Day17

"Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need Your help.

Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve You and trust You.

You are my God." Psalm 86

This grove reminds me of how the Lord bends down to hear us and help us. He is devoted to blessing us...all He asks is that we devote ourselves to Him and serve Him only. He is always in reach, and always hears. I need to be reminded every day or my own thoughts dominate with wrong thinking and unhealthy habits. I'm praying for you today, sweet sister, that You would call out to the One, the only One, who truly knows how to answer your cry for help. Trust Him and serve Him with me. 

Day 16

I don't know about you, but I know I 'feel' a lot more spiritual, joyful and loving at 7 in the morning than I do at 9 at night. Especially at the end of a long, hectic day. I am getting to the point where I can almost feel a craving in my soul for my daily bread, my manna from heaven, that is spent throughout the day. Just as my physical body and mind are tired at the end of the day, and need rest, so it is with my soul. I need to daily go back to my quiet moments in my garden with Jesus and allow Him to give me my daily bread, and fortify my spirit for the tests that lie ahead each day. I am realizing more and more how weak I really am, how unable I am to love others as Jesus loves. I want to be loved, fed, pampered and lazy! Dear Jesus, save me from Me!

This is what the Sovereign Lord,

the Holy One of Israel says:

"Only in returning to me 

and resting in me will you be saved.

In quietness and confidence is your strength..." (Isaiah 30:15)

Enough said. Amen.

Day15

We are half-way through our challenge! How is it with your soul? Are you relating to Paul when He talks about how invaluable knowing Christ is? And, to be known by Him? It can be hard to take honest looks at ourselves and see the sin that lurks there...pride, envy, anxiety, greed etc., but the more we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal our true selves, the more our soil is 'weeded' out so the Good Seed can take root and bear much fruit. We are in this together. We are many branches held together by one Vine. When one of us is growing, we all prosper, when one of us is hurting, we all hurt. Pray for each other! Pray for me...I want to sincerely say with Paul:

"I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless

because of what Christ has done.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite

value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all garbage, 

so that I could gain Christ

and become one with Him." Phil. 3

Now there is a GREAT personal mission statement. Oh Lord, make it true!

Day 14

My heart is confident in You, O God; 

no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart!

Wake up, lyre and harp!

I will thank You, Lord, among all the people.

For Your unfailing love is higher than the heavens.

Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens.

May your glory shine over all the earth

Psalm 108

My husband took this beautiful photo this week. God's glory does shine over all the earth! It's hard to see sometimes when we get caught in the daily-ness of life and troubles. That's why sitting still before the beauty of the Lord is SO crucial. It brings confidence to our fearful hearts and peace to our troubled minds. It gives us the space to sing His praises and reflect on His unfailing love.

Even if you just have a few moments, stop, and let the truth of His Word rain down on your soul. Focus your heart and mind on the truth of Who it is that loves you so much. He also loves those you love even more than you do! May you rest in His presence today. Nothing is too much for His faithfulness to reach. Praise God, sing your praises today!

Day 13

Because of Your unfailing love, 

I can enter Your house (presence).

I will worship at Your temple with deepest awe.

Lead me in the right path for me to follow.

I'm so longing for what David believed and felt about His Shepherd. The personal, deep trust and awe He had for His Lord. He was a man after God's own heart, not because He lived perfectly, but honestly. In repentance, humility and compassion. This is what made him godly. Listen to His resolve and rest:

Let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever.

Spread Your protection over them,

that all who love Your name may be filled with joy.

For You bless the godly, O Lord;

You surround them with your shield of love. (Psalm 5)

As you sit in silence today breathe this picture deep into your soul. Take joy in the fact of His unfailing love. Trust Him to lead You. Meditate on the beautiful reality of God's own love being your shield.  Lord, may we all rest in Your powerful name today, knowing that you bless us as we humble ourselves before You. We praise You that Your love surrounds us and shields us. May this love cast out all our fears today as we choose to trust You. Holy Spirit, give us the self control to follow You closely today.

Day 12

At Hume Lake, I confessed to the whole room that I am ‘naturally’ not friendly. The Word explained clearly to me today why that is true! Listen to Proberbs 18

Unfriendly people care only about themselves;

they lash out at common sense.

Fools have no interest in understanding;

they only want to air their own opinions.

Ouch. There is that sharp sword! Naturally, I am a selfish, opinionated fool! It continues…

The mouths of fools are their ruin;

they trap themselves with their lips. (v.7)

But then, as usual, there is HOPE…

The name of the Lord is a strong fortress;

the godly run to Him and are safe. (v.10)

I remain in front of the mirror (James 1:22) long enough to see myself in truth; agreeing with God (confessing) that I need Him; resolving to run to Him when I am tempted to be selfish with my words or time, and then rest in the promise that as long as I keep running to Him, I am safe from my own self destruction. I know that sounds dramatic, but it is true! Only God’s transforming power can rescue me from only caring about myself. Praise God He is able! My hope is that as I review my day this evening, I will see God’s grace at work in me. How about you? 

Day 11

I’m learning that as I consistently pour out my heart to the Lord (without telling Him how to fix it), my anxiety lessens. I am realizing that He truly does know what I need before I even ask. So, as I exchange my fears for His rest by being still, peace is becoming more consistently experienced in my soul (which means my mind, heart, emotions etc.) even though ‘stressful’ circumstances have not changed. This morning, as I was resting in the Presence of the Lord, I was drawn to Psalm 37. Listen carefully to the hope and security of these words:

“Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely

in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the Lord,

And He will give you your heart’s esires.

commit everything you do to the Lord.

Trust in Him, and He will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause l will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the Lord,

and wait patiently for Him to act.”

I would encourage you to read it a few times, aloud even. What is your responsibility, and what is His? Remain here. This is transforming IF you apply it in obedience. God is FOR you! Rest in His goodness to you. Wait for Him to give you the desires of your heart.