284 - “Deep Darkness” Isaiah 9-11; Ephesians 6

 

All of us have walked in darkness.
Sometime.
The people walked in deep darkness
They have seen a great light;

Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, 
on them has light shone.t
Isaiah 9:2

This word is truly amazing.

They new about Abraham, Moses, Jacob, David.

They knew not Jesus.

And you will say in that day:

I will give thanks to You, O LORD,

for though you were angry with me,

your anger turned away.  Isaiah 11:1

With joy, I will draw from the wells of salvation.
Great in your midst is the Holy One. Isaiah 11:6

That is the best news I can ever know.
The Holy One.  In our midst. 
Not because we are righteous but because He is.

The Messiah, a branch of Jesse.
Posting early notice:  His Kingdom will not be of this world.
And He will reign with justice and kindness and righteousness.
His Kingdom will know no end.

"There shall be great peace and quiet in his government."  M. Henry
There needs to be the same in each of our lives.
No show.  No display.  No favorites.
Just peace and quiet.

COME BOLDLY:  Timeless Prayers
Oh Father! I am so convicted by the work of Your Word.  I remain the same day in/ day out/ day in.  I don't want to be.  Work a work of faith with power.  In quietness ane confidence may our strength be in You.  Help me walk in the way of Your Salvation in the midst of deep darkness in my own soul.

PHOTO:  A very dark day on Santa Rosa Island.  Thinking about how we are not evil yet do evil things.  We are righteous.  Called to peace and quietness in the midst of our deep darkness.  Big difference between evil people and those pursuing peace.

283 - “Sweep Your Hand Over My Raging Waters” Isaiah 7-8; Ephesians 5

 

God will honor the nations. 

For a child is born. 

The people walking in darkness have seen a Great Light.

 On those living in the land of deep darkness, a Light has dawned. 

And That Love is the wonder of us all.

He is a Wonderful Counselor. 

He knew God's counsel from the Beginning. 

And He consults on our behalf the Wisdom of God. 

Nothing like this on earth. 

We live between the Already and the Not Yet.

It's the Not Yet that keeps me trusting cause I'm not There yet. 

And he will be called
    Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
    there will be no end." 

282 - “God Never Intended for Us to Be attached to Anyone but Him” Isaiah 5-6; Ephesians 4

 

 Isaiah 5:10  I wonder if we can hear the God-of-the-Angel-Armies say today: "Those mighty houses will end up empty. Those extravagant estates will be deserted...they have nothing to do with the work of God."  Oh God, may we spend the rest of our days advancing your Kingdom---it's our prayer that we work righteousness, Isaiah 5:17.  Would you please, Holy God, show up and show us what "holy" is through these words of Isaiah? 

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Master sitting on a throne—high, exalted!  Would you expose what men and women we put up on a pedestal thinking they are stronger, wiser like this king who caused a stir in his death.  May we follow no man?  Attach me to No One but You.

Isiah 6:8  Gone your guilt, your sins wiped out." And then I heard the voice of the Master:  Whom shall I send?"  Would You help us deal with our sins this day, this moment?  Our lack of love.

 God Promises us Light.

He reveals the motivations of our hearts,

fallenness or redemption.

In our every move.

It was this very day that a friend said:  "Church is the highlight of my week.  

It is how I make it through.  I just cannot wait to worship each week."  

For many, their hope lies in religious activity, beautiful music. Exactly what Micah 6:6 says.

Hear now what the Lord is saying,

With what shall I come to the Lord

And bow myself before the God on high?

Shall I come to Him with burnt offerings,

With yearling calves?

Does the Lord take delight in thousands of rams,

In ten thousand rivers of oil?

He has told you, O man, what is good;

And what does the Lord require of you

But to do justice, to love kindness,

And to walk humbly with your God?

This isn't about religious activity.

Going to church to feel good about a Good God

Who lives and longs to bless me.

This is about:

"Do you see brokenness before a Holy God?

Do you see lament over the struggle with emptiness and failure?

Do you see repentance from ways of relating 

that deserve severe punishment?

But as for me, I will watch expectantly for the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation
Though I fall I will rise;
Though I dwell in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.

PHOTO:  One day our houses will be empty.  It's what we did to advance the Kingdom of God that will stand true.  It's our prayers that will come true.  Send these two, what little is left for the grandfather, and what much is left for the grandchild.  Send them both.  

281 "Uzziah Died As A Patient; Isaiah Woke As A Patient" Isaiah 3-4; Ephesians 3

In the year King Uzziah died, Isaiah saw God. What happened that his eyes were opened? Uzziah had been king for 50 years. Big news. Israel's king is now dead. Israel's God still lives. "From the mortality of great and good men we should take occasion to look up with an eye of faith to the King eternal, immortal." Matthew Henry. And Isaiah sees God sitting on a throne. A throne of glory, of government, of grace. May we worship, submit to authority, and come boldly to the throne of grace. Uzziah died as a patient---a leper. Isaiah woke from being a patient. He came alive. And we can shed whatever it is that binds us tight.

PHOTO: California sunset. The death of a day. The life of a new day coming. How did Isaiah get to this place in life? Grateful to God for waking him up.

280 - "No Soundness in Any of Us" Isaiah 1-2; Ephesians 2

 From the sole of your feet to the top of your head, there is no soundness. Isaiah 1:6 Your guilt is great! You have forgotten the Holy One. You have turned your back on your God. How many times have we? Today?

“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
they shall be like wool." Isaiah 1:18

You are called.

It is settled.

Always plagued by sin.

Always offered white as snow.

Receive His Goodness to each of you, especially today.

All we have is this moment. 

PHOTO:  From the soles of all of our feet.  

Budapest, Hungary.  50 pairs of shoes slipped off the feet of Jews. Bayonets pierced their chests and they all collapsed in the weeping Seine River.  #holocaust

279 - "I Became in His Eyes as One Who Finds Peace" Song of Solomon 5-8; Ephesians 1

                                                             

No more significant hour than this present moment.

To find Rest.

To find Peace.

To Worship our Maker.

Who plants us by His Written Word.

Song of Solomon 8:10 ~ I became in His Eyes as one who finds peace.  Am I looking for peace in this world, a slice or even a sliver of happiness here?  It's all illusions!  The only true happiness in life is found in Him, the only True Rest.

"I love you.  I delight in you.  I will do whatever it takes for you to enter into the exquisite, life-defining pleasure of the communion My Son and I enjoy.  I invite you into the feast of love."  66LL

We have heard from the prophets trying to wake us up. We've heard from Job in deep suffering. We've heard from Solomon, a wealth of wisdom.  Now, God is awakening, stirring, arousing the desires He has put in our hearts to know Him fully, in abundance.  He is providing Hope that we will be satisfied. Otherwise, apart from Him, we will live in hell---maybe not in this world, but the next one.

God is inviting me to so much more even in the midst of pain.  All these Scriptures we read---they did not know the Savior, only a promise.  We have Him now.  Let us all stand in awe of the Hope we have in Him that He will continue to draw us to Himself.  Finding a little more rest this day than I have ever known before----how?  Through repentance and worship and reality.

May God's Word become "the joy and rejoicing of my heart."  Jeremiah 15:16
Psalm 19:8 Father, May your Word enlighten our eyes this morning!  More than anything else!

PHOTO:  Planted. Roots go deep.Scripture interprets Scripture.

278 - "You Have Captivated My Heart with One Glance" Song of Solomon 1-4

This Grace of God is simply overwhelming. 

 If there is any good in our lives, it is God's Grace. 

 If we do any good in His Power, God's Grace is the origin,

 the altar, the watercourse, the fountain, the conduit, the Source of it all. 

As long as we relate primarily to each other's wealth, health, stability, intelligence, and soul strength, we cannot develop true community.  Community is not a talent show in which we dazzle the world with out combined gifts.  Community is the place where our poverty is acknowledged and accepted, not as something we have to learn to cope with as best as we can but as a true source of new life." These two are so full of connection but it's called communion.  She is mine and I am hers.  Do I know in my heart today that I am His.  He is mine, no matter what. 

"Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful!" Song of Solomon 4:1

"You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes." Song of Solomon 4:9

It's clear from this love letter that the happy couple has found true love.  But is God committed to our happiness if we don't have this splendid kind of love?  "You're not committed to our happiness, at least not for now and certainly not on the basis of having all the blessings we want.  If you were, You would be doing a better job." Larry Crabb

"I AM committed to your happiness but only to your happiness in Me  There is no other kind, not now, not later.  Only counterfeits." 66 LL.

St. John of the Cross wrote that the Holy Spirit cannot walk by an empty heart without filling it with Himself.  Am I allowing  God to empty my heart of those things, good things, that give me temporary bliss, momentary relief, a picture of what I think I need to have?   "God is claiming every corner of our hearts, crushing every lingering hope of satisfaction apart from Him."  66 LL

PHOTO:  The altar waiting for the sacred moment that the beautiful couple will exchange their vows before the God of the universe.  They did.  And they have lived out those holy vows.  Still are.  

277 - "Fear God and Do What God Says" Ecclesiastes 12

                                                             

The Kingdom

Eccl 12: 13-14 - There's no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you're no good for anything else. The last and final word is this: Fear God. Do what he tells you. 

So where am I today?  Am I trying to be understood?  Am I trying to connect?  A friend told me last summer that there is a hole in my heart.  What will fill that hole?

Three verses stayed with me from Ecclesiastes in this Story being written:

Ecclesiastes 3:1. There is a time for every event under heaven. I gleaned from the commentaries about why Solomon wrote this: be even in the events of life---not leaning in hope that this will make me happy nor sinking in despair that this has happened.  Walk into the events of this day on purpose expecting God. 

 

Ecclesiastes 3:3. God has put the event of Eternity in our hearts. Solomon penned these words in his event search, his trial of every commodity and every experience. 

Ecclesiastes 12:3. All has been heard. Here is the conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments.

The end of the matter.  It's our whole duty.

PHOTO:  Smithsonian Free Images. The Galaxy. Kingdom on earth.

276 - Ecclesiastes 10-11

Before the years draw near.
Before the sun and the light and the moon and stars are darkened
Before the clouds return after the rain
In the day when the keepers of the house tremble
Those who look through the window are dimmed
And the earth returns to dust as it was.
Before all that happens, know this
Vanity of Vanities.  All is vanity.
Fear God and Keep His Commandments.
And God records this to show us the reality of our days.

Cast your bread upon the waters.
Even 7.  Even 8. 
Even when it seems to be spent for nothing, not much.
Give freely!  Give your money away; Give your time away.
Eccl 11:1

So, let's pay attention to what really matters, first things first
Come to the Creator before He becomes Your Judge of every secret thing.
The end of the matter.  It's our whole duty.

Father, help us to see with spiritual eyes today what is in front of us.
We all will face judgment.  May I be way more concerned this day
with coming to You and loving You and leaving my life in Your Hands.

PHOTO: The little Carbon River runs through. Walking.  Wondering.   Contemplating the day of Judgment.  How I live this life will make a difference.  

275 - Redress All Those Hurtful Things That Happened" Ecclesiastes 7-9; Galatians 3

Redress all those hurtful things that have happened to you and arm yourself against the "mischief" that you could run havoc with. It is the Eternal Counsel Who will work good out of this in your life.  That's what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 7:  Take care of your own reputation; avoid all dangerous extremes; be mild and tender toward those who have been injurious to you; and lament your own sin as that which is more vexatious than anything anyone has ever done to you.  Amen.

Why can I not listen to my own words I write this day?  I am way too quickly provoked in my spirit and the anger resides in my lap. Eccl 7:8-9.  "Do Not Say: Why were the old days better than these?" It is wise not to ask such questions.

Do not be overrighteous. Eccl 7:15.  It is good to avoid all extremes.  There is no one who does what is right and never sins. 

"DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY WORD PEOPLE SAY or you may hear your servant or your kid cursing you----for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others." Eccl 7:20-21.

That's it.  Anger in my lap.  Overrighteous on my mind.  Hanging onto every word friends and family speak.  Why can I not stop it?  Romans 7 is why.

PHOTO:  The Bob Goff Weekend in California with 32 cancer victims.  Rather incredible to hear the stories and how God intervened and looked after.  Mike Slayman is still going through it.  Trying to find the Wonder in the adversity of it all.  Saw so much inside through these days----such healing from God.

274 - "The Only Moment We Have is This Present Moment" Ecclesiastes 4-6;

                                        

Do we have the power to enjoy what is going on in our lives?  God grants it.

There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind:  a man to whom God gives wealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, but a stranger enjoys them.  Eccl 6:2

Oh! God, as Bonhoeffer once wrote:  There is no more significant moment in humankind than this present moment.  

What is it that we cannot control? 

What is it that we canot understand.

What is it that we cannot do to live in the present?

Father, somehow I have this "enjoyment" thing turned upside down on its head.  We pray that half of what we are exposed to this day, sinks deep into our repentant hearts.  Psalm 51:6

PHOTO:  Quarries Lake.  A little guy trying to catch a fish.  This present moment.

273 - "Thin Veneers Are Varnished On Our Events" Ecclesiastes 1-3; Galatians 3

Eccl 2:24 - Enjoy the good of your labor.  Be even in the events of life---not leaning in hope that this will make me happy nor sinking in despair that this has happened.  Walk into the events of this day on purpose expecting God.  There is a time for every event under heaven. Eccl 3:1. God has put the event of Eternity in our hearts. Eccl 3:11. Solomon penned these words in his event search, his trial of every commodity, every experience, every person. All Futility. Nothing new under the sun. No new words either. There is a Season. And a Time. We cannot cover up the emptiness of our existence, if it be so, and live with the illusion of satisfaction. Today.  "Emptiness is covered by distraction. Loneliness is numbed with sociability. Futility is denied in activity. Premature and superficial satisfaction with the good things of life prevents My people from grasping the incredible news that My reality of joy, community, and meaning has invaded theirs." The ultimate good is living for God's Glory but the words run cheap. 

May we only be satisfied with seeing Your Likeness in our lives and the lives of those we touch.  Help us to see through the thin veneers varnished on our events.  Illusions exposed.

PHOTO:  Darkness closes every day. Wake up tomorrow with expectancy that God is in your every circumstance.

272 - "Live Until Your Words Run Out" Proverbs 30-31; Galatians 2

What verses linger with you from Proverbs?  

I want to reflect on what it means to try not to figure out everything on my own but to run to God (3:5), to guard my heart (4:23), to write His Word on the back of my hand and awake and get ready for Him each morning (7:4), to not explode in anger but shrug off insults and stop letting people know they annoy me (12:16), to know that I can laugh and ache at the same time without hypocrisy (14:13), to remember that God doesn't miss a thing (15:3), to overlook an offense and bond a friendship (17:9), to see a Powerful Advocate at work every day (23:11), to not work myself into the spotlight (25:6), to not call attention to myself (27:2), to know what it means that my face mirrors my heart (27:19), to never whitewash my sin (28:13), and to live clothed with strength & dignity and face tomorrow with a smile.

The unexamined life isn't worth living.  These verses strengthen my resolve to want to be holy.  There is so much hope for our sin.  "With God's help, I shall become myself."  S.K.  "Continue asking your questions. They are good. But stop demanding answers. Live those questions long enough in My Presence until you run out of words. You will then catch a brief glimpse of who I AM that will seal your lips." 

Are my lips sealed?  There is only a God-shaped life (Prov 11:28), "a narrow road that exposes foolishness, crushes arrogance, whets appetities for holiness, releases love, and fills with hope."  66LL.   There is so much hope for our sin.  Deeply encouraged as we close the pages of this book on this Narrow Road.

PHOTO:  Zekey comes to visit us this summer.  Or, rather, I went and got Zekey to come back to Austin to visit us and Pops delivered him back home.  I hope oh so many words from the Bible linger in every single person reading this!  It is your oxygen.  Live it til you run out of words.

271 - "The Womb of Time Births Only This Moment" Proverbs 27-29; Galatians 1

"Do not boast about tomorrow,

for you do not know what a day may bring."

Proverbs 27:1

We can prepare for tomorrow,

we just cannot presume upon God and his moving.

We just can't promise that we will be here. All we know is that we have to rest tonight. The sun will go down. We have no info about tomorrow for good reason. To-day, while it is called, To-day, hear God's voice. We know not what is in the womb of time until it's born. Then, the One Who closes the books on To-day, the One who has kept us in the dark is the One who readies us for every second, every day.

This string of pearls reads me, counsels me.

I've never gotten over Psalm 119:24:

Your Word is my Counselor.

Things like.

Proverbs 28:1

"The wicked flee when no one pursues,

but the righteous are bold as a lion."

Be Bold in what you face.

So, Fight.

Fight for your husbands & wives, brothers & sisters, sons & daughter.

Nehemiah 4:14

Remember His Goodness and Greatness.  And Fight.

These words read me and give me direction for my today, this present moment birthed for me. 

They are just beautiful and breathed centuries ago for this very day.

So trust in the Lord today, and be safe.

I wonder what that really means for me today to trust God and not men?

Here lies counsel on how not to live the life of a fool.  

Here lies the aloneness of the Christian life --- for others sometimes do not want what we have to give like rebuke which is better than hidden love.  Sometimes they do not want my presence.  But under these starlit beautiful skies, You always do.  You want us more than what we can manage to do.  May we trust and bring You Glory this day, always.  

PHOTO:  Quarries Lake.  From the very first break of dawn's light to the starry sky night, may we remember You O God and fight for what is right in our own souls and for those we love.  May we not presume on tomorrow but may we prepare to live this day.

270 - "Don't Raise The White Flag --- Bear Up Under Afflictions" Proverbs 24-27; 2 Corinthians 13

I've been reduced to great straits.

I've been stripped by a Good Hand of Providence and it hurts.

Saying #25 - If you falter in times of trouble, how small is your strength. There is a more excellent way!  Proverbs 24:10. If you're fainting/ sinking/ dejected/ despondent/ impatient and unable to bear your sufferings, your moral compass will be terribly tiny. Small Strength is what this Bible calls it. You will be known by adversity. Don't raise the white "resolution flag"! Bear up under your sufferings, Bev. Let the Word do His Work in you.

Saying #27 - Though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again. Proverbs 24:16. 7---that perfect number. Be of good courage! Sincere souls fall in this life over the stones of adversity in our path more than people every acknowledge on social media. Pick yourself up and go on your merry way with great care and even faster speed.

Gill calls the adversity to bear up:
bodily afflictions
stripping providences
reduced to great straits
undelivered wants
violent persecution from men.

Our times are in His Hands.
Afflictions and prosperity both appointed by God.
This too shall pass.
Afflictions are but a day, but a short time, and yet we want to faint under them.
Especially when they are of sheer number:
done to us in anger
no view of pardon on the horizon
under the hidings of God's face
unanswered prayers
slow painful deliverance.

May we not be remiss in getting wisdom when sinking.

Take Courage.

Be of Good Courage. 

PHOTO:  World Vision Day---Luke raises money every year for the cause.  People in deep waters with "no" safe water to drink.  May we bear up under our own sufferings that we may ease the load of others.

269 - "Well Beloved is a Good Goal" Proverbs 22-23; 2 Corinthians 12

Here are two beautiful things to desire more than money: 

A good name and good favor. 

 "A good name is to be more desired than great wealth, 

Favor is better than silver and gold."

Proverbs 22:1

A good name opens doors to a person's heart where riches only meet their physical needs. To be well beloved is far better than the gain of gold. Just love this. It speaks to a need deep within me that it is all right to want to be beloved for the right reasons. 

And God says, "Incline your ear" and hear these words of the wise and apply your heart to His Knowledge. Prov 22:17.

Father, we give You our heart. Let our eyes observe Your Ways. Prov 23:26. 
Oh! That our trust may be in you, O LORD, always.  
This event. This moment. This day.  
For You say in 22:19:

You have made this known to us. Today. Even to me. Help us find this word.

PHOTO:  Lampasas.  It's a tiny Texas town.  Everyone knows everyone there.  No matter where you live, it's not about your estate, it's about your name and your legacy. 

268 - "Turn the Waters to Flow with Great Goodness and Grace and Clemency" Proverbs 21

                   

A spiral galaxy millions of light years away.

A Present God very near in our midst.

From Canaan to the Present

He turns the watercourse which ever way He chooses

In the Lord's Hand, the good and bad kings' hearts are like rivers of water that God turns. Proverbs 21:1. 

The kings who hold all the power of our government.
The kings who wield the mightiest knowledge.
The kings who boast supreme importance in our world.
If God can turn their hearts,
God can turn mine and those over me.
He did it for Barrett on the first day of college. Pr 21:1.
He will do it for me on the last days of my career.
All of our hearts are in His Hands. We just don't know it and we don't live it.
My God will stay, settle, and steady the force of water
flooding like Florence out of control in my life.
He is the Great Gardener making the channels of water turn.
Turn, I pray! For Your Glory!
Take the forces of water in my life this day, O God,
overrule,
and bound those rivers of water to flow great pleasure, great profit,
full of goodness, and grace, and clemency, and kindness.  Amen.

267 - "Love Opens Your Ears To Hear" Proverbs 17-20; 2 Corinthians 11

                                        

Proverbs 17
⁹ Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!

 ^{The eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." Proverbs 17:24.}

²⁷ The one who knows much says little; an understanding person remains calm. 

  
Proverbs 18
   ¹⁵ Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights. 
   ²¹ Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit—you choose. 
   ²² Find a good spouse, you find a good life—and even more: the favor of God! 
   ²⁴ Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam;

so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Proverbs 17:14

"What danger there is 

in the beginning of strife! 

Resist its earliest display; 

and leave it off, 

if it were possible, 

before you begin. M.H.

How have I missed most of my life the Truths I now see much more clearly. My experience was like the verse in Mark 8:24 where a blind man sees for the first time---but he sees "trees walking" and so did I. Alive but frozen in some ways. But, now I see. Yes, I really see.  "Place no hope in the experience of satisfaction now.  If you do, you are shifting away from the hope held out in the gospel of Jesus Christ." Larry Crabb

Where are my eyes? Do they seek satisfaction on this earth? Or do I live for another world? If I separate myself in any way, any kind, I seek my own desire.  
 "Do you ponder all I have created and recognize a wisdom you lack?  Do you observe life and see your God whose Sovereign Power shuts your mouth, whose uncompromising Love opens your ears to hear Me speak?  If not, you have no fear of Me.  You have not even the beginnings of wisdom?"  66 LL.  Do I really fear God?  Is my hand over my mouth? 

266 - "God Is Watching from His Watchtower" Proverbs 13-16; 2 Corinthians 9-10

The eyes of the LORD 

are in every place

keeping watch

on the evil

and the

good.

Proverbs 15:3

Somewhere, I've picked up the notion that I have to keep an eye out for myself, my kids, my world.  Make sure we are all being treated like we are supposed to be treated.  Entitlement---we deserve good, better, best.  

It is freeing to take a step back and recognize there are eyes in every place keeping watch.  The verse deals with not just over things but over people---evil and good.  We are "kept" people.  And every single person we deal with has been thought about in great detail and designed by God just the way they are.  Maybe not in all their redeemed state.  But always a marked person created by God.  And God will use the evil and good in our own lives. 

Behold.  The Omniscient and Omnipresent Jehovah watches over this day as though He is looking down from a tower---so, the verb intimates.  A Watchtower with a God Who knows all, sees all, and is very present still, moving into our lives.  Hallelujah!

 Proverbs is the Shame of Exposure or the Appeal of Wisdom.  I'm being haunted or hunted.  "With God's help, I shall become myself."  Soren Kierkegaard.

Proverbs 16
   ¹ Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. 
   ² Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good; God probes for what is good. 
   ⁷ When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand. 
   ⁹ We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it.

"To humans belong the plans of the heart,
but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.

All a person’s ways seem pure to them,
but motives are weighed by the Lord.

Commit to the Lord whatever you do,
and he will establish your plans."

Proverbs 16:1-3

I am not sufficient in my own strength, my own plans, my own voice to think that I can do life on my own.  It is the renewing grace of God that gives me hope to move in His Sufficiency.  My current burdens are way too heavy.  The word "commit" means "to roll" those monstrous loads right onto Him.  Here goes. 

PHOTO:  This UT tower means something to me.  And the thought that God beholds our lives as though watching high from a tower is just beautiful to me.  Provision.  Care.  Presence.  Jehovah God keeping watch over all that falls.

265 - "Fools Show Their Annoyance At Once" Proverbs 9-12; 2 Corinthians 8

I'll admit it up front. 

I'll apologize for a lifetime of this fault. 

I'll own this one.

"Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult." Proverbs 12:16

Even this day, I have several insults getting to my goat.  I wonder why.  Why can't I let them go?  By His Power.  Drive out the foolishness.  Build in that wisdom.  Overlook the insults.  This isn't about behavior modification.  This is about a change of my heart to the way that I look on what is happening to me---most of it has to do with losing money or being denied money.  Help us, God to see "for me to live is Christ" and not the solution of my financial problems. 

PHOTO:  I had to share my photo on this post cause I am way too easily annoyed by anything and everything, especially if it has to do with demeaning me or proving me wrong or distancing me or dealing with my pocketbook.  Oh dear me!  

264 - "Set Your Hearts on Wisdom" Proverbs 5-8; 2 Corinthians 6-7

               

Proverbs 8:1 "Does not wisdom call out? Does not undertanding raise her voice? At the highest point along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gate leading into the city, at the entrance, she cries aloud: I raise my vloice to all mankind." "The word of God is two-fold, and, in both senses, is wisdom; for a word without wisdom is of little value, and wisdom without a word is of little use." Matthew Henry. Get wisdom.

Christ in the Word.
Christ revealed in you.

And you will know all the loveliness of God.
And His Love will be shed abroad in your hearts.
And you will have all the counsel in rough patches.

Wisdom calls out to you:

“To you, O people, I call out;
I raise my voice to all mankind.
You who are simple, gain prudence;
you who are foolish,

Set your hearts on Wisdom. Proverbs 8:6

PHOTO: One of the most telling places I've visited: Chambers Bay, Washington on the Puget Sound. Windswept thoughts as I walked these dunes. Fescue grasses surrounding my story. A masterpiece with all the hidden secrets and unspoken thoughts my heart holds. May we lay bare before our God all that I am. May the Great I AM meet us here. 

263 - "Holiness Trumps Management" Proverbs 1-4

Don't be weary of God's reproof.
The Lord reproves those whom He loves.  
Sickness. Trials. Testings. Temptation

Matthew Henry puts it this way:  
"Should the Lord visit us with trials and sickness---let us not forget that the exhortation speaks to us as to children, for our good. Bind them around your neck."
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves as a father the son in whom he delights.   Proverbs 3:7
Henry goes on to say that those "who know themselves" find a lack of understanding like a bruised broken reed.  God will never break us beyond measure. 

So, what's the point?

What to do?
Scripture interprets Scripture.  What is God saying to you through His Word?
Holiness weighs in more important than management.  

Write His Words on the tablet of your heart so you will find favor and good success in the sight of God and man.  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  No bruised reeds here. May our holiness trump any kind of management involving our lack of understanding.  

Proverbs 3:3-7  Don't lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. 
   Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart. Earn a reputation for living well 
   in God's eyes and the eyes of the people. Trust God from the bottom of your heart; 
   don't try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God's voice in everything you do,    
   everywhere you go; He's the one who will keep you on track. Don't assume that you know it all. 
   Run to God! Run from evil! Honor God with everything you own; 
   give him the first and the best. ... No need to panic over alarms or surprises.

I have lived a frenetic life at times---that's my default mode.  Someone please help me.  Someone please rescue me.  There's Only One Who can Rescue us from darkness.  May we be more concerned about being rescued from darkness than rescued from pain.  It doesn't come from a good place in my heart when I try to ease my pain, minimize my pain, silence my pain.  I've so wanted answers for my panic.  And here is my God saying:  Don't try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God's Voice."  Am I listening this day for His Still Small Voice?  Or am I trying to figure out life on my own?  Everything.  Everywhere.  Listen for His Voice today in the mundane and marvelous.  And go be Prov 3:29---God's Hand to someone this day.

PHOTO:  View outside my window.  That time when none of my kids had any kids and we went to Buena Vista, Colorado.  Young Life Camp.  And I break out in a Veggie Tale song about water buffalo.  Longing to live more concerned about holiness than management of this one life of mine.

262 - "Praise Him in Your Trembling" Psalm 148-150; 2 Corinthians 5

As we close the Book of Psalms, what did our Beautiful God stir in you that comes to mind?  What is stronger in you?  What are you afraid of?  What is God stirring up?  What lingers?

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.  We all have breath.  Even our praises are with trembling. 

At this juncture of my life, I feel like I have fallen short in ways.  How arrogant to think if I had to do it all over again, I could do better---no, I'd just make different mistakes.  No perfect people.  Why am I so hard on myself? 66 LL says: No guarantees in life.  Only one:  God will lead me through even this to know Him better.  Thank you, Lord.

God is the One who rebuilds our lives, 

Who regathers us when we distance ourselves.  

He heals the heartbroken and bandages our wounds.  

I need a Savior this night to heal my broken heart as I deal with some hard realities about my life.  Our Lord is great with limitless Strength; we'll never comprehend what He knows and does.  God puts the fallen on their feet again.  I'm standing up.

What lingers with me is that our desires to live are good but the road to get there can be a bad one.  "You assume I relieve struggle and replace it with rest.  But I use struggle to uncover a rest beneath the struggle that no anguish can destroy.  The struggle with fear and pain will continue.  Only in the storm will you know there is an anchor."  Do I feel that Anchor this night?   

PHOTO:  Thought about these two many times while reading Psalms.  These Covid babies have inherited a crazy world.  May they find the Anchor of their soul forever.  And this Momma will always praise Him. 

261 "Converting Grace Softens the Heart" Psalm 145-147; 2 Corinthians 3-4

We live in such a celebrity world, even a Christian celebrity world. If you haven't written a book, traveled the circuit, phenom on social media, you just haven't lived, have you? Not so at all. One of the most beloved people I know said to me that if my life turned out successful, then I would know that I had lived right. Not so at all. "Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save...blessed are those whose hope is in the Lord their God." Psalm 146:3 "His Pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear Him, who put their hope in His Unfailing Love." Psalm 147:11 So, send Your Word. May Your Word run swiftly. Psalm 147:15. This world in which I live is out-of-control.Do not put your trust in human beings who cannot save.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob.
Whose hope is in the Lord their God.
He watches over all the world.
The prisoners, the weak.
The bowed down.
He reigns.
Ps 146
v.3

He sends His Command to the earth.
His Word runs swiftly to&fro.
He sends His Word and
Melts them & stirs,
Ps 147:18.

Converting Grace softens frozen hearts, melts them free
Into tears of repentance and reflections flowing.
Once they were chilled beyond belief.
The thaw is very evident to all.
Yet how, no one knows.
Change is wrought.
God's Word.
Melts.

*** Thoughts taken from Matthew Henry's commentary

PHOTO:  These 3. The originals. Hit a rough patch these days. God is watching over them.  They will hear Him.  And they will melt.  And God will prevail.

260 - "Lay Your Badge Down; Do Not Deputize Your World" Psalm 142-144; 2 Corinthians 1-2

                                                           

259 - “Enclosed Behind & Before” Psalm 138-140

 

The LORD will accomplish what concerns me. 138:8

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me. 138:7

LORD, You have searched me and known me. 139:1
You understand my thought from afar. 139:2
You scrutinize my path & my lying down. 138::3
You have enclosed me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me. 139:5
If I would count your thoughts, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.

O the Wonder.
O the Awe of it All.
BB Warfield in a famous sermon delivered in 1911 said:
"Familiarity with the things of God will cause you to lose your awe."

Have we spent so much time in strategic local church ministry planning that we have lost our wonder at the Sovereign Planner Who guides our every minute. 
Have we spent so much time unpacking the theology of Scripture that we have forgotten the end game of personal holiness.  Have we spent so much time in discipling others that we are no longer amazed at the reality of having been chosen to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.  [Paul David Tripp]

PRAYER FROM PSALMS
Psalm 138:3 Make each of us bold with strength in our soul.
Psalm 139:23-24 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.

PHOTO/ My heart has fallen into this ocean so many times. My God is always accomplishing what concerns me. 

258 - "Behold Effusion of Joy" Psalm 131-137; 1 Corinthians 16

They call it a "sparkling sonnet." We call it one of the "songs of degrees." And the degree that it goes to is a very good one!  

David pens these words from bitter experience, and moved on to find "holy joy" among a community that is safe for him. If there is anyone who knows what it is like to be rejected by your father-in-law, it is David. A family divided. A family at war. And the patriarch dies. Through David's leadership, the mantra sings out loud: peace and pleasantness. We can change our world but it comes through patient dying to self, patient waiting for God to act. God acts in behalf of those who wait for Him ~ Isaiah 64:4 ~ and Scripture does interpret itself. 

  
"No wry words here. All is sweetness and light. . . . No wonder that brethren dwell in unity when God dwells among them, and finds his rest in them." The Treasury of David

"How good and holy pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
The Treasury notices that David does not attempt to measure the good or the pleasure. You can't even begin to tell how exceeding abundantly beyond excellent, Eph. 3:21, it is to be in that kind of holy fellowship with friends. The pendulum has swung full scale for David. 

How Good! How Pleasant! One commentary says that the use of "how" twice invites us to BEHOLD. And if we are in that kind of community, may we never take it anything but gratefully ours. 

  
David is referring to the gathering of Israel as one great family at the annual feasts. They call it an "effusion of holy joy." The drop of the background is Saul's jealousy and rejection and alienation and division. David exchanges their song for "mutual concord" as David ascends to the throne of this beautiful nation filled with such joy.   Joseph Addison Alexander.

Behold: Three Things:

1 ~ Behold they are joined together in doing good.  Are we?  "Workers together in any good work." 2 Cor 6:1. Turning away from evil.

2 ~ Behold, it is good morally.  "Good, as any grace is good." The Treasury. Let all that you do be done in love.

3 ~ Behold, this is so good in benefits. The consequences of dwelling in unity with my brothers brings much advantage to life. The word "dwell" in the Hebrew means abode. Are we living in perseverance of unity?

Father, no matter where we sit this day, in the midst of rejection or royalty, infuse each of us with joy.  You can.  May we be so caught up in peace and pleasantness.  Oh that so speaks to deep places in me.  Help us to behold wondrous things in our communities of faith.  

PHOTO:  It's the backyard of where Bob's dad lives.  Behold the Beauty.  Do we have eyes to see this day the beauty in the souls of those with whom we dwell.  

257 - "Providence Pipes and They Dance" Psalm 126-130; 1 Corinthians 15

These two. Doubly good to me. They make me thankful. 

The Song of Ascents---repeated twice cause it is doubly good.
A Calling to be thankful and it can be applied to our own lives.  Psalm 126:3.
The harps hanging from the willow trees are pulled down.
"Providence pipes to them, and they dance."  M. Henry

A turning again.  And the people "thought ourselves like men that dream."
Mouths filled with laughter.
Tongues slipping out singing.
Hearts full vent to joy.
Glory to God.
And some rejoicing is with trembling,
for they bear on the sleeve of their hearts the "grievances that were yet to be redressed."

We are changed in a twinkling of an eye.
Yet, we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
For no change is overnight news.
May all of us who have been left behind in the wake of Providence,
may we turn again to God to perfect our salvation. 

"The beginnings of mercy are encouragements to us to pray for the completing of it."
Come Lord Jesus.
The tears themselves are the seeds we must sow.
Sow in tears; reap in joy.
"Those who sow in the tears of godly sorrow shall reap in the joy of a sealed pardon and a settled peace."  M. Henry

Wherever we find ourselves today, O God, have mercy on our sin-sick souls.  And may Your mercy be the beginning of great encouragement today that You are present. You are completing our salvation for each of us.  Do Your Perfect Work.  May we sow the tears we've launched.  May we reap the joy we know not.  

PHOTO:  You do feel small when your shadow reaches out to the ocean.  It's a big world out there.  And it's a big deal with a captivity is marked in history.  Here is one that turned lives around.  Beginnings of mercy.  Come Lord Jesus!

256 - "Quiet My Soul In My Loss of What I Loved" Psalm 120-127

I will lift my eyes to the mountains ~ Psalm 121:1
But there is no help in the power & strength I find there.

My help comes from the LORD.
My transformed soul must quiet itself in my loss of what I loved, 

in my disappointment of what I had hoped for, 

in my sadness in how I am treated,

and in my suffering of what I had trusted. 

 My Help comes from the LORD Who made Heaven and Earth. 

 Be quiet, o my soul. 

 No mountain, no power, no strength, other than My LORD. 

 He Who keeps me will not slumber this night. Psalm 121:3. 
Compose and Quiet my soul!  

I will not involve myself in great matters or in things too difficult for me. Psalm 127:2. 

Psalm 28:2 I will find my help from Your Presence in my life, in my community, in my church. I will look to Your Sanctuary. 

 Come LORD Jesus, be Present here. 

 Make me like these mountains which cannot be moved.

PHOTO:  Eatonville, Washington. I remember what I was thinking when this picture was taken.

255 - "The Unfolding of the Word---Meaning and Mercy in Suffering" Psalm 119

                                                                      

I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I have not forgotten your Word. Psalm 119:83

Wine-bottles of the East are skins.                                                                                                               The custom was to hang the skin of wine in the smoke of a fire to mellow the wine and bring it to perfection.  

I learned in school you always have to ask: So what's the point?  

The psalmist finds consolation in this metaphor that my afflictions have "meaning" and "mercy."              They have been sent by the Creator to act on me like the smoke does on the wine.  

The Tuck commentary says: Under all these afflictions, may we refuse to part with our faith.  Yet, we falter.  Yet, we don't forget the Word either.  

R. Tuck says: "What seems to be in mind is a long waiting-time, which was also a time of suffering and strain."  Waiting for God.  Watching for God as this world passes away.  

And Tuck says the major question is this:  "What was he doing during this hard waiting-time?" ...     Holding fast to his integrity;                                                                                                                  keeping obedience and trust;                                                                                                                persistently ordering his life according to the Divine statutes.  

Send your Word, O God! And may we throw ourselves on the Divine rhetoric.

The Unfolding of the Word gives Light. 

The entrance illuminates our understanding. 

Doesn't depend on how bright we are or are not. 

It gives understanding even to the simple. 

The word "pentach" signifies an opening. 

Someone said that metaphorically, it really means a "gate." 

And when the Light dispels the darkness, and lights up our minds, 

we enter the porch.

What happens when we enter in the house? 

May we be so taken with the Word of God to delight, meditate, study, and marvel at it over and over and over. 

Huram-abi knew how to work with iron, stone, gold, silver, bronze, wood.  He could do it all---engravings.  But all I can think of this day is that I want some iron in my soul.  I'm far too flappable, malleable, slippery, flacid.  The Holy Spirit knows how to put that iron in my soul.  And so, we pray. 
Psalm 119: 175 
Invigorate my soul , O God, 
so I can praise You well, 
use Your Decrees to put iron in my soul. 

PHOTO:  Because the beginning is understanding for all of us. Light coming through an opening in the sky. A gate of wisdom for us this day.

254 - "The Hand of God Turned the Tide" Psalm 116-119; 1 Corinthians 14

 116:  1 - GOD TAKES THE HAND OF THE HELPLESS
I love God because He listened to me, listened as I begged for mercy. He listened so intently as I laid out my case before him. Death stared me in the face, hell was hard on my heels. God takes the side of the helpless; when I was at the end of my rope, he saved me. 

I said to myself, "Relax and rest. 
Soul, you've been rescued from death;
Eye, you've been rescued from tears
Foot, you've been kept from stumbling." 
I'm striding in the presence of God, 
Alive in the land of the living! 

Something about these verses stirs up something so good in me.  Rescued by a very Good God.  

Striding in His Presence in the humdrum and holy business of this day.  Alive!  And, despite a ton of bad luck!  Ha.

Psalm 117:  1 - 5  GOD IS MY CHAMPION
Praise God, everybody! Applaud God, all people! His love has taken over our lives; Pushed to the wall, I called to God; from the wide open spaces, he answered. God's now at my side and I'm not afraid; who would dare lay a hand on me? God's my strong champion; "The hand of God has turned the tide! 

Brings to my mind:  The LORD is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  So what does that mean as I read these verses about a Present God?  Maybe the only thing we know will never let us go is God. Listen to my life.  What do I want more than my Shepherd?

PHOTO:  All those helpless times in the city where I live. Austin. Where God turned the tide.

253 - "Rescued From Darkness Not From Pain" Psalm 113-115; 1 Corinthians 13

Incredibly grateful for these two So very grateful to you God for                                                              You rescue the wretched who have been thrown out with the trash.                                                                  You seat them among honored guests.                                                                                                        And you give the childless joy as the parents of children.   

This week, I have wrestled about my life, my place, my heart---there is a verse that kept coming to mind:  Psalm 115:1 Not to us.  Not to us, but to your Name be Glory.  This life is not about me yet I am enmeshed in figuring it out.  Not to us but to your Name bring Glory!

Psalm 113:7 God raises the poor from the dust.  Lifts the needy from the ash heap.  Trusting.

PHOTO:  These two grandkids are just the best! We could not have enjoyed the bats, the trampolines, the skating rink, the pool, the go karts, the arcades, the aquarium any more!!! Thanks for visiting us Zekey!  August 2023

252 - "Trusting in Outcomes or Omnipotence" Psalm111 - 112; 1 Corinthians 12

When that word comes down to us?  

The one we hoped never to hear?  What will we do?  

Will our faith flame strong?  It's not that our faith will change our circumstances.  

It's all that our God will show up fully to quiet and calm our hearts. 

For in this world, you will have troubles. 

Surrendered.  Dependent.  

And our plans may change, 

but the purposes of our heart remain forever.

Psalm 112:7 He is not afraid of bad news.  His heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.

It happened again today.  

My mind, my body raced ahead to try to cope with what could be.  

May I see a little deeper this moment that life is all about 

what I am trusting in---outcomes or Omnipotence.

PHOTO:  It's the place Mimi goes to to pray and think and walk and cry.  The Quarries Lake.

251 - "Unspeakable Comfort" Psalm 109-110; 1 Corinthians 11

There are things that seem to be today that really are not.
It's as though life is this way but it's really not.
Things aren't like we think they are.
Look with eyes of faith.
Really see.
Word.

We can put different psalms together. "Provided it be of new affection." Treasury of David. Like singing a new song. Psalm 108 is comprised of Psalm 57:7 and Psalm 60:5. It's called a string of pearls when you link them. Nothing has changed my life more than this String of Pearls. The Living Word.

Two Psalms by David:

Psalm 109 UNSPEAKABLE COMFORT
If God is for us, it matters not what those who are against us, ignoring us, stiff-arming us---it matters not what they do. For it is done. No one can undo His Love. Psalm 109:4 - For my love, they are still not with me. But, I give myself to prayer!

Psalm 110 THE PRIEST KING
Never before had any one royalty held two such offices of priest and king. Only God. And may we This Day, Every Day, know that THIS is Your Hand---whatever happens. "The Lord is at your right hand." Psalm 109:27. He will shatter kings. 

"May the Spirit who spoke by the man after God's own heart give us eyes to see the hidden mysteries of this marvellous Psalm 110, in which every word has an infinity of meaning." Treasury of David

PHOTO: Falling Stars. Things are Different than they Look. Photo Credit: Smithsonian Institute. Copyright free. Flickr. Community.

250 - "Am I Really Awake?" Psalm 108; 1 Corinthians 10

Psalm 108 - Am I really awake or just trying to live an encouraging positive life?  Listen to your life!  Am I ready to raise a God-song?  If so, my soul must be awake or it's empty notes.  For the sake of the one you love so much, reach down and help me---answer me! Human help is pedestrian. 

2 Thoughts Linger from Today's Reading:

Psalm 108 - AWAKENED TO LISTEN.   Listen to your life.   Listen to your world.

Psalm 109 - GOD'S HAND IS IN THIS.  Does my world recognize Your Hand is in this...

and if yes, then how do I respond to that?  My God, don't turn a deaf ear to my hallelujah prayer. 

I'm at the end of my rope, my life in ruins.  Save me through your Wonderful Love.  Then they'll know that your hand is in this.  I so believe you wrote this psalm for me.  In some ways, I am at my wit's end but I believe your hand is in this.   It would be really good for me, I think, if others knew Your Hand was in this.

PHOTO:  In a bevy of people and no one knows how you feel. I need to walk up. Listen. 

249 - "What Is God Saying To You Today?" Psalm 105-107; 1 Corinthains 9

Psalm 105
Ezekiel, Ezri, Bristol, Mira, Tracer ...                                                                                                          Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of His presence. 

God speaks.
It may be in the humdrum of life or it may be in hurts that pierce our hearts and make our blood run cold. God speaks.

"And the reason that His Words are Impossible to Capture in Human Language is of course that they are ultimately always Incarnate Words. They are words fleshed out in the everydayness, no less than in the crises of our own experience." (Buechner). 

Whether you heard him in the humdrum or hurts of this day, keep your eyes open for Him.  What sign was His Presence to you this day?

PHOTO: Hey Kids, always keep your ears and eyes open for God. What is He saying to you Today?