Walking in the light . . .

This morning . . .oh, brother!

Getting up early is not my thing! 

Wendy’s appointment for 7 am grooming means leaving the house at 6:30 to drive to Coppell from our home in Carrollton. And this time of year it is still dark outside . . . problem: NEW CAR!!!!!

Merrily, Wendy and I jumped into the car and off we drove to Coppell. Traffic was not too bad but still lots of activity on the road. Speaking of road! There was a little curve at an intersection and Whoa! the curb was there before I knew it . . . no, I did not hit the curb in the center of the road but it surprised me. Couldn’t help thinking how my eyes were not working.  Then dollar signs multiplied in my head as I thought of eye testing, new glasses , on and on and on!

Arriving  at the groomers, sqinting my eyes to see the turnoff, I shut the car off and reached for 
the  . . . LIGHTS!!!!  Yep, I did not have the lights on . . . the whole way! No wonder I couldn't see well. I laughed, the lights came on automatically in our other car.

This got me thinking about walking in the Light of our Lord. We can’t see well if we are outside His light  – just shadows and shapes, grey to blackness. It hurts our mind's eye and heart to squint and see what's around us. We have difficulty navigating, becoming frustrated and anxious . . .we loose our peace, the joy is gone and we struggle and we are afraid.

How wonderful it is that we just need to whisper, “Jesus, I trust You, I need You” and our world explodes with light and zooms into focus. We don’t need to squint and strain to see. The worries and fear fly away, trust is renewed, our hearts are bathed in His peace and we are secure in His Presence -  walking in His LIGHT!

Psalm 27:1

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid? 

God said PRAY!!!!

Two weeks ago I began a new journey!

Debating on whether to put my nursing license on “inactive” Bruce and I left it in God’s hands knowing a decision would have to be made by September 1. God answered in a powerful way!

Downtown Dallas is a bustling, busy and somewhat confusing place. Situated across from the new First Baptist Church building is a wonderful place called the Downtown Dallas Pregnancy Center. Their mission: to glorify God in all they do, share the Good News with hurting souls and inform burdened women of their choices prayerfully resulting in the choice for life. Multiple resources are available to those that need and want help no matter their decision.

Clearing out old files and applications is an ongoing process in any business. Debra, one of the directors, was doing just that when she came upon my application sent two years ago. God said “call”! And was I surprised to receive that call!

Needless to say, a few days have gone by and I now am working part-time at the Center. Yesterday the other newbies and I were taken on a tour to sites important to the ministry, the new center in Dallas, the "Sono on Sight" bus, and another women’s center that we work with closely. 

Across the street from this center is an abortion clinic. As the director, who was driving us on the tour, stepped in to see if we could visit the women’s center I was slammed with emotions. I wept for those precious babies that are taken from their mommies, my heart hurt for the misguided and blinded women who allowed the procedure on themselves, I was bowed down with a burden for those performing the procedures and those assisting. Oh God, what a hell they will experience if they refuse your grace, mercy and love! 

Oh, the heaviness in my soul! The feeling of oppression and evil! Two other times I have felt this horrible feeling . . . in Amsterdam in the red light district and on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. 

GOD SAID PRAY!!!!!

And we bowed before our God, bringing these precious souls to Him. Crying for them, seeking His comfort and protection, and boldly asking for His mercy to be poured out and His power to be felt!

In the comfort of our homes, in the security of our routines we forget the intense battle all around us! Jesus is coming soon . . . the battle is raging. Ephesians 6:12

Join me in praying for this outreach and any you are familiar with in your area. Souls are being born into the Kingdom every day and life is chosen over death!

Never Alone!

Some of us are blessed with a personality that just loves to stand out in the crowd and take charge. “All eyes on me!” and feeds off the energy the attention brings. Then there are some of us who love the “behind the scenes” way of life. Don’t draw the focus to me, you will see wilting and stammering, ha!

Circumstances change. Even those who seek the limelight encounter times of feeling alone and isolated, cut off from others and afraid. Problems hit, new situations arise leaving you with a gut hurt that is fed by feeling vulnerable and uncertain. You feel like you are sitting on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, under a single palm tree and the water is lapping at your feet, slowly inching closer and closer and the sun is setting quickly!

Psalm 139. What just a few words, full of power can do to my trembling heart! 

Read each line slowly and think about what it means! Life changing!!!! We are never alone, the God of Creation, Lord of Lords and King of Kings is with us, knows us and thinks about us . . .

The Lord searches me and knows me!

The Lord knows when and where I sit (in the living room, the family room, the kitchen table, the car, the office)

The Lord knows when I walk out the door and when I return.

The Lord knows what I am thinking!

The Lord knows when I lay down to rest.

The Lord is intimately acquainted with me and what I do.

The Lord knows what I am going to say before I even say it!

The Lord Hems me in – behind, in front and on either side and Lays His hand on me and draws me close!

The Lord is already there – even before I take that first step, no matter where it might be!

The Lord is light and there is NO darkness where He is, and He is with me!!!!

The Lord was with me as two cells came together and I was created and remains with me to the end of my days here on earth!

The Lord knows what each day of my life will hold . . .His provision is complete and there before the foundations of the world were spoken into being!

The Lord thinks about me, and those thoughts are so numerous and precious they cannot be counted!

The Lord is with me when I am awake and when I sleep.

Circle of light

Reading this morning brought comfort and a challenge!

Psalm 119:105

Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.

This summer while in Colorado I noticed how dark it was at night. No street lights, no city lights and no car lights passing on the road. Just beautiful stars and the moon. It was dark. We did not go out much since the bears, the mountain lions and foxes tended to roam around in the dark. When we were driving up the mountain, the car’s headlights only lit up what was a short distance ahead  and we white knuckled it watching for deer and other critters. They appeared in front of us before we knew it! The light shone just so far ahead.

I imagine holding an old fashioned lantern . . .probably even with my shoulder and venturing into the darkness. The circle of light for my feet would only extend a short distance. I would need to be watchful and careful as I walked, step by step, in the circle the lamp created. 

The Lord promises us His Word will guide us, step by step, in the darkness as we walk in His circle of light. Our job? Stay in the Word!

Don’t let your heart be troubled. . .

The reading in Jesus Calling today is both powerful and timely!

In this passage of John 14, Jesus knows the coming events that will shake each loved disciple to their very core. There are events just around the corner that will bring them to their knees in despair and hopeless – yet, He says “Peace!”

 His peace, only His peace. Peace that is powerful enough to defeat any fear! His peace -  that immediately calmed the rough and violent storm that terrified his disciples in that small boat on the sea of Galilee. His peace that calmed the grieving disciples – huddled together, afraid, broken and hopeless after his death.

“Peace, I leave with you . . .My peace I give you! Don’t let your hearts be troubled or afraid!”
Jesus’ Peace – powerful. Able to calm the raging sea, dry the tears and heal the broken, instill hope in the heart and banish despair. 

And it is promised, given, available right now to each of us! In His Presence there is Peace. At His feet no fear can live. His touch heals all. His unconditional love welcomes without condemnation. Peace, be still!

Don’t let your heart be troubled! We have a choice. 

The power of His peace is real. It’s ours. No matter the event, the circumstance – He is greater! Jesus instructs us, no, commands us – “let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid!”

We can show those around us His peace . . .let it overflow. Allow His peace to power our lives to draw others to Him!

Are You there????

Have a precious friend who is going through things I can’t comprehend. 

The pat answers come easily to my lips, even though every word is true:

God will hear

God is listening

God is working

It’s the pain.

Several times, over the years, that gut twisting, sharp heart pain that “never” seemed to go away  brought me to my knees, left me weak and curled in ball on the bedroom floor or holding tightly to my soaked pillow on the bed while screaming into it, “Are You there?”

For the onlooker it is easy to say “look up”, “just believe, just trust” and in our minds we know all this. But the pain, it draws our focus back to that dark, hurting place we want to flee. It locks us into the darkness and throws away the key. Are You there?

I loved the morphine pump by my bedside after my surgeries. The button never left my hand the first 24 hours post-op.  Each time I pushed that wonderful red button I would feel the numbness and drift off . . . a break in the cycle, a few minutes to let go and find relief.

In the pit of emotional pain – where is the red button?

I remember asking the Lord “why, Lord, is this path, my path?” His answer astounded me, “to keep you on your knees and in my arms!”

True, if, for these particular seasons in my life, would I be where I am in this spiritual journey? Would I draw close to Him as quickly as I do now if not for the “scar tissue” of my heart that keeps me bent over,closer to the ground, easier to fall on my knees before the Father?

Do we see the One holding us, no. We are wrapped in His arms tightly, our head buried deep into His chest, straining to hear His heartbeat – we can’t “see” Him because we are being held in the everlasting arms of our eternal Lover, our Bridegroom. Eventually He puts us down, holds us steady and we see His smile!

Are You there?

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

 If I take the wings of the morning

and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

 even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me.

 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light about me be night,”

even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light with you. 

Yes, in the pain He is there . . .His hand IS leading me and His right hand Is holding me.

 

hearing that still small voice . . .

Jesus spoke to His beloved disciples three specific times in Mark about His soon coming death. But they didn’t listen. They had other things on their minds, many other things, all revolved around self.

Mark 8:31 – Jesus explained completely the upcoming circumstances of His arrest, trial, death and resurrection. Details that were hard for the disciples to hear. Words turning their world upside down and inside out. Shock, denial, fear, definitely surprise, even anger followed the quiet words of the Savior! Totally missing the promise at the end of His speaking. Peter, ready for bear, stood up and said something like this. 

“No, Lord. You don’t mean that. Ummm . . . You can’t see the whole picture. You are here to be King! The better way is . . . I think this would be smarter if . . . Now, if you just take a minute and listen, this would be a better way of handling the situation . . .”

Jesus response? “Out of my sight, Satan, You do not have the mind of the things of God, but the things of men!”

Wow – Looking at our circumstances with our human reasoning blinds us to God’s heavenly perspective. Throws DOUBT of God’s Sovereignty  and purpose – DOUBT - Satan’s main tactic for temptation! 

Obviously, the still small voice is not heard over the loud, angry, bargaining protests. 

Am I listening or arguing when things don’t go “my” way, trouble comes, I’m blindsided . . . missing the promise in the “still small voice”?

Mark 9:31- 36, Jesus again reminds them of painful events to come, letting them know what will happen, finishing with the wonderful promise of His resurrection. Again, so wrapped up in self concerns they missed the point. Instead they focused on the fear, the what if’s and then the selfish concerns of who was the greatest . . .

Jesus, with words of love, knew their hearts and said’ “If anyone wants to be the first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” Double meaning – who could compare to His humility in coming from Glory, the King of Kings to be the Son of Man???? Yet, encouraging the spirit of humility in His followers . . .they still missed that quiet voice.

Do I, wrapped up in my life issues, my problems, become deaf to His “still small voice” of guidance along the path? Consumed with “me” instead of submitting to Him, His loving directions quietly spoken to my soul.

Mark 10: 33-34, Jesus again shares His heart about what is to happen ending with the promise of His resurrection. The disciples reaction? Move from fear to: 

“Ok, So we want you to do for us whatever we ask!” 

Whoa!!!! Seriously? Our Lord just said He was going to be betrayed, beaten, spit on and killed. Then by the power of God, would rise the third day . . .and they wanted Him to grant their desires, grant their wishes . . .

They missed His reason for being there, they passed over His purpose of coming to earth, they skimmed over the details and went to – “So because you are God will you grant us whatever we ask!” Wow, never heard the whispers of love, songs of mercy, poetry of grace, or felt undercurrents of power!

Don’ I?

In ignoring that “still small voice” and  take for granted HE IS GOD . . .Don’t I do this very same thing?

Lord, let me hear that “still small voice” in the quietness, in Your Presence!