oh, what a thankful thursday....

I am just thankful for some many things. We could all probably make a list that never ended. God is so generous with the multitude of blessings that He so lovingly bestows on me and my family daily. I am so glad that Greg so willingly hosts this THANKFUL THURSDAY post each week so we can take the time to give our wonderful Lord the praise that He is so worthy of. Thanks Greg!

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I am so thankful that my newest little grandson is doing so well! Little Silas is just the sweetest little thing ever and I just love to go and get lots of good baby sugar from him.

(oh, my is there anything sweeter?)

I am so thankful that God has blessed me and my husband with such a great church family. We seriously have the best church ever! Our church is so loving and so amazing that it is such a pleasure and privilege to serve here. Oh, thank you precious Lord for allowing us to be at this place of service at this time in our lives.

I am so thankful that I live only 25 miles from both of my married daughters. This enables me to see them and their precious youngin's many times a week. I am so thankful that my girls love me enough to want me to come over often! Thank you Lord for that awesome blessing!

(me and Mercie taking our own picture!)

I am thankful that in one week, Melissa will be home from Bolivia! Yay! She will hopefully be able to spend a few days at home with us before going back to Baton Rouge to start working again. I am so thankful for God's hand upon her during the past 6 weeks and pray that He continues to keep her safe and brings her home in one piece!

I am so thankful for God's love. I read the following in a book called "the Christian Atheist" by Craig Groeschel. It is an amazing book and I highly recommend it. (thanks, Misty!)

"... You are one of God's children. He's crazy about you. There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. And there is nothing you can do to make God love you less. Love is not something God does. It is who God is. And because of who He is, God loves you. Period."

God loves us with an unconditional, all-encompassing love. He is so worthy of all that we have to offer. He loves us with no strings attached. He loves us in spite of our failures. He just straight out loves us. Thank you, Lord for your LOVE.

no detours please

I feel like I am walking on a conveyor belt that is running backwards as I am trying to walk forward. It seems like the more I purpose in my heart to seek Him first and seek Him deeper, the more I run into obstacles trying to throw me off course.

I take 2 steps in the right direction and then 1 step in the wrong one. Progressing very slowy. Making little headway.

My mind seems to be wandering lately and I am having a hard time getting and keeping focused. I don't know why, but I almost have a restlessness in my spirit that I can't explain.

It's like there is so much I desire to acquire in my walk with Him but I am wanting it all now. I am forgetting that it's sometimes a slow process. Slow and painful at times.

I realize that the more intently and purposefully I seek more in my walk with Christ, the more intent the enemy becomes in creating roadblocks.

The road to freedom in Christ is certainly marked with suffering. It is a long and winding road, with many twists and turns. As followers of Jesus Christ we just have to keep our eyes focused on what lies at the end of the road and not on the road itself. When our focus is on Him, we can keep the purpose for our journey in the right perspective.

There will be discomfort. There will be trials and tribulations. Times that He is teaching us things along the way that may slow us down. Times that He is speaking to our hearts and we are not so quick to listen. Times He has to gently prod us back on the right path. The path of righteousness.

We just have to keep our hearts in the seeking mode. Desiring to know Him like never before. Recognizing the restlessness as a sign of not being satsified with where we are on our journey and wanting to get there faster with Him.

I am so anxious to get where I so desire in my relationship with my Savior. But I also don't want to miss anything He has to show me on the way. I will glady encounter the rough roads but am purposing to avoid any detours.

As I continue on my journey, I will search diligently for the right path. Seeking Christ with an unparalleled passion. Stopping along the way only to breathe in the sweet fragrance of His presence as He lovingly shows me the way to the abundant and spirit-filled life in him. A life filled with spiritual blessings. Rich in the glory of His presence. And a life satisfied by my intimate relationship with my Savior.

Seeking like never before,

Beth

Captivated

(Mercie, Eli and Mikaela with their new 4-day old little brother, Silas )

We've had a busy week. A week that started with the miracle of birth.

It is still just so amazing to me how a little newborn babe emerges from the secure confines of his mother's womb, takes his first breath and begins life anew. No matter that I have witnessed 6 births now, not counting my own 3 girls, it still brings joy to my heart. Tears to my eyes. And renews my faith and belief in our Almighty Creator. I am captivated by my God and His power.

I am captivated by Silas as well. The newest member of our family has already etched a special place in all of our hearts. I watch with awe at the many facial expressions a 5 day old baby can make. I marvel at the sweetness of his countenance as I nestle him close and watch him sleep. What a precious miracle.

I love to watch the look of enraptured love on Mikaela's face as she holds her newest little brother in her arms. She wraps him up with tenderness and just gazes at his sweet face. "Nana, I adore him", she told me last night. She, too, is captivated by the miracle of a newborn baby.

It fills me such joy to see how well my daughter adjusted to having 4 children. She was made to be a mother. She is a born nurturer and doles out her love to each one with such ease.

Silas is so blessed to have 2 big sisters and 1 big brother who are already head-over-heels in love with him. He has a mommy and daddy who consider themselves to be abundantly overflowing with God's mercy and grace. He has 2 aunts who think he is so special.

Due to the awesome internet at the hospital, we were able to connect with Melissa in Bolivia through the wonder of SKYPE and she got to see her amazing little nephew on a video call. She was just so excited and can't wait to get her hands on him.

God has just filled our family to overflowing with His goodness. Jimbo and I are sometimes just overwhelmed at our bountiful blessings. Our children and grandchildren just complete us in ways that we never imagined.

Indeed our cups are overflowing. May I never take for granted the wonder of who He is and the wonder of His power and might.  I want to be ever captivated by the One who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. Through Him, I can tap into the awesome love that I can then so generously dispense to each child and grandchild that He has graced me with. God is so good. His love endures forever. His love is perfect.

"For who is God, except the LORD?

And who is a rock, except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength,

And makes my way perfect."

(Psalm 18:31-32)

it doesn't get much better than this..

There are just no words to express the absolute joy in my heart. My daughter Megan and her husband Rod welcomed the newest member of their family into the world today. Silas made his grand entrance this afternoon at 1:32 and weighed in at 7 lbs 14 ounces. He is just absolutely beautiful. He has the sweetest little face and I am already deeply in love with this little fella. I can tell that we are gonna have some great times together.

I have had the privilege of seeing all 6 of my grandchildren being born. There is just nothing quite as awesome as being able to witness new life. As we watched him emerge, we were all just so mesmorized by the miracle unfolding in front of us. God is so good. He has blessed me and my family immeasurably. If I didn't receive another blessing from Him, I would still be overflowing with His grace.

Tonight as I lay my head down, I will rest in the peace and safety of His arms. I have soaked up His goodness today. I have witnessed His miraculous power. And I am basking in the sheer radiance of His glory that was made manifest in a tiny little newborn babe.

God is indeed so good.

Silas at about 5 seconds old!

Megan, Silas, Rod - about 30 minutes old.

A tired Nana and her precious little grandson.

With a full heart,

Beth

God's Hands through us.....

"For as the body without the spirit is dead,

so faith without works is dead also."

James 2:26

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

For the past 4 days, our church embarked on a project that we called "GOD'S HANDS".  It was all about reaching out into our community and being God's Hands to other people. We did everything from an outreach ministry, which entailed filling 538 small gift bags and hand delivering them to each door in our community, to several small construction projects.

We had several different crews that took on about 7 projects like painting porches, painting a whole a house, rebuilding a porch, tearing down a shed and hauling off junk and even yard work and the like. We had a kitchen crew that fed us delicious meals each day.  We had several businesses sponsor our efforts, which enabled us to buy all the materials necessary to reach out and do for those who couldn't do for themselves. We performed all the labor free of charge with a whole bunch of love thrown in there.

It was probably the hardest work that I have ever done. It was a hot, sultry, humid 103 degrees here in Louisiana and the sun was unmerciful. But our God was just overflowing with His mercy and just drenched us big-time with a good dose of it.

There were about 50 of us that took part in this and about 50 of us that were blessed immeasurably. To see peoples appreciation when you lend a helping hand is so rewarding. When they realize that you really are doing it for free, they are just overwhelmed. When we saw a project completed and the recipients joyful faces, we were filled with joy as well. There is nothing quite like the feeling of really being able to help others. We all worked together in unity and we could just feel the love grow between each of us each passing day. People helping people. Love being spread. God's Hands truly ministering to those in need.

I think that we all have come to know the meaning of the word 'exhaustion' in a new way. There were times when we weren't sure we would make it to completion. There was a time when part of a rotten porch fell with 4 of our workers under it but God's Hands kept the beams from hitting anyone and just fell all around them. Yes, His mercy and grace abounded.

God anointed us with strength when we were getting weary. A cool breeze when we thought we would melt. And a cooler full of bottles of water with scripture on them.

"For whoever gives you a cup of water to
drink in My name, because
you belong to Christ, assuredly,
I say to you, he will by no means

lose his reward"  (Mark 9:41)

As we gathered each evening (after we hung up our hard hats..) we came together for a time of fellowship and a WORD from God. Exhaustion quickly turned to exhileration. Weariness was replaced with worship. God took us from strength to strength and showed us His glory. And it was good.

God really revealed some things to me this week. I learned that I need to be more vocal about my faith. I learned that a faith without works is a dead faith indeed. If we truly have the spirit of God residing inside of us, we just want to do good works. In fact, we just HAVE to do good works. It just bubbles up inside of us and we want to bless others. We want to help others. We want to be God's Hands.

As I fall into bed tonight, worn out and exhausted, I am so thankful that God is who He says He is. And that He can do what He says he can do. And that I can do all things through Him.

Beth

accidental or intentional?

"We don't walk in the Spirit accidentally - we have to intentionally pursue it"

As I was listening to Kay Arthur this week, she made this statement and it has just been running through my head over and over. The truth of it just really hit home with me and I can't seem to let go of it.

Walking in the Spirit is an intentional and passionate pursuit. Seeking more of Him. Searching higher. Digging deeper. Craving more.

It is an unsatiable hunger and thirst for intimacy with God.

It's about more than our salvation. It's about more than just knowing that we belong to Christ. It's much more than just head knowledge of our Savior. It's about our heart.

Acts 2:21 tells us, "that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved". But we don't just stop there. That my friends, is just the beginning of the amazing adventure of a life in Him. That is the springboard to what comes next.

We certainly need to be fully satisfied with God, but we should never be satisfied with where we are in our walk with Him. We should always be striving for more.

More knowledge.

More power.

More relationship.

More intimacy.

More Jesus.

Much more Jesus.

Much more.....

As we reach new heights in our walk, each level that we achieve should only serve to whet our appetites for the next one. Our excitement should build upon each new experience and each new milestone that we reach in our quest for more of Jesus.

We should be always increasing and broadening our spiritual relationship with Christ. Desiring  to walk worthy of our calling. Wanting more. Expecting more. Pursuing more.

Continually transforming ourselves into vessels to be used of Him and for Him. We should always be a work in progress. Realizing that we are nothing in ourselves but only through Him do we even begin to find our worth.

"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything

as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God"

(2 Corinthians 3:5)

I fall so short of this truth. I fall short of His glory. Sometimes it seem like the harder I try and the more determined I am to walk in Him, the more my flesh rears its ugly head and I fail.

But it only makes me more determined to seek His face in all that I do. It gives me more desire to flesh out the Spirit-filled life that He desires for me. It pushes me toward the righteousness that is available to me through Jesus.

I am so thankful that God sent the Holy Spirit so that we could readily tap into that intimate relationship with Him. So we could pursue Christ with a passion.  So we can walk in the Spirit and so we can be intentional about our God.

Intentionally pursuing Christ,

Beth

grateful for God's hand of protection

"You are my hiding place; you shall

preserve me from trouble. You shall

 surround me with songs of deliverance"

(Psalm 32:7)

Bolivia, South America is a long way from here. It seems like it is getting farther and farther as each day passes. The past 3 weeks have been filled with a medley of emotions and feelings. There has been joy and sorrow. There has been expectation and disappointment. There has been sickness and health. There has been healing. And today? Well, today there was abundant protection. God's merciful hand of protection upon my daughter and 2 of her friends.

Their group 12 (plus 5 Bolivians) traveled late last night from Santa Cruz to Cochabamba, which was about the halfway mark to their destination of La Paz. They will be in La Paz about a week building a church. They will be laboring for the Lord and helping to erect a house of worship for the glory of the Lord to settle in and minister to the lives of new christians and those needing salvation. The elevation in La Paz exceeds 12,000 feet and so the group needed to become aclimated to the altitude, so that is why they traveled to Cochabamba for an overnight stay.

When I answered the phone this evening, I heard Melissa's voice and knew something was wrong. The tentative, "Mama?" was filled with trepidation and tears. My heart just fell to the floor as I heard her telling me what had happened to her just a few short hours before. I almost couldn't catch my breath as I stood there listening to the details. I wanted to be at her side immediately, hugging her and checking her out from head to toe to make sure she was unscathed! I must have asked her 100 times if she was okay.  It's a long way from here to there when your daughter is sick. It's a REALLY long way from here to there when her life has been threatened.

As they were doing a little sight-seeing and hiking/climbing today, the group got temporarily separated on the way back down the mountain trail and my daughter, Melissa and 2 other girls were held-up by a Bolivian man at knifepoint. One of the girls actually had the knife touch her chest and was pushed to the ground before he stole their backpacks and purses. He had come out of the edge of the trail shouting and waving the knife and he scared the girls half-to-death. They are OK. They are quite shaken up and very unsettled. Melissa had actually seen the guy at the edge of the trail and said for just a minute she felt very fearful and said she immediately prayed and asked God for His protection.

As I sit here and think about it, I am angry at the man who had the audacity to attack my daughter. And steal her purse and her camera and her money and her keys. I am angry that he has stolen her trust and her security. I am angry that her joy has been temporarily replaced with sorrow. I am angry that she now has fear instead of peace.

But then the Lord tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me that HE is our peace. HE is our joy. And HE is our trust. He reminded me that the material things that were stolen, can be replaced. But Melissa and her friends lives could NOT have been replaced. And I realized that our precious Lord once again reached down His loving arms and wrapped them tight around my daughter and granted her life. His mercy was abundantly dispensed upon her today.

And I am humbled beyond words. Astounded at His love and grace. Amazed at His tenderness. In awe of the wonder of who He is.

As I hung up the phone with Melissa, they were about to go to dinner. She said, "Mama, I am afraid to go out there. But I am more afraid to stay here alone. I know I can't live in fear, I have to trust Him."

Yes, Melissa. We indeed have to face our fears. Otherwise they will overwhelm us and threaten to drown us in their uncertainties. God already has our lives planned and He already has our days numbered. He knows what will take place each step of the way. We just have to walk in His will. Walk in His ways. Be surrendered and obedient. And seek His face.

"When You said, 'Seek My face', My heart said to You, 'Your face, LORD, I will seek.'"

(Psalm 27:8)

bible study girls

"But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised"

(Proverbs 31:30b)

She watches ever so intently. Observing all that she sees in my actions and my attitude. As she begins to really seek the Lord, even at her young age, I feel an awesome responsibility to be even more accountable to Christ. More accountable for my life to echo a life of a woman after the heart of God.

I see her copying scripture after she asks about my stack of index cards on my desk. I see her keeping her little devotional and pencil in a small basket like her mother does. She told me that they were going to be "bible study girls" like me.

I love how she asks me if I am listening to Beth Moore each time she gets into my car. She has already learned that is most likely what is in my CD player.

She asked me the other day if she could go to the next "Beth Moore thing" with me. Of course, I told her she could. What a tremendous blessing that will be. She then looked up at me and said "Nana, I always want to be a faithful follower of God". Oh, me too sweetie. Indeed, me too.

As I see how God works in the life a 7-year old girl, it fills me with such gratitude for His generous grace. It really makes me so thankful.

Thankful that when he called my name when I was just 9 years old, I answered.

Thankful that when I strayed away, He beckoned me back home.

Thankful that my daughter chose a path of righeousness when she came to a fork in the road. And that she is raising her children to be lovers of God and leading them by example.

I watch as Mikaela is spreading her spiritual wings and desiring the 'much more' in Jesus. Even though at this tender age she really doesn't understand what the 'much more' entails. But she knows that it exists.

I am more determined than ever to be that example of Christ. To continue allowing He that is within me to light her path as she seeks Him.

She brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart when she takes her bible with her wherever she goes. I love to look in the rearview mirror and see her singing praise and worship and really worshiping.

I love it when she spends the night and after she has read her bible, wants me to read to her from my bible when she goes to bed. And she listens intently.

I love it when we go to Monroe and she wants to know if we can go to Lifeway. And when we get there, it amuses me that she leads me straight to the Beth Moore section.  Her excitement when I gave her a small book entitled "A taste of breaking free" just delighted me. She had her very own Beth Moore book and was just so thrilled.

I pray that God will continue to draw her near. I pray that she continues to seek Him more. I pray that I will continue to sow the seeds of faith for all my grandchildren.

I pray that we indeed grow to be 'bible study girls' together. Reading His Word. Communing with Him. Praying without ceasing. And reaping the 'much more' of the abundant life in Christ.

"Her children rise up and call her blessed....."

Proverbs 31:28

THANKful thursday - a heart full....

Joining Greg at http://www.gregsgeneralstore.blogspot.com/ once again for a day of thankfulness. Stop in at his place and join in - it will really lift your spirits!

++++++++++

* I am so very thankful that when I cried out to God this week on behalf of my daughter, He heard me. And He had mercy on Melissa and healed her body from the sickness that was threatening her. He has given her the strength to persevere and for that I am thankful!

"In my distress I cried to the Lord, And He heard me" (Psalm 120:1)

* I am so thankful that I have such awesome bloggy friends and when I send out an SOS for prayer, they are all so faithful to lift up my needs! Thank you so much my precious friends. You mean the world to me.

"A friend loves at all times..... " (Proverbs 17:17)

* I am so thankful that the 5 amazing little ones that made these 5 precious handprints, are my sweet grandchildren. Oh, how blessed I am for the Lord to allow me of all people to be their "Nana" and have the privilege of teaching them about Jesus. Thank you Lord. May I always be an example of Christ to them in all I do and say. 

* I am thankful that in 11 days or less, another litttle handprint will adorn that bottom tile. I am thankful that the Lord has protected Megan and the baby and kept them healthy. I am thankful that Mercie is excited about having a little brother. (for now, that is....)

"I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" 

(Psalm 139:14)

*I am thankful that we serve a God who not only redeemed us but that knows us intimately and calls us by our name. Oh, how amazing is that! He knows me! He knows my name! Thank you Lord that I am yours and that You are mine...

"...fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name, You are Mine."  (Isaiah 43:1)

With a thankful heart,

Beth

resting in His peace

These past few days have found me learning how to rest in His assurance. The assurance of His love. The assurance of His peace. The assurance of His presence.

I just love the way the Word of God is full of scripture that teaches us time and time again about peace. His peace. The peace that He alone gives us. The peace that is ours because of Jesus. The peace that He so desperately wants us, His people, to experience.

We can take a deep breath of His peace when we choose to surrender to His authority. When we choose to acknowledge that He is God. The Creator. Our Lord. Our Redeemer.

The river of peace that is ours to experience comes from our intimate relationship with God. Our obedient relationship with God. Through the power of His Word and the communion with Him in prayer, we can tap into the streams that are flowing with His unending peace.

That peace is what has been my saving grace these past few days. That peace is what has held me. That peace is what I have planted down deep in my heart and grasped with all of my strength.

In experiencing that wonderful, awesome, powerful peace of Christ, I have enjoyed His amazing presence. I am learning to trust in the assurance of His presence when the evidence of it isn't so readily recognizable. Learning to trust His Word. Learning to rely on what I KNOW from experience and choosing to BELIEVE what I know is the TRUTH. Choosing to BELIEVE He is with me because of the promise of His Word.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall

not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire,

you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;"

(Isaiah 43:1-3)

Thank you Lord, for calming me when the storms around me were raging. Thank you for allowing me to experience the wonder of Your Peace. Lord, I place Melissa in Your Loving Arms and I ask that You cradle her with your tender mercy and grace. Bestow such amazing love and healing upon her body and spirit that she is astounded by your power. That she is surrounded with your presence. That she is blown away by You.

Thank you for friends who lift me up in prayer and who strengthen me when I am weary.

You are my peace and I love you with everything that I am,

In the mighty and saving and amazing name of Jesus,

Amen

tears....

When I picked up the phone, I recognized the number on the caller ID indicating it was from Bolivia. As I answered, I heard the faint sound of crying and a timid, quiet voice saying "Mama?" My heart stopped beating momentarily and them it just plummeted to the depths of my soul. There is nothing worse than the anguished sound of your childs voice. Especially when that voice is in another country.

My heart is aching so for Melissa. Hurting way down deep into the very core of my being. Nothing rips into my heart more than one of my girls when they are hurting.

When Melissa was in Africa for those 10 long weeks last fall, she was pretty much sick over half of the time she was there. Very sick. Of course, we now know that the main reason for her extreme illness was that she had malaria during the latter part of her trip. Malaria that went undiagnosed and just worsened those last few weeks.

Ten days after Melissa landed in the United States,  she was laying in a bed in ICU literally fighting for her life. (you can read the beginning here)

Even though she recovered by way of a miracle from our awesome and mighty God, her stomach hasn't been the same since her illness. She does okay for a week or so and then her stomach starts hurting and she stays sick for a short period.

Right now, while she is in Bolivia, she is having an extremely hard time and is feeling so bad. It seems like everything she eats causes her stomach to hurt. Really hurt. And makes her feel nauseous. She is hurting. She is feeling down and depressed.

Due to unreliable and sporadic internet connections, our contact by phone has been minimal. I was hoping that she was finally getting better, but today she was able to call me after 5 days of no contact and she was not feeling good. At all.

Tears flowed. Emotions faltered. My 24 year old girl reverted back about 15 years and just wanted her mama to make it all better.

Hard. Emotional. Tugged at my heart strings. Feelings of sadness. Hopelessness. Helplessness. Frustration.

I just want to whisk her home and make everything okay again. I long for the days when a kiss from mama could make everything better. But the childhood magic of those days is long gone. The little girl who used to think that I could make any hurt go away, now knows it isn't so. But she still wants to think that it's true.

This mama does too. I long to hold her close and kiss her sweet head and whisper, "it's okay precious. Mama's here. Everything's gonna be alright."

The tears that are flowing now are mine. Tears of longing for those simpler times. Tears of sympathy for my daughters hurts.Tears of a bruised heart crying out to the Lord on her behalf.

Tears of remembrance of that terrifying night I spent in ICU by her bedside when we didn't know her prognosis.

And now, He reminds me of that night. As I sat beside her hospital bed as she was in so much pain from the malaria. I stroked her arm and prayed for God to show Himself mighty to my daughter. To manifest His presence in her life. As I sat with my head on the bed beside her, Jesus stood at the head of the bed and stroked her head. Lovingly and with her healing in His hands, he stroked her head and ministered to her body.

As I sit here thanking Him for the miracle He performed in her life just 6 short months ago, I am praying for another powerful intervention.  Oh, Abba Father, I lift Melissa up to you tonight and ask that you just cover her in your mercy and grace. Reveal yourself to her so powerfully. So real. So tangibly that she will have no doubt that it is You. Renew. Restore. Strengthen. Minister peace and hope to my precious daughter. I love you with all that I am and I thank you for your love and your tender care over her. I thank you for the healing that is taking place, even now, in her life.

"For I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds, says the Lord" (Jeremiah 30:17)

This is the verse that I prayed over her during that time in November and I am claiming this scripture over her now. I would appreciate all the prayers that you can muster up for my daughter. She has almost 5 weeks left and I certainly don't want her sick that entire time. I love you all and thank you for your prayers in advance!

Beth

In all this....

"In all this, Job did not sin or

charge God with wrong" (Job 1:22)

The "in all this" that is written in this scripture is more than most of us could comprehend or imagine.

The "in all this" reflected here is the far reaching devastation that befell Job, most likely in the time span of one day.

"In all this" signifies the loss of most of his servants, thousands of head of livestock, his wealth, his livelihood, his children. All 10 of his children. All of them...

In the mere flash of time, all that Job had worked for, all that Job had acquired, was taken from him. In one fell swoop. From power to powerless. From wealth to poverty. In an instant.

God had allowed satan to test Job. He put limits on the power that He afforded satan and he didn't allow satan to harm Job. But as far as everything else went, God said, "behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person."

So satan attacked Job and stripped him of everything imaginable. Stripped him down to nothing. Stripped him down to where he had started.

And Job? He fell to the ground and worshiped.

Oh, yeah. In full submission and humility to the God whom Job loved, he prostrated himself before Him and worshiped, saying,

"the LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;

Blessed be the name of the LORD."

 Oh, that I would be so willing to honor God not only with my lips, but with my life. That I would fall down and worship with all that I am in any circumstance. That my reverence of Him wouldn't be tied to any false expectation of Him or His power. But that I would just worship.

Job was singled out by God. He called him "His servant". He told satan, "there is no one on earth like him, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil."

I pray that God can call me His servant. I pray that I will always be eager to pursue a blameless and upright existence. May I actively seek to be a God-fearing woman. May I always strive to shun evil.

When the deep darkness comes and threatens to overcome, may my mouth be filled with His praise and my heart with His amazing love. When I face the "in all this" of my life, may I honor Him in word and deed.

Lord, help me to turn my face to You. Lift my heart in surrender. Lift my hands in praise. Fall down at your feet and just worship.  

don't let me miss the GLORY!

In second Chronicles, Solomon has finished building the temple and offers up a prayer of dedication. When he finishes praying, FIRE came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and sacrifices and the scripture tells us, "the Glory of the LORD filled the temple" (2 Chronicles 7:1-2)

In  chapter 5, they bring in the ark of the covenant and the scripture tells us that the priests couldn't continue ministering because of the cloud, for " the glory of the LORD filled the house of God".

In Exodus 24, as Moses ascends Mt. Sinai, a cloud covers the mountain and "the glory of the LORD rested on the mountain", and the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a 'consuming fire'.

I don't know about you, but the VERY prospect of seeing this kind of manifestation of the glory of God come down and fill the church or other place, excites me! I long to see the Lord's glory, the Shekinah glory, manifest like this! If His glory is going to fall, I DO NOT want to miss it!

Now, we certainly see His glory in our daily routines. In the sun, moon, stars, wind, rain, thunder and lightning. In our children and grandchildren. In the birth of a newborn baby. In all creation.  He shows Himself to us and reveals the wonder of who He is in so many ways.

Yet.... I long for more. I long to feel His presence.... To be where He is. To whole-heartedly worship an almighty and all-powerful God. And for the Lord's glory to fill me and consume me like never before.

For this to happen, we have to enter into worship with Him. We have to be seeking after His glory. We have to be communing with Him in praise, thanksgiving, prayer and bible study.

When we enter into His presence and we focus soley on Him....

He will meet with us and oh, my friends, His glory will fall. We will be consumed by His Spirit.  We will be overwhelmed.. Astounded.. Amazed...

Oh, Praise God! Don't let me miss the glory!

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In the view from the mountains... there’s a story to be told
In the crashing of the ocean ...there’s a power that no man can ever hold
All the stars in the Heavens ....decorate your handiwork
Like a mighty choir... we come to celebrate your worth

Don’t let me miss the glory... don’t let me miss the praise
All creation is singing...to the honor of your name
Don’t let me miss the wonder...don’t let me miss the grand design
The lightning and the thunder, will open up my eyes
Don’t let me miss the glory

In the cry of a baby.... in the laughter of love
In the dance of the faithful ..you will find the greatness of our God above
In the prayer of the righteous...in the beauty of your grace
In the brand new morning mercy ...all your memory of my sin has been erased

(Lyrics by Gordon Mote)