Winter Sunset in Pennsylvania Photo by SloMo2639
Good morning, beloved,
This morning found me awake earlier than usual. With coffee in hand, I begin my day with the Lord. I place my day in His hands.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
became the chief cornerstone [Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:7].
23 ·The Lord did this [L This is from the Lord],
and it is wonderful ·to us [L in our eyes; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10–11].
24 This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad ·today [L in it]! Psalm 118 EXB
I look over my yesterday and ask Him to teach me. I look to my tomorrow and remember, grace. Grace for yesterday, grace for today, grace for tomorrow, so thankful for His grace. Why is life so calm in the garden? Walking with Him, talking with Him, it’s so peaceful. and then I have to jump into my life. My life feels a little like a snowball at the top of the mountain and by the end of the day, a huge ball. I’ve said things, done things, I regret.
So I truly believe that His Spirit resides in me. So why is it so hard to live out that in front of my family?
I hear myself. I hear the fear. Do you hear it? Do you ever approach a day wondering if, in your time of prayer, what you prayed will bear fruit?
I ·look up [L raise my eyes] to the hills [C the hills surrounding Zion, the location of the Temple],
Sunrise over the Jerusalem hills. Photo by Super Jew
but where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth [Gen. 1].Psalm 121 EXB
He is the One who helps. He is the One who made it all. So as I begin the day, I lift my eyes. I bring my day before my God, my Helper. I am not ever going to attain perfection this side of heaven, but God promises He will help. He will come.
3 He will not let ·you be defeated [L your feet be moved/slip].
He who ·guards [watches] you never sleeps.
4 He who ·guards [watches] Israel
never ·rests [sleeps] or ·sleeps [slumbers].
We will not be defeated by the enemy. Our feet will not move or slip. We have the Divine Guardian. He never dozes. He never takes a nap with His favorite afghan. He guards us, He guards Israel always. Promises that we can stand upon.
Western Moon setting over Mountains, High Desert, California by Jessie Eastland aka Robert DeMeo
5 The Lord ·guards [watches] you.
The Lord is the shade ·that protects you from the sun [L at your hand, your right hand; 91:1].
6 The sun cannot ·hurt [L strike] you during the day,
and the moon cannot ·hurt [L strike] you at night.
So friends, we live with the promise. The Lord is watching, He is the shade. I’m so thankful that God gives us pictures in His word. He is our shade. He is covering us from the sun. He is at our hand. So, as I begin my day, breathing in, breathing out. I am realizing I think tooooooo much. It is so good to remember. SO good to ponder. And duh, where are my note cards during the day with His Word scribbled? Yes, I stopped doing that, and I am going to work on that as soon as I finish.
What disciplines do you have in place that help YOU to remember? A lit candle? Music in the background? We battle. I battle. When I have these different “triggers”, I can look all over and recall.
7 The Lord will ·protect [guard; watch] you from all ·dangers [trouble; evil];
he will ·guard [watch] your life.
8 The Lord will ·guard [watch] you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
We are in His sweet care. We are protected. Five times, in this Psalm, we find the Hebrew word, shamar, to guard, to protect. We know. We can trust. Faith. Faith that He will be there always.
A gift on a paper, in a person, in a picture:
154. My kids’ pictures, writings, drawings…priceless.
155. Staying in touch with friends, near and far.
156. Seeing pictures of family vacations, delight and relaxation. Remembering…
So, friends, we have a choice. We can grab hold of what we know to be true. Place different triggers around the house, verses, candles, songs. As our world gets more complicated as the day goes by, we can stop, take a breath and remember. I’m game, how about you? 🙂
Pray on. Pray on.
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- Saved by God’s Grace. It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved! (bummyla.wordpress.com)
2 Comments
Thank you for the idea of placing things around the house to remind me of spending time with Jesus. That is a sweet idea.
SO glad to hear that blessed. God gives the good ideas. I just try to listen..ahem.