through the valley

When we lived in California, one of my favorite views was looking east at the mountain range that bordered the valley. It stood high and beautiful with the peaks covered in snow. In the mornings, I would look up at those mountains and think about how majestic and glorious our God is. His creation was speaking of his majesty. Some days, I would quote the verses Psalms 121: 1-2  I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. ² My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.  I knew I could find help in my time of need by calling on Jesus. Those mountains reminded me of how big God is and that he is all I need.

Now we live in farm country with fields of crops, and lots of trees and animals. God reveals himself in many ways. This is also creation that speaks of his majesty. He is there at all times and in his creation.

 

Part of his creation is the valley. We all hear stories of the people who have braved the climb to the mountain top. They reach the pinnacle and are relieved, victorious and shout the joy of reaching the top. They can see for miles and see the valleys all around. But one thing I have realized is that while being on the mountain top is a sign of victory, there is not much growing there. There is nowhere to build a house, place a foundation, nowhere to farm or grow food. There is no sustenance provided on the mountain top. Life and growth happen in the valley. The valley is where the homes are built, foundations laid, crops are produced, farming happens. Life happens in the valley. In the valley, we face the struggles, the trials, the many situations that cause us to grow. We face the hurts, the decisions, and the joys of victory over struggle. Without the valley, we do not grow and live.

 

Spiritually, we need to go through valleys to grow and become more like Jesus. We cannot always be on the mountain tops. We must grow through the valley. Our spiritual walk will take us through valleys. We need these valleys to draw us closer to Christ, to break off the parts that are not in line with God’s will, and to become molded into His image.  It is through the valley, we are changed. It is in the valley we are able to find his peace, his sustenance, and his grace to make it through.

 

 But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.

Isaiah 68:8

 

He wants to make us more like him and the only way to do that is to be submitted to his hand. His will is done in us as he works on us. He removes the things that are not pleasing and replaces it with the fruit that brings him glory. If we lived only on the mountain top with nothing but victory, many of our weaknesses and marred areas would never be revealed. If we don’t face the hardships, we many not realize we have not completely surrenders to his will for us. We need to go through a few things to help us realize how much we still need him and how truly valuable his gift of salvation truly is. It is in the hard moments, that trust and faith is built.  The valley gives us the opportunities to face those moments we need to grow.

 

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

1 Corinthians 13:12

 

The valley gives us reason to come face to face with our Lord in prayer and Bible study. It gives us reason to call on him in faith and call on him in praise. These are the moments he reveals himself to us and reveals parts of ourselves that need to change. I may be in a valley and realize I have not fully trusted God to handle the situation. I may see my own pride getting in the way. This gives me the opportunity to lay my pride before God, and ask him to change me yet again to be more like him. These moments are valuable and bring about a victory. The valley gives us reason to rejoice on that next mountain top. That valley brought us one step closer to being able to reflect him more perfectly.

 

23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

² He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³ He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵ Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23:1-6

 

Psalm 23 is the one chapter that tells about being in the valley. It is in the valley we find rest and restoration. It is in the valley where God provides and protects. It is the valley we find our sustenance and comfort. It is in the valley we are able to say that his goodness and mercy have followed us. It is so important to walk through those valleys. It is in the valley we are able to become more of who God has intended us to be, to be made more like him and to be able build that relationship with Jesus that leads us to eternal life with him.

 

 

watch for snares

 As the days pass and I am becoming aware of how short life is, I am realizing that many who were once strong in faith are now missing in action.  It is hard to see brothers and sisters fall away and reverse course.

³⁴ And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

³⁵ For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.

³⁶ Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

Luke 21:34-36

 

This verse gives us a warning about such things that may sneak in and draw us away from the family of God. There are snares set to distract us and lull us into a state of unawareness till we become easily trapped into sin once again. It is important to watch, pray and take heed. We must be on watch for what the enemy uses to ensnare our souls. We must pray and diligently stay in close contact with our Savior. He can warn us and guide us. When we are in contact with him, he will speak a warning or direct us away from the snare. We must take heed that we are not immune to trouble and sinful things. We are still very much able to be distracted, lured and tempted.

 

The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Proverbs 14:27

 

We have a guard and that is to keep our selves focused on Jesus. The fear or respect of the Lord will guard us and keep us. We will stay out of the snares when we are keeping our eyes and heart on God.

 

Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

1 Timothy 3:7

 

Our testimony of good report needs to be seen and unseen. When we hold ourselves to the standard of God’s word, keep integrity in our private and public life, and spend time in the prayer closet, others will have a good report of us in public. Our secret or private time needs to reflect the relationship we have with God just as much or more than what we are seen doing publicly. It is good to be seen in church, be seen doing good, be seen in prayer and worship, but what does God see when you are alone? What are you spending time on when no one appears to be watching? That time often determines the outcome of public life.

 

²⁴ And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

²⁵ In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

²⁶ And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

 

We know of saints who have fallen and are in situations because of snares that were set for them. They have become ensnared into sin and troubles. Our job is to pray for them, be gentle with them and speak truth to them reminding them of the loving God who wants nothing more than to set them free. So many feel like the church has turned away from them, and no longer experience the love of God. They feel guilt and do not even believe God can forgive them once again. We must prayerfully and in meekness speak the love of Christ into their lives and pray that it is received into a softened heart once more. Let us reach for our wounded, bound and hurt brothers and sisters who have become ensnared by the traps of the enemy. He seeks to kill, steal, and destroy every soul. Let us seek to deliver, save, and set free those whom he has laid hold on.

 

May we set ourselves on watch, take heed and prayerfully keep our eyes on God. May we seek these who need our love and prayers. May we seek him while he is near.

 

⁶ Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

⁷ Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:6-7

gather the harvest

This Wednesday night at Bible study, my husband used this parable from Luke 14:7-15.

 7 And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them.

8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;

9 And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10 But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

15 And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

We had a great study and discussion about this parable and how we need to reach out to those who cannot return the favor or repay, the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, as described in verse 14. We so often worry about what we can receive and rather than what we can offer. We talked about having an humble spirit and what God expects of us. 

I began to think of this is the spiritual sense as well. In church, we are comfortable with those we call brother and sister. We pray with them, pray for them, encourage one another and help one another. This is all good and should be happening. We are all part of the body of Christ and should find that we have great care and love for one another. However, there are people who are poor, maimed, lame and blind spiritually. They too need to be reached and given the Gospel. 

There are so many in the world around us right now that do not know God for themselves. They are blind to the truth of God, poor in the knowledge of salvation. Some have been wounded and hurt spiritually and do not seek God for healing of the soul. How much can we do to reach out and minister to these souls who truly need to come to the table and feast on the precious word of God?

First and foremost, we can pray for them. Prayer truly changes things. Pray that God open us doors to reach them. Pray that God prepare their hearts to receive Him. Pray that God lead someone to them who can show them the love of God and share the life-changing Gospel with them.

Second, we need to pray and prepare ourselves to be the right witness. Pray that we see the hurting and lost. Pray that God prepare our hearts to be right before him to hear him direct our path to that person in need. We need to get before God and repent, humble ourselves, and be right and holy before him. We cannot win a soul effectively when we are bogged down with the cares and worries of the world around us to the point that we are victorious in our living for Christ.

Third, we need to go out and willingly engage with the lost and hurting. Listen for God to direct you to that one soul. We often think we need to reach the whole world, the whole area or city in one fell swoop. All we really need to do, is reach one soul at a time. Reach one. That may not seem much, but to that one, it is everything. Just as Jesus taught that heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, we can rejoice as well. We can rejoice that one more soul is added to the Kingdom. One soul can then reach out to one more. 

Fourth, we need to be ready to disciple those new souls. They need new friendships, new relationships, new understanding. They need to be founded and grounded in the word of God. They need instruction and leadership. They need care and concern. Just as a new baby comes into this world unable to fend for themselves, we need to see them as new babies in Christ who need the body of Christ to care for and nurture them to maturity in the Spirit. 

I think there have been so many hurt, lost souls that have been overlooked. But God says it is time to go into the highways and byways to seek out the souls that are ready to receive him. He said the fields are white and ready for harvest. The mission field is right here in my hometown. We have a harvest ready to be gathered in. Are we prepared and ready to reap the harvest? Invite them to come to the table and join the feast God has prepared..

beyond the struggle

 We all have gone through struggles and will face struggles in this life: sickness, pain, loss, fear, thoughts we think, things done to us, acts of nature, life in general has hardships and struggles. Spiritually, we face struggles of being steadfast, faithful, consistent, and strong in our resolve of faith. We are faced with struggles that seem to keep us from every promise we have from God. His word is full of promises for every believer. He has given us promises individually as well. Promises for our families and promises spiritually. Those promises may seem deterred or out of reach. But, in faith, we can look beyond the struggles and the promise is still there.  

Moses was given a promise, At the first sign of trouble he began to question. In Exodus 5:20-23 we see Moses asking God why he is allowing Pharoah to punish the Israelites and not actually delivered them at all. 

Exodus 5:20-23 

And they met Moses and Aaron, who stood in the way, as they came forth from Pharaoh: And they said unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge; because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us .And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Yet, Moses knew who had the power to change things. He had gone straight to the Source. He ran to God and God answered with deliverance. 

We also see David had a promise. He was chosen to be king of Israel. He went through years of trials. years of Saul chasing and trying to kill him. His promise seemed far away. At one point, David faced a great trial, he wept and grieved, but ran to God. He knew where his help came from. 

1 Samuel 30: 1-8

And it came to pass, when David and his men were come to Ziklag on the third day, that the Amalekites had invaded the south, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; And had taken the women captives, that were therein: they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way. So David and his men came to the city, and, behold, it was burned with fire; and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives were taken captives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, I pray thee, bring me hither the ephod. And Abiathar brought thither the ephod to David. And David enquired at the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.  

 David was faced with the loss of all he had, his family, home, livestock, all he had. Even his men were ready to take it out on him. He ran to God and encouraged himself in the Lord. He prayed and asked God to lead him. He asked God what to do next. If you keep reading, we find that God did exactly what he promised. 

We also need to run to God when his promises seem far away.  Moses and David are great examples of this. They were given great promises that seemed defeated and unlikely to come to pass. Yet, when they called on God, he responded with the next step.  We need to remember that he cares and already has a plan set in motion.

⁷ Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  1 Peter 5:7

God is able to work it out and leads us further down the path if we but rely on him, ask for his wisdom and guidance and seek him first. he is able to give us strength, establish us and make us more in his image. He is working to bring about his will in our lives. We can be encouraged in his word and be settled, calm and in peace knowing we are in his plan.

¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.  1 Peter 5:10

 We can be grounded and find a peace knowing God is working it for our good. He has called and made his promises known to us for a reason. He will not allow his word to fall void and he will fulfill his word. 

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

 God fights the battles. The answer is on the way.  Our flesh is weak and becomes afraid, When we look with the natural eyes, the promises may seem unavailable and impossible. But God is a Spirit. We are to walk in the spirit. God is fighting for us. We cannot allow our thoughts to be distracted by the natural appearance of a situation. God is mighty, powerful and nothing is impossible for him. That battle before you already has an answer in God. Use your spiritual eyes, increase your faith. Use the weapons God has given you. Pray, Speak his word. Call on his name! His Word is our weapon. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5, 7

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;  Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

The enemy will be defeated as he attempts to destroy what God has given us. We cannot allow ourselves to give in to anything that tells us we will never see the promise of God. We can be encouraged that God's word is true. God will allow us to walk right over the enemy that tried to destroy us with peace and victory. We will be triumphant when we are aware of the devices the enemy uses against us. He attempts to give us unbelief, doubt, and fear. If he can get us to fear or no longer believe, he destroys our faith. Keep the faith! 

Romans 16:19-20

For your obedience is come abroad unto all men. I am glad therefore on your behalf: but yet I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

 We can be confident that Gods promises are yes!  He has promised and he will never lie. He is the God of truth. His word is true. When he speaks, there should never be a doubt.

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. 2 Corinthians 1:20

In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; Titus 1:2

Be encouraged in faith.  If you have a promise the enemy has tried to destroy, call on God. Run to him. Ask him to lead. He has the next step for you. He has the plan in place. He can change to situation just as he did the Moses and the children of Israel. He can restore what the enemy has stolen. He can bring it back and make you whole again. He is able to do more and exceedingly abundantly more than we can ask or think.  Lay it all at the feet of Jesus and let him do what only he can do. Look beyond the struggle at the promises of God. His promises will be fulfilled. His promises are true. 

 

 

launch out

 Have you ever felt like God is challenging you to grow, go deeper, or do something you never thought you could do?  Have you questioned, worried, or tried to figure out how that dream you have for ministry will ever come to pass?  I think we may all have had some experience with this.  We want to see the dreams God has given us to come to fruition. We want to be used of God. I think Peter may have experienced this a few times. He started out with God telling him to do something a little crazy after trying to fish all night and had caught nothing. They were tired and ready to go home. But Jesus challenged.

Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. Luke 5:4

Upon obeying, the catch was so great it caused the nets to break. It did not make sense but Jesus stepped in and changed the situation. 

Another momentous act was when the disciples were out in the boat tossed by the waves when Jesus came walking on the water. When Jesus cheerfully revealed himself, Peter asked, "If it is you, bid me come. "

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. Matthew 14:29

Here we see Peter obeyed and placed his trust in Jesus.  Yes, in the second story, we can read that Peter became fearful and Jesus had to pull him up from sinking. But the point is, he stepped out of that boat and began walking on the water. 

So many times, we may feel called to move, speak, write, or go, but we allow doubt and fear to hinder and stop us. God wants us to trust and obey.  I have spent many times of my life afraid of the outcome and did not do what I know God was asking of me. I did not obey all the while saying, "I trust you Lord." I did not demonstrate that trust with obedience. I hope I am not alone in that confession. 

God is ready to use his people. The first step is to trust, then obey.  The word 'obey' is in the King James Version 114 times with varying examples of those who do and don't obey the word of the Lord. I want to choose to obey his voice. 

I must know His voice. I cannot obey effectively if I have not spent time getting to know the voice of God. This comes with prayer, study of the word, some fasting, even and yes, listening. I must hear his voice. Jesus said in John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  We will hear and know his voice when we follow him.

I want to obey in the small things so when he decides I am ready to tackle the big things, he can trust me to listen, trust and obey. Jesus spoke a parable demonstrating this very principle in Luke 19. He told the servant that he had been faithful in the little things and placed him as ruler over ten cities. I want to demonstrate to God that I am faithful in the small things. The Bible is full of small things we are to do. Love God first, love others, study to show yourself approved pray without ceasing, be witnesses, and the list can go on and on.  When we work on these small things, God can find us able to be used in greater ways or magnify these small things into great effectiveness for the Kingdom of God.  Sometimes, I think we see these commandments as a drudgery or as not important in the Kingdom, but without the foundations being laid and built, the Kingdom cannot stand. Each of us has a part in the Kingdom of God. We are all part of the plan and part of the building as well as the building process. Each stone laid is for a purpose in the Kingdom of God. Every prayer, time in study, time in worship, words spoken to share the gospel are not unnoticed by the King. 

So, I come to the verses again. Launch Out! Come! When God speaks and lays something on your heart, launch out and do what he is speaking. 

testify of His goodness

We are all given a life that has ups and downs. We all have gone through the rough times and the good times. We can see God operating and moving as we experience all of life's moments. We testify about the goodness of God and sometimes even testify about our weaknesses. We have a testimony that can reflect human frailty and yet, demonstrate how strong our God is. We can look back over the years of our lives and find that God never left us or forsook us. He walks with us and brings us through all the hills and valleys. He has and will always be our guide, our strength, and all we need. 

Luke 21:13 And it shall turn to you for a testimony.

I have gone through many valleys and climbed many mountains, all with the strength that comes from God. There were times I did not realize or understand how much I needed him and times I didn't think he was there, but I can testify that he has never left me and because of him, I am still here. 

I can say that God has kept me and directed my paths. From figuring out that I needed him to direct me to the right spouse to leading me in stepping out in faith, he has been there. 

I can give some examples of God's goodness to me. When I finally decided to let God bring the right husband and stop looking for myself, I prayed. I told God, he would need to bring the right person and I would not date another boy until he brought the one, he had prepared for me. When my, now husband, asked me to visit me, I prayed and fleeced the Lord. He said he would come to visit at our church the next Sunday, I asked God to show me if he was the one I was to marry. I would not get involved if he was not. I told the Lord that if he got to the church before I did, then that would be a sign to me that God had sent him for me. That Sunday as I pulled up, I started looking for his truck.  Lo and behold, it was there across the street.  When I went into the church, he greeted me and said he had actually arrived at 7:30 that morning. Church started at 10:00.  So, I realized God had clearly answered my prayer. I did not tell that young man about that prayer for a while, but we did get married. God can direct our paths when we place our trust in him to do so. 

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:6

A few years later, as we excitedly were expecting the birth of our son, we entered the hospital.  Throughout the night, I labored and struggled. The next morning, he was getting close to being born and began to show signs of distress. He was in trouble and my doctor was in the operating room with another mother performing a C-section.  I had a midwife and her trainee. She kept calling for a doctor because she was becoming very concerned for the baby and my safety.  Finally, she made the quick decision to just deliver the baby as quickly as she knew how.  She saved him that day.  When they held up that little body, we thought he was dead. He was limp and blue.  He had also been born with a birth defect that had not been seen in the ultrasounds. He had a cleft lip and palate. We immediately became overcome with anguish, my husband and mother began to pray and call others to get prayer going.  They were able to work on our baby and he began to cry. He was rushed off to the NICU for tests and care. They thought the lack of oxygen may have caused brain damage. I had to be cared for as well due to the traumatic delivery. We were finally able to see our little baby and find out about the blood tests. His blood showed that he had not suffered from the lack of oxygen and no signs of brain damage. After some consultations with the cleft palate team, he quickly picked up feeding and was able to go home after three days. He has had many surgeries starting at five months old. As a mother, it is hard to place that little boy into the hands of a surgeon and watch him endure the pain and recovery. He is now fifteen and has gone through the tough days with God on his side. We have prayed over him many times and God has directed us to wonderful surgeons and professionals that have been a blessing. We are still walking through this process as he is not done with all the needed treatments and doctor visits, but we know God has had his hand on him the whole time. Even when things turned out wrong, and stitches broke, when a tumor was discovered in his ear, and when he had a terrible allergic reaction to penicillin, God was there watching over him, protecting him and placing us right where we needed to be at the right time. He has been faithful through it all. 

My husband and I made some decisions to do our best to be obedient to the Word of the Lord. We have failed and we have succeeded at times. We ended up moving to Kentucky from California after many things occurred that brought us to the decision to move. We were struggling financially, and spiritually, and California was becoming a difficult place to live. We lost my mother in a car wreck. With much prayer for God to help us, we packed up and moved across the country with our two little kids. It was a huge move and a big change, but we wanted to get out of California and knew we had a church to come to in Kentucky where we could be used and hopefully be a blessing. We were blessed to help the leadership in Franklin, KY and enjoyed the presence of God in the wonderful work. We enjoyed helping the kid's ministry and the music ministry. We knew we were growing in our spirits as well. There were hard times and good times as any church can attest to. Our children grew up in this wonderful assembly, got baptized and filled with the Holy Ghost. We were comfortable and happy.  But God had another plan for us. I began helping with music at a neighboring church on Sunday nights since we did not have a Sunday evening service.  My husband would as well on nights he didn't have to work. Over the time of three years, we continued with this. As only God can, he began working and dealing with both of our hearts pushing us and preparing us to move into more of what he had for us. There was a restlessness developing in our spirits for the leading of God.  Our home church announced a theme for the year 2020: What's your next? We both were wondering what our next as supposed to be, and even discussed it with our pastor. He also seemed to know God was working on something for us.  About halfway through the year, the pastor of the neighboring church approached my husband and asked him to come preach on a Sunday. He agreed. After that service, he asked if my husband had ever considered pastoring and what God was calling him to do. He asked my husband to consider coming and becoming part of the leadership. He needed help and needed someone to step alongside him.  We panicked a little then began praying. We counseled with our pastors and after much seeking and uncertainty, God showed us he had this planned for us. We made the step of accepting the offer to come help.  It has been a journey I do not regret. It is a journey just beginning. It is a journey of learning, praying, fasting, seeking and definite uncertainty, but one in which I know God has clearly made the path for us. We know we are right where God wants us.  God is still working and leading. Do we know what will happen? No. But we know God is right there working. He has ordained the path and when we make a decision to follow after God and obey his word, he will make the path clear. It may not always be what we expect, but it is what God had planned. 

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23:6

Ultimately, when we look over our lives, we can find the hand of God right there, going before us and working for our good. Do we always respond correctly and quickly? No. We are humans who often don't see the big picture. We sometimes stray, fail, and get distracted. We sometimes allow fear and doubt to keep us from moving. We let the cares of life become our focus. But I can testify that in the little moments and in the big events, God is calling and wanting us to lean on him. He wants to show us what he has in store. He is our Father and our Protector. He is our Guide and Friend. He saves us and keeps us. He has a purpose for every soul if we would only attend to his leading. He made us for a purpose, on purpose. I can testify that all my life I can see the goodness of God in operation. He has always been good to me. 

Psalm 34 speaks

 Psalms is one of my favorite books of the Bible to read.  I read some of Psalms often. Whether I am feeling blessed or troubled, I can always find Psalms speaks to my heart. Recently, I have really been dwelling on the verses in Psalm 34. Verses 1 -9 say:

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.

This speaks to me with every line. I need to spend my time blessing the Lord. His praise should be what I speak continually. Complaints and murmuring need to disappear and no longer be a part of my vocabulary or thoughts. I should, instead, focus on praising Almighty God who has delivered me, saved me, and kept me. He deserves every praise I can give and more than I do give him.  I can be a witness to others by sharing and testifying of His goodness to me. I can invite others to magnify him and exalt his name. We join together in worship and praise. We can share what God has done. He has blessed us and he deserves our blessing and praise. We need to be a leader of praise. We need to encourage others to praise God as well. We know he dwells in the praises of his people. Let us lift him up in praise. 

I sought the Lord and he hear me. He delivered me from all my fears. This verse reminds me that I can seek God in every circumstance and he will answer. He is always ready with an answer for my every problem. He has told us not to fear many times. It is said, that the BIble records, "Do not fear," 365 times. He can be trusted to have the answer for every need. We can look to him and he will be there. He will not leave us or forsake us. He hears our every cry and carries us through every trial when we keep our eyes on him.  Just as Peter walked on the water when he was looking at Jesus, but began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus and looked at the waves, we too, will continue to walk toward Jesus when we keep our eyes and hearts focused on him. He will place his angels round us and protect us as we go through this life and all of its troubles. 

O taste and see that the Lord is good.  This tells me how good God is. We can enjoy his goodness and show others around us how good God really is to us. We are blessed when we trust in him. We are able to look around us and see all the good he has done. From the beauty of nature, to the joy of children's laughter, we find the goodness of God.  I love to listen to and sing the song, Goodness of God. It is amazing to know he is good. Goodness exists because of God. Goodness comes from him alone. We cannot be good without him.  I am able to taste and see that the Lord is good.  

Fear the Lord. We have nothing to fear when we fear the Lord. We place our trust in him alone and we are under his care. He will lead us through every path, good and bad. He will provide all we need and he will never leave us to harm. There is a peace and security that comes from placing all we are and all we have into his hands. We run to him and are safe. He is our strong tower. He is our shield. He is our Provider and our Protector. We can find many scriptures that speak of how God protected his children and how he wants to do the same for those who trust in him. Place all your trust in him. Cast all your fears and anxieties at his feet. He cares for you. He cares greater and in ways we cannot even understand sometimes. He goes before us and behind us. He walks beside us. We just follow and hold on to his hand. He takes us through.

Psalms 34 speaks mighty things to my heart and mind. It encourages me and reminds me that God is for me and not against me. It reminds me of his love and goodness. I can praise him more because he is good. He deserves my highest praise.