Renewed

Have you never heard? Have you never understood? 

The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. 

He never grows weak or weary.

No one can measure the depths of his understanding.

He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.

Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. 

They will soar high on wings like eagles.

They will run and not grow weary.

They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

When I feel weak, tired or discouraged, I love to read these words from Isaiah 40.  I realize that my feelings are cyclical and that I will be renewed again as I wait upon God in hope and trust.  What a great promise!  Those who put their hope in the Lord will again be lifted up to soar as eagles.  God will not fail to lift me again to the heights.  But not only that, he will give me new strength to run the race ahead of me and to accomplish my daily duties without fainting.  When he renews me again, I will soar above my circumstances in great joy.  He will give me strength to run and work hard toward the goals he has given me and he will give me endurance to accomplish all the tasks of the day. 

Trust in him at all times, O people;

pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.

Psalms 62:8 (NIV)

Snow

Snow in Tonto Hills, Arizona

 “The rain and snow come down from the heavensand stay on the ground to water the earth.They cause the grain to grow,producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word.I send it out, and it always produces fruit.It will accomplish all I want it to,and it will prosper everywhere I send it."

Isaiah 55:10-11 (NLT)

God's ways are so much greater than ours; his plans so much higher.  He has things in mind for us that we can't even imagine.  He can bring good to every situation, no matter how evil.

Our pronouncements of what should happen or what should be done have little power and often have a negative effect bringing the opposite result of what we wanted.  But, God's word goes forth with great power and accomplishes exactly what he sends it forth to do.

Lord, expand our minds and our vision to see what is possible because we put you in charge.  As we make you Lord of every situation you bring new, creative and powerful ideas for solving every problem.  Let us wait on you and your word.  Give us words to speak that will accomplish your good purposes.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

Our snowy backyard.

Turn

And when I wake up, you are still with me!

Psalms 139:18 (NLT)

So the Lord must wait for you to come to him

 so he can show you his love and compassion.

  Isaiah 30:18 (NLT)

When I wake in the morning, I look, and there I see God waiting for me.  As I turn to him he responds with his loving attention.  He longs to bless me today, so he waits for me to awaken my eye to see and my ear to hear encouragement for the day ahead. 

As the day heats up, I turn toward him.  As noise and confusion swirl around, I take a moment to turn and find him waiting with his gracious gifts of peace and quietness in the midst of chaos. So, he grants strength to deal patiently with everything.

In the evening, when I am overcome with drowsiness, I turn in thankfulness for he has faithfully kept me through the day and I rest secure that he will again be waiting for me when the day dawns anew. 

It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning,

 your faithfulness in the evening,

Psalms 92:2 (NLT)

Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece.

He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,

so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Eph 2:10 (NLT)

 

Our lone saguaro is probably more than 100 years old.  As you can see the original trunk has broken off and new arms have sprouted.  It takes 75 years for even one arm to sprout so we know this saguaro has seen many seasons and continued to grow through much adversity - a reminder to us of God’s continued work in our own lives.  We are his masterpiece.  He continues to work through every season of our lives even times of brokenness.  

He has promised an abundant and full life.  If we feel stuck, isolated, discontent it is time to reaffirm our trust in his promises, to examine ourselves and our priorities and rest again in him who has the power to fulfill all of his desire for us.  As we rest in him, daily, wholeheartedly fulfilling what our hands find to do, he will continue to work on his masterpiece. 

God, I wait on you to reveal all that you want me to do.   I seek to know your will and to do the good works you planned for me long ago.  Remove every impediment that would keep me from knowing and doing your will.  Let me be content day by day, allowing your spirit of love to show through me toward everyone I come in contact with.  Let me do the work that is before me with enthusiasm.  Expand my tent to include more people, more friends, more family, more service to those in need.  Let me expend my energies in all that you desire.  Then, I know I will experience the abundant and fulfilling life that you have for me.  Use my discontent to spur me on to be all you want me to be.  I know it is by your power and your spirit alone that this can be accomplished.

Work willingly at whatever you do,

as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

Col 3:22 (NLT)

 The Lord will work out his plans for my life—

for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.

Psalms 138.8 (NLT)

May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.

May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ,

every good thing that is pleasing to him.

Heb 13.21 (NLT)

Joyful Waiting

Cast all your cares on him because he cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NET)

Jesus promises his presence always.  The answers to specific needs in our lives are not such a sure thing.  He doesn’t promise us answers the way we may expect or according to our will or way of seeing.  He promises to be with us, but for the answers we must wait and trust that his way is the best and it will come in time.  Casting our cares on him and leaving them there, we can walk on in peace not fretting about how it will all turn out.  He promises to be with us, to never leave or forsake us in the midst of all of our life experiences.  That is the essence of our joy.

I rest in you ,Lord, joyfully waiting upon you and trusting that the answer will come in your time and your way.

 Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Psalms 27:14 (NIV)

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.

Psalms 62:5 (NLT)