2 Samuel 7:18 ~ You established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever. And You, O Lord, became their God.

2 Samuel 7:18, 23-29


  Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?



 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 

And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 

And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 

And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 

For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ 

Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.  Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. 

For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.

Life rarely rests in one angle. These Christmas Holy Days have been a beautiful season, always with a hitch or two. And yet... this week has seen the unexpected death of the Uncle the family has been far flung. A sinus infection. Cal spending his 25th birthday looking for a home for a beloved pet and being asked graciously to take what he would like. A death related disagreement. A good sized Tantrum. Two cases of flu in the family, with a triumphant break in a good-sized fever. An abandoned Christmas family gathering with parlay. Forgotten Christmas presents. The death of a treasured orphaned Key Cat, with a heart shaped nose. A Very Kind Pine Forest Animal Clinic, very loving. More or less a Christmas um... time bomb.

Maybe saints really had a clue about those monasteries. With verdant hills, growing grapes and the tendrils of little pea vines.

How easy it is the week of the BOOOOOM to recount the Rather Difficult Week.

To get the blessings out of life, if you don't DIG for them, they will pass you by like the Wide highway of Life.

Creation, we are told, waits with longing for the revealing of the Sons of God. When we move, dwell and have our souls/homes for Father God, we want to see the daily Blessings. Letting our personal Temple encourage God to enjoy being within.  The blessings we remember are the ones we should recall.

~ The warmth of being understood and enjoyed. Fellows in a ship. Fellowship.
~ Phone calls from sons. Wanting to be home. After the college years of 'Busy'. 
~ Seeing and appreciating Good News in the News.
~ Family to have a tree with and help to have that tree accomplished. Blessings of memories.
~ Receiving the blessing of invitations. Going home happy and nourished.
~ Gathering multiply with families, being able to pray with them to convey the years with love and gratitude.
~ Being blessed with Church Family. And made to feel loved.
~ Having small children to bake noxious gluten free cookies with!!! And stop sign colored Christmas Trees.
~ Overcoming distress. Being valued when you have That Look and the unspoken cry is heard. And valued when your words were hasty and loud. The Grace of Forgiveness Received.
~ The opportunity to give.
~ Having the opportunity to see gifts bless others.
~ Love covers a Multitude of sin. Love. This is what God is. John walked with Him in awe.
~ The blessings of seeing God gives us VERY imperfect people to have Imperfect solutions and seeing just as we see in God's Word. Growing us up as adults. Grrr.
~ Being able to see blessings clearly and not rosy glasses.
~ Saints of God believe in different degrees of faith. Learning not to have the final, instructive say so.

~ The joy a small cat brings and the memories of that love he gave.
~ Accepting the bumps with the Blessings while remembering the Blessings!!!

Father God, we have Faith in hearing You - hearing the Word of Christ. Hope in Your Word the plans You have for us, declares our Lord God, plans for welfare and not for evil, to giving us a future and a hope. Love, believing that Our Father God loves so much He still so earnestly loves the world, He gave Jesus His only Son, that believing in Him, we receive eternal life. Knowing faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. In the name of Jesus going forth with the bridegroom dwelling within in the Joy and Strength of the Lord Jesus.

With Your blessing shall the house of Your servant be Blessed Forever.

Amen.

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