Corn muffins (with butter!) were on the menu yesterday at our very last Wednesday morning Bible study of the year. Pastor Bob joined us again, as we took some time to share Bible verses that were especially meaningful to us.
You know how it goes at times like this. The group leader asks,
“Who would like to go first?”
Everyone looks around the table at each other until the leader begins threatening to pick someone randomly, then finally one brave soul steps forward.
Heather broke the silence and told us about how meditating on a verse in Psalm 51 had been very meaningful to her.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God…”(vs. 10)
I remembered how this same verse had helped me, at a time when I had felt especially challenged by life.
Julius shared his experiences as a student in Hungary, memorizing the Psalms in school. Debra explained what Isaiah 11:2-3 had come to mean to her, and talked about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. And Joyce, our group leader, shared one of her favorite Bible passages with us – Philippians 4:4-9. She’d mentioned the passage to me privately before; it’s been a favorite of hers for many years.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!…” (vs. 4)
Oh, you really must read the rest on your own sometime – it’s so beautiful! Read it a few times over, in a quiet place, and let God work His Word into you – deep within, into your innermost being, into your heart.
What will He speak to you personally? I would love to know! Maybe we might even have one brave soul in the blog here with us this week, who will step forward and share with us in a comment? Hmmm??
It’s so encouraging to hear about the many diverse ways in which God is at work in the lives of other Christians! I’m looking forward to resuming our studies in September, and would love to see you there.
Still Standing
Monday, August 29th, 2011My daughters and I walked around town this morning, surveying the damage from Hurricane Irene. We’re not looking at trees in quite the same way anymore.
On other walks we might remark, “what a lovely tree, it has such nice form.” But this morning it was more like, “wow, that one is a real house-crusher!”
Tuning in to our battery-powered radio, we heard one commentator predict that the newly-planted trees would topple first. I whispered a prayer for all newly-planted Christians, that their “roots” would remain firmly planted in The Lord through this latest test of faith.
I don’t know about your neighborhood, but in ours it was actually some of the older, well-established trees that fell. It was terrifying to hear them come down in the dark of Saturday night and not be able to see where they landed. Were my neighbors all o.k., I wondered? All that I could do was pray fervently, and trust in God.
We’ve got a couple of really large trees on either side of our house, so we decided to sleep downstairs in a more centrally located spot. “Sleep” – ha! I was up all night, were you?
As I sat in a chair by the basement door, bucket in hand, listening for the sound of water gushing in through the wall again, I thought about all of the years that The Lord has been with me, of all the trials He has seen me through. For the first time in a long time, I had a crystal-clear understanding of this, and my heart overflowed with thanks and praise. This is most certainly an indication of His Presence with me that night!
Well, we’ve surveyed the damage here, and several trees did fall. But they all fell between the houses! Praise The Lord!!
Earthquakes, hurricanes – they test our faith. But we are still standing.
“Many are asking, ‘Who can show us any good?’” But I say, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:6-8)
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Tags: Battery Powered Radio, Christians, Commentator, Crusher, Downstairs, Earthquakes, Hurricane Irene, Hurricanes, Long Time, Lovely Tree, Neighborhood, Neighbors, Prayer, Roots, Saturday Night, Sound Of Water, Test Of Faith, Thanks And Praise, Trust In God, Walks