Isaiah 40:31

"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

-But- We are looking on the flip side now. We are no longer relying on our own strength, but the strength of the LORD.

-The Key? WAIT. That's the hard part, isn't it? But when we remind ourselves that God's timing is always perfect, it will help us to rest in Him.

Let's define some words based on Strong's Concordance.

Renew-Spring up, go on forward.

-The weariness of the world tends to slow our steps, yet God promises that if we wait on Him, there is a spring to our step!

Mount-Ascend, climb, excel, raise, recover, restore! I love that definition!

-The world, circumstances and situations in life want to weigh us down, but, when we wait upon the LORD we will continue to rise above the circumstances and reap recovery and restoration!

Run- Divide speedily, footman, bring hastily.

-I like to think of this term as 'divide and conquer!'

Weary-To tire and be exhausted. 

-When we wait upon the LORD, I'm reminded that the battle belongs to the LORD. When we wait upon the LORD, worldly cares will not slow us down! We won't quit!

Walk-To carry, lead, bear, march, prosper.

-All promises from God when we wait on Him.  We are told in Scripture to be soldiers! (2 Timothy 2:3) 

So, I love how we read the descriptions fit for a soldier in this verse:

-March!

-Go forward!

-Excel!

-Footman!

Faint-To tire or grow weary.

-Waiting on the LORD will allow us to keep on keeping on, no matter what! Waiting on the LORD means we have strength that never tires. It means that when the world wants to bring us down in defeat, the LORD will lift us up in Victory!  

All because of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Waiting on the LORD allows us to rest IN Him...

    While He provides every thing we need in the battle...

        But that's just me!

"There is the Runner, the Running and the Waiting; depending on the strength of the LORD."

Charles Spurgeon (condensed)

Sneaker Waves

"See that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise," Ephesians 5:15

To walk circumspectly one needs to live carefully, wisely, and cautiously.  Look ahead, be prepared what is coming around the corner.

 I thought of this verse while I was caught unaware in deeper sea water than I realized.  I spent the weekend at the Oregon Coast with my sister and her husband, and even though I grew up walking the shoreline of the West Coast, my time on the Prairie removed my cautionary skills.  While the tide was out, we were able to walk on rocks that are usually hidden in high tide, and with my head down and my eyes focused on revealed starfish, sea anemones, agates, and algae, I was hit by a sneaker wave.  A sneaker wave is a large, unexpected wave that suddenly appears without warning.  Sometimes the force will cause you to fall down, but in this instance, it just allowed me to lift my head and see that low tide was suddenly becoming high tide, and I needed to get quickly back to shore.  Standing on a rock with water all around it, I weighed the options in my head; get off the rock into the deep water and waves, or calmly wait for the water to recede enough for another rock to be exposed and work my way back to the sandy beach?  I decided to calmly wait for the waves to recede and jump from rock to rock back to the sandy beach.  When I got there, I told my sister that I didn't realize how far I had gone out there, and I didn't realize how fast the ocean was making its way back inland.  To be honest, it was a little scary; I was not looking where I should have been looking.  I was so focused on looking down at all the beautiful distractions, that I did not see that danger had crept in.

Sin will do that too.  The circumstances of life will allow us to focus on the distractions of the world, earthy pleasures perhaps? Then the sneaker waves hit, and they pull you down, suck you in, your head is barely above water.

Funny how it takes getting hit by a wave to readjust your focus!

Paul warns us to live circumspectly.  Live to be prepared for what is coming.

Peter reminds us of the same thing: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" 1 Peter 5:8

Don't be hit by a sneaker wave...

    remain on The Rock, and be prepared for what is headed your way...

        But that's just me!

A Really BAD Haircut

 "But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering."

1 Corinthians 11:15

I think all women love to go and get their hair done, whether it's a new cut, the same cut, added color or curl.  Appointments are generally made for the next time even before leaving the salon; it gives us something to look forward to.

And excited I was! I was counting the days this past week, and at the same time telling myself, 'Don't cut your bangs yourself! It's almost time for your appointment!" (Confession, sometimes I get impatient and take the scissors to my own hair; it's never a good look!)

Knowing that I will be going on vacation in a few short days to see family I have not seen in a very long time, I was really excited for my hair appointment.

I walked out of the Salon mortified!  What happened? I tried to keep my tears at bay while telling myself, "Just go home, take a shower, style your hair just like you always do, it will be ok."

It's not ok. The tears fell.

As I held the mirror up to look at the reflection of the back of my head, Solomon's words entered my thoughts:

"Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity." Ecclesiastes 1:2

I whispered, "I know Lord, it's just hair, it will grow."

Did my whispered prayer remove my mortification? No, but at the same time I know that it will only last for about 6 weeks and it really will be ok.

The mistake is in the back of my head...

    I don't have to look at it...

        I just feel sorry for the person sitting behind me in church...

            But that's just me!

My Constant

In a world that is constantly changing, I'm thankful for the one thing that will never change-

God's Word.

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8

"Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." Words of Jesus, Matthew 24:35 

In a world where people constantly change, I'm thankful for The One Who will never change-God.

"But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end." Psalm 102:27

"For I am the LORD, I change not;" Malachi 3:6a

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8

God is my constant in a constantly changing world.

He will never let me down for His Word remains sure.

I can be Me in His presence, for His love towards me will never change.

When I accepted His Son, He accepted me.

I will forever be in His hands...

    And nothing and no one can ever change that...

        But that's just me!

"Though you have changed a thousand times, He has not changed once." Charles Spurgeon

The Other Shoe

Have you heard the expression, "Waiting for the other shoe to drop?" This was a common experience of tenement living in apartment-style housing in New York City and other large cities during the manufacturing boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Apartments were built with very similar designs, with the bedrooms located directly above and underneath one another. Thus, it was normal to hear a neighbor removing their shoes in the apartment above. As one shoe made a sound hitting the floor, the expectation for the other shoe to make a similar disturbance was created. (Wiktionary)

It also means=to await a seemingly inevitable event, especially one that is not desirable. (Wiktionary)

I must have a centipede living in my home this past month because multiple shoes have dropped with a resounded THUD and I am awaiting more to follow...or has the final shoe made it to the floor?

Ever have a week like that? Bad news arrives, disappointments, broken appliances, bad weather, unexpected illness, and the list could go on and on.  Feeling a little empty? Maybe you think that if one more thing happens, you will finally break.  That is completely normal but there is a remedy for such discouragement: JESUS.

I was reminded this week when I suffered a huge disappointment, that God already knew this was going to happen, so now I am left with a decision to make; there is a choice to be made. Will I have a pity party, or press on for the glory of God?  If I allow my feelings to make my decision, it will be the wrong choice. When I allow God's Word to direct my decision, I will be blessed by my choice and God will get the glory due His Name.

Psalm 62:8 says, "Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah"

Psalm 91:2-"I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in him will I trust."

Psalm 29:11 "The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace." 

Yes, there will be times when it seems like the hits just keep coming...

    But God knows all about it...

        And He is still in control...

            But that's just me!

Only Good

"For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not evil, to give you an expected end." Jeremiah 29:11

These thoughts were given to the Jews that had been taken to Babylon in 597 B.C. to exhort them to live as normal a life as possible, to await God's deliverance after 70 years of captivity.  

Can you imagine the reassurance that God had given to these people? God promised them that even though they were going through captivity, He had a purpose and a plan for them and that He would make good on His promises for a better future.

I love that.

Sometimes when I'm going through a tough time, I wonder why? But then God reminds me that things may be tough right now, but things will get better. He promises! He has a plan and a purpose for my life.

His plans are not evil; His plans are peace that will produce an 'unexpected end.' That means that God has a future and a hope just for me, and as a child of God, you do too.

I had some heartbreaking news yesterday, and the disappointed is so great that I have no words to describe it.  Plans that have been in the making for months and just days of coming to pass were suddenly cancelled. A great disappointment of temporal things.

I'm reminded that there is only one thing that is constant in my temporal life on earth, and that is Jesus Christ.  He is the same yesterday, today and forever.  He never changes.  His Word never changes; His promises never change!

On my best day, I'm a child of God...

    On my worst day, I'm a child of God...

        And His promises for good towards me, never change...

            But that's just me!

"The LORD has promised good to me,

His Word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures."

verse 4, Amazing Grace, John Newton 1779

Completely

"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

Let's define some words based on Strong's Concordance:

Healeth=7495. To mend, cure, repair, make whole.

Broken=7665. Crush, destroy, hurt, break down, in pieces.

Heart=3820. Feeling, will, intellect, the center of everything.

Bindeth=2280. To wrap firmly, compress.

Wounds=6094. Pain, sorrow.

This is one of my all-time favorite verses.  Once the words are defined, I read this verse as:

"He makes me whole from the broken pieces of my innermost self, and he compresses my pain and my sorrow."

I've felt crushed before, have you?  A cruel word, the loss of a loved one, discouragement.  Then I open God's Word to Psalm 147 and read verse 3.

God doesn't just put a band aid on my hurts; He completely restores what has been crushed, destroyed, hurt and broken down.

When I read, "and bindeth up their wounds," I think of God stopping my bleeding.

That's what a broken heart feels like sometimes; like you are bleeding from the heart. But God stops that bleeding and restores FULLY.

He can do that because He knows what a broken heart feels like. He knows what it's like to be hated, ignored, rejected and cursed.  My God, the Great Physician, the Greatest of all Comforters, heals all of my hurts. 

Only He can relate to my brokenness...

    and Only He can restore me completely...

        But that's just me!

"Hearts are broken through disappointment. Hearts are broken through bereavement. Hearts are broken in ten thousand ways, for this is a heart-breaking world; and Christ is good at healing all manner of heartbreaks." Charles Spurgeon