Birthday Flowers

Every year without fail, God gives me flowers for my birthday.

I would take these over a dozen roses any day!!!

The Lord Knows

Isaiah 46:10 "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:"

God knows the end from the beginning.

Back in February Snurr was struggling with his dad's death again. Every so often he wrestles with God about it. My heart ached for him. A few weeks later our pastor gave us the 40 Day Challenge. We took that challenge and Snurr in particular made a long prayer list. About halfway through the challenge, our state got hit by COVID-19. We went from being at church whenever it was open to just watching church on YouTube.

Our church is not a building or a social club. We are a family. The guy time my sons get with their brothers-in-Christ in our church is very important. For my social bug Snurr,  guy time is something he can never get enough of. A bottomless cup.  I particularly prayed for him during this no church time, especially as February had been rough for him. But the Lord, the Everlasting Father knows.

Our state allowed groups of 10 to meet. Our pastor meet weekly with nine men of the church. (My oldest Snipp was one of these). Several weeks in some of the men couldn't all make a meeting & my pastor asked my young teenage boys to come. What a blessing for them! The guy time, the Bible study, the prayertime. All was very needed.

But I didn't realize something until I was sharing with a friend recently.

The son who was needing guy time the most was given the 40 day challenge before God allowed the men in his life to be greatly distanced from him. Snurr drew closer to God before he would need Him for the time apart from his brothers-in-Christ. And when the 40 days was over, Snurr has kept up his morning and evening times with God. It has become precious to him. 

What a blessing!

The Lord knows what we need before we know we have the need. What a caring Lord!

Remembered

The younger boys and I headed to the store. It was time for the vehicle's oil change. We have stepped into that store many times in the last 14 years. But memories hit me everytime. Jim in his white shirt and me showing him a positive pregnancy test. Jim in his grey shirt, manger of the store, but squatted down to talk to our son. Jim with his characteristic beard and twinkling eyes when he smiled. Memories, so many memories...

One of Jim's old coworkers was working. He is the last of the crew. The only one there who knows my husband used be the manager. He started about the same time Jim & Ben did over 20 yrs ago. 

He helped us get what we needed. As we checked out, he casually flipped open his wallet and scanned his employee discount card. I said, "Thank you!" He simply said, "I remember."

Jim's old crew used to all use their discount cards for us as a way to help us out & also honor Jim. It deeply touched my heart. Fourteen years have passed & someone else remembers Jim. He is not forgotten. 

God's voice echoes in my heart. "I remember." The Lord remembers me too. He knows about every tear and hardship and fear. Every cry He hears. He knows me. I am not forgotten. Ever. Not even for a minute. My Lord remembers me. 

Isaiah 49:15-16a

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;

My Duty During a Plague

With the spread of COVID-19, my mind goes to plagues I have read about in the Bible. There are several and I encourage you, dear reader, to study them out. For the sake of time, I want to just focus on three; the plagues upon Egypt, the plague after Korah was dealt with, and the plague after King David numbered the people. 

The Plagues upon Egypt
If my memory serves me right, the book of Exodus points out that the Israelites experience the first three plagues along with the Egyptians. There is no distinction that Israel didn't suffer the water turned to blood, the frogs, and lice plagues. God does clearly state that Israel did not suffer the 4th plague and those that followed. So why? Why did Israel have to endure those 1st three plagues? I know that the plagues attacked the false gods the Egyptians worshiped. Had Israel after living there 400 years fallen into worshipping these false gods too and the LORD was correcting His people? Or was it just life. The LORD makes it rain on the just and the unjust the Bible says. 

As a Christian, I need to examine my heart. Have I been worshiping false gods? Maybe not directly, but indirectly. What have I been putting before God?  He is a jealous God. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 says "If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; If my people, which 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." Notice it was God's people who were admonished to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways. It is a good thing for us Christians, so named called after Christ, to humble ourselves, look within our hearts, and turn away from our wicked ways. So one of my duties during a plague is to examine my life for sinful ways and then stop continuing in them. 

The Plague of Numbers 16: When Israel murmured after Korah was dealt with (14,700 souls died)
The people disagreed with how God had handled the situation with Korah and their anger was turned against Moses and Aaron. God's wrath is kindled. Moses instructs Aaron to quickly take a censure with fire from the altar and put on incense. Then to quickly go stand among the people making atonement for them. Aaron obeys and runs to the people. He stands between the living and the dead and the plague is stayed. Incense is often a symbol of prayer. Interestingly, Moses and Aaron had both been on their faces before God about the people who were seeking them harm. They pleaded for the lives of these stiff-necked and rebellious people many times. Our own country and world is not innocent; sin and rebellion to God is rampant. It is my duty during a plague to passionately intercede for the people, to pray and seek God on their behalf. 

The Plague of 1 Chronicles 21:When King David numbered the people (70,000 souls died)
A census wasn't the sin, it was King David's pride and selfish motives behind it. Interesting to me is that the LORD let him pick his consequence: three years famine, 3 months destroyed by their enemies, or three days of the sword of the LORD in the land. David chooses the sword of the LORD which is a pestilence. David said "...let me fall now into the hand of the Lord; for very great are his mercies.." Oh, yes, the LORD is very merciful. Exodus 34:6-7 tells us "And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin..." Lamentations 3:22-23 "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." King David very well knew the mercy of God, and so he would prefer a plague used as an instrument of God over falling into the hands of his enemy. Another interesting fact in this passage is King David and another man named Ornan see the angel of the LORD with his sword drawn stretched over the city of Jerusalem. What a fearful sight! Yet King David had hope in the LORD's mercy. He saw the plague as more merciful than the other choices and trusted in the LORD's mercy upon his kingdom. It is my duty during a plague to remember God's mercy and hope in His mercy. 

As it is with scripture there are many truths we can glean from these passages and many ways to apply them to our lives. But I see my duty during a plague is to examine my own heart and turn away from any sins I know of, to passionately intercede for others, and to remember and hope in God's mercy. 

Chronicles 7:14 says "If my people, which 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." 

Look Out the Window

A couple years ago our pastor gave us an amazing analogy that has been seared into my mind. He said to close our eyes and imagine ourselves in a room with God. We have peace within, all our needs are met, and we have complete access to God. Everything is good.

After awhile we notice God standing and looking out the window. It is too high for us to see out. So we ask God to pick us up and let us see what He is looking at. As He does just that, we see a sea of people as far as the eyes can see. A huge mass of people. "Who are they?" we ask. "People My Son died for. Lost ones. Someone needs to leave the room and go to them."

"The door is open. You can come back anytime you need to."

I sat riveted in the pew and looked at the picture. The undistinguished faces became a relative, a teenager I know, the man at the gas station, and others. Pastor preached on, but my mind was stuck on that picture. 

There was one person that stood out. I felt like the Lord would have me focus on that one. In the sea of people, there was at least one person hoping for someone to tell them the truth, to show them the way, to lead them to Christ.

Am I willing to surrender my comfort and go for that one?

I imagined myself leaving the comfort of the room and walking out the door into uncertainty. Once in the masses the sense of the enemy was thick. The undistinguished faces become real people with real things hindering them from seeing God for Who He is and sadly, they don't seek Him. Most people aren't desiring to hear what I have to share. Hearts are hard, cold, apathetic. Doors slam in my face and angry voices are raised. Yet I trudge on. 

My God's Son died for all these. Compassion rises within me. Somewhere there is that one I saw from the window. The one hoping for someone to tell them the truth, to show them the way, to lead them to Christ.

*In this day of social distancing, this picture is mindboggling. But the reality is there is a greater pandemic out there. Unbelief in Jesus Christ as Lord. The Bible is clear that the unbelieving die in their sins. And they never experience the amazing relationship they could have with Christ.

Child of God, there are many ways to creatively reach out to others, to share truth, to lead others to Christ. Be wise, but still be busy for Christ. There is a sea of people around you, even if it is only through technology, that need Christ. 

Infection of Fear

Fear has been sweeping across the world faster than COVID-19. It is natural. But, believer in Christ, we are not to operate in our natural man, in the flesh. We, the church, are a called out assembly. We are called to be different in how we respond to trials. We are only to fear God alone. That fear is one of reverance and acknowledgement that Almighty is a just and holy God. 

But we fear many, many other things instead. What we fear becomes our master. Let the mind overthink long enough and the fear will overwhelm us. I liken fear to a dog nipping at our heels. We need to kick at it, to keep it back. Sometimes it will pounce and latch on to us. We must shake it off. 

How?

What is this fear? 

I see fear as unbelief and forgetfulness. Fear comes when we doubt our Lord. Fear pounces when we forget all that the Lord has brought us through and all that He promises us. Fear comes when we hesitate to trust. 

God's Holy Word says perfect love casts out fear. If we accept God's perfect complete love for us, fear flees. When we remember He loves us more than we will ever understand, fear flees. 

What is the antidote for fear? Trust.

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

So when fears starts nipping at my heels, I remind myself to trust. With all the COVID-19 info in my face, I needed to put God's Word in my face. So I have been doing a word study on the word TRUST. I have been finding verses with the word trust in them and writing them down. And when fear nips, I go back and read them. Sometimes silently and sometimes outloud. I pray them. 

COVID-19 is real and we need to be wise. But my God is bigger and though fear may pounce, I choose to trust in Him. 

I encourage you, dear reader, to do the same. Look up verses on trust. Then share them with friends, family, coworkers, and strangers. For everyone is fighting some kind of fear. We can do our part to fight back against this infection of fear. 

Mark 11:22

And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.

The Soldier's Psalm

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

³ Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

⁴ He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

⁵ Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

⁶ Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

⁷ A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

⁸ Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

⁹ Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

¹⁰ There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

¹¹ For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

¹² They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

¹³ Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

¹⁴ Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

¹⁵ He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.