Rest

According to dictionary.com rest is "the refreshing quiet (or repose) of sleep." I have been having difficulty finding "the refreshing quiet (or respose) of sleep. Lately I lie in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the sounds in the room, in the house, outdoors. My mind is swirling with thoughts of today's activities, tomorrow's schedule, things I've read, things I've seen, things I've heard, my family - and the list goes on. I try praying, remembering the words of a song, reciting scripture - nothing helps. I recall Psalm 127:2b: "he grants sleep to those he loves." I know God loves me. Why can't I sleep? So I get up, make a cup of tea, and look at what the Bible says about sleep and/or rest. Psalm 91:1 says, "He who dwells (lingers) in the shelter of the Most High will rest in shadow of the Almighty." Maybe I should go back to bed and linger in His Presence....

Postscript:  A little "ha-ha" from the mail today. One of the cover articles on my new Discipleship Journal is" When Insomnia Strikes." Maybe it will help me sleep tonight :-)

My Help

Psalm 121 (HCSB)

I raise my eyes toward the mountains.

Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the LORD, 

the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip'

your Protector will not slumber.

Indeed, the Protector of Israel

does not slumber or sleep.

The LORD protects you;

the LORD is a shelter right by your side.

The sun will not strike you by ay,

or the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all harm;

He will protect your life.

The LORD will protect your coming and going

both now and forever.

This weekend I attended the leadership training meeting for Mission Trip Team Leaders. I can hardly believe that I am going to be the Team Leader for the spring trip to Mozambique. I sat in our meeting Saturday morning thinking, "Lord! How did I get here? I don't feel qualified. It's a huge responsibility!" As I went to bed Saturday night, I began to worry and fret. But God brought the words from this Psalm to my mind, and they were like a blanket of peace over me as I slept. And yesterday's sermon reminded me that God IS, and He is and will be all I need. So, today I begin the work, remembering the words of this Psalm. "My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth!"

"'Take courage and work, for I am with you,' says the Lord Almighty. 'My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid." Haggai 2:4-5 (NLT)

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

God in Music

GOD IN MUSIC by Susan Palo Cherwien

Praise to the God in music;

Praise to the God of the morning stars' song

to the God of symphony

the God of sounding together:

Angels and archangels raise their ethereal voices to God,

Hymns and songs create a body for praise,

Stones and trees sing an earthly hosanna,

And the Christ himself sings and dances with his friends,

All in symphony, the great cosmic song

All in unity, the great universal choir.

Creation's Praise

 I love how Marilynne Robinson expresses this thought about creation's praise to God in her book, Home.  In this quote she is speaking of a giant oak tree: " ...if they could see as God can, in geological time, they would see it leap out of the ground and turn in the sun and spread its arms and bask in the joys of being an oak tree in Iowa."

"Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and storm, wind and weather that obey him., mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, reptiles and birds, kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, young men and maidens, old men and children. Let them all praise the name of the Lord, for his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven!" - Psalm 148:7-13

God's Word

In the book of Isaiah God says,  “My word will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I have sent it.”  Ken Gire writes in Windows of the Soul, “Like rain and snow, the word of God permeates the earth…everywhere we look there are traces of His Word. In history. In the circumstances of our lives. In every nook of humanity and every crannied flower of creation.” On a missions trip to Mozambique I learned that everything I do or say says something about who God is. I learned to be faithful to the tasks God called me to do. God is present in the village all the time – not just when a missions team  is there. I pray that His Word and His Light will shine brightly so many in the village will have a living relationship with Him. And I pray that His Light will shine brightly in me.

God's Happy Song

Zephaniah 3:17 - "For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty Savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."

Over and over the Bible reminds me that God is near. Yet frequently I think of God as being very far away. This verse has been one of my favorites for a long time because of the imagery of God singing a song over me. Imagine that! An incredible picture! And how I need God's love that calms my fears. One of my greatest fears is the fear of failure. God's love can conquer that. His love for me doesn't depend on my performance. His song can quiet my soul. I pray that my life will sing God's song and not my own.

A Bat Day

I think I have decided to write a book. I'm considering a couple of titles: "My Life with the Bats," "Living with Bats" "Close Encounters of the Bat Kind," or my favorite - "Going Batty." When we arrived home Monday, I noticed there were some dust balls in the living room - on the piano, on a couple of chairs, on the floor. My living room is always dusty, but this wasn't just normal dust. I dragged my husband into the living room, and said, "Something's going on here." He pooh-poohed it, of course, and said it was just dust and not a big deal. I tried to forget about it and I began to get to work. Later in the afternoon I decided to do the wash I brought home from the cottage. I picked up the pile of clothes from the floor in the bedroom and added a few items from the clothes hamper, threw them in the washer, and let the washer do it's work. Just before I went to bed, I quickly went to retrieve a couple of pieces of underwear so they could dry. I noticed something black on the bottom of the washer, and thought to myself, "What in the world did I throw in there?" As my hand went to retrieve it, I realized that what I saw was a bat! I screamed, pulled my hand back and ran to the bedroom and let my Prince Charming save me from the evil bat. I think it was dead. Prince Charming deposited the drowned bat in an appropriate place. When I woke up in the middle of the night, all I could think was, "That disgusting little creature was most likely hiding in my bedroom. I must have carried him in my arrms to the washer" Eeeeww!! So this morning, I am rewashing those clothes so that someday I can wear them again. I've had other encounters with these flying creatures. I wonder how many chapters I could write?