Our Dwelling Place

The Lord provides a place to dwell - a place to relax. Unwind. Be yourself. He invites us to abide in Him - make ourselves at home with Him. To do this requires great intimacy. It also requires a heart that recognizes Who God is. He is the Most High. He has been before the world was formed. He is Lord over my life! Yet, this awesome, powerful God invites me to "dwell" with Him. To be intimate with Him. He longs for me to be comfortable to share my struggles and lean on His understanding.

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
Psalm 90:1-2

Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him,
And He will show them His covenant.
Psalm 25:12-14

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust."
Psalm 91:1-2

Wait Patiently

A pregnant woman knows a lot about waiting. But waiting on the Lord seems so hard sometimes. We expect God to just come in and rescue us as soon as we cry to Him. Sometimes He doesn't come, or seem to come, right away. The psalmist really believed that God was coming. A pregnant woman knows that the day will come when she will hold her little one. We too can know that God will come. When we wait for God, it isn't a hoping and waiting. It is an expectant waiting. We wait with confidence: He WILL come! He will answer my prayer. He will heal my heart. He will make me see sunlight again.

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him...

Those who wait on the Lord,

They shall inherit the earth.

Psalm 37:7, 9

Let all that I am wait quietly before God,

for my hope is in Him.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,

my fortress where I will not be shaken.

My victory and honor come from God alone.

He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.

O my people, trust in Him at all times.

Pour out your heart to Him,

for God is our refuge.

Psalm 62:5-8

I am still confidence of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Psalm 27:13-14

Forgiveness

Help us, O God our Savior,
for the glory of Your name;
deliver us and forgive our sins
for Your name's sake.
Ps. 79:9

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.
The Lord is good to all.
And tender mercies are over all His works.
Ps. 145:8-9

Happy is the person
whose sins are forgiven
whose wrongs are pardoned.
Ps. 32:1

God, be merciful to me
because You are loving.
Because You are always ready to be merciful,
wipe out all my wrongs.
Ps. 51:1

I can forgive others of many, many things because I know how much God has forgiven me. Although I never did drugs, drink, or did really horrible things. But I've harbored bitterness. I've lashed out in anger. God has forgiven me of soooo many things! Daily! And if I cannot forgive someone else, what right do I have to ask God for forgiveness?

The Lord is My Strength

Lord, thank You for giving me the strength to get through the little things. I know I couldn't have gotten through those things on my own. I know whatever I may face, You will give me the strength that I'll need. Amen.
Who really can harm me? No one! He doesn't just protect the physical - He protects our hearts as well. I can love others who have hurt me with safety to know they can't really hurt me again. If I am abiding in Him, my emotions and very core being are in His protective care.

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?
Ps. 27:1

I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,
And have not let my foes rejoice over me,
O Lord my God, I cried out to You,
And You healed me.
O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;
You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
Ps. 30:1-3

May all who search for you
be filled with joy and gladness in You.
May those who love Your salvation
repeatedly shout, "The Lord is great!"
As for me....let the Lord keep me in His thoughts.
You are my helper and my savior.
Ps. 40:16-17

The Generosity of God

We might think that because God could give us everything we desire, need, or ask for that He will. No, God gives us what we need at the time. Some may say that that is cruel, who would He withhold? I think that those who think that God is withholding things from them do not see the riches He is giving: The physical - food, clothing, shelter. The spiritual - love, acceptance, grace, and mercy. Focusing on what you don't have makes You neglect to give praise and thanksgiving for what You do have. You miss God's great generosity.

I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord gives grace and glory;

No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
O Lord of hosts,

How blessed is the man who trusts in You!

Psalm 84:11-12

He Leads the Humble

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments.

His descendants will be mighty on earth;

The generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches will be in his house,

And his righteousness endures forever.

Psalm 112:1-3

The Lord is good and does what is right;

He shows the proper path to those who go astray.

He leads the humble in doing right,

teaching them His way.

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness

all who keep His coenant and obey His demands.

Psalm 25:8-10

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.

Psalm 86:5

Lord, my prayer is to be the humble servant that I shoudl be. Let me treat others more highly than myself. Let me trust in You, that my needs and desires will be met in You! Lord, help me not to be boastful or too prideful. Help me to remember that I am nothing without You! I do not want pride to rule my life or heart. Lord, help me to be a servant to al that are around me. Let me see everything I do as a service to You. Amen.

The Lord Our Shield

A shield is something that covers you. It is hard and strong. Yet, it moves with you and never leaves. That is the Lord! Who could harm us?! No one! No one can physically harm us, emotionally, or spiritually without His consent. And if He does give His consent, there is a greater reason. We may not see it right away, why we had to suffer, but He does. We can trust that He will never let us suffer more than we can bear. Our only hope of surviving this world is to cling to our Shield. Trust Him. Hope in Him. He will protect us.

Though a mighty army surrounds me,
my heart will not be afraid.
Even if I am attacked,
I will remain confident.
The one thing I ask of the Lord - the thing I seek most -
is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
delighting in the Lord's perfections
and meditating in His temple.
Psalm 27:3-4

No king is saved by his great army.
No warrior escapes by his great strength....
But the Lord looks after those who fear Him,
those who put their hope in His love....
So our hope is in the Lord.
He is our help, our shield to protect us.
We rejoice in Him,
because we trust His holy name.
Lord, show Your love to us
as we put our hope in You.
Psalm 33:16, 18, 20-22

He Guards the Faithful

Psalm 97:10

Let those who love the Lord hate evil,

for He guards the lives of His faithful ones

and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

There is so much wickedness in our world today. What a comfort to know that we have a Protector?! He is protecting us from evil men, evil ideas, and evil ways. Praise Him that I no longer have to let sin reign in my soul and life! Because I have placed my trust in Him, I can say "no" to sin and temptation. I can chose Him! I pray that I will be faithful in putting away my sinful habits and tendencies. I pray that I will not let bitterness, hurt, or angry control me. I pray that I can be counted as a faithful follower of Him.

Let Everything that Has Breath Praise the Lord

Praise the Lord.
Praise God in His sanctuary;
praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His acts of power;
praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise Him with the harp and lyre,
praise Him with tambourine and dancing,
praise Him with the strings and flute,
praise Him with the clash of cymbals,
praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 150:1-6

Kings of the earth and all nations,
princes and all rulers of the earth,
young men and women,
old people and children,
Praise the Lord,
because He alone is great.
He is more wonderful than heaven and earth.
Psalm 148:11-13

Everything I have comes from God. Everything He is and has done and will do deserves my praise. Praise Him everywhere. In my bed at night, in the car, in a crowd or alone. Praise Him for everything that He is: faithful, loving, kind, full of grace, THE truth, just. Praise Him with every musical instrument available. Not everyone praises God like they should. Even I fall short of what I need to be doing. But one day - everyone will praise Him as He deserves.

The Lord Gives Me Strength and a Song

Psalm 118:1-8, 10, 14

1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
3 Let the house of Aaron now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
4 Let those who fear the LORD now say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
5 I called on the LORD in distress;
The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 The LORD is on my side;
I will not fear.
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.
8 It is better to trust in the LORD
Than to put confidence in man.
10 All nations surrounded me,
But in the name of the LORD I will destroy them.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.

I was moved recently by a songwriter's testimony and his new CD. He lost his 6-year-old girl last year to a accident and now sings songs of hope. If anyone knows of heartache and pain, he would. If anyone had the right to question God's love - He did. Instead, he chose to show God's love by showing the strength and hope that God gives during a difficult time. I have never had such a tragedy happen to me, but my heart is comforted and given hope that if I ever did, God would be there just the same for me.

Here is one of his songs:

Our God is in Control by Steven Curtis Chapman

This is not how it should be
This is not how it could be
This is how it is
And our God is in control

This is not how it will be
When we finally will see
We'll see with our own eyes
He was always in control

And we'll sing holy, holy, holy is our God
And we will finally really understand what it means
So we'll sing holy, holy, holy is our God

While we're waiting for that day
This is not where we planned to be
When we started this journey
But this is where we are
And our God is in control

Though this first taste is bitter
There will be sweetness forever
When we finally taste and see
That our God is in control

And we'll sing holy, holy, holy is our God
And we will finally really understand what it means
So we'll sing holy, holy, holy is our God

This is the Day

Sometimes I get so busy with my to-do lists that I forget to just rejoice! Why does God say that we will be blessed when we worship Him? I know that when I am rejoicing in God, I am focusing on Him and not on myself. When I focus on Him, my troubles and stress completely fade. I am so much more at peace and rest when He is not only the center of my life, but my thoughts!

Lord, be the center of my thoughts and let me praise You today!

Psalm 118:24
This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 13:5-6
I've thrown myself headlong into Your arms -
I'm celebrating Your rescue.
I'm singing at the top of my lungs,
I'm so full of answered prayers.

Psalm 89:15-16
Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,
for they will walk in the light of Your presence, Lord.
They rejoice all day long in Your wonderful reputation.
They exult in Your righteousness.

Psalm 96:11-13
Let the skies rejoice and the earth be glad;
let the sea and everything in it shout.
Let the fields and everything in them rejoice.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy
before the Lord, because He is coming.

You give and take away for my good. For who am I to say what I need?

For You alone see the hidden parts of me that need to be stripped away.
And as You begin to refine, I’m learning to let go and rely on One who walks with me.

As hard as it may be,
You’re teaching me all the while to say:

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

All that’s in me bless Your name,

Forget not Your power un- told, not Your glory or Your fame.

For You came to heal the broken, to redeem and make me whole.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

-written by Laura Story