strength

Thursday, June 23, 2011 (6:32 a.m.)

Blessed Lord,

Thank You! What a gift to wake up with, fresh ideas while singing ♫Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord We will wait upon the Lord…♫

Friday, June 24, 2011 (5:51 a.m.)

Awesome God,

It’s another new day and still the same song. Thank You Lord that You ARE ♫Our God… the everlasting God♫ I am excited to sing these words of You being ♫Our hope, our Strong Deliverer… the everlasting God♫ I read them in Your Word (Isaiah 40: 28-31) and I stop. I sit. I think. I wonder. And then continue.

Lord, You are amazing! You call us to You. ♫You do not faint You won’t grow weary You’re the defender of the weak♫ You make promises that You keep. You made them and I choose to believe them. Thank You Lord. Your Word is indeed from which I get my strength!

♫You’re the defender of the weak You comfort those in need You lift us up on wings like eagles♫ I’ve read these words for years Lord. I have gained strength from believing them. Too many times I have thought that it’s up to me to figure things out, to have all the answers. What a blessing it is instead to ♫wait upon the Lord♫ Thank You Father!

(8:51 a.m.)

Three hours later and the singing continues. Thank You Lord. Various Bible translations, the Illustrated Bible Handbook, even a little book simply titled Blessings keep reinforcing the Truth that our strength ultimately comes from You. What a blessing, and a gift. Thank You Lord.

Eleanor Roosevelt is given credit [on a page featuring a beautiful photo of tree covered mountainsides J] as saying, “I gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face.”

Beloved Lord God, You have been teaching me all these years that the ONLY way I can ever confront fear is through You! Thank You Lord. Any strength I get to experience is a direct result of time spent with You. Thank You.

Thank You too Lord for the work You are doing in me as far as any perceived crisis is concerned. Again, in turning to You and attempting to trust all things to Your perfect care, I am asking that You would continue reminding me that all strength, all hope, all courage comes directly from our ultimate surrender to Your will and Your way in our lives. Right now I am coming to see ‘crisis’ as ‘circumstances resulting in supreme intimate surrender’. Or possibly even ‘courage results in supreme intimate surrender’.

The longer I walk with You Lord, the more time I spend with You, the more readily I realize that it is only when I come to the end of myself and my plans and hopes and dreams that Your strength does manifest itself in me.

Thank You Lord that we get to wait upon You (Isaiah 40:31). We are told to “Be still and know” that You are God (Psalm 46:10). It is in You that we have our hope (Psalm 39:7).

I currently have three different versions of the Bible in front of me. Each says the truth of Isaiah 40:31 in just a slightly different way. The Living Bible, “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” The Contemporary English Version, “But those who trust the Lord will find new strength. They will be strong like eagles soaring upward on wings; they will walk and run without getting tired.” I try to imagine what that would be like Dear Lord. I confess I would love to experience that kind of strength!

The New International Version uses the word ‘hope’ instead of ‘wait upon’ and ‘trust’. Sign me up Lord! How desperately I long to wait upon, trust and hope in You. Thank You for defending the weak, comforting those in need and lifting ♫us up on wings like eagles♫ Thank You Lord that our strength absolutely comes from You. I love You so very much. Help me know You better that I would come to love You even more. Thank You Lord. I love You. Amen.

(720 words ~ 10:39 a.m.)