night. I believe more likely than not, (like John Main must have felt), that Jesus withdrew to hear the silence so He could experience the FULLNESS of God and asked for nothing.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Luke 5:16 Wednesday
But Jesus often WITHDREW to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
No one can withdraw TO without first withdrawing FROM. Jesus withdrew "far from the maddening crowd" to lonely places and prayed. Maybe I should too.
No one can withdraw TO without first withdrawing FROM. Jesus withdrew "far from the maddening crowd" to lonely places and prayed. Maybe I should too.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Luke 5:16 Tuesday
But Jesus OFTEN withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
That which we deem important, we do with consistency. How often do you brush your teeth? How often do you withdraw to pray?
That which we deem important, we do with consistency. How often do you brush your teeth? How often do you withdraw to pray?
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