In a Still Small Voice He Speaks

September 8, 2017

Good morning.  There sure seems to be a lot of “natural disasters” going on today, huh?  Fires in the west.  Hurricanes in the southeast.  Earthquakes in Mexico.  

I saw the other day that with all of these things going on, it appeared as though God was trying to get our attention.  It gave me pause, as I considered how the Bible teaches that God speaks in a still, small voice.  “Hmn.”  I wondered.  “How many people are listening for His voice instead of trying to put Him into some man-made model of whom they presume my Lord to be?”

We all have our own visions and assumptions of what we think God’s attributes are and if He was this then such and such.  Or if God was that then blah blah blah.  The thing is though, friends, it doesn’t matter what we think.  What matters is that He is.  Somehow we keep forgetting that we are here for His pleasure and not the other way around.

That being said, these weather events going on have gotten many people’s attention.  It’s great to see Texans and other Americans pulling together as they seek survival and put aside petty differences.  I’m sure that many are reconsidering a lot of things as their lives become more focused on internal rather than material possessions.  What I want to leave you with though is this:  with all of the chaos going on, would you please take a moment to be still?  A moment to listen--not to nature but to the Creator of the world?  Many of you who read this blog regularly know that I am in the process of doing the study by Lysa TerKeurst Uninvited.  The other night she brought out a point in one of the video sessions about the word “terrified.”  Its meaning in Mark 6:50 is explained by Lysa as “tarasso, which means to set in motion what needs to remain still.”  She went on to tell how too often we “innocently” start something that leads to something else and on to another event and before one realizes it, it has snowballed into something that never should have been.  Consequences for “one little thing” can have tremendous repercussions that one may not ever recover from.

In closing, I again ask you to be still.  Ponder what is going on in the world, surely, but more importantly, consider what is going on in your heart that God is speaking to you about.  It could be He uses a hurricane to get your attention but then again, as evidenced in the life of Elijah-- and to the nations of the world as when He said in Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”--probably not.  

Let’s pray!

Dear Lord, settle us today, I ask.  Still us.  Speak to us.  Refine us and make us more like Jesus is my prayer.  This life is not about what You can do to make us happy and grant all of our wishes.  No Sir.  It is supposed to be about what we can do to bring glory to You.  Oh that we would!  

Father?  Forgive us again and again for thinking otherwise.  May we exalt You today and every day is my hope.  I may not have publicly said it in a while but I love You, Lord.  I am amazed and in awe of Your creation, obviously, but I am mostly dumbfounded by Your patience, love, and willingness to give us all so many opportunities to turn to You--not just when crises happen, Father, but at all times.  We tend to forget You when things are going our way, don’t we?  Sigh.  Oh Lord, breathe on us this very moment, I ask, so that we might be refreshed and stand again in the midst of the storms.  I ask this in the name of Jesus, the Marvelous One.  Amen!

The Better Way

I feel that in retrospect, he’d take it all back if he could.  That he wish he’d never have said those words, those words that pierced my heart that was already wounded, that was already hurting.  I feel that if given the opportunity to do the whole sorry conversation over, I really believe he would have made better use of his words, of his emotions, and of his reactions.  Sadly though, once out there, those words just cannot be erased, cannot be wiped out with the backspace key, cannot be erased from the paper, cannot be blotted out nor have the White-Out applied to them for you see, when they roll off of the tongue without consideration, too often their permanence has been ingrained and the damage done.

That’s why I love the written word!  Ahh yes, the spoken word is great also but like mentioned above, once it’s been said, there are no take backs.  But when something is scribed with a pencil, with a keyboard, or with mini- strokes on a keypad there is always that opportunity to stop, to consider if that was the correct, the best word choice, or even if maybe the whole sentence should be erased.  Remember my “Letters That Have Never Been Sent” file?  Yeah, those letters are in a nice, safe place and not out there, wreaking havoc with my emotional thoughts and opinions and spewing venom and hurtful things.  They are in a drawer and/or computer file, and unable to hurt because the words penned in them have no target.

Whoa!  What happened to you?  You look like you’ve been in a bar fight!  

The words, if spoken by a friend, could more easily have been swallowed.  However, since they came from a stranger and since he cringed from my presence when seeing my bandaged face, they stung.  As I wrote above, in hindsight he more than likely would have controlled that beast of a tongue instead of it controlling him.  He probably would have offered some sympathy instead of expressing horror, making me feel like a freak.  He might even have questioned what happened to a sweet ol’ gal like me instead of assuming I had been out on the prowl, visiting in places I have no business of being in -- just as he had no business coming to my home with his agenda of selfishness.  I guess we’ll never know, huh?

As I close today, consider with me the passage from James 3:5-11.  Yeah, we’ve discussed it in this blog before and knowing me, it will come up again.  Nonetheless, my prayer for me and for you is that these words from scripture will permeate our hearts, lead us to consider our words, and to use our tongues for blessing and not cursing, for sweetness instead of bitterness.  When we see others--instead of passing immediate judgment and condemnation--let’s ponder for a moment or two that all may not appear as it seems to on the surface.  Jumping to conclusions and then voicing those opinions often leaves a trail of mayhem when if we’ll just be quiet, just think, then there’s a good chance we can make someone’s day a more positive one.  Amen?  Amen!

Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.  For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:  But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.  Therewith bless we God, even the Father;  nd therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.  My brethren, these things ought not so to be.  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

Thought For Today, February 26, 2017

Do You Ever Feel As Though The Bible Is Talking Directly To You?

Hello!  According to Facebook, it’s been 13 days since I have last written a blog.  Facebook assures me that my 2435 followers would love to hear from me so, without any further ado, here goes!

What have I been doing these last 13 days, you might wonder?  Hmn.  Good question!  Well, I’ve been enjoying the beautiful October weather our Good Lord has been providing.  I got a new vehicle.  I have been celebrating my 53rd birthday, went shopping for craft items that may or may not ever get used {Sidebar:  I asked my gson the other day as we gazed upon my closet of supplies if he ever thought I’d use them all.  “Maybe if you stop buying more, you could use what you have, and then in a few years, maybe then you could buy some more.”}.  I’ve been doing a lot of pondering, plotting, and planning.  I’ve even done some Bible studying in the Book of Jeremiah that has had me considering--but more about that later.  

So, long story short, I’ve been wandering about.  Imagine then my surprise when today’s reading from Jeremiah 31:22 seemed to jump right out at me.  Can you believe that God would use His Word to speak to me?  I know, right?  Hey, I may have just turned 53 but there are still some things that have the power to blow my tiny little mind!

How long will you gad about,
O you backsliding daughter?

Another verse that jumped right out at me this morning while reading was this one from Jeremiah 30:2 that states:  “Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel, saying: ‘Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you.’”  It was as if an affirmation for me to get back to blogging was being spoken to me by God Himself!  Ha!  So it wasn’t just the couple of folks who let me know they’d been missing my writing:  God too was telling me to write.  

So, just to be clear, let’s review for a moment.  I’m to stop gadding about and I am to write in a book.  Does that sound right to you out there?  I think so too!  Now, before you get to reaching for that mouse to delete this (because you think I am going to write that book right now) or move on to your next great adventure, I assure you that I am almost through for this blog. Hang with me one more moment or two?  Thanks!

Sometimes a word will strike a chord with me and keep resonating in my mind.  For the past couple of weeks that word has been “consider.”  Consider means “to think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision.”  Synonyms for consider include:  think about, contemplate, reflect on, examine, review, mull over, ponder, deliberate on, chew over, meditate on, ruminate on, assess, evaluate, appraise, size up (thanks Google for the assist there!).  Another reiteration that I am on to something is the fact that another verse from Jeremiah that I read this morning stated:  In the latter days you will consider it (30:24).

Consider what, you might ask.  Me too!  But then...then instead of asking, I’ve been taking moments--several of them!--and...considering.  I’ve been considering the beauties the Lord has provided.  I’ve been considering the upcoming presidential election.  I’ve been considering my church and the people in her and the pastor who preaches there.  I’ve been considering my family, my purpose, myself.  I’ve been considering so many things and while it may seem to the outside world that I have just been gadding about, the truth of the matter is that I am trying to be more considerate about what I write, consider who is reading these blogs, and mostly?  Mostly I’ve been trying to consider if the words I write are honoring God or promoting my own agenda--which I didn’t really think I even had but (you guessed it!) I’ve been considering that too!

As I close this blog today, I ask you to join me in considering.  Remember the definition I wrote above?  Consider means to think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision.  Friends, sometimes we act too hastily and we just need to take a minute, a breath, a prayer and consider whatever is on our hearts and minds and think carefully before it comes out of our lips (and fingertips, in my situation).  We need to pause, to be still, to contemplate, and to seek the Lord’s guidance in all that we do--even the things that seem harmless and not worth bothering Him over.  Typically, those are the things that come back to bite us, aren’t they?  Mmn hmn.

Let’s pray!

Dear Father, as I consider so much of what is billowing through my head, I can’t help but again ponder on what the psalmist wrote so long ago:  

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.

How You took the time for me still is a mystery, Lord, and I shall spend the rest of my life considering the love that You have for mankind.  My prayer today is that I may look at the world through the eyes of Christ.  May I see Your people the way He looks at them.  May I appreciate the beauty You Three created.  May I love in a manner that reflects that not only do I consider the example set before me, that I am a doer of that example and not just one who writes about it.

Thank You for Your love, tender mercies, and the infinite longsuffering You extend to me, Father God.  I love You and yearn to please You.  In the name of Jesus Christ, may I seek You before making my own plans is my sincere desire today.  Amen.

How Great Thou Art!

In life, there is much to consider.  Where to work, whom to marry, where to live, how many kids to have, where to go to church, where to shop, how to spend your money, how much of it to save for retirement and/or investments, and so many other objects of concern vie for our time.  If you are like me and only have a tiny little brain, it can be quite overwhelming sometimes!

In the grand scheme of things, though, do these things really matter?  Whether you wear Levi's or Lee Jeans, eat Papa John's Pizza or Pizza Hut's, live on the coast or in the mountains, spend every cent you have today since you are not promised tomorrow, and have three versus two pets:  does it really matter?  When you step back from yourself and evaluate the vastness of the riches of God's glory--and then take one more step back as you realize He created all of it for you--why bother with the small stuff?  Why contemplate that new color of carpet when you can stare at an infinite sky, full of stars, and realize that there is so much of it that you cannot see?  

I often find myself in awe of God's creation.  The beauty of earth is something so wonderful to behold, especially in the fall season when the land begins to prepare itself for rest as winter lurks in the not so distant future.  The brilliance of the setting sun as the days draw shorter and the nights grow longer causes my eyes to reflect on life and the intricacies of it.

God made man.  He made creation.  The heavens and the earth.  Why?  For you, love.  Now that is something to think about!

Let's pray!

I don't know why, and I don't know how but Lord?  Lord?  You made all of this beautifulness for me.  Me!  Astounding!  Furthermore, You are making a new heaven for me to dwell with You in.  Such love humbles me and makes my heart soar.  Thank You, Father, for all I have now and all that is promised to me.  Your generosity amazes me.  You amaze me.