Psalm 90:10, 12, 14, 17

"Our lives last 70 years or, if we are strong, 80 years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow; indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts. Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. Let the favor of the Lord our God to be on us; establish for us the work of our hands--establish the work of our hands."

Worry or Face Down?

     The thing that Jacob was so worried about in Genesis 33 never happened!  Most things that I worry about never happen either.  God is with me through the happy times, the hard times, and He will meet my every need if only I will ask.  His answer might not be "my will", but it will certainly be "His will" and it will be what is best for me. 
     So, what must I do when I stand at the threshold of a situation that I could very easily worry about?  I go "face down" on the ground and humbly yield myself before Almighty God.  I was directed to go "face down" during a ladies Bible study over a year ago when the writer of the study encouraged this exercise.  The study is long past, but I have continued the exercise of going "face down" because for me, it paints such a picture of surrender in my mind and heart.  When I am "face down" I picture myself before the throne of God Himself and I say to Him, "I bow, I surrender, I yield, I submit ___________" and I fill in the blank with whatever my issue is.  When I say "Amen" and get up from that position, I go throughout that day believing that God heard me and I anticipate  His answer. 
     Sometimes, I get an answer that day and other times I have to take that need day after day after day, but that's ok! because it's teaching me to take my needs to The One who can give me answers.  I choose to go "face down" instead of worry and I hope that you will too!  Blessings to you for a "worry free" day.

Happy New Year!

I am determined that 2015 will be a great year!  I started my new year this morning with Bible study and prayer, so I know that I have the right focus for day one of 2015.  I am working through the book "Whispers of Hope" (10 weeks of devotional prayer) by Beth Moore, as well I am reading through the books of Psalms (5 chapters a day) and Proverbs (1 chapter a day, corresponding with the calendar day).  Today my prevailing thought has been from Proverbs 1:7 which says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and discipline." To begin this year, I recognize that God has always been, He made all that is, and He wrote the book on how to live life well.  I think the word "fear" in the verse means that we are to be in awe of Him, to deeply respect and reverence Him as the creator and preserver of life, and to obey whatever He tells us to do in the Bible.  In order to know God, we must read The Book that tells us who He is and what He wants from us.  If I have learned anything at all from the past year it is that God loves me deeply and wants me to know Him and love Him as well.  "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)  Happy New Year!

All 8G's do not a blond make.

I was "getting rooty" so I went to the store to buy some hair color.  They were out of my brand and I didn't have the time or the energy to go to another store, park, walk in, find the hair color, and so on.  I bought another brand thinking, "if you've tried one 8G you've tried them all, right?"  WRONG! My usual 8G is a caramel blond and I love it, but I am now wearing a strawberry blond and it's quite a difference.  I have tried for two days to think of some way to spiritualize it but haven't been able to think of anything that made sense.  So there you have it...just another kookie day in the life of one who is Biblically blond!  Smile at someone today - they may have used the wrong hair color too and just need a smile. :)

God Knows

Psalm 35:24 says, "Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me."  In every prickly situation God knows who is at fault and whose hands are clean.  We can trust Him that eventually, the truth will be known.  If you have a strained relationship and you are feeling attacked by a fellow Christian, I encourage you to read all of Psalm 35 for it will give you courage and strength to face your day.  The Lord is the avenger of those who are following Him.

I Will

Psalm 34:1-3 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. ² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; the humble shall hear of it and be glad. ³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together."  If I am blessing the Lord at all times and praising Him continually, it leaves me with little time to criticize others.  I will boast about the Lord today and bring joy to those who hear (and overhear) my conversations.  I will magnify the Lord this day.  Will you exalt His name together with me?

Of Paper Towels and Tears

There I stood in the teacher's lounge rest room washing my hands.  When I turned off the water and reached for a paper towel I realized that there were four paper towel choices!  Should I choose the one in the paper towel dispenser, the extra one on top of the dispenser (someone had already started that one), the roll of paper towels on the sink (that one was started too), or the stack of folded paper towels?  I could have cried because I was already having a stressful day and this was going to push me right over the edge.  It's times like these that I cling to Psalm 61:2, "From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I."  I must remember that nothing is going to happen to me today that the Lord can't take me through.  Oh, it might bring me to tears, but it will not take me down.  When I feel overwhelmed I will run to God in prayer. I hope that you will too!