Lord, What Do You Have Planned for Today

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, The title of this post is the question that I asked of the Lord upon waking yesterday. I finished my morning routine and dived into the book of Zechariah and read until the end of the book. The last few verses seemed to not be the ending of the book but a pause in the narrative, just my thoughts. Since yesterday was supposed to be a sunny day my choice was to do the much needed shopping that I had been putting off for several days. Before I gathered up my purse and grocery list I remembered something my walking friend had said a couple weeks earlier; her car had broken down in the middle of a side road she had taken to get to her destination. In the conversation I had told her that I wouldn't know what to do if I had encountered that situation. Anyway the thought left me as I started the car. It made a weird noise and was hard to start on the first try but was successful on the second try. So off I went to my first stop. Picked up some chicken at the meat market and as I was exiting a car very similar to mine parked next to me. The gentleman got out of the car and I asked him what year it was and of course he responded. We chatted for a while and said a prayer for we discovered we were fellow sojourners. He went into the meat market and I got into the car and as usual put the key in the ignition and it wouldn't start. I tried three more times and then went into the market and asked the gentleman if he could jump start my car. My husband had placed some jumper cables in my car a fre months earlier. He attempted 3 times and still it was not working. I thanked him for his help and he had an appointment to get to so I am sitting in the parking lot. The owner's manual was in the car so I searched for the trouble shooting of the symbols that appeared on my dashboard, as if I could fix this problem myself, which clearly I could not. I then went into the meat market and asked if there were any auto service stations nearby. The both of them pointed in two directions with a weird look on their faces. Their shop was sandwiched between two auto services. I looked up and saw that with only taking literally 25 steps I was at their front door. The nice gentleman said that he would take a look at it and asked if I had someone who could pick me up. I said no so he graciously said that he would take me home. On the drive home I shared the conversation with my friend and my fear of what would happen to me. He said, "well if you had to break down you picked the perfect place to do it." He called me a couple hours later telling me it was the battery and he had replaced it and it was ready to pick-up anytime. I texted my son if he could pick me up after work and get my car, which he agreed he would. I know this is a long post but I wanted to share - the Lord answered my question and all the while was actually quilshing the fears that I had about my car breaking down. God is so Good and Faithful and His Lovingkindness is constant. Let up pray - Abba Father, Praise to thee that our questions, our concerns, our fears and even our very thoughts are heard by You. Gracious Lord, I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that her day which You have planned for her will be so rich in Your blessings and peace that she will worship You and You alone. In Jesus Name, Amen. Resting in His Grace,

LyndiaSue

Visitors Have Come to My House

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, I am a little tired and weary today because the last two days have been jam packed with conversations of loved ones, choices of where to go to eat, and so much hugging and laughter and crying. So many memories to share. Since the visitors - my husband's baby sister (71), her daughter (46) and great nephew (7) had their own memories of Uncle Greg the conversations were very diverse and yet so potent. Some of the things that my niece remembered about her uncle were so precious and of course the great nephew had only seen him twice when he was much younger. He did select a turtle to take home from his uncle's collection. He played with it most of Monday. Tuesday was a trip to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium where each one of us got to see our favorite animals and sea creatures. Also the main reason for going to the zoo was a commitment my husband had made to me about taking me to the zoo. And a week or so before he passed he bought a scooter and we had planned on going in September. My sister-in-law asked to use it so off we went - the scooter was going to the zoo! One of the must-dos was for me to feed a giraffe and my nephew helped me to do that. The other was for him to see the turtles. We arrived at noon and were the last people to leave. They found us in the big aquarium building. In fact the attendant was on his walkie talkie saying that no one was in the building and he was going to lock the doors. My niece heard him and ran over to him and said, we are in here please don't lock us in. It was an adventurous day indeed. When I woke up this morning the house was much too quiet! I hope you don't mind my sharing. The conversations with my sister-in-law were so beautiful because she reminded me that my husband and I had been so blessed over the years. And being married for so and all the travels we had made and experienced. In almost all the conversations we would begin or end our conversations with, "God is so Good", and "it was the Lord's Will". Yes, each day is a day to celebrate and remember that "God is Good", and each day is planned and purposed and indeed "it is the Lord's Will". How blessed we are to be His! Let us pray - Abba Father, thank you for all the days and nights of our lives. Praise to Thee for Your lovingkindness and tender mercies. Thank you for visitors, whether family and/or friends. Thank you for giving us so much. Lord, I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that her life will be richly blessed and each day be filled with Your forever goodness and tender mercy. In Jesus Name, Amen.

LyndiaSue

Journal Writing with a Purpose

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, I hope that all is well with everyone of you and that the Lord is leading and directing you along your path of Faith. For some reason I have 5 journals that I am currently writing in. Each one is serving a purpose for where I am in this new chapter of my life. The first one and the oldest one is a journal that I bought for myself after the first of the year. It has a bible verse on the cover, "with God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26). The second is a journal that I started on September 1st to specifically use in my morning devotionals and now that September is over I will be retiring that one. The third one was given to me by a friend because I needed to write down the things that the doctor's were saying while Greg was in the hospital. It is still being used for the things that I need to do as I walk through the legalities of him being gone. The cover verse is, "TRUST in the LORD with all your HEART". The fourth one is a small journal that is blank and has no lined pages. This one I am using as I hear from the Lord. It is decorated up with bible verses and dates and direct words that the Lord has spoken to me, such as, "Sit Still, my daughter. (Ruth 3:18) and "you are Mine." The fifth one was recently given to me and the use of it is still unclear to me but I know that there will be times that I will need this one. You would probably be thinking right about now - "how does she keep all these journals separate?" Well, I started reading in my new bible, beginning in Genesis - verse 3, "Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light," continuing on, verse 14, "Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years;". The God of Creation speaks and it happens but also when He creates sometimes He tells us the purpose for which the things He created are for. What a marvelous and generous and faithful LORD we have. I know that He will be showing me which journal to write in and how it applies to my life. Let us pray - Abba Father, there is nothing, no nothing that is insignificant in our lives. The smallest to the greatest, the plainest to the most decorated, and the shortest to the longest. You are present, You are all knowing, You know our tinest moments and our most momentous moments. O, Lord I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that she would come before You in praise and worship for You are her everything and everything is in its place. In Jesus Name, Amen. Writing with a purpose,

LyndiaSue

Welcome to the Month of October - Psalm 23

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, I wasn't too sure if I would be able to post today But God showed up and let me know otherwise. I posted this comment on a youtube music video, a song by Keith and Kristyn Getty, "He Will Hold Me Fast", 10 months ago. "thank you for this song - Yes, I know that He is holding me fast - my mom has dementia and is failing fast, my husband's health is failing fast, but still I have a Savior that is holding them fast and the peace that only He gives overflows on me as I sit at Jesus' feet and crying tears and still knowing He has them and is holding them fast. Thank You and Praise You O Lord." This song came up again today because I didn't know what to write. My mom passed away on November 19th of last year and on September 4th my husband passed away holding my hand. The September journey that I take each year and meditate and draw closer to God was and still is Him holding me fast. The Lord's presence was in the room and the peace that only He gives was so beautiful. Being married for 55 1/2 years and being loved by this man and also how he cared for me and prayed for me and understood me and made me feel so special. It is in those moments that I know that He is holding me fast. How great is our LORD! I was also reading Psalm 23 this morning and that is my prayer for all of you this first day of October, "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." In Jesus' Name, Amen. Blessings,

LyndiaSue

Uphold My Steps in Your Paths

Greetings dear and precious Sisters-in-Christ, Our house is on a slab and the floors have a thin layer of waterproof vinyl lining which isn't much padding for a heavy footed person. The house slippers that I wear have a heavy leather sole and when I walk around you can hear my footsteps. The reason for the title of this post is because of what I just explained about moving about in the house. It is quite evident in the early morning when I try to be quiet so my husband can sleep just a little bit longer. Also when I try to check on what he is doing in another room his response is, "I hear you!". I have tried to go barefoot or wear socks only but then the bottom of my feet get tired. A real dilemma, don't you think? The drawback to having a thin layer of flooring is in the winter time. The floors are so cold! We are soon to have carpeting installed so we will no longer have this problem. BUT I brought it up this morning because of the two passages. The first is, Psalm 119:105 and the second is Psalm 17:5. These two passages speak of feet and footsteps. Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" and Psalm 17:5, "Upon my steps in Your paths, that my footsteps may not slip." Both verses speak to my heart. I guess because I am a heavy footed person I am able to hear my footsteps on the blacktopped walking path when I am walking too. BUT for me just knowing that the LORD keeps me on the path and that my footsteps may not slip. Since I am getting older and at times the issue of stumbling becomes more of a problem I trust in the Lord to keep me from stumbling and also keeps me on the right path. To think that my problem with trying to be quiet can lead me to worship Him for He knows where I am walking and He hears my footsteps and He assures me that I am His child and I have no need to worry about being a heavy footed person or trying to be quiet when walking about for He loves me and He guides me and protects my feet and so much more! How great is our LORD for He is our Shepherd and He knows where we are going and keeps us from stumbling and even lights the path for us. Let us pray - Abba Father, Lord of Creation, thank You for creating us so uniquely that even when we think that we have a flaw You Love us so much that the flaw becomes something so beautiful in Your eyes. Lord, I pray for each dear and precious sister-in-Christ that she hears Your Voice and as she walks through her day that each footstep is secure and that Your word is a lamp to her feet. May she not be concerned about where You are leading her on her walk of Faith. May Your beauty surround her path today. In Jesus Name, Amen. Walking in Faith,

LyndiaSue

O Clap Your Hands - Psalm 47

Greetings dear and precious Sisters-in-Christ, When was the last time you clapped your hands? Psalm 47 starts with, "O CLAP your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy,". I can't remember the last time I clapped my hands. For some of you it might have been yesterday or even sooner. Usually it is at a performance of some kind or maybe a conference where the guest speaker is explaining the newest thing on the market. In my worship time I raise my hands and I raise my voice but I can not recall when the last time I clapped my hands. I think of clapping my hands to show appreciation to the people or person that is performing and in reading the first verse of Psalm 47 I have a reason to clap my hands along with shouting to God with the voice of joy. He gives me Joy! He is worthy and to show Him by clapping and clapping long, so long that the palms of your hands are hurting. The Psalm continues with, "He chooses our inheritance for us," and "...For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted." Yes, He is our LORD, He is our STRENGTH, He is our protector and healer and one day we'll be together singing praises and worshipping Him. Let us pray - Abba Father, how gracious and merciful and mighty art Thou. Thank You O Lord for Your Faithfulness and Lovingkindness. I ask that each dear and precious sister-in-Christ begin to clap her hands and shout to You with the voice of Joy. Yes, Lord, Your Joy and Your Peace. As she walks through her day may You overwhelm her with Your Presence that she can boldly and mightily take her next breath knowing that You are her LORD and You alone will sustain her and provide for her and keep her. In Jesus Name, Amen. Let the clapping begin,

LyndiaSue

You Are The Light Of The World - Matthew 5:14, 16

Greetings dear and precious sisters-in-Christ, Yesterday morning it was so quiet and beautiful outside so instead of sitting in my room outside I went to do my quiet time. The sun was coming up over the arisen and I began to read from my devotional these two verses (14 and 16) in Matthew, chapter five, "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;" and "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." I looked up and saw my solar powered water fountain and began to write and knew it was for today's post - Lord, O Lord just like the fountain that is solar operated. This morning my quiet time was spent on my back lanai, ever since my son secured the patio cover, my sanctuary has been sitting here whenever I can. The hummingbirds are used to my voice and join me in her feeding time. I also set up a small bird bath and installed a solar operated device which turns it into a fountain. It is so sensitive that it doesn't take very much sunlight and begins to bubble up. Yes, Lord consider me as a solar operated individual. It doesn't take much SON LIGHT for me to start bubbling up - in praise, in prayer, in thankfulness for the air I breath and the joy that I have. It is written, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5) and "giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son," (Col 1:12,13). Lord, in the quietness of this morning only You know the outcome of this day. In Jesus Name, Amen. Dear and precious sisters-in-Christ this is my prayer for you all that your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. May your day be richly blessed with His tender mercies and may your day be filled with the Presence of Him who will shine His light into your lives and direct and guide and refresh and renew and keep you. Yes, our LORD, our God is faithful and loving and patient in EVERYTHING and in ALL His Ways. May we trust our day(s) knowing that He is coming back for us. In Jesus Name, Amen. May Blessings abound in your walk with Him,

LyndiaSue