Like a Child

My heart is not proud, O Lord,
    my eyes are not haughty;
I do not concern myself with great matters
    or things too wonderful for me.

But I have stilled and quieted my soul;
    like a weaned child with its mother,
    like a weaned child is my soul within me. 

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord
    both now and forevermore.

Psalm 131

What a lovely picture of a peaceful soul.  Resting, leaning in, nestled in the arms of a loving mother.  This one of the most tender pictures, from the pages of scripture, of our relationship with our LORD. Yet how often am I off running around, doing, doing, doing? Resisting the rest, the nurture I need so desperately that is found only in/with Him. I so need to practice stilling and quieting my soul. How difficult that can be.  So interesting how this psalm ties this peaceful soul to surrender. And humility. I need to humble myself to Him and surrender the ideas I may have, of how I think things should to be.  Only the LORD knows the path of blessing for us, beginning to end.  He needs no help from me.

I surrender all I cling to, all I worry about, LORD, to You.  My hope is in You.  You alone see things that are too wonderful for me to even conceive of.  I am lost in the forest and can only see the trees. You see the entire forest nestled on a hillside surrounded by lush green meadows, fields of wild flowers, lofty mountain peaks, rivers, lakes and more.  Thank you that I can rest. I can lean on your shoulder in stillness and quiet and find peace for my soul. Thank you for being patient with me.  Thank You that You keep calling for me to come close to You. Thank You that you are always at work and You are good, all of the time. So much to be thankful for!

My Father's Kingdom

"Do not be afraid little flock, 

for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom."  

Luke 12:32

This is Jesus to His disciples, His followers.  I love the tender way He addresses them.  He calls them little flock.  He is after all the Great Shepherd Who came to rescue His own.  This  Shepherd wants us to understand that God has given us everything we need. Everything. We are a part of His kingdom.  We are safe, secure and dearly loved.  But it takes so long for us to really get it, and so long to be able to live out of it!

He starts by addressing fear.  Always the the heart issue first. We come to Him, initially, full of fear, fending for ourselves in this hard and dangerous world.  How we fend for ourselves all depends on our circumstances but we all come from aloneness, using flawed coping skills in order to survive and live well.  Living well takes on different meanings as it is corrupted by our natural bent toward selfishness. So we come, a mess.  Jesus wants to assure us that we need not fear. We can lay down our weapons.  As His, we are residents of God's kingdom.  God was pleased to give us this amazing home which can never be taken from us.  

Then He goes on to give instruction in how to live as residents of this amazing kingdom.  He wants us to serve Him as we wait for the fulfillment of this kingdom life on earth.  We can only do this when we are focused on Him and the eternal perspective of our home with Him.  I am feeling a deep stirring within me to grasp the nature of my Father and His great love for me in order to let go of my grip of things that concern me too much.  He wants my heart to feel free and unencumbered, in order that I can look beyond myself to be of use in kingdom work.  But also, and maybe more importantly, so I can enjoy the moments I find myself in, trusting that He is there; I am safe and I am loved.  I am known, understood and valued.  Deep calling to deep.  My Savior calling to me, one of His little flock.  My Father, pleased to give to me, His kingdom.  If I could live completely out of that I would be free indeed. A heart untroubled by the cares of the world.

Help me Lord, to really know and understand, deep within my heart what You have been pleased to give me.  Forgive me for hanging on to things that are empty and useless, things I have no control over. Help me to see the opportunities you have place around me. Thank you for making a way for me by Your own sacrifice. Thank you for loving me and the entire world with your merciful grace.  The fact is,

For where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:43

May I treasure You with all my heart!

He's at the Table

There is a story where Jesus was invited into a home. So He went in and took His place at the table.  I invited Him into the home of my heart, many years ago.  And so there He is, very present within me.  It didn't take long for me to notice Him there and He has never left, I am thankful to say, these many years later.

So there He is at the table, but there are others there too.  It is a big table like at the holidays, full of food and conversation. Loud and colorful. So the question is, am I listening to Him?  Am I hearing His Words to me as He speaks within my clamoring heart. Or are the other voices, which are much louder, drowning Him out?  Okay, truth be told, both.

As the story goes on, it is about being cleansed from within. And He doesn't mince words either.  It is also about doing, not just knowing. He speaks to those at the table and tells them they hide the key to knowledge and don't use it to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven themselves.  They know the truth but they don't enter in.  They prefer to shut their ears and enjoy the deceptive glitter of their own little kingdoms rather than pursue truth, use the key and enter into God's Kingdom, where the real joys, the real feast, the real life resides.

God help me to listen to you, to put You at the head of the table. To follow through and live as you direct.  Thank you that You enter in and you give me the key to enter into life forever with You. Thank you that it is one key and not many keys.  One Way, One Life, One Truth.  Thank You Son and Spirit for being a part of the banquet of knowing.  Guide and direct me Lord. Today.
From Luke 37-52

Led by Love

It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them. 

Hosea 11:3-4

This is one of my favorite verses.  This treasure, this book of Hosea, tells of the incredible love and mercy of a pursuing God of provision, rescue and redemption.  He is the One who keeps on coming to us, who bends down to lift us up, who releases us from our bondage, who heals us, and leads us.  He takes us by the hand and feeds us.  Even when we don't realize it. I love the reference to a cord; it is something that binds us to Him.  This book is about the relentless pursuing love of God but it is also about our faithlessness, our short memories, our love affair with the world, our betrayal of this divine relationship with the One True God.  It is so much about His forgiveness which is the nature of His love.  

It is a wake up call to acknowledge His Presence, His Provision, His Way.  Every day, in big ways and in the ever so subtle ways, I forget.  I turn my heart towards the world and seek to have it satisfy me.  I live as though the world can protect me and love me.  I get creation mixed up with the Creator.

Help me Lord to walk, ever aware of the cord that binds my heart to Yours.  Help me to be consciously thankful for all you have done to set my heart free, as You have lifted the yoke of bondage from my neck.  Thank You for healing my heart, for feeding me day by day from your Word.

I pray for loved ones, that as You certainly continue to pursue them, they come to recognize and realize that it is You calling.  You are the One their hearts are yearning for.  Open their eyes to see that it is You who provided a way for them, You who send Your Son to die, as a sacrifice for us.  Help them to realize it, Lord! Help me to realize it too, in the way that I live.

I exalt you Holy One.  Thank you that You never give up on me.

Making Shelters

Luke 9:28-37

Jesus took Peter, James and John up the mountain with Him. Staggering.  Jesus, God, taking these mortal men up with Him to pray. And there they SAW His Glory!  His entire being shone with blinding, dazzling light that we can only imagine as He communed with His Father. Heaven come down.  Yes that is the story.  Jesus/God/The Holy Spirit came down. For us.  But I digress.

So where are the human heroes of the story after their trek up the mountain? Asleep!  Of course.  One of the most amazing things to ever see, ever in history, and they almost missed it. So how much do I miss,  that I am invited into as a daughter of the King.  Beloved child with the Holy Spirit of God living right inside me?  How much do I sleep through?  Or how much am I distracted, looking elsewhere, trying to figure things out on my own.  Like Peter.  Once they woke up and realized the glory they were seeing, what does he try to do?  He tries to contain it; make shelter for the King of Glory, the Creator of all things.  That too is what we do.  We try to get everything just right and then freeze!  That's it.  We have God right where we want Him. Silly, sad, shallow, dull witted as I am, that is what I do.  It is subtle sometimes. I don't know I am doing it but it is true.  I want heaven on earth, now. Freeze.

Bottom line.  His Kingdom is come.  It is here.  But we can not contain it. He is ever on the move. He is ever at work. He is always in control and He is ever good.  I am sad about change right now.  Probably in more ways and areas that I even know. And that is okay.  God is on the move and I need to move with Him.  I need to trust that He is orchestrating things to bring His glory to those He loves, which is everyone.  So as He is at work. I need to remember, God completely interrupted Peter to say. "This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to Him." That is it.  The bottom line. For today.  For tomorrow. And forever. Listen to the Lord. Day by day.

He is the One who will never change.  He is the One who will never leave or forsake me (one of the first promises He gave me personally, many years ago when I was a new Christian). He is my constant, my true north.  And I can listen to Him. That is good news.  That is the life line. That is what I can cling to.

Help me Lord to keep my ear tuned to your Voice.  Help me to not fall asleep and get distracted and miss the amazing things you have for me, even the little things, like the humming birds in my yard, my granddaughter's delight in the smallest details of life around her, the sunset, the clouds, friends, family, and oh so much more.  Let me be part of what you are doing and not be looking for empty shelters to build. Jesus was talking about the mission He was sent to complete.  He was at work. Help me be apart of your life on earth, a giver, not a consumer.  And help me to be filled up by You, Lord.  You are the One who fills my soul, with peace, with love, with joy, with rest.  Thank you that You came. That you can not be contained, tamed, controlled or even understood.  Thank you for being God.  Thank you that I can listen. Forgive me when I don't! I give you all thanks and praise.

Captivated by His Compassion

I am so captivated by the deep compassion of the Lord. John 11:34-35. And He said, Where have you laid him?" They said to Him, "Lord come and see."  (asking Mary and Martha to see the body of Lazarus). He invites us to show Him the places of devastation and grief in our lives. He cares.  He willing goes to the depths with us. I have found that He cares more deeply, more intimately, more tenderly and more personally for me, than anyone else ever could.  That love is what has set my heart free.  Where have you laid him He asks.  How many times have I laid the issues of my heart before Him. And how many times has He brought comfort to my heart.  Through His Word, mainly but He uses other things and people too. But it is Him who guides me through.

So they took Him to the body of Lazarus and He wept.  He weeps with us.  Within that vast, limitless, mighty, all knowing, all powerful God, is sorrow. God with us.  Emmanuel. He came to earth, walked alongside of us and experienced the ravages, the pain, the grief of death and evil.  His human tears are mingled with ours.  When He came to the tomb it says He was agitated, troubled, disturbed (in various translations).  He was bothered seeing death among those He loved.  Which is why He came.  To set us free from that.

Lord, come and see.  Thank you for being with me when I am troubled, sad, upset, confused. Thank you that you see and you are right there with me.  Thank you that you are my Help, that you are moved to tears for your people.  For all mankind.  Day in and day out.

Psalm 108:12-13

Give us help against the adversary, for vain is the help of man. Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He is Who shall tread down our adversaries.

In the Midst of the Depths-Pastureland

He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it dried up; 

so He led them through the depths 

as through a pastureland.

Psalm 106:9  amp

I love this, as it is a perfect picture, in one sentence as to what it is to walk through the hard times with the Lord.  The powerful army of Egypt was closing in behind, bent on destruction. And the entire Red Sea was in the way. There was no way to escape. The children of Israel were trapped. Yet God made a way for His people.  He rescued them. And they escaped with the riches of Egypt in their possession. Total provision. What a story. No wonder it is recounted over and over again in the pages of scripture.  God wants us to remember, to know that He is our hero, our Rescuer.

I love this version from the amplified version of the Bible.  Most other versions tell of the path He provided as completely dry.  That in itself is a miracle.  Not one step they took was in water. A path of dry ground in the midst of the sea.  A huge miracle! To see the water ramped up on either side of them as they marched through, only to have it close in behind them to crush their enemy. It had to have been a terrifying experience even as it was for their deliverance, right? 

But this version describes their journey through this "depth" of the sea as a pastureland.  A place of nourishment. A lush, green, peaceful place to graze.  Amazing. But this is how it is. How many times have I journeyed through difficulties, terrified, dismayed, hurt, angry, uncertain etc....the list goes on and on right? Life is so difficult. Yet morning by morning, His mercies are new and He provides His Word, His insight, hope, faith, comfort, encouragement, and yes, conviction and correction.  Grazing in His pastureland, the rich, nourishing, restoring, pastureland of His Word.  In the midst of the depths. 

Thank you Lord.  That Your promise is to never leave or forsake me.  Your invitation is over and over and over again, to come. Thank you for your Word, which brings me hope, healing and love.  Help me Lord to remember. Help me to remember so that I don't turn from You, indifferent. I praise You Lord. Thank You for the pastureland of Love and Grace.