The Lord woke me with the urgency to read Psalm 57. This Psalm begins with David lamenting and ends with him praising God. I thought about how route 57 is where I lived in my early childhood. If I remember right it was not called 57 when I was little but I'm not sure. Route 57 was the 'road out of town.' A lot of people wanted to get out of Orrville when they grew up to see bigger things. I love going back to Orrville with all of the memories I have. I love seeing the growth of the city yet I love seeing things that are the same. This Psalm reminds me of my life. There have been many times of lamenting yet there is always a reason to praise God. There have been many times of 'hiding' from people who were out to hurt me. David was hiding from King Saul at the time he penned this Psalm. Saul wanted to kill him. David did not let this time nor many other times of people trying to hurt him pull him from his faith. As we read about David's life we see one that was colorful, had many trials, etc. We also see how David lived his life in God's presence. That is what I chose to do. Right now life seems 'hard' yet I know as long as I lean into God's strength I will be fine. I feel like I have been tossed and turned through another storm. It feels like this last few years has been nothing but storms. But that is not true. I cannot allow the 'bad' days to overtake the 'good' ones. I cannot allow the enemy make me think life has been all 'bad' but instead must allow God to carry me through with the 'good' memories He has provided. I love verse two in The Passion Translation. It reads: I will cry out to you, the God of the highest heaven, the mighty God, who performs all these wonders for me. God blesses me every day. He blesses me in ways I do not even see. He blesses me through people, circumstances, etc. He blesses me because He loves me greatly. Plain and simple. He blesses me. The short time I had with Rickey was full of blessings. He was part of my healing process with Doc's death. We talked many times about Doc and that helped me greatly. We talked about not only our hopes and dreams but also our hurts in life. There were so many things we talked about that we could relate with one another. I miss him so much. I miss hearing his voice and having someone who cares about me. Even when we were seven hundred miles apart he cared and showed it. Every morning he would ask me what was on my schedule for the day and make me promise to take care of myself. He was always telling me he was concerned for my health. Every night he would ask, 'Hun, is your door locked?' I miss having someone 'taking care of me' but I know God is taking care of me. I need to remember to praise Him for all the ways He takes care of me. Verse seven of Psalm 57 reads: My heart, O God, is quiet and confident. Now I can sing with passion your wonderful praises! Yes! I need to get better at praising God through these 'tough' days. God did not leave me. When He brought Rickey into my life, He knew the end result. I do not understand the 'whys?' but I don't have to. He knew when I woke four weeks ago today it would be my last day with Rickey on this earth. He knew sixteen months ago Doc would be leaving this earth. He knew eight years ago my Daddy would be leaving this earth. These three men loved me and for that I am thankful. They each loved me in their own way but they loved me greatly. I am so thankful God put them in my life. I am thankful for the time I had with them. My Daddy was with me for fifty plus years. Doc was with me for thirty plus years. My Rickey was with me for months. I am so grateful for each of them and for how God used them in life. He grew my faith through them and for that I am grateful. I am reminded of a song Third Day sings called "Your Love, Oh Lord." I loved sitting and listening to Doc play this on the guitar singing it.
Your love, oh Lord
Reaches to the heavens
Your faithfulness stretches to the sky
Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains
Your justice flows like the ocean's tide
I will lift my voice
To worship You, my King
I will find my strength
In the shadow of your wings
This picture was taken at sunset on Rickey's first trip to South Carolina. He was in awe of the beauty of God's creation here. I am reminded of verse eleven of Psalm 57. Lord God, be exalted as you soar throughout the heavens. May your shining glory be shown in the skies! Let it be seen high above all the earth! Woo hoo! Yes! May He be glorified! Many times I have to pinch myself that I live here. God is so, so good. As a little girl I daydreamed of seeing the ocean. Now I live here. Woo hoo!
Dear Jesus, Thank You for the reminders from Psalm 57 to praise You no matter what is happening in my little world! Yesterday as I waited for the plumber at the church I kept busy but I also did a lot of praying. I asked You to reveal to me what You desire of me to learn from my present circumstances. I prayed for You to heal the hurts of my heart. Father, as You know I need more of You so I can be who You have called me to be. Thank You for cleansing me so You can fill me with more of You! Thank You for loving me so greatly that You will ooze out of my words, actions, attitude, and thoughts today! Thank You for directing me to what You desire me to do today! I feel like I am so behind with being away yet I know I cannot accomplish everything at once. Give me Your peace. I pray Your peace over Anna, Michael, Matt, and myself as we figure out our new 'normal' without Rickey here with us. May we all seek You in this healing journey. Father, thank You for bringing them into my lie and for the ways they love on me. Thank You for being with so many who are hurting over the loss of loved ones! Father, may all have people around them who will love them with Your love. Thank You for being exactly what many going through 'tough' days need! My prayers are with: My Momma; my sisters Linda, Sally, and Mary; Ben and Colleen; Pete and Delores; Steve; Tony and Madeline; Cait; Mike; Norma Hall; Carrie; Little Jensen who needs a heart; Sharon Sebolt; the Pottenger Family; Serena's husband; some young ladies with anxiety; a man in rehab for anger issues; a young man out of rehab who needs strength in his daily walk; a husband/father separated from his wife; Cyndi; and many others. I also pray healing prayers over many who are dealing with 'c' and/or going through treatments...Doug and Gay; Sharon's daughter Ashley and niece Amy; Chrissy's cousin; George and Sharon; Cait's friend with leukemia; my pastor friend with daily chemo; Elaine Stoltzfus; Tammie; and Little Ivy. Father, I also pray for a friend who is undergoing testing for possible mesothelioma. Lord, be so real to her in these days. My heart breaks with so many dealing with COVID in themselves and/or family members. Thank You for being with the surgeons for Coley's mother, Kaye, and Wanda this week! Thank You for being My Faithfulness! Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment