a man of sorrows

⁴Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
 ⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
 ⁶All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:4-6

Jeremiah 33:3

Call unto me, 

and I will answer thee, 

and show thee great and mighty things, 

which thou knowest not.  

Jeremiah 33:3

God is looking for someone

"For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him..." 2 Chronicles 16:9

"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, ..." Ezekiel 22:30

My prayer for today as a follow up to this morning's sermon:

Oh, Lord, how I want to have my trust fully in You. Not questioning the trials that I face, but accepting them in agreement that You have allowed them --- be it for a teaching tool, effect of my choices, or a chastisement. I want You #1 in my life ... proven by my actions, pleasing You with my life. May my heart be altogether toward You, so that You may show forth power on my behalf. There are many gaps, because many have fallen and some are not answering the call. Lord, I want to be the difference. I want to be the person to stand in the gap and make up the hedge. I want to be the intercessor on behalf of our lost, our church, our nation. The Enemy is attempting to corner many off ... but strengthen us as we stand together with You. Problems abound that seem impossible and beyond our control, but God, YOU CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE. Lord, I'm poor and needy. Please help me in Jesus sweet name.

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Psalm 121

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: He that keepeth the will not slumber.
Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
Thy Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

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beautiful peace

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Isaiah 26:3

it's my therapy

I enjoy blogging. It is a diary of sorts for myself.
However, I too enjoy reading other blogs.
I learn tips from other blogs, try recipes, and
find encouragement from other women facing similar issues.
David Phelps + junk food
Enough said. :)Okay, not really! Typically, I do not fall prey to the bad habit of eating when I'm stressed. However, the night I took this picture, I had not eaten since 3 PM and I was quite hungry at 11 PM. And although, David is my favorite soloist .... it's the music and songs that lift me up (he sings gospel music - the greatest message)

The pool, warm sunshine, quiet time.
A relaxing retreat. A backyard vacation.
It is wonderful.
And the Word of God.
His voice speaking to me.
My greatest source of encouragement.
I find comfort in His voice.
I draw strength from His promises.

it's a wonderful thing to be alive!

Truly the light is sweet,
and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
Ecclesiastes 11:7

what to do ... when I don't know what to do

Excellent encouraging, revival sermon.
I keep coming back to this one.
So often, I find myself in one of these places.

When my back is to the wall and I don't know what to do ...
-Have faith in God. Trust anyhow! (this should be my first response)
-Listen to the Word of God {Psalm 119:105}
-Trust in the Lord with all my heart {Proverbs 3:5}
-Like Job, be confident that the Lord knoweth the way I take {Job 23:10}
-Even in my darkest hour, He is still God
-Stay. Be Still. Hang on. --- He has the answer!

When I don't know how to pray or what to pray for ...
-It's okay to weep before the Lord
-He 'hears' the unutterable 'gushings' of my heart
-Tears are a language God understands
-He knows what I need before I ask
-Pray God's will be done ("Not my will, but Thy will)
-He doesn't need my instruction

When I don't know what to say to others ...
-Sometimes wisdom can be found in silence
-My smartest response may be no response at all
-"Study to be quiet"
-God gave me 2 eyes, 2 ears, and 1 mouth
-"Swift to hear; slow to speak"
-Some do not need my thoughts or words,
only a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen

believing

Mark 16:17, 18

And these signs {miracles/wonders} shall follow them that believe;
In my name shall they cast out devils {demonic activity/demons};
they shall speak with new tongues;
They shall take up serpents {Satan};
and if they drink any deadly thing {by accident},
it shall not hurt them;
they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.

It is my desire to BELIEVE and be firmly persuaded of this truth ...
that by the authority of Jesus and the power of His name,
miracles and wonders will be performed
and the works of Satan will be destroyed
and the sick shall be healed.

Believers do not follow signs.
But signs follow them that believe.
Not them that doubt, disbelieve, or deny.

I believe.

encouraging words

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.”
―Christopher Reeve

Psalm 138:8
The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: ...

"When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you,
till it seems as though you could not hang on a minute longer,
never give up then,
for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn. "
~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

I Samuel 1:20
Wherefore it came to pass,
when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived,
that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying,
Because I have asked him of the LORD.

Psalms 84:11
For the LORD God is a sun and shield:
the LORD will give grace and glory:
no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Matthew 18:19
Again I say unto you,
That if two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

hope & encouragement

Psalm 31:15
"My times are in thy hands ..."

Psalm 56:9
"... this I know; for God is for me."

Matthew 21:22
"And all things,
whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer,
believing, ye shall receive."

Isaiah 58:11
The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

In the past 2.5 weeks, two of my mom's family members,
my grandma and my aunt,
have received the diagnosis of cancer.
While uncertainty looms and tears flow,
I have this assurance --
God is always there.
God supplies just what we need when we need it.
God still answers prayer.
Most of all, God loves me and He is with me.

scripture on Sunday

"I cried unto the Lord with my voice

with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication."

Psalm 142:1