THE LORD OUR HELP

Good Afternoon!

I pray and trust your Sunday is off to a great start

We are three days into the new year –

And, the LORD has already demonstrated His faithfulness to me;

He has shown, without question, HE IS THE LORD OUR HELP

Here in the United States, when desperate help is needed, we dial 911

It is the ability to get assistance and protection – for health emergencies, fires, and against perils

And while it is a great service – it is not the ultimate source

Yesterday – I shared an image from an accident my youngest son was involved in;

I also shared portions of a verse – PSALM 91

Following the accident, my son and his friends had to call 911 for assistance. However, the degree of assistance they required, was minimized because I “dialed” 911 before he even left our street that evening.

 

The first verse of PSALM 91 notes:

‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’

Psalm 91:1

 

That is a powerful promise!

It is a promise that God is faithful to fulfill

Therefore, I thought it would be fitting to share Psalm 91 in its entirety today.

That entire Psalm is tremendous – detailing the love, protection and provision of the LORD;

It demonstrates that our God, HE IS THE LORD IS OUR HELP

Whether you are in need for a moment, for a day, a month, a year or all of eternity;

THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY – HE IS THE LORD OUR HELP

 

Psalm 91

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    He is my God, and I trust Him.
For He will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
    nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
    nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
    though ten thousand are dying around you,
    these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
    and see how the wicked are punished.

If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
For He will order His angels
    to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
    so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras;
    you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me.
    I will protect those who trust in My name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
    I will be with them in trouble.
    I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
    and give them my salvation.”

 

What a powerful section of Scripture!

THE LORD OUR HELP –  

And you can ‘dial’ Him any time of day ... He will not disappoint

 

Have a Blessed Day!

leap of faith ...

Happy Saturday!

It is the last day of February –

Bringing to a close  our focus on love.

I am actually not quite sure where my time went today

The days come and go;

The weekend comes … the weekend goes

However, it has been a relatively good day – following a rough evening.

Last night, out of nowhere, I had a full on anxiety attack

It made me so ill, that all I could do was lie down, to try to calm down

But eventually, I fell asleep ...

And today – well today is a new day

Today is Leap Day … the reason 2020 is a Leap Year

Today is also my Aunt Julia’s birthday;

I always remember her birthday because it falls on February 29^th

This day, the 29^th of February, will not occur on the calendar again

For another four years        

This day, the 29^th of February 2020, will not occur again – ever

There is an old Irish tradition that if a woman makes a proposal on February 29^th

                It must be accepted

The idea was that of a single woman asking a man for his hand

However, I will accept that any proposal made by a lady this day, will be honored.

Therefore, in view of my night last night –

and sensitive the plight of so many who must confront anxiety from time to time

I would like to make the following proposal:

‘Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

                And do not lean on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths’

                                                                                              Proverb 3:5-6

‘Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,

                Nor the arrow that flies in the day.

Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,

                Nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

Though a thousand fall at your side,

                Though ten thousand are dying around you,

                These evils will not touch you’

                                                               Psalm 91:5-7

We cannot always control the feelings which come upon us,

But we can control whether we will allow them to control us.

Last night, recognizing what was happening, I went to lie down;

I played some Christ-centered music & I quoted some scripture,

‘Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ Philippians 3:12-14

Eventually I fell asleep last night – the LORD granted me rest 

The LORD grants His beloved rest;

He is Jehovah-Shalom, our Peace.

So take a leap of courage, a leap of hope, a leap of faith

                With God, every day, moment-by-moment

God is our refuge and strength – in a leap year and every year

Have a Blessed Evening!

'TIS THE SEASON: SAFETY FIRST!

Good Evening!

The Christmas Countdown Continues … 3 DAYS LEFT!

It is hard to believe ….

Yet I am still taking the time to enjoy this season

And – as I was running my errands today, I saw something that made me SMILE

Something that served to remind us all – SAFETY FIRST!

There was a highway sign which read:

HO HO HOLD UP - SLOW YOUR SLEIGH

NOW – This of course is not the actual sign

I was busy … eyes on the road & hands on the steering wheel

BUT – It made me laugh … so hard!

I just love, love, love the sense of humor of the VDOT

And it is important – even with all the running left to do – to BE CAREFUL!

While your list may feel as long as Santa’s, and your time as short,

YOUR SAFETY IS PARAMOUNT!

Praying you continue to have a blessed holiday season …

Have a Good Evening & Be Safe!

the earth quakes...

8.9 Earthquake …

These are notable times in which we live – yet not altogether surprising. The Bible tells us in Mark 13:8, ‘Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles’ And these are just the beginnings of sorrows.

Yet there were two other notable earthquakes which once shook our world.

‘Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"’ Matthew 27:54 NLT

Jesus died and the earth shook violently …

Yet, ‘Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. 5Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as He said…’ Matthew 28:2, 5-6 NLT

Thank God for Jesus –
He is risen and He is ruling,
He has conquered evil and restored us to perfect fellowship with God.


He is Father, He is Savior and Friend.
He is comfort, joy and peace - without end.
He is seated on His throne - with no impediment to His reach.
He faithfully redeems all who seek.
He is a loving Father who cares about the things which concern us.
He is moved, with care and compassion, but He is never shaken …
The earth may quake, but the LORD is our Rock (Deut. 32:4)
He is the One True and Living God, the LORD God Almighty who is always in control.


Praying for the people of Japan …
Praying for all who will suffer impacts as a result of this earthquake ...
Praying for all the people of the Earth …

'The name of the LORD is a strong tower;

the righteous run to it and are safe.'

Proverbs 18:10