Could it be that the darkest places in our lives are when God puts us in the cleft of the rock and then He passes by to do the work that needs to be done and when we come out of the cleft we see how abundantly above He answered our prayers and worked things together in a way so ‘much higher’ than our thoughts?

Yes, the cleft is a hard place, it is rock. It is dark. It is a dead end place we cannot see what is ahead. It is also a place of shelter. A place of refuge, A place of safety, A place of protection. It is a place by God. It is a place whose foundation is a rock. It is a place where God’s hand supports my leaning weak frame. It is the center of God’s will.

And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
(God)And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
(Moses)And he said unto him, If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
(Moses)And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.
(God)And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:12-23

Close To Him
God never would send you the darkness, If He felt you could bear the light;
But you would not cling to His guiding hand If the way were always bright;
And you would not care to walk by faith Could you always walk by sight.

So He sends you the blinding darkness, And the furnace of sevenfold heat;
‘Tis the only way, believe me, To keep you close to His feet;
For ’tis always so easy to wander When our lives are glad and sweet.

Then nestle your hand in your Father’s, And sing, if you can, as you go;
Your song may cheer someone behind you Whose courage is sinking low.

(picture – http://acts2gathering.com/sos-final/rock-cleft )
from the archives, June, 2011 link broken

Dinner from the garden at Cozy Acres.

Good Morning

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
Isaiah 40:1

Store up comfort.
this was the prophet’s mission.
The world is full of comfortless hearts,
and ere thou art sufficient for this lofty ministry,
thou must be trained.
And thy training is costly in the extreme;
for, to render it perfect,
thou too must pass through the same afflictions
as are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood.
Thus thy own life becomes the hospital ward
where thou art taught the Divine art of comfort.
Thou art wounded,
that in the binding up of thy woulds by the Great Physician,
thou mayest learn how to render first aid to the wounded everywhere.
Doest thou wonder why thou art passing through some special sorrow?
Wait till ten years are passed,
and thou wilt find many others afflicted as thou art.
thou wilt tell them how thou hast suffered
and has been comforted;
then as the tales is unfolded,
and the anodynes applied which once thy God wrapped around thee,
in the eager look and the gleam of hope
that shall chase the shadow of despair across the soul,
thou shalt know why thou wast afflicted,
and bless God for the discipline that stored thy life
with such a fund of experience and helpfulness.
—Selected.

Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,
that we may be able to comfort them
which are in any trouble,
by the comfort
wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
2Corinthians 1:4

Trust God for your day. . .Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Volunteer Watermelon Patch
Can you see the melons?

Good Morning

Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains: for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted. But Zion said, The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me. Isaiah 49:13-16

Quite a thought, isn’t it?
Your name on God’s hand.
Your name on God’s lips.
Maybe you’ve seen your name in some special places.
On an award or diploma. . .
But to think that your name is on God’s hand and on God’s lips. . .
my, could it be?
Or perhaps you have never seen your name honored. And you can’t remember when you heard it spoken with kindness. IF so,it maybe more difficult for you to believe that God knows your name.
But He does.
Written on His hand.
Spoken by His moth.
Whispered by His lips.
Your name.
When God Whispers Your Name, Max Lucado

I had to smile when I read the Amplified version of verse 18:   Behold, I have indelibly imprinted (tattooed a picture of) you on the palm of each of My hands; [O Zion] your walls are continually before Me.

How many times have we seen someone write a note to themselves by writing it on their hand so they wouldn’t forget. It’s not something new, is it? God wrote my name on His hand so He wouldn’t forget me.
Thank you.

Trust God for your day . . . Today
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie