Confidence in God's plan

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;"

Proverbs 3:5

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me (Jesus) you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."John16.33.NKJV

Written late Saturday evening 

It's been quite a week. Last Snday evening our youngest son called to tell us our medically fragile granddaughter was on her way to the hospital with respritory problems. We prayed with him and sent prayer requeats to prayer warriors and placed our concerns in God's hands. We were updated that tests revealed she had RSV. By God's grace the kid's quick action got her the needed care. They called us on the way home with her 3 days later. They were delighted that she was had recovered and this stay at the hospital was a record short one. Her last one earlier this year was 10 days. 

As we finished the call, my sister called from Colorado to tell me our brother had been taken to the hospital. He has heart issues and had apparently passed out and she hadn't been able to revive him, so she called 911. The paramedics arrived, and after some difficulty, revived him and then transported him by ambulance to the hospital. I prayed with Susan, let my prayer warriors know and put my trust in God for the answers needed for his future care.

Today we were on our way to a memorial service of a young man who was very dear to our family. Our daughter was driving us so I didn't have to navigate freeway traffic. As we were pulling into the parking lot I got a call from a neighbor telling me there was a fire up by our place. I prayed with her and immediately sent out a prayer request to my prayer warriors, once again putting my trust in the Lord. A bit later we learned the fire was not by our house but actually near our daughter's house....the one they had just rebuilt after fire destroyed their home seveal years ago. I prayed once again and leaned deeper into God's embrace. I watched the faces of our daughter and two sons as they talked with one another over the current events. I knew they were consoling and encouraging each other.

Blessedly because my son-in-law had chosen not to go to the memorial service he was at home and was able to start putting the fire out before Calfre got there. They  helped him extinguish it when they arrived, remaining on site for some time to make sure there were no flare ups.

As I prepare to go to bed tonight my prayers are of thanksgiving. I am thankful that my granddaughter is home from the hospital, thankful my sister was able to be there to help our brother, thankful that my son-in-law was home and the fire is out and everyone is safe.

I am most thankful that I serve a God Who I can depend on. I know I can run into Hs embrace at all times, and no matter what comes my way, it is well with my soul.

Navigating through the storms of life

"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." ~Jesus as quoted in John 16:33

My heart has been broken over the recent flash flooding in Texas and other states. The amount of water that swept through that took and devastated so many lives, is beyond my ability to completely process. There is a deep feeling of helplessness in response to all the reports, and a yearning to try to make sense out of all it. My only recourse is to run to my Savior in prayer and petition for all who have been affected.

The fact is there will be storms, and in many cases, those storms will cause disaster. So how do we manage when they do?

My mind goes to Scripture and the situations Jesus allowed the disciples to experience. My first thought goes to Mark 4:36-40 where the disciples and Jesus were in the boat when a great windstorm arose, beating upon the boat. The boat was beginning to fill with water and the disciples were afraid. Jesus however was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. Terrified, the disciples awoke Him and asked "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?"  He arose, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. His question to them "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" 

I then think of another event on the stormy seas recorded in Matthew 14:24-32. The disciples had just experienced the miraculous feeding of over 5,000 men, women and children with five loaves of bread and two fish, with enough left overs to fill twelve baskets.  Jesus then sent them ahead of Him by boat, while He went to the mountain by Himself to pray.  When the boat was in the middle of the sea, the wind became contrary.  About the fourth watch (which is described as being between 3am and 6am) Jesus came walking to the disciples on water.  Now you know they must have been weary and feeling quite a bit overwhelmed.  They were even afraid that they were seeing a ghost and cried out in fear. Jesus spoke to them "It is I; do not be afraid." This next part is my favorite.  Peter, being Peter, answered and said "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." And Jesus did just that saying "Come." This part is where it becomes so real to me. Peter got out of the boat and walked on water.  That is until he became distracted by the wind and the waves, took his eyes off of Jesus, and became afraid. 

Isn't that us?  We walk in tremendous faith until the storms of life distract us with the noise of the wind and the waves of adversity.  Suddenly feeling overwhelmed by our circumstances or the circumstances of others, we shift our focus off the face of the One Who controls the wind and the waves, and sink in the storm itself.

Oh but blessed Savior that He is, just as he stretched out His hand to Peter and caught him when he cried out in fear "Lord, save me!", He will do the same for us.

Again and again, He calls out to us to keep our eyes on Him and walk with Him in faith. 

It's hard. Our eyes see and ears hear things that cause us to shrink back in faltering faith and fear. Faith is tested when we are asked to shift our focus from what we see and trust what we have learned about Jesus and His character. That is why it is imperative to get to know Him intimately through Bible study and prayer.

There is an old hymn that is running through my head as I write this. "Oh, soul are you weary and troubled, no light in the darkness you see? There's light for a look at the Savior, and life more abundant and free. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace. His word will not fail you, He promised. Believe Him and all will be well. Then go to a world that is dying, His perfect salvation to tell. Turn you eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace."

Just as Peter learned when he became distracted by the storm but was rescued when he cried out "Lord, save me!" we too can find refuge and safety in life's storms. The second verse of the song Turn your eyes upon Jesus, reminds us "Thro' death into life everlasting, He passed, and we follow Him there; over us sin no more hath dominion-for more than conquerors we are!"  We can walk in victory even in the storms. Cry out to Jesus. He longs to give you a place of refuge in the midst of life's storms.  He is faithful and loves us beyond what we can possibly imagine. He simply wants us to follow Him in faith.

In doing so, we can "walk on water" and in His perfect timing, we will all make it home.

 

The Sideways Glance

I have a confession to make.  There is something I struggle with much more than I'd like to admit. It's the problem of the sideways glance. Perhaps you struggle as well as you endeavor to follow after the Lord.  Our eyes are fixed on Him and the path He is laying before us, when suddenly something catches our attention out of the corner of our eye. We know the importance of keeping our eyes fixed on the path Jesus is leading us on, but the temptation to look away is strong, so for a moment we give the distraction a sideways glance.

And trouble always ensues. Maybe not for long, but the briefest glace away from the Savior delays our journey with Him. It created chaos in the beginning when Eve was distracted by the serpent, and he put doubt in her mind by asking her "Did God really say..." (See Genesis 3:1). Later in John 21:18-22 we see Peter getting distracted as he saw John following them as he and Jesus talked. And in one of my favorite accounts in Matthew 14;13-32 we see faith, failure because of distractions and restoration. Jesus had just finished feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish and then sent the disciples ahead of Him by boat to the other side. In verse 25 we read that in about the fourth watch they saw Him walking towards them on the water. Thinking He was a ghost they cried out in fear. He assured them it was Him. Peter, being Peter said basically...prove it Lord, if it's You tell me to come to You on the water. Jesus said "Come".  Emboldened by the Lord's command Peter got out of the boat and walked on water to Jesus.  

But then...distracted by the wind and the waves he began to sink.

Blessedly the Lord is gracious when we cry out to Him to save us.

Distractions are always around us.  The key to victory is to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. But I know from experience that it's hard at times It takes a concentrated effort not to get distracted.

Years ago, I was leading a ladies Bible study group, and we were discussing the difficulty with getting distracted. At the time, my sister was raising horses, so I knew the way they kept a skittish horse from being distracted when teaching them to a trail, was to put blinders on the horse's bridal. The blinder was a piece placed on the bridal at the side of the horse's eyes; that kept the horse from seeing anything that might cause it to shy and throw the rider. I used the example as an illustration of how we must put on "spiritual blinders" so as not to be distracted by the things the enemy throws in our path. Our spiritual blinders are more necessary every day. It is imperative that we spend time in God's word and in prayer.

A myriad of distractions vie for our attention daily, seeking to pull us off the path the Lord is putting before us. I know I must deliberately put on "spiritual blinders" daily to keep me from giving a sideways glance to the things that cause me to stumble and sink.  My journey with Jesus continues upward, and I want to be with Him always.  He is faithfully leading me each step of the way.  Our job as believers, is to keep our eyes fixed on Him and follow where He leads.

Me He grant each of us the courage and wisdom to stay focused on Him and may our fixed focus draw other eyes to Him.

To Him be the glory and honor forever. 

                                 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~

"You follow Me." ~Jesus 

Lessons from a splinter

It was the tiniest speck of a splinter in the heal of my hand, but was causing me frustration. I got it while doing work in the yard and used the normal route of tweezers to remove it. Although I managed to get the larger portion out, a tiny, nearly invisible piece remained imbedded in my hand. And it hurt!

I tried getting it out with a needle and peroxide, but to no avail.  So I waited.  I knew the body's natural healing would take its course and make the splinter fester.  When it did, I was finally able to remove the speck of annoyance from my hand.  Although it is still tender, I know the wound will now completely heal. Looking at the speck I thought of how the tiniest things can create enormous pain and frustration.  I realized there was a lesson deeper than the physical splinters we try to avoid.

As I prayed and pondered, the Lord brought to mind how anxiety is the splinter in our souls. The tiniest worry that God is not in control or able to meet our needs, creates a festering wound that only He can heal. This immediately brought to mind Philippians 4:6&7 "Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus."

Isn't the peace of God what we all desire? 

His peace, which surpasses all understanding is available to those who find comfort under the shadow of His wings. He will heal us of the splinters and wounds in our souls if we will let Him. So when that little speck of anxiety pokes your soul - pray.  Thank God that He is showing you there are places He wants you to allow Him to heal. Ask Him to reveal the root and then rejoice as He brings about healing. 

He loves us more than we can possibly imagine and wants to heal us of everything that keeps us from living joyfully in His presence and peace. Turn to Him with your anxieties.  Trust Him to do an awesome work.

He is always faithful.

Meeting in the livingroom

 I recently had a lovely hour long conversation with my sister on the phone.  She lives in another state, and we don't get to see one another often. We do our best to stay in touch with one another and call our conversations "meeting in the living room". Because of our age difference and experiences, we don't always share the same viewpoints on things. The "living room" is a place where genuine conversation can take place. Our different thoughts and ideas are easily expressed here without concern of the others approval or disapproval. It is where we can talk candidly about things that we are rejoicing over, or are troubled about, without reservation. 

It is a safe place of acceptance and love.

Because there is a four year difference in our age, we see things from different angles. Although we were raised in the same house with the same parents, our experiences and take on life are different. We're different people.  Even though we have many common experiences and situations, we have traveled different roads in our journey of life.  The living room is where we get to share those  things and invite the other into our place on the road.

We understand that the other has a different view of things, and it grants us the opportunity to learn and see things from a new perspective. It is a place to learn and question, and to the best of our human ability, come to mutual agreement on important issues. It is also the place where grace is lived, accepting the other for their view point with no need to try to persuade or change them. It is a peaceful place of communication.  Talking, listening, pondering and loving one another.

Oh, if only more people could understand the pure joy of being able to meet there.

The well grounded soul

"You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH the LORD is everlasting strength." Isaiah 26;3,4

Recently the static of the world began invading my peace of spirit. 

Last week there was a fire nearby in the canyon and the smell of smoke brought back harsh memories of four years ago when we had to evacuate, and even though our house was spared, our daughter and her family lost theirs. The fire was brought under control, but the acrid smell as we drove to town filled our noses as we drove past on our way to church and the static noise of life made my flesh respond in the momentary fight or flight. At church a friend asked how I was doing and I responded as well as possible in the current situation. When I asked her the same, she started to tell me things weren't well, but then caught herself placed her hand on her hear and said "in here, I'm OK." We both smiled and agreed.  Things around us can be difficult and make us feel momentarily unsettled, but in our souls we are well grounded.

Later that afternoon after a great lunch and sweet time visiting with our oldest son and his family we were preparing to drive back home when our daughter called us to see where we were. When I told her we were still in town, she said, "You might want to wait before trying to drive home. The road to the canyon is closed. There's another fire." My heart dropped. The thought of not being able to get home if we needed to evacuate again was foremost on my mind. Not only were all our important papers and treasured keepsakes there, but our animals. A quick call to one of our neighbors who was home gave me a bit of reassurance as she said the fire was closer to town than to our place.

Still, the static in my mind and heart persisted.

Our daughter and her family joined us at our son's house and we began discussing whether or not we would try to take an alternate route home. We then received a call from our other son that his wife had taken their youngest boy to the emergency room because he had fallen and it looked like he'd broken his arm. 

ZZZZzzzzzttt!!! the static noise of life made me flinch and groan only slightly.  My daughter across the table from me and my daughter in law sitting next to me saw my reaction.  As she touched my arm she asked "Are you ok mom?"

Fighting the rush of tears I responded. "No...not here." I said indicating my head. Putting my hand to my heart I said "but in here, I'm OK." Both girls smiled and acknowledged they understood.

We stayed a bit longer at our son's house and then decided to take the alternate route home. It meant and additional hour drive. After an already long day, physically I was beginning to feel the effects, but knew I didn't want to wait any longer. At the road block to the canyon we were told the fire had been put out (thank You Lord) but it would still be some time before the mop up was complete and the road reopened. Making the U-turn and getting on the freeway we headed home.

When we had phone reception our youngest son's wife called to tell us that it was a confirmed break on our grandson's arm. We spoke with him briefly and as only a four year old can, he informed us about all that had happened.  He sounded much cheerier than anticipated.

Once we arrived home (thank You Lord for a safe and easy drive) we let everyone know we were safe and that everything up here looked good.

This morning I spoke with all the kids and got updates. The road had been reopened allowing my son in law and oldest grandson passage to work, the four year old had slept well and didn't seem in pain, and that, in spite of the crazy day yesterday, everyone was doing well.

All this got me thinking about how static makes us react. Not only the static of dry air and rugs, hair rubbed with a balloon, but the fun of watching the response of one's hand placed on Tesla Plasma ball. (For a great demonstration of how the Tesla plasma ball works go to https://youtu.be/4ZwZxWgih3U?si=OmC_z1CfGnx9pWRt)

Static can be shocking.

It can make our hair stand on end. 

It can be sticky.

But according to Google "Grounding is a process that removes static electricity from an object by connecting it to the earth. This is done by transferring electrons between the object and the ground using conductive materials like wires, cables, clips, or clamps. Grounding can also be called earthing."

My "grounding" when life's static causes things to be shocking, sticky or even make my hair stand on end, is the faith I have in the solid rock of Jesus Christ.

My friend and I both acknowledge that when we placed our hands on our hearts and said "in here I'm OK."

Because in Him, it is well with my soul.

May the static in your life cause you to remember you are standing on the Solid Rock and are well grounded in Him.

This is not a picture of a Tesla Ball but it was the closest thing I had in my camera. May God richly bless you now and always.

Triumphs that grant us the courage to keep marching

Hooray!! I finally beat the snags that were preventing me from using my new computer effectively.  With the help of a dear friend, we were able to navigate our way through the the technological mine field and won.

Little victories make the battles worth fighting.

It is true in our spiritual journey as well. 

I don't know about you, but there are seasons where it seems like we are deep in the enemy camp and there is little or no hope of escaping unscathed. The army before us seems daunting and we have little courage to effectively battle against them.

But then God reminds us that the battle is His and all we need to do is trust Him to guide us.

I love the accounts we are given in the Bible where the impossible became a  reality. They are the triumphs we are given that grant us the courage to keep marching forward as we follow the Lord. Some of my favorite accounts are  found in the Old Testament. Like Joshua 6  where the people marched in silence around the walls of Jericho for six days and then on the seventh day shouted and the wall came tumbling down. Or  Judges 7 where Gideon and his small army defeated  a much larger army with the element of surprise using torches and trumpets. Then there's the account in 1 Samuel 17 of a small boy using a sling  and a rock to take down a giant who had been harassing the army sent  out  to defeat him.

But my favorite is told in the New Testament  in Luke and John where a miraculous conception and birth and a death and resurrection brought redemption for all who are willing to believe and receive the precious gift of grace God has given us through His Son Jesus Christ. Marvelous news of a victory that nothing can defeat.

As we prepare to celebrate what is marked on the calendars as Easter, let us remember that it is NOT about fuzzy little chicks and bunnies, or colored eggs and an overload of candy. Although these are fun  they are not the message of the true celebration. Jesus is alive. He conquered sin and death and is coming back for His people.

Celebrate the triumph. Share the good news.

The victory is ours because the battle has already been won by the Lord.