turning to and looking for God

Wednesday, October 14, 2020 (6:47 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You for Who and ALL You are. You lead us. You guide us. When we turn to and look for You.

Mm, yes Father. When we turn to and look for You!

Thank You most Dear and Holy God. Thank You for sending Jesus to come and teach and die for each of us. That in His sacrifice, we would ultimately live forever.

The Life Recovery Bible comment for 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 tells us, “When we entrust our life to God, two opposite and somewhat confusing processes are simultaneously at work… the body’s physical deterioration and death…distressing trials that accompany life on this earth. On the other hand, our spirit is being renewed, preparing us day-by-day for the overwhelming glory and blessing we will experience in the presence of God throughout eternity. If we trust God to help us in our troubles now, we can look beyond these troubles to the everlasting joy He has for us in eternity.”

Hmmm. Trust God. Look beyond troubles. Everlasting joy in eternity. Continue guiding and teaching us dear Lord.

The Message spells out these verses quite simply. “So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. There hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

Oh amen. Amen!

Reading of “the lavish celebration prepared for us” my mind went straight over to Psalm 23:5 and the table You preparest before us. Thank You Father that You take such tender good care of us.

Using The Passion Translation I delight in contemplating the Lord as “my Best Friend and my Shepherd.” Because of Whom, “I always have more than enough” (v. 1).

Continuing with this choice of words I relish the thought of Him offering “a resting place for me in His luxurious love. His tracks take me to an oasis of peace, the quiet brook of bliss” (2). Such a peace-filled picture.

“That’s where He restores and revives my life. He opens before me pathways to God’s pleasure and leads me along in His footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to His name” (3). Oh yes Lord!

The footnote for “footsteps of righteousness” teaches, “Psalm 23:3 Or ‘circular paths of righteousness.’ It is a common trait for sheep on the hillsides of Israel to circle their way up higher. They eventually form a path that keeps leading them higher. This is what David is referring to here. Each step we take following our Shepherd will lead us higher, even though it may seem we are going in circles.”

Blessed Lord Jesus, how I thank You for being our Shepherd. Keep leading and protecting us. Do all You know is best for Your good and Your glory.

We love You Lord. We need You. And we long to grow into the people You would have us be. Following Your guidance every step of the way. Praise You. Thank You. Use us. Amen.

(569 words ~ 8:30 a.m.)

by rote

Tuesday, October 13, 2020 (6:54 a.m.)

Mammoth Lakes, CA

Blessed, Holy God,

Mm, yes! You are blessed. Holy. God. 

Often I say things practically by rote. Paying little attention. Until something catches my eye. Or ear.

Blessed. Holy. God. Those three words pack quite a punch when we think about them. Thank You that You provide us the wherewithal of thinking more deeply than the mere surface of things.

Sitting here in the smoke-free comfort of another’s condo, I look straight out the glass door to a giant pine. As I continue watching, I see movement. A blue jay. Then I notice the pinecones. And bare branches.

Lord, everything goes deeper when we take the time to consider it. Like the Truth of You being blessed. Holy. And God. What will this reality mean for this day?

♪I’ll Stand By You♪

Oh Lord God, the news just came on television. More coverage of the upcoming election. This country is in dire [extremely serious or urgent] need of You Lord. We pray. Confess. And beseech You Father. Do what only YOU are able. Unite these divided states Dear Lord.

You are blessed. You are holy. You are God. And good. And able.

None of this prayer is being phoned in Lord. It’s not offered up by rote. I am looking to You. Asking. Seeking. Knocking (Matthew 7:7). Coming before You, believing You to be the loving Father that You are.

♪All my hope is in You♪

Blessed. Holy. God. I confess to You right here my hesitation to hope. With such divide Lord, only YOU can do all that must be done. How I pray. Asking You to do that which only You are able. Unite us Lord.

This I pray, in Jesus’ most holy name. We love You Lord. We thank You. Amen.

(311 words ~ 7:57 a.m.)

♪Singing Praise♪

Monday, October 12, 2020 (7:53 a.m. 37°)

Gull Lake Parking Lot

Holy, Holy God,

Here I sit. Once again singing Your praises from the comfort of a warm vehicle. Thank You Lord.

There’s a song for children. From Psalty the Singing Songbook. I don’t have ready access to the usual search techniques. Psalty Bible, internet… ♪I’m singing praises♪ And then there’s spelling involved. Is It ♪J E S U S my Savior♪?

Not knowing where in Your Word to turn I look in the back. Topical Index under “Praise” and here I am at Habakkuk’s Prayer (3:1-2). [Father God, thank You for the gloves and scarf you had me pack!] “This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk: I have heard all about You, LORD, and I am filled with awe by the amazing things You have done. In this time of our deep need, begin again to help us as You did in years gone by. Show us Your power to save us. And in Your anger, remember Your mercy.”

As if this isn’t music enough to my ears, the comment at the bottom of the of the page directs me over to Hebrews 12:5-6. Blessed Lord God, how truly we thank You for Your discipline. Your loving correction that ultimately leads us to following You into the perfect, vital relationship You have planned for us.

Habakkuk 3:1-2 comment in The Life Recovery Bible. “… God’s punishment is always for the purpose of growth and blessing. If we recognize our need for God and follow His good plans for us, we can receive the blessingsHe intended for us to gain through our painful experiences.”

Father God, painful experiences abound! There are serious health issues. Great need for Your presence and Your healing. Derisions and divisiveness appear to be the norm. Where is the ♪Kumbayah♪ my Lord?

I sit here Father. Warm enough. Contemplating and singing bits of praise as they come to me. ♪J E S U S my Savior♪

Back over to Hebrews 12:5-6. Found just above “A Call to Listen to God” (vs. 14-28). “… My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you and don’t be discouraged when He corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those He loves and He punishes those He accepts as His children. (12:5-6 Proverbs 3:11-12).”

Mm, mm, mm Father! One act of singing praise to You yields blessing upon blessing of Your Truth. How deeply I thank and praise You Lord.

None of us knows what this day or the next holds. Thank You that we can trust and depend that You are holding us all. ♪Kumbayah my Lord…♪ Come by here!

Thank You. We need You. We love You. Amen.

(468 a.m. ~ 8:35 a.m.)

Always Aware

Sunday, October 11, 2020 (10:25 a.m.)

Rock Creek Lake, CA

Holy God,

Thank You! Today I get to continue looking at the verses from yesterday.

Yes Father, thank You that we get to move forward. And at the very same time? Look all around. Even behind. Always aware. Mm, yes Lord. It is because of You and Your love that we are called to always be aware of our surroundings. Of what has come to pass and what is yet to be.

Lord God, You know Your best for each and every single one of us. I look with awe and wonder at these peaceful surroundings. Lake water just beginning to ripple. The evergreens are as green as ever [hence their name]. Unchanged. But for the occasional dead branch.

The rest of the forest? Alive with the colors of fall. Yellow, greens, golds, oranges, even copper.

(11:00 a.m.)

Reading and the warmth of the car lulled me straight to sleep. Looking again to Psalm 55. “A deeply emotional expression of David’s fear and anguish…” (Illustrated Bible Handbook). Referring back to 2 Samuel 22; 24 I read of David’s sins and failings.

Blessed Holy God, as I continue reading I am further reminded of the fragile condition of these Untied States of America. Militias, Father? Plots of kidnapping (and worse concerning) government officials? Early signs of another Civil War of sorts? Lord, we NEED You to intervene!

You “did not allow David’s mistakes to destroy the nation.” The Life Recovery Bible Second Samuel introduction. You “sent the prophet Nathan to initiate a recovery program for David; Nathan’s intervention brought the king to repentance. David was humble and willing to accept [Your] word of correction. He was willing to learn from his mistakes and for the rest of his life continued to look to [You] for strength and help.”

Oh Father, how we need You! The RECOVERY THEMES listed for this book are: Recovery Follows Failure; Justice with Mercy; Accepting Reality; The Seriousness of Sin. All of this history prior to Christ’s coming. Will we EVER learn Oh God?

When given his own three choices of punishment (2 Samuel 24:13) for judgment of his sin David’s reply was “This is a desperate situation! But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for His mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands” (v. 14).

It was David’s foolishness that brought great suffering to innocent people and he responded appropriately. He took responsibility and brought restitution, restoring his fellowship with You. Holy Lord God, we need a leader who loves and follows You.

Praying verse 16a to You Lord, how I ask You to interview on our behalves. “But as the death angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented and said to the angel, ‘Stop! That is enough!’”

Oh yes Blessed God, make it stop! It is enough! Keep us always aware and ever faithful to You, Dear Lord. Unite each opposing side who claims to love and work for You. We are in desperate need of Your healing. Do all You must to Your good and Your glory. For Your people and YOUR land.

We love You, Lord. Heal us please. Amen.

(538 words ~ 12:16 p.m.)

♪Be Glorified Today♪

Saturday October 10, 2020 (5:52 a.m.)

Holy God,

Remember all that peace of mind and heart I started out with yesterday? That was not the case late last night and into early this morning.

Father! There are so many horrifying events taking place in this world. Oh that You would be glorified God. Yes, Lord. ♪Be Glorified Today♪

Thank You for linking the words horrifying and glorifying together for me. It’s so easy for me to focus on the scary, horrible things society is doing to itself. Thank You for the words found yesterday from an astute eight year old.

“If you hurt other people, you hurt yourself too.”

Isn’t that what Your Word teaches us? Over and over again.

Psalm 55

Philippians 1:20

as You know is best

Friday, October 9, 2020 (6:21 a.m.)

Holy God,

Thank You again. My heart is Yours. I love You. Use me today. As You know is best.

There is such peace in my very being right at this moment. The TV news still reports awful, terrible things. There are struggles and discord at so many turns. And the absolute Truth is You know all that is best.

Blessed, Holy Father God, I continue turning to You. Wanting to follow Your lead. Mm, yes God. Your lead!

How I thank You Father for even directing me to Bible verses. Letting me read of Your guidance. To remind me that You shepherded Your people out of slavery to becoming conquerors. Thank You Lord.

Today Father, I ask You to guide and direct and shepherd me on Your path of righteousness. Allow me to see You and Your Truth, Your will and Your way. Clearly.

The Israelites got to follow You by way of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night (Numbers 9:15-23). I can’t even imagine! Would I be willing? Or go kicking and screaming. Grousing and complaining?

Holy God I love You. I ask that I would represent Your Word of Truth today. Proverbs 4:18. The Message. “The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine.”

Yeah. The longer I live, the brighter I want Your light to shine through me! Make it so Dearest Dad. Make it so!

I love You. I long to live this day in, with, by, through and for You. Do all You must. As You alone know is best. Thank You. Praise You. Amen.

(283 words ~ 9:57 a.m.)

continue growing

Thursday, October 8, 2020 (6:02 a.m.)

Blessed God,

You continue growing me. Mm, yes. And how I thank You Lord.

Thank You for the opportunities to change.

Ephesians 2:20-22 (AMP)

Colossians 1:27-29 (ERV)

And here it is! The verse(s) I want to explore with You this morning. Colossians 2:7. Beginning at 6 and following through to 8. Easy-to-Read Version. This is where I get to settle in. Read. Hope. Gather strength. Thank You God.

Written by the apostle Paul to the believers at Colosse “to show us that Christ is the only real source of power in our life” (The Life Recovery Bible’s THE BOTTOM LINE PURPOSE). Mm, yes! “The greatest power in the universe - the power of God in Jesus Christ.” Thank You Father.

Thank You that I get to come before You. Exactly as I am. Mistakes and all. Referring back to yesterday’s experience with “failing fabulously”, I offer You this morning’s American Sentence. “Failing fabulously” allows for perspective when making mistakes.

Father how I thank You for continuing to grow me as I learn. Explore. Stumble. Pick myself up. And try again. You provide me the fresh perspective I need to continue going and growing. Thank and praise You Lord!

“Continue to Follow Christ Jesus You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following Him. You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from Him. Just as you were taught the Truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God” (Colossians 2:6-7).

How very interesting Lord. I didn’t recognize this section in the Easy-to-Read version. It’s only in following the verse over to The Passion Translation that I immediately recognized it as the passage that helped me through the difficult days of my mom’s passing. You were there with me. Preparing me for what was to come.

Blessed Lord God, how I thank You for the opportunity to look back and read of who and where I was all those (10+) years ago. Talk about You continuing to grow me. Thank and praise You awesome God.

As I prepare to go out into this day, again I marvel at the work You have already done in me. Keep it up Blessed God. Continue growing me into the woman You would have me be. The one who is “clothed in strength and dignity”, who “laughs with no fear of the future”, whose “teachings are filled with wisdom and kindness as loving instruction pours from her lips” and “her sons and daughters arise in one accord to extol her virtues, and her husband arises to speak of her in glowing terms” (Proverbs 31:25, 26, 28 The Passion Translation).

Oh yes Blessed God! Continue growing me in to her. Thank You. I love You. Use me. Amen.

(483 words ~ 7:24 a.m.)