lord

Trust in the Morning but Trust in the Lord MORE

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I appreciate waking up early (I really appreciate just going to bed early too – it is like a joy to say the day is done – I am “eligible” for bed – whew… (Sleep is also better than the best TV show or movie – more needed than eating or showering when we are THAT exhausted. It is an ultimate “Give it to God, so I will rest in His presence under His watch of everything.” If we didn’t rest, we would wear out so fast. God invented a system to make sure we knew He was watching us so we could rest. TRUST GOD with the world and rest. Trust for night – and trust in the morning arriving – but TRUST in the LORD MORE.

It is unusual to think that we sleep different times than others sleep – or that they sleep differently than us – we are a round world and there is a rotation of night – it seems that there are sleeping people all over the world – and that is true – and awake people – awake at different times – how interesting our circadian rhythm is set up to help us know our mornings from night. And what about nocturnal animals – they have night as their morning. Does it all make sense?

One thing I do know – is that before I awake, and after I go to sleep – and at every waking hour of the day – God is awake, alive, present, and watching. GOD IS !!!!

We have these busy days to keep us mentally sharp – but what about the quiet of the morning or of the evening or maybe the moment we sneak away in the middle of the day? God is with us. There is never aloneness from God. AND, there is always an opportunity to be alone with God even in a crowd. If we want to be quiet in our own minds, perhaps we are to listen more intently and rest more deeply – both. We are to rest in Him always – keep working but in mental rest that He is in control.

Instead of listening to the outside world – let us feel the rest with our inside hearts – and protect our hearts with God’s wisdom and our being with His armor. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Perhaps like a newborn baby, we are to recognize warmth, nourishment, and comfort – all these things in our relationship with God. Care and correction and carrying by Jesus Lord, walking with us – lifting us – providing us light. Perhaps as full grown people, we are to also remember that God is much older in an infinite way – we are but young in His years and much better off listening to Him. Don’t try to go it alone – in acts or duty – in figuring out schedules or whatnot – listen to Him and wait on Him – be His and be His helper – His loving into the world. Believing that through our trust of Him, He will get us not only through the day, we will walk even closer to the Way. 

In David’s time they waited for Jesus to come. They trusted – we can trust too. We know He, Jesus, came. We know He is here with us in our hearts – in Spirit we are moved and we follow by faith. We can trust. We can now trust in all of the Word and in God’s Plan. He WILL make things right at His time. 

We can trust Him and ask Him to help. Psalm 5 (KJV) is a scripture which is also a beautiful promising song: “Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.  Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” v1-3

Psalm 5 continues about Trust in verse 11-12: “But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee. For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.”

David would write Psalm 130 also about Trust – and awaiting the Lord – but knowing He is here – before the morning even comes. Verses 4-6 “But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning – Yes, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Trust in the Morning but Trust in the Lord MORE

AMEN AMEN

Jesus (and March Weather) Like a Lion and a Lamb

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“Create in me a clean heart.” – The song and scripture was so moving that I choked up, rolled tears down from my eyes in the concluding acts of “David” (Sight and Sound’s Production that I finished watching online). As David prays, offering his broken spirit in sorrow for sinful adultery with Bathsheba and the battle-sent murder of Uriah – sinfulness and greed taking over his backtracking, he himself heard the message from prophet Nathan of the slaughter of a lamb. David found himself again offering prayers to “be washed white as snow” – David had tears of repentance and remarkable re-fixation upon the Lord. He was always “after God’s heart” and shows us that the deepest sinner can still return to be the most sincere God seeker.

The more the trials, the more we can rely upon God – in good and bad.

David in the musical remembered the days the Lord was with Him as a child playing the harp and writing the psalms of songs, and David realizes the Lord is ever-present and faithful. 

“The Lord is after your heart – be after His” David urges Solomon, his son in the closing acts of his life and the play… The musical closes with David and all singing Psalm 23 boisterously and a visual of Jesus raising David into Heaven. Beautiful… Soul stirring and truthfully soothing.

Jesus came as the Lion of Judah and was slain as the lamb, in God’s Plan, in knowledge of salvation’s power, taking away the sins of the world, as far as East is from West. 

We say that the weather in March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. March 1st for us was like a lion sleeping and then awoke with wind storms and cold… Surely the end of this month will be much warmer, calmer, and we will have felt triumphant over winter. Lion to Lamb.

We might relate this to that Jesus came in like a lion to this world, because Jesus IS as the Lion of Judah, the King, and then relate to Jesus leaving as the Lamb, but remember also Jesus, the King, IS the Lamb slain before the beginning, before the foundation of the world was laid down. Jesus knew He would lay down His Life. Jesus always was and is the Lamb, innocent and sacrificial. Jesus was led by His loyalty to God the Father and by His Love for all of us. The sacrificing servant is oru example, as Jesus is also the Shepherd.

Jesus is the Lamb and the Lion, and Jesus is our Lord and King. 

We best, in any and all weather, GO with Jesus, because God goes with us. 

Be after His Heart.

Amen

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Psalm 23 of David 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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David speaking to King Saul in 1st Samuel 17 how the Lord protects: “The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. [Goliath]” Saul then said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” 

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1st Kings 2:1-4

David’s Last Words to Solomon: When David’s time to die was near, he told his son Solomon, “I am going the way of all the earth. So be strong. Show yourself to be a man. Do what the Lord your God tells you. Walk in His ways. Keep all His Laws and His Word, by what is written in the Law of Moses. Then you will do well in all that you do and in every place you go. Then the Lord will keep His promise to me. He has said to me, ‘Your sons must be careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and soul. 

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Psalm 51:9-15 of David in repentance: Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.

You are My Sunshine

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“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear how much I love you. Please don’t take my sunshine away.”

Love hearing my mom’s voice singing this song when I was a child… I had a great childhood in hindsight, but it’s always us remembering an awkward time with icky teenage stuff, perceived mental rough, life hassle enough, and sometimes age old bluff. I’m SO glad to have it past me. I’m SO glad to be a grown up, but wish for those summers off, the sunshine, the hope of fun.It got summer real fast here in the northeast. I’m not complaining but WOW took me by surprise and my strawberries are done, peonies spent. Spring sprung then skedaddled. Wow. My garden peas planted in hope were a critter crunch for their comfort, I got none, except one, an accidental pea in the flower pot. It grew and developed and I was surprised as it gifted 2 pods full. Yum. 2 more await. Next year I will try to remember to plant this way. I never learn to adapt, but maybe next year.

It’s the sunshine which makes us warm in spring, hot in summer, or hopeful all winter long. We long for sunshine, then we jump inside air-conditioned houses. Hmmm… Whatever happened to shade? Shade in summer is the opportunity to enjoy both. We need to remember to adapt and explore the sunshine but be protected too. What burns us also welcomes us, grows fruitfulness, and lights our way. It’s great except when it’s not. 

Can we brace ourselves against the bad attack of sun? Plants do. I guess that’s like life. We need to embrace and brace. We need to adult and child. We need to live and live. Oh, not live and hide but live and live.

Live and Live.

There’s living in all aspects of life. 

I complained about hectic life this past week, but I saw a strange sight Friday night, a bus at the train station, with transit authorities, people including kids standing to the side. I thought, I don’t think this is vacation, I really think this is an immigration caravan into targeted cities, maybe not. Or if it’s a search, thats sad. If it’s a broken down bus, that doesn’t usually happen at the train station. I guess I really don’t know, will never know, but I thought of their embrace of a hopeful life even on the move. Then I thought of how blessed I was, how routine life really is, how I do have stuff, a ride, and options. I have a next spring, summer, sun and shade possibilities, I have a lots with many less unknowns than these people. I can see my sunshine and I can step into the shade too. I will always be OK. I’ll know that life lives on…

I can live life in a full capacity – and yet rest to recharge my battery.

God knows, God will lead, God will protect and help us embrace the grace as well as the race. We must keep going and keep knowing.  

Life is for living. We should live it. Remember to step into the shade, the intimate God coverage of life. Live, and live it up. Try to even enjoy in the moment. Sunshine today, God always. 

New lyrics:

Lord, You are my Life-shine, my only Life-Line. You make me happy when lives are in array. You really know Lord, how much I love you. Please embrace me and lead me today. 

Amen

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Psalm 25 – New King James Version – A Psalm of David.

To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

O my God, I trust in You;

Let me not be ashamed;

Let not my enemies triumph over me.

Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed;

Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.

Show me Your ways, O Lord;

Teach me Your paths.

Lead me in Your truth and teach me,

For You are the God of my salvation;

On You I wait all the day.

Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, For they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; According to Your mercy remember me, For Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will show them His covenant. My eyes are ever toward the Lord, For He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins. Consider my enemies, for they are many; And they hate me with cruel hatred. Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, For I wait for You.

Redeem Israel, O God, Out of all their troubles!