Inhaling His Whispers of Rich Grace

 The name of the Lord is the strong tower, the righteous runs into it and is safe (set on high). Proverbs 18:10. This verse would indicate that we have an enemy. The reality is, we do. We battle against the discouragement, doubt, guilt, fears, anxieties, and more that he brings and taunts us with.   This morning, as I was walking, I felt this tactic, the onslaught of discouragement. I was weary and tired while waiting on the Lord's timing in hard situations. I was feeling overwhelmed with weight of expectations and felt the weight of wrestlings and ones that were not just my own.  The whisper came, the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run into it and are safe.  I paused and spent the next moments thinking through some of the names of my Father.  He is the Way. And a guide for the way through. He is the Truth, His words matter most. He is the Life and He wants to give it to me abundantly! He is Redeemer, Restorer. Restorer of the years and th...

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. There are several words that stand out to me... confidence, throne of grace, mercy, need. When I have a need and am weak, confidence is usually not my posture or the way I walk. The verses that precede this one tells us that we have a high priest and one who can sympathize with our weaknesses.  Jesus, our High Priest, is one who was tempted in all things, yet did not sin.  This high priest invites us to come to His throne, the throne of grace. He invites us to come with confidence  so that we may find what we need in our moments of need. Jesus, the Life-giver, wants us to come in confidence. Confident, not slinking, but eyes on Him, the giver of grace. The Giver of manna grace, grace for today. Grace to respond with kindness instead of reacting. Grace to smile when I feel otherwise. Grace of wisdom to know which step to take...

  Most of us like a routine. I do. I realize, I also like flexibility or to change things up a bit, that is if I'm behind it. Some thrive on surprises and others don't. Some thrive on complete spontaneity and others that feels like way too much and out of control.  Hebrews 13:8, tells us that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, yes and forever". This faithfulness actually brings me a stable reality, an anchor. For when I'm wrestling with questions or am in the thick of hard, I can stand on what I knew to be true when "the sun was shining" and I felt like singing.  He was my Comforter yesterday, He is today.  He was my Saviour yesterday, He is today.  He loved me yesterday, He still does today.  This faithfulness may cause anxiety if for some  reason you doubt His love and goodness. Life's hard has distorted your view of Him, just like Satan wants to do; steal the life of God within us. It hasn't caused me anxiety but it did create a b...

  Psalm 56:8  "Thou hast taken account of my wanderings; put my tears in Thy bottle;" Tears. So often we feel a bit of shame as they fall, as if we're weak.  That somehow we should apologize for our tears.  Tears are a healer.  They are an indicator of something deep within our soul. When we apologize for our tears, we minimize our grief.   Tears express the hidden and silent words of our soul and they need to be expressed and we need to pay attention to their voice.   For as the tears leave a path on our cheeks, they are really paving the way to healing. They tell us of the grief we carry, of the pain that lies buried, or the bitterness that may need repenting.  As they carve their way, they find their way into the hand of God. And He catches them. He puts them in a bottle. He sees. He cares.  Enough to collect them, to catch them as they fall and to keep them.  Tears matter. Your grief matters. Your pain is in His presence.  ...

  O taste and see that the Lord is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8 To taste and see, is to experience something, whether it be a food, a friendship, a sight.  To taste and see, is to be present.  It's to learn and to know someone or something. Jesus wants to be known.  He wants to be chosen and loved, just like I do. And He wants to be experienced, not only when all is going delightfully well, but also when it is most difficult to choose Him.  He wants all of me and tells us in His word that without faith it's impossible to please Him. Disappointments.  Unmet expectations.  Pain.  All set us up to want to walk away from God Himself.  To walk away because, really, couldn't He do something? In the middle of all this hard, He wants us to choose Him.  To choose Him simply for who He is and not all He does for us.  To have faith in Him enough that we stay with Him when it's most difficult to do so and ver...

  Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name.                  Psalm 33:20-21 I wrote the three words in the title because they went together for me as I lived life. As I waited for God, I was getting frustrated and discouraged. I then realized as I wait, that I can only stay in hope as I also trust God and His timing. And then as I searched for this verse and typed them out, I realized how all three words were connected.  It uses rejoices instead of hope, but if we have hope we will rejoice in God. Our ability to stay with God in the midst of hard is directly connected to my view of Him and how much I believe He is for me and has got whatever is causing me hardship.  Trust. Yes, easier said than done when my vulnerability, fears, and triggers are touched and I am tempted to 'reach' for what I think is best, just like Eve did those many years ago....

  Trust in the Lord and lean not on thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths.   Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust Me," Jesus says.  And that's easy until something or a situation looms so large before me that all within me screams to reach for taking matters into my own hands.  History, past experiences, remind me that God is trustworthy.  So, I breathe deep, pause and remember my Father's love runs deep and He is good whether my circumstances portray that reality or not.  I take the next step, one step at a time, with my hand, in my Father's hand.  Because His love is faithful, He changes not.