Decisions, Decisions

   My heart is heavy this morning for our spiritual leaders and our governmental leaders.  What a heavy load it must be to make decisions that impact the health and welfare of hundreds of thousands of people.  We don’t have to look far to know that whatever decision is made, someone will be critical.  What of us,  the common man,  how do we decide who to listen to and who is telling the truth?   

   When will it be safe to attend church again? 

   Can the kids go back to school safely?  

   Should I go to the store or not?

  Can I rebook my cruise to Hawaii? 

   Am I going to be able to use my Hamilton tickets? 

   How soon can I get a nail appointment?     Sorry,  I got a little carnal  there.  You get my point.

   We are at the crossroads.  It’s time to decide how we plan to move on and when.  As Believers, we don’t dare make these decisions without consulting our Lord.  Thankfully, He’s given us lots of reasons to trust His help.  Psalm 32:8 says “The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” NLT    Hebrew translations say that He will give us the “best mode of action”.  The approaching comeback is not going to be mediocre; it’s going to be the phenomenal!

   For those of us who will take time to look and listen, our God is going to guide us out of this crisis.  Our God is going to lead us along the best route.  He’s going to tell us what to do and when to do it.  Most importantly, His eye is on us. It's never been more important to seek His wisdom, than today.  

   When this is over, there will be even more decisions to be made. Some of you will be looking for a new job.  Some will be deciding what to do with their small business.  Some will make the hard decisions about a move.  Some will decide about schooling their children.  We may be ask to decide about Rona vaccines and/or medicines.  Any time we face a decision, we can rest in the assurance that our God has fixed His eyes upon us and is guiding us along the very best possible path. 

Thinkin' about my mode of action for today!

Dare to Hope

   One of the my most distressing disappointments of this pandemic (no, not Hawaii) will impact 10,000 children and 15,000 adults  in 43 states and 6 countries.  Anyone who knows me knows I choose twenty years ago to align myself with Royal Family Kids (rfk.org).  I've spent the past eighteen summers working with camps in Oklahoma, Colorado and Missouri.  We believe  that this week of camp is essential to the well-being of the children we serve.  Those children who have been placed in State Custody due to dysfunctional families and abuse. Our kids have been ripped from their families, often siblings are separated; they live in a constant state of uncertainty. It has been devastating to those of us who work with these children to have to cancel this summer's camps.    One mainstay at camp is reminding these children that they are not forgotten,  God knows their name and He has a purpose for their lives.  It takes them a while to even entertain that thought. 

   It wouldn’t be surprising if many of us are not feeling forgotten in this day of trouble.  As this pandemic drags on and even with some relaxing of the restrictions,  we are still a long way from the world we knew before. Some say we will never see that world again. Not a very encouraging thought. 

   Lamentations 3:21-23  is my favorite scripture and today,  it seems all the more true.  “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends, His mercies never cease.  Great is His faithfulness;  His mercies begin afresh each morning.” 

   I confess that I have entertained hopelessness in these long days.  I’ve wondered where God is in all of this and I’ve worried that this is our new normal.  But, most days,  I ‘dare to hope’.  As long as there is breath in our bodies,  God has a purpose for us.  His timetable is not ours.  Isaiah reminds us that our ways are not His ways.  He holds the completion dates.  He has not forgotten. 

   If you could join me at camp; you would see exuberant little faces, arms in the air, jerky movements and finally arms raised to Heaven;  singing at the top of their lungs:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L9n_Tb3PRc

He knows all of our names,  He sees us in this crisis. 

Thinkin about that this morning,  and hoping.  

Houston, we have a Problem

   Remember Tom Hank’s famous phrase in Apollo 13 (one of my favorite movies BTW)?  Tom and his fellow astronauts had lost control of their spaceship. They tried multiple fixes but eventually had to surrender to mission control. 

   Well, my friends,  we have  a problem.  Government leaders have tried to control the spread of this deadly virus.  Medical experts have tried to treat this deadly virus. Wall Street has tried to command the economic impact of this deadly virus. The news media has tried to sway the narrative of this pandemic.  If we have learned nothing else in the past few weeks, we must know; WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL.  We have used the phrase, “out of control” too lightly because right now the world is out of control!  The inconsistencies of what we hear daily about this deadly virus is mind boggling. 

   Today’s scripture is a reminder, it’s familiar, but we need to look at it again.

 Psalm 46:1-2 NLT “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.  So, we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea.”  Refuge can be translated “protection.”  “Always ready to help”  doesn’t get much plainer.  I love the synonyms for ‘so’ :  Consequently, thus, therefore, hence, accordingly.

    The Message translation puts words so plainly. “God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need Him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in seastorm and earthquake, before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains.  Jacob-wrestling God fights for us.  God of Angel-Armies protects us.” 

   It may seem we are at the ‘cliff-edge of doom”  with today’s problems.  Standing fearless is out of the question in our own power.  Like the astronauts of Apollo 13,  it’s time we surrender control of this pandemic  to Mission Control.  The One who is steadfast, immovable and strong; the One who is and was in Control from the beginning.  

Friends,  we have a problem,  let’s give it to the Omnipotent Problem-Solver.

We're Not Done Yet

   In these days of uncertainty and confusion, with my blank planner sitting on my dresser, it’s easy to feel insignificant.  For many of us, the ‘ministry’ aspect of our lives seems to be sidelined. Those who previously made meals for shut ins can’t do that now.  Those who visited the sick can’t do that now. Those who had disposable income to give to charity don’t have that now. Some who had jobs, no longer have those.  Those who cheered on special Olympians stare at empty fields.  Those who planned and raised funds for children and young people to be ministered to at summer camps won’t do that this year. Teachers who live for fourth quarter, the time when classrooms are finally cohesive, don’t have that sweet spot this year.  Pastors, looking forward to Easter weekend, musicians practicing for months for that time, scrambled to do the best they could digitally.  Celebrations; graduation, weddings, birthdays, are cancelled. No one has escaped the disappointment of interrupted plans. 

   The Bible is full of stories about men and women whose plans didn’t pan out.  Many of them lamented about how God must have forsaken them.  That never turned out to be true.  The prophet Zephaniah has a word of hope to those of us who feel lost in a twilight zone.   In chapter 3:17 CEV it says:  “The Lord your God wins victory after victory and is always with you.  He celebrates and sings because of you and He will refresh your life with his love.”

  Imagine, God ‘celebrates and sings’ because of me.  The ESV says “LOUD singing”.  Few of us are celebrating and singing these days.  On the worst day,  when every day is the same and there is no end in sight, we are still of value to our Lord.  His plans for us have not changed.  Our future is still in his hands.   Listen, can you hear Him singing over you today? 

 Let Him refresh you with His love.  

Really Take a Look at Psalm 91

   Today’s post seems to be a reinvention of every sermon, post, blog, article and quote circling us today.  Any Believer whose been in this Christian life very long has been told to memorize Psalm 91 and recite it in the midst of trouble.  I don’t dispute that for a second.  However,  I think those of us who were born and raised in a Christian home and stayed the course for a long time tend to take these familiar verses less seriously.  Most  people,  believers and non-believers are quick to quote a PORTION of a verse they’ve heard.  I’ve been learning that my favorite promise verses usually have a condition or request attached to them.   If I memorized the verse,  I tend to read through it quickly,  throw out a quick,  "yes, Lord,  let it be!"  We all want the "no plague" coming near our house.    

   We don’t the luxury today of hearing portions of what God says.  We need to hear from God.  We need to not only hear verse 1-8 but also verses 9-16.   In this turmoil,  I need to hear and heed  His words.  Psalm 91 is indeed a mainstay of promises from the Lord but a careful read will yield much more.  There are promises and commands within the 16 verses:

Psalm 91 NLT

1Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Right off the bat, there’s a small stipulation:  you must live in the shelter of the most high. and the shadow of the Almighty.   We know God does not force himself on anyone,  so immediately,  before I can “find rest”,  I’ve got to move close enough to God for His shadow to fall on me.   Think about shadows. Think about how far from the solid object they cast their shadow.  In order to be in that shadow and benefit from it, I’ve got to be close to God.  That will preach for another 1500 words but I move on.

2This I declare about the LORD:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust him.

No free verse here,  I have to  admit, these things about the Lord.  And I have to let go of any trust that is not Him,  alone.   Then I have to declare that He is my God  and I have to  be confident in His abilities.  Entertaining doubt is in direct conflict to this declaration.

3For he will rescue you from every trap

and protect you from deadly disease.

4He will cover you with his feathers.

He will shelter you with his wings.

His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

5Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,

nor the arrow that flies in the day.

6Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,

nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

7Though a thousand fall at your side,

though ten thousand are dying around you,

these evils will not touch you.

8Just open your eyes,

and see how the wicked are punished.

These are the verse we love to quote, especially these days.  And rightly so, for they are the promises of the God who loves us.

  

9If you make the LORD your refuge,

if you make the Most High your shelter,

10no evil will conquer you;

no plague will come near your home.

All of us are praying verse 10 over our homes and families. However,  verse 9 starts with the word, “If”.   That little two letter word prefaces a multitude of thoughts.  No plague is coming IF I have made the Lord my refuge. If The Most High is my shelter. 

11For he will order his angels

to protect you wherever you go.

12They will hold you up with their hands

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

13You will trample upon lions and cobras;

you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet.  

Yes, I like those promises!

14The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name.

15When they call on me, I will answer;

I will be with them in trouble.

I will rescue and honor them.

And here we have the final terms:  you must love me.  Reminds me of a commandment,  “ Love the Lord with all your heart and all your mind.”  You must trust in my Name.  You must call on me. 

16I will reward them with a long life

and give them my salvation.”

Notice that the requirements are far less than the promises and not all that difficult.  They are quite simply the very things He asked of us when we chose to believe. 

When we lament that God didn't answer a prayer,  dig deeper.  Did you do your part?  

Thinkin' what my part is today.  

Got Joy?

   On August 27, 2018.  I wrote  a blog with reasons we should not be joyous.  Apparently it struck a cord, it is my most viewed blogpost of this little career.  So today, as Queen Rona reigns, I am sure joy seems like a distant emotion.  Again, I want to turn to a Psalm of David.  They are the songs of this season.  Yet, let’s dig a little deeper. 

   Psalm 94:19 NLT “When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.”   Doubt, “a hesitancy to believe”.   It’s not that we don’t want to believe,  it’s not even that we don’t.  However,  in the midst of  job loss,  sickness,  isolation,  boredom and death,  it’s difficult to believe.  We haven’t lost our faith,  but we are cautious in our convictions.   I am not putting aything into my planner these days,  I’ve used all my cancelled and rescheduled stickers!   

   The definition of ‘doubt’ in the various translations is very inclusive.  For example:

Cares of my heart

Burdened with worries

Multitude of thoughts 

Overwhelming anxiety

Disgusting thoughts

Busy thoughts

   How could one smile with these running through your mind constantly?  It is humanly impossible.  Until we allow the Holy Spirit  the Comforter to enter the situation. Only then can we  receive restored hope, which we will lead to joy.  His gift of joy is never contingent on circumstances.  

Think about that today!

Hot Pursuit

   Last fall in my current home, Colorado, there were several mountain lion attacks.  I have a friend who has a bear family living in her front yard.  She carefully opens her door and checks before going outside. Every year,  the local newscasters give the public a tutorial on what to do if hiking and meeting up with a wild animal.  (Don’t worry about me, it’s not going to happen.  One can avoid those meetings).   While ‘experts’ have many tips for what to do in these situations,  they all agree on ONE major rule.  “Do not run or turn your back on the animal.”     Isn’t that the first instinct, turn around and run?  It is for me.  The experts say you should face the animal.  Speak slowly and quietly as you back away.  

   My  mind knows that I cannot outrun any animal.  Just like my spirit knows,  I cannot outrun Satan. When I encounter him on my pathway, or look behind me and see him coming,  I want to run! When Satan came to Jesus to tempt Him,  Jesus didn't run.  He faced Satan and quietly quoted God's Word.  

   As we face day 30, 40,  whatever of this pandemic;  it feels like sickness, hopelessness and fear are hot on our trail.  I want to turn and shout scripture at these emotions. But, I confess, I’m tired and weary.  Peter has a word of hope for us in this crisis.   

   "But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone. That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while, but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm."  I Peter 5:10 CEV    Suffering is temporary, but glory is eternal.  The commentaries about this verse tell us that “all time is short in comparison to what comes after.”  

   Several years ago, I attended a  memorial for a child who had died from cancer.  In the corner of the stage was a thick, coiled rope like the one used to anchor ships.  As tears ran down her father's face, he took the end of the rope.  Placing about a foot between his two hands, he  began to walk back and forth across the stage trailing it behind.  He made several trips before he  held up the section of rope in his hands. “This was her life on earth”  then he indicated the rope he was extending across the stage and said,  “this and more is  her life in Heaven."

   We cannot comprehend eternity but it is our future.  April 2020 has seemed very long, but it is just a blip on our life's timeline. We will never forget this time but Rona will become a memory, not a reality.  It is not part of our eternity.  

Thinkin’ today about eternity.

Life just won't Let Up

   Today’s scripture reading is a familiar one, even one set to music.  As a child, we sang  “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,  they shall mount up as wings like eagles.  They shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not faint.  Teach me, Lord.  Teach me, Lord to wait.”    Isaiah 40:31-32

  On March 19, I noted in my prayer journal, under requests, “I am weary, disappointed and tired with no end in sight”.   That was 30+ days ago!  Even the strongest, sharpest, smartest warriors get weary.  David certainly did,  look at all the Psalms he wrote about being worn slick. Several years ago, Tenth  Avenue North sang about being worn.  "even before the day begins"  speaks volumes about these days,  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUEy8nZvpdM

   All of us are having days when it’s just too much to get dressed and as long as I’m in my pajamas, I might as well stay in bed.  If we do get up, we wonder into the kitchen and eat the first thing we see.  Exhaustion born of busyness or boredom is an opening for the enemy.  Remember he came to Jesus when Jesus was tired and hungry. 

   In these verses,  Isaiah notes that age and health do not matter when it comes to fatigue.  Everyone gets tired.  We know this true as we watch our children. They miss their teacher,  their friends,  their routine of life.  We are all tired of this!  And when we start to look into the future and can’t see a light at the end of this tunnel, hopelessness sets in,  sadness takes over and the what ifs roll over our mind and body. 

  “But”, (yet, still, nonetheless, in spite of.)  those who wait ( expect, hope, trust)  in the Lord shall renew (restore, mend, replenish) their strength.  The strength that comes from our Lord and Savior.  Waiting implies an expectant hope. No one stands at the door waiting for a delivery they did not order.  When we “wait’ we think something is about to arrive.  

   Today,  even though I am worn,  I'm going to climb the stairs to the watchtower of Micah 7:7 and scan the horizon,  watching for my Lord to come into this pandemic.  

Thinkin' about joining me?   I feel stronger already!

   

A Giant called Rona

     In my chronological One-year Bible, I read about David and Goliath today.  It’s a story every Christian kid has heard.  I’ve seen it multiple times on a flannel board.

   Three months ago, none of us could have imagined the giant that has invaded our world.  Scientists tell us that it is much deadlier than flu or pneumonia, and that no one has an immunity to it.  They tell us  information is “rapidly changing”.  Evidenced by the inconsistencies we hear daily:   wear a mask, don’t;  it’s airborne,  it’s not;  hydrosomething or other works,  no it doesn’t.  Who knows what to believe?   I must say with Gideon, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about?”

    I do not know how unbelievers are getting through this.  I know believers are struggling.  On any given day, I struggle.  My Bible has become a more constant companion to me these days.  I need to hear from God and since He’s never spoken to me in audible voice, I have to trust previous writings from His Word.

   I’m reminded today of David’s reply to Goliath’s taunting, “ You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies—the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the LORD will conquer you. . .  and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!”

   It’s time for the whole world to know that there is a God in America. Dr. Tony Evans’ sermon yesterday likened America to Sodom and Gomorrah.  His point was that Abraham was unable to find “10 righteous people” in the cities.  There might have been 1000 righteous people in the city but Abraham couldn’t FIND them.  Dr. Evans wondered aloud if that was our problem.  We are here, hidden behind the four walls of our churches.  In our efforts to “reach the world” we have blurred the lines of right and wrong.  To show our tolerance and great “love” for our neighbor, we have closed our eyes to blatant sin. We tolerate and support Hollywood’s disdain for our beliefs.  I am convicted.  If Abraham came to Denver today in search of righteous men and women,  would he find me? 

Thinkin’ on that today. 

Fear of what?

   I’ve really been struggling with today’s post.  The topic is fear of other people’s opinions.  I’m not sure any of us are worried about that just now.  We’ve discovered in the last few weeks all that we can live without.  Selfies are far less common and when they are, we are wearing pajamas.  Everyone loves healthcare workers and teachers.  I’m even posting a blog everyday and not worrying about who reads it or what they think.  The dangerous side of this newly found independence is the conspiracy theories and the lack of truth.  There has never been a better time than now to pray and learn discernment.  More importantly there has never been a worthier time to proclaim the Word of our God.  

   Proverbs 29:25 GWT “A person's fear sets a trap [for him], but one who trusts the LORD is safe.”  The Hebrew word here for ‘fear’ can be translated “anxiety”.  Anxiety sets a trap for us.  Whether it is born of fear of a virus or fear of what someone else may say or think.  Fear is the opposite of trust.  It comes from doubt of God’s promise and foresight.  We, the people of God MUST set aside our fear and completely trust the God we know.  Our anxiety is a trap for us.  Just the opening the thief has been looking for. 

   Last week I posted about the established heart.  Today, I must decree this again.  I KNOW this God, I know His promises and their conditions.  I cannot fall into the trap of anxiety although it is laid for me every morning. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5aq54yu8A

We are there! We are at the place where our fears have to face the God we know.  We have to set aside every lie, every concern, and our dread of the future.  Read the following scriptures and reaffirm your belief that they are true. (Check them out in biblehub for 28 translations of each). This is the GOD your fear must face!   

Thinkin’ about:   Hebrews 3:6

                             Psalm 145:8

                            Romans 1:16

                            Isaiah 30:18

                            2 Samuel 7:22

                            Psalm 103:8

                            Psalm 86:15

                            Joel 2:15

                            Nehemiah 9:17

                            Hebrews 13:8

Darkest Day

     Yesterday was my worst day so far.  I have been VERY intentional about planning my day so that I don't have time to "what if"  and make something to look forward to.  Yesterday,  my big moment of the day was sidelined by technology. I fell quickly into the abyss of hopelessness.  I wrote all of these pieces over the last month,  each morning,  I edit and revise to post.  It's only fitting that this was today's post.  We are living in dark days. It’s easy and common to feel that God is silent. I’m not going  to debate the causes of this virus.  I don’t believe God sent it as punishment.  He may have removed  his hand to show us what a world without him looks like.  Max Lucado once said,  “we should not wonder at the evil of the world,  we should wonder that it’s not worse.”  A fallen world produces a lot of trouble. 
   I have been concerned that the Church is not taking Satan seriously for a while now.  In many ways,  I felt that we were ignoring his prowess.  Jesus was clear in his warnings about  the purpose of Satan.  In John 10:10,  right after giving the disciples a salvation message,  he told them in plain Hebrew,  “the thief comes ony to kill, steal and destroy”.  It’s his only objective.  His only plan for us.  
  Satan doesn’t just come to “kill’ the body,  he kills relationships.  He doesn’t just ‘steal’ our hearts,  he steals peace, common sense.  He destroys families, churches, people.  Years ago Pastor Jim Holder preached a series of messages called “Satan’s Devices”.  The how of Satan’s objective.  Fear.  One of Satan’s biggest weapons is Fear. 

  I’m afraid I will get Corona and die, or be sick forever.  

  I’m afraid my retirement is gone with the stock market crash.

  I’m afraid we will never go back to normal.

  I’m afraid this is going to get worse.

  I’m afraid we can’t buy food or medicine or toilet paper.

   I’m afraid I’ll never see my kids in person again. 

Afraid, scared, frightened, terrified, troubled.  And Satan,  his work done in your mind,  moves on to another unprotected soul.

  In the last part of that verse, Jesus says His purpose for us is a “rich and satisfying life”.  I don’t feel like I’m living His purpose today, this is anything but “rich and satisfying”.  Until I am reminded that Jesus meant “rich and satisfying” by His standards.  You’ve seen this on social media but it bears repeating.

And the People Stayed Home by Kitty O’Meara

And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games, and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadows. And the people began to think differently.  

And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal.

And when the danger passed, and the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed.

Perhaps this is the rich and satisfying life, He came to give.  The one where I write everyday, read every genre and talk long walks outside instead of on the treadmill.  Where mornings are spent in His Word, listening to old and new songs, plenty of time to converse with Jesus,  'cause I've go no schedule to keep.  

Thinkin’ about  a new definiton of ‘rich and satisfying’ .  

Apologies for the formatting issues,  free hosting sites have their quirks.  

   

Good Intentions vs Intentional

   As these days wear on and we endure highs and lows, it is only human that we are weary.  I asked myself yesterday what I was missing most. I’ve been blessed to be able to see my local grandchildren. This week I know what I’m missing,  I was to be in Hawaii today.  That aside,  a look in the mirror told me I should be missing my hairdresser.  I can chide myself for these, and feel guilty for being so carnal.  If I’m honest,  I hang on to these because they keep me from thinking about what really scares me about all of this.  

   I wonder, if we will ever get back to any semblance of normal.  My cruising sisters talk about when we will take that cruise,  my camp staff is planning for 2021 and my women’s group talks about Fall meetings. I am easily swept into doubt that any of these things will ever happen.  Worse,  I’m afraid they won’t. It’s even more scary because I’m reading about the Israelites,  40 years captivity in Egypt,  40 years wandering around the wilderness,  20 years of blessed life  before war,  again.  True,  all of  this happened because they “did evil in the sight of the Lord”  but, as a country,  are we that much different?  As I sink into this thinking,  Paul shouts at me,  from his letter to the Corinthians.

    2Corinthians 10:3-5 GNT “ It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ.”   I’ve heard sermons,  read devotions, had lots of discussions about verse 3 & 4. Verse 5 gets a little less press.  So I concentrated on it.

“…we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ”. The Greek calls ‘thought’  a ‘presumption’. That was so clear to me.  I presume to know the word of God because, as noted before,  I’ve been in this thing for my whole life.  Presumptions come from my intellect,  not the knowledge and wisdom of God.  One translations suggests “intellectual arrogance”.   Did you catch that?   Watch the president’s staff and/or your governors press conferences about Covid-19 and think about ‘intellectual arrogance”. 

    As a teenager,  my choir sang,  “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”.  As an adult,  I am completely aware that the only thing I control is My response to this pandemic.  I cannot make anyone else believe the Word of God,  trust It, read It.  I cannot make anyone else “humble themselves and pray,  seek my face”.  All I can do is say,  Let it begin with me.

   Today,  I commit to filter every news cast, social media post and conversation through the words of Christ.  Any thought that is not in obedience to the Word of God,  I will take captive and destroy.   I refuse to dwell on the  “ what ifs”  of this situation.  His grace is sufficient for what is really happening,  not what I can dream up. 

Thinkin’ today about my thought life.  

A Firmly Established Heart

    Nathan & Brittany got me a Roku stick a few months ago.  It’s been great during this quarantine.  I particularly enjoy Love It or List It.  I haven’t had HGTV since I moved to Colorado so I may be binge watching it now.  These shows were one of the reasons I never want to renovate a house.  They always find some expensive problem within the walls or the floor.  I really cringe when they crawl under the house to discover rotting foundation pillars.  Hillary always explains it with great dramatic flair.  “the foundation or the wall simply won’t hold the weight” of whatever she wants to do.  Of course, more money to shore up the pillars will do the trick. 

   Some of life’s biggest blows come in the form of a diagnosis.   I’ve cried with friends diagnosed with cancer, I’ve said all the right scriptures to friends diagnosed with chronic illness and now, I weep over social media posts about friends diagnosed with Coronavirus,  a word we didn’t even know two months ago. Six weeks ago my youngest grandson was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, out of the blue.  Within 24 hours, my children were figuring carb intake and insulin dosages and giving shots.  In that first day we did 8 finger sticks and 5 shots to a three year old. 

   One of the greatest fears plaguing our friends and families today is the fear of the diagnosis. Ironically, we mostly fear Coronavirus but other diseases are still being diagnosed daily.  Theo’s doctor at BDC shared that children are still being diagnosed with Type 1 and they are still seeing patients.  My neighbor shared that her mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer, an Oklahoma teenager underwent a biopsy for liver cancer last week (Benign PTL).  Fear of diagnosis didn’t just start a few weeks ago.  It has become a constant in our lives.  I confess,  I have knee-jerk reactions to any and all pain in my body.  These days I say a prayer of thanksgiving every morning and night that I wake up easily able to breathe. 

   As I study these scriptures, I am encouraged  to realize that the great King David was a lot like me.  In Psalms 112:7, he wrote, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.” NLT.  I was intrigued,  Who?  Who doesn’t fear bad news?   It was back in verse 1, 

“ How joyful are those who fear the Lord and delight in obeying His commands.”   Several months ago, I studied the words “fear’  and “delight” in other contexts.  “Fear” here, doesn’t mean to be afraid, it means to respect, admire and worship.   People who  ‘fear’ the Lord are not scared of Him, they respect and worship Him. 

  “Delight”  was one I looked into deeply.  I believed my whole life I had ‘delighted’ in the Lord, and tried to cash in on those promises about getting my desires met.  I was humbled to learn that “delight”  means to want what He wants above what I want.  Just going to leave that right there,  without further comment for now. 

   So,  those who want what God wants more than their own desires and worship Him do not fear bad news.  Those are people who decided before the diagnosis that God was and is completely trustworthy.  They know that any darkness is lit with the Light of the Risen Lamb. They are steadfastly established in their belief of God and his character. I want to be that person.    

Thinkin today about the heart of my Lord.  I can trust it, even when I can’t see His plan. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWk8DRwDYDc,

Beware False Prophets & Don't be one!

   I first read todays scripture and reading on March 11.  It was a Wednesday and I had arrived in Portland at 1 am to visit half of my children.  Coronavirus was a blip on our radar.  The kids were still in school, everything was still open and nothing had been cancelled.  We were planning a weekend trip to Multnomah Falls. There wasn’t any darkness looming over me in spite of the rainy, cloudy Portland weather.   This reading was something I could relate to in my past, but never imagined it was preparation for the days coming.

  Today,  as I reread it, the scriptures and go over the notes I wrote on that morning;  I  realize God was preparing me for these days and attempting to protect me from the fear that would sweep our country.  John is writing in his letter to the churches about false prophets and the havoc they cause in our cities.  I always interpreted that to be false prophets who would rail against Jesus and His Word.  That's probably true but I find a lot of false reporters in our media, on social media and among my friends who circulate unfounded writings. 

   In I John 4:4, he says  “But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won a victory over these people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.”  NLT.  

   I notice 3 important things in this passage that should SHOUT at the people of God.  Certainly a darkness of sickness has crept over our country.  It has not only brought death and exhaustion and fear, it’s also brought greed, dishonesty and dissention.  It has certainly brought isolation.  It is indeed a dark and scary time. 

1.       John addresses us as “dear children”.   We are indeed, His dear children.  We just celebrated Jesus’ death and resurrection.  No greater love is this but that a man lay down his life for his children. 

2.     “You have already won a victory over these people” The naysayers,  the liars, the fearmongers, the Coronavirus.  He won the victory over all of this at Calvary,  we win the victory by accepting Him as the Victor. 

3.     “the Spirit who lives in you (US) is greater than the Spirit who lives in the world.”   The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in us.  The same one who conquered death and the grave lives in us, IF WE LET HIM!

 Back on March 11,  God wanted me to know that whatever come at me;  I had already won the victory.  I won when I accepted Him as my Savior, I have everything I need to be victorious through this dark time. 

Thinkin about you, dear children,  BE CONFIDENT OF VICTORY!

Never Alone

  After the 2013 tornado in Oklahoma City with $50,000 damage to my house, I put an underground shelter in my garage. As I “decorated” it with l e d lights,  battery operated fans, and  a case of water,  I thought,  “I’ll be down here alone.  What if I am trapped down here for hours, alone?  I'll have to come down here alone."

  By this time I’d been “alone” for nearly fifteen years.  It wasn’t the first time I had contemplated my aloneness. Today, many are experiencing 'alone' in ways never thought possible. The sick among us are hospitalized 'alone'.  Spouses are not allowed to accompany infected spouses,  parents of adult children are not allowed to sit by their bedsides.  I have friends who have waited in the parking lot for word that their loved one came through surgery.  A dear friend is lying alone in the hospital bed,  lonely. And at home,  the family sits alone, awaiting phone calls from overworked nurses. That day in the shelter, in a dark moment;  my heart remembered, “You are not alone,  I am always with you.”  The Word of God promises repeatedly that He will never leave us alone. That's what God has to say to us today.  

  “The enemy wants nothing more than for you to feel like you’re all alone. Be reminded that God sees you, right where you are, and He won’t ever leave you to fend for yourself. Thank Him that He is strongly supporting you right now, that He sees right where you are."

  I did my indepth study on Genesis 16:13.  Hagar has run into the desert with her infant son, she is destitute and very alone, when God speaks to her.  She is amazed that she has lived through a personal confrontation with God but she proclaims,  “I have seen Him who looks after me.”

  I wasn’t really feeling alone this morning,  I was feeling disappointed.  I was having a pity party.  I enumerated for God,  all the ways that this virus has robbed me.  I laid out  future plans, all of which are cancelled  and reminded Him of some promises made.  He was quiet until I took a breath.  My phone went off.

  My friend Glo frequently sends me a text devotion but they always come early in the day, never this late. She would tell me later in a phone call that she had sent this the day before,  but somehow,  mine came  later.  Her text said:  

  "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you (who are willing to learn) with my eye upon you. Psalm 32:8.  I myself will go before you and will be with you.  So do not be afraid, do not be discouraged I, your loving Savior am also infinite God.  I am omnipresent, present everywhere at once. This makes it possible for me to go ahead of you,  opening up the Way without ever leaving your side. Our God is faithful Always.  He will make a way where there seems to be  no way.  He is the Waymaker.”

  Tears streamed down my face,  not tears of disappointment,  tears of repentance. And not in gratefulness that He will make a way. Who am I that God would speak into my situation so pointedly?  The God who “looks after me” gently reminded me that He is a loving Savior who wants to give me good things. In an instant, I remembered His faithfulness in my list of His perceived failures. He reminded me of His promise to restore seven-fold in HIS TIME.  Then, He had me read my blogpost of   May 20, 2019,  Today.  I hate it when He makes me eat my own words.  I love how much He loves me.

So, Today,  I’m thinkin’ about just resting in that love and assurance that He has gone before me and I am not alone.