Today’s devotional in “Table in the Wilderness” by Watchman Nee:

“When the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward.” Exodus 40:36

“Just as all God’s speaking to His people in those far off days was from between the cherubim of glory, so all His leading of them onward was by means of that same glory.  In the cloud by day and the fire by night the glory of God appeared, and by it they moved.  For us, too, all revelation of God’s will issues from His glory.  See the glory of God in relation to any matter and we have discovered God’s leading in regard to it.  You ask me “Is this His will?  Is that?” I reply by asking in turn, “Is God’s glory resting there?”  Discern that, and you need wait for nothing further.  For the divine glory itself expresses the divine will.  Guidance is this simply a matter of correspondence to that.  Where God’s glory rests we need not ask the way.”

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SO THE QUESTION IS:  How do we discern the GLORY of God?  It seems such an intangible thing.  BUT, this I KNOW … when we DO discern it, it is a KNOWING (I know that I know that I know.)  The hard thing is the WAITING till we do KNOW it!

Just look at those bright eyes … and I’m not talking about the children.  Joshua’s eyes reflect the joy of a man loving God and serving people.  While in Uganda, Josh preached a sermon (with an interpreter) on John 15, where Jesus teaches on abiding in Him and bearing fruit, “that your joy may be full”.  I think Josh was LIVING that sermon as he spoke.

 

Yesterday the Lord reminded me why I need a Savior.             

Yep, I did it yesterday—and it was not pretty, nor humble, nor Christ-like.  I’ve stewed over it and wish I could go back and undo it, but I can’t.  The best I can do is ask forgiveness from my Lord, accept it and be cleansed (and beg Him to HELP me not be like that again!)           

I felt like I had been slapped when the man next to me said something rude, insinuating that I was being rude.  Well, I was pretty proud of myself for what I did NOT do or say back to him, but boy was it churning inside me!  I won’t even write down some of my thoughts!  They were NOT nice.  So, later, when he wished me a merry Christmas, instead of turning the other cheek and being kind and gracious, I turned my back and ignored him.  You know the old adage, “If you can’t say something nice, just don’t say anything”.  So, I didn’t.  I was wrong.  I’m sorry, Lord.  Without you, I can do nothing, including just being civil.  Forgive me and renew a right spirit, YOUR Spirit within me.  NOTHING means more to me than PEACE with You.  NOTHING.  I crawl back up on that Romans 12:1 altar and sacrifice self again.  (It’s easier to do that sitting here than it is in the moment of conflict, but if I don’t do it here, it sure won’t happen there!)           

So then, this morning, the devotional in “My Utmost For His Highest” says, “Every now and again, Our Lord lets us see what we would be like if it were not for Himself; it is a justification of what He said— ‘Without Me you can do nothing.’  This is why the bedrock of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus.”           

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for coming to save us.  That’s the REAL meaning of Christmas.

Seldom do I read a book twice, and it is a really rare occasion that I’ll read one for the third time.  So when I tell you that I’m currently on my NINTH time through “The Power of a Praying Wife”, you might begin to understand the value I place on the message and inspiration of this book.  I started keeping written track on the third time through, making the determination that it was going to become a regular mainstay of my personal devotional life. 

Stormie Omartian is a gifted and inspired writer who has done the work of searching out just the right scriptures to pray over thirty specific and sometimes difficult areas of every husband’s life and has woven them into powerful and effective prayers that you can lift straight to the LORD for your husband!  Her insight, personal illustrations and sense of humor brings the very serious assignment of praying for your spouse right down to real-life issues and THE ANSWER … prayer and trust in the LORD who hears and responds to those prayers. 

One of my favorite lines from this book has been “Shut up and pray.”  It’s a lesson I’ve been trying to learn for over 31 years of marriage!  Nagging doesn’t work.  Criticizing doesn’t work.  Sometimes, just plain talking doesn’t work either.  Prayer is the only thing that always works, and there’s a built-in safeguard!  You have to go through God to do it, and God works on the “pray-ers” as well as the “pray-ees” in the process!  I believe God has done as much to help me grow in His grace through reading this book as He has my husband.  It’s a GOOD thing, a God-thing. 

I recommend you read “The Power of a Praying Wife” with a pen and highlighter in hand.  Make notes in your book, underline, circle and comment.  You’ll be surprised what God will show you and how much your second and third (and beyond) times to read it will encourage you, seeing how God has been so faithful to answer your prayers!

This is one of my favorite pictures from the wedding, so far.  The church was so beautiful, and this particular stained glass window was spectacular.  It so depicted the presence of the LORD in the place.

Haylee Jo, 18 months old (you can see her in the picture, right behind the bride), was very concerned that Jesus had no shoes on, though!

Yesterday, Zeke taught me a lesson.

Zeke is my son’s 90+ lb. Weimaraner that I’m tending (along with 2 other Weimaraners, Jake and Sadie) while he’s off on his honeymoon.  It has been and interesting week with the dogs, including having to bail Jake & Sadie out of “jail” after they escaped from their kennel and were picked up and carted off to the animal shelter on Monday afternoon.  Thankfully, because we got there to claim them only two hours after they had been “arrested”, they didn’t charge us the usual $45 per animal fee!  We fixed their little wagons, though, by wiring the gates shut and turning on the electric fence.  Now if they try to get out, they’ll get their little rears fried!  Since then, they have really been pretty good, just bounding with energy and ready to play when I go over to feed them.

Zeke is the ultimate “fetch” dog.  He will chase after whatever you will throw for him just as long as you will throw it, and always come back for more.  His favorite is a stick toy that has three balls attached to it.  The only trouble is, when he brings back the toy, he has trouble letting go of it so you can throw it for him again.  Yes, he loves running after it and returning, but when you try to take it from him, he hangs on with all his considerable jaw-strength, creating a tug-of-war that says, “I’m not willing to surrender my possession to you.”  Yet, he wants to play!  I keep saying, “Let go, Zeke, so I can toss it for you.”  He will run circles around me and bump me with the toy to get me to take it, but then want to hang on to it and chew it at the same time.

I’m just like that sometimes.  I come to the Lord and want Him to take my cares and concerns, the things I’m praying and burdened about.  I want to lay them at His feet and let Him work things out, and I know His actions and solutions will be what will bring me the greatest joy and fulfillment, but I also tend to hang on to them, chew and worry with them, just like Zeke.                                                                                                                              

A practical application for Philippians 4:6-7  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

“Let go, Debbie, so I can give you what you need.”

Just a few candid shots from the Wedding … more and better pictures to come.

I guess a spiritual application can be made to just about anything.  And this one is a stretch, but it is where my mind went this morning.  I love fried green tomatoes.  My dad grows tomatoes, and while he likes to eat FGTs, it really bothers him to pick the fruit off of his vines before they ripen.  He is gracious (or resigned to the fact) when I come to visit in the summertime, and we usually enjoy a plate, fresh picked and hot off the stove.  Yumm.

Here’s the application:  I am also one who tends to “push the season” on what God wants to do, getting ahead of HIS timing, and sometimes “picking the fruit before it ripens”.  Oh, I may get a good result, but only after some “battering and deep frying”.  (God can and will bring good out of anything!  Praise the LORD!)  

BUT, when I am patient and WAIT upon the LORD and His perfect timing, the result is good and sweet and juicy, and can be consumed right off the vine with all the wonderful taste and nutrients it was intended to provide.  “He makes all things beautiful in His time.”

Psalms 27:13 – 14 (NKJV)  I would have lost heart, unless I had believed     That I would see the goodness of the Lord     In the land of the living.    Wait on the Lord;     Be of good courage,     And He shall strengthen your heart;     Wait, I say, on the Lord!

( I hope this doesn’t mean I can’t have fried green tomatoes anymore!)  smile

2 Thessalonians 1:11-12  “With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.  We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I was reminded today of this scripture, which the Lord gave me to pray over my husband, and sons, Adam and Joshua several years ago.  I can’t tell you how MANY times I have prayed these two powerful verses over them, both in general and in specific situations.  This is how I have prayed it, with every ounce of passion and sincerity I have in me:

Oh Sovereign God,  (1) May (Tony, Adam, Joshua) be found WORTHY of Your calling.   (2)  Fulfill every purpose You have for his life; (3) and every act prompted by his faith. (4) Glorify Yourself through him,  (5) and him in You, by Your Grace through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

God has been SO faithful.  I believe He hears and continually answers the heartfelt prayers of mothers and wives, offered in faith and dependence.  HE is WORTHY of all the glory!  

During the middle weekend of our 21 days of prayer and fasting, I flew to Michigan to speak at a Ministry Wives’ Retreat.  I was determined to stick with my “Daniel Fast”, consuming only fruits, vegetables, water and fruit juices.  On Friday night, the fare was several types of soups with homemade bread and a whole table of snack foods.  I did good, having just a small serving of broccoli-cheese soup and drinking water.  On Saturday morning, they laid out of feast of eggs, bacon, sausage and all that good breakfast food.  That was hard, but I just had an apple and some orange juice.  For lunch, it was chicken Caesar salad, and homemade pies!  I did OK with just some salad (no chicken), but really wasn’t “satisfied”.

After lunch, several of us went for a long walk, and toward the end of our walk, we were on the country road that went in front of the Conference Center.  Suddenly, we came upon a plastic grocery sack laying on the side of the road.  Inside the sack was one ear of corn, still in the husk!  It was perfectly whole, perfectly fresh and perfectly clean.  The grocery sack was even clean.  It looked like it had just been laid there, right in our path.  Well, I just gave a “Thank you, Lord, Thank you, Lord, Thank you, Lord!  Manna from Heaven!”

I picked it up, took it back to the Conference Center, zapped it in the microwave, buttered it and ate it!  It was delicious!  I told the group the story that night and said they would either think I had a great connection with God and He was giving me manna from Heaven, or I was nuts!

I believe it was Manna.  ; )