Hidden in Open Spaces

Psalm 18:19
"He brought me out into a spacious place. He rescued me because He delighted in me."

Psalm 37:23
"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him in His hand."

Zephaniah 3:17
"For the Lord, your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with song."

Psalm 32:7
"You are my hiding place. You will protect me trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."

Psalm 125:2
"As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds His people."

I do not know why the Lord brought these verses to me one after another this morning, but my first observations of them are these:

1) The Lord delights in us.
2) The Lord brings us out into an spacious place, but He is still our hiding place. When I think of hiding places, I think of obscure, non-visible places. Well, the Lord is not our hiding place because the enemy cannot see us for surely he can see us in an open space. We can be hidden in the Lord in an open space because He surrounds us.
3) The Lord sings over us and these songs have the power to rescue us and deliver us.
4) My responsibility in all of this is to be quietened by His love and put one foot in front of the other and walk - and I may stumble but I will not fall because He holds me in His hand. And this walking does not consist of striving, but is freedom.

These are my initial observations, but I am sure there is more here than that - please share anything you hear.

Masterful Artist

If I take a moment to observe or think about the world, earth, human body, etc... I stand truly amazed at how artistic God is and how honored I am to be a creation of His.

Great Songs

This morning, I broke out the guitar for some personal worship and these were the two songs the Lord led me to play. I love both of these songs!

God is the Strength (from Psalm 73)

Whom have I in heaven but you
There is nothing on earth I desire beside you
My heart and my strength, many times they fail
But there is one truth that always will prevail

God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever



I Lift My Eyes Up (from Psalm 121)

I lift my eyes up to the mountains
Where does my help come from
My help comes from you, Maker of heaven
Creator of the earth

O how I need you, Lord
You are my only hope
You are my only prayer

So I will wait for you
to come and rescue me
To come and bring me life.

Walk As Jesus Did

"If anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:5-6

Friends

I am grateful for friends.

God's Love for Us

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16

God's love for us is an example for us of how to love others. It is unconditional and sacrificial! Often times, we try to love like this, but it comes to an end, because when we try to do things on our own or in our own strength, our good intentions wane and our selfishness rises and we give up. But if we focus on God and are so filled by His love for us, it becomes natural for that love to spill out into our relationships.

Love is patient and kind.

Love does not envy, boast, or delight in evil.

Love is not proud, self-seeking, or easily angered.

Love keeps no record of wrongs.

Love rejoices in truth.

Love always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres.

LOVE NEVER FAILS! (taken from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

Take some time today and evaluate the relationships closest to you. See if you are being selfish, rude, or keeping a record of their wrongs. Or are you being kind?

Philippians 4:8

Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

I find that I often am thinking about the wrong things according to this verse, so I created a place where you and I can come and share why we are grateful and discuss things that are worth talking about.

I am grateful the Lord loves me!