II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 11 - "Goodness of God"

Yesterday was a trying day. Once again Doc was still sick and unable to eat and for several hours Mordecei was having trouble breathing. I felt like I was going to cry for quite a while. I probably would have felt better if I would have. God uses tears to cleanse me. In the midst of all that was going on I had a bright spot of reading part of a book Max Lucado wrote called you'll get through this. It tells the Old Testament story of Joseph's life and how he never stopped trusting God through all he went through. There is one part that spoke volumes to me.

You'll get through this.

It won't be painless.

It won't be quick.

But God will use this mess for good.

Don't be foolish or naive.

But don't despair either.

With God's help, you'll get through this. (Lucado)

This morning God took me to Psalm 11 where David was tempted to no longer trust in God. As I read it I thought about how there are probably many believers right now questioning if God really cares about us. How could a God love us yet allow the coronavirus to kill so many? How could a God love us yet allow so much hatred be in our world? How could a God love us yet there be starving people? We must remember God does not cause evil but He will allow it. He uses evil to draw people closer to Him. During the night I prayed for pastors multiple time to speak words of life in their sermons. I prayed for them to not allow their own feelings over our present circumstances to become greater than the message God intends them to give. I also prayed for people to be receptive to the message presented. I prayed for all believers to stand upon II Timothy 1:7 in these days of turmoil and for the day of His return to be soon. In The Passion Translation Psalm 11:3 has a question that can be applied to today. What can the righteous accomplish when truth’s pillars are destroyed and law and order collapse? The answer is found in the remaining verses of this chapter:

Yet the Eternal One is never shaken—
he is still found in his temple of holiness,
reigning as Lord and King over all.
He is closely watching everything that happens.
And with a glance, his eyes examine every heart.
For his heavenly rule will prevail over all.
5 He will test both the righteous and the wicked,
exposing each heart.
God’s very soul detests those who love to resort to violence.
6 He will rain down upon them judgment for their sins.
A scorching wind will be their portion and lot in life.
7 But remember this: the Righteous Lord loves
what is right and just, and every godly one
will come into his presence and gaze upon his face!

We must stay faithful to God in these days of turmoil. He needs us to be the people He has called us to be so lives will be changed. We must proclaim His love over people and walk in His love so people will desire to be in relationship with Him. That is the only way we will spend eternity with Him. We cannot change people but we can allow Him to love on them through us so they don't spend eternity in hell. It is not up to us to save them but it is up to us to walk in obedience so people will be saved. We must not only hear His voice but we must walk in obedience to it. I am reminded this morning of the words to Goodness of God.

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah

And all my life You have been faithful, ohh
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for getting me through the time yesterday of Mordecei's breathing issues! Thank You for him feeling better! Thank You for all the people who supported me through it in prayer! Thank You for Doc being able to concentrate to write a sermon! Lord, I pray for a 'good' day to happen for him soon so we can make some more memories. I also pray for him to be able to eat so he is not so weak. Thank You for the work accomplished at the church building! Thank You for Lucado's book that is speaking to me! Thank You for Nancy going the 'extra mile' to get it for me! You bless me so much and I am grateful for every blessing. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me. May You be seen/heard in my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a new, different way. May I be more intentional in sharing Your love. Father, just as I prayed before going to bed and then again several times during the night I pray for pastors to speak the message You desire today. I pray for them to not allow their thoughts or emotions to become greater than what You desire of them. Lord, may You shine brightly through all believers today. May Your love become greater than the hate of this world. Father, protect our police officers in  this time of unrest. Protect our front-line medical workers in the time of this virus. I pray a blessing over all of our government and pray they will be following You. Lord, be with Tricia with Allayna's situation. Comfort her and give her Your peace. Thank You Father for being My Goodness! Amen.

4

II Timothy 1:7 - "Holy Water"

I woke up this morning with these words from the song Holy Water going through my mind...

Your forgiveness
Is like sweet, sweet honey on my lips
Like the sound of a symphony to my ears
Like holy water on my skin, hey!

His forgiveness is the best thing to experience. When you know you've done wrong or just aren't living right and He cleanses your spirit, life becomes different. You see things in a new way and experience life differently. When You allow Him to be the Lord of Lords and King of Kings of your life, you realize life is not about what you desire but rather what He desires of you. Woo hoo! There is freedom in such a life that can only be found through a life sold out to Him. His love becomes all you desire. This type of life is experienced by standing upon II Timothy 1:7 in His empowerment and love. It is a life where people see Him living in and through you and will desire the same. As one lives this type of life for Christ, there are still mountains and valleys to endure. It is there faith goes deeper and trust becomes greater. He is always with us is such a blessing. His love enables us to get through 'tough' times. There is nothing we go through that He hasn't already been through. He knows the aches and pains of our heart in a way no one else can. He knows our thoughts even before we speak them. He knows our sadness with what we deal with. Plain and simple. He knows. That is a blessing to realize. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for being with me as I tried to get the tire situation taken care of! Father, I need You to open doors for resolve this. I need Your wisdom on what to do. Thank You for being with Doc as he continued to be sick yesterday! I pray he will feel better today with no nausea and that he will be able to eat. I pray for one in Hospice that needs a spiritual healing before leaving this earth. I pray You will put someone before her today that will make a difference for her. May You be greater than the hurt in her heart. Lord, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be my words, actions, thoughts, and attitude today in a new, different way. Thank You for being My Holy Water! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Great Things"

Wow! Almost eleven hours of sleep without being woke up by Mordecei! God is amazing!!  I prayed before going sleep that God would give me a full night's sleep and He did. I've prayed that prayer before and the same result wasn't given. Why is it that sometimes our prayers are answered in the way we desire and other times not? God knows what is best for us and takes care of us accordingly. How is it best for us that Doc would not have received a healing by now? I've prayed and prayed for him 'to be healed while on this earth, sooner than later' yet that has not happened. I am not giving up but will continue as long as there is hope. As he says, 'as long as he has breath there is hope.' Yes! Hope! When we have Jesus in our life, we have Hope! When we have faith in our Heavenly Father, there is Hope! I woke up this morning to these words of Great Things going through my mind...

Oh hero of Heaven, You conquered the grave
You free every captive and break every chain
Oh God, You have done great things
We dance in Your freedom, awake and alive
Oh Jesus, our Savior, Your name lifted high
Oh God, You have done great things

You've been faithful through every storm
You'll be faithful forevermore
You have done great things
And I know You will do it again
For Your promise is "Yes and amen"
You will do great things
God, You do great things

Yes! He has and will continue to do Great Things when we allow Him to work in and through us. As I stand in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of II Timothy 1:7 and God's wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6 He will continue to do Great Things in my life. He desires me to be the godly woman He has called me to be. The more I live in His will, walking in His obedience, the more He will use me for Him to be glorified. Woo hoo! That is the desire of my heart. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for almost eleven hours of sleep last night! Thank You for being with Doc as he was so sick yesterday evening! Thank You for being with us every day! Thank You for cleansing and filling us with Your Holy Spirit so people will see/hear You instead of us today! Father, I pray for: the situation with the tire to be resolved; the electric to be finished at the church building; Doc to feel better; and for an unspoken request. Thank You for answered prayers for June! I continue to pray for healing for: Bob Nussbaum; Craig Rench; Vance Sharp; Cory Bagby; and so many others with physical needs. I especially pray for those on my list for spiritual needs. May You be greater than their issues today. Thank You Jesus for being My Hope! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 2; Philippians 1:9-11 - "Refuge"

Some days are tougher than others...

Some days you just want to throw up your hands and quit...

Some days there are more tears than ever before...

Some days are ones you just want to be over and never experience again...

And then you read something like this...

God is all we need to get through 'tough' days like we experienced yesterday. Nothing was a surprise to Him. I had prayed and asked God for His will with Doc's chemo yesterday. I didn't pray for Doc to be so nauseated that he couldn't take it but I prayed if he weren't to take it, for there to be a roadblock. We have to accept however God answers our prayers. I did not desire having a tire sliced open but God knew I needed to have a release in my emotions that were getting so great. "As long as you have God, anything and everything is possible" is a reminder that when days like yesterday happen He is still in control. This morning He took me to Psalm 2. The last three verses of this Psalm spoken by the Holy Spirit speak greatly to me. It reads in The Voice:

So leaders, kings, and judges,
    be wise, and be warned.
 There is only one God, the Eternal;
    worship Him with respect and awe;
    take delight in Him and tremble.
 Bow down before God’s son.
    If you don’t, you will face His anger and retribution,
And you won’t stand a chance.
    For it doesn’t take long to kindle royal wrath,

But blessings await all who trust in Him.
    They will find God a gentle refuge.

I love that last part! But blessings await all who trust in Him. They will find God a gentle refuge. Woo hoo! As we trust Him, our love for Him will shine brightly. As it does, people will desire to be in relationship with Him. His love is the greatest thing we can ever share. His love is what gets us through the 'tough' days of life. His love is more powerful than anything on this earth. Plain and simple. His love is the key to living life. He empowers us to love with His love and to stand in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in II Timothy 1:7. That is how I desire to live every day. As I do, I will find refuge in Him as Psalm 2 speaks of. Matthew Henry wrote about this Psalm:

Whatever we rejoice in, in this world, it must always be with trembling, because of the uncertainty of all things in it. To welcome Jesus Christ, and to submit to him, is our wisdom and interest. Let him be very dear and precious; love him above all, love him in sincerity, love him much, as she did, to whom much was forgiven, and, in token of it, kissed his feet, Luke 7:38. And with a kiss of loyalty take this yoke upon you, and give up yourselves to be governed by his laws, disposed of by his providence, and entirely devoted to his cause. Unbelief is a sin against the remedy. It will be utter destruction to yourselves; lest ye perish in the way of your sins, and from the way of your vain hopes; lest your way perish, lest you prove to have missed the way of happiness. Christ is the way; take heed lest ye be cut off from Him as your way to God. They thought themselves in the way; but neglecting Christ, they perish from it. Blessed will those be in the day of wrath, who, by trusting in Christ, have made him their Refuge.

I desire to have God as my Refuge. Nothing is a surprise to Him. Nothing. As we seek His will, we will realize it in a mighty way. As we love with His love, we will be filled with more of Him. As we believe in Him, He will become more real to us. We must remember "As long as you have God, anything and everything is possible"! I am so thankful for this knowledge.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being with me yesterday when I broke down emotionally in seeing the sliced tire! Thank You for being with Doc when he made the decision to not go through with the chemo! Thank You for being with him through the day of being so nauseated! Thank You for all the ways You love on us! Father, cleanse me so You can fill me today in a new, different way. May You speak so clearly and may I not only hear You but walk in obedience to You today. May You be greater than the obstacles that come my way. May I see them as opportunities to grow deeper in my faith. Lord, I pray Paul's prayer from Philippians 1:9-11 over myself today. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God. Thank You Jesus for being My Refuge! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 100 - "Survivor"

The Lord woke me up to the words of Survivor that Zach Williams sings along with the urgency to read Psalm 100.

Now I'm alive and born again
Rescued from the grip of sin
God your love came crashing in
And pulled me out of the fire
I'm a survivor

Last night as I was doing some Bible study I was reading about how the only way to go to heaven is to be in right relationship with Him. It is imperative for all believers to share this knowledge so people will go to heaven instead of hell. If we don't share His love, we are failing Him. Psalm 100 reads in The Passion Translation:

1 Lift up a great shout of joy to the Lord!
Go ahead and do it—everyone, everywhere!
2 As you serve him, be glad and worship him.
Sing your way into his presence with joy!
3 And realize what this really means—
we have the privilege of worshiping the Lord our God.
For he is our Creator and we belong to him.
We are the people of his pleasure.
4 You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise.
Come right into his presence with thanksgiving.
Come bring your thank offering to him
and affectionately bless his beautiful name!
5 For the Lord is always good and ready to receive you.
He’s so loving that it will amaze you—
so kind that it will astound you!
And he is famous for his faithfulness toward all.
Everyone knows our God can be trusted,
for he keeps his promises to every generation!

We, as believers, have much to be thankful for! When we accept Jesus into our heart, we can praise Him in a whole new way. As we live for Him, He gives us much to praise Him for. He is there for us both when life becomes 'tough' and when life is going along well. His love covers all hurts and all victories. I love the words to this song...

 

You're my God
You're my fighter 
You make me a survivor

Yes! He is all we need to survive the things that happen in this life. He is faithful to us as we are faithful to Him. We cannot allow the circumstances of life to pull us away from Him. That is what the enemy desires but not what God intends for us. We need to stand upon the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is here to empower us through anything that happens. Paul tells us in II Timothy 1:7 that God empowers us with His love as we allow Him. He gives us exactly what we need when we give Him free reign of our life. As we live in His presence, He is continually there for us. That in itself is reason for us to praise Him.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for all the ways You bless us! Thank You for the cards of encouragement yesterday from Colette, Beth, and Marsha! Thank You for Marsha blessing us with the gift card! Thank You for Doc being blessed last night by his call with Brother Dan! Thank You for giving us the opportunity to walk in Your presence on the road of obedience! Lord, I pray for Your blessing over Doc today as he goes for treatment. Lord, go before him and if this is not in Your will then stop it from happening. Father, I pray for a cleansing in my spirit so there is nothing between You and I. Fill me to overflowing with more of You so people will see/hear You instead of me throughout this day. May You be greater than anything that comes my way. Thank You Jesus for being My Fighter! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 148 - "Goodness of God"

The Lord took me to Psalm 148 this morning. This is another Psalm about praising Him. Charles Spurgeon wrote of this Psalm:

It is a song of nature and of grace. As a flash of lightning flames through space, and enwraps both heaven and earth in one vestment of glory, so doth the adoration of the Lord in this Psalm light up all the universe, and cause it to glow with a radiance of praise. The song begins in the heavens, sweeps downward to dragons and all deeps, and then ascends again, till the people near unto Jehovah take up the strain. For its exposition the chief requisite is a heart on fire with reverent love to the Lord over all, who is to be blessed for ever. 

Woo hoo! We are to live a life of praise as we live a life of loving Him. Praising God should be as natural as the rain falling this morning. It should be as normal for us to praise God as it is for us to breathe. When we are going through storms of life, praising God does not always come to our mind. But it should because when we follow God, we have assurance of Him being with us. He is with us in the days of sunshine and He is with us in the days of storms. There is comfort in that knowledge. God is good even when life is hard. Once again, I think of Bethel's song Goodness of God.

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

Yes! He has and will always be so, so good! This is why we need to praise Him in the days of sunshine and in the days of storms. Verse five of Psalm 148 gives us great advice from David.

Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.

Why do we praise Him? Because He commands us to do so and because He created us to do so. Seems pretty clear in my mind. 

How can we praise Him when we are in the storms of life or when we are in the days of sunshine? We can find the answer to that in verse fourteen.

He has made his people strong, honoring his faithful ones - the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

We can praise Him all the time because He gives us His strength to do so. II Timothy 1:7 tells us how He empowers us with the strength of the Holy Spirit because He loves us so much. He cares about us beyond our imagination. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus,
Thank You for giving me reasons to praise You even in the storms of life! Thank You for Doc being able to eat solids yesterday! Thank You for him taking a walk yesterday! Thank You for the rest You provided yesterday! Father, I even thank You for Mordecei being up so much during the night. I don't understand why but I don't have to. All I have to do in life is to praise You no matter what happens in life. Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You in the day ahead. Use me in a mighty way today to be who You have called me to be. Thank You Father for being My Goodness! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 6 - "Healer"

The Lord woke me once during the night to pray. When I asked Him who or what specifically to pray for, His response was my husband. As I prayed, I assumed it was for physical needs but soon He told me it was for spiritual breakthrough. He said, "Daughter I want to take him deeper in his walk with Me." Alrighty then. Woo hoo! When I shared this with Doc this morning, he said he had been praying for this too. That is confirmation of what the Lord desires. He wants all people to be in relationship with Him and He wants all to go deeper in that relationship. This morning the Lord took me to Psalm 6. This Psalm is entitled "A Cry For Healing" and was a part of the daily prayer rituals of the Jews. It was not a cry for physical healing but rather a cry for spiritual healing. This should be all believer's prayer every day. It reads in The Passion Translation:

For the Pure and Shining One
A song for the end, sung for the new day by King David
1 No, Lord! Don’t condemn me.
Don’t punish me in your fiery anger.
2 Please deal gently with me, Yahweh;
show me mercy, for I’m sick and frail.
I’m fading away with weakness.
Heal me, for I’m falling apart.
3 How long until you take away this pain in my body and in my soul?
Lord, I’m trembling in fear!
4 Yahweh, return to me and deliver my life
because I know your faithful love is toward me.
5 How can I be any good to you dead?
For graveyards sing no songs.
In the darkness of death who remembers you?
How could I bring you praise if I’m buried in a tomb?
6 I’m exhausted and worn out with my weeping.
I endure weary, sleepless nights filled with moaning,
soaking my pillow with my tears.
7 My eyes of faith won’t focus anymore, for sorrow fills my heart.
There are so many enemies who come against me!
8 Go away! Leave me, all you troublemakers!
For the Lord has turned to listen to my thunderous cry.
9 Yes! Yahweh my healer has heard all my pleading
and has taken hold of my prayers and answered them all.
10 Now it’s my enemies who have been shamed.
Terror-stricken, they will turn back again,
knowing the bitterness of sudden disgrace!

This prayer shows David humbled before God. It shows him broken in not only his physical body but most importantly his spiritual body. As David cried out to God he realized no matter what was going on in his physical body he could handle it when his spiritual body was right with God. Matthew Henry wrote of the first part of Psalm 6:

Man is a sinner, his case can only be reached by mercy; and never is mercy more illustrious than in restoring backsliders. With good reason we may pray, that if it be the will of God, and he has any further work for us or our friends to do in this world, he will yet spare us or them to serve him. To depart and be with Christ is happiest for the saints; but for them to abide in the flesh is more profitable for the church.

Wow, God! Sometimes the physical issues we have on this earth can distract us from what God desires of us. We cannot allow that to happen. Instead we must stand firm in our faith. We must stand in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit of II Timothy 1:7. We must allow God to show us what He desires of us. We must pray for Him to show us His will and then we must walk in it. Verse nine confirms this. Yes! Yahweh my healer has heard all my pleading and has taken hold of my prayers and answered them all. When we pray for His will, He will answer our prayers. His will is what is best for us. His will is what we all need to desire to walk in. His will is where we will find a blessed life. Plain and simple. His will is perfect. I find hope in Matthew Henry's last statement. To depart and be with Christ is happiest for the saints; but for them to abide in the flesh is more profitable for the church. God is not done with Doc yet. He has more for him to do and will bless him as he draws deeper in his relationship with Him. Woo hoo!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the time of prayer for my husband during the middle of the night! Thank You for giving me this Scripture this morning that encourages me greatly! Thank You for loving us so greatly! Thank You for Doc preaching yesterday! Thank You for working things out with the video when we 'messed up'! Thank You for the rest You provided yesterday afternoon! Thank You for the way You will cleanse us today so You can ooze out of us in a new, different way! Thank You for being such a loving God! Lord, may You be our words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today. May You be seen/heard today in a more intentional way. Lord, do not let our physical ailments distract from what You desire of us. Thank You Jesus for being Our Healer! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7 - "Great Things"

Last night was not a typical Saturday night of praying for pastors as the Lord woke me only once. I guess He knew I was tired from what we had gone through yesterday. I was thankful He woke me the one time and I was thankful for rest. He had me pray for those preaching today to preach what He desired. He also had me pray for pastors who were opening the doors of their building to have wisdom. I thought about how it is a blessing our building is not ready yet so there didn't have to be such decisions. I also prayed for physical, mental, and emotional strength for my pastor/husband. After experiencing discomfort in his chest for over a day he went to the ER yesterday afternoon. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions I was not allowed in with him. I thought it was tough not being in for chemo treatments and doctor appointments but waiting for seven hours with him being in the ER was the worst thing ever. During the waiting time God gave me many opportunities to pray not only for him but for hundreds of others who went in for treatment. He also had me pray for their families who were waiting as I did. There were so many situations to pray for. Some I could see visible signs of why they were there and others I could not. One family came in different vehicles in what appeared to be a serious, end-of-life issue. Another young mother brought her husband in with a huge gash on his leg. People of all ages went in and of course only minors were allowed to have one person with them. I prayed for physical needs for many and emotional needs for one young lady in distress. I also prayed for a young man who walked around in the parking lot for hours while he waited on someone to pick him up. My heart broke many times for situations people are in. I thought about how hard life can be but especially how hard it is when you don't have the Lord. I prayed for everyone to be in relationship with Him and if they weren't for them to find Him. I thought about how if we weren't under COVID-19 restrictions I could have held the young child for the Momma whose husband was injured or offer to pray with people who were waiting on loved ones. But then I realized I wouldn't be sitting in the parking lot if it weren't for these restrictions. God had me there yesterday and I allowed Him to use me to pray for so many. I woke this morning to the words to Great Things that Phil Wickam sings.

You've been faithful through every storm
You'll be faithful forevermore
You have done great things
And I know You will do it again
For Your promise is "Yes and amen"
You will do great things
God, You do great things

Yes! He does Great Things even in the midst of every storm. He loves us so greatly! As I prayed yesterday for Doc and the others in the ER, I prayed for protection for them. I prayed God would not only protect the patients but also the workers. This world we are living in is a different one in many ways but the constant we can have in our life is God. He is there at all time to love on us, to guide us, to protect us, etc. He desires to be the Lord of Lord and King of Kings of our life. He desires us to praise and worship Him even in the storms of life. As I sat in the car yesterday I thought about so many people who are not in relationship with Him. I prayed someone would say or do something to get them to have an open heart to the Lord. I asked God to reveal to me how I can make a difference in people's lives. I prayed for Him to continue to empower me through the Holy Spirit as I stand upon II Timothy 1:7. 

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for being with us yesterday! Thank You for the day ahead! Lord, give us Your wisdom, strength, and empowerment. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. I pray for Your strength in my physical, mental, and emotional body today in a great way. I pray the same for Doc. Lord, he needs a healing in his body. We need to feel Your presence as we wait on medical testing. Thank You in advance for the way You are going to be with us! Father, I pray the same for Connie with Bob in the hospital awaiting surgery. I pray for Your will with his surgery. I pray for our friends with their elderly mother in the hospital and their father with cancer. May they feel Your presence today in a mighty way. I pray for my friend who was in the ER yesterday and awaiting test results. Lord, be so real to her and her husband. Father, today is a new day and I pray You will use me as an instrument of Your love in a new, different way. If I am the one to bring the message, may it be Your words not mine. Thank You Father for being My Constant! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Hold On"

I woke up this morning to the words to Hold On that Toby Mac sings going through my mind. They encourage me greatly.

So baby hold on
just another day or two
I can see the clouds are
moving faster now
and the sun is breaking through
If you can hold on, to the one that's holding you
there is nothing that can
stop this crazy love
from breaking through

Yes! All we have to do when going through 'tough' days is to Hold On to the One who loves us so much. We do not have to fear anything because He is with us. We can stand upon II Timothy 1:7 with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and know beyond a shadow of a doubt He will see us through. We can have the knowledge that as we stand in Proverbs 3:5-6 He will give us His wisdom. There is nothing we will go through on this earth where He is not with us. That is such a blessing! It also gives us reason to lean into Him more when things seem to be falling apart. It empowers us to love with His love and knock the enemy down when he comes knocking at our door. Woo hoo! There is no better place to live than in His presence. It is there that His strength is found. It is there His wisdom is poured out upon us. Praise His Holy Name! I am so thankful for all the blessings I receive through living with Him. I am grateful for the ways He loves on me so I can pour out His love on others. I do not ever want His death and resurrection go for naught in my life. Oh how I pray for more of Him so His love will ooze out of me. I pray for more of Him to be in me so I do not cave when the enemy throws darts my way. Instead I desire to stand strong in my faith.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your love that empowers me so greatly! Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You! May You be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a more intentional way than ever before. Thank You for the opportunity to pick strawberries yesterday! Thank You for Doc having a better day! Thank You for him being able to grill supper last night! Thank You for being with us today and empowering us with more of You! Father, thank You for Melanie's procedure going well and Nikki being able to start liquids. May You continue to be with them as they continue their road of recovery. Lord, I praise You for providing for Mordecei's vet appointment. I praise You for the day ahead with all the blessings You are going to pour down on us. Oh how I pray for Doc to have a 'good' day today. May You shine brightly through both of us. May You give us opportunities to love on others. Thank You Jesus for being My Break Through! Amen.

II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 113 - "Goodness"

Yesterday I was reading and pondering upon Psalm 113. It reads it the New King James Version:

Praise the Lord!

Praise, O servants of the Lord,
Praise the name of the Lord!
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord
From this time forth and forevermore!
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down
The Lord’s name is to be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations,
His glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
Who dwells on high,
6 Who humbles Himself to behold
The things that are in the heavens and in the earth?

7 He raises the poor out of the dust,
And lifts the needy out of the ash heap,
8 That He may seat him with princes—
With the princes of His people.
9 He grants the barren woman a home,
Like a joyful mother of children.

Praise the Lord!

Verse nine of this Scripture is a struggle for many women who cannot conceive. I remember a time where it seemed like there were so many women we were praying for that were struggling with infertility. There were nine but I can only remember the outcome of the prayers for five. Two finally conceived and had two children; two had one child after conceiving; and one stayed infertile. I understand how the four were able to praise the Lord but what about the one dear woman who was never able to conceive. How could she praise the Lord in her circumstances? How could her and her husband be joyful when they were never given the opportunity to hold their own baby in their arms? Verse three tells us, From the rising of the sun to its going down the Lord's name is to be praised. How can we praise God through difficult times? How can we praise Him when our prayers are not being answered? We can praise Him because our prayers are always answered, just not always how we want them to be. We can praise Him because He raises and lifts us up from the pit of hell. We can praise Him because He always knows what is best for us. Plain and simple, not matter what we are going through in life we can praise Him. In one commentary about this Psalm it talked about the constancy of God's goodness shown in the verse three verses. It read:

His name and his character are inseparable; utter his name, and there instantly rise to our thought the attributes which distinguish him; to sing of his Name is not to praise an imaginary or ideal one, but the very Lord God himself. We worship him "with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning."

Woo hoo! He is Who we are to praise no matter what happens in life. Why? Because He is real. He is with us at all time. I think of the words to the song Goodness that Bethel sings.

Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

This song has stayed with me since Doc's appointment Wednesday. I'm so grateful for the way God uses Scripture and music to encourage me. He has been faithful for all my days. He was faithful even when I walked away from Him. He was faithful when I doubted Him. He is faithful in times of distress when I fall apart emotionally. Plain and simple. He has and will always be faithful. Praise Him Holy Name! These days we are experiencing are not easy days as human beings. They are days of great pain in physical and emotional bodies. They are days of unknown on how long we have together on this earth. But they are also days of praise for every moment we have together. They are days of praise when Doc's pain doesn't show it's ugly head. They are days of praise with people God puts in our lives that encourage us; bless us with meals, financially, etc.; speak life over us; etc. They are days of praise when He clearly gives us an answer to a prayer. Even though these days are 'tough' ones to get through I am thankful He is with us and always gives us a reason to praise Him! Yesterday was full of praises with: Doc being able to go with me to the church building; Dan, Lynette and their friends haul away the branches from the yard at the church; Doc being able to eat some solids; and our time to be together last evening watching TV. We praise Him for everything He blesses us with. I praise Him for the words of encouragement I received through many yesterday. I praise Him for the tears that fell because they cleansed my spirit. I praise Him for being My Heavenly Daddy that loves me so much. I love how this song continues...

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
And in darkest night You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God, yeah

Woo hoo! Yes! He is My Father, My Friend, and all I need. He was with me yesterday and the days in the past just as He is with me today and the days in the future. I am not alone but instead can stand in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as Paul wrote of in II Timothy 1:7. Praise His Holy Name!

Dear Jesus,

Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead in this day! Thank You for always being with me! Thank You for giving me many reasons to praise Your Holy Name! Father, I pray for Doc today to feel Your goodness in a mighty way! May You be the Soothing Balm over his pain today. May You be his Healer today so the pain will be gone. Father, cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. May You be my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today in a new, different way. May I love with Your love more intentionally than ever before. Lord, I pray for Your peace for: Melanie as she has her procedure; Carolynn as they bury her brother; Mary Weins family; June; Gabbee's family; Vance and Craig as they continue their battles; and all who are struggling with their present circumstances. May You be greater than what they are battling. May Your strength be their strength in a way they will be overwhelmed by You. Thank You Father for being My Goodness! Amen.