Category: Peace

Be Still – When Striving Cease 

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David, the Giant Slayer; David, the Mighty Warrior; David, the Beloved King; and yes, David, “the Man after God’s own heart. David messed up, he questioned, he suffered, he ranted, he despaired, he relented, and most importantly, he returned to God.

How many times in the last three to four years have we found ourselves in a tight spot; a frustrating or fearful time? Maybe in a season of doubt, questioning, struggling, and maybe even a seasoning of feeling defeat?

I ran across a quote today actually two. The first one was from Psalm 38:9. (more on it later) The second was on an index card note taken from a Bible study years ago by Beth Moore called The Quest which said: “Every single season of defeat is driven by a lie.” I had to take a few moments to ponder that one. I thought of Adam and Eve and their deception in the garden. It was accurate. In fact, that was the first deception or lie. It brought shame and separation; they realized their exposure, covered it and hid from the very God, the very One who made them and placed them in that beautiful garden.

“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’? ” “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3:1, 4-5‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Then there was Moses. Moses when he was upset about the people grumbling against him and his leadership, God told him they were not grumbling against him, rather against God, Himself. Also, accurate. Moses was feeling defeated because he believed the lie that the people’s displeasure was directed to himself but the truth was they were angry with God.

Another example that comes to mind is the incident where the twelve spies went into the promised land: they brought back some of the treasures from the land. Two of the spies had wonderful things to say about the land, but the other ten only reported there were giants in the land. Big scary Giants! So the Hebrew people continued to wander in the wilderness rather than possessing the promise. My conclusion, this is a quote which is well worth putting some thought and research behind. The second quote follows below:

“Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You.”
Psalms‬ ‭38:9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

The above is the second quote I ran across this morning. How comforting a promise is this? How often do we go through difficult times and often feel no one else knows, sees, or understands? We all go through times of struggle, down times, suffering, illness, doubt, and the list could go on. One problem, we don’t often talk about it and we think we are alone in our struggles. This particular Psalm is entitled Prayer of a suffering Penitent. David, king, and ‘man after God’s own heart’ struggled, suffered, did wrong, and felt contrition. He describes his condition like this:

“O Lord, rebuke me not in Your wrath, And chasten me not in Your burning anger. For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, And Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your indignation; There is no health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities are gone over my head; As a heavy burden they weigh too much for me. My wounds grow foul and fester Because of my folly.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:1-5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go mourning all day long. For my loins are filled with burning, And there is no soundness in my flesh. I am benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. Lord, all my desire is before You; And my sighing is not hidden from You. My heart throbs, my strength fails me; And the light of my eyes, even that has gone from me.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:6-10‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬
A Psalm of Suffering by King David

“Benumbed and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart.” Can we not relate? Just a quick look at the headlines— Wars, Baby food shortages; school shootings; rapidly increasing food and fuel prices; the list is ever increasing and surely we can relate much more than we’d like to admit. Our world is fast paced and filled with many demands, expectations and responsibilities. We have many gadgets to help us be productive and get things done faster and easier. One would think that would free us with more time available for rest and relaxation to renew and restore our hearts, our souls. But no, for many or maybe most, it just gives us more time to push ourselves harder, get more done and fall exhausted into the bed to get up and do it all over again. Can we, like David, find our answer?

“Yes, I am like a man who does not hear, And in whose mouth are no arguments. For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.” For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. But my enemies are vigorous and strong, And many are those who hate me wrongfully. And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭38:14-22‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Again, for many or maybe most, it just gives us more time to push ourselves harder, get more done and fall exhausted into the bed to get up and do it all over again. It’s quite like a hamster on a wheel or a dog chasing it’s tail. Until we stop, and do something different; we continue to get the same outcome. Maybe it is time to stop the wheel, get off and find a quiet peaceful place and be still. Be silent for a time. Reflect on the best thing instead of falling constant prey to the tyranny of the urgent; the things of the moment. Taking time to seek the One whom “our sighing is not hidden.”; the One who knows us best just might be the answer we need. I’d like to suggest to you that perhaps God alone is the One to whom we can take our deepest issues, disappointments, unmet expectations, worries and fears and completely trust them to be safe, understood and addressed.

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:13-17, 23-24‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Welcoming 2019

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It’s been a while! I haven’t disappeared off the face of the planet, but I will say, writing has been almost the last thing on my mind for a season. Honestly, it has been a challenging season. It was a time of distracting myself from the usual flow of ideas by reading or pretty much anything that would keep my attention and thoughts off the very things that were troubling me.

A season of distraction.

Distraction in the Word, distraction in prayer, the voice of the enemy distracting me with fiery dart thoughts of worry and the diversion of all the things the world throws our way; sickness, disasters, storms, and evil deeds. A medicine change aimed at improving health that actually for a season sent it spiraling.

Circumstances.

As I began to say goodbye to 2018, things had started to look up, and I had been feeling better than I had in months. I actually had lots of energy and felt ten to fifteen years younger. Then it happened another set of circumstances. A hurting loved one; a death of a friend; family colds; a basement leak at two family members home; a roof leak from this year’s storms not covered by insurance; another medical issue; and another loved one in crisis. All were back to back.

Circumstances.

Somewhere in those last six while looking back over the year, I distinctly heard the word joy ring out in my head. Now I have done a study on joy and the difference between joy and happiness in the past. Happiness is often, if not always determined by our – you got it; Circumstances.

Joy, however, can be found even when our circumstances are not the best. Joy comes from knowing who we are and whose we are. It comes from the blessings in our life. Sometimes the blessings and joy take a back seat to the immediate circumstances and imminent crisis that arise. Our perspective has a lot to do with what wins out. It is much easier to keep joy our focus when there are no problems or when they come along one or two at a time. Not so much when an avalanche of things come all within six months or a year. That is when we must work hard to keep our perspective right. God’s Word is full of promises, and they are sure and true. our focus should be on those promises. We also have warnings and if we are wise we will also heed those. Let’s look at John 16:33:

Jesus warned us, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

James, Jesus brother, warned us: “James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:1-5 NASB

So, with new and greater determination, my word for 2019 is Joy. James clearly says it is possible to have joy in the midst of trials; suffering if you choose to. Fear and distraction are the enemies of joy. They come to steal, kill and destroy our joy. This year my plan is to pursue joy and with it peace. My goals: 1. Whatever happens, to ponder the better things; the blessings that are unshakeable and not let myself lose sight of them even when times get harried and sticky. 2. To do my best not to allow the enemy to steal that joy. Somehow, I’m sure it sounds easier than it is but with determination, it can be done, and I am betting that the year will be much more productive and fulfilling when it is all said and done.

May Grace, Peace, and Joy be yours!

Psalm 34:4-5 CSB
I sought the Lord, and He answered me
and rescued me from all my fears.
Those who look to Him are radiant with joy;
their faces will never be ashamed.

Galatians 5:22-23 – NASB
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.

Psalm 5:11 – NASB
But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.

Psalm16:11 – NASB
You will make known to me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
In Your right hand, there are pleasures forever.

Psalm 59:16 – NASB
But as for me, I shall sing of Your strength;
Yes, I shall joyfully sing of Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.

Unexpected JOY

Published on by livinginhisgraceLeave a comment

IMG_3485

My view this morning…

Last Thursday, December the 7th…

Winter Advisory until Sat. at 7 a.m. They said…

Snow they said…

No accumulation on roads they said….

Just a dusting 1/2 to 1 inch at most…

No transportation issues…

I responded to myself with, “Huh, that’s usually what they say before us have some unprecedented and unexpected snowfall. Now in context, it rarely snow in early December in Georgia. If it does it doesn’t accumulate, it doesn’t typically last and  it is extremely rare! (At least south of the North Georgia mountains.)

Friday, 7 a.m.

The snow begins, I watch it from these very windows the entire day as I go about my daily chores and my to-do list. At first small and light, later larger flakes; some the size of a quarter. It didn’t take long to see we had hit the 1/2 inch mark. Then the one-inch mark. By noon, it looked like  the picture below.

 

 

Isn’t it beautiful; how amazing is our Creator! And man thinks he can predict this awesome God and what He has set in motion. Ah, but this story is just beginning!

3″ @ 1:13 p.m. – No sign of letting up.

This verse comes to mind – “Where is the way where light dwells? And as for darkness, where is its place, That you may take it to its territory And that you may know the paths to its house? “You [must] know, since you were born then, And because you are so extremely old! “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,”
‭‭JOB‬ ‭38:19-22‬ ‭AMP‬‬

5:15 p.m. – over 5″ – I’m going to need a larger ruler!

For a moment, I sit relishing in this autumn wonderland, traveling through my memory of past Decembers; maybe there was another time in early childhood we had a similar experience. But I have lived within a forty-five-mile radius of my birthplace my entire life and can remember nothing that compares to what is unfolding before my eyes. I feel pure joy bubble up inside at the rare beauty. Yes, there are cares and concerns, but for the moment they are muted; put on hold. They are diminished by this extraordinary sight. And the snow keeps coming…

Around 6:30, I begin preparing some corn muffins to accompany our soup. The power flickers a number of times as they cook in the convection oven. Resetting it each time, they finished before we lost power around 7-ish, thankfully. Also, I am grateful that I asked my sweet husband to light the pilot for the gas logs earlier and turn them on just in case. It has an electric switch but if it’s on it will stay on without the power.

It is amazing how peaceful it is with no power, no tv, no internet. A quiet night before the fire, conversation, rest, a little reading. Nineteen and a half hours of peace and quiet and semi-disconnection. Yes, we checked email and social media a little until the phones drained. Mostly, we just enjoyed the downtime, not once worried about the power or lack of heat. We only ate what we could fix on the gas stove top, manually over-riding the pilotless ignition and bundled up.  Saturday we awoke to a real wonderland!

IMG_3473

      8:15, Saturday morning – 9 inches!

A friend said the record was a little over 8 inches back in 1940. Haven’t checked to see for myself. We also have a sundial out front. The needle that creates the shadow was completely covered, and the top looked like an enormous wedding cake. Snow there measured 9.9 inches.

6174647856_IMG_0207

Still, no power, not  a problem though. The freezer is frozen and fine. The gallon of ice I placed in the frig. is starting to melt and the temperature is going up a bit. It’s time to fill ice chests with snow and transfer food outdoors where it will keep. We even stuck the bottle of soda directly into the snow on the back deck. I am so thankful for lessons learned as a young child during an ice storm. We were just over a week without power, and I learned many survival techniques. I am also grateful for having a gas stove (at least we can cook on top overriding the pilotless ignition, gas logs since we don’t have a wood burning fireplace), a kerosene heater in the basement just in case we need it, and assorted flashlights, candles and oil lamps.  I honestly don’t know how people with all-electric manage in outages.

Some may be asking, “what’s the big deal? It’s just a little snow.” You know what, you are so right; especially if you are from up north where snowfall is much higher. Nine to ten inches is nothing when you are from a place where two and three feet of snow is the norm. Yet for my husband and I, this was epic! When you live in an area that you may go a few years without seeing even a dusting of snow or at best a dusting to three inches when you do have some; this is amazing!

My favorite part has been the peacefulness; the serenity. I love how everything slowed down. Neighbors that rarely see each other are all out walking around and chatting. Watching the toddler girl next-door play in the snow with abandon, throwing herself down making snow angels over and over on every smooth untouched area of snow. Then getting back up throwing a snowball followed by grabbing a handful to eat. Our dog Shelby (just a year old) playing in the snow for the first time and loving it, nipping at it and eating it. Wishing I could have been with the grandkids as they played in it at their homes and watching them enjoy it.

I love God’s sovereign timing, too! It has been perfect. It came right at the busiest time of year for many of us, when we are running around like crazy to appointments, parties, and all sorts of gatherings; when we are frantically looking the right gift for loved ones; and so many busy tying up their year in a nice little bow. A perfect pause. Most will either love it or hate it. For me, it brought peace. It brought much joy. I didn’t see inconvenience. I saw opportunity. Opportunity to slow down, ponder the season, be grateful and see unexpected blessings over the perceived difficulties. It was time to relish in the simple things and the small things that we take for granted most of the time. It was a reminder that we can choose to pause on our own without a prompting from the weather and it is good for us to do it.

6174647856_IMG_0210

From our home to your: Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

May Grace and Peace be yours!!

Election Angst?

Published on by livinginhisgraceLeave a comment

     Seven days have passed since the historic election of 2016. One would think that by now things would be beginning to settle, yet emotions for many are still running high. From fear to elation, the sentiments range the gamut! Tears, riots, all the way to shouts of joy have been present. Never have I witnessed a political season like the one we have seen this time! For the most part, it is my personality, to keep quiet about such things; research the candidates, their records, and their character and quietly make my decision. I seldom if ever weigh in over social media but today I feel compelled to comment hoping to bring some peace and reassurance to those who are uncomfortable, fearful, worried or downright angry.

     This may not mean anything to you if your aren’t a person who believes in the God of creation and the Lord Jesus Christ, but Scripture tells us in Daniel:

image

Based on this scripture alone, God is NOT surprised by the outcome of this election! He is not wringing His hands with concern about what the future holds. God already knows, and there is a purpose and plan for our country and for those He has allowed to come into positions of authority. He is perfectly aware that many of us have been shaking our heads for months over the political circus and were surprised at those chosen for the final leg of this journey. Many people found it hard to choose because they had issues with both of the candidates. The good news is that comfort can be found in Scripture. The Bible is full of hope for us, we just have to search it out.

One such story that comes to mind is found in the book of Esther. The King’s right-hand man plots and schemes until a directive was signed to rid the kingdom of all Jewish subjects; which by the way would include the Queen, unbeknownst to the King. Though God’s name is not mentioned once within the book; it’s obvious He is active throughout the events.

Then there’s the mighty victory of Gideon whose army was whittled down from 22,000 to 300 men. These were impossible odds for success, but with God on their side, nothing was impossible! The key is for us to stir up our faith and trust God; remind our self that He is Sovereign and in control; He not only has a plan but it is a purposeful plan for a good outcome for His people.

We like David must encourage ourselves in the Lord. 1 Samuel 30:6 “And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.”

God is mighty and does mighty exploits. We must remind ourselves that God is faithful and He is the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) Below are some verses that you may find helpful:

    I have chosen you and not cast you off”; fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 ESV

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine. Isaiah 43:1b ESV

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened,                                                        and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 ESV

                         

Strengthen the weak hands and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Isaiah 35:3-4 ESV

And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life,  what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Luke 12:22-27 ESV

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom should I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom should I be afraid?
 When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh,
my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell.
 Though an army deploys against me,
my heart is not afraid;
though a war breaks out against me,
still I am confident. Psalm 27:1-3 HCSB

“Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

There are 365 fear not scriptures. Many scriptures can be found about hope, peace, trust, comfort, etc. When I find myself in need of encouragement, I find key words and Google to be particularly helpful (key word + scripture).

May His grace and peace abound to you!