Don't Lose Heart

In the voyage of life we feel tossed about by the wind and the waves. Sometimes we feel like we aren't even able to stay afloat. that we might even drown.

📖 Save me, O God,

 for the waters have come up to my neck.

I sink in the miry depths,

    where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters;
    the floods engulf me.

I am worn out calling for help;
    my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,
    looking for my God. Psalm 69:1-3

But I was reminded, as I worked on next years Vacation Bible school stories 

HE CONTROLS THE WIND AND THE WAVES.

We are not to lose heart! 

📖  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.  For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.......

......Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:7-12,16-18

If we feel pressed, perplexed, persecuted....we have to remember Who is in control of the waves and the mountains.

📖 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”  He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Mark 4:35-41

📖 He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Job 9:5-10

We have to know, and my prayer for you, is that you know this truth in the depths of your heart...

🙏🏼

📖 When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,

they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,

 you will not be burned;

the flames will not set you ablaze.  

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.

Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
    I will bring your children from the east
    and gather you from the west.

Isaiah 43:2-5

❤️

🎵 Don't Lose Heart Steven Curtis Chapman

Covered Again...Covered Still

Some of these scriptures have been coming to mind this week....and I found this post that was

first published February 21, 2024 (forgive me for repeating)

Exodus 33 was used at church this past Sunday.  And one line in particular stood out to me.

📖 Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock.  When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.”  Exodus 33:18-23

I love the imagery of being covered by God's hand. 

And then another verse came to mind

📖 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings Psalm 17:8

Beautiful imagery... in God's Word, penned by David of how God, as mighty as He is, tenderly holds us, protects us.

📖He will cover you with his feathers,

    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4

We are gathered like chicks to a mother bird's breast, safe under the cover of her wing, or at least we can be IF we choose to listen and be willing to follow Christ!

📖  “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.  Look, your house is left to you desolate.  For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”  Matthew 23:37-39

If we listen and follow we will remain in His hand, under His protection.

 📖 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.” John 10:25-30

We have the image that, with God as our protector, nothing bad will happen to us. I believe He does protect us from many things we may be unaware of.

BUT we will be buffeted by storms and waves in life, we will suffer trials.

 📖 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

but He also is our Refuge and Healer

📖The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;

    my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

We will have hurt and we may sustain injury.

📖 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast
    and have no compassion on the child she has borne?
Though she may forget,
    I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
    your walls are ever before me. Isaiah 49:15-16

When we are His we are under and in His hand. He covers us, engraves us, encompasses us with His mighty, merciful and compassionate, righteous hand and nothing can move His hand!

📖 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:39

🙏 My prayer for you is Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from? I  pray your help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. ♥️

🎵 He Hideth My Soul Guy Penrod

Nothing To Do But Wait

Haven't we all heard the message "wait on the Lord"

📖 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:14

🤚 🤚How many people wait well? 

No hands?!....mine isn't raised either!

Waiting by a bedside as someone recovers is not an easy task.  But a good reminder;

God is in control and we must wait and do what is put before us. 

Go get ice chips.

Wait quietly.

Adjust the pillows please.

Wait patiently.

Fix the blankets..

But while the waiting is going on so is the healing, the work. God is still moving and working even if we can't.  

📖 But those who wait on the Lord

Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.  Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

There seems to be nothing for us to do. 

Wait.... and pray

Wait....and trust

Wait....and smile, be kind and appreciative of those who come and go. 

📖The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26

No matter if we have lots to do or it is our period of "wait", we trust God in it.

Whether waiting for someone who is recovering or recovering ourselves, or waiting on an answer or waiting on a change or just a time of "wait", we can still show the love of Jesus. 

Sometimes our bodies may be busy, but our spirit has to wait.

In any time we find ourselves in we can rest and be prepared for when we have a task to do. 

📖He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations, Psalm 46:10

It is in the still times we can quiet our souls and minds to focus on God and His goodness. To know that He IS God.  He will show us when and where to move and serve. 

And for us, especially now as we wait, we know He is fighting for us. We know it is our time to prepare for bigger things, our time to point to Him.

📖 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

🙏🏼 Lord, be with all of us in the waiting. You have a purpose for us in it as well. Help us to see it and to understand how important the waiting is. ♥️

As I sit and as I wait. 

It seems doctors hold his fate

But we know a different way

We know Who holds the day.

We wait and worry not about tomorrow 

Because we know He holds us and the sparrow 

I seek His strength and peace 

I know He will meet all our needs

For this moment and the next 

Only He knows what outcome is the best

So the time of rest and quietness I take

As I sit and as I wait

Tracey Thompson  ©️ 2025

The Imperfect Thing

This blog may not seem to make sense or seem relevant but stay with me and let's see where we end up.

I had a ring that came from my sister. Nothing fancy, silver with a cross.  I placed it on my middle finger left hand shortly after she passed, and that is where it has stayed.  I didn't have it cleaned when I had the other jewelry cleaned and inspected...it was just an ordinary piece of inexpensive jewelry. BUT it was my sister's, it was special to me. 

Wel, somewhere along the way, it got misshapen on my finger. I would try and "squeeze" it back into the circle it once was and should be. But..nope.

So just a couple weeks ago, we went to get rings inspected and cleaned, and I mentioned to my daughter while we waited; "I should see if they can straighten my ring"

I had almost forgotten, but my daughter reminded me as we reached the door. So I turned around...and sure enough the gentleman was able to make it round again!

That was on Monday, Thursday I showed it in it's perfect round form to my other daughter while we were working. Friday while driving, I noticed it was missing! WHAT!?!?

So what came to my mind? That it's imperfection is what helped it stay close, stay on my finger.  

Our imperfections can be a reason we stay close to God.   

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 

God uses our imperfections for His purpose, His glory!

📖 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:27-29

God chose a man slow of speech to become His spokesperson person to His people. Moses

God chose a young boy to defeat a massive giant. 

David 

He used an old  man to be the father of all generations. 

Abraham. 

Those things, when we look in the mirror, that we don't like. Those things we say, "if only this was different about me."   These imperfections, they can remind us our need for God and His strength.

📖  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13

Paul aslo knew what it meant to live with imperfection and flaws.

📖 Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

They help keep us humble and closer to our God.

📖 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10

I know all this might be a stretch,  but a reminder to me that God can use my imperfections to keep me humble and closer to Him.  So, I should be grateful for those imperfections. 

📖 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,  knows that I am not lying.  

2 Corinthians 11:30-31

🙏🏼Our Great God, use me, every part of me, imperfections and all, to bring You honor and glory! Amen!❤️