Tuesdays Together

I would love to tell you all that I got it right today. That I did everything just right. But I didn't. I can't tell you such a thing. I would love to say that I read my scripture FIRST thing this morning instead of noon, and that I woke up bright and perky this morning ready for the day! I didn't.

I would love to say that I have excercised already and had plenty of water to drink. That I didn't wait until 1030 to take a shower and only then because I needed to run a quick errand. I would love to tell you that my house is clean and my laundry finished and my to do list completed, but it isn't. That I have been productive and have accomplished great things today. I haven't.

I will tell you that I have been rebellious this morning. And frankly my spirit has been a bit contrary. I have said mean things to myself today. I am under attack. I have been inconsistent with most things important over the past 2-3 weeks and it is catching up with me.

I will tell you that I have enjoyed my screen porch today and the cool weather. AND the halloween candy on the top of the fridge has had a few visits today. I WILL tell you that the Lord has been faithful to me anyway. I went back to Psalm 111.

Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wonders to be remembered;(v2-4)

The Lord is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him;

he remembers his covenant forever.(v5)

The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.(v7-8)

Aren't you thankful that the Lord is not inconsistent? Did you catch all that? Great. Glorious. Steadfast. Trustworthy. Forever. Gracious. Compassionate. He has CAUSED his wonders to be remembered.

I asked the Lord to help me get my rear end out of the recliner. He did. I asked him to help me gather up some energy and get something accomplished. He did. I asked him to speak to me. He most certainly did. It was gracious and compassionate. His wonders were remembered. My spirit was renewed.

To Him belongs eternal praise.(v10)

To learn more about our group and Tuesdays Together please visit DeeDee.

Tuesdays Together

Welcome to Tuesdays Together in the Word.  We are a group reading the bible together and sharing each week the nuggets that the Lord's Word has left with us.  Join in with us, wherever you are.  Please  visit DeeDee for more Tuesday Together posts.

In my reading this week,  I wanted to linger a bit in Psalms and Proverbs.  In Psalm 39,40, and 41  I  could really sense David's despair and his frustration.  His awareness of his own inadequacy  is overwhelming here.  There are scourges and weeping, wicked enemies, and slimy muddy pits.  There is shame and foolishness.  There is slander and betrayal.   Then, Here comes the best part.  David exalts the Lord. 

2) He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;  he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

3) He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.

4) Many, O lord my God, are the wonders you have done.  The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

In Proverbs 10 there is reassurance for those who trust in the Lord.

24)What the wicked dreads will overtake him; what the righteous desire will be granted.

25)When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.

All through the reading I imagined David and his despair and then his freedom.  I was reminded of a scene in a movie that so impressed me that I openly wept in the theater.  The scene is from a Lord of The Ring's movie.  I went to see all three in the theaters when they were released.  The scene I thought of this week involved the great trees with their strong roots.  A  flood of rushing water comes to "wash away" the underworld that has been created and where an oppressive evil army is born and prepares for battle.   The waters rush over the land and over the edge into the pit and you see the trees clinging to stand firm.  All around them is destruction.   The trees do stand, because they are the only ones with roots deep and strong enough to withstand such a destructive force.  My emotions at this point in the movie just overwhelmed me and I cried.  As the great rushing waters leveled the playing field, I could not help but get emotional.  The symbolism was not lost on me. 

Are you planted firmly on the right foundation?  If you are, do you strengthen your roots through His word? Do you trust in the ONE whose wonders are "too many to declare"?  I surely hope so.  When Christ died for us, he secured our place in eternity.  Once we belong to Him, we cannot be pulled from him.  

Prov 10:30 The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land.

2Tim.2:19 Nevertheless, God's solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: "The Lord knows those who are his...

Psalm41:13  Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.

Tuesdays Together

Welcome to Tuesdays Together in the Word.  We are a group reading the bible together and sharing each week the nuggets that the Lord's Word has left with us.  Join in with us, wherever you are.  And visit DeeDee for more Tuesdays Together!!

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Before I share my thoughts on our reading, I first must apoplogize to the Tuesday crew if I have misled you in any way.  From your sweet comments last week I realized that some of you might be under the impression that my husband is STILL deployed.  He's not, he is safely home.  Praise the Lord!!  I am just slow in the sharing.  I have blogged some about the homecoming in a previous post.  He came home in November and things are finally getting back to normal around here (sorta).  "This time last year" is my favorite phrase right now.  I'm still standing in awe of the enormous journey that I traveled.  Yesterday marked a painful one year anniversary- My husband left on March 30th after spending only 6 days with his newborn son.  But, like I pointed out, he's home now and I am different.  And I will continue to share bits of this journey as the Lord leads.  OK, now on to Tuesday.....

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Although I enjoyed reading Philemon and Titus, I need to go the Psalms again.  It's just that kind of season, for lack of a better explanation....

Psalm 32

8-I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

9-Do not be like the horse or the mule, 

which have no understanding but must be controlled 

by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.

I laughed when I read that,  Did God's word just tell me..."Don't be a dumb stubborn mule" ?  Yes!! I think HE did!  I guess we all have seasons of stubborness and "lack of understanding".  This world really wants to lead us mindlessly around by a bit and bridle so to speak, when all along there is a book lying on our tables that gives us the PROPER  counsel  and instruction, and I do mean God's Word.   There is freedom in THAT instruction.  No bits, No bridles. 

Then we move on to the next verses:

10-Many are the woes of the wicked,

 but the LORD'S unfailing love surrounds

the man who trusts in him.

11-Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous;

sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Isn't it comforting to know that when you are surrounded by a wicked, bit, and bridled kind of world, that you who trust in HIM are  SURROUNDED by UNFAILING love?  Did you catch that?  Unfailing.  and Surrounded.  Our world will fail us.  Job's world failed him.  He came out okay in the end, I'm sure he was different on the inside,  but the Lord was not.  Unfailing, steadfast, unchanged.  We know this.  Now that IS something to sing about!!  And the watching over you part in verse 8?  Can't let that be missed either.

I can't tell you how many times over the past year, when I really wanted to rejoice.  I wanted to sing (vs11) I did,  but friend I was weary. I'm being honest.  Singing did not happen every day, let me tell you.  Wasn't it enough just to trust and be carried by his unfailing love?  Wasn't it enough to just put on my big girl undies every livin' day, work hard,  and just trust?  Your heart knows what it knows but somedays the singing just did not want to come despite itself.  Despite it's stubborn mule self................

 Glad that is soooo last year....(insert chuckle here).

Tuesdays Together

Welcome to Tuesdays Together in the Word.  We are a group reading the bible together and sharing each week, what the Lord's Word has left with us.   Join in with us, wherever you are.

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I cannot let this Tuesday Together pass by without sharing some thoughts from the Psalms.  As I have mentioned before in a previous post, I promised to share some about this past year.  I cannot read these Psalms from our list without thinking about my journey through new motherhood and deployment. Psalms like these carried me through.  I cannot read these Psalms without my heart being stirred.

Psalm 27

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation,

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life,

of whom shall I be afraid?

3Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me, 

even then will I be confident.

5 For in the day of trouble 

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle

and set me high upon a rock.

13 I am still confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14 Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

There are more than a few folks out there in this world who know what it is like to go to bed at night wondering if they will wake up a widow.  Knowing that you very well could and trusting that you won't....... This is the war of the spouse left behind during  a deployment, during a time of war.  It is a battle on the insides of her head and heart.  I don't pretend to think that I am the only person to ever have their Marine go off into harms way.  Many wives have done this before me and more still will travel this journey in the years to come.  Often it was the knowing that got me through an hour- knowing that someone always has it worse and knowing that my blessings are plentiful.  Knowing that God and I were okay before my husband came along and would be still even if.........

Often, in the late hours, when the baby was down for the night, the pumping was still to be done, the bottles and accessories still to be washed, and all the other "stills" that occur when you are running a household by yourself.......I would talk out my cries of the heart and my Psalms would frequently sound a  bit like this:

The Lord is my light, is my strength, is my salvation.

Whom shall I fear? Whom shall I fear?

Of Whom shall I be afraid?

Not these thoughts, certainly not tomorrow.

If HE is for me, Who then can be against me?

Though my aloneness bears down upon me,

He shelters me

I am confident in the Lord's tomorrow,

This too shall pass, This too shall pass!!

Although my weariness is heavy,

I SEE the Lord's goodness and I am strengthened.

I count my blessings and am uplifted.

Take heart, have courage, wait upon the Lord!

have courage, have courage!

Of Whom shall I be afraid?

Whom shall I fear, whom shall I fear?

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!!

Amen

May my mutterings bring you encouragement, wherever your journey may be taking you today!!  

For more Tuesdays Together in the Word, visit DeeDee.

Homecoming

The picture below was drawn by my mom's good friend Joan Jolley.  If you would like to see the original photo you can visit Michelle's blog.  This was taken before I became a blogger:)!

Yesterday was 3-9-09.  I thought about it all day.  4 months ago on this day, my husband returned home from his deployment. I thought about how God was merciful and brought my husband home to his little family.  And about how God's strength got me through this very long year.  And I thought about how I should be sharing testimony  and the enemy whispers...."it's old news, nobody wants to hear about your drama"  and "move on cause they are tired of hearing about it" etc etc   A different kind of war, but a war indeed!

How is it that ONE year can shape destinies? shape friendships?stories? hearts? Deserts? Villages?  eternity?

Burning Bushes people, Burning Bushes!!!!  (from a previous post)

I haven't really blogged much about it yet, and those that know me best know parts of this testimony already.  So today I will just keep it simple, but I promise to share some more about the journey of this past year and give God the glory.  There is a lot in my tender heart and to share those parts  will take time.   

I sought the Lord and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to him are radiant; 

their faces are never covered with shame.

This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;

he saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the Lord encamps around those

who fear him, and he delivers them.

Taste and see that the Lord is good;

blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Psalm 34:4-8