A Call to Prayer

First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.  This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

1 Timothy 2
NASB (New American Standard Bible)

“Troubled times” can have many different meanings as there are so many ways for us to be troubled.  Here are a few verses to hang on to, draw strength from, and lead us to our help in the Lord!

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:2

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  Romans 8:14

From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.  Psalm 61:2

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  Romans 5:1-2

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  2 Corinthians 12:8-9

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.  Hebrews 4:16

Since then you have been raised with Christ.  Set your hearts on things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above for you died, and your life is now hidden in Christ with God.  Colossians 3:1-3

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.  Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.  Galatians 5:1

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:37~39

For You have been my help and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.  My soul clings to you; Your right hand upholds me.  Psalm 63:7

Psalm 118:14 The Lord is my strength and my SONG and He has become my Salvation!

In times of brokenness, in times of seeing life through a dark prism, I search and find the Song of my life, my Lord.  As I remain in His presence, He guides my focus, and I dwell on Him and light returns; I hear the music once again.

Those times I cannot understand My Lord’s desires for my life, or even hear holy words ~ I can still experience His music.  I am enthralled as His melody runs through my soul, and by the passion with which He draws me to the heavenly realms as His hymns become living praise and wash over me.

His rhythm is my very heartbeat.  I am in awe of the powerful tempo as His faithfulness courses through my life; it brings me to my knees.  I long to dance in His light, surrounded by the carol of His being as He feeds the God~thirst in me.

I long for answers; but rather I am blessed with a call to come into His presence, and so I step into an anthem of prayer.  I cry for patience and the lullaby that He is soothes my need.  His song is hope, as He pleads His interceding love for me.

By the music of Him, I am mesmerized.  Jesus, the song of heaven, the Awesome Mighty King; He so loves me!  He moves through me with a madrigal of strings, and they are strummed by mercy and compassion.  He serenades the trinity I worship through me, and as I wait on Him, I sing with Him; we make heavenly music together.

Do you know the song?

Can you feel the beat?

Nicodemus is one of my favorite characters in the Bible.  I feel his inner struggle as he seeks Jesus in the garden, desperately longing to wrap his head around kingdom principles.  After his encounter with Jesus, he would discover his need to be born again; kingdom ways compel our spirits, not our intellect.

Scripture does not mention Nicodemus beyond his collaboration with Joseph of Arimathea in burying Jesus; but again, my favorite portrayal of Jesus’ life and ministry, Jesus of Nazareth (1977), beautifully portrays Nicodemus’ “aha” moment, when his heart overruled his mind; he stood afar off and beheld the Lamb of God, Isaiah 53 dripping like honey off his tongue:

“He was despised and rejected of men; man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth and is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before his sheerer is dumb.  Surely he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we would esteem him stricken and smitten of God and afflicted.  But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was abused for our iniquities, and through his wounds we are healed… and born again.”[1]

I cannot remember how many times I have watched that scene, but it moves me every time.  Nicodemus has his eyes on the Messiah, the fulfillment Israel has been awaiting, since the first prophecy spoken in the Garden of Eden; his first encounter with that promise, came too, in a garden.  From garden to garden.  The Word of God is beautiful and witnessing the fulfillment of prophecy is awe-inspiring.

I pray, as we continue to see the prophecies of Christ’s birth and their fulfillment, the wonder of God and His Word pierce your heart.

As I open my Bible to the Old Testament, butterflies dance inside me.   My heart jumps when I read the Old Testament.  The first class in Old Testament in my short stint in seminary ~  whether from the professor’s compassionate homilies or just reading the text ~ was the beginning, the spark, that caused me to fall in love with the Old Testament.  My blood stirs when I hear a prophecy from the Old Testament read aloud.

In the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (1977), Herod sent out his murderous riders to slay the male children two years and younger, in a vain attempt to purge the earth of a threatening Messiah-King.  In the after-math, among the wails of despair by the mothers that witnessed the cruel and brutal execution of their babies, many ripped from their arms, walks a lone elder speaking the fulfillment of God’s Word in the horrific scene before him:

A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamentation and bitter weeping.  Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.
Jeremiah 31:15 NASB

The horrific tragedy these mothers of Israel suffered, coupled with my love for the Word, bring tears to my eyes each time I watch that scene.  God’s Word is not always sweet, but it is always true.

The Old Testament is not plan “A” to toss aside with the advent of the New.  One cannot kiss the New Testament without first embracing the Old.  The Old Testament speaks to what will be in the New; one cannot discard either Testament, they are the thread that weaves together God’s tapestry ~ His redemption story:

“A devout Hebrew scholar has pointed out that the Old Testament is a book of consonants without vowels, as Hebrew students know.  But Christ came as the Alpha and the Omega, the initial and final vowel of the New Testament Language, to all, the vowel points to the old revelation; to be the interpreter of difficulties and the filler of gaps.  And so, as Luther exhorts, ‘In the Word thou shouldest hear nothing else than thy God speaking to thee.’”[1]

It is my desire to lay before you the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Christ, and the accomplishment of the prophecies displayed in Jesus of Nazareth.  I pray that as Scripture and the wonders contained therein are exposed, we the Church would renew our revelation of Christ, and present to the world a Complete Christ.

I begin our journey through prophecy with the foretelling of His birth.

The Seed Resulting In Birth[2]
The first Messianic prophecy is in Genesis 3:15 ~

Prophecy:

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.  NASB

Fulfillment:

This is a day… (maybe you’ve had a day like this before?)… when I wake up feeling sad.  No particular reason, no specific thing wrong… in fact, everything is normal.  Everything is fine, but my heart is heavy and my eyes quick to fill with tears at the slightest little thing gone wrong.  Emotions are at flood-level, apparently, and any rain causes overflow on a day like today.

In the early-morning gloom of the living room, I bend to knees and fumble through words to God.  Finally, I admit ~ I feel at a loss right now.  I feel empty.

Why should I be discouraged?  I have only blessings in my hands.  I have only gratitude to give.

Please help, I pray.  Because this day is Yours that You have given.  I don’t want to spend it feeling like this.

Words surface. “He has sent Me to bestow… a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” 

And I read,  “Is anyone crying for help?  God is listening, ready to rescue you.  If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there.  If you’re kicked in the gut, He’ll help you catch your breath.  Disciples so often get into trouble; still, God is there every time.” 

Every time.

Then a plea in David’s words: “But let me run loose and free, celebrating God’s great work, every bone in my body laughing, singing ~ ‘God, there’s no one like You!  You put the down-and-out on their feet!’” 

I do not feel like there are laughing bones, veins of joy, heart-beats of celebration within me… and I cannot run free with my round-and-round worry-thoughts, my shoulders draped in dark clouds.

But my eyes take notice ~ David says, “I bless God every chance I get; my lungs expand with His praise.”

Every chance, every breath ~ he lives thankful.  Pursued, tormented, adored, empowered, alone, mocked, envied, prosperous, mourning, rejoicing… in all things, he lives to praise.

Worship, he says, opens door to all His goodness.

Deep breath, mind made up to lift this shadowed mind up to Him in the middle of the sadness, in the middle of the heaviness.

Because even when I feel like I am in the center of despair, He is still God. 

His Word is still solid to the core; everything He makes is sound inside and out.

So I say thank you, to the Lord who sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord enthroned as King forever.  For He gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.

I say thank you to the Giver of mercy, the Light of the world, the One who says – ‘Let it be’ and it is.

Can thank you be enough for the Savior?  For He already carried this kind of day for me, this spirit of despair, for He “took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows… the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed”.  He bore it so that He can lift me up, take this burden from me when it falls into my hands. 

I remember this and the way He loves; how He says “I’ll never forget you.  I’ve wiped the slate of all your wrongdoings.  There’s nothing left of your sins.   Come back to me, come back.  I’ve redeemed you.”

I feel Isaiah’s joy as he says, “High heavens, sing!  God has done it!  Deep earth, shout!  And you mountains, sing!  A forest choir of oaks and pines and cedars! God has redeemed Jacob.  God’s glory is on display in Israel!”

And don’t I have the same praise?  God has redeemed me!  God’s glory is on display in this very room… in my front yard… in the sky stretching out its cloudy arms of praise… everywhere I look, His grace and beauty are on display.

Lifting my eyes, I know where my help comes from ~ this God, who made heaven and earth.  His strength begins to hold my heart and it is lighter within me.  I choose to open up this day to Him, knowing His goodness unchanged, and He begins to shine His light into the dusty corners.  The emptiness begins to fill with peace that I couldn’t find for myself.

He is greater than these feelings that change with the day, with the circumstance, with the tide of emotion.  He is sure and steady, constant in all His ways.

When I wake on days like today, I cannot trust in my own frail emotions.  I will not put trust in the power of darkness to lead me.  Instead, I will say of Him ~  He is my rock and my fortress, in whom I trust.  I will say that the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever… yet (even while this is hard, even while fear fills me, even while night goes on) yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior!

Trusting in His unfailing love, I will not be shaken.

Every promise here, every redeeming hope ~ it is mine and it is yours.  I don’t know if you ever feel despair on your heels, your heart growing heavy ~ but, if you do, choose praise.  Choose trust.  Maybe change won’t feel instantaneous, but trust anyway.  Because He promised to take the spirit of despair and replace it with a garment of praise.  He promised that His joy will be our strength.  Sometimes we have to stop clinging to the familiar garments of darkness, letting go and lifting our hands to Him, letting Him take the sorrow and wrapping us instead in His light.  Sometimes He lets us walk in the heaviness, knowing how our faith is strengthened when we can understand that He is sovereign in the good and the bad.

But the night will not last forever.  He always brings morning, in His time, and with it ~ joy.

Let me say again, this time with David…

I bless God every chance I get!  My lungs expand with His praise! 

I live and breathe God; if things aren’t going well, hear this and be happy: Join me in spreading the news; together let’s get the word out.  God met me more than halfway, he freed me from my anxious fears… when I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot.  God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.

Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see ~ how good God is. 

For every one of us who trust in Him,  this is how He writes in our hearts ~ hope and a future of running free, heart and bones and breath singing to Him ~

You did it: You changed wild lament into whirling dance; You ripped off my black mourning band and decked me with wildflowers.  I’m about to burst with song; I can’t keep quiet about You.  God, my God, I can’t thank You enough!

Will you lift your heart to Him, no matter the day you’re in?  Will you stop what you’re doing and offer Him praise?

*Scripture references are from Psalms, Isaiah, and Habakkuk*

I have an acquaintance who doesn’t seem to receive much joy from his faith.  To watch his unhappiness truly distresses me.  I see a defensive and confused soul.  I don’t want to judge him; merely understand his situation objectively, and see if there might be some way for me to help him.  His life might be an example to us all, but as a cautionary tale

As I have thought and prayed for him, I have understood some things which I need to apply to my own life, and I only share them because I think these things contain some universal truths.

To describe him: he is basically a kind, well-meaning person, but he has very strong opinions and expresses them so intensely that he makes others uncomfortable.  He comes across as bombastic and self-righteous ~ the very epitome of “pompous”.  People are polite, but only a few have the courage to stay long in his presence.  He is getting older now, and he finds that he is lonely, but he has no idea why he has few friends.

He considers himself to be a devoted Christian.  I would never question this, but his faith doesn’t give him much comfort.  He is relatively knowledgeable in the Word, and is puzzled as to why he has never been approached to be put into positions of spiritual authority.  He doesn’t recognize that head knowledge is best tempered by grace and humility.

As I pray for him, I try to figure out what he believes which makes his interpretation of grace so different from my own understanding.  His interpretation of the Gospel seems to run along very legalistic lines.  For him, the life in Christ is always about what you do, what is “right”, and judging people who don’t see things exactly as he does.  Life is always black or white; there are no shades of grey that can invoke compassion.  He batters those around him with scripture.  He has alienated some and, because of his example, reinforced their doubts and sabotaged their own search for faith.  Still, he justifies his point of view, and never seems to question if, at any point, he might have been more loving.

He wanders from church to church, looking for some place where things are done exactly to his liking, and never finding it.  He cannot compromise or recognize that no church, populated by diverse people, is going to be perfect, and that you may have to give up some preferences in favor of the other good things which are present.  In one church he might not like the choir; they sing too much modern music, and he prefers the old anthems.  In another church, he may not like the minister’s preaching style; or he may disagree with one or more sermons.  In another church he may feel that his comments and suggestions are not received with the gratitude and immediate compliance that he feels they deserve.  Once he finds a “flaw”, he leaves.  He must be right, and he is never happy for long.

All of this makes me wonder about his understanding of God’s love and how we are to go about reflecting it in the world.  He is full of anger and contempt for those who “don’t care” as much as he does about these things.  Instead of eventually wondering humbly if the difficulty may be in him, he adamantly assumes that he is right and continues telling others how things ought to be.

As I think about his situation, it occurs to me that he really doesn’t understand the spirit of grace.  He doesn’t seem to reflect the gentleness and patience which demonstrate a heart at peace with God, or embrace the scriptures which teach us to love one another.  He seems oblivious to the concepts of forgiveness or humility or having a servant’s heart.  I can’t help but remember the Lord’s words after He has been teaching about forgiveness and humility and turning the other cheek: “How is it that you call me Lord, Lord, and yet do not what I ask of you?”

I wish I found my friend’s attitude to be unusual.  However, I know a number of folks whose understanding is very similar to his, and whose faith doesn’t seem to help them find compassion toward others.  My heart is heavy when I think of them.  Am I judging them as they judge others?  I need to be very careful here. What is judgment and what is discernment, and how do I handle what I see?  I suspect it is not my job to confront them, but the work of the Holy Spirit to awaken their understanding.  All I can do is continue to care about them, and pray.

I wish we could all understand that the message of the Gospel is about forgiveness; about love; about peace.  It is about recognizing our own inability to be holy, and about needing Someone to intervene for us with the Father.  It is about accepting the fact that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; that we have no claim of worth in ourselves, but that all our worth is found in Him.  It is about the pure grace of God, Who sees our need and Who provides a way for us to be reconciled to Him in the life, death and resurrection of Christ.

How can we truly understand that and not be humbled?   How can we understand that and not respond with a desire to seek His will so that we can be found faithful and obedient recipients of His love?

It may be because we are never completely free of our old nature until we have been promoted to Glory.  On this earth, if we are honest, we will always struggle with that old nature.  Our Adamic sin may be forgiven, but the self remains a heavy millstone around our necks which chokes us and keeps us from attaining the perfect submission of Christ.

We need to be aware of our inner lives, and keep the lines of communication between ourselves and God open.  One of the most difficult skills of the inner life is in learning to be truthful to ourselves about what we really feel and believe.  If we look inward honestly, we may be shocked to realize that even though we may have known Christ a long time, we still find feelings and thoughts which may not honor Him.  We recognize anger and bitterness still tucked away in hidden places and which may surface at totally inappropriate times.  We find feelings of resentment, or jealousy, or echoes of the eternal cry, “What about ME!”.

Ego insinuates itself into countless situations and we don’t want to acknowledge it.  We don’t want to accept the fact that we might be wrong; that we are not as perfect as we would like to think.  So, we justify our actions and thoughts with excuses.  We deny.  We twist things around in our minds so that we come out looking good.  Instead of recognizing that we are still sinning and asking the Lord for forgiveness in grief and repentance, we blot out all those negative things and blissfully coast along, telling ourselves that we are just fine.  Self still corrupts, and we need, instead, to let ourselves be filled with all the fullness of God, in love and grace.

I have learned that I am never “finished”.  I will be in process as long as I live; there are always deeper truths to be learned about the nature of God and the nature of man and the huge gulf between us ~ lovingly bridged by Christ at terrible cost.  On earth I will never fully understand the depth and height and fullness of the love of God.  I can never afford to be complacent if I am really conscientious about wanting to follow Him.  I can’t judge others; I am too vulnerable myself.

I am not sure what I can do to help my friend.  I am pretty sure that confrontation wouldn’t help.  I do think that I could make myself more available to him in his loneliness.  That will mean I must be prepared to guard my tongue.  I will need to remember to draw on the strength of the Lord to be patient, and to keep my mind on being kind and not self-defensive when he attacks.  I know that I need to pray for both of us to practice the gentleness of grace.

Above all, I pray that I may exercise love and remember that I am no better than my friend.  I have my own blind spots to which others may be ministering.  That is part of what makes us the family of God; the willingness to love one another and pray for one another, even if it may be difficult.  May God grant us all His grace as we go about the business of demonstrating that we love Him by loving one another.

Understanding God’s grace may take me a lifetime, but I am so thankful He wants to reveal it to me more everyday!  You see, grace was given to me at salvation.  God didn’t give me what I deserved, which was death and hell, but He gave me the gift of eternal life.  As awesome as that is, there is so much more to it than that alone.

God came to give me abundant life here on earth as well.  John 10:10 says that although the devil came to steal, kill, and destroy me, You~ Jesus ~ came to give us life and give it to the full and abundantly.  I want that abundant, full life!  I’m not satisfied to sit here, miserable, waiting for the end to come;  just trying to be happy with knowing I’m going to heaven when I die.  Praise God, I am going to heaven when I die, but here and now I want the full benefit of life He gave me when I took the gift of salvation He offered me.

God gave me peace, joy, kindness, love, self-control, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, faith, forgiveness. (Gal. 5:22)  He gave me the ability to give love, kindness, and forgiveness to others.  Years ago I would have told you “Yes, I want that life and I have tried to live that life, but it’s just so hard I can’t do it.”  But thanks be to God, He opened the eyes of my heart and spirit and revealed truth.  (1 Cor. 15: 57)  The knowledge of the truth will set you free (John 8:32) and it certainly has set me free from the bondage of trying to live the Christian life on my own!

I now know Jesus is my life and when I allow Him, He lives the Christian life in and through me.  Who better to live that life than the One who knows how to do it?  Thank You for Your willingness to live it.

Christ in me is the strength within that enables me to live the victorious Christian life.  There is nothing I can do to make that happen.  As the song by Chris Tomlin goes,” My chains are gone, I’ve been set free, my God , my Savior has rescued me…” Amen and amen.  All praise glory and honor to Him!

I was entranced by my morning devotions as I came to a deeper understanding of a spiritual truth.  The scripture, found in Mark 14, tells about a time in Bethany when Jesus was enjoying a meal with friends.  Not just ordinary friends ~Jesus had some very interesting friends ~ Simon, His host, was an ex-leper.

At some time during this gathering a woman came in and approached Jesus with a gift.  By reading a parallel subject in John 12:1-3 it seems that Simon may have been (if my understanding is correct) the father of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, who were dear and close personal friends of Jesus; again, not such ordinary people if we study the trauma experienced during their lives.

This woman who came in may have been Mary, the sister who loved while the other sister labored.  You know the story told here, of her priceless gift, and her love for the Master.  However the crux of the matter for me is not her gift, but His words, and they stunned me.

After scolding the scoffers, Jesus gave her a blessing: “She has done a beautiful thing for me.” (CEV) “A good work for me.” (NKJV). This blessing, and the implication, is what captured my attention.  It was a concept brought to me by Oswald Chambers in his book My Utmost for His Highest.  It was not entirely new to me in my subconscious perhaps, but in the awakened part of my mind I had, as far as memory goes, never dwelt on this particular aspect of God’s love.

My day caught up with me; I was envisioning the subject as I was led along in my busy life.

The rain fell in a heavy fashion, sluggishly.  The splashes had edges.  It was almost, but not quite snow or ice, but close.  I was hesitant to leave my warm home; my mind was still in the Bible, but the errands wouldn’t wait, I had to go.  I tried to keep my mind on my “must dos”, but pondering thoughts trailed after me.

Can I describe it using just words?

“God is love.”  I know that verse by heart.  This is another of my all-time favorite verses: “Real love isn’t our love for God, but his love for us.” It’s found in 1st John 4:9-10, as well as “For God so loved the world…” in John 3:16.  I know, and believe, the basis for total truth is God’s word; I trust in these scriptures, I know He loves me.  Yet, I most often just accept the surface level of love without delving into the layers and stratum of all it means from God’s perspective, if I even could.

So, I gleaned, on an early spring morning (that still feels like deep winter) this: God values me.  Dare I even think those words?

God Almighty, my heavenly Father values me.  Whoa… this goes beyond love; this shoots through the universe and aims for heaven itself ! It’s a different level ~ a knee bending, mind blowing thought to be treasured, explored, and to exult in!

My perception about the meaning of love is, I suppose, rather simple. It does have several levels of meaning… I understand and experience family and friendship love; the “I would die for you!” love, and the deep feelings of loss when separated; the joy when surrounded by the same ones.  I know the need to feel, touch, and kiss ~ hugs are physical connections to the heart between people who love each other.

I actually love Love.  I want to be surrounded by it, always!  This tells how I view love as it goes out from me, and maybe I speak for you, but how is my concept of God’s love (who “first” loved me) even close to the reality of something so all-consuming and beyond human understanding and our emotions?

He values… me?

I have learned today when I do those things for God ~ compelled only because I love Him, as did Mary with the gift of the alabaster box~ offering Him my “ordinary simple human” things gives evidence of my total surrender.  This is not to prove who I am, but because of who He is, and my relationship to Him.  I am His child; He values my love gift… me.

To value: have worth, merit, or importance.  While you are on bended knees, try to think of this definition belonging to you in the heart of your heavenly Father.

I am aware of all (or most) of my faults and peculiar traits that may confuse or even disturb others at times, even though they are familiar with my personality.  So, I think those who love me have an “in spite of” love for me, and in my heart of hearts, I have always thought that was the way God loved me, “He made me this way, so He has to love me!”  Yeah! That kind of love; it is an “in spite of” type.

Yet, he values … me?  What comfort, what peace, what mystery occurs when I freely surrender “my all” to Him!

The rain has lessened, but the low clouds roll on in a threatening manner; this gray morning in Kentucky, it is exciting to say the least!  As I drove, my thoughts of being valued by the Lord in return for sweet gifts of devotion, gathered steam and my amazement continued to grow.

Due to my lack of ability to make a quick decision, I became minimally wet while I finished taking care of my business.  Should I grab the umbrella from under the passenger seat (meaning I would have to bend, stretch and twist to reach it with bottom up) or pull on my hood which was caught inside my jacket collar? All the while I was standing between the car and the door, and the rain was falling and splashing in the puddle at my feet making ridiculing sneering sounds!

Finally! Warm and dry, back in my house in my reading chair with a good book ~ I should say “The” Good Book.  Once again I am diving  into the love God has for me, it is written all over in indelible ink, and it is here to stay.  I just can’t get enough.  I want to live my life in open gratitude.  I want to make large and overwhelming, as well as those “small gifts of surrender”, to my lovely Lord.  I desire to be of value to the God who is “love” Himself!

I praise using ancient words spoken by one he loved to the ultimate, David ~ “Your love means more than life to me, and I praise you.  As long as I live I will pray to you. I will sing joyful praises and be filled with excitement like a guest at a banquet.” Psalms 63:3.

Loved, valued, warm and satisfied, filled in every way ~ not only do I experience the mountain top, but I think I am running, jumping, and spinning through the valley!

Unless noted all scripture is from CEV.

By Penny Jackson

It is real, this pain I feel,
My strength is almost gone;
I hear a voice, oh so still,
Gently guiding me along.

As I reach out for the Father’s touch,
My heart longing for His love,
I can sense the warmth of His embrace,
Surrounding me from up above.

As time went by I trusted God,
We walked the road together;
I learned that by following Him,
My life could be much better.

God revealed to me,
As my heart was mending;
What I thought was the end,
Was just the beginning.

About the author:

 I am fifty-one years old and live in Terre Haute, Indiana. I have been a Registered Nurse for over twelve years and I am currently working on my second Master’s degree in the field of psychology. I have been a Christian for most of my life and I thank God for all He has done for me. I love sharing God’s love through writing and poetry.