Updater: after a very good day yesterday, Barbara was not feeling well today, but still is able to walk on herf own and perform basic tasks. I am pleased. Thank you all for your prayers.d

Taken from Edified:  The importance of obeying this command came home to me as I realized I’d become “mechanical” in my quiet time; then this verse came to my attention: “seek my face…” (2 Chr. 7:14).

We do this as we daily spend time with Him, our Bridegroom, nurturing our first love for Him, gazing upon His loveliness, focusing on His beauty rather than on four busyness. Following is an example of focusing on Him.

“I will tell of all your wonders” (Ps. 9:1b). Great and many are your wonders, O Lord, beginning with your character:

You are Love, Light and Life.

In you there is Purity, Perfection, and Power.

You are filled with Greatness, Grace and Goodness.

You are Immortal, Invisible and Invincible.

In you alone are Righteousness, Riches and Rightness.

You are Mighty, Magnificent and Marvelous.

You are Holiness, wholeness and wholesomeness.

You are merciful in Justice, munificent in giving, multifaceted in character.

You are the good God, our gracious Lord, and great Sovereign.

You are without beginning, without end and without time.

You are the One and only God who has won every battle.

You are a wonder, you are worthy, you are to be worshiped,

Glory be to you both now and forever!

Help us, Lord, to seek your face every day!

This magnificent sun rise embodies the beauty of our God!

God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part Two

As we saw in part one, Psalm 50:23 starts with “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me”–meaning that if we give thanks when we don’t feel like it, we fulfill the purpose of our lives, giving honor to God before the unseen hosts as well as the people around us.

The verse then continues with “…and prepares the way that I may show him the salvation of the Lord.” Here we see the second gift God has for us: the privilege of partnering with Him in bringing about solutions, of joining Him in a way that He power can work in us and in our situation for good.

Paul echoes this principle in 2 Cor. 12:10 “…I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness SO THAT the power of Christ may rest in me.”

As we give thanks in and for difficulties, we open the way (maybe, get out of the way is more accurate!) for Him to bring the resolution and results He’s planned and prepared. These may come right away, or they may not be visible until years later, as with Joseph in Egypt. Whether seen or unseen, God moves as we give thanks in faith for what is painful for us.

This means that the opposite may also be true: when we complain we block the way for God’s work in our situation. For instance, in experiencing a painful relationship, when we complain things get worse; when we offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, we are helped with not saying hurtful things and help move things in a good direction.

As 1 Peter 1:5 says, believers,”THROUGH FAITH are shielded by God’s power….” As we trust, operating out of faith, we are protected; as we complain, we expose ourselves to attacks by the enemy.

God’s Four Gifts to Us, Part One

What a kindness you have bestowed on us, Lord God, in calling us to give thanks in and for all things. You have a plan, you know what is best, no matter how it may look to us—like a leafless tree in winter–but full of possibilities. You work powerfully and patiently to bring goodness out of it at the right time.

Giving thanks in all is a privilege. It is God inviting us into a partnership with Him where He has at least four rich gifts awaiting us.

Psalm 50:23 shows us two of those gifts. “He who offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving honors me…” This sacrifice speaks of denying self, giving thanks when it is not natural, when it costs us. Note that this is not being thankful, which is an emotion, but giving thanks, which is an act of the will, often against what we feel.

This obedience of faith is a great means of glorifying God. When we give thanks in the midst of hurt, disappointment, suffering or loss, trusting that God has a plan and has allowed this for a good we cannot yet see, the angels stand in awe, the demons cringe in defeat, Adam’s descendants are amazed and God’s name is lifted on high.

Since every difficulty is a chance to join Him in His great plans, I can give thanks for the roller-coaster ride we are on right now and by doing so accomplish great things.

I find it so easy to grumble and complain. Every day there are a multiple opportunities to be discontent, to focus on what I didn’t get instead of looking with the eyes of faith, remembering that my good, heavenly Shepherd is right there, providing, protecting and putting what is best in my life.

One “grumble ground” came when we tried to get an appointment with a neurologist. The earliest date was some weeks out; we took it and also got on the list in case something opened up earlier. But in my heart I complained.

Then last week when we went to the emergency room after Barbara was fully incapacitated, neither of us were happy that they sent her to Windham Hospital. We like Bachas much better: it is closer, we knew the layout, and had had good experiences there.

But, after some grumbling in my heart, I repented and thanked God for each. A thought came, “Maybe the doctor who can solve the mystery of why she is having these problems will be at Windham Hospital.”

And so it proved to be. All the testing that Barbara underwent did not turn up anything as  a clear cause of her symptoms. The doctor said that he thought there was an infection somewhere which they couldn’t find. So, as the nurse described it, the doctor took a chance and gave her an antibiotic for meningitis. Within hours she was much better. So the Lord knew  better than us!f

Our appointment with the neurologist is tomorrow; the staff at the hospital knows how hard it is to get an appointment, so they were willing to release Barbara today; normally they would have kept her longer. Again, God knew what was best and provided it even though I grumbled.

Something I need to remember for the future. I am thankful that God is so patient with me!

Answer to prayer: God has given Barbara a very experience and thorough doctor who is determined to get to the bottom of her problems. Spent quite a bit of time with us tonight. Pray that he will be able to find the source of her problems.

The gospel is not just for unbelievers to hear, it is a body of truth we should be repeating to ourselves regularly. We should consistently be in awe at the wonder of God’s outrageous, illogical love for us, His qualifying us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Kingdom of Light (Col. 1:12).

This morning I read in Titus 3 which has a beautiful description of the gospel:

“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures…But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

“He saved us through the washing of rebirth

and renewal by the Holy Spirit,

whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that,

having been justified by his grace,

we might become heirs,

having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7).

What grace! What goodness! What undeserved reconciliation! What peace and love! Lord, to belong to you, to be your possession, to be your treasured child, to know you as Father, God, King and Shepherd, is beyond wonderful. Blessed is way too mild a word

And our wonder increases when we think of what we actually deserved–punishment, rejection, suffering, despair, hopelessness, death and eternal separation from you, being sealed off from all that is good.

May my wonder at you increase every day, O Triune God, may my amazement at being redeemed and loved by you deepen each morning, and may praise, thanksgiving and worship pour out of my soul to you throughout the day as you lead me to walk in the light of your powerful and preserving Presence.]