Be Still, My Soul

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Psalm 46:10-11
Be still, and know that I am God:
I will be exalted among the heathen,
I will be exalted in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Selah.

Quiet moments are rare
and it can be difficult to find stillness,
but take a few minutes today
to quietly and deeply consider our Lord.
Try not to read or stucy or be distracted–
just be sitll and meditate on the person of Jesus
and all He has done for you.
Think about His birth, His infancy
and the dawn of light rising over
a dark and weary world.
Think about His death and sacrifice,
and the gift of life He extends to you.
Meditate on His resurrection,
His power over the darkness and the grave.
Drink in His presence
and in the stillness seek His face.
~~~Louie Giglio

Let be and be still,
and know (recognize and understand)
that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations!
I will be exalted in the earth!
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our Refuge
(Our high tower and Stronghold)
Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
Psalm 46:10-11 Amplified Bible

Published in: on December 26, 2016 at 4:14 am  Leave a Comment  
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O Come, O Come, Emmanuel

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Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

Now all this was done,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord
by the prophet, saying,
Behold, a virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,
and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.
Matthew 1:22-23

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Wisdom from on high,
who orderest all things mightily;
to us the path of knowledge show,
and teach us in her ways to go.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free
thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell thy people save,
and give them victory over the grave.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Dayspring, come and cheer
our spirits by thine advent here;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
and death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come,
and open wide our heavenly home;
make safe the way that leads on high,
and close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height
in ancient times once gave the law
in cloud and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
an ensign of thy people be;
before thee rulers silent fall;
all peoples on thy mercy call.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind;
bid thou our sad divisions cease,
and be thyself our King of Peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
and ransom captive Israel,
that mourns in lonely exile here
until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

Words: Latin, twelfth century;
trans. John Mason Neale (1818-1866), 1851

Published in: on December 25, 2016 at 4:48 am  Leave a Comment  
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Perfection is God’s Way

God is a way maker.
God is the preparer of the end.
God timing is always right.
God knows all
from the beginning of my problem
to the fulfillment of His solution.

Psalm 18:30, 32
As for God, his way is perfect:
the word of the LORD is tried:
he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.
It is God that girdeth me with strength,
and maketh my way perfect.

rain

Perfection is God’s way.

Again I wait
confident
sure
believing.

The prayer of Zechariah at the birth of his son, John,
who God had chosen to be a messenger sent from God
to prepare the way for Jesus.

Luke 1:57-80
Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;
for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets,
which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
That he would grant unto us,
that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him,
all the days of our life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord
to prepare his ways;
To give knowledge of salvation
unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
To give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his of his showing unto Israel.

May God bless out waiting.

Published in: on December 24, 2016 at 1:44 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Waiting Question

Luke 2:25-33
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.

Simeon

Clarke’s Commentary says “Several learned men are of the opinion that he was son to the famous Hillel, one of the most celebrated doctors and philosophers which had ever appeared in the Jewish nation since the time of Moses. Simeon is supposed also to have been the Ab or president of the grand Sanhedrin.”

Simeon knew the prophecies fortelling the coming of the Messiah and believed them in his heart.
Simeon lived close enough to God to receive a special promise that he would see that prophecy fulfilled before he died.
Simeon waited.

We don’t know how long he waited.
We don’t know the doubts that filled his mind.
We don’t know the scoffing he received when he told others of God’s promise.
We don’t know the feeling to wake up each day with the thought ‘Is it today?’

Yet He Waited.

Then one day (I see him kneeling in morning prayer)
the Holy Ghost urges him to go to the temple.
Does he keep to his normal routine of morning chores, of business duites, of handling temple emergencies before he goes to the place of worship?
Does he let these things drown out the whispered,
“Come and see! Today is the day!”

No, He believed his waiting was over.
He went to the temple expecting to see
He went to the temple expecting to touch
He went to the temple with praise already in his heart
He went to the temple ready to voice thanks for the fulfillment of the promise.

How many times the whispered ‘Come to Me’ I hear,
Yet let all the other things come first before I go.
then I wonder when I arrive
I have little joy
I have many questions
I have doubts and fears
My faith seems so small
My pray falls flat
My thanks seems routine.

july-7

God is waiting now.
and I am waiting until later.

Really, why do I question?

Published in: on December 23, 2016 at 2:33 pm  Comments (1)  
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God Watches Our Waiting

praying-hands-candle

Psalm 27:7-9
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice:
have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face;
my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
Hide not thy face far from me;
put not thy servant away in anger:
thou hast been my help; leave me not,
neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.

Sometimes when I cry unto the Lord
uttering my burdens and petitions;
I remember God says ‘Call on me’.
I respond, I am calling, I am seeking, Don’t hide from me,
Don’t be angry with my human frailities,
God, you have been my help,
God, you said, you would never leave or forsake me,
then is the time of waiting.

Knowing my concerns
Recognizing God’s promises
Being willing to believe in and adhere to
and trust in and rely on God,
I wait.

Without that believing,
even if only the size of mustard seed, believing,
I would faint and grow weary.

Psalm 27:13
I had fainted,
unless I had believed to see
the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.

God is still good to say again and again

Psalm 27:14
Wait on the LORD:
be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart:
wait, I say, on the LORD.

Wait on the Lord – All ye who are in distress, wait on the Lord. Take me for an example. (David says) I waited on him, and he strengthened my heart; wait ye on him, and he will strengthen your heart. You cannot be unsuccessful; fear not. Wait, I say, on the Lord; wait for his succor in doing his will.

Age viriliter (Act manfully or Act courageously), says the Vulgate;
act like a man, hope, believe, work, and fear not.
~~~Clarke’s Commentary

Faith takes a groweth spurt when I read:

1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous,
and his ears are open unto their prayers:
but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

May God bless our waiting

Words in parenthesis are my addition.

Published in: on December 11, 2016 at 4:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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Waiting With Kindness

scatter-kindness-kindness-quote

Put on as the elect of God, kindness
Colossians 3:12

There is a story of an old man who carried a little can of oil with him everywhere he went, and if he passed through a door that squeaked, he poured a little oil on the hinges. If a gate was hard to open, he oiled the latch. And thus he passed through life lubricating all hard places and making it easier for those who came after him. People called him eccentric, queer, and cranky; but the old man went steadily on refilling his can of oil when it became empty, and oiled the hard places he found.

There are many lives that creak and grate harshly as they live day by day. Nothing goes right with them. They need lubricating with the oil of gladness, gentleness, or thoughtfulness.

Have you your own can of oil with you?
Be ready with your oil of helpfulness
in the early morning to the one nearest you.
It may lubricate the whole day for him.
The oil, of good cheer to the downhearted one–
Oh, how much it may mean!
The word of courage to the despairing.
Speak it.
Our lives touch others but once,
perhaps,
on the road of life;
and then,
mayhap,
our ways diverge,
never to meet again.

The oil of kindness has worn the sharp, hard edges off of many a sin-hardened life and left it soft and pliable and ready for the redeeming grace of the Saviour. A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, “Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest.”

We cannot know the grief
That men may borrow;
We cannot see the souls
Storm-swept by sorrow;
But love can shine upon the way
Today, tomorrow;
Let us be kind.
Upon the wheel of pain so many weary lives are broken,
We live in vain who give no tender token.
Let us be kind.

“Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love”
Romans 12:10
~~~from: Streams in the Desert, Mrs Charles E. Cowman

May God bless our waiting.

Published in: on December 10, 2016 at 4:19 am  Leave a Comment  
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My Prayer While Waiting

Job 23:1-6
Then Job answered and said,
Even to day is my complaint bitter:
my stroke is heavier than my groaning.
Oh that I knew where I might find him!
that I might come even to his seat!
I would order my cause before him,
and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know the words which he would answer me,
and understand what he would say unto me.
Will he plead against me with his great power?
No; but he would put strength in me.

Clarke’s commentary
No; but he would put strength in me –
“On the contrary, he would treat me with tenderness,
he would rectify my mistakes,
he would show me what was in my favor,
and would temper the rigid demands of justice
by the mild interpretations of equity;
and where law could not clear me,
mercy would conduct all to the most favorable issue.”

Proverbs-31-Woman

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you, my Father and my God
Humbly I bow before you
The mighty one, the Cousellor, the Prince of peace
Knowing, believing in and trusting your equity, your fairnes
And your understanding of the weakness of my flesh
And the questioning of my spirit.

You still stand to supply all my needs
According to your mercy.
Great is your faithfulness
Morning by morning
Never ceasing
Always at hand
Ever fresh, ever available
Never leftovers, a full fresh cup
Pressed down, measured generously
Running over in my bosom
Watering the smalles of needs
The seed of faith
Placed by our tender fingers
In the soil of my heart.

That watering of mercy and grace,
With the daily occurance of the light of your words
And the warmith of your love.
The seed can sprout and grow,
That seed – so small
Can face a problem – so large
And be confident that even if
It finds it self crying
“I Believe! Help My Unbelief!”

Will you plead against me with your great power?
No, but you put your stong haands under my faith seed
And uphold it, stengthen it, encourage it and comfort it
Until that so large problem moves . . .

While I wait.

May God bless our waiting.

Published in: on December 8, 2016 at 4:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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Waiting, A Two-Way Street

Isaiah 30:15, 18
For thus saith the Lord GOD,
the Holy One of Israel;
In returning and rest shall ye be saved;
in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength:
and ye would not.

stubborn-child

How many times has the Lord tried to direct me: and I would not.
His Voice so gentle, not loud and demanding,
but reasoning: and I would not.
His Words so confident and sure: and I would not.
His Words so reliable: yet I doubted and would not.
He would ask for such a little step of action,
something He knew and I knew I could do: and I would not.

v.18 And therefore will the LORD wait,
that he may be gracious unto you,
nd therefore will he be exalted,
that he may have mercy upon you:
for the LORD is a God of judgment:
blessed are all they that wait for him.

The time would come after He waited:
I would sigh the acceptance sigh, ‘Not my will’.
I would sigh the surrender sigh,
after holding on so tightly, ‘Not my will’.
I would sigh the committed sigh, ‘Thy Will be done’.
Did God rail on me for my slowness,
my subborness,
my lack of faith?
No but as He did for Job: He did for me.
Will he plead against me with his great power?
No; but he would put strength in me. Job 23:6
And bless me with His Strength to follow in His Steps.

Yes, many times I wait on God.
I can wait because I have learned by His Example
how to wait, for He waits on me.

listening-child

May God bless our waiting.
linking with
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Published in: on December 7, 2016 at 4:41 am  Leave a Comment  
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Teach Me, Lord, to Wait

Psalm 123:1-2
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes,
O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
Behold, as the eyes of servants look
unto the hand of their masters,
and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress;
so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until that he have mercy upon us.

pierre-edouard_frere_-_child_praying_at_mothers_knee_-_walters_371330Child Praying at Mother’s Knee
Pierre Edouard Frere

So many times when I think of waiting on God;
it includes waiting in prayer.

Waiting before I pray,
because I get involved in trying to figure things out myself
Waiting as I pray,
because I don’t know how or what to pray
Waiting as the groanings come,
as the faithful Intersessor brings my need to God
Waiting as the heart stills
Waiting as the sigh comes ‘Not my will’
Waiting as I rest beside still waters
Waiting as God works all things together
Waiting as God chooses the ansering time.

Teach Me, Lord, to Wait

Teach me, Lord, to wait – down on my knees.
Till in your own good time you’ll answer my pleas.
Teach me not to rely on what others do.
But to wait in prayer for an answer from you.

Chorus
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Teach me, Lord, Teach me, Lord, to wait!

Teach me, Lord, to wait – while hearts are aflame.
Let me humble my pride and call on your name.
Keep my faith renewed and my eyes on thee.
Let me be on this earth what you want me to be.

Chorus
They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles.
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Teach me, Lord, Teach me, Lord, to wait!
by Stuart Hamblen

May God bless our waiting

Published in: on December 5, 2016 at 4:10 am  Leave a Comment  
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Quietly Wait

Lamentations 3:24-26
The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him.
It is good that a man should both hope
and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

waitingJeremiah in Lamentations reminds us
it is good to wait for the Lord;
and not only to wait but to wait quietly.

Quiet. 1. characterized by an absence or near absence of noise:
2. characterized by an absence of turbulent motion or disturbance;
peaceful, calm, or tranquil:

I am not waiting quietly

if I am murmuring or complaining about the wait.
if my mind is rushing around in circles.
if I have an aggitatied spirit.

To be able to wait quietly,
I have to sigh deeply whispering ‘Not My Will‘.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel’s Strength and Consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire fo every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdon bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By thine all sufficient merit,
Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
Charles Wesley 1707-1788

May God bless our waiting.

Published in: on December 3, 2016 at 4:51 am  Leave a Comment  
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