II Timothy 1:7; Psalm 118 - "Forever"

During the night when I woke up the Lord told me to ponder upon Psalm 118 when I got up for my day. I was so tired I guess He knew it wouldn't do much good to tell me to read it then...LOL. This morning the first thing I did was to read it. I love this Psalm. It encourages me to praise God for all He is to me but especially for His love. The last few verses are the 'icing on the cake' for me...

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.
27 The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us.
With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession
    up to the horns of the altar.

28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
    you are my God, and I will exalt you.

29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

Woo hoo! He is good; His love endures forever. Yes! Forever! He will not love us for just a little while but will love us forever! This Psalm begins and ends with this promise. That is enough for me to be intentional in living the way He desires. It is enough for me to strive to live His will in my life. Sometimes that doesn't make sense but that's OK. It doesn't have to. I do not have to have all the answers. I do not have to know exactly what is going to happen, when it will happen. All I have to do is live in His presence so I will have His wisdom and His strength to do whatever comes my way. This week with Hurricane Dorian my faith was stretched more with all that was going on. To leave or not to leave is always the question we have to answer. After we make the decision to leave, we then are ridiculed by some who stay or by some who are not even here in our situation. This time we were determined to stay until we thought about Doc having a blood clot and when the bridges were not allowed to be used we would be not be able to get medical attention. After praying, we made the decision to evacuate. We did have a trip to Urgent Care for him while evacuated so I'm glad that decision was made. This morning I am giving thanks for God for all the ways He blessed us this week...

• Doc's blood clot pain is gone and his gout pain has lessened since he started medication.
• Our motel was clean; the bed was comfortable; and the people were super nice. We were blessed with financial gifts that provided for this.
• We had one day where we acted like we were on vacation and went out shopping and did lunch. We were blessed with a gift card from a friend that enabled us to have this day.
• Thursday night our friends, the Frierson's, took us out to dinner with the Coleman's.
• None of the cross-stitch or computer work was done that I took. Instead I read two books and rested.
• Our home, neighborhood, and church was protected from the hurricane which was a huge blessing.
• When we returned home, our yard was not only cleaned up but also mowed and the boards were off the windows thanks to some awesome neighbors.
• We received the message the sub-contractors will begin work on the building this next week even with the delay of the hurricane.

We have 'survived' another hurricane. We haven't just 'survived' it but were blessed through it. Yesterday when I woke up I realized it was going to be a tough day physically. I was grateful Doc was able to drive home, especially when we got on interstate 26 and it was packed with it becoming a parking lot at times. I also was so grateful when we got home and found what the neighbors had done for us. Tears came to my eyes. I rested for a few hours while the AC got the temperature down in the house before putting away everything. I kept thinking about just how blessed we are. After sleeping ten plus hours last night in our own bed I once again feel blessed. God is so good and I am so grateful for all the ways He blesses us. This morning as I reflect on the blessings of this week I feel a bit guilty because I know there are many who do not feel this way. There are many who have lost everything they have, family members and friends, etc. from Hurricane Dorian. My heart goes out to them. I know that could have been us if she would have taken a turn west as she passed by. I continue to pray for all in her path, whether it be with just small inconveniences or major issues they are dealing with. I read in the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary this morning about this Psalm:

Ps 118:1-29. After invoking others to unite in praise, the writer celebrates God's protecting and delivering care towards him, and then represents himself and the people of God as entering the sanctuary and uniting in solemn praise, with prayer for a continued blessing. Whether composed by David on his accession to power, or by some later writer in memory of the restoration from Babylon, its tone is joyful and trusting, and, in describing the fortune and destiny of the Jewish Church and its visible head, it is typically prophetical of the Christian Church and her greater and invisible Head.

I love that description of this Psalm...joyful and trusting. That is exactly how I am feeling this morning. I am joyful in all of the blessings He has provide this week and I am trusting Him with the days ahead as we wait on a new appointment to receive Doc's CT scan reports and for the other physical issues he is experiencing. I am trusting Him with our family as we are away from them. I am trusting Him with our church rehab as we are short on funds with the revised budget. I am trusting Him to put opportunities before me to share His love with all I meet. I will bask in His presence and be joyful and trusting. I know as I live out a II Timothy 1:7 life, I will be filled with more of Him to empower me to be joyful and trusting.

Dear Jesus,

Thank You Jesus for all the blessings You have showered upon us over this last week. Thank You for the way You put upon my heart to be joyful and trusting. Father, cleanse me this morning so You can fill me. May You be my words, actions, and attitude throughout this day in a new, different way. Lord, be with Doc as he prepares his sermon and give him a physical healing in his body. I also pray for one in my Momma's body. Lord, bless Ellsworth's and Campbell's in a special way for the way they blessed us. I also pray for Mordecei for whatever is going on in his body. I know many would think it's crazy to pray for a dog but Lord You gave him to us to be part of our family. I pray for Your people to be in the midst of those who have lost so much from this hurricane. May they be a comfort to those who are hurting so badly. Thank You Jesus for being The One To Bless Me! Amen.