Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, Portugal.by F Mira from Lisbon, Portugal

Good morning, beloved,

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand! That has been my anthem these last 24 hours. We are watching right now SweetPea Beauty the VeggieTales story. And Larry asked, How do you see the beauty in everything? And Sweet Pea says, God made this world beautiful and I choose to agree with Him. I choose to believe Him. I choose no matter the circumstances that surround us to agree with God. I declare my trust, my hope in Christ alone.

Turning my eyes to Jesus, looking full in His wonderful face and the things of this world will go strangely dim..in the light of His glory and grace. As I have been praying these last few weeks, this song rings in my ears.

You see, if we look at circumstances, I will get overwhelmed. Ella had an accident and she ripped up her knee on the inside. She couldn’t walk on her leg and we took her to the ER. They think she may have torn her ACL..and we will have to take her to the orthopedic tomorrow.  As we take each step, as we walk in His grace, we have to choose to believe. Chose to hope  and have faith. I look and begin to get overwhelmed at all that is happening in our lives, but that is not choosing to believe.

“But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name— Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]” John 1:12-13AMP

I am a child of God. Therefore, I trust my Father. I trust Him, His will, no matter what. When I begin to get fearful or worry, I have to turn to the Word, to the hymns that speak of all that He is revealing to me, to our family.

We continue with our study of fasting in the Bible. Join me?

2 Chronicles 20:² It was told Jehoshaphat, A great multitude has come against you from beyond the [Dead] Sea, from Edom; and behold they are in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

³ Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah.

⁴ And Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord [yearning for Him with all their desire].

So from these verses we learn of another reason to call a fast. A great multitude was coming against the people of God. Jehoshaphat feared first, didn’t he? Well, wouldn’t you? 😉 Then his next step was to seek the Lord. And you know what? That is our calling too. Then J called a fast, and they gathered to ask for help, seeking and yearning Him with all their desire.  When the waves seek to overwhelm you, your first instinct will probably be to fear or worry. Instead, let go of this and seek the Lord.

Ezra 8: ²¹ Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a straight and right way for us, our little ones, and all our possessions.

²² For I was ashamed to request of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy along the way, because we had told the king, The hand of our God is upon all them for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.

²³ So we fasted and besought our God for this, and He heard our entreaty.

Fast..for humbling yourself before the Lord. To seek a straight and right way for all of Israel…yet for us as well, we can do the same. God will hear our entreaty.

I have a plan forming in my mind. I need to pray on it myself. God be praised for His wisdom and grace. Pray on, friends. Pray on.