Camp Life

I have been busy. It is hard to believe that it is almost July already. The summer is passing quickly and I feel like I am not getting to much of my to do list. I spent two weeks in June volunteering at a Teen Bible Camp. It was extremely rewarding, but ridiculously exhausting. I am still trying to catch up from the craziness! It was so apparent that the Lord had a place specifically laid out for me in advance and it was such an honor to be able to serve Him there. I am ever thankful for His leading and faithfulness in all situations. He never leaves us hanging. It was a time in the Word. The messages were amazing. If only to learn what was being taught, then it was worth every minute. I realized in working at the camp that I am much removed from the pressures of teenage life. In all reality, I might just be a little too naive! They face more challenges and temptations than we would like to admit. It deeply saddens me to see how much a typical teen has to face each day. Yet, they are resilient. Unfortunately, I don't forsee things getting a whole lot better in the future. I would be lying if I said it doesn't make me anxious for my own children. It is going to be a challenge to raise them in this world, but thankfully my Lord is faithful and ever present. Whom or what shall I then fear?

Under His Wings

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.”
Psalm 91
The Psalms are going to become favorite passages of mine. I can already tell as a few days in have lead to great blessings and deeper appreciation for my Heavenly Father. I can relate to David so much in so many of his writings. I am thankful that God worked through David so that we can see that we all struggle and are all weak. I used to think weakness was a bad thing for a christian to be, but in the last year or so the Lord has shown me that it is exactly what he wants me to be. When I am weak, then he can be strong! Paul's writings have been a huge encouragement to me as well because this is the exact thing that he learned.

When I know God's strength and dwell under his wings of protection, then there are many blessings that come. He says he will deliver me from the evil things. He will cover me with his wings and I will have refuge. He will shield me with his faithfulness. I can know that God will be true to his word each and every time. What protection and hope! I will have no reason to fear anything if I cling to this truth. No evil or plague is allowed to come upon those who fear the Lord and take refuge in him! What wonderful words of encouragement.

The next truth in this passage is something I have been clinging to for some time. I have been feeling oppressed and afflicted. I had lost hope and was feeling defeated, but then someone shared this truth with me. God will command his angels concerning me! God, the commander of angel armies will command them to guard me. They will fight on my behalf and be a protection. This is so comforting in times of distress. We will be able to face things that seem impossible because we know that the God of angel armies is on our side! He is so good to his people! I hope you know this. I pray that we will all understand these truths and hold on to them for dear life. May we stand firm because God is on our side, and we have found refuge under his wings!

“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.”

Grumbling about the Weather?

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.

He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

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.

Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;

make melody to our God on the lyre!

He covers the heavens with clouds;

he prepares rain for the earth;

he makes grass grow on the hills.

He gives to the beasts their food,

and to the young ravens that cry.

His delight is not in the strength of the horse,

nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,

in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!

Praise your God, O Zion!

For he strengthens the bars of your gates;

he blesses your children within you.

He makes peace in your borders;

he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

He sends out his command to the earth;

his word runs swiftly.

He gives snow like wool;

he scatters frost like ashes.

He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;

who can stand before his cold?

He sends out his word, and melts them;

he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

He declares his word to Jacob,

his statutes and rules to Israel.

He has not dealt thus with any other nation;

they do not know his rules.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147

I have been admonished by the Lord this morning. The weather this year in the North has been incredibly strange, unseasonably cold, and we are getting antsy for change. It has been a hard year with the weather being so harsh. My response? A bit of complaining and grumbling. I am not alone, but still, it is something the Lord chose to deal with today. Do you see, complaining, whether we feel it is justified or not, is still complaining. The real target of my complaint? God himself. Do you see how he is the creator of even the weather every day? He sends the rains, the snow, the frost, the winds, and the springtime thaw. It is he who is over all. Instead of complaining about the weather, I should be praising my almighty God! Attitude check! The power of God should bring worship and praise, not grumbling and questions of his goodness. 

God delights when we are humble before him and fear him. He does not delight in the strength of man physically or mentally. We can be so stubborn and self reliant. God takes joy in a humble heart, a heart that acknowledges who he is and who we are before him. How can I think that any strength I can muster up would bring joy to God almighty? It is ridiculous! Only my heart being humble before the Lord can be pleasing to him. Lord, humble my heart. Create in me a spirit that fears you and you alone. 

God cares so much for us. It blows my mind everytime I get even a glimpse of the love he has for us. He is so good! He heals the brokenhearted and binds the wounded. One thing to realize however is that in order for the healing of my heart to come, I must first be broken. This comes from the realization of who God is and who I really am deep down. Oh when I see his face! It breaks my heart each and every time. It is then that he offers healing and applies ointment to my wounds. What love! The God who named the stars and knows them by name also knows me by name. He cares about me and loves me with a love I can't begin to understand or comprehend. Bless the Lord my soul!!!

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, O my soul!

I will praise the Lord as long as I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,

in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.

When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the Lord his God,

who made heaven and earth,

the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;

who executes justice for the oppressed,

who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;

the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.

The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;

the Lord loves the righteous.

The Lord watches over the sojourners;

he upholds the widow and the fatherless,

but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever,

your God, O Zion, to all generations.

Praise the Lord

Psalm 146

Oh dear one, have you lost your hope? There are times when I struggle to keep my hope fixed on the Lord. There are times when I hope in my own strength or in the strength of others. There are times when I find comfort and security in all the wrong places. I know those are times when the Lord is jealous for me. 

This Psalm spoke to me this morning as I was reading. God is the God of all. He made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything in it. He is the judge of all and feeds the hungry. He sets prisoners free. He opens the eyes of those who cannot see the truth. He lifts up those who are humble and broken. He loves those who love Him. 

The care God has for all of us is astounding. The fact that the God of the universe is taking care of the less fortunate is so encouraging. He is in control of it all, yet He cares about me. Why would I put my hope in something weaker than the all mighty God of the universe? My God is going to reign forever! Praise Him alone and trust in Him alone. My weak heart, trust in God! Open my eyes Lord, set me free. I want to be yours and yours alone! Forgive me for my weakness and lack of trust in you at times. Be my strength Lord! Help me to only hope in you!

Such a Time as This!

"And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

 Esther 4:14b

This statement comes from Mordecai, the uncle of Queen Esther. It came at a desperate time in the history of the Jews. An edict had been made by a hateful man against the Jews. They were all to be killed and plundered simply because one man's pride went unchecked. Esther was in a position of great power, yet she feared what the king would do to her if she approached him without being summoned. Death was a likely outcome.

Queen Esther, also known as Hadassah, was of Jewish decent. She was a common girl. Her parents died in her youth, so her uncle Mordecai took her in as his own and raised her. The Jewish people living in Susa, Persia at this time were there because they had been carried away as captives. They were foreigners in the land. Hadassah means myrtle. The myrtle tree was found in Babylon. It was a tree that bore beautifully aromatic flowers used for perfume. She was a beautiful girl and attracted the attention of the king's men.

Queen Vashti had been removed from her throne due to a refusal to obey a request from the king. He then sought to replace her with a more beautiful woman. All the most attractive young virgins of the land were sought and brought to the palace. They were put through an entire year of beautifying. What a spa experience! Hadassah was one of those women. She is said to have been only 14 at the time! Can you imagine what fear must have accompanied a girl of that age? This girl who was an orphan of Jewish decent. She was to go before the king of Persia herself, the king who had just sent away his beautiful Queen Vashti. Hadassah gained favor in everyone's eyes including the king. She was made Queen Esther of the Persian Empire!

So time past and the edict came because of one man's detest for the Jewish people who had been living in the Persian Empire. They were all to be killed. Mordecai makes this known to Esther. She becomes fearful and distraught. Her uncle pleads with her to go to the king, but there is a risk of death to her if she exposes her true identity. She too could be killed. And then he says it, "“Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

What time are you living in? What things are happening in your life? Where are you feeling stressed, pressured, or under tribulation? What is your reaction? Oh, I can tell you what mine is! I want to run, complain, whine, and get out of the pressure. I want to live a peaceful easy life. Truth: this may not be the Lord's will. Look at the life that Esther lived. She was pulled from all security and safety. Everything she knew was gone and she found herself in a life she did not chose. Her life was chosen for her, yet despite her circumstances, she had faith. She fasted and prayed for three full days before going before the king. In the face of death, she turned to the Lord. The outcome was unknown and uncertain, but she chose to act in faith. Perhaps this is what her life was all about. Perhaps she was created for "such a time as this." We can read the rest of the story and see the Lord's hand in it all. She as accepted by the king and given her request. Her obedience and confidence in the Lord saved her people. What a legacy!

As I read through the Book of Esther, this is the verse that jumps off the page. What has the Lord put me on the earth for? For every situation I find myself, in all of those things, to live my life before the Lord with confidence and faith. He knows my life from beginning to end. He knows the trials I am facing. He knows the struggles I am and will have. So despite it all that I would live my life in faith and obedience knowing that He has orchestrated it all, "for such a time as this."

To Be More Like Jesus

1. Compassionate and loving to the point of death.
2. Loving those who hated him.
3. Free if complained and grumbling.
4. Silent before his accusers.
5. Obedient to his Father in all things.
6. Concerned with and guided only by his Father's will.
7. Willing to suffer for the sake of others.
8. A selfless humble servant.
9. Willing to severe for a time the most important relationship he had in order be united forever with us.
10. Willing to be punished and persecuted in the place of others.
11. Always spurred on because of the deep love he had for his Father and for us!

This is a list of things that the Lord brought to my mind this morning while sitting in church. I want to be more like my Savior. He was such an amazing man in his life here on earth. He showed such love and compassion! I can't wrap my mind around who Jesus is or what it really cost him to die for me, but I am every thankful. There are no words to describe what it means. What a beautiful Savior!

Would I be so compassionate for others? Would I see hurt and have it move me to do something? Do I love those who just dislike me? Do I whine and complain about life and circumstance? Would I suffer even just a little for someone who didn't like me? Would I be willing to serve others even if I didn't have to? I could go on, but you see the idea.

 As we were driving to church this morning I was full of complaints. I realized that I would have been one of the grumbling Israelites in the wilderness, probably one of the worst. It was depressing to be so honest, but I am thankful that the Lord revealed this weakness. Then in His wonderfully sweet way, the Father brought my eyes to His Son so that I could see more clearly. It will never cease to surprise me when someone teaches on the exact subject I have been wrestling with just days or even minutes before. Our eyes were turned to Jesus and the events of His life and death. He lived through some of the worst circumstances imaginable to man. I am amazed that he lived through such things and never voiced a complaint or bitter word. The Son of God, the creator, willingly allowed men to taunt, beat, accuse, and humiliate him for my sake. He endured such terrible things at the hands of man. He could have called his angel armies to the rescue and finished us all off, but He chose to endure the suffering for our sake! What love! Lord, make me more like you!

Tell Me About Yourself

I have been seeing alot of visitors on the blog from different countries. I would love to hear from you and get to know who it is that has been able to share in the things the Lord is doing. Please leave a comment or send me a message. I would love to be able to encourage you individually as well as be able to pray for you. God bless.

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