Showers of Blessing

Thank You for showers of blessing. You are Soft Rain on tilled earth, on fertile ground in which You, Yourself, have planted seed. How gracious is Your hand in all the earth. I lie down in the soft grass beneath this tree of life by the water's edge and rest, contented, in Your Holy Presence. No matter what may come (and I do believe 'it's' coming) I am Yours. I entrust myself and my family to You completely. You are worthy of my trust, my worship, my grateful heart. May all those whose lives You've intertwined with mine come to know the sweet contentment and complete Shalom of an intimate relationship with You....forever.

A Less Distant Sound

Listening:
"Stay focused. Listen, with your ears attuned, as if for a distant sound. My Voice will get louder as if I am coming closer, but I am in the same place. It is you who are getting nearer, lifted from the earth as you listen and hear My Voice, My Shepherd's Voice, calling you: 'Come where it is safe. Come to My arms, My Everlasting Arms. Tuck yourself near to My Robe and press in. My arm will encircle you there. Look out at the world from that position, only after you have looked up at Me, into My Face, and seen the tender, deep love I have for you."

Sparrows

Listening:
"Yes, you are Mine and always will be. Do not fear or be afraid. I hold you in the palm of My hand, like little sparrows....tenderly brushing your feathers..."

Inside Looking Out

Listening:
"Can't write with your eyes closed, can you? If you could, that would be the perfect combination. When you close your eyes, the world fades and I Am Present. You dwell inside My love. You understand John 15 better now? I don't love you IF you keep My commands. I love you. Now keep My commands to bear much fruit and experience more of My love, to commune more deeply with Me, to dwell inside My love.....not outside looking up, but inside  looking out. From inside looking out, you can see people and circumstances as I see them, from My perspective. In this way you will become more effective, more and more fruitful. You will glorify me more every day. Your prayers, your actions, your thoughts, your words will bear fruit, great fruit. The life is in the Vine. Let My life surge through you."

Unchained

"God sends His Word forth, and it never returns void, unchaining the soul of every person with the courage to believe it."   --Beth Moore

Although I was reluctant to start this blog, I now discover a burning in my heart to see people set free into the arms (and by the hand) of Him Who loves them best. If this little offering on my part can assist in that process, then I lift it up wholeheartedly. Father, attune my ear to faithfully communicate Your heart....

Baruch Atah Adonai

Baruch Atah Adonai, Elohenu Melech Ha Olam Shehechianu, V'Higianu Lazman Hazeh.
Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has sustained us, Who preserved our lives, and Who has enabled us to reach this day.

Moving in the Same Current

As I was recently learning 'a better way to pray' from Andrew Wommack, God responded:
"I see you trying to learn how to pray more effectively. Andrew is correct that you don't need to 'work up a sweat' begging Me for something I am reluctant to do. You are praying what I want prayed...agreeing with My Will, affirming the truth of My Word.  We are moving in a stream together, not struggling in opposing currents."

Shalom

"Listening first...good. Honoring My suffering for you...good. Never taking it for granted as a distant, small thing...good. Trusting in Me for your salvation...good. Repenting...good. Turning into the light of My face...good. Hating sin...good. Loving and serving Me...very good. Putting your whole trust in My grace and love...extremely good. Living, moving, and having your being in Me....that's Shalom."

Streaming

Listening:
"Keep sharing, keep witnessing to Who I Am, what I Am like, what I do for those I love who love Me. Open the eyes of the blind; unstop the ears of the deaf. Bring My Shalom with you wherever you go so that when you enter a room, they sense the wafting of My Peace. Stream Me."

Sweet Presence

     This morning as I closed my eyes and lifted my face to Him, as I try to do each morning in a time of intimate listening and sharing, His Presence washed over me once again. Lately it seems that as soon as I close my eyes, I am deeply aware of His Presence. It used to take me a period of settling and waiting. But now, after 35 years of trying to be close to Him and listen, His powerful but tender Holy Spirit is immediately 'there'.  I know He's always been there with Me, but my awareness of Him is immediately so strong, as it is when I sing to Him or about Him.
     Worship music has always been a ladder to heaven for me, so to speak, but now in the silence, I am awash in His Presence immediately upon closing my eyes.  What a blessing.  I believe that the custom, the daily habit of this prayer chair time has gradually eliminated the need for a time of focus and settling, of ridding myself of mental distractions.
     I know He desires intimacy with all of us, but there is so much that gets in the way. Making sure this is how my day always begins, without it becoming a duty or rule, but rather the true desire of my heart, opens the door to sweet fellowship. His Shalom then extends outward to the day ahead. If only I would remember throughout my day to stop, look up, and close my eyes....His tender Presence is always available.

Borrowed Heartbeats

As I come to the end of The Mystery of the Shemitah by Messianic Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, I am moved by his description of the Last Shemitah:
"The last Shemitah declares that all things--our lives, our beings, our breath--come as gifts from God. Of ourselves we have nothing. All our notions of ownership are an illusion; all our pride a deception....Every heartbeat is borrowed. Everything in the world that draws us or repels us, entangles us or compels us, everything we seek after, dwell on, or live for, is temporary, fleeting, and passing away. Therefore the meaning of this life is not found in anything of this life, but only in Him Who lies behind it. And the purpose of this life is not found in seeking anything of this life, but only in seeking Him Who gave it."  [Mystery of the Shemitah, p 248]

May I spend His gift of every day living out that truth, investing in the people He has placed in my life, rather than in anything that is passing away. May I touch lives for Him so that I take as many with me to heaven as possible, for only people will endure the passing...

Disobedience

I have been disobedient. Awhile ago the Lord asked me to start a blog, instead of just posting occasionally on Facebook. I really thought it was pointless, with all the blogs out there...and thought, "Who would bother to read one more blog?" But this morning I asked the Lord why He hadn't given me any more little nuggets in the mornings.  He told me it was because I hadn't started the blog, as He'd asked...and that He would renew His 'nugget-gifting' when I did what He had asked me to do.  So I've pulled all the little nuggets from my Facebook posts in obedience. May they be a blessing to someone, and I'm trusting He'll now give me more.

Intertwined

I have learned today that the Hebrew for 'trust,' ("those who trust in The Lord"), means 'to bind together by twisting...to be gathered together, to be joined'. This is such a truer image of trusting Adonai....Not having faith in Him from a distance, but intertwined, enmeshed, grafted deeply into His loving heart...safely secured within His care. 
My heart's cry for all those I know and love is to find themselves there, entrusting themselves moment by moment to Him Who loves them beyond their imagining.

Someone I Know

"My God is not just Someone I believe in. He's Someone I know. I've felt His Presence. I've seen His activity. I've experienced His deliverance. I've been touched by His healing. I've witnessed answered prayer. I've 'heard' Him speak straight to me through His Word. Yes, I believe. But more than that, I know." When I read these words from Beth Moore's book To Live is Christ, I wanted to shout, 'Yes! This is what I want to say....yet have never been able to express half so well.

Knowing

"Surrounded by a society that spouts many gods but, at best, nobly agrees to equate them, you and I can know The Lord [Adonai] is God."
-- Beth Moore
Oh God...Abba Father, Yeshua, Ruach Hakodesh, help the people on this earth to know You for Who You are....Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Starving to Death

This morning The Lord gave me an image of a great feast and reminded me of the need to share it. He then showed me that The Feast is His life-giving Truth, which we tend to hoard for fear of people's reaction to us.... But people are starving to death...

The Skin of Our Teeth

"You were never meant to get through life by the skin of your teeth. You were meant to flourish in the love and acceptance of Almighty Jehovah. When He sings over you, dance!" --Beth Moore. A good reference to Zephaniah 3:17...(have always loved that Scripture) This was a good reminder for me, as this new school year has felt more like the former than the latter. Attitude adjustment....thanks, Beth!

Giver and Gift

From this morning's conversation with the Lord:
"Dear Adonai, Here I am, drawing near once again, thankful that You not only allow me to do so, but You long for and desire that I do."
"Here, Child; I am excited to have you open My present......Surprise! ....it is I inside! I am the Giver and I am the Gift....Enjoy!
.....He makes me laugh nearly every morning...

Embroidered With God

Copying down a Scripture this morning, I wrote a capital and left out a letter by mistake. When I went to correct it, it gave me pause. The original, from Psalm 45 (in reference to us as the Bride) was, "In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold." I accidentally wrote, "embroidered with God." Hmmmmm.....what a lovely thought. That's what I want to be....

The Mundane and the Miraculous

"Pure appreciation for His Presence emerges from the daily walk, perhaps in the mundane more than the miraculous." --Beth Moore
But this past week my friend Irma and I experienced the miraculous, too. God is so kind and so tender-hearted towards us....

Christmas Lights

Walking through neighborhoods enjoying the Christmas lights, I was struck this year by the large gaps between displays. One strikingly beautiful house, and then a long line of dark ones before another breathtaking one appeared. It occurred to me that those who have placed their whole trust in Yeshua, the Saviour whose birth on earth some celebrate at this time, can shine in the darkness in much the same way, As Beth Moore has asked, "When does peace become an eye-catching display of God's splendor? ......It is the product of abiding in the Vine--the way by which the wine of joy flows through our lives." The Lord spoke to my heart that night and said that as the darkness increases in this world (as indeed it is), the Light will be made more apparent in its contrast, if we're truly abiding in Him day by day, moment by moment.

Gutter Cleaning

Yesterday, the first Sunday of Advent, as I was pondering preparation of the heart, God reminded me of my gutter-cleaning adventures on Saturday. We have 'gutter guards,' which have holes to let the water drain but keep the pine needles and other falling things from settling in and clogging the gutters. Around the edges, however, a sludge had begun to form from the moisture and plant decay. I needed to work hard to wipe it clean, along with the lighter work of pine needle removal, to keep the water flowing. "It's like your heart," He said. "Ask Me for help removing the sludge, so My Holy Spirit can flow through you more freely. Otherwise, the pure, fresh area will become smaller and smaller without you even noticing...."