Psalm 107 ~ thank the Lord for his steadfast love

Psalm 107

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

4 Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to a city to dwell in;
5 hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.

6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
9 For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

10 Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death,
prisoners in affliction and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God,
and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 So he bowed their hearts down with hard labor;
they fell down, with none to help.

13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death,
and burst their bonds apart.

15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze
and cuts in two the bars of iron.

17 Some were fools through their sinful ways,
and because of their iniquities suffered affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food,
and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
20 He sent out his word and healed them,
and delivered them from their destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
22 And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits' end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress.
29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

33 He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the evil of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry dwell,
and they establish a city to live in;
37 they sow fields and plant vineyards
and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their livestock diminish.

39 When they are diminished and brought low
through oppression, evil, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of affliction
and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad,
and all wickedness shuts its mouth.

43 Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things;
let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

Joel 2:11
The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it?


Today, Edward wisely picked not to view the sky and the trees and the clouds. He picked to face Starbucks. I sat to see the sky, the horizon with Pine trees, the clouds, the architecture of the roof, the wind in the Live Oaks. And the Pedestrians. We were having a good time. Edward was recovery from his trip to the Dermatologist with some hope this would be benign. The bump near his nose was in exactly the same place as a family member we prayed diligently for who has a large surgery there.

We discussed passing on, how to, dinner, Disc Golf, sons, disc golf carts. I thought about Proverbs 3 deciding to find Joy by Trusting God. And the traffic rolled by. Soon, I idly noticed a silver truck turning as just as quickly a bicyclist as the truck rolled about 5 mph as his bumper wasn't damaged. The bicyclist appeared for the split second to miss the collision as the brakes jammed and let up slowly. But cars lurch. And the bicyclist rolled up on the hood and the cries of the 30 people all hoped the bicyclist would stay on the hood. And instead he quickly rolled off became entangled in the bike and landed so hard, so hard, so hard. And he cried out "Help, Help, Help I'm so Hurt." We looked for blankets and 911 and stood calling. My call went through first of all the dialers. And first responders rushed to the street. And the young man would live. This was not going to be a Day of the LORD. He did not have a broken spine! His comprehension did not fade. He did not pass out. There would not be brain damage. His knee was injured he would not be damaged to be moved to the Ambulance.

The Police arrived Very Quickly and 30 people waited and, like me probably, prayed for the man with the truck driver at his side. The first thing we found out, was the Medic gave his name and released custody to the other two first responders - two Doctors and one Medic.

Witnesses agreed in testimony. One of the Officers I had met in 2013 at our house during an alarm visit. This was actually the third time I've met him and we discussed in the second meeting where he'd give me his card and I'd pray for him - the card remains in my Bible. Did he remember - no. But I tell you what I may pray for you - but I am not about to sound cheesy telling you THAT. (Although I will tell Scripture for Today Blogspot!)

And we will pray for the man with the injured knee riding in the Ambulance. And the driver who lived through - this is not happening with diligence.








We are not the only people enduring rough times. The people enduring Hurricane Matthew are still enduring Hurricane Matthew.

For us Hurricane Ike at 143 mph roaring through Houston in 2008 will be remembered for a long time. We lost Isabelle - our daughter was born premature and stillborn due to the barometric pressure in Hurricanes.

What happens when you go through this. Sometimes you will relive it.

Have you ever lived through a Hurricane? 

The kind of Hurricane where your family calls you from 900 miles and urge you to run?  It's the size of the Whole of the Gulf Of Mexico? Please leave."


During  Hurricane Ike, our bedroom vent started to pour water on the bed. Our sons were arranged strategically from our neighbor, who had done wind studies on an oil refinery for safety during the hurricane. God Bless our neighbor, Dick. And God Bless Dee and Cindy who came over for an hour to pray for safety for the house and family. And we all sat on my sofa and prayed Earnestly.

So. Edward was told, and coerced to go put pans in the attic. Turns out as he was up there, the tornado of the neighborhood arrived! Poor Edward! That Hit the first two backyards in the block and ours. Damage was done. A tree top was spun in a circle and flung lakeside. The  second tree went next, the grand old lady I loved was the size of small sequoia and leaned with great care on the neighbor's house. Let me add, frankly, he did Not appreciate that Act of God. Or the one that followed in 2012. Like the trees groped his house - he acted with such effrontery.

Dreams.
Six years later the dreams began.


The Biblical Number Three.

In the first dream, we were home during Hurricane Ike. The dream would not relent. I'd say it was thirty minutes of reliving the Hurricane, the tornado and beautiful Isabelle. 
During a Hurricane, you don't know if your 3 Foot Diameter Tree is now a missile. 
You don't know if the big windows will explode. 
You don't know if the roof won't lift off (because it sure sounds like it will) and you will be left in the storm of some magnitude. 
With Tornadoes. 
Houses make the most amazing sounds in Category Four Hurricanes. 
I'd say leave if you can. Really.

Well my reaction to this Amazing Dream. Get up, go to the bathroom with the thought at the back of my mind - fussy, fussy with God. Climbing back into bed - I was Less Than Pleased. Poor God. Sometimes you have to have Compassion on the God - John, who walked with Jesus, called Love.

Back to sleep, slept for hours.



The next dream ~
I was returning to the salad days - two bedroom house we lived in and had that cottage cute as a bug. With my now very grown Alexander, youngest son and his ex GF. In the dream, this was still home. And it was the day after Christmas. I was astonished to find, not the one new Christmas tree we bought when the boys told me to get a new one and I'm so pleased with it, but multiple, multiple, multiple Christmas trees, with the actual new one collapsed. "Oh well." Ashley politely said with faux, but cheer you up, cheer.

I couldn't get over the damage and was crushed and perplexed by the tons and tons of Christmas trees I'd obviously have to clean up. And the embarrassment at the over the top Christmas trees like a forest. The best was yet to come. The house was stacked every single   item you could think of: canned goods, old greeting cards, thread, yarn, stuffed animals. None of the like that belonged to me. Obviously, something had gone very wrong. And top that off with Xander knew it with me. And we were trying to be nonchalant to Xander's ex GF visiting.



Making too much of something.
Forgetting to see the Basics.
Putting mountains of stuff over what is really important. 

Using anger at God to not see the whole picture.
Like Thanking God to live through Hurricane and Tornado and having the people you need live.


The next dream was reality.

A return to an vintage, lake side hotel we visited a lot when I was a child. I met people I haven't really seen in a long time. And Edward was being very hept up about the recent five year events causing visits to the specialist doctors. My college roommate was offering Edward style commentary from her resting place. And all I wished was he would hush and calm down. It was so aggravating seeing all the emotions churned up, the pent up anxiety. Just give me a little peace for God's Sake!

And I woke up to see, that of course, the emotional reaction was me. And if you had drama trauma - you'd want a heck of a lot less fuss. 

I was Edward in the dream.

So with that I have much more gratitude for what was, what should be appreciated, and what should be Cherished.

Life gives you twists and turns. But GOD BLESS THE ONES WHO RISE UP WITH YOU TO MEET THEM. ESPECIALLY When GOD gives you the dream to remember What You Have. And BE GRATEFUL.  









Psalm 134

Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place
and bless the Lord!

3 May the Lord bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

Call it the Bottom Line.
Call it the Rock we stand on.

What God does for us.

Once you've seen how serious life gets, rejoice each day for the day holds good and sufficiency.

God is so powerful that the faithful endure Concentration Camps and find new life.

We can take what really bothers us and hold this up to God. That blue sky - is not a ceiling. There never is a ceiling. Really. The Universe is the Creation of the Almighty. Maybe you can't even see the night sky in the beauty seen in Africa or the rural areas - but that sky is there. Like Father God.

What we are building is like this too. Endurance. Joy. Belief. What we build is exactly the opposite of the Universe we live in. What we build is so small that we don't even realize we are building the eternal within us. Each day is creating. We just have to believe this. Do we believe we are creating?

The Prodigal's Father is hoping we return Home.

When do we get the chance to be new? Every day. With belief that God's sufficiency is in the Mercies Renew Each Day. Some days you need to get a compass, map and magnifying glass, but this is Ask and Find.

Are we missing the Larger LIFE? The One Jesus says is ABUNDANT. The abundance is in your soul. This is where you have to believe that with the help of Jesus - You are Good, Pleasing, Acceptable, Gifted, and Trying to please the Father of the no ceiling world - leading to the Universe - lives within you and IS PLEASED TO LOVE AND REJOICE IN YOU.

If your 'backyard/soul' is so small that you think nothing is going on - you have forgotten Father GOD understands your DNA better than anyone. The red, white and other blood cells are easy to Him. And what you build you find small - finds Delight in His Eyes. His Heart. His Plan. His ability to have the Universe and be Jesus who knows your name calls you to come down from your tree and go "Home" with Him.


LORD FATHER GOD, who has all the Power in His Word to Create the Entire Universe comfort us, guide us, strengthen us and empower and embolden us to be the generation refusing to yield within our own struggles -  to SEE the Vast Father and the Intimate God.
 
Let us not shrink from understanding that GOD just might have a Plan and HIS Plan is more worthy than Scripture says we can understand. We have to lean to You, in Faith.

 God is our completion, the summation, the complication of HIS Amazing Promises to us who believe in Jesus the Lord.

What great Love the Father has lavished on us, we Are called Children of God! And that is what we are! God HAS shown His love sending His one and only Son, Jesus.  Can we imagine Jesus given for just us.  This is the ability of God who recently revealed actual light is created at conception of a human life.

We should  Live through Jesus Christ the Lord!

 Give us the Day and Help US to forgive sins that we also commit. Strengthen us each day to go to sleep saying I think I pleased God and smile because we Did.

And let us never, never, never give up that in the diligence - the un-applauded - this is where we will meet God and He will be pleased because He is Love. GOD supports us in the small part of life that becomes LIFE. God raises up Barnabas. Because He encourages YOU and me.

What difference can we make - an unseen difference. God is moving His Hands in Love when we pray. We can pray and God says welcome to being part of My Plan. We can really pray the large prayers.  For the rapidly changing times to have Jesus. And know Jesus is here.

Father God, we lift up those in suffering, in bicycle accidents, in truck driving barely moving accidents and knowing the biker will walk away sometime. We pray for the bicyclast to heal well and easily and completely.  The diligence of the driver having the worst driver day who will go forth again. He endures. We pray for face bumps to heal amazingly well. We thank GOD for wellness. And truth. The community who prays has hope, faith and Love. We put the ones we love there and the large Nation and Larger World we don't see but place in Bigger Hands with Clearer Vision.

Amen Jesus the Wonderful Jesus.


Romans 5

1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.

3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

And hope does not put us to shame,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit
who has been given to us!

♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †