Tagged: trusting God

Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure. Psalm 16:5 Everything that comes is assigned.  Elisabeth Elliot called this the great simplifier for all of life. Our loving heavenly Father has assigned everything that comes into our lives. Can I accept His assignment? Can you? The Israelites wandered in the desert, all ate of the same manna. But many did not please the Lord and died before seeing the Promised Land. How do you explain the difference between people who have been through the same experience, but with vastly different outcomes? The great simplifier invites us to trust God even when it’s hard. Maybe even when it seems impossible. His portion can be painful.  I have found… Read More

And we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 Gold basically becomes gold in two ways: melting and crushing. Scrap gold, such as bits of old jewelry, must first be tested to assess its quality and determine how much of it is gold and how much is other elements. In this process, the gold is placed in a crucible, where the melting begins. The temperature required to melt scrap gold is 1947 degrees or higher, depending on the alloys it contains. Upon melting, the metals separate from one another, and the gold sinks to the bottom. The other impurities are left behind. The refiner must then take several other steps… Read More

The Lord is my shepherd… Psalm 23:1   Jeso muridza mudzo! Nahenza nakamone ko muno! Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno! Nahenza Nakamone ko kuno.   Jesus is a good Shepherd! I long to see Him up ahead leading me! I long to see Him up ahead leading me! I long to see Him up ahead leading me.   To the throb of a one-two, one-two-three drum beat we used to sing these words and dance under the palm shelter that served as our church in East Africa. The purity, the sheer joy of the thought of being shepherded by the Lord, filled every face with light. This group of humble shepherds knew the exhaustion of shepherding sheep, wandering far over the brushy savannah looking for grass… Read More

Take heed, and be quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted. Be still, and know that I am God. Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God? He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established. -Isaiah 7:4, Psalm 46:10, John 11:40, Psalm 112:7-8 “He will be fine,” said the innkeeper, “Mothers always worry the most.” You don’t know our story, I thought wearily as I set my luggage down. Five hours and three hundred miles earlier I’d been sitting in a parking lot, immobilized. Unable to leave my youngest son behind until I’d made a decision. Would I trust the Lord? After a… Read More

Thou preparest a shulchan before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with shemen (olive oil); my kos (cup) runneth over. Surely tov (goodness) and chesed (lovingkindness) shall follow me kol y’mei chaiyyai (all the days of my life)... --Psalm 23:4-6, Orthodox Jewish Bible Shulchan: (Hebrew) a king’s table, private use, sacred use (Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; keyed to the "Theological Word Book of the Old Testament"). My table-setter was very busy. The most colorful rug, the one woven by her great-grandmother and carefully cherished and preserved, was the one chosen as a “tablecloth” for eating. I watched as Nadia tenderly unrolled it and placed it on her immaculately clean floor in the center of the room. Next, silk embroidered cushions… Read More