Strength & Weakness

It has been too long since I posted here.  With covid no longer what it was, time has filled up once again with obligations of various sorts and time for journaling and posting is limited.  I was able, though, to finally create another journaling page over the course of the last couple of days, so that I have a few minutes to post about it today.  (For information on how I created the page, please check out my paper crafting blog here.)

I have been struggling with various challenges and feel so weak sometimes - physically and spiritually. And yet, I have seen such power in those moments when I'm feeling weak & God steps in to strengthen me!  These verses were brought to mind as I was again facing various weaknesses, and I must say they present a challenge.  Here's what they say in the ISV:

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn was given to me and placed in my body.  It was Satan's messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.  I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me, but he has told me, "My grace is all you need, because my power is perfected in weakness."  Therefore, I will most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the Messiah's power may rest on me.  That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the Messiah's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong."  II Corinthians 12:7-10

Not only am I to gracefully accept my weaknesses, looking to God's power to perfect in me, but Paul challenges me to happily boast about them and take pleasure in them!!!  And I don't think this means a whining fest about them, either!

For Paul, his weakness was to keep him humble.  That may be the case in part for me as well, but the main thing I notice is that my weaknesses remind me to rely on God in a way that I'm ashamed to say I'm less likely to do when I feel strong.  I want to always remember my dependence on Him, no matter what, but I'm grateful for the reminder nonetheless.

As I was contemplating this passage, asking God for a way to illustrate it, the hummingbird came to mind.  A hummingbird is certainly weak as it is so small, but is it also strong?  I did a little research about birds and strength.  Some of the strongest birds are eagles - some of which are strong enough to carry a man according to the article I read by a bird researcher!  The hummingbird, of course, is much more fragile than an eagle - one of the most fragile of birds.  And yet, when you consider the amount of lifting power per unit of body weight, they say that the hummingbird can lift more per unit of body weight than any other bird! 

Father, you say your eye is on the sparrow.  I can't help but think it is also on the hummingbird, who surely can only lift so much because of the way that YOU made it!  May I TRULY experience the power of this passage and experience the truth that when I am weak, then I am strong!  Thank you for the strength that YOU are in me.  May I allow that strength to permeate my entire being so that is what is always seen and experienced!  May I ALWAYS remember that you are my strength, and not rely on my own strength in anything. 

Fear Not

While I've taken to writing most of my devotional musings in hard cover journals and don't post here as often as I used to, sometimes I just feel compelled to post about something.  Today, it's about several verses in Isaiah chapter 41.

Yesterday when I read this chapter, I was really taken by God's many and amazing promises to us.  There are some great ones, and I encourage you to look them up for yourself.  

It seldom happens that I'm taken back to the same passage the next day, but when I am, I try to pay attention!  It happened again today.

This morning, as I re-read the chapter, what really grabbed my attention was a repeating theme that I had somehow missed yesterday.  I've learned that when something is repeated, it's usually important, so I particularly noted it this morning.  I believe this message is an important one for my life, but also for all of us as we deal with this pandemic and the other challenges we face in our daily lives.

Here's what I read (from the New American Standard Bible):

"Do not fear for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. . . . For I am the Lord your God who upholds your right hand, who says to you 'Do not fear, I will help you'. Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel; I will help you' declares the Lord, 'and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.'" Isaiah 41:10-14

Note how often, in those few verses, we are told not to fear and that God will help us!  It's a lovely repeated promise - and also a repeated instruction.  "Do not fear."  I immediately think of the words in 1John 4:18 "perfect love casts out fear".

Father, thank you for your promises and your instructions.  Please so fill me with your perfect love that there is NO room for fear in my life!  Thank you for your continued reassurances, and for letting me feel your presence in my life today!  I am so grateful for your love!  I love you, Father.

If My People

Today's journaling page is taken from 2 Chronicles 7:13,14.  I've been pondering this passage quite a bit in the past few months, because it seems to me that there is a lot to be healed in our land - from divisiveness,  to our leadership in the world, to economics and health in the wake of this pandemic.  For myself, I also see an allegorical application equating "land" with the physical plane - including my body which is in need of healing - so I have continued to think about these verses.  

As I've been praying for healing for all of these things, I've been meditating on what God is asking from us.  And I keep coming back to that word "humble".  It seems to me this is a huge piece of what is needed in our world today - the humility to simply say, "You may be right" rather than fighting for one opinion or the other in our divided land.  

Certainly, as I read Isaiah chapter 58 I feel compelled to stand up against injustice where I see it and work to "break every yoke", but it seems to me that the divisiveness in our country today extends far beyond such specific issues.  I see people from both sides of the aisle focusing on sowing division and discord rather than being peacemakers. And unfortunately, I've seen this tendency in myself at times.  I'm coming to see that anytime I am convinced that I am "right" and those who don't agree with me are "wrong" (or "misguided", or "stupid", or even "deliberately pushing falsehoods"), that I am in serious danger.  I'm quite possibly not living in from the humble spirit to which God calls me.  

Not long ago someone was telling me a story about something related to the pandemic.  The opinions shared seemed ludicrous to me - so far fetched as to be laughable.  But instead of reacting to it in a divisive way, I thought those words "they may be right", and let it go.  Later as I was praying about it, I asked God how it could possibly be that "they might be right"?  It didn't seem possible, though I had felt led to think those words at the time!  I was immediately shown the "facts" from a completely different perspective.  Suddenly I realized that likely the person was indeed right about some things - and wrong about others, while at the same time I had probably been right about some things - and wrong about others!  "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways' declares the Lord.  'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts'". (Isaiah 55:8,9)  And again in 1 Corinthians: "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1Cor 2:12-14)

What a different world we would be living in if everyone lived humbly before God, recognizing that we DON'T know as much as we often think we do!  What a different world if we make a choice to focus on those things that are spiritually discerned rather than thinking as the world thinks!  This is not possible unless we are willing to humbly set aside our own points of view and seek unity through the Spirit rather than holding on to divisiveness.

Father, please forgive me for those times when I've arrogantly thought I knew better than others - for those times when I haven't chosen to be a peacemaker!  Father, thank you for teaching me about humility and how I can be wrong even when I'm SURE I'm right!  Thank you for showing me that your thoughts are so much higher than my own, and that when seen from your perspective, many things that appear to be contradictory to my puny human brain - really are not!  Please help me to remember these lessons and learn to live them consistently in my daily life!  Thank you, Father!

Hand Holding

Yesterday as I was re-reading in Psalms 37, verses 23 & 24 jumped out at me.  I was reading in the NASB which says

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, And He delights in his way.  When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand."

What a promise!  And what a mental picture!  I can remember walking with a young child's hand in mine and holding her up when she started to stumble.  This is what God wants to do for us!  And yet, I also remember trying to hold a child's hand when they did not want their hand held.  Father, may this never be me!  I choose, Father, to put my hand in yours and let you lead me and keep me from falling.  

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, . . . " Jude 1:24 NASB

Father, I praise you for your loving care and your strength!  Please keep me from stumbling and bring me to stand in your presence as promised - blameless and with great joy thanks to Jesus' sacrifice on my behalf.  I am SO grateful, Father!

Thank you, Father, for Flowers!

Yesterday was Mother's Day, and my loving husband gave me flowers that he had cut from our yard (that I didn't even know existed) - getting out early with a ladder to cut some of them from trees in our yard.  Later I was surprised by flowers of one form or another from both of my brother's families.  I am so grateful for loving family.

This morning as I was paging through my Bible, I came to this illustration (created 4 years ago), and was taken back to the passage in Matthew 6:24-34 - particularly the passage "Consider the lilies of the field. . ."  The NIV puts it this way:

"See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you;" 

I am so grateful for the way my heavenly Father cares for me!  This morning I got to thinking that every time I see flowers - and especially when I receive them as I did yesterday - they can serve as a reminder of His love.  Just like the rainbow in the sky is to serve as a reminder of God's promise (Gen 9:12-17) to never again send a flood that covers the entire earth, flowers can be a reminder for me of his promise to take care of me - even with regard to clothes.

Thank you, Father, for your love for me!  I am so grateful that you care - even about the mundane details of our lives.  May I trust you fully and completely and every speck of fear be removed from me! Truly as I contemplate your love, it DOES cast out fear.  (1 John 4:18) Thank you for the many things you do to bless our lives - the big things like our salvation through Jesus, and the little things like fragrant and beautiful flowers to enjoy.  The words of that chorus ring so true "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!"  Thank you, Father!