Thursday, December 19, 2019

Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us! Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved. O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers? You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves. Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” “But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself. Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name. Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.”

The end of the year is rapidly approaching and the new year will be here quickly. We will be bombarded with new products promising to make us better, smarter, thinner, happier, healthier…promises that rarely come to fruition. This conditional life has little to no guarantees, we are born and we die. I’m not trying to lessen the idea of life and living it to its fullest, only cautioning that as Christians we must also invest in our spiritual life and trust God. God’s promises are true and can be seen time and again throughout the Bible. The children of Israel, the chosen people of God shows us God’s faithfulness to the promises He made to them. God’s love goes beyond the children of Israel, He loves and created all living things, the Bible tells us in the book of John 1:3-4, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”

As we look forward to Christmas Day, the celebration of the birth of Jesus, let us pause and remember that God is our deliverer! It is God who restores us! The psalmist, who is recognized as King David reminds us that through all of life’s situations where hope seems lost or change is direly needed, the Lord our God is the one to perform those mighty acts! He did and continues to use people to restore, guide and direct but let us not ever forgot our that our help comes from the Lord!

Prayer:

Lord, you have cared for the generations. Restore us, restore me. O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. ~Amen.

~-Hope-Peace-Joy~

References:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

“And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.” – Maya Angelou excerpt from “When Great Trees Fall”.

We recognize that the Holidays are a time to celebrate great love and also can be a time of reflection on loss. We are grateful you have experienced love and trust the people that have passed knew that they were greatly loved by you throughout their lives. During this season give the gift of being there for one another with love, support, and a listening ear. ~Maya Angelou

A friend from FB posted this and it seemed as if it had been directed at me…

Thank you April for sharing!

I’m remembering my mom, her strength, her love and her commitment to family. I strive to be all these things too. Yesterday was a tough day and I held onto that strength when tears wanted to fall but I fought them back. Don’t get me wrong, tears are good, good for the soul; however, in this case they were more of a hindrance. I struggle with my actions being seen differently than I intended. Our actions do have consequences on others whether directly or indirectly. I think I’m helping, others see as controlling. What I think is helping the cause is seen as taking over. It’s important to consider others; however, what is the breaking point (?) what will it take for action to be taken my someone. It used to be called teamwork, the greater good, all for one…I feel like I’ve gone from well liked to most hated in 0.01 seconds. I see integrity while others see conspiracy. At the end of the day, I can’t make others believe what they can’t see but I can try and be less for the sake of others and hold to my beliefs and work ethic and pray that’s enough. ~Tired and Discouraged

When Great Trees Fall
by Maya Angelou

When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.

When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance,fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignoranceof
dark, cold
caves.

And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.

― Maya Angelou

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.” ~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

~Peace~

References:

When Great Trees Fall

by Maya Angelou

http://www.biblegateway.com/