A Gracefull Place

 

 

 

I was reading in Psalm 60 yesterday, and beside verse 7, I had a note:

 

"Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the strength of Mine head; Judah is My lawgiver"

 

Beside the verse I had written, "Praise is my teacher!"

 

Why did I write that?

 

Do you know what Judah means?   Genesis 29:35  "And she conceived again, and bare a son:  and she said, Now will I praise the Lord:  therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing." 

 

Judah means "praise"!

 

And the Torah, which many translate "law", is really our "teacher"–it is instruction or teaching.  

 

Hence my note–praise is my teacher.

 

 

 

That statement was quite significant, because in the last week or so, the Lord has been showing me many things about prayer, one of which (or should I say, the most important of which?!)  is PRAISE!!!

 

"But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."

He inhabits, lives in, dwells in our praises!   I just finished reading a series of three booklets, and the author stated that we are commanded to praise God even more than to pray to Him in the Scriptures!!!!  I haven’t checked that out for certain, but I do read through the Psalms a lot, and you definitely see many commands and examples of praising God–in all circumstances!

 

 

I am finding that praising God, especially by using Scripture, is revolutionizing my prayer life!   It keeps my focus on Him Who is faithful, powerful, loving and true vs. problems, circumstances, people and situations.    This increases my faith, puts a song in my heart and a smile on my lips! 

 

 

 

 

I am going to be sharing more about this next week, but I wanted to share this beautiful thought with you:

 

 

Praise is your teacher!

 

 

 

Have a blessed day in the Lord!

 

 

 

I read this last night in A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie.

 

 

"Give me tonight, dear Father, a deeper sense of gratitude to Thee for all Thy mercies.  Thy goodness to me has been wonderful.  At no moment of the day have I lacked Thy gracious care.  At no moment have I been called upon to stand in my own strength alone.  When I was too busy with my petty concerns to remember Thee, Thou with a universe to govern wert not too busy to remember me."

 

 

Truly I am too often occupied with my "petty concerns" to remember Him.  But thankfully, He is never too busy, even with a universe to govern, with billions of other people to be concerned with–even with all that, He is never too busy to remember me–or you!

 

 

Thank you, dear Father, that you are never too busy to remember and think of me.   May my thoughts be more and more occupied with You.

 

 

I will love You, O Lord, my Strength!  (Psalm 18:1)

 

 

    

 

 

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

 

"It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard:  that went down to the skirts of his garments;

 

"As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:  for there the  LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

 

Psalm 133

 

 

I have been so blessed by the Daniel Fast!   The Lord is teaching me so much, and touching my heart in a very intimate and wonderful way.

 

 

As I read this passage of Scripture last week, something really struck me anew.   (Don’t you love it when something you’ve read literally hundreds of times before jumps out with a new insight?!)

 

One of the things I have been specifically praying about, during this time, is unity among God’s children.  I’m not talking about a "all roads lead to God let’s be tolerant" kind of unity.  But there needs to be unity among His true children, nontheless.  In John 17:21 Jesus prays,

 

 

"That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us:  that the world may believe that thou hast sent Me."

 

 

I fear that the world would believe nothing of the kind due to the lack of unity among His children today.

 

 

There are things we cannot compromise.    That’s a given.

 

 

But how many of our pet doctrines and beliefs, and yes–standards and principles, are more divisive than unifying?  Again, I’m not sanctioning "winking at sin" so we can "have unity".   I’m referring to true unity of true believers.

 

What really jumped out at me in this passage is—we anoint Christ with our unity!   It is as "the precious ointment"–that ointment was only used to consecrate the priests.  It was special, set apart, and as this passage says, precious.

 

 

That is how God the Father sees our unity!  As something special, set apart and precious!  

 

 

Not only is it anointing Jesus, it is refreshing, as the dew.  

 

 

Unity is good.  It is pleasant.   It is precious.   It anoints Jesus.  It is refreshing.  It commands a blessing from God.

 

 

And it shows the world that the Father has sent the Son!

 

 

It is my prayer that we can all come together for the most important things–glorifying God in our lives by walking in holiness; loving Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds; lifting up Jesus so that He may draw all men unto Him; and praying for others, using Scripture to pray God’s will–not our ideas of what others should or shouldn’t be doing.

 

 

Remember the three things God told us in Micah that were required of us:

 

 

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"    Micah 6:8

 

 

Do justly.   Love mercy.  Walk humbly with your God.

 

 

Those three things will go a long way toward building unity.

 

 

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is, when brethren dwell together in unity!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee."  Psalm 56:3

 

 

I’m going to be all over the map–or Bible!–tonight as the Lord has used many Scriptures in the last few days to really minister to me.

 

 

I have a plan to read through the Bible that I really like. I’ve used it for nearly 10 years now, and am always amazed at how the Lord weaves my readings together!  I usually read 3 chapters in the section of the Bible for the day (more on that in a little bit), 2 Psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs daily.  I used to read 5 Psalms to get through the whole book of Psalms every month, but I felt I was just racing through them, so I cut it back to 2.  I still get through the entire book of Psalms maybe 4-5 times a year, which still isn’t bad!

 

 

My "plan", which I found somewhere on the internet in 2000 or 2001, was this:

 

 

Monday- Law Books (Genesis through Deuteronomy)

 

Tuesday- History Books (Joshua through Esther)

 

Wednesday- Poetry Books (Job through Song of Solomon–but I skip Psalms and Proverbs when I come to them as I read them monthly)

 

Thursday- Major Prophets (Isaiah through Daniel)

 

Friday- Minor Prophets (Hosea through Malachi)

 

Saturday- Gospels (I added through 2 Corinthians to this)

 

Sunday- Epistles (Galatians through Revelation)

 

 

This has worked very well for me, and I share it in case it helps someone else!  I usually end up reading through the Bible in 15-18 months.

 

 

 

Sometimes I get "behind" my schedule, due to things that come up (or insane times like the 4-H Fair!), but I am awed at how God arranges my "readings" to speak to me in just the situation I’m in–even if it’s "behind schedule"! 

 

 

Thursday was like that.  I was reading in Isaiah, and chapter 7 had a lot of encouragement.   I still don’t read everything that I can on what’s going on in the world (I would only need to read my Bible to see that, too, lately!), but I have read a little.  It can be very disconcerting, to say the least.  But as I’ve "preached" before, where is our focus to be?

 

 

 

 

Not on circumstances, whether personal or national or global.

 

 

 

But on God.  God Almighty.  THE Omnipotent (that’s ALL powerful), Omniscent (ALL knowing), Omnipresent (ALWAYS everywhere) God!

 

 

 

In Isaiah 7 Isaiah is comforting Ahaz with God’s omnipotence.  We have to remember, when evil things are happening, that evil is not in control.   God is.  Always.  No matter how it looks.  It’s a matter of our eyesight–is it on things seen, like Elisha’s servant, or things unseen?

 

 

"And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots.  And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

"And he answered, Fear not:  for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.

"And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see.  And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw:  and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha."  II Kings 6:15-17

 

 

So Isaiah is telling Ahaz, "Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be fainthearted for the two tails of thse smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin with Syria, and of the son of Remaliah."  (Isaiah 7:4)

 

 

The Jewish Tanakh reads, "Be firm and calm".

 

 

Doesn’t sound like he needed to be fretting and fearful!   In fact, I believe God tells us in His Word to "fear not" over 350 times, and He certainly says to "fret not" many times, too!

 

 

Also, God had told Isaiah to take with him his son Shearjashub.   In those times, you didn’t just name your son "Pete" because you liked it, or because you wanted to name him after Great-Great-Grandpa.   Names had meanings.  Shearjashub means "a remnant will repent".    I wish I could remember the sermon Ray Wenger had preached on this very subject a few years back!  But can you imagine King Ahaz, concerned and fearful about Rezin and Pekah coming against Jerusalem, but not able to prevail against it (Isaiah 7:1)?   Then here comes the prophet, the man of God, with a word from the Lord.  Not only that, but he is bringing his son….whose very name means "A remnant will repent". 

 

 

I believe there is a dual meaning here.  Isaiah goes on to say that Rezin and Pekah will not be successful (verse 7).  But also I believe God is saying, "Keep your heart soft, Ahaz.  Repent.  I will take care of your enemies, but don’t make Me your enemy by being stiffnecked."  We see a few more verses on a warning:

 

"If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be establised."  (verse 9)

Will we look to the help of man?  Do we depend on the right circumstances, the right leadership, the right laws, the right whatever to save us?

 

 

Or on the Lord God?

 

 

In verse 13  God says, "hear ye now, O house of David;  Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also?"

 

 

Why did He say that?   Because Ahaz, because the people of Judah, were about to put their trust in the aid of Assyria instead of their Lord.    He had told Ahaz to ask a sign, and Ahaz "piously" refused, not discerning why Isaiah said what he did.   

 

 

How many times is God offering us a word of encouragement, asking us to put our trust wholly in Him, and we’ve already made up our minds to trust in man or man’s ways?

 

 

Ouch!

 

 

Later in Isaiah 8, God gives Isaiah clear direction, which really spoke to my heart.

 

 

"For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, 

Say ye not, A confederacy (Tanakh–conspiracy), to all them to whom this people shall say, A confederacy;  neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid..

"Sanctify the Lord of hosts Himself; and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread. (Hold Him in awe–Tanakh)."  Isaiah 8:11-13

Again I am reminded of Whom I should fear—and it’s not the circumstances around me!  It is the Only One Who has the answers, that is truly in control of the whole earth–God Almighty!

 

 

So today, I read in Matthew 10:26, 28, and 31:

 

 

"Fear them not therefore…….And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell…Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

 

 

That’s pretty clear!  I am to fear nothing but God Himself!  And I am to put my trust in nothing but God Himself!

 

 

During my reading time this morning, I got interrupted.   During that time I became aware of some not-so-great news of some of the things going on in the nation.   When I returned, I was ready to read Psalm 108.   The timing was, again, perfect!

 

 

Right off the bat, I read:

 

 

"O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

"Awake, psaltery and harp:  I myself will awake early.

 

 

"I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto Thee among the nations." verses 1-3

WOW!   I am to fix my heart on Him!!! 

 

 

 

The whole Psalm is SO good, but it ends as good as it starts:

 

 

"Give us help from trouble:  for vain is the help of man.

"Through God we shall do valiantly:  for He is is that shall tread down our enemies."

 

 

I am not saying that I expect to avoid all suffering.  I have been through too much already to buy that!  BUT, through all I’ve been through, the loss of our son 19 years ago, Anna’s auto-immune disorder 10 years ago, Bekah’s accident 5 years ago, Dallas’ accident almost 5 years ago, my dad’ decline in health and death,  helping my mom, miscarriages…..I’ve been through too much and have seen God’s hand, even in the midst of suffering, to not believe that He will take care of me and my own.

 

 

But I have to surrender it all to Him.  

 

 

Andrew Murray said, "It is only the fully surrendered heart that can fully trust God for all that He has promised."

 

 

I have a note to that paper in my Bible.  "If I am fearful/doubtful/fretful–it is because I have not fully surrendered an area of my life to Him."

 

 

My life, my finances, my family……ALL must be surrendered, or I will make decisions out of fear.

 

 

And you can bet they won’t be His decisions!

 

 

Instead of a hymn or song this time, I leave you with a video of Josef Tson, a pastor from Romania.  This video is from 1989, when he was exiled from his country before communism fell.   It’s an hour long, but please take time to watch it.   We have so much to learn here in America.   If our goal is to survive, we’ll compromise.  If our goal is to glorify God, and we have surrendered all to Him, keeping our hearts pure before Him, then we will see Him move mightily on our behalf, even if it means death.   You can’t have the faith of Daniel or Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego unless you are willing to glorify God to the end!  Remember Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:32-33,

 

 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven.  But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father which is in heaven."

Oh, may we be found a pure and spotless Bride, bringing glory and delight to our Bridegroom by confessing Him always!

 

 

 

 Thanks for bearing with my extra long post today!

 

 

 

May the God of Peace and Comfort bless you abundantly as you seek His face above all!!!

 

 

 

 

Here is the link for the video of Josef Tson– Revival Forum.  You will need to scroll about halfway down.  I could not get the audio alone to work, so I clicked on the video one and was able to watch it.  Here is the description of the video:

 

 

"Exiled Romanian pastor Joseph Tson shares how the brutal persecution in his native land in the early 1970’s led many to the great sin of desiring to survive. Revival occurred when repentance and surrender to Jesus Christ were preached. He shares a very strong warning against the weaknesses that have crept into American evangelicalism, such as replacing ‘commitment’ for ‘surrender’ and ‘servant’ for ‘slave’."

 

 

 

As usual, I am a day behind!  (Or maybe I’m 5 days ahead?!  )

 

 

 

I had a wonderful "revelation" in the Psalms last week and want to share it.

 

 

 

Psalm 25:7

"Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:  according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O Lord."

In the Jewish Tanakh, it reads:

 

 

 

"Be not mindful of my youthful sins and transgressions; in keeping with Your faithfulness consider what is in my favor, as befits Your goodness, O Lord."

 

 

The thing that really struck me this:

 

 

If I want the Lord to remember me according to His mercy, to consider what is in my favor……then shouldn’t I do the same with others?!

 

 

To think of and remember others according to the mercy I want Him to show to me!!!!

 

 

Ah, too often it is "one weight for me, and a different weight for you" which the Lord clearly condemns!  (Proverbs 20:10)

 

 

We want a lighter "weight" when it comes to judging our actions and intentions, but a heavier one for others!   I liked how Coach Grant Taylor, the character in Facing the Giants, put it when talking to a player, "You can’t judge your dad by his actions and yourself by your intentions."   

 

 

But too often I fall into that trap!  Oh, Lord, deliver me!

 

 

I am going to write out this verse and put it on my mirror.  I need that daily reminder that if I want mercy, I must show mercy.  (Matthew 5:7)

 

 

I pray you will show others mercy– remember them, think of them, with the same mercy you want your Heavenly Father to remember you by, think of you with, and show you.

 

 

 

Grateful for His merciful lovingkindness!

 

 

 

 

 

Psalm 18:2-3

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

 

 

"I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies."

 

 

I’ve said before that I don’t read a lot of the news, etc.   It’s not that I want to keep my head in the sand, but you can get your focus off Him and onto "the troubled sea around you" and sink–really fast!!!

 

 

Many of the things I have seen in the past week are cause for "wild alarms", yet, my hope, my stay, is upon my ROCK.  THE Rock. 

 

 

Psalm 18:4 says, "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid."

 

 

Do you feel like the floods of ungodly men are overwhelming?  Making you afraid?

 

 

Isaiah 59:19 is a good verse to remember!   "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun.  When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him."

 

 

Psalm 18:17-18:  "He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me:  for they were too strong for me.   They prevented me in the day of my calamity:  but the Lord was my stay."

 

 

What a precious promise!!!

 

 

Again in Psalm 18, verse 36:  "Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip."

I don’t necessarily think these verses mean we won’t suffer, that we will be delivered out of all painful and frightening circumstances, but I do think it means He will be with us, that He will give us His strength.  That He will be our Rock, our Fortress, our Deliverer, our Buckler and our High Tower.

 

 

Proverbs 18:10 says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower:  the righteous runneth into it, and is safe."

 

One of my desires is to study the names of God.  One of the sad things about the English language is that we have the same word for many different meanings.  For example, love.  We love our family.  We love the dog.  We love ice cream.  In other languages there are different words that mean love, but you understand there is a different word for each because there are different levels and depths of the meaning of "love"!

 

 

It is the same with God’s names.  Such rich treasures waiting to be mined from learning His names!!!

 

 

I believe instead of spending time wringing my hands (and heart!) over the issues that are "coming in like a flood", I will spend more time learning His names, which represent His character to us.  I will lift up His name as a "standard" against the enemy tide coming in.  I will run to His name as a mighty fortress where I will not fear "them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Mt. 10:28).  

 

 

Our souls are infinitely precious to Him–He died for us!!! 

 

When we see how precious we are to Him, we know that He has a plan.  The enemy has not taken God by surprise.  He wants us to run to Him in prayer, to pour out our hearts and fears to Him–the only one who can do anything about it all, anyway!   And in that place, He imparts to us His peace, sweet peace.  

 

 

And direction.  If He wants us to act on something, He will direct that–again, if we’re expending all our energy to fight the enemy (one of his favorite ploys, remember!), then we have that much less energy to praise our God, our Rock, our Mighty Defense!   (Remember Jehoshaphat!)

 

 

And JOY!   Psalm 32:10-11  "Many sorrows shall be to the wicked:  but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.   Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous:  and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart."

 

 

How do we get that joy?  That deep, abiding peace and joy that is not dependent on circumstances?   How can we say, like Habakkuk, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

"The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and He will make me to walk upon mine high places."  Habakkuk 3:17-19

 

We can only get to the place where we will praise Him for Who He is no matter what, by spending time in His presence!

 

 

Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

 

 

If you are afraid or tempted to be, spend time with your Savior.    "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings:  his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord."  Psalm 112:7

 

 

Where is your heart?  Failing for fear?  Or fixed upon THE Rock?!

 

 

 

 

"Hear my prayer ,O Lord, give ear to my supplications:  in Thy faithfulness answer me, and in Thy righteousness."  

 

"I stretch forth my hands unto Thee:  my soul thirsteth after Thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. 

 

"Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust:  cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee. 

 

"Deliver me, O Lord, from mine enemies:  I flee unto Thee to hide me. 

 

"Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou are my God:  Thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

 

"Quicken me, O Lord, for Thy name’s sake:  for Thy righteousness’ sake bring my soul out of trouble." 

Psalm 143:1, 6, 8-11

 

 

"But mine eyes are unto Thee, O God the Lord:  in Thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute."  Psalm 141:8

 

Where is our focus?  On world events?  Swine flu?   Are we trying to figure out what we can do? 

Are we fearful?  Worried?

Should we be?! 

That last verse, Psalm 141:8 makes me think of the story of Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20.   King Jehoshaphat instituted a lot of reforms when he became king.  Scripture records this statement about him, "And the Lord was with Jeshoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; but sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in His commandments and not after the doings of Israel."  (2 Chron. 17:3-4)

In chapter 20, the children of Ammon and Moab came against him.  What did he do?  Did he wring his hands and pace the floor?   Did he call a meeting of his choice generals to discuss a game plan for defense?

 

Verses 3-4 tell us.  "And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.   And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the Lord:  even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord."

 

Amazing!   Not a call to arms, but a call to prayer!!!

 

Later in verse 12 he voices the same statement as the Psalmist, "O our God, wilt Thou not judge them?  for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do:  but our eyes are upon Thee."

 

There is SO much being thrown at us today.  In all areas, it seems, the foundations are slipping and things seem to be running amuck.  It’s easy to feel helpless, angry and/or frustrated.   I can hardly e-mail or call or write my elected officials about one topic before I’m made aware of several more that could possibly impact me negatively (and not just me, but all of society!).   How can we keep up?  And sometimes it would seem nobody really cares what their constituency thinks–they vote the way they want to anyway.

 

I’m sure every generation has seen many things take place that made them think, "Surely Jesus’ return is imminent!"   But then life goes on, and we get complacent again….for awhile!

 

Of course we who love the Lord should be looking for and longing for His return, just as an engaged young woman anxiously awaits her wedding day!   But we might not long so much for the trials and tribulations we must endure until He comes!

 

It is quite easy to get our eyes off Him and onto the world events taking place (and at a rather rapid pace, I might add!) and be anxious–but not for Him!   We worry about the economy, health concerns, our rapidly disappearing rights, whether the Illuminati really are controlling the world, weather craziness (we had a tornado go through here last week–I’ll be posting about that next Thursday!  )….there are a host of things to occupy our thoughts, make our hearts quake in fear, and simultaneously get our eyes  everywhere but where they should be.

 

On Him.

 

King Jehoshaphat’s story has encouraged me SO much!   The Ron Auch books I’ve been reading have so focused me back on prayer.   How many times have we said, "Well, all I can do is pray."

 

WHAT are we saying?!   "All" we can do is pray?  We should be saying, "YES!  I can pray!" 

 

I think we have gotten into a rut of running through our daily list of needs and wants, that we forget what prayer is really for–communicating with our Creator, Savior, Redeemer and Heavenly Bridegroom!

 

Can you even imagine a bride-to-be who can’t see her bridegroom until their wedding a few months away, calling him up and saying, "Now, John, I would really like you to be sure to find a nice place for us live.  And don’t forget to take care of the tux rental for the wedding.  Oh, and could you till up some space for a garden?  I’d like to plant a garden after we get back from the honeymoon.  Speaking of the honeymoon, could you please be sure to get a great view of the ocean?  And I would really like to fly so we can get there sooner.  I need to go now–oh, and I love you!  Bye!"

 

What kind of a relationship is that?!  It’s not!!!  And yet that is how we treat our wonderful Savior, Who died to restore our relationship to Him.  And all we can think about is how nice Heaven will be while we sigh and toil and think everything here depends on us doing the right things.

 

(Can you hear Jesus saying, "Martha, Martha, [insert your name here!] thou art worried and troubled about many things….)

 

It doesn’t all depend on us doing a single thing.  It depends on us being with Him.   Working with Him.  Walking with Him.

 

"But one thing is needful, and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

 

Can you imagine?  No matter what happens in this world, our relationship with Christ, our ability to pray and converse with the Creator of all the universe can never be taken away!  So shouldn’t we be spending more time with Him now, in this moment?

 

Remember the Lord appearing to Solomon, and saying in that famous passage 2 Chronicles 7:14, "If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

 

We like to quote that verse, but I’m not sure we really understand it.

 

We get all focused on the "heal our land" part, and sometimes think we have to do a lot of it.  But did you notice what we are actually supposed to do?

 

Humble ourselves.

 

Pray.

 

Seek His face.

 

Turn from our wicked ways (that’s repentance).

 

Then He hears.

 

He forgives.

 

And HE heals.

 

He wants us to seek Him, just for Him.  Not for His gifts alone. 

 

What ever happened to Jehoshaphat?  Did he come up with a grand scheme to route the enemy?

 

Weellll…he didn’t.  But God did!  He told Jehoshaphat through a prophet, "Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s….Ye shall not need to fight in this battle:  set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem:  fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you."

 

What an amazing "battle plan"!   And Jehoshaphat worshipped God after receiving this word!  

 

You can read in 2 Chronicles 20 about how God’s plan worked!  And how Jehoshaphat appointed singers to go out before the army to praise the beauty of holiness and to say, "Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever."!  

 

Singers!  Now who’d have thought of that?!

 

God! 

 

In all that is going on around me, in all the turbulent and troubled news reports (which I don’t read all of them, by the way, preferring to keep my focus on Him!), in all the "what ifs" and things that could make my heart melt into a puddle of fear…..I choose to keep my eyes on Jesus.  As I spend more and more time with Him, just basking in His presence, adoring Him, loving Him and praising Him, the less these things move me.  I am not as anxious as I once was, because I know God can do more through a yielded and quieted soul full of Him than an anxious and fretful soul that is squeaking by on fumes.  If I try to "do things" out of a heart of fear, I will not hear Him and could actually be expending energy He wants to use elsewhere. 

 

We cannot legislate morality.  We can’t make everybody behave because the right people are in charge. 

 

But we can be Jesus to a hurting, dying world.  We can show them a better way.  We can turn the other cheek.  We can have the quiet assurance that "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me"–He has it ALL under His control.

 

I can walk with Him, touching Him by faith and letting Him fill me, permeating me with His presence so that I can anoint all I touch with His presence.

 

If I must suffer for righteousness’ sake, I want to make sure it’s HIS righteousness and not my self-righteousness!  I want to point others to Him–if they look to me and my "standards" or my "beliefs", they may have something to refute or mock or pick at.  But if they must look to Jesus, then they must make a decision of what to do about Him.  I want to be the clean vessel He flows through, not clogging up the flow with my bright idea of how the battle should go!

 

There’s a time to write, and fight, and stand. 

 

But first we must be on our knees and praising. (and singing!)

 

Let’s take the events going on around us as a call to prayer!

 

 

I hope everyone isn’t getting tired of me talking about The Heart of the King by Ron Auch!   Again, this book has blessed me in so many ways!  I just finished it today–176 pages, one for each verse.  And I’m going to go through it again!

 

The reason I love Mr. Auch’s books is that they focus on our relationship with Christ.  Not "doing things for Christ" but "being with Christ". 

 

That is what the Christian life is all about.  That is why He died–to restore that relationship so we could walk and talk with God as Adam did.  That is what He wanted all along–to have fellowship with us!!!!

 

How it must grieve Him that we want to hand Him a list in prayer, go on and "do things for God" more than we want to just spend time with Him!

 

Can you imagine handing your husband a "Honey-Do" list, and THAT was the main sum of your relationship with Him?!  It wouldn’t be much of a relationship, would it!!!

 

Psalm 119:176 says, "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant; for I do not forget Thy commandments."

 

Some thoughts from The Heart of the King:

 

"There is a reason why we are called sheep and why Jesus is called the Good Shepherd.   Sheep don’t have a lot of common sense……We need to be led.  we don’t even know enough to stay on the straight and narrow path.  We need a shepherd who will continualy and gently guide us.

 

"In this verse, David is expressing how we would be naturally lost without a shepherd….He is expressing a complete dependency upon his Shepherd.

 

"Fortunately for us we have a Good Shepherd.  Jesus, our Good Shepherd, continually, gently, compassionately, corrects us.  How fitting for David to finish this great Psalm with a focus on the One who perpetually seeks us out.

 

"Our Good Shepherd seeks us out.  This is the One who deserves all our praise.  This is the One to whom we owe our life!"

 

I am so grateful He does seek us out, especially when I go down the wrong path.  He doesn’t let me go, saying, "Well, she’ll learn her lesson!  I’ve told her and told her."  He gently, compassionately seeks me out.  I might  not listen, but the consequences I may suffer are not a big "I told you so!" from God!  They are the results of the path I’ve chosen.  It grieves His heart that I choose to go away from Him instead of trusting His leading and following.

 

I’m sure you’ve heard this analogy before, but there is a difference between "driving the sheep" vs. "leading the sheep".  When we drive the sheep, there is fear, trampling, bedlam……when we lead them, it means we’ve developed a relationship with them to where they trust us, and then we just need to "speak the word" and they follow.

 

Christ is the ultimate Good Shepherd!   He longs to spend time with us, so we can get to know His voice.  Then when He speaks the Word, we just follow.  We can trust our loving Shepherd to guide us in exactly the right pastures for us.   Maybe it looks scarey, maybe it doesn’t look exactly like what we had pictured, but with our hand in His, we trust.   And then we find out that "In His presence in fulness of joy" (Ps. 16:11) and that He has led us "beside still waters" and "in green pastures".   Sweet, nourishing pastures!

 

From The Seven Spirits of God by Ron Auch:

 

"Human nature hasn’t changed much during the intervening centuries.  As Jesus calls us to surrender our dreams of an earthly kingdom, we, too, feel uncomfortable.  Yet He continues to beckon uncompromisingly, instructing His followers to die to self, to all their selfish aspirations for life.  He wants us to be able to say with Paul, ‘I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal. 2:20).  He doesn’t want to be number one on our list; He wants to be our entire list.   Jesus doesn’t want to be our number one love; He wants to be the only love of our lives.  He becomes this through our own willful dying to self, surrendering control of our lives and letting Him establish His character in us.  That is what the fullness of the Spirit means:  demonstrating all seven qualities of God by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit."  (pp. 21-22)

 

 

This is one of my favorite hymns, I Am His and He Is Mine.

 

 

 

I had a busy day yesterday at a baby shower then shopping (of course, JoAnn’s was one of them!   ), so I’m posting my Saturday Psalm and Praise a bit late! 

 

 

 

I hope you’re not tired of hearing me tell you that The Heart of the King , by Ron Auch, is an excellent book and worth every penny!

 

I had planned to write something else for today, then during my quiet time this morning, I read another selection from this book.   If you haven’t read my blog before, this book is a devotional of sorts based on the 176 verses of Psalm 119.   Believe me, you can find a lot of meat in each and every page!   It is available from Amazon (click here), and you can see some of the pages to get an idea of the rich treasure found in this book!   If you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m very focused on relationships!   And this book focuses on our relationship with God. 

 

The verse that I was reading this morning was verse 83:  "For I am become like a bottle in the smoke; yet do I not forget Thy statutes."    (He uses the NIV in the book, so it reads, "Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your decrees.")

 

"Years ago in the eastern countries bottles (pouches) were made of skin.  In order to have a hot drink, people would hang the pouch (bottle) in the smoke of a fire.  With time the outer skin became parched and shriveled.  In this verse, David likened the exhausted state of his body and mind to a wineskin in the smoke.  David had such a pure heart that he said in essence, ‘Even though my body and mind are completely exhausted, I won’t forget Your decrees.’

 

"David did not have a martyr complex.  Like any of us, he did not relish his suffering.  He wanted deliverance!  However, in the midst of his suffering, he learned a great lesson–never give up on God.  What hope is there if we become bitter against God?  I have heard some say, ‘God didn’t answer my prayer, so I gave up on Him.’  Do they think their prayer will be answered sooner by giving up on God?  David did not forget God’s decrees or decisions. He walked as God directed him, even in the midst of suffering.  Even in a time where everything seemed to be going wrong, he walked with his God.

 

"The prophet Habakkuk gave us some good advice.  ‘Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, thought the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls [you can insert your own dilemma here], YET WILL I REJOICE IN THE LORD, I WILL BE JOYFUL IN GOD MY SAVIOR’ (Hab. 3:17-18).  The prophet in essence said, ‘Even though everything on God’s green earth is going wrong, I will still rejoice in the Lord.’  Habakkuk knew you never give up on God.  We would be wise to follow the apostle Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:4, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again:  Rejoice!’

 

"As you meditate on this verse, ask God to help you rejoice in Him even in the midst of trouble."

 

(I might add that the short thoughts at the end of the past two verses talked of having a heart fixed on His Word, and to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus!  Both of those are necessary to be able to rejoice in Him even in trouble!)

 

This certainly spoke to me…..I have been fighting being bitter at the circumstances I am in by no choice of my own.   I wanted to have another baby.   My family was soooo looking forward to another little one!   Disappointment is hard! 

 

But yes, what good does it do to be bitter and angry at God?  It’s like biting the hand that feeds you!

 

And yet God, in His ever merciful love, tenderly cares for us and gently leads us back to Him.   Another thought from this book, a few pages back:  "How many times have we cut out the very heart of God through our own disobedience to Him, and yet found that His greater concern was for our well-being?"

 

Reading the selection for the verse today really spoke to me.  It is a choice–my choice!  I WILL rejoice!  No matter how wrong everything looks, no matter how bleak, how impossible, how unfair, how WHATEVER……I WILL REJOICE IN GOD MY SAVIOR!    Psalm 35:9  "And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord:  it shall rejoice in His salvation."

 

If there is NO other reason to rejoice–I can just rejoice in HIM and His salvation He purchased for me!

 

Anything else is just icing on the cake!

 

Psalm 13:6  "I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with me."   And Psalm 116:7  "Return unto thy rest, O my soul;  for He hath dealt bountifully with thee."

 

Yes, return to my rest– in His arms of love!     Isaiah 30:15  "In returning and rest shall ye be saved;  in quietness and confidence shall be your strength:  and ye would not." 

 

So I come, Lord.  YES, I come!   I return, I will rest, I will trust.   Then shall I be saved from bitterness.  Then will my heart be quiet and trusting in you, and in You is my strength!

 

May You not say to me, "Trisch, I held out My hands of love and mercy to you, but you chose to turn away."  ("…and ye would not.")

 

Father, I’m Home.

 

 

"Ye shall have a song, as in the night…and gladness of heart….and the Lord shall cause His glorious voice to be heard."  (Isaiah 30:29-30)

 

 

There’s within my heart a melody

Jesus whispers sweet and low,

"Fear not, I am with thee, peace be still,"

In all of life’s ebb and flow.

 

All my life was wrecked by sin and strife,

Discord filled my heart with pain;

Jesus swept across the broken strings,

Stirred the slumbering chords again.

 

Feasting on the riches of His grace,

Resting ‘neath His sheltering wing,

Always looking on His smiling face–

That is why I shout and sing.

 

Though sometimes He leads through waters deep,

Trials fall across the way,

Though sometimes the path seems rough and steep,

See His footprints all the way.

 

Soon He’s coming back to welcome me

Far beyond the starry sky;

I shall wing my flight to worlds unknown,

I shall reign with Him on high.

 

 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus–

Sweetest name I know,

Fills my every longing,

Keeps me singing as I go.

I pray you have a song in your heart–a song of praise that no matter what is going on around you, even inside you, HE can bring peace, quietness, rest…..if you only return to Him and choose  to rejoice in Him!

 

 

 

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster for me.  I am so thankful for the unchanging Word of God.  I am also grateful that my Savior is personal–He cares for me in an intimate way.   Just this morning I read Jesus’ words in Luke 12:7  "But even the very hairs of your head are numbered.  Fear not therefore:  ye are of more value than many sparrows."     I don’t usually like commentary Bibles for my regular reading, but this Bible I am currently reading through is the Defender’s Study Bible.   The note Dr. Morris has on this verse includes these words, which really spoke to me concerning the "suffering" I am going through.  "The lesson of Job 38-39 is relevant.  These chapters describe in detail the providential care of God for His animal creation.  Job was concerned that God had forgotten him, but God had reasons for permitting Job’s sufferings of which Job was unaware.  No matter what problems may come, we may be confident that God cares and is in control (Rom. 8:28)."  (italics mine)

 

There are times, when my heart is sore, I just ask the Lord, "Please give me a Word!"  and He usually does!  Sometimes not right when I want it, but definitely when I need it!

 

I have had a few nights of not sleeping well, and instead of laying in bed wishing I could sleep I get up.   In fact, one night I had my quiet time "early" at 5 a.m.–except it was late because I had been up since 2:30!!!   I went to bed at 6 a.m. when my husband got up!   But the Lord met me in those early hours of the day and soothed my hurting heart.  

 

I have been going through Kay Arthur’s Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days (I’ve had it for 10 years, started it, then it got lost in the back of my bookcase!).   That late night/early morning, I was going through a few days’ worth of lessons as well as reading in The Heart of the King (I highly, highly recommend this book!).   I felt like the floodgates of Heaven opened and poured out abundantly on me!

 

Psalm 119:47 "And I will delight myself in Thy commandments, which I have loved."   Here are some thoughts from The Heart of the King :

 

"When we love something, we submit to  it.  Submission requires that we bring ourselves under the authority of the one to whom we have submitted.  In that light, our only life comes through our obedience to that one.

 

"Obedience should always be the result of submission.  When we simply are obedient to someone, we tolerate their rules.  However, when we submit to someone, our obedience is coupled with a desire to obey.  The basis for such submission is love, and that love compels us to obey.  Obedience to God based solely on what one should do, without a desire to obey, may in essence mean there is no submission at all.

 

"David said that his delight was in the commands of God because he loved them.  Through his obedience, he found life."

 

"God is found in the obedience of men.  To enter into the presence of God, we must submit to Him.  There is more to following God’s commands than simply doing them.  In our desire to do them, we find the life of God."

 

I hope I don’t lose you in my rabbit trails here!  I am going to jump to Kay Arthur’s book now, and then I will share my thoughts and what I believe God has shown me through these verses and these books.

 

If you are not familiar with this book, it teaches you how to pray based on the model Jesus gave us–The Lord’s Prayer.

 

"The condition (she’s referring to John 15:7) is that you are to abide in Him and His words are to abide in you.  This condition is the key to knowing the will of God." p. 92

 

"I believe discerning God’s will is a spiritual art learned by sitting at His feet.  Go back to the Lord’s Prayer for a minute.  Remember it begins with worship of the Father and moves to allegiance and a heart’s cry to do His will…its’ a longing, a willing submission.  Did you notice that no requests have been made?  Here, Beloved, is the key.  Before you ever ask God for anything, you need to wait before Him, to abide in:

 

"1. His relationship to you…as your Father.

2. His sovereignty…for He lives in Heaven, ruling over all.

3. His holiness…His attributes that make Him God.

 

"When you take these things into consideration, submission to His will follows naturally. Do you want your own way if it goes against His best, His purpose, His will for you?" (p. 96, italics mine)

 

"As you abide in Him through worship and time in the Word, His words will abide in you.  Then, because you know His will, you will be able to ask according to His will." (p. 97)

 

"We who were dead and have been granted life ought now to respond by living for Him, not according to our way, our dictates, our thoughts, our evaluations, or our desires, but in total submission to whatever God wants to do with us or through us."  (p. 98, italics mine)

 

"But we also need to spend time simply sitting at the feet of our Lord, listening to Him.  Then whatever He tells us, we are to do…..Learn to sit at His feet and listen.  Don’t be in a hurry." (p. 105, italics mine)

 

 

Both of these books brought out some thoughts that really blessed me.   I thought of how I want my children’s hearts.  You can’t get your children’s hearts by pushing them off on others, spending too much time in front of the tv or computer, running to all kinds of  "good things", and not spending time with them.  

 

It takes spending time with them, getting to know them!   Just like God does with us–if we let Him!!

 

Will I spend time with Him?  Getting to know and love Him?   Then obedience will be easy and bring life!   He has invested greatly in my life—as I should in my children’s lives, to get and keep their hearts.  And that takes time.

 

As I spend time with my children, they learn to love and trust me.   They see my character.   So it is with God.  I fear too much of the time, we lay out our "grocery list" of requests before the Lord, ask His blessing, and off we go.  Then we complain "our prayers don’t get past the ceiling!"  That is not spending time with Him!

 

Can you imagine if our children came  to us, let us know all their requests, asked us to say okay, then left?   Is that a relationship?

 

I am just a babe in this "listening" at the feet of Jesus!  I love to talk!!!!       I wrote out a progression:

 

1. Time

2. Trust

3. Love

4. Obedience

5. Fellowship–sweet blessed fellowship with Him!  (dwell securely in His presence!)

6. Blessing! LIFE and freedom and JOY!  (Psalm 16:11)

 

We spend time with Him, getting to know Him.  Then we see He is worthy of our trust–His character is of the highest caliber!   Then we can’t help but love Him, which makes submission an act of love, not duty!   Once we get to that place, we have sweet, unbroken fellowship with Him!  We can dwell securely in His presence, and remember, His presence sets our hearts FREE!    Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in Thy presence is fullnes of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

 

Revelation 1:5 tells us the great investment Christ made in our lives:  "And from Jesus Christ, Who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth.  Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood."

 

I have been meditating on Proverbs 3:5, and God brought to mind Pr. 23:26 as well.   I saw a definite correlation between the two:

 

Pr. 3:5  "Trust in the Lord, with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

 

Pr. 23:26   "My son (or daughter!), give Me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe My ways."  ("The eyes are what actually fill the heart."  Ron Auch)

 

Trust in Him–you must give Him your heart to show your trust.

 

Don’t lean on your own understanding–when you get your eyes off your ideas of how things should be, you are free to turn your eyes to HIM and see His ways!    You must turn away your eyes from beholding worthless things–worthless baubles, ideas, lies, worldly "treasure".    Psalm 119:37  "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way."    There it is again–trust in Him–give Him your heart–turn away from vanity, and then—don’t lean on your finite understanding.   Observe His ways.  THEN YOU WILL BE QUICKENED–MADE ALIVE IN HIS WAY!!!!! 

 

Pr. 3:6  "In ALL thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Isn’t that what we all want?  For Him to direct our paths?  To know we’re on the right path?   Remember Kay Arthur?   ABIDE in Him and His Word.  Start with worship and submission and saturating yourself in His Word.   When you start there, you almost don’t need to make a request!!!!

 

Psalm 16:7-11  "I will bless the Lord, Who hath given me counsel:  my reins (heart) also instruct me in the night seasons.  I have set the Lord always before me:  because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth:  my flesh also shall rest in hope (dwell securely).  For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.  Thou wilt shew me the path of life:  in Thy presence is fulness of joy;  at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

 

Trust in the Lord with all thine  heart:

 

     Give Him your heart

     Turn from vanity–lies, worthless thoughts and things

     Set Him always before you

     Bless the Lord

    

 

And lean not unto thine own understanding.

 

     Let your eyes observe His ways

     Be made alive in Him

     Keep Him at your right hand

     He will give you counsel

     He will show you the path of LIFE

 

 

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and HE shall direct thy paths.

 

     Your heart will instruct you (from being focused on Him)

     You will not be moved

     Your heart is glad and will dwell securely in Him

     You will have fulness of JOY in His presence, His pleasures

     And your heart will be FREE!!!!

 

I’m not sure I can convey all these verses have ministered to my heart!  The bottom line is:

 

Spend time at His feet.  Get to know His heart.  Trust Him with my heart.  Love Him with ALL my heart!   Fill my heart with His ways, His goodness.  Obey Him out of heart of love.  Dwell securely with Him. 

 

Then I find LIFE, FREEDOM, JOY—

 

BLESSING!!!!!

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!  He cares for me—much more than many sparrows!   

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings–name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? 

Count your many blessings–ev’ry doubt will fly,

And you will be singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings–money cannot buy

Your reward in Heaven nor your home on high.

So amid the conflict whether great or small,

Do not be discouraged God is over all;

Count your many blessings angels will attend,

Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Count your blessings name them one by one,

Count your blessings see what God has done!

Count your blessings–name them one by one

Count your many blessings see what God has done!

I sing through the shade and the sunshine,

I’ll trust Him whatever befall;

I sing for I cannot be silent–

My Father planned it all.

In sorrow He’s my comfort,

In trouble He’s my stay,

He tells me every care on Him to roll:

He’s the Lily of the Valley,

The Bright and Morning Star,

He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul.

I’ve found a friend Who is all to me,

His love is ever true;

I love to tell how He lifted me,

And what His grace can do for you.

He saves me from every sin and harm,

Secures my soul each day;

I’m leaning strong on His mighty arm;

I know He’ll guide me all the way.

When poor and needy and all alone,

In love He said to me,

"Come unto Me and I’ll lead you Home,

To live with Me eternally."

Saved…… by His power divine,

Saved…..to new life sublime!

Life now is sweet and my joy is complete,

For I’m saved, saved, SAVED!

 

 

Some through the waters, some through the flood,

Some through the fire, but all through the blood;

Some through great sorrow, but God gives a song,

In the night season and all the day long.

No matter what may be the test,

God will take care of you;

Lean, weary one, upon His breast,

God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,

Through every day, O’er all the way;

He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

Lord, I would clasp Thy hand in mine,

Nor ever murmur nor repine;

Content, whatever lot I see,

Since ’tis my God that leadeth me.

He leadeth me, He leadeth me;

By His own hand he leadeth me;

His faithful follower I would be,

For by His hand He leadeth me.

 

 

I pray that something here will bless you, encourage you, or comfort you.  It is just the overflow of what I am learning, as I try to rest in Him.   I am still struggling–an open-handed "why", yet a surrender of my heart and life to the Master Potter’s hands.    I go back to Andrew Murray’s words which I have quoted before:

 

 

 

 "First, He brought me here, it is by His will I am in this strait place:  in that fact I will rest. 

     Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.

     Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and work in me the grace He means to bestow.

     Last, in His good time He can bring me out again–how and when He knows.

 

     Let me say I am here,

 

          1) By God’s appointment,

          2) In His keeping,

          3) Under His training,

          4) For His time."

 

May your time at His feet be blessed–and if you’re going through a trial, use this time to draw closer to Him.   Hudson Taylor said it doesn’t so much matter what the pressure is, but where it lies.  See that it doesn’t come between you and Him, but that it presses you ever closer to Him.

Learning to listen at His feet,