The Answer is Always the Same

With a heart full of anxious request,

Which my Father in heaven bestowed,

I wandered, alone and distressed,

In search of a quiet abode;

Astray and distracted I cried,

“Lord, where would Thou have me to be?”

And the voice of the Lamb that had died

Said, “Come, My beloved, to Me.”

I went—for He mightily wins

Weary souls to His peaceful retreat—

And He gave me forgiveness of sins,

And songs that I love to repeat;

And oft as my enemies came,

My views of His glory to dim,

He taught me to trust in His name—

To triumph by leaning on Him.

Made pure by the blood that He shed,

My heart in His presence was free;

I was hungry and thirsty—He fed;

I was sick, and He comforted me;

He gave me the blessing complete—

The hope that is with me today—

And a quiet abode at His feet

That shall not be taken away.

"The Blessing Bestowed" By: Anna L. Waring (1863)

Hold Lightly to Earthly Things

Man . . . is few of days and full of trouble. Job 14:1

***

It may be of great service to us, to remember this mournful fact, for it may lead us to hold lightly to earthly things. There is nothing very pleasant in the recollection that we are not above the arrows of adversity, but it may humble us and prevent us from boasting like the psalmist that our mountain stands firm, that we shall never be moved. It may prevent us from making our roots too deep in this soil from which we are so soon to be transplanted into the heavenly garden.

Let us keep in mind the frail tenure upon which we hold our temporal mercies. If we remember that all the trees of earth are marked for the woodman's axe, we will not be so ready to build our nests in them. We should love, but we should love with the love that expects death, and that reckons upon separations. Our dear relations are simply loaned to us, and the hour when we must return them to the lender's hand may be sooner than we think.

This is also true of our worldly goods. Do not riches take to themselves wings and fly away? Our health is equally precarious. Frail flowers of the field, we must not reckon upon blooming forever. There is a time appointed for weakness and sickness, when we will have to glorify God by suffering and not by earnest activity.

There is no single point in which we can hope to escape from the sharp arrows of affliction; out of our few days there is not one secure from sorrow. Man's life is a cask full of bitter wine; he who looks for joy in it would be better looking for honey in a salty ocean. Beloved reader, do not set your affections upon things of earth, but seek those things that are above, for here the moth devours, and the thief steals, but there all joys are perpetual and eternal. The path of trouble is the
way home. Lord, make this thought a pillow for many a weary head!

***

I saw the title of this devotion in my husband's inbox yesturday,

and the Lord pricked my heart and said,

"That is for you."

***

It is stormy outside this morning. Overcast and grey.

As I sit here and think, I know the Lord spoke truth to me.

I trust Him. I trust His intentions. I trust His purity. I trust His Word to me.

Although, it is hard to hear correction from Him at times, and it is difficult to confess that it is true, I know, it is for my good.

For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed:

for I know whom I have believed,

and am persuaded that he is able to keep

that which I have committed unto him against that day.
2 Timothy 1:12

Finally Posting Again

Well, this one will be short. I guess I am a binge blogger. :) There are so many things the Lord is urging in me for some time now. I have to say, I know He is doing some changes in me, preparing me, and touching my heart in stronger ways. Without being certain of exactly what it is, I will be vague for now. However, I am praying for stronger faith, wisdom, clarity, and for sure refining. Oh how the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. It is my desire to give everything to Jesus, to live each day by His voice.

*

Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,

“ This is the way, walk in it,”

Whenever you turn to the right hand

Or whenever you turn to the left.

Isaiah 30:21

*

Oh Lord, grant me ears to hear what you would say to me today, and a heart that trusts You as you guide my way.