Prayers Please

I'm sorry I've not kept my journal up but I am really sick. I have developed a bad infection since back surgery. Please pray for me. I thank you for each one for I know that our Lord hears and cares. He is my best friend so not to worry. No need too. If we have HIM we have all we will ever need.


I keep each of you in my daily prayers and will continue too. It is so wonderful, such an awesome thing to know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that no matter how ill we get, no matter how hurting the pain or deep the sorrow, the GOD OF ALL COMFORT is ever with us.



May each of you continue to experience the honor of His presence, the warmth of His love and the tightness of His embrace.

Barb

Hope In The Lord

On December 3, 1998, I lost  my job as manager of two storage facilities. It could not have happened at a worst time. I was very ill with a viral infection; too ill to do much of anything, much less pack a 2-story house and the shelving and attic of our 2-car garage. But that didn't matter.
    Trials do not arrive at any specific time. They arrive when things are going well, when we're living our dreams, but come too, when we're down on our luck, ill, experiencing several things at once. When I lost my job I was also trying to cope with several other difficult areas in my life.
  
 Because I was so ill, I was finding it difficult to be optimistic, to plan, to not become discouraged. One night, while alone, I'd taken my medicine and was sitting on the sofa, when all of a sudden the reality that I no longer had a job sunk in. Wave after wave of emotions washed over me: anger, fear, frustration, doubt, sadness, and a horrible sense of isolation. I'd never felt so much like throwing in the towel and saying "I quit! I can't take it any more."


    I realized, sick as I was, that I was taking into my head nothing but negativeness; knew I needed help. I quickly turned to the Lord, said "Heavenly Father, I need you to tell me what to do. Quick as a wink, the words came: "Be still and know I am God."  Usually, that  would have calmed me. But this time it didn't, so I talked to the Lord again, said  "Heavenly Father. I'm trying, but I cannot seem to get still. I'm so tired and so sick,  so discouraged and disappointed. I cannot be still while my mind is so full of dark, negative things. Empty out, I pray, all that I took in, and grant me that promised peace of Christ."  And He rocked my heart to peace again.

I came across what I'm sharing while going through the many Spiritual journals I have filled. Remembering how faithful He was - and always is, I just had to share this with all of you. I pray that wherever you are, and no matter what is going on in your life, you will always know the joy of His presence, and the warmth of His love- the tightness of His embrace.

Be Still ( Don't fret, remain fearful, anxious, or worried. Make God your focus point).
And Know (Be confident, don't open the door to doubt).
I Am God ( Believe I am who I say that I am/


 In my next entry I will be sharing my latest trial, or the beginning of it. I say beginning for it is a trial that has been ongoing; one that has tested my faith as nothing else has. Please keep me in prayer. Ask God to keep me filled with His spirit, to keep me ever aware of His goodness and faithfulness, to help me remember how far He has walked with me.

Till than, keep Psalm 1:3 in mind.

"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in
 his seasons; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."`

Morning Prayer

Heavenly Father,
I look forward to my morning hour with you, before I have spoken with men or done a chore for the day. Let me not take for granted the honor of your presence, your  faithfulness, the dependability of your Word, your great love for me, and my daily blessings.

Sustain me this day, I pray. Enable me to do the required thing and love my enemies, lend a hand where there is a need- with no expected returns.
Help me, Father, to reflect thy Son rightly. Let me not be found judging, being critical, gossiping, or being lifted up by pride.

Grant me, I pray, the power to be pure in thought, loyal in my actions, and courageous. On this day, Gracious Father, I ask thy blessing upon:
Those without food, drink or clothes;
Those who are sick, discouraged and fearful
Those who are suffering from cancer and other  diseases.

Bless the prisoners:
Those oppressed by any injustice
Those that society views as worthless.
Bless the families of children who have been molested, abused or murdered.
Bless those who are lonely, insecure, and  in desperate need of a friend.

Bless those struggling with addictions, those who are bedridden, and the aged, whose families have all but abandoned them.
Bless those whose hope is fading, those who are seeking you, and those who are helping them find you.

Bless our ministers, teachers, missionaries.
Bless the doctors and nurses and the caretakers around the world.
Bless too, the millions of people who are now homeless, fearful, hungry and alone, due to natural disasters.


I ask a special  blessings upon those in the armed forces, Gracious Father. They are so far from home, so far from those who love them. Let them experience the wonder of your presence- so that their fear may not be so strong.  Allow them to experience the warmth and depth of your love so that they will not feel so alone. Let them  feel the  tightness of your embrace so they will feel safe- and secure.

Father, there are new trials confronting me today, some feeling larger and heavier, and more painful than any I have experienced. Even so, I thank you for each one; they keep  me upon my knees- close to you.

I will not focus upon the sadness, or the depth of it, but will remember how far you have walked with me. I will not forget the dependability of  your WORD; that you are exactly where you said you would be- ever beside me. All I have asked, Gracious
Father, I ask in your Son's most Precious name. Amen.



 

Keep Your Faith Active

We don't have to fear the changes that will enter our lives. Our tomorrows will find God beside us, just as he was the day before - and is today. He has walked with us to the present moment,  and will be at our side at the last moment as well.

We will experience many things in our lifetime: marriage, divorce, births, deaths, new jobs, loss of a job, owning a home- losing one, a happy family, a dysfunctional one, problems with our children, health problems, and many more, and God will be there to rejoice with us, or grieve with us, as always He's done.
 
"Lo, I am with you.."  What comfort; what reassurance. God with us means: we will not be betrayed, won't be abandoned, will have somebody to trust, will have somebody with us through the long haul; somebody who won't bail out on us when things get rough. It means no matter how bright our days, or how dark the nights- He is at our side.
    Life becomes more stressful every day. We need help in order to remain strong and courageous, to be at peace midst the storms of our lives. There is only one place to receive that peace; Christ, the God of All Comfort.

One of our sons, when he was but four years old, feared the dark. Even with a night-light on, he'd have trouble falling asleep. Every night, I'd tuck him in and reassure him that I'd be in the next room so he didn't have to worry or be afraid. Yet, every night, until sleep found him, he'd call out to me at regular intervals. "Mommy, are you still there?"

This is how we are with the Lord, when the stress of life has us hemmed in, leaving us discouraged, weary, and afraid. It does not seem quite good enough that God says "Lo, I am with you all the appointed days."
We still call out to him in the dark of night, and sometimes in the bright of noon day, "Lord, are you still there? Jesus promised never to forsake us. Let's believe him - praise Him for his faithfulness, rather than be a doubting Thomas.

Make special memory today. Be good to others and good to yourselves.
Have patience with all things, but mostly with yourselves. Don't become discouraged when considering your imperfections. We all have them. Don't forget that we are a work in progress. God isn't finished with us yet.


Take care now. May you ever experience the honor of the Lord's presence,
experience the warmth of His love, and the tightness of His embrace.

Snowball Thinking

I love the above graphic. It's just what I need to help me keep focused on what truly matters. It's rather difficult at times to keep myself from going overboard with my thinking; focusing on things that hurt, make me sad, worry, and fearful. I guess this is something we all struggle with sometimes. With so much going on with my family member's health issues I've really had to force myself to be honest with myself, about myself; had to acknowledge what things I was doing that were adding to the
stress I already have.

What I noticed was that I too often let my thinking get out of control, let my fears and concerns become a snowball, one that, as I focused upon it, became larger and more painful as days went by.

Snowball thinking is destructive. The more caught up we get in the details of whatever is disturbing us, the worse we feel. One negative thought leads to another, then another, and before we know it we're agitated. We've allowed our thoughts to raise our stress level to something that has the potential to harm us physically, as well as mentally and emotionally.

Solitude is an awesome, wonderful thing. I have discovered the wisdom in taking an hour a day to do absolutely nothing. And my favorite way to do nothing is to sit in a chair outside, usually early morning or when twilight's shadows began to steal across the land. There is something magical about solitude. It allows us to more clearly hear that which God would have us know, but also quiets our minds.
    
When I am alone in my chair, especially as the world begins to shut down for the day, and God turns his nightlights on, I come to understand my place in the scheme of things. I come to understand the wisdom in letting go of what I can't change. I come to understand that no matter how chaotic things are around me, whether within my home or without, life is what it is, and as long as our expectations are not unrealistic ones we'll do okay.

To those who may read this, I pray there is something here that lifts your spirits, that as I share my daily walk with you, we can, together, lift one another up in prayer. Friendship is a most wonderful thing, something I treasure. Thank you for yours.
God bless you.

Where I've Been- Where I'm Going

Sometimes, like this morning, I find myself beginning the day with yesterdays burdens
weighing heavy on my mind. There are so many right now: a daughter whose son was in a motorcycle accident (she just lost her other son not long ago), a sister who just had a stroke and has cancer, another sister who has shown enormous courage, having lost one leg and is now struggling to keep the other one. There is a sister
dealing with Parkinson's, a son whose wife is so ill she almost had to be put on
a list for a liver transplant.(Just got a call from my son who said she is not doing well
at all). As well, there are two sons struggling to put their lives  back together after failed marriages, and a husband whose ill health keeps my stress level very high.

Still, I can smile, can continue to be filled with hope, continue to be at peace no matter how chaotic the world around me.  When times are hard we sometimes find ourselves questioning everything, wondering, especially midst the darkest and most painful of moments, where the light at the end of the tunnel is.

It's usually then, at least for me,  that the Lord's words come to mind:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace,
and not of evil, to give you an expected end."

These words make me take a backward look at where I have been, at how many
rough roads and high mountains the Lord has seen me through. I can remember the
storms of life so intimidating I felt for sure I'd go under, would sink from utter weariness and discouragement. But I didn't. God, as He promises to do, held tight to my hand so I would not drown- would not have to give in to my fears.


After my morning prayer, I sat quietly and visited with the Lord, let my heart hear all he wanted me to hear. I know now that where I have been isn't what counts, but where I am going. I must not let myself forget that.

I want to encourage you who love the Lord too, to not forget that. Looking backwards at where we have been is not a wise thing. It becomes our focus point, and if we are not careful we will lose our spiritual footing.

Well, it did me good to post this, if only for myself. I need to remind myself, every single day of God's goodness, to count my blessings, to embrace the moments of life as they come, not forgetting that it is GOD, whose breath of life enables us to live and breathe and move.


Lord, please bless everybody who reads this.