Easter Monday, 2019 - Heading Toward Pentecost

 Let All Creation Sing! 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 

Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150:6) 

When God created his works of creation, He declared everything He made as very good (Genesis 1:31). In Psalm 150, every part of God’s creation is exhorted to give him praise. 

God is immutable, incapable of changing (James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8). He looks upon the good in his creation, yet acknowledges the evil that exists from the ways mankind has marred his work. 

In Hannah Hurnard’s book, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, the heroine, Much-Afraid, is on a journey guided by her loving Shepherd. As she travels, God’s creation is prominent in the lessons she learns as she encounters flowers, waterfalls, rainbows, mountains, and deserts. 

My perspective thrives when I read this book. It handed me strengthening lessons before chronic illness became my constant companion. Now, insights go deeper with each reading, encouraging me to stay focused and strong. One lesson connects to Psalm 150. 

Much-Afraid discovers a single small flower in the desert. It is sustained by keeping its face toward the sun and drinking an occasional drip of water coming from a leak in a pipe. The flower’s name is Acceptance-With-Joy . 

Unlike mankind, all other creation dwells contentedly in being. Its existence breathes out its praise. Mankind alone chooses if he will respond. From a worldly perspective, this is often viewed merely through one’s accomplishments. 

God asks that we be content in him. He looks on each heart’s intent. There is a place and a balance for both accomplishments and stillness. 

I am not to shy away from tasks He equips me to perform but they do not identify me. He does. I often need renewal in understanding this as there are limitations to what I can now do. 

I want to accept with joy each season in my life. My Creator asks that I turn my face upward to be nourished by him. Throughout all seasons, one constant remains for me. I am his. 

This is my praise and 

He declared everything He made as very good !

Prayer

Lord, I join in the chorus of your loving creation that praises you with joy! May you delight in the gift of songs that breathe out our thanksgiving. Amen. 

Holy Saturday, 2019 "A Peaceful Heart"

A Peaceful Heart 

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? (Psalm 22:1) 

We can recognize our feelings mirrored in the Psalms. None of us will ever suffer the torments that Christ suffered on our behalf. However, we will have times of feeling we have been forsaken by him, and by others. Such emotional pain is unbearable.

 In reading this psalm, a memory was triggered within me. I recalled an innocent comment that had stabbed at some deep unmet needs in my soul, mind, and emotions. For days this particular pain would not leave me. It was not so much a feeling that God had forsaken me, rather, I was unable to release the pain. My cries were repetitive and coming from a desolate place. I was so busy calling out to God, that it was not until I stopped to take a breath that He could respond. 

As his loving answers came, the emotional pain subsided. Tears of gratefulness streamed down my face. 

This psalm continues in verse 24 to express more of Christ’s tenderness. “For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.” 

In my self-centered maze of pain, it may have appeared that God was hidden from me. The reality is He wanted to speak. I needed to get quiet—able to listen. 

“Come. Face Me heart to Heart. You will be able to hand Me your bruised emotions when we are that much closer. Let Me take the broken pieces. Let Me hold you and transfuse new life and hope from my Heart to your heart. I came for this reason so long ago as I cried out in the pain of forsakenness. Only I know how to truly help you now. Receive my peace-filled Heart. “

Prayer

Lord, I hear your invitation to enter your heart and offer you my pain. Thank you for the agonies that you bore for me. As I let go of the burdens I carry, I receive your gifts of all I need. Amen. 

Palm Sunday, 2019 "Confined or Content?

As we enter Holy Week, 2019, our thoughts go to the realities leading up to the Cross and then Christ’s death and victorious Resurrection.

Yet first, He was content in the Godhead. In loving obedience to the Father, He chose to empty himself (Philippians 2:5-11) and enter the confines of an earthly body subject to all its needs and yet never giving in to the temptations we do. The devotional I am posting today speaks to how I wrestled with finding contentment in a body less-abled than it once had been. Perhaps you can relate for different reasons to how He helped me. 

A blessed Easter to all. xo Lynn

Confined or Content? 

I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open the eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. 

(Isaiah 42:6-7) 

Any challenges require adjustments. When vestibular dysfunction threw me into a constant state of dizziness and physical disorientation, it happened in one instant. I was blindsided, as if trapped in a dungeon. 

What had happened? Why? 

Some suggested my faith was lacking or I would have been healed by praying—or by others praying for me. I wondered if I was holding myself captive. I became exhausted believing I had to come to some definitive answers.

When all my efforts seemed a failure, I discovered a new level of dependence on the Lord. He patiently waited for me to understand that He was the only strength I had as I learned to live differently-abled. 

I questioned my God-given vocation to be of encouragement to others. Was it possible to proclaim freedom to others and be credible when I felt confined? 

Choose life, Lynn. I am asking you for deeper trust. Surrender. I define your life. Let me.

God helpd me take small steps. I experience him literally work through me in spite of how I feel. As I have died to my own endeavors, I somehow rise with him above my circumstances, despite no physical release from their impact. 

As confined as I have felt, He has remained the open door to meet all my needs. He has shown me the only captivity that ultimately matters is being held captive by his faithfulness. 

It is in his faithfulness, I know contentment. 

Are there times of struggle? Constantly. 

Do I choose to trust God and proclaim his freedom?

When hope rises to view in spite of my pain and his strength is manifested through my limitations, yes! 

Prayer

Lord, you gave your life for me. Help me continue to recognize the freedom I have in you. You set this prisoner free so I can stand content in you. Amen.