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?

248 - "He Knows How We Are Formed" Psalm 103-104; 1 Corinthians 8

Seems like so many people "miss" our intentions.
Sometimes they "miss" us completely cause they
are much more interested in their lives, their kids.

People will "miss" you all your life.
But this.
In every circumstance, God has compassion on us.
"As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
 for he knows how we are formed."  Psalm 103:14.
The next verse explains further: He knows that we are but dust.
If God let loose on us, we would be "irrecoverably destroyed."

"Our make and build, our constitution and temperament,
 our prevailing infirmity and most besetting temptation,
He well perceives, for He searches our inmost nature."
                                            The Treasury of David

Mercy, come quickly. Psalm 79

PHOTO:  Bob's 50th High School Reunion.  He was a big deal in high school. Never a track star like this.

God has had compassion on our lives, our marriage, our ministry or we would not have made it.

"Bless the Lord,

O My Soul." Psalm 103:1

Stir myself within.  Bless Him.

Today ranks up there with one of the hardest days.

As I strolled down Congress Avenue.
I stopped on the sultry corner of
Monroe and Congress.

All of a sudden,

a live street band started to play...

and their words filled the straitaway

"Blessed Be The Name."
He gives and takes away.
Yes, Blessed be His Name.

And I walked the avenue

knowing I was offering what I could.

Tears of hope streaming down.

Blessing the Lord, O My Soul.

And all that is within me.

Bless His Holy Name.

From every part of my heart.

Praise the Lord, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.  Psalm 103:20

The angels.

They never slumber.

Always doing the will of God.

For me.  For you.

Bless His Name.

247 - "The Most Beautiful Utterances Ever Spoken" Psalm 99-102; 1 Corinthians 7

Someone once said that this "Holy" Psalm, the Sanctus, is one of the most beautiful utterances that ever "leaped from mortal lip." The Treasury of David.

"The Lord reigns. Let the people tremble." Psalm 99:1

If we really saw what was happening, how God has overthrown the reign of evil, 

how God has set up the Kingdom of righteousness, justice, peace, goodness, love and truth, 

it would stir the depths of our being. 

These words are not idle words, they are our very life. Deut 32:47. No trifle here. No small thing.  

"The King in His Might loves justice." Psalm 99:4

This most beautiful psalm ever written comes from the aging lips of a man who has been through betrayal, loss, waywardness, and more. A man who found God in the midst of a mess after mess.

Today is our last day of 17 years in the city of Austin. We move in the morning. We have faced betrayal, loss, cancer, traumatic brain injury, and more I cannot even mention. It has been our utmost desire to fall forward in faith on a Good God. Too much of my life has been lived on a false assumption, a false hope:  "You assume that God relieves struggle and replaces it with rest."  Larry Crabb. The Lord reigns. Let the people tremble. 

Here is David's life.  A testimony of holiness.

PHOTO: Walking through the Botanical Garden in Austin.  Do I really see what is happening in my life?  I trust.

246 - "My Busy Thoughts Are Multiplying" Psalm 94-96; 1 Corinthians 6

When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, 

Your Consolations will delight my soul. Psalm 94:19

My heart was filled with various and perplexing busy thoughts.

I was, I am tormented with the cares and fears about my future state.

Reach for the Consolations when the branchings of the heart hit hard.

I had to go back to subbing at the public schools in Austin---a challenge.

When you get older, it's a different ballgame in life or maybe it's that I just still

have not found my niche of contribution.  Trusting God in the midst of the emptiness.

The comforts that delight our soul are at our fingertips—

*the promises of God in His Word 

*the Word of God set home by the Holy Spirit on our souls, 

*and all those memories of His Care and Kindness to each of us in days gone by. 

The word for thoughts is used to describe branches of trees, 

thick and entwined, showing just how perplexed and distressing our thoughts really are. 

Praying for you and for me that God will open His Promises, His Word, and apply it to our souls.

Thank you, God.  This means so much that you would do this for us.

PHOTO:  At a monastery in Budapest.  A sacred place of long ago where I step this day and feel the energy of the Spirit of God moving in my life.  Couldn't be more grateful juxtaposed to feeling such aloneness and lack of purpose.

245 - ""The Five-Fold Arms of God" Psalm 91-93; 1 Corinthians 5

Oh the beauty of all the names of Psalm 91:1-2
The Most High
The Almighty
Jehovah
My Refuge
My Fortress.
If there breeds any doubt in the fragile nest of your thoughts,
be five-fold more assured of His Love in this verse for you.
Whatever the discussion, the danger, the dilemma, the distress, the difficulty, the dogma.
Whatever.
You have access to the Five-Fold Arms of God today.
Under the Divine Protection.
Under the Same God this day.

A friend texted me as I navigated a rough patch this week.
"You are His Favorite..." and I wept.
That Peculiar Care wrapped up and 
thrown on us like a warm blanket.
Falling Forward on a very Good God.
Under His Merciful Hand.  
Even in this.

DEAR GOD, PLEASE CHANGE US IN OUR 10,000 MOMENTS and assure us of Your Love in these things that tug at the corners of our heart.  May we see You sitting on our bed as we arise tossled in the sheets; may we see You standing in the metal doorjams of our day; may we see You bending Your Ear to hear our every conversation; may we see You and Your Heart directing the watercourse of our stories today and always.  Our Love, Me

PHOTO: A tiny town in Colorado. Oh! The Beauty!

244 - "Doing Math in the Wilderness" Psalm 89 - 90; 1 Corinthians 4

Teach us to number our days

that we may present a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12

One commentary says it this way:  

In this wilderness world of ours, 

may our lives be "a sanctified use of the sad dispensation."

Let the arithmetic find us Divine Guidance.

And may the counting result in much goodness every day.

Oh God! Cause us to come to you for wisdom. 

That we may allot our time by by what You know. 

That we may set store by time.

“That God would enable us to form such an estimate of life, 

that we shall be truly wise; 

that we may be able to act 

"as if" we saw the whole of life.” PHOTO:  5 Grandkids hiding in the hash tagged sign.  May they live in such a way that they keep an eye on the whole of life.  May they live wise lives.  

243 - "God Doesn't Replace our Distress with Rest" Psalm 84-88; 1 Corinthians 2-3

                                                                    
Psalm 84:2 God-of-the-Angel-Armies! 

I've always longed to live in a place like this... Psalm 84:5-6 

How blessed are all those in whom You live, whose lives become roads You travel. 

The roads will be both smooth and rocky, right?  

"But every heartache will create space that I Alone can fill. And I will. You will learn to wait in Hope. 'My soul years, even faints, for the courts of the LORD...

Blessed are those...who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, seasons of weeping, they make it a place of springs' (Psalm 84:2, 5-6)" 66 LL. Praise God that this season of weeping we endure is being turned into a place of springs---only God can do that for me and HE is! 

Learning to wait in Hope with you my friends no matter what the circumstance. I cannot change my family, my friends, can't even persuade. So grateful for rest uncovered in the midst of some hard times. HE doesn't replace our distress with rest. He uncovers it as I detach from the lesser good of this life and attach to His Greater Good in this present moment. Letting go of what I think needs to change in others. Becoming a little more solid despite what it looks like. What do I need to let go of to surrender to find Him and a place of springs? Or am I missing life so caught up in weeping for my loss? 

Do I awaken in Hope this day? YES and YES and YES. 

Will you wait with me in Hope for our Beautiful God---He's coming!

PHOTO:  A girl and her dog.  Zekey left us this morning.  Bob flew back with him to KC.  We are going to miss him so much.  Ezri is home crying.  Mimi is right here crying.  We love the boy!!! and even our dog loved him more than anyone who has walked in our door.  He would sleep at Zeke's door waiting for him to wake up every morning.  

242 - "Open Your Mouths Wide" Psalm 81-83

I have this thought as I read my Bible every day:
"I hear a language I had not known." Psalm 81:4

This Bible I hold in my hand reads my life, reads me.
And I sense things that are not right within.

And I long to change---not me doing the changing.
But Him.

"In distress I called and You delivered me.
You answered me in the secret place of thunder."

I know.

Psalm 81:5

You relieved my shoulder of the burden.

You freed my hands from the basket.

I am the LORD, your God

Who brought you up out of this thing.

Will I listen to His Voice.

Will I submit to this new thing?

Yes, I do come to the Word every single day,

not as a "fix" for my life full of distress,

but as a "flame" white-hot with wonder.

And Crabb's words about Chronicles burn within:

"I invite you to delight in your distress. 
Nothing else provides the same opportunity 

to move strongly and joyfully into life 

on the basis of My Promises Alone,

the Promises of My Presence now and

My Satisfaction forever.  

Seizing that opportunity will free you 

to passionately engage life for My Purposes with no demands."  66LL

I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket. Ps-81:7 and I rescued you,you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear me, my people,and I will warn you—-- if you would only listen to me, Israel! I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. Psalm 81:10 The treasure of His Grace is inexhaustible. We could never open our mouths wide enough for His Hand. 

PHOTO: God's Inexhaustible Grace is all over you! My four kids. I pray constantly that you would experience deeply than you can imagine His Grace multiplied on Grace. That you would care more than anything about what matters most. That Inexhaustible Grace.

"241 - The Prelude" Psalm 78-80

                                                            

In this uncertain world where we live, there is only One Who is Faithful and True. People will let us down. We will face loss in this world. We will never lose. He has defeated the enemy. He showed John a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne. Rev 22:1. The river of life here on earth is muddied, cursed. There will be no more curse. One Day Soon. So, keep this book open. It will affect your eternity. ToThey forgot what God had done.  Psalm 78:11

He parted raging waters and they crossed the sea
with waters piled up high on either side.
God left no footprints.
The sea closed back in a fury.
And, they forgot.

May mercy come quickly on us all.  Psalm 79

We say it a lot:  I love my people.  It strikes a chord with me.  Cause I feel like it's not my experience.  Don't we all want people to adore us?  So, this next verse catches me off-guard.  I am called to be someone's "people."  His People.  And it is the Only One we can trust. 

"We are His People,
the sheep of His Pasture."
Psalm 79:13

So, when we are in prison, we need remember the bigger picture---the Mighty Display of our God for us that is in the "already happened" stage.  Fall back on "already" not on the "currents." 

"The dark days of His People become the Prelude to unusual displays of the Lord's Love and Power." Charles Spurgeon.  Oh, it must be gonna happen!  Cause this people here are in dire straits. 

DEAR GOD,  PLEASE CHANGE ME IN MY 10,000 MOMENTS THAT seem to be prison-like.  Help me see what is going on.  Help me remember Your Mighty Arm.  Help me ride The Prelude to display Your Love & Power.  Praying that we see a glimpse today.  I think I know how I could! 

PHOTO: The Cross. 

240 - "God's Hand is in the Untrackable Sea: Psalm 76-77

                                                             

The psalmist feels that God's Hand seems to be removed from Him.

Therefore...
and what is the therefore, there for?
Therefore, my voice rises to God.
He says it again.  Rises to God!
He will hear me.  Psalm 77:1
My hand is stretched out to my God.
Forget about the weariness of holding my hand high.
I am a deserted disturbed soul.  Psalm 77:3
I've dropped quite a few tears in those waters above.
I am so troubled that I cannot even speak.
But!
I will remember, meditate, ponder!  With my heart!

God's way is in the sea
that remains and holds such Mystery.
You cannot track any footsteps there.
O my soul, you have a safe Anchor.
Throw it out in your blackest of nights.
Trust in your dark seas.
God's Footprints will not be seen in any sea.

This Day of Trouble.
Is a Day of Prayer.
Name the diversions that this world draws you to pursue.
Attach your devotion to the One Safe Harbor.
The Captain of our soul.
.
Give us eyes to see what we are doing when the thick fog rolls over our lives and we are lost in a sea of circumstances.  We look to you when we walk in this present darkness.  And we believe, together, that you are a very Good God Who can part the waters when we need to walk through.  Our hope is in you this day--- not in any diversion---no matter how good or small.  May we run to Your Harbor, dear Captain of our soul.

PHOTO:  Saying goodbye to this spot where I raised my voice to God so many times. 

239 - "The Nearness of God" Psalm 73-75; 1 Corinthians 1

 God, I reflect daily on what I'm doing with my life. 

Even though I'm a little older, do not forsake me.
Let me declare Your Strength to this generation.  Psalm 71:18.
I never used to be this evaluative.  (well, maybe...)
Receive my thoughts that I may find Your Grace in the traces of today.  

I do sometimes feel like I've been a beast before You. Nevertheless!
I am continually with You. You have taken hold of my right hand. 
With Your Counsel You will guide me. 
Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, 
I desire nothing on earth. 
My flesh and heart may fail, but God is the Strength of my heart. 
Psalm 73:22-24.

PRAYER FROM PSALMS

Psalm 73:27 is the prayer of my heart this day:
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.
With all my hearth and strength, 
help me, this day, this circumstance, to make You my Refuge.
Not the solution to my problems.
Not the resolution of life's issues.
Not the crowning achievements that come our way.
May I find Refuge and Solace in You Alone.  

238 - "My Strength Is Spent" Psalm 71-72

What do I really think way down deep inside when my strength is spent? 

Physical strength shot. 

Emotional strength waning. 

Do I worship? 

Actually, days like today, I'm just trying to hold on and ask a Very Gracious God to help me see what surrounds me on days like today when my strength is spent. I spent it all last night. I am very aware that I awake with a fresh clean slate. But I don't want to spend the same strength again tonight. 

It's actually a very good position to be in---dependent. Psalm 71:9 

Forsake me not when my strength is spent. Psalm 71:20 

God has made me see many troubles and calamities. 

Why am I giving in to this weight of sin. My anger does not accomplish His righteousness. 

Talking to myself.

He will bring me up again! 

Revive me again---the word in the Greek for "revive" means: To breathe life into me.

That's it!

PHOTO:  Beyond grateful for God breathing life into me to raise up these precious people.  And there is four more of them. Grateful for the life breathed into them. Circa 2017. 

237 - "Do Not Hasten" Psalm 69-70; Romans 15

The ancient world saw God in the mountains.

The going out of this day shouts joy.
Yet, like David, we all face needs.
David writes:
"Save me, O God!
For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
where there is no foothold.  Psalm 69:2.
Deep waters, where the flood sweeps over.
Weary, so weary with crying.
Parched throats.
Dimmed eyes.
Waiting for my God.
Psalm 69:1-3

"May all who seek You
rejoice and be glad in You." 
May we all say
'God is great!' " Psalm 70:4
BUT
David says it: 
"But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God.
Do Not Delay!"

We all need Him so.

O Lord, Do not delay.  Please hasten to our words, our hearts.  We are all poor and needy this day.  May we see how we can accomplish nothing today except through Your Power.  When will you come to us? The ancient days saw God in the mountains. We see Him in our hearts. Seal our hearts in Your Grace today.  Steady our ways.  Sweep us off our feet.  Show up in ways we don't expect.  And may you find us surrendered.

PHOTO:  The mighty mountains of Seattle.  Standing here a few weeks ago.  Seeing my deep need for dependence on God to make it through this life of mine.

236 - "Cling to Me As I Am or Re-shape Me into Who You Want Me To Be" Psalm 67-68

                                                           

How can we not be affected singing this psalm? I sat today in a high school baccalaureate where a high school student sang about God's presence coming for you. God's presence was in the church. Whatever the joys or angst or affliction we face this season of our life, keep your souls to the God Who loves you so. Bywords. Bystanders. Bylines. Even David's own children treated him as an enemy of their soul. 

"Either cling to me as I AM or reshape Me into Who you want Me to be." 66LL 

"In desperate confusion and anguish, you will know Me in ways no one knows Me in comfort." 66LL

"Every heartache will create space that You Alone can fill. And You will. Teach us this day to learn a little bit better what it means to wait in hope." 66LL

Image:http://www.flickr.com/photos/smithsonian/2941496890/sizes/m/in/photostream/

235 - "Don't Hasten" Psalm 63-66

You established the mountains.
You still the roaring seas.
We're in awe of You.
Psalm 65:6-7

The ancient world saw God in the mountains.

The going out of this day shouts joy.
Yet, like David, we all face needs.

O Lord, Do not delay.  Please hasten to our words, our hearts.  We are all poor and needy this day.  May we see how we can accomplish nothing today except through Your Power.  When will you come to us? Seal our hearts in Your Grace today.  Steady our ways.  Sweep us off our feet.  Show up in ways we don't expect. And may you find us surrendered.

PHOTO:  The mighty mountains of Seattle.  Standing here a few weeks ago.  Seeing my deep need for dependence on God to make it through this life of mine.

234 - "My Battle Belongs to God---that's Unshakeable Hope" Psalm 59-62

Psalm 59:10   God in Dependable Love shows up on time...
Whatever is happening in my life, it's right on Time.  I'm right on Time.

Psalm 59:17  Strong God, I'm watching you do it, 
      I can always count on you— God, my Dependable Love.

"Be killing sin or it will be killing you." John Owen

 God, kill everything in me that keeps me from an authentic Encounter with You...
Shine your light on me that I may see what you want me to do and how you want me to live and what I still hold too close.

 God what are your trying to wrestle out of my hands? 

PHOTO:  The uncomely pastures of Kansas.  Nothing spectacular here.  But something about standing in this pastoral place.  

233 - "Don't Barter for Anything Else to Enlighten You" Psalm 55-58

 

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be shaken. Psalm 55:22. But as for me, I will trust in You. Psalm 55:23. Cast your burden on to the Lord. In the Hebrew, it means the "lot you were assigned" by God Himself. Some say it is David's words but the meaning of burden in the Hebrew is "gift." Even the cup of sorrow is a gift. Cast it on Him and He will never allow you to be moved more than you can bear. 

232 - "Hold Fast" Psalm 48-54

   

This is our God.

He will guide us.

We will tell the next generation.

This is our God.

Psalm 48:18

May the good Lord pardon everyone who sets his heart to seek God, the Lord, the God of his fathers.  2 Chron 30:19.  Oh God, please forgive us!  Pardon our ways of not remembering You in all we do.  

Hezekiah was one of the kings who held fast to the Lord. What does that mean to you and me? Hold fast. The Lord is with you. Do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.  

Two things to always hold on to and hold fast:

1. God is gracious and merciful and will not turn away from us.

2. The hand of God is on us to give us one heart to follow Him and His Word. None like Him. 

PHOTO:  8 years ago, A friend told me on a very dark night: Hold fast. I never forgot that moment. I need that moment tonight. Walking on this beach in Pensacola Beach. 

231 - "Be Still As the Stars" Psalm 46-47

 Isaiah 40 - it's a commission to all of God's ministers, you and me. Comfort God's people. Speak tenderly to them. Tell them they are forgiven. They will receive double from the Lord's hand. These people saw Jerusalem "ripening for ruin" and they couldn't help themselves. They were melancholy for good reasons. But they needed to look further. God had mercy in store. So, what's the point here. Comfort, you comfort. Doubled down. They needed it in the worst of times and so do we. Make straight in this desert, a highway for God. Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low. The glory of the Lord shall be revealed. Isa 40:1-4

What an introduction! I am God! Be still. Know this! Such a beautiful way to introduce the offer. Take this comfort: I am with you. I am for you. That is what you use to answer your fear. Psalm 46:10 

The Hebrew word for "be still" means to let it fall; let the concerns hang down. Then, slack off, especially your hands. No exertion needed. Leave the matter with God. Oh! The Providence in all our problems. Oh! The Power in what we contemplate. Oh! That introduction! Take the comfort! 

PHOTO:  California coast. Still as the stars. Mysterious as royalty.

230 - "Strength to Strength" Psalm 40-45

Why do I fear in times of trouble? The sin of those who cheat me surrounds me. I am afraid that they won't change soon enough. I am afraid that they will get off without any verdict. They'll be passed over while I'm diligently working. My situation shouts to the cheaters whose sins bump up against mine this day. Maybe, they have wealth and can ease their way through. Blessed are those whose strength is in God, not in their wealth or position or ease. Where is my own heart this day? A highway to God? The psalmist's heart was set on God, set on a pilgrimage. "The very map to Jerusalem was written on that heart. His Love for God and for His house helped him make right decisions in life so that he did not go astray. ...The Valley of Baca is a name for any difficult and painful place in life, where everything seems hopeless and you feel helpless, like the pit of despair." W. Wiersbe The people who love God expect to pass through this valley and not remain there. "They dig a well." "They pray down the rain." W.W. "They go from strength to strength." Trusting God no matter what coup de grace befalls. Psalm 45: 1 My heart bursts its banks, spilling beauty and goodness. I pour it out in a poem to the king, shaping the river into words. Psalm 45: 10-12 With dazzling dresses and a procession of joy and wedding gifts pouring in; may the upcoming brides not miss a word. Forget your country, put your home behind you. Be here---the King is wild for you. 

 PHOTO: It's the street where they live.  Bob's dad. Bob's sister and family. Knock-dead view of Mount Rainier. Where you don't have to pray the rain down. It falls just about every day. Where you live from strength to strength.

229 - "This Is A Sermon" Psalm 37-39

Do not fret because of those who are evil. Do not envy those who do wrong. Because. Like the grass, they will soon wither one day. Psalm 37:2 Trust in the Lord and do good.

Take delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Trust in Him and He will do this. Psalm 37:3.  This is a sermon, says the commentaries, "calculated not for our devotion, but for our conversation." 

It is Maschil---a teaching psalm. Fall Forward in Faith. No matter how bleak. No matter how black. It shall be "well with the soul of those who fear God." 

DEAR GOD, PLEASE CHANGE US IN OUR 10,000 MOMENTS OF LOOKING AT THE PROSPEROUS WICKED. May we long for the Hand of Providence in our lives. 

 PHOTO: Last walk at the. base of Mount Rainier. The sounds of God.