May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Psalm 25: 4-5
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and
teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
The Playhouse Square in Cleveland sparkled.
A chandelier draped the middle of the street between the playhouses, theatres, and eateries. On a sign overtop the Keybank State Theatre a picture of the music group Casting Crowns greeted us. Tim and I will be celebrating 31 years of marriage on October 31. We planned an early celebration that included the twenty-year tour concert of Casting Crowns.
God’s fingerprints were all over their twenty-year
story. Mark Hall, the lead singer in the group is a youth pastor. He used music
to get his kids to read their Bibles. Mark is dyslexic and has an attention deficit,
yet God filled him with a desire to reach youth and adults with his humble
beginnings in the music world.
Casting Crowns has not wavered from God’s truth
in their twenty years of fame. Their songs speak straight to the heart. Tim and
I were both blessed by their testimony and their music. Enhanced by a symphony
of violins, their words resonated through the crowd. We lifted our hands and
voices with them and praised God.
My favorite song they sing is Voice of Truth.
So many voices call out to us every day. Social media, the news, people around
us, fear, and so much more. The Bible teaches us to discern the voices by
weighing them against God’s word and whether they acknowledge Jesus. (1 John 4:1-3)
The psalmist calls to God to show him God’s ways
and guide him in His truth. In this world of constant attention grabbing by
outside voices, seek God’s voice and truth and teach your children to listen
for God.
Celebrate Jesus and His truth.
Psalm 18:2
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.
2 Timothy 1:7
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid,
but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
Don't let the hard days win.
I'm in the middle of cataract removal surgeries. About a
week ago, the eye surgeon sucked the cloudy lens out of my right eye. Then he
placed a new artificial lens in so my vision would improve. The left eye will
be corrected soon, but in the meantime, I'm in limbo. The right eye has an
astigmatism. Which means, my eyeball is shaped like a football instead of a volleyball.
Most of the time, people who have lenses replaced for cataracts have clearer
vision in about two days. Not me. Nope. My football shaped eye is better—I
can see clear colors instead of a yellowish cast, but I can't see as well as I
can out of my left eye that still has a cataract. The eye doctor did his job,
but my eye didn't cooperate. So between now and the time my left eye is fixed,
the one shaped like a volleyball, I can't wear my glasses. Once my eyes work
together again, I'll get a new prescription.
I've adapted by using readers and thankfully my left eye can
see distance, but working on the computer and reading are hard. My eyes hurt by
evening and I often have a headache. I'm managing, but I could throw up my
hands and quit until the left eye is corrected. Instead, I'm leaning into God
to help me through this trying time.
Of course, my situation isn't the end of the world, and it
should be better by November, but there have been dark times in my life when I
couldn't see the end. I felt helpless and disheartened, but you know what? God stood
by me and protected me. He always does. God has gifted His people with the Holy
Spirit, who gives us power, love, and self-disciple. Those are the things that
have helped me through dark days, along with my family and friends.
Don't let the hard days win and don't try to navigate them alone. Give them to Jesus and trust Him to send help.
Joshua 1:7-8
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my
servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that
you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the
Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that
you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous
and successful.
Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known
God. -Corrie Ten Boom
Our youngest granddaughter had to have oral surgery. When you're nine years old and have nothing to compare the experience to, you have a bit of fear and anxiety. A beautiful thing happened to her. After school, one of her teachers and her principal prayed with her, on the day before the surgery. That evening, I ate dinner with her and her family and she prayed over the meal and asked God to make everything go well for her during surgery. My heart danced a happy dance. That little nine-year-old gets it. She placed her fear in God's hands.
Our ministers are preaching a series this month that focuses
on Joshua called "Be Strong and Courageous." God told Joshua multiple
times to be strong and courageous. In Joshua 7, He called him to be strong and very
courageous." Take it up a notch Joshua and step out on faith.
Courage isn't the absence of fear, but the choice to trust
God with the future. He calls all of us to step out and have faith in Him and
in the future He's planned for us. He asked Joshua to keep the Book of the Law on
His lips. For us, He wants us to have the word of God in our hearts. I'm no
Bible scholar. There's so much I don't understand, but I cling to the verses
that encourage and give me strength and courage.
Trust in God for the future, be strong and courageous.
