Divine Guidance

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.  John 16:13 (NIV)

Seeking the Lord. He says we shall find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. Wondering where to go, what to do. He says when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will show you things to come. Those two little thoughts just came to me now as I began to write. Asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom, and guidance is the key to our control center.

Jeremiah says our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked....but we are to seek Him with all our heart. How can a wicked heart, capable of deceiving itself, seek and FIND the Lord anyway? The Holy Spirit is the key. Saved or unsaved, Spirit-filled or following the flesh, the answer to that question is The Holy Spirit.

The Hand of God

Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. Isaiah 48:13

As I was reading last night in Isaiah, this particular verse seemed to jump off the page at me. . it was as if the Holy Spirit wanted me to pause there and really get something extra special. But I had just read verse 12 which says: Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. The Lord used that verse to prepare me for verse 13.

Look at verse 12 again. He wants us to HEARKEN unto Him. Has He asked you (or "called you") to do something that seems to be a bit out of your comfort zone? He is The One that has been before the beginning of time. He knows the first from the last! He's already in each of our tomorrows.

In the Hands of an Archer

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 
Psalm 32:8

Seems like this week the Lord is wanting me to know that He is watching over me.   The thoughts He gave me for Thursday's post really have helped me, and I hope they have helped you too---to know that He is watching over us...and not to say, "I see you.  I've got My eye on you" (as a threat of "You better behave!") BUT to let us know that He's watching us, even during the night, waiting for us to stir, and longing to have our eyes meet His first thing in the morning. 

The last part of Psalm 32:8, "I will guide thee with mine eye" actually means: "I will counsel you and watch over you."   Oh!  I sigh, because the Lord knows the inner thoughts and concerns of my heart today.  Needing to know the direction I should go....Needing a job, but have no idea which way to look. 

When I read in "My Utmost for His Highest" (Oswald Chambers) this morning, the Lord just began to tie things together for me.  Chambers says that "a saint's life in the hands of God is like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer....God is aiming at something that the saint cannot see. He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says---'I cannot stand any more!'  God does not heed, he goes on stretching til His purpose is IN SIGHT, then He lets FLY!"  

Sometimes the concerns for "tomorrow" (where to find a job, will we survive this economy, where to put our children in school)---can fog our concentration on our daily duties.  John Hamilton Thom says, "small cares daily frets our hearts, and cross the clearness of our faculties...leaving us no free soul able to give itself up, in power, and gladness, to the true work of life."  This is the "severest training and self denial."  OH!  How true this is!   Concerns and anxiety cloud my focus, yet He keeps on stretching, even when I cry, "OUCH!  Stop, please!"  No...He's got some "end in sight!"  He DOES have a purpose for my (and your) life.  (Jer. 29:11) 

He will instruct me and teach me in the way I should go.  For now, the instructions do not include, "This is where you need to find a job."   The instructions on "today's roster" include: "Do your daily duties, small and great....rest, rest rest in the fact that you are in My hands, child.  I am The Archer Who never misses My Mark!  I know where I want you to be...and when I see that purpose in sight, I will let you FLY!"    OH!  That makes me smile!   He will guide me, watch over me...and then, once I RELAX (by trusting Him) He will "LET ME FLY!"

Oh Dear Father!   You are watching me.  It's SOO reassuring to know You have got Your eye on me.   We tease our children sometimes when we remind them, "I've got my eye on you!"  But really, this should bring comfort to any insecure child's heart.   "You may wander off, you may think I don't care enough to watch you, BUT I have got my eye on you."  Thank You that Your eyes not only see me, but they're looking for that unique purpose in sight....You're looking to see when our hearts are in tune with Yours, and totally trusting You.  And when they are, it's as if the "TARGET IS IN SIGHT," and You'll let us fly.  BULLSEYE!  You never miss Your mark!  It's up to us to determine how quickly that "target gets in sight."   Help me relax today, while clearly focusing on my "tasks at hand."  Help me NOT worry or THINK about "tomorrow's changing tide."   Help me relax in the Hands of the Most Wonderful "Archer" to ever hold a bow and arrow.  Thank You for even picking me up in the first place, and finding a purpose in my life, through Your Son, Jesus!  I love You!  In Jesus' name I pray..amen.

Calling and Waiting

And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will hear.    Isaiah 65:24

It's been a while since I've posted any updates.  Have had a lot on my mind.  Sometimes feel like it's best for me to just seek the Lord, and be a little quiet as I wait on Him.

I've read somewhere "when we're down to nothin' the Lord's up to somethin'."   I think of today's Scripture in Isaiah that says, "Before they call upon Me, I will answer and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."   Have you claimed that promise lately?  I have.  So I know that even before I fall to my knees, seeking His guidance, He has already heard my cry.  And while I am still pouring out my heart to Him, He is already working on the situation, answering it according to His will.  That's very reassuring!   Sometimes answers to our prayers seem to come at a very "slow rate."    That's because we are "living on a 24 hour a day time clock."   At 5:46 EST, on May 2, 2010, I am writing this.... remembering that even though He's here with me now, He's also "in the Tomorrow" as well.  He's the Alpha and the Omega.  The Beginning and The End.   

Oh Father, as we await Your answers, PLEASE help us to be patient, and praise You too.  For we are to enter into Your gates with thanksgiving in our hearts, and enter into Your courts with PRAISE.   Increase our faith..and help us remember that "FAITH COMES BY HEARING and HEARING BY THE WORD OF GOD."  Help us to keep our hearts in tune to Your Word so that You can give us the gift of increased faith.  If we slip, pick us up.   For, Father, our adversary seeks to destroy not only our faith, but also our lives.   Protect us today as we await Your answers for our Tomorrows. 
In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.

Construction Zone

Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him;

and he shall bring it to pass.  Psalm 37:5

Tuesday's blog entry was discussing how God has promised to make all things new, and for us to forget the past and watch Him make a "road" in the middle of our "wasteland"---(which the Hebrew text is referring to an open field, such as where cattle are driven.) 

With the recent announcement of some upcoming changes being made, I couldn't  help but wonder... "Lord, how will all of this turn out?  How is this even going to happen?   I don't even have any 'oars' to paddle with."  (See Sat.'s blog.)    Well, last night, I read Psalm 37:5.  Hmmm.  Commit thy "way."  "I wonder if 'way' means the same thing as 'way' in Isaiah 43:18, 19.  Sure enough..it does.  "Way, road, distance, journey, manner."  

We are to commit (roll over) our way (or the road we're on) right onto the LORD.   Remember He tells us in Isaiah 43: 18, 19  to forget the past because He's going to make a way for us...A new ROAD.  A new direction.   We really aren't supposed to wonder about "where's He taking us?" or "how's He even going to do this?"...we are just to trust Him.  So...forget the old PATH (past) and roll it over onto Him, bad memories, bad decisions, mistakes, and all, and TRUST HIM---to do what?  To make a NEW WAY spring forth in this wilderness....Have you ever seen a construction zone in the middle of a wilderness?  I think I'm in the middle of one...but it's good, because He is making all things NEW.  :)

Father, I have no idea what You are doing in my life right now..sometimes it's like a mystery.  That's totally fine with me too..because all I need to know is YOU are UP to something.  Instead of "Road Under Construction," I think I'm seeing "Road Closed, Follow Detour."   Please help me, dear Holy Spirit, by giving me a clear vision as to where I need to be facing..what direction is this new road going to be headed?  I am trusting You in the midst of it all.   In Jesus' Name I pray...Amen.

Thoughts of Thanks

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.   

I Thessalonians 5:18

Had to choose two verses today, since they both have something to do with my thoughts for today.  Last night I received the "we're sorry to inform you" email, stating that the article I prayerfully submitted last week had not been chosen for the scholarship.  At first there was a tinge of disappointment, then the feelings of rejection began to creep up.   It's easy to praise Him when everything goes "as we had planned or hoped," but how easy is it to praise Him when things don't go as planned?   Well, if our will is completely engulfed in His, then it will be easy..because we know that He is in control and when He says, "No" it's only because there's something better He has waiting for us--maybe a few more lessons to learn, allowing us to grow closer to Him. 

So, today's blog entry is just simply a way for me to say thanks...

Thank You, Father, for shutting the door on this opportunity.  I do hope that even though my "words" were not "accepted" in someone else's sight, I do pray that they will always be found acceptable in Thy sight.  Make even my thoughts to be found acceptable in Thy sight too.  For whatever I think, I will eventually speak.  Please continue to keep Your hand on me, and make me more like Your Son, who gave His life for me.  Thank You for Your never-ending patience with this vessel of clay.   It matters not if anyone else "hears" my voice...what matters most is that I know You do.  Not only do You hear me, but You also care for me especially when my heart feels a tinge of sadness or is even crushed by enormous grief.  I love You for saying No..for I know Your NO is really a "Yes, I'm still in control..I've got my eye on you..."  So thank You, again for doing all things well.  I look to You for help and guidance!   In Jesus' Name I pray, amen.

Wasteland or Road?

Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.   Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.  Isaiah 43:18, 19

This morning I could tell I needed an extra boost from the Lord.  I know that we walk by faith and not by sight, so my heart just asked Him for one promise that I can cling to, by faith, for today.   And of course, He answered.  There it was. . . those two verses in Isaiah.  "Don't remember the former things....I'm doing something NEW..I will make a way in the wilderness..and rivers in the desert."  MMMmm Good!  There was the life-line to cling to.

Then the desire to dig further, I guess inspect the life-line, overwhelmed me--probably similar to the desire of someone digging for gold or hidden treasures.   When we read God's Word, it's very important to read it, think upon it....but don't stop there.  Dig further.  When we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.  It's like the Lord is readily available, yet still so mysterious...there's still so much to learn, to find out about God.  Hidden within His Word are golden nuggets, if we'll only take time to search.

When you hear the word "wilderness" do you think of a hopeless wasteland?  Me too.  So, of course it's encouraging to know that He will make a way even in the middle of hopelessness.  But when I searched the Hebrew meaning I noticed the text is used in the "sense of driving,"  and an open field where cattle are driven.  The word "way" in the Hebrew text is "derek" which means "road." 

The word "river" is more specifically referring to the Euphrates River...which is in the Fertile Crescent...It's meaning is "That which is fruitful."  The Euphrates is a winding river that brings much water to the thirsty land around it.  Even more special to my heart was how "river" also depicts "to sparkle," or "be cheerful," "flowing together."  Oh!  To have this promise that our God is going to give us a sense of direction, and cause His Holy Spirit to flow through us, together with our submissive hearts, to bring sparkle to our otherwise "desert, wasteland" lives.  We will no longer be wandering, but on a direct path that He brings forth....and we'll be cheerful in following Him.  Others will see the Sparkle that He brings!  The Fruit of the Spirit!

He will rebuild us and make something fresh and new from our "wasteland" lives...we just have to forget our past...don't even mention it. 

Do you feel as if you're wandering, with no sense of direction?   I've "been there too."  It was so encouraging to know that God has promised to make a road, in this place where we SHOULD be driven for Him, not wandering aimlessly like a bunch of cattle.  Make sure you know Him as your Savior, for He is the only Way to have your sins forgiven.  The debt's been paid.  He is not only the Way, He will MAKE a WAY for you to finish this life, and sparkle for Him!

Thank You Father for giving me hope to cling to today.  I don't have to measure up to the "world's standards."  The only thing that matters is for me to wait on You to bring the road, the path for me to follow UP..Cause it to spring up today.  Move the earth today---only instead of crumbling roads...spring forth a road from this open field; may Your Holy Spirit flow through me, and bring forth the sparkling fruit of the Spirit for all others to enjoy.   In Jesus' name, Amen.

When the Wind Stops Blowing

And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?   And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?  Mark 4:40-41

During my quiet time this morning, I read something interesting that applies to my particular situation, but thought I'd write about it, in case you find yourself "there" either today or one day too.

What I read was a Latin Proverb that says:  "If there is no wind, row."    But I felt compelled to write beside it: "But what if you have no oars?" 

I'm sure you're familiar with the old saying, "Put some feet to your prayers."  Or how 'bout this one:  "We must pray as if everything depended upon God, but work as if everything depended upon us." 

Well, it's true..."Faith without works is dead."    The Lord knows our situations.  Maybe this economy has proven to be too distressing and taken its toll on your family finances. . .and now you're faced with having to get a job...get a second job...or just "up and move."    So....the wind has stopped blowing.   Everything has come to a stand-still.  

How can we ROW, just to keep things moving along, especially when we don't seem to have any oars?    I guess the best thing to do is remember: "When all else fails, read the Instruction Book."  That's it.  The Bible.  Go to the Source of all information and guidance.   God has promised to provide us everything we need.  He has equipped us (pre-packed us) for the journey He intends for us to take...as long as we realize that journey is one of following Him, serving Him, growing more like Him.

So..today, Father....I ask if You've equipped me with "oars" or abilities to get this boat moving again because there is no wind.  There is no other way to get us moving.  I pray for Your Dear Holy Spirit to BREATHE new life into the sails of our vessel.   Move us where You would have us to go. . . and, as we look to Your Word for Guidance, we find to our amazement that WE NEED NO OARS!!   We have YOUR Word to guide us, to steer us...as long as we look to YOU, commit each day, and its problems to You, You will guide our thoughts and direct our steps along each and every wave, be it BIG or small.  Guide us Oh Thou Great Jehovah, for our eyes are on You.  We praise You for the fact that the WIND has stopped blowing and we feel stranded at sea!  For this gives us time to CHECK our vessel to make sure we are REALLY READY to move forward.  Check us, Master.  Are there any leaks in this vessel?  Thank You for Your infinite Wisdom.  We trust You even when the wind stops!  In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Mouse Trouble

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye."  Psalm 32:8

Not been able to update my blog recently due to mouse trouble.  No, not the kind with a long tail and squeaky little voice.....but the computer mouse.   Then after I hooked up the new mouse, our keyboard refused to work for a while.   Hmm.  Wonder what's going on here?  

It's amazing how one little piece of hardware can render a computer useless.  The mouse---small, handheld, and simple---yet a very necessary tool to "getting us where we want to be" in "Computer Land."   It's the same with the mouse and the keyboard...both are "told what to do" by humans.  Either we "point and click" or we type in the keystrokes.    If they're working properly, they will respond immediately to our "command."

I wonder, though, are we willing instruments in the Master's hands?  Or are we "out of service?"  Is He able to "Point and Click" us in the right direction with the ease of a quick nudge, or are we "frozen in time?"  (Like our computers sometimes "Freeze and Hang in Cyber Space")

He added a "P.S."

If you read the previous blog, you're aware that the Lord gave me an opportunity to speak today to my church family regarding the darkness of depression and discouragement in a Christian's life.   In yesterday's blog are the notes from what He gave me to share. 

Even though I knew this message was definitely from Him for someone else, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing.  I talked with the Lord about this... "Lord, yes, this may lift up the spirit of someone in church, but what about lifting YOU UP?  I want to lift YOU UP, Lord."    Well, as I was drying my hair last night, just before one in the morning, and going over the thoughts for today, the Lord gently "tapped me on the shoulder" and said, "I've got a little 'P.S.' I'd like to add."  And that's when He told me, "I too have had a veil of darkness pulled over Me...while on the cross at Calvary.  Our Father pulled the veil of darkness over Me too.  But this was even darker, and deeper than any one else will ever have to experience."  And that's when He began to really show me that whenever He deals with us, His motivation is ALWAYS IN LOVE. . .even His rebuke or discipline is always motivated by His love for us.   But, when Christ was on the cross, and our Heavenly Father pulled that veil of darkness over Him, Christ did not experience the Love of God... NO!  He experienced the WRATH of God....something that we will never have to experience.  THANK YOU, FATHER!!  THANK YOU, JESUS!  THANK YOU, HOLY SPIRIT, FOR REVEALING THIS TO ME!