Psalm 38

¹O LORD, rebuke me not in your anger,
nor discipline me in your wrath!

²For your arrows have sunk into me,
and your hand has come down on me.

³There is no soundness in my flesh
because of your indignation;
there is no health in my bones
because of my sin.

⁴For my iniquities have gone over my head;
like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

⁵My wounds stink and fester
because of my foolishness,

⁶I am utterly bowed down and prostrate;
all the day I go about mourning.

⁷For my sides are filled with burning,
and there is no soundness in my flesh.

⁸I am feeble and crushed;
I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

⁹O Lord, all my longing is before you;
my sighing is not hidden from you.

¹⁰My heart throbs; my strength fails me,
and the light of my eyes—it also has gone from me.

¹¹My friends and companions stand aloof from my plague,
and my nearest kin stand far off.

¹²Those who seek my life lay their snares;
those who seek my hurt speak of ruin
and meditate treachery all day long.

¹³But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear,
like a mute man who does not open his mouth.

¹⁴I have become like a man who does not hear,
and in whose mouth are no rebukes.

¹⁵But for you, O LORD, do I wait;
it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer.

¹⁶For I said, "Only them not rejoice over me,
who boast against me when my foot slips!"

¹⁷For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.

¹⁸I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.

¹⁹But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.

²⁰Those who render me evil for good
accuse me because I follow after good.

²¹Do not forsake me, O LORD!
O my God, be not far from me!

²²Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

Peace

The quietness of the woods speaks to my soul in ways I am only able to feel. The beauty of stillness teaches me to wait, to hope, and gives me a sense of peace which I can only receive from a beautiful forest. It’s odd, really. I could be outside in a prairie, a dessert, or any number of places and see the beauty of God’s creation. But it seems that the woods almost speak to me.

It is rare to see a discontent tree. :)

They are determined, it seems, to glorify God right where He has placed them. To glorify God with their whole being is their purpose, and they do it so well.

A twisted tree is often used as an analogy of a wayward person—they have not followed God, but have turned after the cares of this world. But I don’t like this analogy, as it takes very little of the character of a tree into account.

Rather, although a tree can be very twisted and turned, it always tries it’s hardest to stay straight. Its very nature is to point upwards, and whether it is twisted or straight, a tree always points upwards at the top. The soul of the tree is not necessarily happy—neither have I gotten ‘happiness’ from being in the woods—but the tree is at peace.

The feeling, or act of peace, is one of those things that I can’t really choose. I truly believe that I can choose Joy. Joy, unlike happiness, is not a feeling or emotion. Joy is taking conscious delight in the daily things around you. Sometimes it is hard to be joyful, especially in times of emotional despair. But this is the topic for another post. ;)

Peace is really a gift from God—the word shalowm literally means “completeness, soundness, welfare, peace: a) completeness (in number) b) safety, soundness (in body) c) welfare, health, prosperity” (from the Blue Letter Bible online)

Peace is a feeling of completeness, or of soundness. Peace is something, I believe, that is given as a gift from God. Just think of John 14: 27:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

And never am I more ‘at peace’ than when I am still in the woods. What brings the most peace to you?

An Inspiring Story of Committment

The story of Ian and Larissa is one of hope, faith, and an unconditional trust in God.
Sometimes they probably didn't understand the why of what was going on, but they were faithful to continue in their walk, even when the way seemed darkest.


Anna has followed the journey of Ian and Larissa for over two years now, and we have prayed for his recovery and thanked God for their story of faithfulness.
Sometimes we can be distracted from God by the circumstances of life.

Please listen to this Link and pray for Ian.

The Unlovely Loved

I have no words to say that haven’t already been said a thousand ways.

I have no immense revelations that daily impress others with my nearness to My Lord.

I have nothing.

I can give nothing of my own.

I can bring no works, no gifts, no love for God that has not first been handed to me.

A beautiful, unwarranted gift of love from my Bountiful Savior.

Everything I have to give is insignificant compared to the immense mercy My Lord has poured on me through the choosing of me, the most unlovely of sinners, for one of His own.

He chose me.

This idea, although sounding so puffed up, so prideful, is the most humbling I have ever encountered in my walk with God.

I, in myself, have done everything possible to deter and dissuade the Heavenly Father from saving me and freeing me.

One of the most beautiful allegories of this idea is found in the book of Philemon.

I love to read about how the run-away slave, who was a troublemaker and thief, is found by Paul and returned to his master to be freed! Onesimus found true freedom in Christ, and ended by receiving physical freedom as well!

That short, often overlooked, single chapter has as much meaning and beautiful allegory as any other book of the Bible.

I have not even been searching, but the video that Anna posted a couple weeks ago has truly opened my eyes as I read the Bible every day.

Where else have you seen Christ’s story this week?

An Emotional Prayer

While Waiting, I wonder

While Hoping, I imagine

While resting, I rail

At the impatience within myself

At the impurity consuming me

At the imperfections all around me

But why?

Why? I ask, over and over

Why?

I must know

Why am I so given to selfish desires?

Why am I so impatient with others?

Why must I wait for these things—trying my hardest,

When all I want is to love You more

I want

To show that I love You

To show that I am not enough without You

To show that everything I do well is from You

To show that I love You more than myself

When I know that so often,

That’s not the truth.

I want

To know that while I wait, You are working

To know that while I Hope, You are there

To know that while I rest, You are holding me.

But so often, I can’t feel You there

I can’t see You

Or touch You

Or hear You

Or feel You

But I know that You are there

Because You have said it

And You are Truth

And I will trust in You

Resting

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5&6

Often, I will forget the Lord in my hum-drum daily movements and actions and choices.
It's not really actively forgetting Him, but it is forgetting to rest in His peace.
I mean, really! Why in the world would I worry about anything when I know that Our Heavenly Father is control of everything?
It's ridiculous to think that I can change anything by worrying.

I much prefer resting in His will, although it's not always as easy as literal resting might be. Knowing that while yes, I must make the right decisions in daily life--what to wear and eat and do--I don't have to worry about those decisions because it's all under His control.

So really, worrying is just doubting God's knowledge and LOVE for us.

Resting, just like waiting is more than a passive action. I must often remind myself during the day of the futility of worry. Of the rash decisions I often make when I am trying to alleviate that worry. And I must choose to rest, just as I am choosing to worry. Because, essentially, I choose every action and attitude I have, whether consciously or not.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27

A Heart at Leasure From Itself

Father, I know that all my life
Is portioned out for me;
And the changes that are sure to come
I do not fear to see;

I ask Thee for a present mind,
Intent on pleasing Thee.
I ask Thee for a thoughtful love,
Through constant watching wise,

To meet the glad and joyful smiles,
And wipe the weeping eyes,
And a heart, at leisure from itself,
To soothe and sympathize.

I would not have the restless will
That hurries to and fro,
E’er seeking some great thing to do,
Or secret thing to know;

I would be treated as a child,
And guided where I go.
Wherever in this world I am,
In whatsoe’er estate,

I have a fellowship with hearts
To keep and cultivate,
And a work of lowly love to do
For the Lord on whom I wait.

So I ask Thee for daily strength—
To none that ask denied—
And a mind to blend with outward life,
While keeping at Thy side;

Content to fill a little space,
If Thou be glorified.
There are briers besetting every path,
Which call for constant care;

There is a cross in every lot,
And an earnest need for prayer;
But a lowly heart that leans on Thee,
Is happy everywhere.

In a service which Thy love appoints
There are no bonds for me,
For my inmost heart has learned the truth
Which makes Thy children free,

And a life of self-renouncing love
Is a life of liberty.

--Anna L. Waring, ~1860

Oswald Chambers....the Joy that Jesus Had

"That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:11

What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. "I delight to do Thy will." Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in external happenings, not in seeing God's work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares of this world, said Jesus, will choke God's word. Before we know where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. All that God has done for us is the mere threshold; He wants to get us to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim Who Jesus is.

Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a centre for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious, stop being a sanctified prig, and live the life hid with Christ. The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes. The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.

A Theme Verse

Last year, sometime in the middle of July, I came across the idea of a motto verse for the year.

While it has been several months since January, I have finally found the verse that seems to embody (in words) what I would like to be.

1 Peter 1:13

¹³Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

To prepare your mind for action is the same as to prepare yourself for battle or any other action: to equip yourself and be ready for that action.

The best way I've been able to figure that out is to memorize scripture and pray continually: both commands and both very beneficial. Both are things I ought to work on.

Be self-controlled. That's a hard one for me. It is not easy for anyone to be self-controlled, but I seem to have particular trouble with this. But that sounds like a command to me, and I am going to work on that this year.

Lastly, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you. That isn't always as easy as it sounds. But it is something to look forward to, and we must remember to always hope, no matter the situation.

Well, that's my verse/motto for this year.
Does anyone else have something similar?