Praise Ye the Lord

“Praise ye the LORD.”—Psalm 150:6b

The last phrase in the entire Book of Psalms is an exhortation to praise the Lord, which is an exhortation in itself as this verse segment ends a book filled not with just spiritual highs, but also many lows. 

I believe further revelation about the idea of praising the Lord can be summed up in Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” I believe God is telling us in this passage that we aren't to focus on the negative, but on the positive all around us. We are to think on the things that are lovely, of a good report, and that are virtuous, to name a few things that verse describes. And when we do think on these things, the end result can only be praise to our Lord.

As I go about my day, I am encouraged to be in constant communion with the Lord in praising His name and thinking on all the good I see in the world around me. For example, I can either concentrate my thoughts on the eczema spot that is developing on my daughter's forehead or I can praise the Lord that she can walk around the house, when so many children cannot. It's not that I shouldn't address the patch of dry skin on my child's forehead, but I must not let the negative aspects of such a condition overshadow all the good I can be thankful to God for about her health. I also shouldn't let it overshadow my hope and trust in God to clear this up somehow, when I bring this issue to Him in prayer. (For the sake of full disclosure, this last sentence convicts me because I haven't prayed for His guidance to either lead me to a product that will bring its healing or His power to heal it without my help!)

Work is a great spiritual testing place as it draws out either our praise or our complaints. I can be under so much pressure at work, with more and more paperwork stacking onto the already massive piles on my desk and start wondering if it will ever end. I can be grumpy that I don't have an assistant who can help me with my tasks as I assist others in my job. Or I can praise the Lord for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to be able to work part-time from home, while my daughter is young, even though I may not get everything done in a manner I would if I went into work every day at full-time hours.

Then, there is the guilt that comes so naturally to mothers. I can choose to be weighed down with guilt about not being able to give my daughter my full and undivided attention throughout the day, or I can praise God that while I'm working at home, she often plays near me and that we are at the very least in each others' presence. I can feel insecure for putting in a long  DVD for her to watch so that I can work at length on time-sensitive projects with little to no interruption. Or I can be grateful that I get to spend quality time with my daughter in the middle of my days by going to story times in the library, going on walks around the neighborhood, or even reading books together and playing tea time with her and her several Sesame Street plush dolls.

My favorite middle-of-the-day activity lately has been visiting a park and walking around with her as she discovers new sights, sounds, and textures. I enjoy listening to my daughter say hi to little girls her age and dogs her size. I savor the look in her eyes as she walks across a field 100x larger than anything she's traveled on with her own two feet before. I love the wonder in her expression as she takes in the largeness of the park fenced in with beautifully tall trees. I love the look of independence on her face as she follows her own path. What a treat that is! I may not get all the work done I thought I needed to complete in a day, but I get to experience my beautiful daughter as she discovers her world. So, what should I say? You got it, praise the Lord!

So, if I start feeling weighed down or guilty about what I'm doing or not doing or how I am or how I am not, I should ask God if there is any sin in what I'm doing. If there is, I need to ask Him to forgive me (1 John 1:9) and to gently correct my walk (Psalm 139: 23-24). If there is no sin, I then need to get my thoughts out of the guilt pit and onto the good that is happening all around me in every moment of every day. It may take some time at first to get my vision on the things God wants me to think about, but I believe with prayer and practice, thinking on the good and all that's mentioned in Philippians 4:8 will eventually become habit.

One final thought. If I am having a hard time thinking on the good right in front of me, that is the good in the temporal or physical realm, I am without excuse because the ultimate praise I have for Him is simply because He is and that I am His child.

So, just as the Book of Psalms ends, let us all be encouraged to redeem our time wisely by seeing something to praise Him for throughout our days on earth. While the natural man is not wired this way, thankfully, praising Him in Heaven will come naturally. Because only then, will we be freed from our sinful bodies and see Him as He is.

Praise ye the Lord!

Our Backyard (Spokane, WA)
March 26, 2014

Long Enough

“And the LORD spake unto me saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.”—Deuteronomy 2:2-3

Reading the Old Testament can be such a faith boost. The story of Israel's wandering in the wilderness for 40 years captures that spirit for me—how that God was with them and guiding them each day through the pillar of fire by night or of cloud by day.

“He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar”(99:7a).

“And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys: But if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys” (Exodus 40:36-38—Emphasis mine)

The story of Moses receiving God's Ten Commandments is another great example of God's divine direction—how God gave us His Law so that we may obey it and live the consequences of our obedience or disobedience to it. (Not for justification before God but for an unburdened conscience before Him along with a freedom to be in fellowship with Him.)

God also spoke through Moses, as was the case in the featured passage above. I love the clarity of direction in this passage. I love the phrase “long enough.” It's as if God is saying, My child, your trials, your journeys, are finished. You are now going to the next phase of your walk with Me. Oh, this phase, too, comes with its trials and battles, but this is the phase I have had for you all along. See, you are now going into the promised land. Despite your little faith, doubting the plan I had for you all along, I was always guiding you to this place in subtle and non-so-subtle ways. You may not have always had the sight to see it afar off, but nevertheless, your promised land was always there for you.

So it is when God speaks to me through my devotional Bible reading from His word with the teaching of His Holy Spirit, guiding me into all truth. It is as if I'm Israel with my own personal pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day, where He is guiding me to the right or left, but always into the direction I should go. When a verse strikes me in its clarity, I trust God is using that verse to guide and comfort me.

There were many years I had pined for a husband and of a family of my own. Upon giving my life to the Lord in my early twenties, God had planted that desire in me. Before then, I had it in my mind that I was going to be a career woman. I told myself I was allergic to men.

I believe getting married and having a family was God's promised land for me, but I had to wander in the wilderness for 14 years while I waited. During that time, God slowly changed my heart and made me ready to receive the man He had for me. God, in effect, at the end of my journey, had said I had been in my wilderness long enough!

So, dear reader, whatever your trial, whatever your waiting, whatever your journey, take comfort in the fact we have a God Who guides our steps along the way, many times despite our lack of faith in Him or despite our grumbling along the journey. He has a promised land He's leading you to. It may not be the promised land you were hoping for or expecting, but He wants you to trust Him that it is the promised land He has for you.

Someday, the promised land He has for all of us who call upon Him for salvation, will be Heaven, itself, where we will forever be in His presence. He will in effect say to all of His children, You have wandered long enough. It's time to come home.

View on Drive Home to Spokane from Seattle
(September 2007)

Five Minute Friday: Encouragement

It’s funny how little things encourage me. A sudden, sneaky joke from my husband, that just makes me laugh over our dinner table. When all seems so somber and serious and quite frankly, a little dull, in came my husband with a statement that just made me laugh and laugh.

Or how about when I go upstairs to get my daughter from her crib. The way she looks at me as I walk through the door, with a kind of gleeful anticipation, and how she will be silly or serious, depending on her mood, and hand me her blanky, because you know mom, I can’t go anywhere without this.

Or how a simple thank you from your boss, because he knows he’s been so busy the last several weeks, and how I may have allowed some insecurity to creep in and wonder, are we okay? Which I did ask him, and he said yes, and then he said, he must be busier than he should be … and so today, a deliberate thank you from him to me.

Or a verse and how it will sing gloriously off the pages of Scripture when you are waking up with your tea and your daughter is faithfully watching the morning cartoons, with the sound off, as mommy needs to “hear” her Savior … and how that verse just lifts off the page into your mind and down into your heart.

Those things, and more, are great examples of encouragement in my life.

He Crowns Our Years with His Goodness

“Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.”—Psalm 65:11a

My heart is not always effusive with joy. What I mean is, sometimes it is not easy for me to be thankful to God. Of course, in the general sense, I am thankful for Him and what He’s done in my life. I am even thankful for the hardships He has allowed me to go through because, not only has He brought me through my hardships, but He has taught me beautiful truths through the trials that are etched on my soul today.

But a general sort of thankfulness? No, that is not my natural state. I tend to examine the flaws of myself and of others, and study our deficiencies and what the Bible says are the solutions for them to satisfy my need to feel correct in my judgment.

While going to Scripture is a wonderful thing, the purpose I use Scripture for may not always be used with a “1-Corinthians-chapter-13” kind of love. You know, a love that is long-suffering and not prideful. A love that is not self-serving. A love that is hopeful. A love that is kind.

Truthfully, when I examine myself, I know I could use more of this kind of love toward myself and others. I know I could have more of a hopeful viewpoint from which to see the world.

This verse above simply says God crowns the years (and I believe we can rightly say “our” years) with His goodness, and what follows is how it speaks to my heart about thankfulness. I believe it is through the lens of God’s goodness from which I need to view the world. So, instead of seeing faults and getting bitter about those faults in myself and others, I see Him and His goodness. In everything.

See, He really does have the power to turn every situation into His glory, albeit for those that love Him (Romans 8:28). He can turn the ashes of our lives into a beauty we would have not thought possible (Isaiah 61:3). I believe these statements are true because they are found in Scripture, but I also believe these are true statements because they have happened to me.

Where I falter, and where my fears and doubts begin to arise, is in trusting that they will happen to me in the future, and prayerfully, in the lives of my loved ones and others I may be praying for. This is the essence of faith, really. A faith in Him that He can and will perform these truths. And is that not one of the major truths of Christianity? That we have a God Who we trust in not only for our salvation but with our lives—past, present and future?

My sweet, precious and loving Savior, as this verse says above, You crown the years with Your goodness, and it is not always easy for me to see Your goodness. I often fear, falter, and doubt that Your Hand is moving in my daily life. These are sins of my heart, and I confess that to You. Please cleanse me and heal me of these sins and then lead me to see things through Your goodness so that I may be thankful to You for all You have done, are doing, and will do.

 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

—1 Thessalonians 5:18

My Street in Spokane, WA
(December 2010)

I Stand Amazed

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5

“The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: 

so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.”—Proverbs 20:30

“Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.”—Luke 22:7

Christ, our Passover Lamb. The One Who was wounded, afflicted, and killed for our healing. When I take a look at that picture, I am deeply moved by Jesus Christ and what He's done for me. He is just so awesome, and I don't mean to use that word with today's casual meaning. I mean awesome as in He is beyond my human comprehension. And yet, in such simple language full of grace and truth, God explains to us in Scripture all He did for us, when He became flesh and blood and at the conclusion of that life here on earth, how that He suffered and died for us.

I stand amazed!

Let me look to Jesus often. He is the One my Christianity is all about. Not forms or traditions, although if those are biblical and bring me closer to the Savior, I believe those have wisdom in them. (Colossians 2:20-23)

A good start for me is to read Isaiah 53, a beautiful passage of scripture that prophecies the coming Savior to man. When I read that passage, I am struck by the section that reads, “We have turned every one to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6b). When I read that in context to all He's done on my behalf, offering me a new start—free and full forgiveness for all my transgressions—not because I have been punished for my sins, but because He has, I stand amazed!

So often though, I know I'm like Peter who denies the Lord, maybe not in words or quite as literally as Peter did when Jesus was betrayed and delivered into the hands of His accusers. It's when I worry, doubt, or disobey my Jesus, etc., that I do deny Him and His power over my circumstances. I think if I go back to Isaiah 53, it will be like that moment after Peter denied Jesus three times and Jesus looked at Peter, in the midst of all His suffering, as if to say, Peter, I love you still. Remember, I told you Satan desired to sift you as wheat. But remember also, I told you I prayed for you, that your faith fail not and that when you are converted, when you acknowledge your error, go and strengthen your brothers and sisters in Christ.

And after that compassionate look of knowing, Peter wept bitterly. He denied his Savior, but his Savior forgives him and loves him still.

Take heart in what you are going through. Put your eyes back onto Jesus. He will never leave or forsake you.

And stand amazed for all He's done for you, all He's doing for you, and all He will do for you.

------

I stand amazed in the presence

of Jesus the Nazarene,

and wonder how he could love me,

a sinner, condemned, unclean.

He took my sins and my sorrows,

he made them his very own;

he bore the burden to Calvary,

and suffered and died alone.

How marvelous! How wonderful!

And my song shall ever be:

How marvelous! How wonderful

is my Savior's love for me!

(Excerpt from: I Stand Amazed in the Presence by Charles H. Gabriel)

Manito Park Dahlia Garden
Spokane, WA
(August 2007)

The Abundant Life

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: 
I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
—John 10:10

I believe any objective observation of a person’s life could be said to conclude in two ways—that the individual has had an abundant life in Christ or that an individual has had a life that has been destroyed by years and years of poor choices. The broad strokes of one’s existence may not clearly illustrate one or the other kind of life at first, but if we look closely into that person’s canvas, we can see the details of his or her life as the paint dries. We begin to understand what those details say about the kind of life that person has lived.

In the verse above, we see Jesus offers not only life, but life "more abundantly." The thief, however—that great counterfeiter of God, the father of lies, and enemy of our souls—steals away the blessings of God on a person’s life, kills a person's joy, and I believe the Bible says, brings them sooner to physical death. (Romans 6:16)

As I have meditated on John 10:10 over the years, I feel so very blessed by what God has bestowed upon me despite the past destruction I have allowed in my life. When I gave my life to the Lord in my early twenties, I believe that was precisely when God began to grant me His abundant life or at least when I began to recognize it. I felt this life in my soul as I praised the Lord for the big and little experiences He gave me as I learned more and more about Him. I often sung songs of praise to Him as I walked to school or other destinations. I called these my prayer-and-praise walks with Jesus. Witnessing was effortless because I was just so full of my Savior and His love. Earthy blessings were many, as well, but I believe that was just a small part of the abundant life He gave me. The abundant life is a full life in Him, as we learn our place in His divine plan and yield ourselves to it.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying there aren't times of discouragement, sadness, and temptation in an abundant life, but I am saying the overall impression of such a life is full of beautiful colors and gorgeous textures on a canvas of His design.

Then, there is the destroyed life, which results as a consequence of our not only choosing sin, but remaining in it. When we feed our flesh and let our lives be full of the sinful parts of our natures, it only leads to our destruction. This is the kind of life Satan wants to keep us in bondage to, so that we don’t experience the wonderful truth and reality of God’s abundant life.

Over the years, as I've meditated on this verse, my heart hurts for those who have tasted God, who are born again, but who are seduced back into bondage to the elements of this world Satan then uses to destroy them. (2 Peter 2:19) I am very sad for those who choose over and over again to follow the philosophies of the thief toward their destruction, rather than follow their merciful Savior, Who healed and released them from this bondage upon their salvation.

Now, I realize a person’s life is not this black and white. My life, for example, has many gray areas, the shadows of a painting, let’s say, that are just as much a part of my overall experience in Christ. There may be periods of quiet, when I really don’t feel this abundance of God. I also choose to get under bondage again to those sins that easily tempt me. I believe, however, that living an abundant life before God is experienced again when I repent of my sins before Him, including any lukewarmness toward Him, and ask His forgiveness.

I know my canvas has moments of both abundance and destruction in it. But, I believe, when one looks at the overall painting of my life, they will observe a person who has and is experiencing the abundant life God promises His children. This is not because of me, but only because of Him and His grace and His mercy.

And I love Him for it.

I pray that we will not be Revelation 2:4 Christians who leave their first love. Jesus wants so much more for us. Let’s let Him take our lives and paint wonderfully abundant pictures of His love upon them.

Two Romanian Women
Onesti, Romania (May 2005)

Winter is Past

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.”

—Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Winter passes. Hope begins. Life renews.

After a long season of winter, we see the green grass, observe the flowers budding, and watch as the trees extend their leaves. We hear the birds sing and smell the sweet expressions of new life all around us. Without that winter season, though, this new life would not be as vivid and our gratefulness would not be as fully realized for those little things that brighten the spring days.

So, too, are the seasons of the soul. We ought not despise the chill of the air that God perhaps is using to prepare us for the time when He will warm our hearts with His love. Without that chill, we might not completely appreciate the warmth of communing with Him as He stokes the fire within.

The monotony of the snow in making the earth one color, albeit at times a beautiful sparkling color, must not be dismissed either because that snow is nourishing the life beneath. In the same sense, the monotony of daily living must not drive us to a despondency in our walks with Him, but rather be used as a time of rest and refreshing, in order to be better prepared for the next season.

We should not let the quiet and stillness of the snow lull us into a deep sleep of the soul, but rather use this quiet for purer conversations with the Lord in prayer and Bible reading for a time of sweet communion with the One Who ordained this silent season.

O, that we would not let the winters of our souls come to nothing. May they be seen by us as a time of God's choosing. May we ask Him during these seasons how to be content and how to redeem that time with Him properly, having great expectation that when the winter passes, we will experience a new season filled with its own benefits.

And may we be reminded that all seasons of the soul are designed by the Lord to bring us closer to Him.

Spokane, WA (January 2007)

I Will Never Leave You

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”—Hebrews 13:5c

My grace is sufficient for you, dear child. And though you have fallen, you are not cut off. And though you have caught a glimpse of your circumstances, do not fear. For My hand is so far reaching that in whatever pit you have fallen, I am there to pick you up and set you along your way again. This path has been trodden down by many in front of you, and this path will be trodden down by many behind you. My Spirit will forever lift you and be the breeze by which you will find every circumstance lighter. Let Me have your burdens dear child, so that you may continue along your way until I decide it's time for you to come home. Rest easy and continue your journey. I will always be with you.”

And that poor, pitiful creature may walk timidly at first. Her faith wavering a bit. But as each burden is given to her Lord, her walk becomes more confident. Her steps more sure. She glimpses more of heaven each day, each step she walks closer to her Lord. She learns to sense His hand gently guiding her, and she learns that while she was cast down, the Lord, in His tender mercy, condescended to her. He loves her so much that He died for her. Because of that, she knows she is important to Him, and she begins to trust that He will never leave her.

Onesti, Romania (April 2006)

God of Hope

The God of hope.”—Romans 15:13

“Ye were without Christ … having no hope.”—Ephesians 2:12

So often I go through the circumstances of life without hope. It’s as if the cynicism of my youth still has its grip on certain areas of my life that I have a difficult time trusting God in. Once I feel that cynicism settle in, my view becomes pessimistic and doubting.

The end result becomes despondency and discouragement, something the old man of my past, the one who lived according to the world’s philosophies, knows intimately. Then, the new man, the one who is of Christ’s workmanship, created in Him unto good works, pleads with the Lord and His Holy Spirit to save me from the sinfulness of my lack of trust.

It is when I trust God that I can begin to feel His hope again.

Hope that He has a plan for my life and the menial and profound circumstances that separate my days.

Hope that because of Him, my life is so much richer, purer, and sweeter than I could have possibly imagined.

Hope in knowing that He is the One Who settles my heart and gives me rest in the day to day.

God, You are so much in our lives and You generously share Your being, Your person, and Your attributes to Your children—hope being just one of them.

Lord, I find myself often in the grips of doubt and unbelief of Your goodness. Thank You for this little reminder that You are the God of hope and that before You, before giving my life to You, I truly was without hope.

Thank You for this beautiful encouragement.

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”—Ephesians 3:20-21

Stehekin, WA (2010)