HE WALKS AND TALKS WITH ME

Teach me Your way, O LORD;

I will walk in Your truth;

unite my heart to fear Your name.

Psalm 86:11

 When just a very little girl, I always sat with my Mother in church.  She didn't sing like most people as I came to know that she sang alto.  However, with everyone else singing, I sang soprono with most of the others.  The very first hymn I ever learned by heart was IN THE GARDEN.  I first memorized the chorus and to this day, I can find myself humming the melody of that precious song.

The chorus had a special beat to it from my young standpoint.  It was almost like one could sway, arms flying as if moving in the wind.  The chorus says:

And He walks with me

And He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own.

And the joy we share, as

we tarry there,

None other, has ever, known.

It might be hard for folks to think of me as being immaginative but it would be true.  Early one sunrising morning, this chorus really brought all of that out in my almost four year old body.  

 Mr. Prock owned our corner grocery store.  He and his wife lived across the street, about four doors down.  No one was stirring in our house so early in the morning with pajamas on as well as my house slippers, I left the house to go down to the Prock's house.  You see, they had the most beautiful flower garden you could have ever seen.  It had no fence and a part of it came right up to the sidewalk.

I walked into their garden and with a flurry of emotion and song, moved about the small paths of the garden singing my favorite chorus.  Mrs. Prock heard me and came outside to see what I was doing.  I really think she had been watching because she had called my Mother.  Mother came and saw me in my dew-dampened pajamas and soaked house slippers.  She reprimanded me for such an outburst but I think I detected a slight look of humor on her fact.

I still love that hymn, because it speaks so well of our relationship with the Lord....the privilege of walking and talking to us, assuring us of His presence at all times.  The joy comes when we tarry with Him every time we have an opportunity.  We don't have invade anyone's garden.  With Jesus, every place can seem like a beautiful garden.  He will always walk and talk with us no matter where we are.

Thank You Father for sweet memories, especially spiritual outings with You.  Help us to really enjoy special times with You, unplanned and enjoyable...a rejoicing time.  In Jesus....Amen

PRECIOUS HANDS

My Father, who has given them

to Me, is greater than all:  and

no one can snatch them out of

My Father's hand.

John 10:29

In some recent days, there was something that came to my attention I hadn't given much thought to.   I had worn a ring on my right hand for some time that I really paid little attention to.  All of a sudden, I had an episode with that ring on my finger.  One morning I was awakened with some pretty terrific pain on that hand.  I struggled to get the ring off but with all the swelling, it wouldn't budge.  I went to my neighbor to see if he could sever the band in some way, releasing the ring which he did.  For a few days, I still felt the pain that hindered me in any number of ways in using it.

I have thought since the recovery of the hand, about our bodies, so wonderfully created by God.  Most of our bodies we never give a thought to such as:  swallowing, eye blinking, breathing, hair growing, toes that assist with our walking, joints that bend and the myriad of things our hands do at our bidding.  

Because of the incident with my ring,  I found myself handicapped in doing many of the usual things I do with them, even typing on my computer.  My right hand didn't want any pressure brought to bear on it, but still had to make use of that hand despite the pain.

I'm so grateful that there is never damage to God's hands.  He doesn't only hold us securely in His hand but according to Isaiah 49:16, we see:

See, I have inscribed you on

the palms of My hands;

your walls are continually 

before me.

We are not only held securely by our Father, but our name is etched in His hand.  Our hands may give us some problems and become hard to work with at times, but His has us securely wrapped in His powerful ones.

Thank You Father for the security we have in You.  Satan may come at us full force at times but he'll never be able to pull us from Your hand.  Thank You for the spiritual safety we have in You.  In Jesus' name...Amen    

LOVE THOSE THREE'S

Then He said to them all, "If

anyone desires to come 

after Me, let him

deny himself,  

and take up his cross daily

and follow Me."

Luke 23:24

Anyone who has been in Sunday school or Bible study classes could tell you that I tend to watch for key words in Scripture as well as phrases.  There are just some interesting things that catch my eye mostly while doing my own private reading or study.  I realize folks have said as long as I can remember that seven is God's perfect number.  I'm not about to question that as there are many reasons for taking that view.

I've never paid much attention to the "sevens" in Scripture but have really noticed some three word groupings that I have found interesting.  For instance:

Father   Son   Holy Spirit

Ask   Seek   Knock

Sun   Moon   Stars

Ham   Shem   Japeth (Noah's boys)

Faith   Hope   Love

Walk   Stand   Sit  (Ps. 1)

Peter   James   John

Abraham   Isaac   Jacob

I'm sure there are many more that could be listed, but the three's came to my thoughts because of the above verse I found in my personal reading.  Jesus was having a serious session with His disciples.  He's mentioned again that He is going to die and be raised the THIRD day.  Jesus, despite the news He gives His disciples, He is still encouraging them to stay focused on Him and mission.

In essence, I can't believe Jesus wouldn't even in this day, request the same of you and me.  He gave them three things to do that are each dependent on the others.  The order is a tough one both then and now.  If we REALLY want to follow Him, three things are required each of which is very difficult...deny self, take up whatever cross we are called on to carry and DAILY follow Him.  Wow, that's some job description, but not impossible if we are relying on His Holy Spirit.  

What a joy that the very Son of God desires our followership...what a privilege to be called to walk in His way.  Even a cross we are called to bear can be a blessing if we have denied self and have the desire to follow Him without hesitation.

Help us Father, to have a strong desire to follow You no matter our circumstances.  We can only do this in Your power and through You loving, guiding hand.  Thank You for the privilege of Your calling in our lives.  In Jesus name..Amen