God's Care Over All His Works.

1 Praise the LORD, my soul.
LORD my God, you are very great;
you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent
3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.
4 He makes winds his messengers,[a]
flames of fire his servants.
5 He set the earth on its foundations;
it can never be moved.
6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.
7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;
8 they flowed over the mountains,
they went down into the valleys,
to the place you assigned for them.
9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,
who touches the mountains, and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
as I rejoice in the LORD.
(Psalm 104:1-9,31-34)

I began my reading this morning in Job. A cross-reference there sent me to Psalms. This entire psalm details the glory of God's creation - how He has provided for each creature - how He designed a world perfectly suited for each living thing He created.

When I read through scripture, I am encouraged and reassured that God, indeed, has wisdom, knowledge, strength and power enough to keep the world spinning on its axis. More than that, He keeps us and guides us and comforts us.

I can't help but think of another scripture passage, "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:5-7 NIV).

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

The Peace of God

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts"(Psalm 139:23 NIV).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7 NIV).

I woke up this morning with the scripture from Philippians on my mind. I think I had better get my head on straight and give my day to God! There is a lot going on in my life right now - lots of balls in the air. God is faithful though and at the end of each day when I lay my head down, I have no doubt He has been with me through it all.

And I have no doubt He will sustain me for this day too! My prayer today is that you feel the peace that transcends all understanding as you move through the day ahead and always.

Blessings on your journey,
Mary

WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY!

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1Peter 2:9RSV)

Even on a cold, rainy/snowy morning like this morning I am warmed by the light of Christ. We have a tremendous responsibility as God's chosen race, ...royal priesthhod...God's own people. With the great privilege comes great reward! And great honor! What an unspeakable joy to be called God's own people!

We are so called that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called [us] out of darkness. Our duty is then our privilege and honor, isn't it?! We declare the wonderful deeds not out of obligation but sheer gratitude and joy. We lead others to the light so they may share our wonder and comfort and peace available only in that light.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1RSV)

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16RSV)

Stop by the 160 Acre Woods for more Wordfilled Wednesday!

MONDAY MANNA

Welcome to Monday Manna. The purpose of this meme is to get together and get to know Christ more through His Word. The first and third Monday of each month, anyone who wishes can post their thoughts on a verse Joanne introduced at her blog the Thursday before. It doesn't have to be a long post -- just a few thoughts, a picture you feel helps express it, a poem, a short story, a devotional.

This morning I was able to sleep in. Usually I wake up anyway by 6:30 but this morning I needed to catch up on sleep and didn't get up until the alarm went off at 7:15. The world just weighs me down sometimes and the weight of it wears me out. I realized during my prayer time this morning that I needed to give my burden to my Savior.

Here is the verse of the day: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV

There are so many people and situations on my prayer list these days, I sometimes feel tempted to rush through the list. Then I remember a comment that a dear friend shared with me about her daughter, Katherine. Katherine has multiple physical and mental challenges, but she has a heart for Christ. Her mom shared that every night Katherine insists on going through her prayer list before she goes to bed. If she recites the names out of order or forgets a name, she goes back and starts from the beginning.

Her mom shared that sometimes she just really wanted to "get it over with" and felt bad about that. I understand! Moms get tired, and this mom has long days and a busy life. But she shared this with us because she hoped we would remember, as dear Katherine reminded her, that Christ died for us. HE was crushed for our iniquities; HE was pierced for our transgressions. The punishment that brought us peace was upon HIM. BY HIS WOUNDS WE ARE HEALED.

I confess I felt the burden of prayer this morning until I remembered Katherine. I added to my list of prayers that God would allow me to have Katherine's single-minded heart as I lifted up the names and situations of everyone and everything on my prayer list. When I finished praying I felt that peace that transcends understanding. And I thanked God for sending His Son to die for me and for everyone on my prayer list.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NIV