Protection

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Standard

SUN . RAIN 2
For he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
He decides how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
Job 28:24-16

“All good things must come to an end…” How many times have we heard that statement. And usually, whether we verbalize it or not, our next thought is, but bad things last forever!  And I must admit, sometimes it seems that way!

The saying, though true in its concept, is not a truth, but a half-truth. All good things must surely come to an end, but so must all bad things. Nothing lasts forever and there is definitely comfort in that fact. Sometimes there are things that we can do to effect the process and sometimes there is not. The only thing we can control in either situation is our attitude.

When the sun is shining on your face and life is good, bask in its rays…exult in its warm embrace. Throw off your cloak of worries, fears and inhibitions and walk barefoot through the lush green meadows of contentment with a song of thanksgiving in your heart!

But what about the times when the dark clouds gather, thunder is heard in the distance and only lightening illuminates your pathway? Those are the times, My Friend, when you put all of your trust in the Lord. In the midst of the storm, you confidently take His strong hand and learn to dance in the rain! Look up to the heavens and whirl and twirl between droplets and be refreshed by those that hit their mark, knowing that it is the rain that makes the flowers grow. And know above all, that the sun is still behind the clouds and will emerge again in all its splendor…if not today, then perhaps tomorrow. But it will surely return with a rainbow announcing its presence!

You must fight the good fight of faith each day no matter what the climate…stay the course and never, never give up! Set your face like a flint in the face of the storm and push through the wind gusts one step at a time…three steps forward, two steps back. It doesn’t matter, you are making progress and that’s what counts. And when the wind subsides and you only feel soft raindrops on your face, begin your dance once again… a dance of joy at God’s faithfulness!

And make a conscious choice to believe another familiar saying… “This too shall pass.” I love this verse from the Bible in Isaiah 43:2-3 NLT. “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”

Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 30:5 NLT

THIS TOO SHALL PASS

Standard

IN TOWEL 2
For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long.
Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them
and will last forever!
So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now;
rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen.
For the things we see now will soon be gone,
but the things we cannot see will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:17‭-‬18 NLT

This verse just came to my remembrance this morning as I was taking care of my little dog, Lucy. If you’ve read many of my devotionals, you know that the Lord often speaks to me through my interactions with my pets. I have written many a devotional about Rosie, my cat who has gone on to kitty heaven now. But…back to Lucy, my little four pound Yorkie, who was a recent gift from friends who thought she would be a perfect companion for me. And they were right! What a blessing she is!

Lucy lost a toenail on her right foot recently and had to be treated for it. I have to give her antibiotics twice a day and soak her paw in Epsom Salt for five minutes three times a day. Now I can say without any exaggeration that Lucy hates taking the antibiotic and from the look and smell of it, it certainly is justified! The only up-side is that she gets a treat afterward. She doesn’t really like the foot soaking, but does tolerate it much better than the antibiotic. I keep telling her that this ritual is going to make her paw much better. (Don’t tell me you don’t talk to your pets!) But I’m certain she thinks that I must be punishing her for some unknown sin, although while the foot is soaking she does gets to cuddle in my lap on a fluffy towel.

It was while this was going on that the Lord brought the verse in Corinthians to my mind. Lucy doesn’t like what’s going on right now. It seems harsh and hard and is very uncomfortable. She doesn’t understand! Why would her master who purports to love her allow such things?! Do you see where I’m going with this?

Many times in our life things happen that we don’t understand…troubles come, depression comes, heartaches come, disappointments come. We don’t understand! We’ve been doing the best we can. We search our heart for some unconfessed sin. Is God punishing us? There must be a reason! But let me tell you, My Friend, sometimes the only reason is that we live in a fallen world full of chaos brought on by the enemy of our soul. Sometimes there is no reason except this…“Life Happens!” Lucy didn’t do anything wrong, nor did you. Lie back in your Master’s lap on the fluffy blanket of His love and just chill for a while.

We have to encourage ourselves with this tried and true phrase…“This too shall pass!” The trials and adverse circumstances that are affecting my life now won’t last forever, although they are quite uncomfortable. I can’t let myself get bogged down in the mire of self-pity and hopelessness. God is ALWAYS for me and never against me! I refuse to look at the present troubles, rather I will “fix my gaze” on Jesus, Whom I know is working behind the scenes to make a way of escape for me! I’ll keep traveling down this bumpy road of life with its potholes and sinkholes and manholes…and I will do it in joyous expectation that my deliverance may be just around the next corner!

TURN ON THE LIGHT!

Standard

WITH SLING
There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24b

I would like to apologize to you, my followers, for not posting in quite some time. I do have an excuse. Now, sometimes an excuse is not really a valid reason, but in this instance, I think perhaps it is.

The first week of October 2015 I was visiting friends in Florida and staying in their basement apartment. I have visited often and walked up and down the somewhat steep stairs numerous times before…no problem. But the night before I was to leave I walked down without turning on the light (Duh!), missed the bottom step, lost my balance and fell with a rather large thud on the cement floor. Shock waves surged through my body like a small earthquake! Even though my body was immobile on the outside, I still felt like I was bouncing on the inside…kind of like an instant replay in slow motion. My first thought was, “Oh my…I think I’ve broken EVERYTHING!” I caught myself with my left wrist and after sitting there stunned for a moment, I finally managed to pull my arm around to see that my wrist was about twice it’s normal size and was apparently broken. I was a little freaked, since I’ve never had a broken bone before, but at least nothing was sticking out!

I called for my friend’s husband, Mike, who had already gone to bed and was asleep. My friend Elaine was at work. Their little Yorkie, Ripley was standing at the top of the stairs barking frantically at the commotion below. I started yelling for Mike to no avail. Ripley was helping as much as he could by barking in his loudest Yorkie voice! Still Mike did not wake up. I finally decided I had no recourse but to drag myself up the stairs. I finally got myself up and scooted up the steps one at a time pulling myself with my good hand. (Do you feel sorry for me yet? LOL! Hey, I can laugh about it now!) When I got to the top, I started yelling for Mike again and by this time, Ripley realized something was terribly wrong, jumped on his chest and continued barking…my hero! Mike awakened with a start, jumped out of bed and the saga continues.

We called another sweet friend, Liz, who came in the middle of the night to take me to the hospital in the town nearby. By the time we got there, Mike had called Elaine and told her what happened. She works in the sheriff’s office at the county jail. So in she comes decked out in full uniform…utility belt, gun and all and sat down beside me. After a while we noticed that the people who came by looked at us very strangely and with what seemed like a little apprehension. It was only later that we realized that they thought I was an inmate that she had brought in for treatment. We had a really good laugh in the midst of my pain!

The doctor put on a temporary cast and said that I would have to see an orthopedic surgeon, for I would definitely need surgery. The next morning, Mike and Elaine drove me the eight hours back to my home, one driving my car and the other following behind even though they had to leave early the next morning to go back to their home and jobs. Now that is when you know you have true friends!

I had surgery three days later. The doctor put a permanent plate and nine screws in my wrist! So now I say I’m partially bionic! However, by God’s grace, I have healed in record time and done amazingly well. I can’t play my guitar yet, but that also is coming, for my God is faithful!

I will write again soon and share with you the lesson I learned from this experience. So until then . . . be blessed AND turn on the light!

ANGELS WATCHING OVER YOU

Standard

ANGEL, SHEPHERDS
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid,
for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ
the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped
in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was
with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
       “ Glory to God in the highest,
      And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Luke 2:8-14

When most people think of angels, they imagine some nondescript being that has no form or feelings just floating around in the clouds. And in the background they picture God sitting on a golden throne holding a joystick and controlling their every move. (I know…I get a little carried away with my descriptions!) But can you relate?

However, angels are real beings (although created beings) who think and have emotions. If that were not so, Satan could not have talked one-third of them into rebelling against God. I Peter 1:12 says, “Even angels long to look into these things (salvation).” So apparently angels have desires and even curiosity, although their primary desire is to serve God. Angels can appear as men, as they did to Abraham on their way to Sodom and Gomorrah. He prepared a meal and they ate with him. And of course, we know that the Bible is full of instances where Angels defended and protected people. “For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].” (Psalm 91:11 AMP)

But did you know that the Lord also assigned them to be servants to those who believe in Him? “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14) Many a time I have called upon Angels to help me with something or do something for me. Now let me make this clear, I do not pray to angels. Angels are not to be worshipped. And whenever I feel that angels have assisted me in a situation, I give thanks to God, not them. You make think I’m a little “flaky”, but I believe help from Angels is readily available to us according to the scripture.

And of course, in the passage in Luke above, we see that they rejoiced at the birth of Jesus. They displayed joy and gladness. So from biblical accounts, Angels are actual beings which were created by God with emotions and thinking capabilities. We can’t normally see them, although some people say they have. But we can be assured of their existence and their interaction with mankind…especially if you believe!

SONGS OF DELIVERANCE

Standard

HOPES CAR

The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid?
The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger,
so why should I tremble?
Psalm 27:1 NLT
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 32:7 NIV

My oldest granddaughter, Hope, was traveling home from work recently on a very rainy day. She works the night shift at a hospital about forty miles from her home. She had just finished her twelve hour shift and was traveling home on the interstate when her car hit a wet spot and she lost control. She said the car spun around a couple of times, facing oncoming traffic before sliding off the road into a shallow ditch. Miraculously Hope was not hurt and the car was not damaged. The angels had to be surrounding her as it says in Psalm 91…a psalm I pray over my family regularly. The picture at the top of this devotional is an actual picture of the car at its resting place beside the interstate. Please notice the cross in the background. How awesome is that! It’s as though the Lord is confirming His power to protect and deliver in every situation! Glory to His name!

Have you ever thought about how many times a year, a week or a day that the Lord protects us from danger? I travel to work on the interstate each morning and many a time the Lord has protected me from an accident. When He does so, I think to myself, “How many times does He protect me from situations of which I’m not even aware?”

The psalmist says in the above passages that as children of God, we have no reason to be afraid. Our Lord will protect us from danger and trouble. I love the next half of that verse… “He will surround us with songs of deliverance!” Doesn’t your heart just resound with joy when you know that the Lord has delivered you from trouble of any kind? And He does it joyfully…with songs of deliverance!

The Lord is not only able to deliver us from physical danger but from spiritual and emotional troubles as well. This is what the Lord Himself says, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) And Jeremiah the prophet says this about it…“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!” (Jeremaih 32:17)

In this generation more than any other, we have numerous opportunities to fear…terrorist attacks, unprecedented weather changes, gang violence, home invasions and unstable economy, to name a few. But as I heard someone put it very succcinctly, “When Fear knocks at the door, send Faith to answer!” This is something we need to settle in our minds before the circumstance arises, expected or unexpected…“I will not fear!” When your car (or circumstance) starts to spin out of control, you need to know that the Lord is your Deliverer in time of trouble! You need to know that He is surrounding you with songs of deliverance! Listen carefully. I’m sure you can hear the music.

Lord, You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.
Psalm 32:7 NIV