Good morning, beloved, precious ones of God,
As this is an election year, I thought it prudent to teach my younger ones about the office of the President of the United States of America. So we did a lapbook about the past Presidents which included games and trivia and such about the men. As they learned their names, some of the interesting habits they had, the firsts some of them accomplished, the battles won, the battles lost, I watched them gain a new respect for an office that before now they had little understanding. Some blanks, I hope, in their minds, were filled in.
Yet, even as powerful as the President of the United States of America may be, he is nothing compared to our God.
3Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God!
So, understand that the Lord is God. We may enjoy thinking that we have power. Or an office holds power. Or a leadership position holds power. Yet, if we consider that He is the only true God…and power is given and power is taken away. He holds it all in the palm of His hand.
It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]!
Remembering this is important to me. This verse resonates deep within me. I am the clay. I am known, from the inside out. I didn’t have anything to do with this creation. He formed me from the very tiniest of atoms. I am loved.
8Your hands have formed me and made me. Would You turn around and destroy me?
9Remember [earnestly], I beseech You, that You have fashioned me as clay [out of the same earth material, exquisitely and elaborately]. And will You bring me into dust again?
10Have You not poured me out like milk and curdled me like cheese?
11You have clothed me with skin and flesh and have knit me together with bones and sinews.
12You have granted me life and favor, and Your providence has preserved my spirit.
13Yet these [the present evils] have You hid in Your heart [for me since my creation]; I know that this was with You [in Your purpose and thought].
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
His people: `am
1) nation, people
a) people, nation
b) persons, members of one’s people, compatriots, country-men
2) kinsman, kindred
19Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,
20You were bought with a price [purchased with a[b]preciousness and paid for, [c]made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
9O you who bring good tidings to Zion, get up to the high mountain. O you who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength, lift it up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10Behold, the Lord God will come with might, and His arm will rule for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.
11He will feed His flock like a shepherd: He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom and will gently lead those that have their young.
Can I get an amen? The Word of God will lead you. It will guide you and it will bring you the peace you need always. Always.
The frustrations of life, the fears of life, the worries of life…when the neurologist calls my husband and says, the MRI is abnormal. You have a lesion in your pineal region. This isn’t my specialty. we need to refer you to a neurosurgeon…Friends, a choice had to be made. Truly, a choice had to be made. Are we going to trust our God who will feed us like a shepherd?
Are we going to trust that he will gather Joshua as a lamb in His arm and carry us in His bosom and gently lead us as we have these little kiddos? Yes, we have to…yet, I will be very honest with you and tell you, my jaw went out on Sunday afternoon and I’m in terrible pain. I can’t get over the pain. Nothing happened to set it off. So, as I work through it in my mind, I have to assume, that it is stress. I went to the Chiropractor yesterday (who has known us for a long time) and he just paused after hearing our news, you have been through so much.
And I have to just say, we will take it one breath at a time. One step at a time. Keeping our eyes on Him. Am i frustrated with pain? Yes. I hate pain. Yet, the Word of God keeps me coming back!
4Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise!
Coming into His house each week, praising the Lord corporately, raising my hands in worship or quietly kneeling before Him, however the posture God requires of me…it is critical to enter the “gates”, the “courts”, of my church each week. I saw a Newsweek article recently, Forget The Church, Follow Jesus by Andrew Sullivan…how wrong this position is..Generations coming together, reminding one another how good and pleasant it is when we dwell together in unity and praise the Lord!! Is it always easy? Is it always good? Nope. Yet, it is necessary.
17I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving and will call on the name of the Lord.
18I will pay my vows to the Lord, yes, in the presence of all His people,
19In the courts of the Lord’s house–in the midst of you, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)
10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
And, guess what? Pray on…I’ll continue tomorrow…
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