He is our safe haven

"See, I have engraved you on
the palms of my hands; your
walls are ever before me"
Isaiah 49:16

We don't obtain our security through others. We can't depend on our friends or even our family to be our protectors. Our only true, safe haven is our Lord. Only Jesus can be with us every step of our lives. He is our ultimate source of trust and protection. God will never fail us. He will never let us down. Never forsake us. Never.

Others will devastate us with their lack of concern and their abandonment. With Christ, there will be no devastation. No abandonment. Only complete peace, comfort and trust. He is our refuge. Our help. Our security.

We need to place our devotion solely on Him and He will never disappoint us. He is the one who can replace our sorrow with joy and our mourning with dancing. He is the one who can put a smile on our faces with just the thought of His glorious name. He can fill our hearts with peace and replace that sadness of spirit with contentment in Him.

God is our forever companion. Even in our darkest hours, His presence can flood us with the light of His countenance. At our very first cry, He is attentive. When we cry out, He hears and He responds. He cares.

There is no place that we can go that He won't go before us when we are walking in His ways. As believers, we are given the promise of His Word that He will be with us always. Walking beside us and holding our hands or carrying us through our trials.

I am thankful for a God who is ever-present. Always faithful. Always true. His abundance overwhelms me and His love astounds me. I am so unworthy but He is so gracious and merciful.

Thank you, Lord, for being my rock and my refuge. My fortress and my strength. Thank you for your constant watch care over me. I am so grateful that you are always there. Always loving.  Always protecting. Never forsaking. You are faithful and true and I love you with all of my heart.

He wants to be wanted.

These last few weeks have been nothing short of absolutely amazing. We had prayer meetings all last week as we were preparing for our revival that started Sunday. As we met in different church members home last week, I could detect a real sense of longing in peoples hearts for a real move of the Holy Spirit. People were hungering after Him in a way that I haven't seen in a long time. I couldn't wait for prayer meeting each night and it was evident that many others felt the same way. We were drawing together in unity as a body of believers that were believing for a mighty move of the Spirit. We were desperate for a Word. Desperate for a touch. Desperate for Him. And it was good.

The truth of the matter is, we should feel such desperation and urgency to be in His presence every single day of our lives. We should wake up in the morning with a yearning to be with Him. Our feet should no sooner hit the floor than we should be headed some place quiet for some face-down time with our Lord and Savior. A time that we can just bask in His sweet presence and let Him just flow over us and through us. A time that we just prostrate ourselves before Him in true humility and surrender, ready to receive a fresh Word from the Throne of Grace. A time to focus on the One who is so worthy of our total, undivided attention.

Too many times, we just don't give God our complete focus.  We come before Him half-hearted. Distracted. In a hurry to finish and get somewhere else. We have too much on our minds. We have too many places to go. We have too many things to do that we think are more important or perhaps more beneficial to us. 

There is nothing in this world that could ever be more important than spending time with God.  We need to be in His Word. We need to be seeking His presence.  We need to be hungering and thirsting after a divine revelation from Him. There needs to be a true sense of urgency in our hearts to dig deep into His Word and study the scriptures! There are treasures to be found in the Holy Word of God. There are truths to unearth and there are lessons to be found in the inspired and God-breathed Word. 

We will never know who Jesus is if we don't take the time to get to know Him. He wants to be wanted. We must take the time to develop a personal and intimate relationship with the One who freely gave His life on the cross at Calvary for us. He shed that precious and perfect blood so that we could have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Him. Redemption. Grace. Mercy. 

As we rise in the morning, let's awaken with a new song in our hearts. A song that propels us to the feet of Jesus, to worship and commune with Him that we might encounter His presence with a new longing. Let's fall to our faces in pure adoration of who He is and not get up until we have seen His glory in our midst. May we never be the same.

"My soul, wait thou only upon God;

for my expectation is from Him"

(Psalms 62:5)

Enough

I awaken from a peaceful sleep and feel

the urgency of the Holy Spirit to come and commune with Him.

I rise in eager expectation of sweet fellowship 

with my Lord.

I sit before Him in silence and await a Word. 

All I can hear is my heart beating in a desperate 

crescendo of sound.

The quiet is deafening but filled with 

the soft peace of His Spirit.

I can hear the distant song of my wind chimes 

singing a soft melody and it just floods my soul with joy.

As my spirit begins to enter into communion with His, I feel 

a quickening deep inside that fills my heart with expectation.

As His presence descends and fills the room, I am

almost overcome and rendered speechless. I can barely lift my 

head as the heaviness of Him presses in.

Just sitting in the presence of the Almighty completes me. As His

precious voice whispers softly to my heart, I feel a

contentment in my spirit like no other. I can almost

feel His hot Holy breath on my face as I sense the 

words that come forth.

"I'm enough. If you have nothing but me and my presence, I AM enough"

Yes, Lord. You are enough. You are more than enough. You fill my empty places. You restore the brokenness in my soul. You deliver me in my weakness and You conquer all that comes against me.

You are enough and I bask in your Holiness and I rest in your sweet embrace. I continue to be astounded at the power of your Name and the sweetness of your Mercy.  You are so good.

He is enough because He IS.

longing

The longing to hear God speak,

holds me captive,

occupies my thoughts 

and reaches out to me. 

The longing tugs at my heart and soul.

I listen. 

I worship.

I become motionless and

let my mind focus on His power and His goodness.

Standing still, I let God move.

Obeying... heeding... following.

Eyes closed and heart flung wide open. 

I sense His presence.

I feel His love  and I am 

ever mindful of His generous mercy and His sweet grace.

As He speaks, I feel the gentle breeze blow 

across my heart as His voice whispers, 'I am here'.

The electricity that shoots through my

body is overwhelming. I am overcome with 

the amazing truth of who He is.

He is speaking affirmation to my spirit. Acknowledging my

relationship with Him. Opening my eyes to

new revelations of Him. Stirring my soul to search

the hidden things. 

The deep things.

Echoing deep in the recesses of my being

with a yearning of immense proportion.

Speak life into me, Lord. Hear my cry.

Renew me that I may receive what you have for me.

As I yield myself fully to the calling you ordained, 

show me the direction you desire me to go. Guide my 

steps. Shape my path. Walk with me, Lord.

I close my eyes and feel your arms wrapped lovingly about me.

Embraced in the strength of your mighty hand. I know

you hold me close and will never let me go.  I am safe in 

your grasp. Fully sheltered under your wing. Caught in an

eternal embrace of my Savior.

Only you, Lord can occupy my thoughts and satisfy my longing. Only you can fill the yearning in my heart. You are my everything and I give you praise.

it filled the house!

"And the priests could not enter into the house of the LORD,

because the glory of the LORD had filled the

LORD's house"  -- (2 Chronicles 7:2)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

After Solomon's prayer of dedication for the completion of the temple, fire came down from heaven and the glory of the LORD  filled the house! The glory was so thick that it prevented the priests from being able to enter in and minister to the people. What was their response?

* They bowed themselves low.

* Their faces were to the ground.

* They worshiped. Oh, how they worshiped!

* The gave the LORD the praise He was so due!

Humbly, they prostrated themselves before the LORD. Bowed their hearts down low and bent their knees to fall before Him in awe of who He was. In pure wonder of His glorious splendor. They couldn't even stand in His presence. They could only fall to their faces and begin to acknowledge His Holiness. His majesty. The pure, overwhelming and astounding essence of the glory of God.

They worshiped the LORD. They praised His name. For He is good and His mercy endures forever. The overwhelming beauty of His Holiness should stun us! It should propel us into worship. Cause us to bend our knees and fall prostrate before His very presence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, God, we want to worship you in that way! We ask that you come and enrapture us with your presence. Captivate us with the wonder of who you are and cause us to fall on our faces in pure, unadulterated worship of your majesty and your glory! You are beautiful beyond description! Too marvelous for words! Thank you for allowing us little glimpses every day of the majestic splendor of your beauty and glory. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

GLIMPSES of GLORY this week

~~

Mercie and her little cousin Laylah.

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Mikaela and her sweet cousin - she is such a nurturer! 

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Thank you Lord, for my grandbabies love of books! Thank you that I can read to them and that they can hear! Thank you that they can enjoy the wonderful world of learning that  you so lovingly provide! 

Thank you Lord, for blessing me for now, with these.