Just a Daisy in the Meadow

“Do not cry to Me in the hour of crisiis and distress as though I would extentd some miracle in answer to prayer.  Of course, I do answer prayer and I can perform miracles and bring deliverance, but if I do this, I have only rescued one of my own out of trouble while you yourself have won no victory at all. . . . I want you to experience Jericho’s not Ai’s . . . Ye are not qualified to be used for My purposes as long as you are being harassed by the enemy and I keep needing to rescue you from a constant parade of distressing predicaments . . . ” -  Frances J. Roberts

. . . Run with the passion of Elijah

Elijah – a Rabbi -  (people in Jesus time confused him with the Messiah!) Whom do ye say that I am?  Some say Elijah, some say . . .

Elijah had a passion,a intense commitment at all costs . . .

Remember Mt. Carmel?

Elijah climbe up Mt. Carmel and had a contest with a pagan cult

He climbed back down and forsaw their punishment, climbed back up and prayed passionatly, climbed back down and ran 20 miles ahead of Ahab’s chariot . . . He gave everything he had!

Paul says in IICorinthians 12:15 ” And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls . . .”

In the New Testament time they used sports to declare their gods.  Athletes ran to declare “He is god!”  Paul says our Christian “walk” or our run says to the world the “He ALONE IS KING!”  Our walk with Jesus is an olympic event.   The way we try to be like Jesus becomes a flat-out, all-out run . . .

We’re to give it all we got.  At judgement the question might arise, “Whatcha got left?  Ya know you’ve just finished running with allyour worth here in this life and your panting because of the exturtion . . . We want to be able to say  . . . I!  . .  .have!  . . . nothing!  . . . left!

Hebrews 12:1″ . . . Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us,and let us RUN with ENDURANCE the race that is set before us,looking unto Jesus . . .”

The heroes of faith – picture your self running in a huge area, as in New Testament times with the “bleachers’ full of these people . . .

- Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samual and the prophets .  . . all these having obtained a good testimony through FAITH . . .

Hudson Taylor, Amy Charmichael, Willam Tyndale, David Livingstone, George Mueller, John Wesley, Gladyas Alward, Nate Saint . . . .

And then those heroes who’ve you’ve known who have gone on before, LeRoy, Krystal . . . Your own grandparents, or family or  dear friend . . .

These witnesses  are your fans  . . . and they are saying . . . “IT’S ! WORTH ! EVERY! EFFORT! YOU!  MAKE!  Run!  Don’t quit!

The biggest barrier, to be genuinely like Jesus, in our world today is that it takes this kind of fight!

Habakkuk 3:2 ” A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, ‘Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord, Renew them in our day, and in our time make them known . . .”

Isaiah 40:29-31 ” Do you not know, Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.  He gives strength to the weary, and increases  the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength!

They will soar on wings like eagles!

THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW WEARY!

They will walk and not faint!”

It’s only by the power of God that we can run and not be weary!  Where are you getting your strength from . . .

Ok, that’s my “sermon” for the day . . . No, actually it’s just what I am sharing with the sewing circle ladies . . . my turn for devotions . . .

This has been a tough week for me . . . weary and exhausted, trying to keep things under control (house work and children ) and just needing lots of rest and quiet . . .

And of course this had to be an extremely busy week for my husband ( he’s on the quilt show committee this year).  Somehow when we’re both bus and tired at the same time it is tougher . . .

But God has poured out his tender loving care on me this week also . . . Three mornings in a row I’ve had a few hours to myself, of quiet reflection  and rest.  And yesterday I actually slept a bit in the mid-morning and also a bit in the afternoon . . . now this is miracle stuff for me because I usually can’t sleep during the day no matter how exhausted I am . . . Anyway, I just want to praise His name and say that He cares . . . He really does . . . He came to me “in person” these last few days and ministered to my needs . . .

No, God doesn’t always answer my prayers this way . . .  but He’s the Lily in my Valley anyway . . . no matter what . . .

“I found a Lily in my valley – in my valley,

I found strength when I was worn- Oh, so worn

I found a place to leave my burden,

I found a refuge from the storm.

A place to trade my dark skies,

For beaming rays of sunshine – God’s sunshine

I found a Lily in my valley

And He blooms all the time . . .”

There is much to wail for . . . In our country, in our church, in our families, in our own personal lives . . . This is something we women are called to do . . . weep and pray . . .

” . . . It is because they have forsaken my law, which I have set before them;

They have not obeyed me or followed my law.

Instead they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts . . . .

Call for the wailing women to come . . .

Let them come quickly and wail over us till our eyes overflow with tears and waters streams from our eyelids . . . .

Now, O women, hear the word of the Lord:

Open your ears to the words of His mouth.

Teach your daughters how to wail;

Teach one another a lament.

Death has climbed in through our windows

And has entered our fortresses;

It has cut off the children from the streets

And the young men from the public squares.”

-The Weeping Prophet – Jeremiah 9: 13-20

The other day we were on a walk and stopped by the neighbors say “Hi!” play a bit and use their bathroom . . . I was challenged by this poster in their bathroom . . . so I put it in mine too

DO HARD THINGS

things that are outside your comfort zone

things that go beyond what is expected or required

small hard thing that no one else sees, acknowledges or appreciates

big hard things like standing alone when everyone sees

sticking with things that don’t bring instant rewards

What a powerful way of putting it like it really is…

Ok, did anybody look at this?  Was it worth putting on here?

Note:  For those of you interested, Japheth put the complete sermon on his blog . .  .  this is just some clips from it . . . Haven’t listened to the whole thing yet myself . . .

Needing prayer and God’s power more than ever today . . . . . Just thankful for the “rain” . . .  praying for a rainbow . . .  tears and heartache cloud my soul . . .

Problems/perplexities Ever Around Christ Enough

“I will refresh the weary

and satisfy the faint.” – Jeremiah 31:25

God is faithful . . . he has and is . . .

This song keeps running through my head . . . 

“Moment by moment I’m kept by His love,

Moment my moment, I’ve life from above . . . “

We are to be a living testimony of God’s realness . . . first of all to those closest to us and then spreading out to all we meet . . . Growing up I thought going to “Africa” was about the hightest calling one could have . . . now I realize that showing my children how real Jesus\God is is the greatest thing I might ever do . . .

Ever read the Book “Evidence Not Seen”  by Darlene Diebler Rose?  Here’s a quote from it . . . Don’t you love it?

“Underneath us, O how easy!
We have not to mount on high,
But to sink into his fullness,
And in trustful weakness lie;
And we find our humbling failures
save us from the strength that harms;
We may fail, but underneath us
Are the everlasting arms.”

“Fools mock at making amends for sin . . .” – Prov. 14:9a

“Repent, then and turn to God,  so that your sins may be wiped out,

that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” – Acts 3:19

“The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life

turning a man from the snare of death.” – Prov. 14:27