~~ Isaiah 40:26 (NIV84) ~~ Lift your
eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one,
and calls them each by name. Because of
his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Photo by Carley Cooper. All Rights Reserved. |
Look, at Those Stars Twinkle!
God even
gives us some patterns within the stars.
Did you know that? There’s the
Big Dipper, the Small Dipper, planets to be seen, and thousands of other
fascinating consolations and tidbits. Other
than those few things I don’t know many other details about the starts because
I’m not an astronomer. In my family,
that would be my Dad. He has a telescope
that’s bigger than me.
There’s a
lot we can learn from that great expanse we call the sky. God is a God of order. Everything in this world, and out; has
detail, pattern, and a reason. It’s one
of the ways that He reveals Himself to us.
We can only see the star at night, in the darkness; just like we can
only learn our greatest lessons by going through struggles. Without the pain, we would not have any
comparison to know what is good.
God Will Clear the Sky
I’ve been asking God for months to give
me a break. I needed a vacation, time off, space between
me and my problems. The noise it is creating
has been blocking God’s voice from my heart, and I don’t like that
feeling. Among other things, I’ve asked
Him to show me how to prioritize better; gain some time management skills. There was always something standing in my
way; a reason why I couldn’t accomplish these things myself, now without His
help.
Last week, I got a call from a friend I haven’t
seen in a long time. She was going on
vacation to her trailer at nearby ToJo’s Christian Campground. I know the place well, as do most Christians
in Simcoe County and beyond. My parents
have a trailer there, and it’s where I first met my friend years ago. She wanted some company on her time off. Suddenly my schedule was clear. Things that was normally on my agenda were
not this week. I decided that I would go
with her and stay at my parents trailer, so I could have some quiet time alone
with God, and still be close by to socialize with my friend and others in the
park. I asked God to help me hear His
voice again, and to give me answers to the things I struggle with.
God Will Show You the
Leading Star
Many have said that as they drive through ToJo’s
gates they can feel peace lay upon them like it is a warm blanket on a cold
night. “There’s something different about this place once you cross the gate boundary. You can just feel it here”, they’ve
said. I agree. I was
here less than two days and I could see my sky clearing. I am able to feel the calm fill me. The noise is lessening. His voice is slowly becoming clear again.
Without going into long-winded details, I can
tell you that in such a short time, He has shown me that one of the biggest
distractions in prioritizing my time is the internet. I spend time online like the average family
watches TV. I’m not a big telly watcher
in the past ten years. It seems I’ve
replaced with the internet. I spend too
much time answering and reading emails, on social networking sites, and trying
to keep other people happy before God or myself. He’s also reassured me, again; that Happy Endings do indeed happen. My
concerns about relationship, career, health, church family; are all in His hands. He loves me.
I love Him. He has blessings in
store for me, which will go into effect according to His schedule; not mine.
Granted all is not completely silent here, but
the distractions are not leading me away from God. The distractions here remind me of Him. I can hear children laughing and playing just
up the narrow park-road in the manmade pond, others at the other end of the
park in the pool. There’s a couple of
dogs barking, that remind me of the happy memories of my own babies. There’s a couple of chipmunks that never seem
to run out of energy. They’re pretty
brave at times, and come close to me. As
I try concentrating on my writing, I’m forced
to keep stopping for photo opps; because Blue-jays and Chickadee’s are landing
in the trees around me and in my Mother’s nearby bird bath. My own little Chicklet is loving some, very
rare, outdoor time as I set his cage on the patio table next to me. It’s wonderful to see him react to the sounds
he hears. Then there’s the sounds of my
Mom’s wind chimes. There must be a
dozen. Dings, dongs, cling, clang, and
even clicks from one made of bamboo. Oh
yea, and the other blessing is that I get to sit outside in the wonderful
sunshine with my computer and do what I love most; write!
What Stars are You Following?
Whatever it is that you are going through
right now, God wants you to look up to Him.
He wants you to see the stars in your dark sky. They are beautiful blessings that He has in
store for you. Look to Jesus, the brightest Leading Star. He is waiting to twinkle the night lights in
a show that will bless you and leave you
in awe.
Let’s Pray
~~ Dear God ~~ Thank You for blessing me
with every single night time. Without
it, I would never know the beauty of the stars . One of my favorite things to do is lay on the
grass at night time looking up at the stars.
I can’t help but feel the extreme magnitude of space, which helps me
feel like I have some concept of how big and how amazing You really are. Your works are fascinating. Every star is perfectly positioned, named,
and counted. I love the feeling of
knowing that as big as the universe is, You love me. I have a place, a position, and a purpose in
Your great plan. Thank You for that
Lord. In Jesus name, AMEN.
Worship Melodies Photo
Sharing
Check out our Facebook photo albums on Worship Melodies Facebook Page. ‘Like’ us, and click on the album ‘Vacation at ToJo’s – Summer 2012’.
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This was beautiful, and just what I needed to read today. Thank you so much for the blessing this was to me. Hug
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing that with me. You are a blessing to me as well. It helps me so much to get feedback. I know that my work here, for Jesus, is making progress. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteIn the dark we learn what we fear what needs to change.Our sin an exposed The moon and he stars lead us out of the darkness.The universe is Gods work It magnitude is way beyond what we can imagine in our mind. When we now whats in the dark we are not afraid any more and we can go on with our life.Always now God is right beside you.You have a wonderful way of looking at things It got me to think and see things differently .This is how what you said came to mean to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. It makes me so happy, and it humbles me so much, to know that I am helping others, making them think. In return getting feedback like this helps me too. You are a blessings. Thanks. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteYou will get were God wants you.
DeleteThank you. That's actually what I pray for a lot. Blessings. HUGS.
DeleteVery nice looking campground. Prayers for peace, love, and joy . . . all things you have a beautiful measure of already but seem to desire a little more! Hug, hug!
ReplyDeleteThank you Evelyn for the prayers and blessings. This is indeed a nice place to be. If you're ever in this part of the province of Ontario, think about stopping by or staying for a weekend. There's a chapel here where they do services on Sunday's. They have guest speakers, concerts, bible studies through the week, and so much more. I'm sure you would love it. Thank you for the feedback. As always it helps to inspire me 'cause I know that my work here is making progress when it's touching people's lives and leading them toward Jesus. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteVery good blog entry. I enjoyed it immensely. God has you in his hands. He has given you a wonderful talent. Deb
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Deb. I appreciate the wonderful support more than I can say. Thank you for the encouragement. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteThank you
ReplyDeleteThank you for your continued support. I hope you are blessed by it. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteWhen I look up and see all the stars i am totally awestruck as I recall that God created every one of those stars. I can see only a tiny part of the heavens but He knows the stars in all of the heavens.
ReplyDeleteI am awed by the awesome grandeur of the night sky and I thank my God that He allows me to be part of His family.
Hope all is going well with you.
Thank you for your support. I hope you are blessed by it. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteI praise the Lord for everything that He is teaching me. this morning i spoke to Him and I poured out my weakness. This is part of what i shared with him. Father i am so grateful for your love toward me. I know that you love me just for who i am. I know that you want the best for me. You are my universe. You, formed me in my mother's womb. you know my eating habits. Teach me to have self control. Not to let what others may or may not say, influence how I see myself. Help me to see myself through your eyes. A FINISHED PRODUCT. People need to learn that there is power in the tongue. With it we curse and bless other. Teach me to bless others. to bring life and not death, to encourage and not discourage. To build and not to destroy. To give love and not hate. to bring peace and not war. Help me to be your instrument of heal to others. Thank you Father. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your support. I hope you are blessed by it. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteThank you for your very encouraging post. Yes I also saw quite a number of bright stars. Thanks for being my source of encouragement.
ReplyDeleteBe blessed.
Thank you for your support. I hope you are blessed by it. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteThe unfailing love of The Lord never ends!....Great is his faithfulness...his mercies begin afresh each day.
ReplyDeleteLamentations
3:22-23 NLT
Thank you for your support. I hope you are blessed by it. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
DeleteI came across this gem after I responded to your blog last night. Normally I skim over his devotions due to the older English style he tends to use, but I fell in love the visuals he provided here for God's great mercy.
ReplyDeleteCharles Spurgeon Morning Devotion
"The mercy of God."
Psalm 52:8
Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself--it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner's part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God's garden are double." There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever. It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast.
Thank you Evelyn. This is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me. It really does help me. No matter how often I'm told that Jesus loves me even though He knows ALL my weakness's, sins, and failures; it fascinates me. It feels like the first time every time. His mercy is something that we will never fully comprehend. Many blessings to you. HUGS.
Delete