Psalm 84 - "Better Is One Day"

What a blessing my Lord is to me.  He continues to heal me over and over again.  Saturdays schedule was a tough one.  I wasn't sure if I should try to do the MS walk or not with having the wedding and reception in the afternoon.  But I wanted to so badly so I prayed about it and had peace that I should go ahead with it.  We were blessed with beautiful weather and it went well.  The wedding and reception were beautiful.  What a blessing our church family was as we all pulled together to make things be wonderful for Brian and Sheryl.  As soon as it was over I took my hubby home and then went back for the reception.  Once it was over I went home and crashed on the couch the rest of the evening.  That was a blessing in itself.  Then Sunday I woke up feeling like I couldn't "do" the day.  My body was telling me Saturday was just too much.  But then the Lord encouraged me with scripture and a song.  I then knew I would get through it.  Not only did I get through it but He blessed me mightily with not feeling crabby or too tired.  I enjoyed the time with the teens in Sunday School, "Baby Day", dedications, Praise and Worship and Pastor James' sermon.  He also blessed me with us being able to go to Howard's for lunch and fellowship.  A big blessing from the Lord came when He healed me on the way there.  MS tingling started in the inside of my nose and it was driving me crazy.  It didn't surprise me because it comes in weird places if I'm stressed, overly tired or in heat too long.  The stress and tiredness I was afraid had kicked in.  But my Lord is greater than MS...woo hoo!  Doc laid his hand on my shoulder as I continued driving and prayed a short prayer.  He asked God to stop the tingling or if that wasn't His Will to give me the strength to handle it, especially since we were going to be around people.  Let me just say I am thankful His Will was to stop it!  Woo hoo!  We had such a good time getting to know Brian and Sheryl's families more.  A highlight of my day was having Baby Makenlee snuggle up into my arms and immediately quiet down....so precious.   Once again, I did come home and crash on the couch for the evening.

I wish I didn't have to rest so much.  My preference would be to go 24/7 but I know I can't.  I am so thankful for the strength the Lord provides to do what I can.  It was funny when Sharon told me that in a conversation she had with Doc about me he said, "Think about what she would be like if she didn't have MS."  I will do what the Lord continues to bless me with doing.  I will also listen to Him and rest when it is time to rest.  I will admit I sometimes argue or try to bargain with Him but asking Him to allow me to "just do this or that" but in the end He wins.  

Having MS has changed my life in so many ways...some "good" and some "bad".  The best thing that has come from it is learning how to depend upon the Lord's strength and not my own.  I have no strength without Him.  His strength goes deeper in me when I am living in His Presence.  As I hear His Voice and listen to Him, His strength becomes greater.  

The other day someone told me they were praying for patience and right away I said, "No!  Don't ever pray for patience.  When I did, I got MS!"  I was going through a tough time with our busy schedules, multiple jobs, kids, church responsibilities, etc. and started praying for patience.  The Lord decided I needed to really know what it meant to need patience because within a few weeks I was flat on my back going through the testing which resulted in my MS diagnosis.  

According to the dictionary the word patience means:  "the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.; an ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyancewhen confronted with delay; quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: towork with patience."  These all sound really nice but when something such as MS is put into your life to make you realize what you were asking patience for was really nothing it soon puts everything into perspective.

Think about it.  We get overwhelmed with schedules a lot.  Whose fault is it that our schedule is so busy?  Ours.  I use to think I needed to learn how to say "no" but that's not it.  I just needed to learn how to listen to God and allow Him to make my schedule.  Life is much easier now that He is in control of the calendar.  We get overwhelmed by lack of money but that's our fault too.  Once the Lord had total control of our checkbook life was so much easier.  We get overwhelmed by demands of people but people aren't who we need to please.  The Lord is the only One that needs pleased.  If people in our paths need pleased by us, He will direct us that way.  

As I think back over the last year and a half where I have practiced living in His Presence I can see some things that have drastically changed and some that are just subtle changes.   After already being challenged emotionally and physically from my Daddy's death and Doc's surgery and then going through a weekend such as this last one without being crabby is a miracle in itself.  I praise the Lord for giving me His strength through my physical body...my emotional body...my mental body...my whole being!  I am singing "Better Is One Day" this morning and praising the Lord for His Presence!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You once again for Your Strength!  Father, You are so awesome and I praise You for having me live in Your Presence!  I praise You for speaking to me, touching me with Your healing touch, loving on me in mighty ways...everything You do to bless me.  Lord, You have blessed me with the day ahead.  I know some of what is on the calendar but I also know You will bless me with ways for people to see You in me and for that I'm thankful.  Amen.

Better Is One Day
How lovely is
Your dwelling place
Oh Lord Almighty,
For my soul longs
And even faints
For You
Oh, here my heart
Is satisfied (is satisfied)
Within Your presence
I sing beneath
The shadow of
Your wings

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
(Than thousands elsewhere)

One thing I ask,
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells
(One thing I ask)
One thing I ask
And I would seek,
To see Your beauty
To find You in
The place Your glory dwells

Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
(Better is one day)
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere

(My heart and flesh cry out)
My heart and flesh cry out
To You, the Living God
Your Spirit's water to my soul
I've tasted, and I've seen
Come once again to me
I will draw near to You
I will draw near to You
To You

Better is one day
Better is one day
Better is one day
Than thousands elsewhere
(2x)
Better is one day in Your courts
Better is one day in Your house
Better is one day in Your courts
Than thousands elsewhere
(4X)
Yeah, than thousands elsewhere (Yeah)
Oh, than thousands elsewhere

Psalm 84

¹ How lovely is your dwelling place; Lord Almighty!
² My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
³ Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
 where she may have her young—a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
⁴ Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you.

⁵ Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.
⁶ As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs;
    the autumn rains also cover it with pools
⁷ They go from strength to strength,
    till each appears before God in Zion.

⁸ Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob.
⁹ Look on our shield, O God;
    look with favor on your anointed one.

¹⁰ Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
¹¹ For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
    the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold
    from those whose walk is blameless.

¹² Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.