You Have to Live

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Hab. 3:18,18 NIV)

When we get real with God we can be ready for whatever. In this case calamity was coming at the hands of the Babylonians. For us, living in this virus time is rough, living with the pain of hurt and isolation is rough, living in a way that we have not lived before is rough- yet we can rejoice. We watch what God is doing. enough for now.

Iron

Iron sharpens iron. We learn from one another. Peace promotes peace. We receive from one another. enough for now.

Watching, Listening.

Exodus 13:17-18

“When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.”

God alone knows our journey. He knows what lies in our path. Too often we think he has forgotten, we wonder why the hardship? God strengthens us for our journey. In that strengthening, he keeps us, he shows us the way time and time again when we listen, when we watch, when we follow.  Keep watching, keep listening. enough for now.

Wipe the Slate

Phil.3:13-14

I couldn’t make this up. This was my devotional this morning. 

NOVEMBER 8 Wipe the Slate

“ Forget the past. Remember only its glad days. Wipe the slate of your remembrance with Love, which will erase all that is not confirmed in Love. You must forget your failures, your failures and those of others. Wipe them out of the book of your remembrance. I did not die upon the Cross for man to bear the burdens of his sins himself. "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree." If you forget not the sins of others, and I bear them, then you add to My sorrows.”

Most of America wiped the slate by bringing in #46. Some of America is in hurt. But there is always a winner and a loser. The sad part is that we are so divided as a nation. We start by making a change with self. 

We start our healing now, today. Not just politically- no.  But we learn to let go of past hurts, past grievances, past betrayals. We learn to let go in order to heal. You see, I learned a long time ago that God can fix it in ways that we can’t even think up. But we have to let go. 

When we let go, we give God permission to handle it, to handle us. We need to be handled by God. That’s why we let it go in order to move forward. enough for now.

Prayer

“Prayer can be like incense, rising ever higher and higher, or it can be like a low earth-mist clinging to the ground, never once soaring. The Eye that sees all, the Ear that hears all, knows every cry. But the prayer of real faith is the prayer of Joy, that sees and knows the heart of Love it rises to greet and that is so sure of a glad response.” A.J. Russell. God Calling. more later.