Standing On His promises

Every Sunday after church, there is always that little excitement that touches my soul and reminds me that God is who he says he is. I have heard from the preacher and praise reports from others in the crowd about the many promises the Lord has granted. It is easy to believe the words of God when the request has been granted..a job found, a financial windfall or  a healing  that has been long awaited. What is hard is when I am on the waiting end of the promise to be fulfilled.

When I am awaiting the tests and a bad report comes, am I still excited? It is during this time.. that space where my knees are quaking and I am struggling to believe those same promises..  that my armor starts to rattle. Just such an instance is occurring now. My 12 year old granddaughter, Moriah, has just been found to have a tumor on her liver. That is not supposed to happen to anyone in my life. Not anyone close to me. It only happens to those other people around me..right? It is supposed to happen to others that I pray for... Those to whom I can give a good word. Not someone near and dear to me. Yet it has.

This morning, I found myself crying out to God for his promises to come true in this situation. I asked that in addition to his promises for healing, that his promises for strength be added to Moriah's parents,  Rachel and Earl, as they have been forced to lay their daughter on the alter of faith. Knowing them, they would much rather have been laying there themselves. But that is not their part of the journey. Like Abraham was asked to trust in his God and  lay down his son Issac, they have to stand on the promises of their God  for their child. While Abraham and his son were fighting the fight of faith on the mountain, his friends were waiting down below for their return.

Everyone must walk their own journey...but no one walks it alone. Each of us has a part to play. Perhaps we are the one who encourages the parents to take another step or reminds them that they are they are not alone. Some maybe anointed to bring a casserole to those left at the house. Another may have the financial means to help  with the extra expenses required during hospital visits and lost days of work.

Standing on the promises is an opportunity for the whole of Gods church to come together and support each other.  Each of us will have our turn fighting the fight of faith in the midst of the battle...no one escapes this forever. But it is my prayer, that each part of the body of Christ,  will search their heart and stand collectively on the promises of God to sustain each other.

Be blessed today and remember..He is the same yesterday, today and forever..

The Day After

This was a blog of Christmas 2010...a little late but then my age proceeds me as my body and mind slowly catch up with each other...lol

Yes Lord, we did celebrate your birth yesterday. I am not sure how much actual celebration WITH you occurred..but it did take place on your behalf. Because of the announcement of your birth on the actual calendar, we were able to set aside a special time to be a little more kind to each other and think about others more than ourselves. I was pleased with my younger grand children this year.

Coming from a home where the ability to pinch a penny comes naturally, special events where gifts are expected, require some real forethought. Re-gifting is not a new concept in this household. In a family with five girls of varying sizes... sweaters, shoes, coats, etc are naturally given to the next girl in size. Of coarse, this is called hand-me-down instead of re-gifting...but the concept is certainly not new. It was the uniqueness of their re-gifting abilities that were so very special this year. Their appraisal of what they had to give and  the actual thinking of what which sister might want.. was the the part that brought a smile to my face.

For example, Madelynns' beloved Easy Bake Oven, so precious to her for so many years, would have been less than well received by anyone of the other sisters. She chose to give it to Moriah. Not only because she has admired the oven from afar for many years, but because she is also the one who shares an interest in cooking. The others thought just as much in their transfer of gifts to each other. Another example was  Natalies' thought process. She took the pieces of Ashlees' old baby blanket... that she has carried around for years... and reconditioned it. By sewing the pieces together, she then tacked it onto another larger throw quilt that was her favorite color..red.  It came out very good and was so appreciated that Ashlee even started crying..not a usual emotion from this child.  The hope is that it will last long enough to be passed down to her child when she has it. We'll see.

 It is times like this that I know  my dear husband would have loved seeing the girls as they are growing both physically and emotionally. I wish he could have been here to see this..Then again, whose to say he wasn't watching??

Return From Egypt

It has been sometime since I have lived by myself. After moving into my new apartment, I am starting to feel better. I did not realize how isolated I had become. I love my new dwelling. I  thought it would be noisy since there are families with children living in this complex,  as well as elderly and handicapped. But I have been pleasantly surprised. I rarely hear the neighbors. The actual move was extremely easy. The Lord showed himself strong..as usual. Most of the utility deposits were waived, which was only because of the grace of God.  The Lord pointed  pointed me to a nice used car that was mechanically safe and had all the bells and whistles for someone of my style. In fact, the actual miles were almost 100,000 miles fewer than on the expedition I just sold... even though this vehicle is 5 years older. The inside looks like it was driven by a little old lady that drove it to the grocery once a week and then parked it in the garage. All I had to do is spend less than $100 to get the passenger window fixed and that was it..  The longer I live, the more I see that my God is always on my side. Great is His faithfulness. The details were truly taken care of ..and I didn't even know what the details were. Have a blessed day and remember He is the same yesterday, today and forever!!