The Month of May

Have you had an inkling of what's been going on in my life lately? Or maybe you've just thought all my favorite verses have to do with wisdom and guidance--not that would be bad, of course.

This past month, and even past couple of months, and the past six months, have held several twists and turns. Closed doors. Plans that faded away into nothing. I felt sure that God was behind at least most of those things; I didn't think I was following my own way. So what happened?

What is happening?

I don't know. And honestly, it's been a struggle to hang on to the fact that God does know. Theologically, I know that God is sovereign and knows what happens before it happens. But when things seem to be falling apart, it's very tempting to believe that something slipped through the cracks and God's forgotten about me or at least didn't care.

That's what I do--forget about things (or people) and don't care about things (or people) sometimes. That's not what God does.

God is good. He is faithful. He is merciful. He is gracious. He is love.

I read a Psalm every morning and love it. They are so applicable. Rebuking. Encouraging. Even as I identify with the emotions expressed, they take my focus off myself and back to where they should be.

So I said, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove!

I would fly away and be at rest.

Indeed I would wander far off,

And remain in the wilderness.

I would hasten my escape

From the windy storm and tempest."

Cast your burden on the Lord,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit

  the righteous to be moved.

You number my wanderings;

Put my tears into Your bottle;

Are they not in Your book?

Be merciful to me, O God,

   be merciful to me!

For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings

   I will make my refuge,

Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High,

To God who performs all things for me.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;

Let Your glory be above all the earth.

~excerpts from Psalms 55, 56, and 57

I'm still praying. Still wondering. Still trusting.

God is working! And whatever He's doing in the background, right now He's calling for a deeper relationship with Him. My plans and ideas can so often get in the way of the One Important Thing. This summer will be a lot different than  I had expected or even wanted, but I haven't lost the best summer plans--spending time with Jesus!

Romans 8:26

Reminder of God's Goodness

Ask,

and it will be given to you;

seek,

and you will find;

knock,

and it will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives,

and the one who seeks finds,

and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Or which one of you,

if his son asks him for bread,

will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish,

will give him a serpent?

If you then, who are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father who is in

heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Direction

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

~Isaiah 30:21~

WISDOM

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

~The wisdom passages of James 1 and 3~

"Wisdom is a divine gift

that enables us to

live in a godly manner

and endure trials."

~Pastor JD Summers~

Reminded

Come now, you who say,

"Today or tomorrow we will go into

such and such a town and

spend a year there and

trade and make a profit"--

yet you do not know

what tomorrow will bring.

What is your life?

For you are a mist that appears

for a little time and then vanishes.

Instead

you ought to say,

"If the Lord wills,

we will live

and do this or that."

As it is,

you boast in your arrogance.

All such boasting is evil.
So whoever knows the right thing

to do and fails to do it,

for him it is sin.

~James 4:13-17, ESV~

This Morning's Quiet Time

Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice. The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip. The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death. The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial. Wait for the LORD and keep His way, and He will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off. I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found. Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in Him. ~Psalm 37: 1-8, 30-40

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make

straight your paths.