The Lord brought to my mind this morning a priest in the Old Testament by the name of Ezra. He was responsible to restore worship after the reconstruction of Jerusalem. He and Nehemiah worked together with Nehemiah restoring the walls of Jerusalem. I have not studied Ezra much but one of my favorite verses in the Bible comes from Nehemiah 8:10. The joy of the Lord is my strength. We experience His joy when we live for Him. Life is not perfect by any means yet when we realize He is in control over everything we can be assured anything that happens will be ok. Nehemiah had great faith in God because he had a relationship with Him. We can live in this same manner. Ezra found the people being crabby even though they were in the midst of a great time in history. God had brought them through so much and there were great things ahead. Ezra was there to revive their spirits. This can be seen over and over today. We all go through 'tough' times yet God is always with us. He never leaves us. He is there to fill us with joy even in the midst of the storms of life. I was reading somewhere about how joy comes from living a life guided by the Holy Spirit. He gives us peace when we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. He gives us joy in our spirit when everything is crumbling all around us. He blesses us to encourage us. One morning this week I pulled over to take a picture of the sunrise. Seeing sunrises and sunsets bless me in abundance. I can be having a challenging day and one of them will remind me He is with me. The beauty of His creation blesses me so much. Yesterday as I took a walk in the woods I was blessed in so many ways. First of all, He reminded me I was walking. Secondly, He reminded me no matter what is happening in life I can have His joy in my spirit. I do not think it was a coincidence He brought me to Ezra and Nehemiah this morning. I am one blessed lady. I am reminded this morning of the song "Blessings" Laura Story sings and realizing it to a greater degree. Praise His Holy Name!
'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the ones ahead today! Thank You for the reminders from Ezra and Nehemiah! Thank You for reminding me You are always with me! Thank You for my medicine finally coming! Cleanse me so You can fill me to overflowing with more of You. I pray for many going through 'tough' days. Andy and his family with Katelyn's health; Kaye and her family; Rachael; my Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; my brother Richard; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Cait; Rhonda; Mike; Norma Hall; Sharon Sebolt and her parents; some young ladies with anxiety; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; Mary Lilley; a husband/father separated from his wife; Brooklyn; Kristen Batten; Amber; Ashley Foor; families in turmoil; Gay and Doug; Sherry; Serena and her husband; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Katelyn; Chrissy's cousin; Shirley Jones; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Little Ivy; Little Judson; Little Roselynn; a young girl in our community; a lady whose breast cancer has returned; a lady diagnosed with stage two breast cancer; a lady diagnosed with throat cancer; Sue Danhoff's husband Harv; Michele with breast cancer; and a dear friend awaiting an oncologist appointment. I pray for: the Long Family, Becky, Russ, a couple contemplating divorce and another couple having serious issues. Thank You for continued healing for: Pastor Tommy and Pam; Darryle and his family; and Janis' mother, I praise You for continued reconciliation for a father and his prodigal daughter. I pray for Melinda and Todd with all they are going through. Thank You for being My Blesser! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment