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Prayerful Pondering

Monthly Archives: March 2011

Psalm of Comfort

27 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity, comfort

≈ 3 Comments

Psalm 103 is a psalm of comfort for the one who feels ashamed and discouraged over sins and needs reassurance that God forgives and loves His children in spite of their actions.  It is for the one who needs encouragement, healing, and hope.  This psalm answers the question “Does God still care about me?”  And the answer is a resounding yes! 

David, who wrote this psalm, was called “a man after God’s own heart.”  He was called that because he had, from his youth, developed an intimate and trusting relationship with the Lord.  He walked with Him and talked with Him — always.  Even so, because David was human, he sinned.  Adultery and murder were among those sins.  But David knew how to come back to God when he had gotten off track.  David knew the way back because he knew God.  His years of living intimately with the Father taught David who God truly was.  He knew that God hated sin, but loved him with an everlasting, unfailing love.  He knew God would always forgive him and always welcome him back when he came with a contrite heart.  What David had in relationship, we can also have.  

Notice that David begins and ends with praise for God.  Scripture says that God inhabits our praise.  David wants to be heard, he wants the presence of God, and he adores his Maker with words of exaltation.  His intention is to establish a right position between Creator and created.  After David has entered God’s presence with words of exaltation, he continues to pay tribute to God by explaining all he finds in Him.  This is a defining poem about a God of love and David’s confidence in Him. 

May this psalm provide comfort to the one seeking it, for whatever reason.  We can claim it as our blessing from the One who knew everything we would do before we did it and still sent His Son to die for us to save us from those things we could not save ourselves.   Before we were born, God knew the obstacles we would face and the pain we would go through, and He gave us the promise that He would never leave us to go through it alone.  Declare this psalm to your weary mind, body, and spirit and be infused with His love and the peace that follows.        

Psalm 103  (NIV)

1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: 8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. 9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; 10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. 17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children– 18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. 19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will. 22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, O my soul.

Father, there is no one’s forgiveness we need more than Yours.  We may hide our sins from other people, but we can never hide them from You.  There is no one that can encourage us like You.  A word from You, O God, is precious beyond measure.  We come with praises and thanksgiving for a love like Yours!  We hide ourselves in the shadow of Your wing, where we are comforted and restored.  No matter how hard life gets, there is always healing in Your presence.  There, you renew our hope and give us new vision. We bless Your holy name, most high God!     

 

Where There Is No God

25 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity

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Where there is no God,
there is no discipline,
no sense of concern for another.
Without fear of the Most High
man stumbles, flails about,
makes mocking of life’s meaning.

Where there is no God
how can one go forward,
or know when to stop?
How can he know where to turn,
where to climb,
or find rest for the journey?

Where there is no God,
man’s selfish heart rules.
He issues edicts without grace,
he boasts in himself,
he is loud, harsh,
and without reason.

Where God is,
there is truth and trust,
there is right direction
and godly achievement.
There is love that soothes,
and builds up.

Where God is,
kindness abounds,
joy and peace overflow.
There is unity and grace.
Man’s heart is full
          – and it is glad!

Pain Led To Discovery

20 Sunday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity

≈ 22 Comments

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.   (Romans 8:28)

We had lived in our house for almost two decades before I took serious notice of our backyard and what was going on there, un-enjoyed and unappreciated.  I can blame the first 10 years to working too hard and not taking time to notice much of anything but the necessary.  The remaining years were swallowed up with chronic pain that drained my energy and muted the vibrancy of both color and sound.  But true to Romans 8:28, that same debilitating pain brought me good.  For the pain caused me to be still, and with that stillness came the discovery of God’s nature gift in my very own backyard.   

One spring morning, without any particular reason that I can recall, I poured my first cup of coffee and headed out to the patio.  I settled into a glider chair and began watching the sun rise between two tall trees just over our back fence.  It was a spectacular orange ball rising as if out of an orchestra pit to lead all of nature in celebration of the new day.   It was nothing short of glorious.

Our river birch, my favorite tree, was alive with birds chattering noisily, flying about, just happy to be alive, it seemed.   Straight above the back stretch of fence standing on utility wires were more than a dozen doves – silver beauties, calling out with a chant-like sound.  I was caught by all the beauty and the cacophony of sound; my senses were being as heightened as if I were walking through an art museum.  My first reaction was that of shock:  how could I have missed such wonder all these years?  On that glorious morning brought quite by God’s grace, I began a ritual that held until the grey skies of winter. 

I began recounting my discoveries with my nature knowledgeable son-in-law.  I told Mark I was especially attracted to the sounds of the doves and thought they were making different sounds in the morning and afternoon, but he told me I was hearing more than one species of dove and he directed me to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology “All about Birds” website, where it would lead me through identification of birds by description and sound.  (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds.)  The regal silver doves who were calling out mostly in the morning were Eurasian collared-doves.  The ones I heard more in the afternoon were mourning doves.   The sound of the collared-doves was “coo-coo’-rah, coo-coo’-rah,” which I decided sounded like “Praise Je’-sus!  Praise Je’-sus!”

I noticed that one of the Eurasian collared-doves had a damaged wing.  There was a chunk of feathers missing and when the dove flew, he would beat the air really hard to lift off.  I watched for him every day, claiming him as a favorite.  Once when he and his mate were on the ground feeding on bread crumbs, he sheltered her with spread wings, facing a mockingbird that had joined them.  He didn’t call out or attempt to chase away the mockingbird, just stood guard over his mate while she ate.  She never looked up; such was her trust in her mated-for-life partner. 

Mockingbirds are not known for friendliness, but one befriended me.  Every morning, as I settled in, he would appear at the edge of the roof overhang and then fly down to stand about four feet in front of me.  There he would turn his head to the side as he looked me over, strut back and forth, and then look at me again.  I would wish him a cheery good morning and shortly he would be on his way – an almost daily and delightful occurrence. 

One afternoon, I caught sight of a baby mockingbird in our young Harry Lauder walking stick tree, rising only five feet from the ground.   I couldn’t hold back a soft “ohhh.”  The baby must have belonged to my mockingbird friend because I was allowed to watch their interaction only about 10 feet from where I was sitting.  Because there was no nest in the little tree, I suppose flying lessons were going on.  This was my gift from the one who checked me out every morning; my unobtrusive lingering, quiet and alone, gained trust.  I quietly stepped away to grab my camera, but the clicking caused Baby to call out and that called back a screeching parent.  Trust had worn thin:  Enough!  Don’t push what I’m allowing you!  I know not to mess with a mockingbird, so I came inside and left them to the day’s business. 

I began journaling on what I saw every day:  a Papa Robin searching for worms on a ground wet from the previous night’s rain, walking busily about.  Then, fertile area found, he would tug, tug, tug.    I wrote of hummingbirds and my discovery that these little jet-birds of tiny beauty make sounds of whirring, chipping, or buzzing.  I enjoyed their weaving in and out of our trellis-woven red honeysuckle, Red Honeysuckledrinking from one deep-throated bloom and then another with their long needle-like beaks.   I found one little green hummingbird that drank nectar with his tiny legs and feet dangling, rather than the usual posture of pulling legs close to their bodies when they hover in mid-air to feed. 

My intrigue with the backyard led to our hanging several bird feeders, including a sock feeder for our finches.  A mesh bag of about 18 inches and the diameter of a man’s sock, the feeder allows finches to hang directly on the cloth bag and feed through the holes, sometimes while hanging upside down.  

There had been a purple marten condo in the backyard for quite a while.  The year of my fascination, there was only one purple marten in residence, but here’s the neat thing:  it shared an apartment on the back side with a sparrow!  I understand that’s unheard of, yet there it was. 

There were many martens living in nearby yards and they would eventually gather overhead on the utility wires.  They would shoot off into the sky with such a rush it looked as if Mother Nature had sent them forward with the fanning of her apron skirt.  I watched as they soared across the heavens, doing what looked like a swimmer’s breaststroke and gliding forever before the need for more wing-fluttering power. 

While the birds provided the action, they were just part of the beauty.  Blooming things were all about.  Over to one side in a neighbor’s yard standing regally above the fence were golden sunflowers on 10 to 12 foot stalks.  The striking red male cardinals and Goldfinches particularly loved the sunflowers and sang out mightily.  To the other side was a row of white crape myrtles peering over from another neighbor’s fence for a look into our yard.  The color to either side of me added to our own treasures:  the river birch reaching high into the sky, the lazy limbed redbud that the doves preferred, the funny looking walking stick tree, a young white cherry, the lush red honeysuckle, and two deep red floribunda rose bushes, always heavy with blooms.    

After I began considering the patio my favorite room of the house, I added pots of Lantana to attract butterflies.  They also seemed to attract my mockingbird friend and he would clumsily land in the branches that were too weak to hold him up.  It was a funny sight as he spilled about trying to gain a respectful perch.  I didn’t mind that he broke a branch or two because his attempts were an amusing performance.  

The Harry Lauder tree is not a common tree and it is worth describing.  We found it in a Farm Bureau magazine and had to search to find one for ourselves.  Harry Lauder trees will grow to about 10 feet tall with the same size of spread.  They have very thick foliage that has a wilted look in the summer — not very pretty.  The payoff comes when the leaves fall off and reveals tightly curled limbs, the kind that florists use to make arrangements.  Their branches are stronger and darker, with more involved twirls and turns than twisted willow trees. 

I learned the longer I lingered on the patio, the more splendor unfolded and the more interesting the detail became.  I love to watch the dance of the leaves of trees and plants on breezy days.  Then, when there isn’t a hint of air’s stirring, I sit in wonder at how something as light as a tiny single leaf suspended on a cord-like stem high in a tree can fail to move at all, but it happens.  It’s just another part of nature’s majesty. 

It is all God’s handiwork, His show of miracle making, and He created it for all of us, hoping someday we would look around and experience it.   

Thank you, Creator, for the pain that caused me to stop and notice what You have freely given.  Your creation brought joy to my soul and lifted me above the weariness of pain.  And Father, thank you for the blessing of healing that eventually came.  In Your always perfect timing, You took my pain and left me with many precious lessons.  I give You all the praise and glory!  You are an awesome and loving God!  I love you, Father. 

God Is Our All

16 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity

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I love to read the many descriptions of God in the scriptures and how He has provided for us.  He is our shelter and fortress and shield.  He is our hiding place from the enemy and a fountain of replenishment.  He is our guide and comforter, the One who gives us strength and sets our feet upon steady rock.   

God is all we need as companion and protector, but He is even more.    For He is just as surely in all that He has created for our pleasure. 

He is the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the breeze.  He is in the rain that nourishes the earth and causes seed to grow.  God is in the moon and stars as they declare the ending of day, and in the rising sun as we hope for another.  God is in the birds that sit among the trees and sing, and in flowers that delight with rainbows of color.   

And we find our wonderful God in those about us.  We find Him in the laughter of a child and in the love of an adored pet.  He is in the wisdom of the elderly and the gentleness of a faithful caregiver.  God is in the kindness of a friend and the smile of a stranger.  If we but look, we see Him everywhere. 

Father, how grateful we are to find you revealed in so many ways.  Thank you for delighting in us, that You would give of Yourself so abundantly and lovingly.  Your provisions are full and complete.  You care for us like no other ever could and we bless Your holy name! 

Revelation Through Obedience

11 Friday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity

≈ 2 Comments

For some time, I had been praying for revelation on some particular situations in my life. There was so much that I needed guidance on and God seemed silent. 

One morning while reading from Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost For His Highest (October 10th meditation), I was drawn to this:  “All God’s revelations are sealed until they are opened to us by obedience.”  Could that be the problem?  Was I oblivious to some disobedience in my life?  Chambers went on:  “Obey God in the thing He shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up.” 

I reached for my Bible where the words of Jesus are printed in red.  My Bible seemed to fall open to Luke 6:27, where Jesus begins His discourse on loving our enemies. 

There was someone in my life that fit in the enemy category and my prayers in that situation had been for personal help, not for the other person.  I was taking the road of self-pity, thinking only of the wrong done me.  I determined in that moment to follow Jesus’ way and look for opportunities to do good and bless the one hurting me, and to change my selfish praying into “other” centered praying.   

Immediately there came a flooding of peace, a peace that assured me I had heard from God.   And on the heels of obedient practice, came revelation on the other matters I had been praying about.

Thank you, Jesus, for shedding light on where I fail and how to get back on track.  Your word always speaks direction.   

“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ” 

The words of Jesus, Luke 6:27-28 (NKJV)

Clothed In Salvation and Righteousness

09 Wednesday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in Christianity, comfort

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Imagine it. Standing before God, clothed not in all that would condemn us, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the filthy rags of our sins, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the paper garment of pride and self-interest, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the clung to-coverings of resentment, frustration, and anger, but in salvation and righteousness. Not in the way the world sees us, but in His salvation and righteousness!

Isaiah 61:10 says “I delight greatly in the LORD, my soul rejoices in my God. For He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.”

That leaves me in complete awe. It leaves me without words adequate to express my gratitude. It causes me to fall on knees of thankfulness and weep before the King of Kings, to praise the One who does that for me – the lowliest of the low.

Jesus, He who is clothed in a royal robe of love and sacrifice, compassion and forgiveness, kindness and humility, gentleness and patience – it is He who holds out His arms to me. It is He who gave me the garment of salvation and arrayed me with righteousness when I said yes to Him. This One who alone is Holy has exchanged my unclean earthly garment, foul and unsightly beyond description, and adorned me as His bride, worthy to come to Him and live with Him eternally.

Philippians 3:20-21 says “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body.” It is the miracle of God’s love.

There is only One who can set us right, who can take all our sin and error and transform it into salvation and righteousness. And He did it for me – and for you — the moment we believed in Him as Savior and Lord. (John 3:16)

Romans 8:1 says “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

Oh, what a Savior of mercy and grace!  Oh, what joy awaits us!   Praise Him, for He alone is worthy and mighty and greatly to be praised!

Comfort Prayer

05 Saturday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in prayer

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

comfort, prayer

The book of Psalms provides much comfort.  As David and other psalmists share with us their own emotions, we learn how to deal with our own.  Psalm 91 is a psalm many of us like to pray for ourselves or others when comfort is needed.  We do that by personalization.  To make it your own declaration, or your prayer for a family member or friend, fill in the blanks accordingly.   If it is your loved one who needs comfort, bless them further by reading it to them.

Psalm 91 (NIV translation, but with capitalization of pronouns indicating God’s name)

1 He (or she) who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.  2 _______ will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”  3 Surely He will save _______ from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.  4 He will cover _______ with His feathers, and under His wings _______ will find refuge; His faithfulness will be _______‘s shield and rampart.  5 _______ will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.  7 A thousand may fall at _______’s side, ten thousand at (her/his) right hand, but it will not come near _______.  8 _______ will only observe with (her/his) eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.  9 If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the LORD, who is my  refuge—  10 then no harm will befall _______, no disaster will come near (her/his)tent.  11 For He will command His angels concerning _______ to guard _______ in all (her/his) ways; 12 they will lift _______ up in their hands, so that _______ will not strike (her/his) foot against a stone.  13 _______ will tread upon the lion and the cobra; _______ will trample the great lion and the serpent.  14 “Because _______ loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue _______; I will protect _______, for _______ acknowledges My name.  15 _______ will call upon Me, and I will answer _______; I will be with _______ in trouble, I will deliver _______ and honor _______.  16 With long life will I satisfy _______ and show _______ my salvation.”

Father, may this bless the lives of the wounded and weary.   May it bring needed peace and new hope.  May Your children feel Your very presence surround them as they pray these words.   

God’s Interventions

01 Tuesday Mar 2011

Posted by Pat Luffman Rowland in death

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

faith, intervention, salvation, suicide, wisdom

When a Christian mother told of her son’s suicide, someone asked what that did to her faith.  Did she question God’s love for her or for her son?  Did she turn away from God?  The mother said it did not turn her away from God, nor question His love.  What it did cause her to question was her understanding of what she had thought God spoke to her.  She had believed the Lord had told her He would intervene for her son.  The fact that her son took his life instead left her thinking she had badly misunderstood God – and that undermined her faith in hearing God.  How was she to know when she was hearing from God?  How could she be sure if she understood what He was saying?  Then she had an insight that made all the difference:  God had intervened for her child when He saved him on the cross.  During those troubled times, her son came to salvation; that was the intervention God had made for him.  The child was not saved from his life of battles, but he was saved for all eternity.  The intervention God made in her son’s life was not of this world, but one of God’s kingdom.  And that brought her peace.   

As she explained her sudden leap of understanding, I had one, too.  When we don’t see His intervention in what we pray for, it does not mean God has failed us.  It does not mean He has turned a deaf ear on our prayers.   Though we long for His interventions in the troubles and complexity of this world, this is but our temporary abode.   When we can think of eternity as we pray, our prayers become those that will make the true and forever difference – for us, for our children, for all those we love.   Our prayers become stronger and His answers more clear.  We will make more time to pray about what matters for all eternity, those things that are everlasting, that which prepares us and others for a lifetime with God. 

We think more about the present; God thinks more about our future.  I believe it will be a beautiful thing when we are heaven-side and see all the ways He intervened for our eternal good that we did not recognize – could not recognize.  I believe when we see the glory of His presence, we will also immediately see the truth of His love; that He never left us wanting without taking care of a greater need. 

He is our Abba Father and He is Love.  He is Faithful and Wise, Good beyond any means of measure.  He cares for our souls and all that shapes us for the time beyond – that time which is without end.   

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.   

Revelation 21:1

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The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 ESV

If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

God has not given us a spirt of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

© Pat Rowland and Prayerful Pondering, 2010 - 2013.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Pat Rowland and Prayerful Pondering with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Hope must be in the future tense. Faith, to be faith, must be in the present tense. Catherine Marshall
Everything over your head is under his feet. Dr. Tom Lindberg
What an excellent ground of hope and confidence we have when we reflect upon these three things in prayer--the Father's love, the son's merit and the Spirit's power! Thomas Manton
Our Christian hope is that we're going to live with Christ in a new earth, where is not only no more death, but where life is what it was always meant to be. Timothy Keller

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