Fear No Evil

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff they comfort me.  Psalm 23:4(NIV)

Have you ever been in a situation where you didn’t know how it would end? All you wanted was the best for the principal or principals involved. When you prayed, you didn’t know how to pray, so you prayed for God’s will.

King David tells the Father that he feels His presence in times of grief, stress, and personal crisis. David also tells God that he will not fear while he goes through times of difficulty.

When my stepmother passed on, I felt the prayers of God’s people. They prayed for us because they knew of her lengthy illness. When my dad left this earth almost eleven years later, some of those same people prayed for me, along with those in our new place of worship. I could feel the prayers.

The shepherd king finds solace as God protects him from other things that could attack him as he walks through the wilderness. 

In my life history, at the times of a loss, I had to hear of side issues about the person who had passed on or someone else close to the departed. Sometimes a person would remember something that happened in the family maybe 29 years ago. I found these extraneous stories hurtful. As I have grown closer to God, I know that He will shield me from further emotional hurts during my times of grief.

At Church this past Sunday , a lady raised her hand and asked us to pray for Indianapolis. Her words were sobering. "We can't go out of our houses without someone getting shot and killed."  All we can do is pray. They seem to have a new homocide each night. Please help us pray for this terrible situation. 

Dear Lord God:

   Thank You for protecting us as we go through dark valleys of grief, emotional upset, and fear. We give You praise for who You are. In the name of Jesus, I pray. AMEN

Graphic: thepsalter.com

No More Pain

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev 21:4 (NIV)

John the Revelator gives us a beautiful picture of what it will be like when we get to heaven.

• God will be there with us, consoling us.

• Death and the accompanying mourning will not be present. We will live forever.

• Crying and pain have no place in the New Jerusalem.

There will be a new order of things; new events will fill our lives. Things that cause us pain will not be allowed once we enter through the gates. God will take care of all these things.

I find hope in these words. In today’s world I see and hear news that try to bring me down. You know the headlines. But you and I both know that God is in control and will bring His children through until we reach the other side.

We don’t know what tomorrow brings for each of us. We have to trust God to be with us and to help us as He walks with us and consoles us in our trials and tribulations. I am reading Radical Integrity: The Story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. When he spent a year in the United State attending Union Theological Seminary in New York, a fellow student took Bonhoeffer a Baptist church in Harlem to better understand the worship of the black people. He learned that those in worship had to feel the Lord or they hadn’t found Him. I was blown away by that thought.

Sing Songs of Praise

Is any of you in trouble? He should pray.

Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.”

Jas. 5:13 (NIV)

James shares with his readers the secret to conquering trouble and disappointment; we are to pray. He also tells those same readers how they, and we, can rejoice when happiness is in the heart.

We sometimes forget to pray until we have exhausted every other avenue of dealing with a circumstance. We find ourselves praying after we have worn ourselves out with worry. We should pray first and pray until something happens {PUSH.}

From time to time, I wake with a praise song or a hymn going through my mind. On other days, I have a tune I hum. This one particular tune is from a chorus we sing at church but I can’t remember the words. But God knows the words and I believe the Holy Spirit sings that praise song to God in my behalf.

I wonder. If we each took our favorite scripture passage and found a tune that fit the mood of the words and sang it to God, wouldn’t He be pleased?

While I input this and edited it, I heard our next door neighbor’s voice outside my window. I heard a faint knock on our outer door. When I went to see for sure that they were there, she and her significant other stood on our stoop. He held their pet lizard, called a bearded dragon. I am not one to take to exotic pets. When I saw it on his hand, I stiffened. (I had to struggle to get a C in Zoology in college.) The facts they shared with us were pretty interesting. Hubby had told them I would be skittish around it. I didn’t hold it. Let’s say I was distantly curious. Why is this praiseworthy? They do our yard work and snow removal. We have known him since he was born. The real praise is they wanted us to see it.

I can praise God for this experience because He is in control of my life and my reactions to things that happen to me. 

Graphic:www.upliftingwords.com

Choose Life

“See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his way, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. . . .This day, I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life so that you and your children may live. . . .” Deut. 30:15-16, 19 (NIV) {Emphasis added}

Each day we experience the opportunity to make a choice. It could be whether to rise with the first alarm clock, what to do about breakfast, or what to wear that day. Some days what we choose can determine a major change in our lives. We need to treat these major options as serious as we can. I have some friends who have had to decide about certain issues that affect a loved one’s life. When we are faced with these problems, we have to trust God for His guidance.

When I first found this passage, I was terribly upset about an issue that kept coming to the forefront of our home. On this particular evening, I chose to read my Bible. I felt the words “choose life” were directed at me. I had not always looked at issues in the negative. I realized I needed to focus on the positive that would come out of the issue, once the issue was behind us. As I reflect on that time, I find myself giving thanks to God for directing me- a confused, depressed child of His- to that message.

“The choice before the Israelites was ultimately one of life or death (Moses called the permanent, unchanging heaven and earth to witness the making of this covenant (Deuteronomy 30:19). Those who made ancient Near Eastern treaties commonly called witnesses to attest them, as God did here. God also urged the people to look at the consequences of their choice and to choose life and obedience deliberately (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). The highest motive, love for God, would enable the Israelites to obey the Lord steadfastly. They would consequently "live in the land" God had promised the patriarchs (Deuteronomy 30:20)”.¹

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^{Graphic:dwellingintheword.wordpress.com}

^1.           Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable as seen on Study Light.org.

God will Restore Us

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ

after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make

you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10 (NIV)

When we ask Jesus into our hearts, and we are faithful to Him, He assures us of a place in heaven with Him. When we have times of illness or trial, we have to realize that theses times only last a little while in the light of eternity. I have two friends who are facing uncertainties related to their health. One of them has been dealing with complications from a surgery she had last July. The other one has a consultation appointment this Friday afternoon. Something suspicious showed on her annual x-ray. This is important that she get this seen about because her mother succumbed to this disease.

After God helps us surpass the time of distress, He brings us back and makes us stronger in our walk with Him. We have to trust Him for the outcome and believe that He will protect us and give us the strength to go through these times.

During these times of stress and distress, how do we look at the people involved? Do we look at what they were previous to this incident or what they are right then? I am presently reading a book that presents the idea that, instead of looking at what people have been or are, we look at what people can become. This is something to think about. A lot of adults walk around defeated because of what they heard people say to them in times of anger.

God can see what will become of each of us and each of those who cause us stress. We would do well to pray for the ability to see with God’s eyes, rather than our own. I wonder what the outcome for the church would be if we prayed for His eyes to see ourselves. What would be the state of our cities and towns, our nation?

graphic:dailydoseofgods word.wordpress.com

D.I.V.E. DEEPER

                    (Finding deep faith beyond shallow religion.)

By Jenifer Jernigan

Mrs. Jernigan takes the readers through a systematic study of the book of Ephesians. She also takes those scholars on some side excursions into other parts of the New Testament and into the Old Testament when necessary.

This is a Bible study text I believe would be best studied in a group. That way the scholars would be able to give and receive encouragement from one another.

In this book, the author gives us, who take up this study, a series of steps with which to explore the depths of Paul’s message to the Ephesians. She uses the acrostic D I V E. This means dive, investigate, visualize, and embrace.

In the back of the book she includes five appendices a serious Bible scholar would find most helpful.

Although this Bible study is very well presented, I am concerned about the price of the study book. Several of my friends are on a fixed income and might not be able to purchase a Bible study book in this price range.

I received a copy of this book from Booklook Bloggers, a program of Harper Collins Christian Publishing Inc. via Thomas Nelson Publishing. All they asked me to do was read it and give an 

unbiased review.

graphic: amazon.com

Psalm 111:10 RJD May 2014

Journal Entry May 1, 2010

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts have good understanding.” Psalm 111:10

(The scripture verse above appears at the bottom of the page. I wrote in words above the key words in this passage. Above fear, I wrote, respect; atop beginning, start. Over precepts, laws.)

In order to gain wisdom we have to have respect for God and His guidance. WE have to surrender all we know to Him who gave us the capacity to learn.

We can’t get angry if God wants to not do what we want. Also, He determines what we have or don’t have.

Years ago we were looking for a house to purchase. I read of one in the country. We drove out to it and turned the car around and drove slowly past it. On the second drive past, Hubby talked about making positive improvements to the property.  But the house was not to be ours.

I worked out of town and had to meet a ride. The house we eventually found was on the main route to a hospital- in the winter time our street is one of the first streets cleared of snow. The house in the country was on a road that could have been one of the first ones drifted shut in a snowstorm. God knew our need.

Also, the house in the country might have been on a well. If the mineral content of that water had been a certain way, our son and I could have had serious problems but we didn’t know that until at least six years later.

God’s wisdom is without equal. When we follow His guidance, we will gain the knowledge we need.

Update: 

God guides each of us through circumstances in our lives. We might not be aware of why he denies us what we desire at that time. If we are patient and wait for what God deems best for us, He will give us what we need.

Our home is located three blocks from the elementary school our son attended and the junior high was roughly three blocks in another direction from us. The hospital is a half mile or so away. When we have to, we can get there in a couple of minutes. After living here for ten years, I started attending a small church located a half mile south of our home.

I grew spiritually because of what I learned while I sat under God’s instruction in that small holiness church. He also allowed me to meet some very devout and godly people, many of whom I count as friends today. God has been good to us.       

Linking up to: enthusiasticallydawn

Dawn has honored me by featuring me as the journal keeper of the month. feel free to visit there and read about my road to writing,