“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” Psalms 91:1-2 There have been countless times in moments of anxiety and worry that I have clung to these words “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust Him.” I have declared these statements over tragedy and loss, and I have whispered them through tears, struggling to believe them. Through…
“All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.” Romans 8:20-21 MSG Over the last few years, I have learned many lessons about grace and what it really means to extend it and receive it. I have been in situations where I thought myself to be the judge of others and the one to hold others accountable for what they did. Boy, I was so, so wrong. I love the way grace is explained in the above scriptures. It is aggressive forgiveness, and that type of forgiveness usually doesn’t make sense to onlookers. This type of grace goes beyond what is definable and what can be measured by human standards. It can give everlasting life and renew dead, dry bones. That type of grace is waiting for you. It keeps no record of…
“My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning” Psalm 130:6 KJV We often associate night with trials, and darkness with struggle and rough seasons of life. I certainly do not enjoy harsh seasons; I see them as something I need to suffer and claw my way out of, barely surviving. The above scripture in the New Living Translation says, “I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.” A sentry is a soldier who stands guard all night to watch for enemy attacks, fires, unauthorized people, etc. They are members of the first line of defense, and their main goal is to signal to the people they are protecting that danger wasn’t too far off. I imagine a soldier, standing at the ready with drowsy eyelids, forcing himself to stay awake. Their very survival depended on this man watching the horizon all night. I would be terrible at night shifts, so I can only imagine how hard this job would be. I can hear the sigh of relief when the first ray of…
“God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening. Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere” Psalms 19:1-3 MSG What an incredible image these scriptures spark in my mind. Morning and night, holding classes and lectures without uttering a sound, or even speaking a single word. Their silence fills the earth, and the unspoken truth is everywhere. What exactly does that mean, unspoken truth? To me, it shows the majesty and unchanging…
And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Matthew 15:33-37 ESV Sometimes the task of reaching such a lost and broken world can be overwhelming and frightening. Cancel culture bares its teeth and threatens us into silence, sin is celebrated, and loved ones have walked away from God. It’s devastating, and if we aren’t careful, we will begin to shrink back and quiet ourselves. We live in desolate times, a place of loneliness, confusion, and questions. The disciples in the above scriptures ask in the literal sense where they will be able to find enough bread to feed the crowd. It was their desolate place, and I imagine they were quite perplexed and…
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6 For the past few days, we have been looking at people in the Scriptures placed by God in strategic places to fulfill His plans and purposes. There are others that we could have chosen. But I pray that as you have read the articles this week, you have taken time to look back at your own life and realize how God’s hand has been upon you and placed you where He wanted you. As I take time to think about my life, it amazes me how decisions that seemed small at the time, opened the way for events that happened later in life. After my husband passed away, I was content to remain where we had been living and did so for four years. But one day, I knew it was time to move closer to my daughter. Within a couple of years, she and her husband were appointed as Metro Missionaries to Quebec. I had a big decision to make. Did I move with them, or stay where I was…