What Now?

We counted days prior to Christmas making sure everything was as prepared for that big day as possible. It came quickly and the day was over even faster. As we view these days after Christmas, we find:

• gifts given and received, mountains of torn up gift wrap stuffed in garbage bags,
• Christmas pageants finished after hours of work on music, costumes, special effects, etc.
• children occupied with everything from girl's baby dolls or boys sports equipment,
• company has come and gone,
• leftovers from Christmas dinner are stowed away in the refrigerator or freezer,
• Christmas tree is either already down or will be in a couple of days,
• holiday décor is back in boxes ready for the attic or garage,
• gifts have been returned to stores for exchange or for money back,
• holiday depression may be setting in by now.....SO...
• What now?

As I write, in just a few days we will be looking at a new year...2015. Christmas is probably the one really big holiday celebration of the year. More is done in preparation for this day than perhaps any other day. When it's over, folks may go through a time of let down little realizing that another special holiday is just around the corner...New Year's Day.

Many people I know make New Year resolutions. I don't care for the word “resolution” because to me, it says something I must determine to do with great resolve in looking at a new year. I know myself well and know many ways where I need to make changes in my life, especially in the spiritual area of “me.” I also think I know enough about me that for any spiritual change to take place, it takes God's conviction, direction and strengthening in my life for such changes to take place. So Christmas is a part of the past until next year, so “WHAT NOW” does God have in store for me in 2015?

I can read most places in God's Word and feel a conviction of a need for change or strengthening in my life. I've been spending some time in the book of Colossians and have had no problem seeing some places where God wants to work with me on some things. These don't have to apply to you but many of them do to me. Allow me to share a few of these things that I have simply written in a journal to keep me reminded that New Years day can be a day of real spiritual significance for me. I have underlined a few words in the verses listed that I view as things the Lord and I are going to have to work on. It won't work without my cooperation with Him.

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus
the Lord, so walk in Him,
2:6

Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth.

3:2

And let the peace of God rule in your
hearts, to which also you were
called in one body, and be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom...
3:15,16a

And whatever you do, do it heartily,
as to the Lord and not to men.
3:23

Continue earnestly in prayer, being
vigilant in it with thanksgiving.
4:2

Let your speech always be with grace,
seasoned with salt, that you may know
how you ought to answer each one.
4:6

I'm looking forward to 2015 even though I have no idea the things that may come my way. I do know that God will not allow anything to come into my life without His approval, Jesus continues to love me despite my flaws and the Holy Spirit is always near to teach and lead me. I want to be teachable and pliable in the hands of God and be more for Him than I've ever been in my life.

There are friends who know I select a Scripture verse for each year. This year my theme verse is Micah 6:8:

He hath showed thee, O man, what is
good: and what doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly, and
to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with thy God?

Dear Father, I'm not being prideful in wanting to be more for You this year than before. There is nothing of You I can be without Your power in my life. Help me to keep my focus on You and not on me and my personal desires. I love You and want to please You. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.

Praying For Others

Evening, and morning, and at noon,
will I pray, and cry aloud: and He
shall hear my voice.
Psalm 55:17

What a wonderful privilege it is to pray for others. Someone may ask for our prayers regarding something difficult they are going through and we agree to pray. Many churches have prayer lists they pass out to the congregation on a regular basis. Emergency needs may come to our attention and we feel strongly led to pray. The above verse is my emergency prayer verse. Some urgent situations call for a real dedication to praying for whatever the need may be. There are those times we feel led to pray when we don't have much information as to why we feel led to pray for someone or something but the leading is strong.

His name is Paul. I first came to know him through both of us being our church choir. I'm an alto, he a tenor so our sections sat next to each other in our choir practice room. For a long time, I didn't even know is name until I asked another alto. He appeared to be so kind, dedicated and with a great voice. From bits and pieces of conversations, I learned that he was a single young man. During one particular rehearsal, the Holy Spirit just put on my heart to pray that the Lord would bring a young lady into Paul's life that would be a good match for him. I didn't pray for anyone in particular but felt I should leave that up to the Lord. To this day, I doubt Paul and I have passed more than 50 words between us in person. I didn't have to know Paul well, but God did and I knew He would work on Paul's behalf. God did His work as only He can do. Paul is now married to a lovely young lady (who was also in the choir) and they now have two gorgeous little girls with another baby on the way in early summer 2015. I've not had the privilege of seeing their children in person but have seen pictures. Paul is a happy man and I'm so grateful that God entrusted me, and I'm sure others, to pray for Him.

I don't relate this incident to brag on me and my prayer life. (I'm bragging on God.) So often, I have mistakenly felt that in praying for others, I needed to just pray for the big stuff in their lives. However, no matter the need, small or great, people feel that all their needs are big ones. The Lord at times has led me to pray for someone's physical condition when that person didn't even know until later that they had a problem. I have awakened in the middle of the night when someone in particular came to my mind. I prayed for them not knowing what was going on in their life at the time, but God did.

Yesterday morning, in our church, a young 19-year-old man came forward during invitation time and was sweetly saved. I have noticed him sitting on a back row with his girlfriend and her family. With me being at the piano, especially at invitation time, I don't get to be out in the congregation meeting or talking with people. He has been right within my view as I look a little to my right. I could hardly contain myself as I saw those wonderful tears of joy coming down his cheeks. Right after the service, I went to the back of the room. I told him that I know he doesn't know me nor had I met him, but that the Lord had led me to pray for him in particular over a span of weeks. I gave him a big hug, rejoicing in his new relationship with Jesus.

For many Christians, prayer may mean just saying grace at the table, praying before bedtime, bowing heads when the preacher prays or lifting those personal SOS prayers to the Lord in times of personal need. Prayer can sometimes be a “have-to” process for many Christians, but it doesn't have to be like that. Even in our prayer life, we can realize joy and a sense of satisfaction as we work in tandem with the Lord and His will for those He leads us to pray for.

I'm not always faithful to pray, even when prompted by the Holy Spirit to do so. I've also committed the terrible sin of telling someone I will pray with them about something when I haven't been faithful to carry out a resolve to do so. Folks may never know if we are faithful or not to pray, but the Lord knows our faithfulness or failures when praying for someone else.

One of the hardest ways of praying is for secret things that no one will ever know anything about. There are a couple of things I'm praying about right now. I won't discuss those things and don't even have them written down on a prayer list. They are things between me and the Lord. I know He can deal with those things better than me and my mouth can and am leaving those things with Him.

There are so many facets to our prayer lives and God calls us to be in season and out of season to pray. We don't have to know the names of some on a prayer list or who sit two pews in front of us. In our troubled times, many are counting on our prayers and God can lay folks on our hearts for His own reasons. Be it night, morning or noon, we are to be alert and on duty to pray in sometimes the oddest of circumstances. What a privilege is ours....

Dear Father, thank You for the joy of prayer, be it personal or on behalf of others. Help me to be faithful to pray and never make promises to pray if I never intend to do so. Thank You for entrusting to me the privilege of praying for others. In Jesus precious name....Amen!

A Root of Bitterness

Pursue peace with all people
and holiness, without which no one
will see the Lord:
looking carefully lest anyone fall
short of the grace of God; lest any
root of bitterness spring up cause
trouble, and by this many become defiled.
Hebrews 12:14,15

I don't know if you've ever been around a person who is “eaten up” with bitterness. If you haven't, you are a very blessed person. The venom that swirls inside such a person can affect everyone they come in contact with. These are people who have been deeply hurt or offended and they carry it with no resolving of the issues. As Christians, we can easily take on the attitude that the problem of bitterness will never affect us, but it can and probably will at some point unless we take measures to deal with personal pain and anguish.

Perhaps you've been through a time of bitterness in your life...I know that I have. The writer of the book of Hebrews, through the Holy Spirit, gives three strong suggestions in the above verses.

1. Pursue peace...with ALL people.
   When we pursue something, we are chasing it down, running after it. The word speaks
   of an intensity. Any peace people pursue, however, is for nothing unless it is a peace
   that comes of God between two parties. Tear up all peace treaties for they will never
   work if both countries aren't people of God. We may want to choose who we will be at
   peace with, but God's mandate is that as His people, we are to live, first at peace on an
   individual basis with God. We are told to make every effort to be at peace with people, yes, the easiest or most difficult of people. The other person may n respond,
   but we aren't responsible for for the response or actions of the other person...only for obedience on our own part.

2. Pursue holiness
   We will never attain to the same holiness as God, but we are to lead a holy life through
   the power of the Holy Spirit. God never gives us a command we can't keep. He doesn't play jokes on us. He wants our lives to be pure and clean in every way.
   

Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God.
We should be alert spiritually speaking so that we don't slip into sin and wrong doing. We can often fall short when we lose the initiative of staying on guard regarding our spiritual beings. Many Christians fall into the things of the world because they lost their spiritual “edge.”

LEST: (the prevention of something negative happening)
...lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble.

I don't know about you, but what little I know about plants or growing things, they started with a seed of some kind. Before roots can be formed, seeds must be planted. In verse 15 we read of “any root of bitterness.” No root, formed underground, just appears on it's own. There is a major event that brings any root about and that event is the planting of some kind of seed. My personal opinion regarding that root of bitterness is that the major event that takes place is that of the planting of a seed. I also believe that seed to be the seed of anger. From my experience as a social worker and just through life observation, it seems that bitterness is the end result of anger. Bitterness appears to be the big grand finale of an on-going angry spirit.

We must guard our hearts not from bitterness but from the anger that causes it. That small seed of anger grows and produces the roots and crops of bitterness. We must be on the alert when anger arises in our lives. Left to itself, anger will multiply creating the undergrowth of bitterness that can absolutely ruin life for anyone who doesn't get control of that part of their lives. So how do we proceed? Scripture is plain on the subject.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger,
clamor, and evil speaking be put
away from you, with all malice.
And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one
another, even as God in Christ
forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32

Verse 31 tells us what to be rid of, and we are to be rid of it with all malice. Otherwise, we should hate all of those negative things that can be our downfall. Notice the backward order of the emotions leading to bitterness....evil speaking, clamor, anger, wrath, bitterness. Paul views bitterness and it's friends in a broader way. Many times, evil speaking can cause more hurt than can be imagined and it leads to the next thing and then to the next thing, etc. But notice that Paul says to PUT AWAY all of those things, indicating that we have a choice as to what to do with these things. God will empower us to be rid of any sin that besets us.

We are then told in verse 32 what to put in the place of all of those negative qualities that leads to bitterness. We are to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving of one another. Why are we to do those positive things...simply because Jesus the supreme example for us to follow...forgiveness.

So we look at the trail from bitterness to forgiveness. Some may carry bitterness from earlier in their lives. Maybe those who hurt us has died or can't be contacted. We don't have to speak to our offender. We can always forgive, handing our hurts to the Lord to heal our lives as He sees fit. The other person doesn't have to apologize...we always forgive no matter the time that has passed or the continuing bad attitudes of others. I am in a position right now that involves a supposedly very mature Christian who is not speaking to me. I don't like that but right now, that person is unapproachable. However, in my heart I have forgiven that person despite the person's uncalled for behavior.

May I add an essential fact: bitterness can make one very ill. The physical systems of our body can be thrown into turmoil because of bitterness and all things associated with it. It is vital to leave those things with the Lord.

Dear Father, I don't want to be a bitter person. I must leave folks with you who have hurt me as I forgive them for their unkindnesses to me. Please help me to be anger-free and to do it for Your honor and glory. In Jesus' precious name....Amen!

Hide and Seek

From about my age of 10, our family lived right behind the grade school I attended. I could just cross the street, walk up onto school property, cross a ball field, through part of the playground and into the school. Come evening, during warmer seasons, the school ground was still a busy place. Some neighborhood boys played basketball or baseball depending on the season of the year. Most of us engaged in some of the usual childhood games that were so much fun. One of the all time favorites was the game of Hide and Seek. We had to decide boundaries for hiding as the school property took up more space than would be reasonable for the game.

It was the usual one person counting to 50 or 100 and then first looking around for obvious hiders who hadn't gone very far from the seekers tree. It was a good thing if you could run in when the seeker wasn't looking, pat the tree and yell, “Safe.” We would play that until almost dark outside and always had to come running when a parent called for us to come home. That game was my first experience as a seeker. No one had to define the word. It was my job as seeker to find all the hiders I could with as few as possible coming to the tree before I could catch them.

We have spent our lives being seekers. Seekers are those folks who earnestly look for someone or something. Early in life, we seek the right husband or wife for our lives. Many seek out the college to attend or the perfect job. However, among all the seeking we have done, the most important was that of seeking the Lord. We may not have known it, but Scripture has commanded beyond our years that we seek the Lord. That is not only supposed to be just with regard to our salvation, but we are to be seekers of Him all the time. We are told:

Seek ye the Lord while He
may be found, call upon Him
while He is near.
Isaiah 55:6

God always makes Himself available to us and He is ever seeking us as well.

For the Son of Man has come to seek
and to save that which was lost.
Luke 19:10

In that childhood game, I never liked being the seeker...I liked being the hider. I'm afraid there have been times in my life when I have been a hider from God...not open with Him and not in His will where I knew I should be. Still, with His consistent and His undeserved love, He has always come seeking with the leading of His Holy Spirit. Aren't we glad that in our worst spiritual state, He still seeks for us.

There are definite advantages in being seekers of our Heavenly Father. These verses fall under the category of the “Seekers Perks.”

The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
but those who seek the Lord shall not
lack any good thing.
Psalm 34:10

Seek the Lord and live.

Amos 5:6a

Evil men do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord
understand all.
Proverbs 28:5

Seek the Lord and His strength;
seek His face evermore!
Psalm 105:4

But from there you will seek the Lord
your God, and you will find Him if you
seek Him with all your heart and with
all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

And most precious...

And you will seek Me and find Me,|
when you search for Me with all
your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13

The secret of this verse is not just God's promise that He can be found by us, but we should look at three words in that verse that should stand out...you, you, your. There must be two-way effort...God is always available but we must catch up to where He is. Seeking Him is always going to mean a consistent effort on our part. We have distractions, problems, activities and such that can cause us to loose track of God. We really don't have to look very far to find Him for He is ever-present. We are a very blessed people to have the Abba Father we have, but we must keep seeking.

Father, as a parent would look for a lost child, I know You seek for me when I have neglected You. Thank You for loving me that much and for caring for me when I don't deserve a minute of Your time. I love You. In Jesus' precious name....Amen!

The Spiritual Privilege of Thanksgiving

I rarely cook turkey and dressing on any day other than our holiday of Thanksgiving. There would be nothing wrong with it, but somehow, it just doesn't taste the same. We all have our holiday traditions. I know of people who don't roast a turkey...they have a beef roast. Somehow, that sounds criminal to me, but we all have our ways of doing things.

Many people make it a habit to make a thanksgiving list this time of year, to list those people and things they are most grateful for. I've done that and see nothing wrong with it. My list usually is made up of people, possessions, health, provisions, blessings of the year and I can be thankful for those things any day of any year. We are to be grateful people 365 days of the year for God's goodness in our lives.

This year, I've been scanning Scripture looking for those verses that express praise and gratitude to God, not so much for what He does for me on an ongoing basis but for who He is in my life and the life of others as well. I have listed just a few of those verses. There's no way I could write them all out, but have listed some of who He is and how He works on our behalf. These things aren't meant to be just for a day. These things are just who He is. Above each verse, I have written those things we should be grateful for every day of the when it comes to our love and appreciation for our Lord.

HIS DEEDS

Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds
among the peoples!
Psalm 105:1

GOODNESS, MERCY AND REDEMPTION

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for
He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...
Psalm 107:1,2a

HIS WILL IN MY LIFE

In everything give thanks; for this is the
will of God in Christ concerning you.
I Thessalonians 5:18

LOVINGKINDNESS AND FAITHFULNESS

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
and Your faithfulness every night.
Psalm 92:1,2

GOD'S GIFT OF VICTORY

But thanks be to God, who gives us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:57

INDESCRIBABLE GIFT OF HIS SON

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
II Corinthians 9:15

ROCK OF OUR SALVATION, GREATNESS, OUR ONLY GOD

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of
our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to
Him with psalms.
For the Lord is the great God, and
the great King above all gods.
Psalm 95:1-3

ALMIGHTY, GREAT POWER, REIGNS SUPREME

Was, Is and Is To Come
We give You thanks, O Lord God
Almighty, the One who is and who
was and who is to come, because You
have taken Your great power
and reigned.
Revelation 11:17

Let me encourage us to take time apart from the menu, ballgames, get-togethers and yes, early shopping to sincerely come before God, our one and only, to express our more than deserved gratitude for all He has been and continues to be in our lives. Our thank you list could go on and on but perhaps as we read our Bibles we can be more alert to those wonderful attributes God is in our lives.

Thank You so much, dear Father for who you are in all of our lives. We can never express enough gratitude for all You are and for all You do for us that we don't even pause to think about. We praise You and thank You for all You've given to us. Forgive our ingratitude. We love You...in Jesus precious name...Amen.

Love Those Surprises

But as it is written:
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
nor have entered into the heart
of man the things which God
has prepared for those who love Him.
I Corinthians 2:9

We live in a world where it would seem there are few surprises left. Our world has been through so much and most people are so world savvy that it's even hard to surprise someone with a birthday gift. In some years back, maybe you can remember with me, the television program “Gomer Pyle.” He was a bit of a country bumpkin and was so naïve that it was easy to pull something over on him. When he was surprised by something, the funniest thing Gomer would say with a loud, twangy voice was, “SURR-PRAHS...SURR-PRAHS!!

All of us like surprises, when it comes to good or fun things. A surprise isn't always just good things though. A surprise is anything that comes our way that is totally unexpected. That might be a surprise gift, surprise party, medical diagnosis, being tail-ended by another car, etc. As I write, a friend of mine by the name of Linda was walking to work. As she was crossing the street, a car going 30 MPH hit her and sent her flying up on the hood and windshield of the car. In this short amount of time, she has had several surgeries, each one very serious in nature. Linda is one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet, who loves and serves the Lord faithfully. That morning as she crossed the street, she could never have imagined what was in store for her as she stepped out into the crosswalk, never dreaming that in those moments, her life would be totally changed....sur-prise, sur-prise.

I love the above verse. God has made big preparations for you and me. Just the fact that He would prepare with His own power something special for us is so amazing to me. In this passage, we don't see a list of what those things are but in this case, they must really be something. We see that our major senses are involved in this process of God's working on our behalf.

EYE has not seen: We love things that look nice, are pretty, are pleasant to behold. Whatever God has in store, it's like we've never seen before.
EAR has not heard: Whatever God has in store we've never heard anything like what He has in mind for us.
HEART: We allow a lot of hopes and desires to become a part of our heart's thinking. His goodness to us will be things we could never dream up or imagine.

God's “things” He's prepared, appear to me in this verse to be very personal, hand picked and developed by God just for us individually. I recently saw a man interviewed on television. He is a man who dotes on himself. He owns two or three expensive cars, a boat, jewelry many folks would envy. If he sees someone with an upgrade on any of his items, he goes and purchases something that outdoes that person. This man really cannot be surprised. There's not a gift, possession or party that could surprise this man. All he does for himself puts him in a constant state of the deepest of debt.

However, there are things about God that constantly surprise me when I think about who He is in my life. There is nothing new about these things but I love thinking about them.
+ I am amazed at God's power. From creation and parting the Red Sea to Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, we should stand in awe of all God can do and continues to do.

+ I'm also amazed at God's presence. There are people in Scripture who tried in any number of ways to flee God's presence but to no avail. He is everywhere and has every right to be. I am astonished beyond belief that out of the millions and millions of His followers, He can single me out for His own special plan and assignment for my life. God can single me out of all other believers to be loved, instructed and yes, corrected by Him. It's as if I'm His only child even though I know that isn't so.

The list could go on and on as we think of God's attributes but will end the list that is a personal amazement of Him in my life and that's His love. This love is beyond amazement but my personal amazement is that He would send His son Jesus to die for me. I'm not worthy of that and I don't know of anyone who is.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene.
And wonder how He could love me
A sinner, condemned unclean.
How marvelous
How wonderful
And my song shall ever be.
Oh how marvelous
Oh how wonderful
Is my Savior's love for me.

I love who God is in my life and everything He is in my life. Despite all of His goodness in my life on a regular basis, He is still full of surprises in my life as well. God sends things and people into my life that could only be of Him. You and I, although undeserving of God's goodness, should feel such gratitude toward Him and for Him who is faithful in our lives. I love that there's no imagining all God has in store for us BUT...it is “for those who love Him.” God is still in the process of preparing even more things for us and I can hardly wait to see what else He has in store for my life. It's got to be spectacular.

Thank you Father for Your goodness in my life. Forgive my lack of gratitude and taking Your blessings for granted. Thank you for sending Jesus into my life and for Your Holy Spirit who teaches me the Word and who guides and directs my life. In Jesus' precious name...Amen.

Just Get Me To Jesus

Then they came to Him, bringing a
paralytic who was carried by
four men.
Mark 2:3

It's an odd incident in the Gospels, but I have loved it for years. Jesus arrived in Capernaum. He went to a certain house and there began to preach. By now Jesus had done quite abit of healing and teaching so He had a following because of it. The house was packed full of people including some scribes who were there to listen to Jesus and probably hoped to get all the negative information on Jesus that they could. We read that the house was not only full but so full the crowd went to even the doorway. In all probability, there were folks standing outside the house as well.

Houses in those days were pretty simple if we go by cultural information we have from that time in history. Most were like a small building, square in shape usually made from mud bricks with mud to serve as a kind of concrete. There were in many cases a window on each side of the house and usually a very narrow stairway, attached to the house that led up to the roof. The roof was a wonderful place to be in the evenings when the sun was about set and folks could relax in the cooler evening air. During the day, the roof became a work area. The roof itself was usually made of hardened mud tiles that could be removed to pass things down into the house or just for ventilation.

Four men had a great concern for a friend who was a paralytic. We don't know the names of the men nor do we know if they were close friends or relatives. The fact is that they were very concerned for the man and felt if they could get him to Jesus, he could be healed. They carried the man on a cot or crude stretcher of sorts. Each of the four men held onto a corner of the cot and went straight to the house. Much to their dismay, they couldn't even get close to Jesus, not even into the door of the house. What were they to do?

The men decided the thing to do was to take the man to the roof. That would not be easy. Remember that the steps leading up to the roof were usually very narrow. How could four men, carrying a cot with a man on it possibly get to the roof? We don't know how they did it but they were desperate and got to the roof. There they removed some tiles and could see into the room where Jesus was preaching. They lowered the paralytic through the roof down to where Jesus was. Their determination and concern for their friend impressed Jesus who commented on their faith and immediately healed the man. Jesus told the man to get up, pick up his cot and to go to his house. Immediately the man arose from the cot, picked it up himself and went out where other people were standing. All were amazed and began praising the Lord. Many responded with “We've never seen anything like this!”

Why am I so impressed with this real event in the healing ministry of Jesus? First, there was a very desperate man with a condition that rendered him helpless. Even if he heard about Jesus, he couldn't have gotten himself to Jesus. BUT, four men appeared on the scene with a determination to get their friend to THE One they felt sure could heal him. They came up with a plan, got the man to Jesus and the rest is history.

I'm thinking of times in my spiritual walk when I became emotionally or spiritually paralyzed.

Serious situations can come into our lives and we exhaust ourselves with praying, often with more tears than we think we can shed. Perhaps some folks who love us realize our situation and come along side to stand with us. Some may be willing to even carry us. When we see a person like I've described, we can become a stretcher bearer.

When first married, a doctor told me I probably couldn't have a baby. That was a killer for me. I was the nursery director in a large Baptist church. I was taking care of others babies while having none of my own. Unbeknown to me, as I was told later by our pastor, seven of my nursery workers went to the pastor and asked him to find a baby for Brian and me to adopt. He didn't know of a situation at that time that had come to his attention but assured them he would be alert to that need. Those ladies made a spiritual agreement that night that no matter where they were, they would individually pray for this situation at 9:00 every night until I was holding a baby of my own in my arms. They also promised that they would never speak of it to me or anyone else. Can you imagine such an undertaking of love and even urgency. I couldn't do anything about our situation. I was about to the point that I couldn't even pray for myself anymore. I didn't go around talking about it but a couple of those workers were close friends and knew my heart.

In a few months, at a church staff meeting, the pastor said he had an announcement to make. He said, “Glendarae is going to have a baby the first part of November.” Everyone just cheered. I thought it was a joke...the meeting was being held in July. Sure enough, a beautiful baby girl came into our lives November 6 of that year. As much as Brian and I rejoiced with our new born daughter, secretly, behind the scenes was a group of seven ladies...stretcher bearers that supported me in prayer when I often couldn't get to Jesus for myself who among themselves were rejoicing, sharing knowing smiles about this baby who all must have felt like she was a special part of their lives as well.

We can't take on that much for everyone we come in contact with but the Lord will often bring someone our way with a great and seemingly impossible problem. Perhaps that person desperately needs one or more Christians to help bear their burden. Looking back, I remember receiving anonymous notes, little gifts, cards, some 3x5 cards with Scripture promises on them. Of course, I didn't know names of those ladies until after our baby came into our lives but the pastor admonished me to never let on to those ladies that I knew their secret. It was fun to watch those ladies on some occasions when individually, they would show up at church with a new frilly dress or baby toy for this little one they had prayed for. With each act of kindness, I just had to keep my knowing smile to myself. I wanted to cry at times when I watched some of them rock our baby while in the nursery or take extra time feeding her. They would almost have a look of wonder as they held her.

I haven't received that much secret devotion on the part of a group of friends since that time. I do know that there have been friends who have prayed and encouraged me during some very difficult times, times when I was so burdened I couldn't even word a prayer at the time. All of us need those “stretcher bearers” on occasion, but we also need to be so sensitive to the needs of others that we are willing to commit our energy and time to another person who desperately needs to get to Jesus, but who just feel like they can't quite get there. I believe Jesus is pleased when He witnesses our giving that kind of devotion to another person and He stands ready to honor that dedication.

By the way, as I write, in three days, that lovely daughter will celebrate a birthday. She loves and serves the Lord and has three children of her own. I wish those seven ladies, those stretcher bearers, could meet her now. Some are in Heaven, some are scattered now to different places but their impact is an eternal one. They got me to Jesus when I was too weary to get there on my own.

Thank You, dear Father, for seven friends who in their own way, consistently knocked on Your door on my behalf. We all learned in the process. Thank You for those in my life who have lifted me up when I felt I couldn't stand emotionally. May I be just as sensitive to others who have a need for whatever support I might be able to render. In Jesus' precious name..Amen

Uncomfortable for Jesus

Great peace have they who love
Your law, and nothing shall
offend them.
Psalm 119:165

Changeable weather brings out the good and bad of we church attenders. Over the recent couple of weeks, our building and grounds folks have cranked up the heating system of our church. Most of us know what the awakening of a furnace smells like...smelly heat. It generally overheats a room or building to the point of being VERY uncomfortable. But, spring is going to come and guess what happens then? The air conditioning will be turned on with a fury while ladies wrap up in sweaters and in some churches, choir robes. Either way, most folks end up being physically uncomfortable.

Not long ago, my friend Becky used a term on Face Book with regard to a friend of ours named Fred. (Wish you could know Becky. She's not only a wonderful musician but is also a very insightful Christian.) Our friend Fred recently made a move from my former church staff to another in a not so distant city. Becky said of our mutual friend that he is the kind of person who doesn't shy away from being “uncomfortable for Jesus.” Those words just penetrated deep into my spirit. Not only did I sense a spiritual agreement with Becky regarding Fred, but I questioned my own motivations when it comes to many things, things in which the Lord has been dealing with me on a personal level. I ask myself, “Do I want to do the spiritual thing, but at any cost?” Not a one of us likes being uncomfortable, not in today's world of controversy. Am I willing to face discomfort for Jesus Who certainly was willing to suffer more than the “uncomfortable” for me.

Comfortable: Physical ease and relaxation of mind, body or spirit
Uncomfortable: Feeling pain, physical or emotional discomfort. Feeling ill at ease or awkward.

As Christians, we much prefer the comfortable life. We want to feel good all the time or if we don't, then perhaps take a pill to take care of it. We don't want the weather too hot or too cold. We like our weather just right with maybe a jacket at night or early morning. We want to eat only the things we like. We like our mattress not too soft or too hard but just right. Sounds like the three bears trying out chairs, porridge and beds doesn't it? Our list of comforts could go on and on ad nauseum. We have grown to depend on those things that add to our comfort...dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, lawnmowers with motors and even seats, and they say the day will come when we don't even have to drive our own cars. They will drive themselves while we sit and look at the scenery.

How very sad that when it comes to our spiritual walk, we also want to keep things comfortable. Jesus didn't seek the comforts of life from what we see in the Gospels. The perfect Son of God who deserved nothing but respect and the good things of life, faced just the opposite. Some of the main discomforts He faced that were attacks on who He was came in the form of insults, disrespect, being made fun of, misunderstanding of friends and family members and physical cruelty. And yet, He remained firm in who He was. He wasn't a name dropper...”Because I'm God's Son, you shouldn't treat me like you do”. According to Philippians 2, Jesus never took advantage of who He was. He humbled Himself and took on the responsibility of servanthood.

There are areas in our spiritual walk in every day living that can be uncomfortable, especially in the day we live. We are seeing more and more in our country an onslaught of attacks against our faith and God's Word. I'm thinking of some folks who have blessed me in ways that might be uncomfortable for them but who carried on anyway:

• I'm always blessed when in a restaurant, I see folks say grace before eating and I mean saying it out loud. They don't pretend to fix the napkin on their laps as a cover for praying.
• As I was checking out at a store, I noticed the check out lady humming a song. As I listened, she was humming “I Surrender All.” She wasn't being loud or being a show off. It seemed as natural for her to do that as breathing. As I left, I said, “I love that song you were humming.” She smiled and asked what she was humming and I told her. She thanked me. I wonder how many patrons pass through her counter area who hear her song that can be a witness to the saved and unsaved alike.
• Another check out lady I noticed at a variety store had a beautiful pin on her uniform pocket that spelled out JESUS, spelled out in lovely stones. I commented jokingly to her that I'd like to steal JESUS from her. She sweetly said, “No one can steal Jesus from either of us.” She was right.
• I've seen folks read their Bibles in the oddest of places...doctor's offices, school rooms, work place, sitting in a car waiting on children to come out from school, airplanes, various waiting rooms and even in restaurants when lunching alone. These times could be uncomfortable because of the criticism that many people boldly dish out.
  

Those times are minor though when we find ourselves being called upon to take stands for Jesus before friends, family, co workers and yes, sorry to say, church members. Some of Jesus' toughest stands were with the religious community of His day. In His humanity, such times couldn't have been pleasurable. Those were the ones who plotted and schemed to have Jesus crucified. They just used the Romans to get the job done. Talk about uncomfortable, the epitome of discomfort as we see it was Jesus' torture and death. That's heartbreaking for me to think about, but so is the fact that the perfect Son of God took on your sin and mine. He had never known what sin felt like, but on that cross, He was forced to endure it.

Back to Fred... Becky and I both saw times when Fred stood for right no matter what anyone thought. Fred was our choir director and I could never envy anyone who holds that position. He was kind about things aimed his direction that were anything but comfortable, but still stood firm on the things that really counted. I doubt that Fred even considered that others were watching some of those times we knew about. People are watching you and me too. Are we willing to endure some uncomfortable moments when it comes to our faith or do we only want the calm, easy times where we're never offended for our faith. What is our faith worth if it is only a fair-weather faith? When the tough stands are brought into our lives, can we be comfortable being “uncomfortable for Jesus?”

Resting in the arms of Jesus should always be comfortable and bring us comfort when the hard times come. The unsaved of our world will never understand us when it comes to how we live out our faith. Our boldness will come only as we maintain a close relationship with Jesus. Everyday living with and for Him should be second nature to us, kind of like the humming check-out lady. Our devotion will be noticed, but even with something so simple, as humming a song, wearing a pin or saying a simple, “God bless you,” criticism and ridicule may come.

Thanks Fred...Becky and I have watched as have others. We've learned, been blessed and encouraged more than you can know!

Dear Jesus, I never want to let You down. In an anti-faith world, when called upon to stand for You, I pray for Your strengthening, counting on Your pouring courage into me. You have paved the way for me in setting examples for me to live by. Thank You for being who You are in my life. In Your precious name...Amen.

Few Words

….and a word spoken in due
season, how good it is!
Proverbs 15:23

I'm doing something I've wanted to do for a long time. I've wanted to share the blessing of some statements that have been handed down to me from others and even some original thoughts friends have shared. Such have blessed me tremendously on days when I just needed a brief but poignant word of wisdom or encouragement. We don't always need lengthy words of knowledge. Just want to share some of those with the hope that you will be blessed as have I. If I have names, I have written first names or at times with no credit for things given to me anonymously. Be blessed!!!

“God sometimes removes people
from your life to protect you.
Don't run after them.”

Anon

“Faith is deliberate confidence in the character
of God whose ways you may not understand at the time.”
O. Chambers

“Many books can inform, but only the
Bible can transform.”
Marilyn

“Whatever is in the well, will come
up in the bucket.”
Anon

“When you feel like you are drowning in life's troubles,
I know a lifeguard who walks on water.”
L. Stoneking

“Without God...our week would be:
Sinday, Mournday, Tearsday,
Wasterday, Thirstday, Frightday
and Shatterday.”
Christy

“It is better to walk alone, than with
a crowd going in the wrong direction.”
D. Grant

“Until God opens the next door, praise
Him in the hallway.”
Anon.

“It is impossible to rightly govern a nation
without God and the Bible.”
G. Washington

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel
in which it is stored than to anything on
which it is poured.”
M. Twain

“God doesn't call the qualified...He
qualifies the called.”
Anon

“If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.
If Grandma ain't happy...RUN!”
Anon

“The tiny seed knew that in order to grow
it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in
darkness and struggle to reach the light.”
Anon

“Satan, you might walk over here, but
you will limp back.”
Becky

“Satan's greatest weapon is man's
ignorance of the Bible.”
Anon

“Don't read books about the Bible...
read the Bible!”

Anon

“What day is it?” asked Pooh.
“It's today,” squealed Piglet.
“My favorite day,” said Pooh.”
Milne

Many of the sayings I have shared have come through friends via Facebook. I've tried to keep folks on Facebook who are encouragers in my life. I will have a few friends who are more informational and even a very few who only gripe, who seem to look at life through dirty windows.

May I also suggest that there are times whether on Facebook, in a note or in general conversation that there are ways we can encourage with just a brief word. Just honestly saying to another, “I'm praying for you” can mean more than we can know.

So, lets remember:
                                                     “Anxiety in the heart of man
                                                           causes depression,
                                                   but a good word makes it glad.”
                                                            Proverbs 12:25
      

Dear Father, help me to be sensitive to the needs and hurts of others and never add to their anxiety or stress with negative words. Help me to be an encourager for Your glory...please guide my words. In Jesus' precious name...Amen

Spiritual Remembering

Some trust in chariots, and
some in horses; but we will
remember the name of the
Lord our God.
Psalm 20:7

We may have certain times when we remember to pray or spend time with the Lord at
established times...there are others including:

When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
Psalm 63:6

After the flood, God presented a beautiful rainbow for Noah to behold. Noah said with what sounds like words of wonder:

The rainbow shall be in the cloud,
and I will look on it to remember the
everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that
is on the earth.
Genesis 9:16

A beautiful rainbow should cause us to remember the promises and goodness of God.

When you and I take the Lord's supper, it is done in memory...in memory of Jesus and what He did for us in dying and then giving us victory over death. It is a kind of photograph we have of Him without having a distinct image. It happened with Jesus and his disciples at their final meal together before Jesus was arrested:

...This is My body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.
Luke 22:19b

As God speaks during our times with Him and we are blessed, how pleasing it is to God when we share with others God's goodness and ministry in our lives. The more we speak of Him to others, the more His goodness is engrained in our own hearts...and we remember.

Despite how others meet with the Lord, the important thing is that we make a point of doing it. We can't meet with Him with an attitude of obligation, but because of our love for Him and because we have sweet memories of what He has done in our lives that endears Him to us.
If someone remembers me in a fond way, I feel honored. Can't imagine the pleasure our God feels when we desire to spend time with Him, remembering His love and goodness on our behalf.

When my children visit or I have opportunity to be with them, I love those moments when they bring up something from the past that is a happy memory. Our son is here visiting with his family. Standing in our kitchen, and right out of the blue, he recalled my fording a very high stream here many years ago with a rope around my waist. I needed to secure the rope on the other side of the stream. He recalled my dropping my glasses in that rushing water but what a blessing it was being able to retrieve them before the stream swallowed them up. It was a family time that the family remembers with more fondness than I do. Still yet, it was heart warming for him to bring up that event.

When children come here to visit, I have usually checked ahead of time as to anything special they want me to cook. They remember certain things with certain tastes and I'm happy to fix those things. When we would visit my mother years ago, she would always have a pot of goulash waiting for us. I tried later to make it just like she did but it never tasted the same. The taste of that goulash still seems to linger in my mind and is heart warming. She would be pleased to know how much that meant to me and that I remember. I even have the beat up old pot she always made it in.

God is so pleased when we remember His goodness toward us. It's called “gratitude” and we can never run too short of that as we think of Him and His faithfulness to us on an every day basis. We should more often, take time to just sit alone, perhaps with Bible in hand remembering again how blessed we are. In different places of our world, there would seem to be many gods, but ours is THE true God who doesn't just give us quick answers for every problem we have. We can remember though how He has walked us through each one.
There is the old song, “Try to remember...” May we make it a point to try to remember more often as He continues to shower us with blessing after blessing that is so undeserved.

Father...Thank you for all You do for me on a daily basis. There are so many things I am remiss in remembering but pray that in my times with You, I will be reminded. I love You but want so much to love You more. In Jesus name....Amen

An Appointment With God

When You said, “Seek My face.”
My heart said to You, “Your
face, Lord, I will seek.”
Psalm 27:8

I'll never forget the dear lady who taught me a lesson several years ago. The thing is that to this day, she doesn't even know it. One summer day, I called her on the phone for her input on something. Her son, who at the time was in his early teens, answered the phone and I simply asked if I could speak to his mom. He immediately said with great courtesy, “No Mrs. Lanoue...she can't talk with you right now.” I expressed that I hoped she was okay and not ill. I'll never forget his reply. He said, “No, she isn't sick...she's in the bedroom talking to God.” I managed to get through my surprise and simply asked him to have her call me when she had time.

When this lady returned my call, she said she figured I was surprised with her son's reply to my request. As I recall she had six children. She told me that her children know that except for Sunday, when at home, she has a personal appointment with God at 10:00 in her bedroom with the door shut. Her children knew that she was never to be disturbed during that hour unless someone was hurt, sick or her husband called. She had found it easier to make her main time with the Lord a little different from most.

Another lady who had what I consider to be a different time of prayer is someone I could have never known in person because she's a historical individual. Her name is Suzannah Wesley, the mother of John and Charles Wesley. She had 19 children. She herself had grown up in a family with 25 children of which she was number 25. Suzannah's home must have been a bit of a rowdy place with having so many children. Off and on during her day, she had a habit her children had come to know well. When Suzannah wanted time with the Lord, she sat down in her rocking chair and pulled her long apron up over her head. In that moment, her children knew to be silent. Older children took charge of the younger children in those moments, perhaps leaving the room or going outside. When the apron was up, Suzannah was with Jesus.

What happens when we make appointments? Usually we make appointments because those visits are of some importance. It's important, for example to see the doctor or dentist. They are usually accommodating with our schedules. I almost always have the pick of day and time. When appointments are made, we write them down usually on a calendar of some sort. Does an appointment with God require setting the time and writing it down. It does if we can't remember to have that regular appointment. We may need to do that until our time with God comes to be second nature.

I realize we live in busy times, but I know from my own experience that I manage to make time for those things that are important in my life. I generally can make time for those things that have some urgency. We often take advantage of our loving Heavenly Father believing He loves us and will always be around so we can give Him the crumbs of our lives when we feel like it.

Some hints to help:

DETERMINE: Yes, determine...that we are going to give God quality time and attention even if it means giving up time we spend on other things.

PRAY: We should make it a matter of prayer that we are going to be faithful in seeking time with the Lord on a regular basis. We can pray anytime and anyplace and praying for a tender heart regarding the relationship we want with the Lord. However, it's so much better and thoughtful to give God some specific time in our daily routine.

DISTRACTIONS: Too often, no matter how determined we are to spend quality time with the Lord, we have distractions that interrupt our train of thought such as phones ringing or the noise of children or pets. If Suzannah could discipline (teach, train) her children to respect the uplifted apron with 19 children in the house, I think we can do it with one, two or three children. I just know that I know of a special lady who didn't just train her children to be quiet during her time with the Lord, but those children were trained to know the importance of what their mother was doing. I'll never forget that boys voice as he said that his mother was in the bedroom talking to God. It just seemed to be a normal thing to him.

PLAN: Make a plan that is YOU. We too often want to copy what others do and often, it just doesn't fit. I have friends who get up at 6:00 in the morning for their time with the Lord. I have never been and never will be a 6:00 AM person. That doesn't mean I can't pick another time. Have all materials you need at hand. Some folks like a cup of coffee, tea or in my case, Diet Coke. Everyone will be different, but we need to make our own plan and time. God loves meeting with us, but He wants us to be genuine, real and transparent with Him.

RELAX: Perhaps as important as anything, this time should be a time when we can relax with the Lord as we read, meditate and pray. We shouldn't be hurried. Just as with any friend, we want to have an enjoyable time...a time of fellowship where God can speak in that still, small voice to our hearts.

I'm not up to the standard that friend of mine of so many years ago. I'm definitely not a Suzannah Wesley. I don't have a house full of children nor do I own a big apron. I do hope I love and serve my Savior as much as those ladies did. My appointment with Jesus is perhaps the only place in my life above all relationships where I can be me, totally. That can be uncomfortable at times if I harbor any sin in my life but with my repentance, I'm back on track and our fellowship is sweet.

Dear Jesus, Thank You for the privilege of spending time with You. You give me Your undivided attention anytime I want it and I'm grateful for that open door into Your presence. I pray I will be more consistent in my time with You. I love You..In Your precious name. Amen

"I Will"

Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you, I will
uphold you with My righteous
right hand.
For I, the Lord your God, will
hold your right hand, saying to you,
“fear not, I will help you.
Isaiah 41:10,13

It's been 46 years now since the Lord so sweetly gave me the verses above. I had been told that I probably had breast cancer and surgery needed to be done. There were only two people I told about the surgery...one was my boss at work and the other was Brian. Brian and I had only known each other for a month and hadn't started dating yet. With his being a new friend I still felt a strange connection to him, but told him about it trusting he would pray for me.

I recall when being wheeled into surgery that a nurse wanted to hook up an IV in my right arm. I asked her if she would please put it in the left arm. She asked me why I wanted the switch and I told her that, “Someone very special is holding my right hand.” She gave me a knowing smile and said it would be better on the left side anyway and that's what she did. I took those verses very seriously that the Lord gave me with the promise of Him holding my right hand. In that very cold surgical suite, I can't explain the warmth I felt in those moments.
He promised to help me and to uphold me with His capable hand.

Depending on how the questions are asked, we can hear the “I will” response at weddings
and sometimes in a court room. All of us have heard someone's “I will” when promising
something we needed done. The disappointing thing in our day is that for many folks, promises don't mean very much. I, like you, have had some folks who broke promises and
their “I will” quickly turned into “I won't often when I really need their help.

As is my usual practice when reading or studying Scripture, I try to notice word usage and word patterns, especially when I see the repitition of words or phrases. In Isaiah 4:10, there is consistently used the two-word phrase, “I will.” Notice with me:

The blessing in the beginning of verse 10 are the two words, “I am.” Here God gives two precious reminders:

“I am with you”
“I am your God” (so don't be dismayed)

Do you and I really believe those two statements, for if we do, how do those words affect our everyday living? Is our behavior different because God is Who He is in our lives and that He
is always with us? He can never be less than who He says He is.

We come to the “I will” promises in these verses:

“I will strengthen you.”
“I will help you.”
“I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
“I will hold your right hand.” (and I know He did and does)
“I will help you.” (so fear not...He's the Lord our God)

Why should you and I ever allow the world to take our minds captive through unfortunate circumstances no matter what they may be. We have the very God of the universe who gives us a list of “I wills” that should cause us to walk in His strength through any circumstance. He's not just with us during the difficult times, but we are assured He is walking with us 24/7, no matter what's going on. Sometime, if you want an interesting study, look at the “I wills” of God in Scripture.

I can't tell you the peace the Lord gave me as I claimed those verses during that time of surgery. If I recall correctly, it was my first serious surgery. I had worked at that hospital on the volunteer staff so had seen a lot of illness and physical difficulties folks faced. Now it was my turn on the operating table. No one was there as I was wheeled out of my room because no one knew what was going on...that had been my choice. I had a peace that no matter what the doctors found, I would be okay and that He would walk me through it. I can honestly say that I didn't have a nervous bone in my body. Went for a check up with the surgeon a few days later. He told me that the lump had been malignant but that it was nestled as if in a cocoon and he was able to just lift the whole thing out. Cancer treatment has come a long way in these many years and grateful I didn't have to have any treatments that back then were pretty archaic.

I love walking on mountain trails, often holding hands with Brian. I love that feeling of love and security, but it's nothing like walking through my days, knowing that God my Father is by my side every moment of every day. The sweetest thing is that He's always holding my hand, no matter where the trails of my life take me.

Dear Father, I praise You today for Your presence in my life that sees to my well-being. Thank You for Your love and goodness. In Jesus precious name...Amen.

Fear Is No Fun

The Lord is my light and my
salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of
my life; of whom shall I
be afraid.
Psalm 27:1,2

One of our daughters had a dreaded fear of animals. She had a bad experience with a dog when she was between two and three years of age. If a gentle dog or cat even came near her, the fear registered with her immediately. She would register fear in the face, would often shake and then the tears would come. Her fear, although often unfounded most of the time, was very real to her. When there were opportunities to go inside a pen at a petting zoo, she chose to stay outside the fence. Sometimes if a sheep stuck it's nose through the fence where she was, she would at times touch the sheep with a finger, but then she was done with it. Someone once told me that my daughter's reaction to animals was all in her mind. Maybe, but no matter where the fear was, it was very real to her to the point of sheer panic. She's old enough to be beyond that. I smiled this summer as she and her family went horseback riding. There was a day we couldn't get her on a pony ride.

Fear is an emotion born out of dread, threat, impending danger, evil or pain. One's fear obviously can be a response to physical or emotional danger. Real or imagined, the body will usually react in one or more ways. A person stricken with fear may shake, cry, break into a sweat, develop a headache, or even throw up. Some folks stricken with fear have been known to faint.

No matter the age, gender, or nationality of a person, fear usually strikes at one time or another. It's almost a secret of sorts, but there are times when the best of Christians face times of fear. I have heard preachers say for more years than I can count that there are 365 “Fear nots” in Scripture. I would like just one of those preachers to furnish me with a list of them, but most, I think just copy what other preachers have said. I have been blessed by those “fear not's” that I have read and know God intends them for m encouragement.

Our fears as grown ups are perhaps different from those faced by our children or grand children, but fear is very real. Our fears, when they come, may not be of dogs, cats or even of thunder. One of the things we read about in these days is the bullying problem children go through in school or elsewhere. May I hasten to say that even adults face bullies. Adults may be able to handle the problem better, but such people can still cause adults to become very uncomfortable. Many adult fears stem from finances, family concerns, health issues, aging issues, and yes, death (loss of others or personal demise). But fear is fear that must be faced. As Christians, we are so blessed to have Someone who comes along side of us during fearful times.

I have dearly loved Psalm 27 for many years. It is such an uplifting and encouraging portion of Scripture. In the first two verses I have printed above, I see that the Lord is my light, my salvation and the strength of my life. Why do I need all of this special attention from my Lord? Verses 1 and 2 speak of fear and being afraid, thus my need for the Lord's looking out for me when no one else can.
The rest of Psalm 27 is also encouraging. For instance, verse 5 is such a blessing:

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His
pavilion; in the secret place of His
tabernacle He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

Verse 3 also speaks with encouragement:

Though an army may encamp against
me, my heart shall not fear; though war
may rise against me, in this I will
be confident.

This Psalm closes with verse 14:

Wait on the Lord;
Be of good courage, and He
shall strengthen your heart: Wait, I say,
on the Lord!

No matter what we face, be it the fearful knowns or unknowns of our lives, our Father is as near as the breath we breathe. We must remember that nothing or no one can enter the arena of our lives unless those things or people first filter through His capable and loving fingers. He will strengthen us as we face our greatest bully...Satan himself. Our Father will grant us wisdom for the moment through His light and blessed presence.

Dear Father, I am sometimes filled with fear and ask Your forgiveness for not placing my faith fully in You. Thank You for Your every provision I need in facing whatever fears present themselves. I love you. In Jesus' precious name...Amen!