Perfect Peace

Perfect Peace

Thou will keep me

In perfect peace when

my mind is stayed on you

Peace flowing like a river

Peace never to be stolen

Peace that you give

is not of this world

my mind is stayed on you 

                     -John Waller

"You keep him in perfect peace

    whose mind is stayed on you,

    because he trusts in you. 

 Trust in the Lord forever,

    for the Lord God is an everlasting rock."

Isaiah 26:3-4

 

"Empty me of the selfishness inside.

 Every vain ambition and the poison of my pride.

 And any foolish thing my heart holds to.

Lord, empty me of me so I can be filled with You

'Cause everything is a lesser thing

 compared to You..."

                                                                                                   -From "Empty Me" Chris Sligh                                    

Mary Poppins Writes {Day 2}

And she knits too.

It's one of my new favorite patterns and will probably be in my "go-to" stack of one-skein patterns to knit for others; I whipped it out in a few days and it's completely cotton!

{Sleeping Handsome}

Today we checked off our big item shopping list (Costco/H-E-B); I was further convinced of the ease of having an iphone--shopping lists! Nicole has one for each store--it's so organized!

After checking off our lists we had a lovely lunch at the Apodaca's house; Nicole made the best quesadillas for the adults, filled with yummy taco meat, cheese, and lots of spinach (see? they're the best); the stickies had homemade pizza and water keifer.

After eating and romping around at the Apodaca's, we came home and wanted to collapse onto our pillows; as you can see from the above picture, only one of "us" did; Preggers drifted in and out of sleep on the sofa but I wasn't able to upload that picture for some reason...

{See the wonderful benefits of carrots?}

Carrots! They're a wonderful mental stimulant for the sleepy mind!

We each had one while we did our afternoon work; poor Sophie struggled through math but Preggers was very good about pulling her through (Despite gravity gaining hold of her eyelids).

I had the fun job (seriously, preschool work is so easy peasy, lemon squeezy) of helping Mia with her work, cut and paste, baby, cut and paste.

Between giving coloring instructions (color by number) I was finishing up a sweater dress for the bun in the oven, more on that later. :)

{ Ah, yes, I remember these days...}

{Chocolate Almond milk mustache--the best.}

After a wholesome goodness dinner, we gobbled up some ice cream with mini peanut butter chocolate things, and the Stickies--which really were sticky by now--were whisked to the bathtub and scrubbed away.

Tomorrow is pilates in the morning (oh, yes, a wonderful session with our Uncle/Pilates trainer) which I'm really looking forward to, as well as some heavy duty organizing! We have a list and hope to knock some items off.

On a more serious note, I've been finding great encouragement in this passage and this article; I highly encourage you to read both and let me know what your thoughts are!

Rearranging Home

Our sixth month journey has now come to a finish.

Today we helped with the final packing up and there are only a handful of objects left to move to their new home; we girls have been in a flurry of cleaning and rearranging each room to compensate for the absence of the Hood's belongings (I keep looking around for things I thought we owned, then remembering that it wasn't really ours. :)

Last night I was sharing with a friend how truly bittersweet this time is for us, and it's not just because of the lack of Mr. H's big leather chair in our living room. ;)

I know what you're thinking, it went by pretty fast for me too, yet, at the same time, I feel a bit at a loss as to how to move forward. When they came both of our daily lives changed in their own ways, and at first I wasn't sure what life would look like; now I'm so accustomed to it and they're moving into their own home and again both of our lives have changed in pretty big ways, and again, I'm not quite sure what life will look like. Isn't that funny?

There are a few things that I hope don't change, at least anytime soon.

I hope that I continue managing my time better; it's so easy to let things slide when you have all day long to do them but in the past six months I haven't really had all day! Not perfectly, mind you, but I've seen a change in the way I organize, plan, and execute things.

I hope that we continue to be hard workers; like the above point, we've learned over the past six months the importance of staying on top of household duties. We don't want to live in an "untouchable" home, just a tidy one, and you can't do that when it takes you all day to clean.

I hope that we continue to keep short accounts with each other; when you have little people looking at you for examples, it pushes you to be just that, an example.

I hope that we don't stop going to bed early; it was an 8:30 lights out for the majority of the house, so it seemed kind of pointless to stay up much later than that. That made waking up at the crack of dawn so much easier!

Next week I'll be heading solo to Austin to be with Nicole before, during, and after she has her baby (Dear Houston, don't expect me back until early August); then we'll drive back together and she will stay with us two weeks (in our brand new guest room! Aka, the former Mr. and Mrs. Hood's room). As you can see, this nostalgia shan't last for very long. :)

A while ago I shared some thoughts on the first few weeks of having the Hood's living with us, then there wasn't really much of anything until now! I can assure you that it's not for lack of material, rather mentally processing all that I've learned in the past six months, praise the Lord, there was much sanctification; the majority of it were things that we as a family wouldn't have seen or know had not another pair of eyes and hears been privy to our daily lives!

I'm so grateful for the time spent with them and the blessing of seeing what the Lord has done in both of our lives. Praise His for His faithfulness.

But whatever gain I had,

I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the

surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things

and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain

Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness

of my own that comes from the law,

but that which comes through faith in Christ...

Philippians 3

{Picture Credit}

Dying in Faith

{Source}

"These all died in faith..."-Hebrews 11:13

In case you haven't been able to tell, we're big Spurgeon fans around here.

There have been many ways the Lord has used his writings and example to teach me important truths and lessons.

Lately, I've been reading a lot a missionary couple who abandoned every earthly pleasure to serve Christ and pursue His kingdom. Their lives being characterized by the sweet and precious passage in Philippians 1: 18-21. Each believer should have this focus, this passion, and this desire; we are being prepared for another place, this world is not the end, our earthly dwelling is just that--our earthly dwelling. Those missionaries that I am reading about had this firmly in their minds. They were living each day by faith, committing to glorify Christ whether that meant by their lives or by their death. Going back to Spurgeon, here is a passage that puts these thoughts in a better light.

"In faith they lived-it was their comfort, their guide,

their motive and their support; and in the same spiritual

grace they died, ending their life-song in the sweet strain

in which they had so long continued.

They did not die resting in the flesh or

upon their own attainments; they made no advance from their

first way of acceptance with God,

but held to the way of faith to the end.

Faith is as precious to die by as to live by...

To them the pains of death were but the birth pangs of a

better state. Take courage, my soul,

as thou readest this epitaph.

Thy course, through grace, is one of faith,

and sight seldom cheers thee;

this has also been the pathway of

the brightest and the best... "

I pray that this would characterize my own life; that each trial and affliction, each blessing and season, would remind and teach me to live by faith and not by sight. What I see is construed by me and is therefore tainted, praise the Lord I am not left to my own understanding!

Praise Him that He is faithful, He does not send us through the flames alone, He carries the heavy burden, and fills our lives with every spiritual blessing. Whether we realize it or not, we are being prepared for an eternal weight of glory that far surpasses what we can imagine.

This gives me such encouragement and drive because I am confident that each trial and grief has a purpose and there is a reason that the Lord has placed it in my life,

if I ever see the reason or not is another story but I know it is for my good and His great glory, and for me that is more than enough.

"Look anew tonight to Jesus, the author and finisher of they faith, and thank Him for giving thee like precious faith with souls now in glory."

-Charles H. Spurgeon

A Practice in Perseverance

::National Geographic::

So, most of you know (at least you should know if you follow my art blog) that I am enrolled in College Plus! and have been in the process over the past year of taking one CLEP exam after the other to "test out" of lots of classes before I officially enroll in a college to finish my degree (Release a sigh after that long sentence!).

Well, now you know.

Last month, I took the dreaded microeconomics exam--I use "dreaded" here to describe a completely foreign subject and one that uses the dusty side of my brain--it was pretty rough but I managed through the study period, and after taking a few practice tests, praying, eating many M&M's (my new relaxing habit), I took the exam.

And I failed miserably.

Now, you have to know that I consider myself to be a pretty laid back person; the kind that's just happy to be there and it takes quite a bit to make me frustrated, angry, or impatient. Well, little did I know that just because it might take me longer to get to a certain point, that doesn't give me an excuse to give in, have a pity party, or stop persevering--but back to the story.

Needless to say, I was incredibly disappointed. Not only did I fail but I failed miserably, and in six months I will have to start studying for this all over again. I was also pretty disappointed in myself, and at the fact that things always turn out better when you can do them in retrospect.

And to cut to the chase, the Lord showed me that I need to rely on His strength, when I am weak; that persevering is only difficult when times are difficult; that I should not be discouraged but to always hope in Him.

Life is only trying when I attempt to live it by myself and with my own strength.

Praise God for His faithfulness and the grace only He can give, each and every day.

God is good.

Yes, I know that is a lot to get from a failed exam but sometimes it's the little and trivial things in life that make all the difference.

Thoughts on Wool and Hard TImes

A bit ago, I announced a new project on my art blog (please visit there if you haven't in order for the rest of this post to make more sense!)

Let me share that knitting for these patients has been especially sweet for me. For the past year I have been searching around for an organization that will accept knitted donations. Mostly I was looking for something that I could identify with and feel somewhat attached to.

So, I was very excited and happy when a sweet friend told me about this project. It fit very well with my search requirements and gave me plenty of time to be preparing.

This has also brought some thoughts and seemingly endless strands of questions.

Mostly about the future owner of the knitted hat, wondering who the person is and what they are feeling; are they saved? Are they alone or do they have family? Is this their first treatment with chemo or just one in a long line of treatments? What is their prognosis like? What's their favorite color? But not to worry, I don't over analyze or contemplate about these questions!

These are a few of the things I have been thinking about as I knit.

It really is different creating something for a complete stranger. For one thing, I don't really bother too much about sizing or the shape of the head--which gives me more rooms to think about the texture and feel of the hat. I'm sure you didn't know that all of this went into knitting, well, now you know.

I also have an opportunity to write a wee note of encouragment for the receiver of my humble creations; this was another thing that attracted me to this project. It's brought on a great deal of prayer on what to say and how to say it. I have a burden to encourage them and give them some sort of hope, knowing that ultimately the greatest thing for them is to find their peace and strength in Him. This made me to think of the experiences of the writer of Lamentations, which caused him to say:

"I am the man who has seen affliction

under the rod of his wrath;

he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light...

He has made my flesh and skin waste away;

He has broken my bones.

He has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation,

He has made me dwell in darkness like the dead of long ago..."

And through all of this, the writer continues to remark (which sums up what I would like to encourage them with):

"My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me.

But this I call to mind and therefore I have hope.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning,

great is Your faithfulness.

'The Lord is my portion', says my soul,

'therefore, I will hope in Him'."

Lamentations 3

In addition to the note of encouragment, I have a personal opportunity to pray for them.

This is something that, as a Believer, I am always able to do. I may not be able to physically comfort someone or say words of hope and peace, but I can always pray.

There have been many times where I wish that I could do something or be somewhere when it's just not possible, however, I do have the ability to keep the person and situation in prayer.

Because of that, I find a great comfort to know,

"For He delivers the needy when he calls,

the poor and him who has no helper.

He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.

From oppression and violence He redeems their life,

and precious is their blood in His sight."

Psalm 72

I am reminded of how much more the Lord loves and cares for His people, and how much more abundant is His ability to provide and keep them.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,

and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings,

knowing that suffering produces endurance,

and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

and hope does not put us to shame,

because God's love has been poured into our hearts

through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5

Think on These....

Finally, Brothers,

whatever is true,

whatever is honorable,

whatever is just,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is commendable,

if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,

think about these things.

Philippians 4

I hope this encourages you as much as it has me this week.

Since I've been studying for some recent exams, I've come across so many dreadful, pointless plays, novels, and poems! Usually, when I'm reading fiction, I'm pretty picky about what I choose. Good thing too, with all of the Allen Ginsbergs and Alice Walkers on the shelves.

At the end of the day the passage above has been very helpful for me, to focus on what it is that I ought to be thinking.

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Dear Dad and Mom,

I think by now your evening is just beginning; I hope you have time to stroll about the cobblestoned streets before you have your dinner.

We miss you here is the U.S.

Talk to you soon!

Love,

Elena

Thankful for His Sovereignty

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions,

that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia.

For we were so utterly beyondour strength that we despaired of life itself.

Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.

But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us.

On him we have set out hope that he will deliver us again.

You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessings granted us through the prayers of many.

2 Corinthians 1

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

His mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul,

"therefore I will hope in Him."

Lamentations 3

"And do not grow weary..."

"And let us not grow weary of doing good,

for in due season

we will reap, if we do not give up.

So then, as we have opportunity,

let us do good to everyone,

and especially to those who are of the household of faith."

Galatians 6

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Here is just a fresh look at this encouraging passage of scripture.

So many things come to mind when I think of growing weary of doing good:

Corrie and Betsy Ten Boom, missionaries, George Muller, Sarah Edwards, David Brainard.

These people, and many more like them, are all known for their steadfastness, patience, and faith. But I know that there were instances in which they just couldn't go any further. And whether it was this passage or another that they clung to, they didn't give up.

After all, what would The Hiding Place be like if Betsy decided that she had hid enough Jews and prayed that God would never send them another? How many lives would George Muller not have ministered to, if he just sent the orphans away? I realize that in each of these situations, God's will would have been done with or without those people.

My point is that these examples didn't allow themselves to be bogged down with the cares and burdens of this world; they didn't throw in the towel or tell the Lord they were finished. They grasped His word and held tightly onto Him, because they knew that He was the only sure foundation for their lives.

Yes, being hospitable is tiring; yes, your life will be very busy and sometimes stressful when you minister to others. You can feel weighed down and tired when you carry someone elses burden, but isn't this what believers are called to do? This ought to be our joy and desire. Not because we want to appear holier or better than anyone, but because we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ and want to encourage and uplift them in a way that truly will: by prayer and always pointing them back to the scriptures for their every comfort, consolation, hope, and peace.

That is a true friend.

So, what am I working on?

Being grateful for every opportunity to do good to others, giving a testimony by my works of what He has done in my life; no matter what the time frame.

Being grateful that He is using me in their life and simply serving in the way that He sees fit and for as long as He sees fit.

"We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians

So we do not lose heart...

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

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This is the stuff my treasures are made of :)

2 Corinthians is one of my favorite books in the Bible; each passage is so encouraging and uplifting, somehow I end up feeling as if I could have the strength to go through most anything afterwards. This chapter (2 Corninthians 4) in particular, is one that I treasure because it truly brings purpose to each difficult situation in our lives. How can I be overwhelmed or weary when I read that I will not be crushed, driven to despair, forsaken, or destroyed? It is such a comfort to know and be reminded that "...we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh..."; this is what brings me purpose and hope, and I pray that I may always be reminded of this even in the midst of terrible (or small) afflictions and trials. I pray that whatever the circumstance, I would "never lose heart" because I am being inwardly renewed, day by day. Not because I pulled myself up by my bootstraps or found some great new self-help book. I want to be entirely dependent on the Lord, each day. Which also reminds me of another sweet passage, in Lamentations 3. What a beautiful reminder of His faithfulness in our lives.

I feel like there is so much more I could say about this chapter, it really is so rich in meaning and encouragement. But I think if I wrote any more, it might take away from the sweetness of this passage :)

I pray that whatever situation you are in, that you would be inspired to turn to the Word of God for your peace, comfort, and hope. Perhaps through this chapter or to a different one that may pertain more to your situation. And if you are content and happy where you are, if you're not really in a trial or afflicted, I pray that when you are you would cling to the comfort His word brings, and that you would be completely satisfied in Him.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Time is like water from a fire hydrant...

Do you ever feel that way?

Trying to cup your hands to catch the water from a hydrant but end up choking in the overflow?

Well, that was me until a few moments ago.

My phrase was, "It's just one of those seasons." You know the sort. The kind that makes you feel like a revolving door of events and emotions: always changing-moving-shifting-modifying-accommodating. The cup was always half full of things to do.

I've never considered myself one of those people who gets stressed out easily or begins a nail-biting habit whenever there is a strain in the schedule. In fact I never even had a written schedule until recently. I've always been more of the laid back sort...at least I think I am :)

But, perhaps that is a undiscovered pride issue :)

I shared this with my Mom tonight and she asked, "You don't enjoy it? You don't stand there in front of the water blasting with your mouth open? Taking it all in?"

My first thought was, "Why aren't I"

Maybe these are the feelings, situations that make people say,

"Lord, Your will be done! Because I haven't been checking anything off my to do list!"

Ce la vie I suppose...

I'm not saying it's easy trying to graduate, get a driver's license, and a plethora of "little things".

Like I said in an earlier post, I tend to resemble the mouse that was given a cookie, and asked for a glass of milk.

It is so easy for me to organize all the sock drawers in the house, while neglecting my studies (In my defense, it is not always intentional, but it does happen).

The key for me is not to always attend to the "need of the moment".

This is one of my favorite psalms, I've put up different sections

but really the entire psalm is wonderfully encouraging and sweetly convicting.

And I would encourage you to study it sometime.

Psalm 90

For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past,

or as a watch in the night.

You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,

like grass that is renewed in the morning:

in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;

in the evening it fades and withers.
The years of our life are seventy,or even by reason of strength eighty;

yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.

Who considers the power of your anger, and your wrath according to the fear of you?

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

Let your work be shown to your servants,and your glorious power to their children.

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Psalm 61

Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer;

from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.
Let me dwell in your tent forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of

those who fear your name.
Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!

May he be enthroned forever before God;

appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day.

"Don't Waste Your Cancer" or your mornings for that matter.

Recently I have been thinking about the scripture passage I posted a few days ago.

It has been interesting to see how the Lord has reminded me of it.

As I began reading more in Job and Lamentations I thought of the beautiful portions that we sing in hymns and place on our walls in frames,

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

What I hadn't thought about was the "Morning by morning" that the author experienced.

Usually when I think of the "Morning by morning" I typically think of hot buttermilk pancakes and orange juice, but the author was experiencing a time of suffering.

To sing His praises while enjoying fresh strawberries and while going through a dark affliction are two very different things.

So, I was thinking about this when I read John Piper's Desiring God blog and I would highly encourage you to read it; particularly the most recent post Don't Waste Your Cancer.

It deals mainly with a man who was recently diagnosed with cancer but it can apply to a varity of situations, whether you know someone who is seriously ill or perhaps you are or have been ill yourself. It was challenging and provided complete answers to some common statements and questions.

“My joy will be in you, and your joy will be made full. Your grief will be turned to joy. No one will take your joy away from you. Ask, and you will receive, so that your joy will be made full. These things I speak in the world, so that they may have my joy made full in themselves” (selection from John 15-17)

"But this I call to mind,and therefore I have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in him.

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.

Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him;

let him put his mouth in the dust there may yet be hope;

let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults.

For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief,

he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love;

for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men."

~Lamentations 3:21-33

Hope for Broken Spirits

Tonight as we studied Psalm 147, I noticed several very encouraging passages.
Recently I have had occasion to really ponder on what it means to present to God a broken and contrite heart as in Psalm 51:17:

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart,

O God, you will not despise.

Through different instances in my life I have known more what it is and what it looks like to be utterly broken. I've seen in the lives of people very dear to me, what it is to come to that place where you feel so completely stripped of every sense of joy, peace, or delight. Enough to feel physically taxed to the point of exhaustion. It's painful to watch someone experiencing this time; and yet the beauty of it is:

that this, along with a contrite heart, is what God considers as a sacrifice.

Our sovereign, gracious, righteous God considers this place of pain and grief a sacrifice.

So I understand the "broken heart" bit, however it was the term "contrite" that I was unsure of the meaning. And after reading up on it, knowing the meaning changed my first understanding of this text. Here is a part of Mr. Webster's 1828 definition of the word contrite:

"Penitance; deep sorrow for sin; grief of heart for having offended an infinitely holy and benevolent God. The word is usually understood to mean a genuine penitance, accompanied with a deep sense of ingratitude in the sinner, and sincere resolution to live in obedience to the divine law. "

~John Newton

"Hence, broken hearted for sin; deeply affected with grief and sorrow for having offended God;

humble, penitant; as a contrite spirit."

~Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary

So I had this in mind when I read the following in Psalm 147:

Praise the Lord!

For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground...

the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

So you see,God brings us to the painful, humbling place but because He is merciful and loving,

He doesn't leave us there.

"He heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds."!

This is a source of great comfort to me when I see my loved ones at this place; because I hold fast to the latter part of the chapter:

"...the Lord takes pleasure in

those who fear him,

in those who

hope in his steadfast love."

It's during the difficult times when this is all I can cling to, anything else would be leaning on my own understanding and we all know how that turns out.

When you love someone so deeply, their joys become yours; their interests become apart of yours; when they are in pain, you are grieved. It's just what comes with that choice.

Something that I have to work on is not acting from the heightened pain emotion; mostly I find it best to let the Lord be the only person to whom I cry out, and then not speaking at all is best.
What is hope you ask? Well, according to Mr. Webster the exact definition of hope is:

"Hope: 1. A desire of some good, accompanied with at least a slight expectation of obtaining it, or a belief that it is obtainable. Hope differs from wish and desire in this, that it implies some expectation of obtaining the good desired, or the possibility of obtaining it.
Hope therefore always gives pleasure or joy; whereas wish or desire may produce or be accompanied by pain and anxiety.
2. Confidence in a future event; the highest degree of well founded expectation of good; as a hope founded on God's gracious promises; a scriptural sense.

'A well founded scriptural hope, is in our religion, the source of ineffable happiness.'

Tis So Sweet

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

How long will all of you attack a man to batter him, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.

They take pleasure in falsehood.

They bless with their mouths,but inwardly they curse.

Selah

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.

On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.
Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him;

God is a refuge for us.

Selah

Those of low estate are but a breath; those of high estate are a delusion;

in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.

Put no trust in extortion; set no vain hopes on robbery;

if riches increase, set not your heart on them.

Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:

that power belongs to God,

and that to you, O Lord,

belongs steadfast love.

For you will render to a man according to his work.

We read this chapter together this morning during family devotions, and I found the passages I put in bold print extremely encouraging.

And after a rather unpleasant day, I read this chapter again with...well, if my vocabulary were wider then I would use a word that means something to the extent that I read this chapter with a new frame of mind, have a greater understanding of the refuge and fortress that God is.

It puts to mind that hymn Tis so sweet. I like the first two verses of that hymn but mainly the chorus,

"'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

just to take him at his word;

just to rest upon his promise,

just to know, "Thus saith the Lord."

Sometimes simply pouring my heart before Him is enough, being satisfied in knowing that He knows my thoughts and troubles, and that everything is for His own glory and for my sanctification.

It really is a sweet and comforting thought to surrender everything before the Lord.

1 Peter 4

"The end of all things is at hand;

therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.

Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies

in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

~1 Peter 4:7-11

I just wanted to share how much this chapter in First Peter (this passage inparticular) has really encouraged me and caused me to examine my actions and the way I live on a day to day basis.

This is another one of those passages where I read it as if for the first time. When I was eleven or twelve I had read through the entire Bible but I really don't remember reading this chapter :)

Each time I read it I find "something there that wasn't there before".

For instance, it is so sweet when Peter gives instruction on how we ought to live:

"Loving one another earnestly"

Websters 1828 defines Earnestly as: "Warmly, zealously, eagerly, with real desire";

Peter goes on to tell us why, "since love covers a multitude of sins".

Then again, I read on to,

"As each has a gift, use it to serve one another as stewarts of God's varied grace:

whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God;

whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies

in order that

in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ.

These words have been so sweet and welcome to my ears; because there are times where I feel weary and lonesome.

But things are difficult when you do them for the wrong reasons and in the wrong way. That is when I must step back and examine my motives, putting them against scripture and ask,

Am I doing this for me?

Is is for my own glory that I love and serve others?

Do I go above and beyond people's expectations for myself?

Or am I doing these things for His glory and praise? Which really ought to be my ultimate goal.

Like I said, this chapter has been so sweet and encouraging for me, and I hope that you will take time to read it (as a matter of fact, read the whole book it'll do you good).

Sweet Passage...

Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore!

From the rising of the sun to its setting,the name of the Lord is to be praised!

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!

Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,

who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.

He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.

Praise the Lord!
~Psalm 113

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

You will not fear the terror of the night,nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand,but it will not come near you.

You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place the Most High, who is my refuge, no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night we read this during family devotions and I found it to be very encouraging and insightful in two specific ways.

First, that we can have great peace and ease knowing that Our Father is protecting and always watching over us. We can have no need for fear or anxiety in light of this passage and ones like it.

The Psalms are full of chapters and verses telling of God's protection over our lives.

Secondly, on closer inspection I saw that there is a reason for His protection:

"You will not fear the terror of the night...

the arrow that flies by day...

the pestilence that stalks in darkness...

the destruction that wastes at noonday..."

So, like it says in James 1, "...when you meet trials of various kinds..." Not if but when.