Jehovah Raah: The LORD is My Shepherd Part 2

Please first read Jehovah Raah: The LORD is My Shepherd Part 1 and then come back for this one...

In John 10:1-16 and 27-30, Jesus states:

“I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

“I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”

I am always amazed when I hear someone say that they don't believe Jesus is God who came to save us from our sins, but they do believe that he was a prophet and a good teacher.  How can this be?  If He claimed He was God and was not, He wouldn't be a good teacher at all and no where near a prophet.  He would be a crazy liar!

No, Jesus is as He said He is.  The LORD is my Shepherd, and I cannot even snatch myself from His hand!  Praise God!  He is the Good Shepherd that each one of us so desperately needs.  It may not seem desperate to some, but it is indeed desperate.  A sheep without a shepherd is in a very dangerous predicament.

"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd." (Matthew 9:36)

Know anyone who is distressed and dispirited?

Distress:

1. great pain, anxiety, or sorrow; acute physical or mental suffering; affliction; trouble.

2. a state of extreme necessity or misfortune.

Dispirited:

discouraged; dejected; disheartened; gloomy.

The Greek word for dispirited sheds even more light:

Ripto:

1. to set down (with the suggestion of haste and want of care)

2. to throw to the ground, prostrate

In Phillip Keller's book, "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23," he mentions times when sheep from neighboring pastures who were not taken care of well would try to break out from their fields in order to get to his pastures where there was nice grass and sheep who were well taken care of.  They were ready to throw themselves before him because they were desperate for care.

There are times in my life where I have forgotten this.

One time in particular was during a mission trip in Indonesia.  Interestingly enough, we (the group of ladies with whom I was traveling) were actually studying this topic of the LORD being our Shepherd, and one of the ladies even made up a little devotional for us about it.  She also bought each one of us a little lamb as a reminder. 

Well we unexpectedly ended up riding in a van, in the rain, in the dark, in the mountains to a destination where we would be staying overnight.  Church was the next morning, and we had a three hour drive that night.  We were scared.  It was scary.  We each had moments of panic, but we all tried to focus on the LORD.  I even thought at one point, "Well this could be how I go, and what a way to do it."  Thankfully I had music to listen to that the Lord used to help me stay calm.

Long story short, after hours of this, and one poor lady even getting car-sick, we made it to a hotel and pleaded with the Indonesian friends we were with to let us stay there.  The next day it would be daylight and not raining.  That would be better!

When we finally pulled up to the church where we would be connecting with other Christian women, what did we see?  A mural similar to this one reminding us of who our Shepherd was.  We had sort of forgotten.

This is not to say that bad things never happen to His sheep.  However, when those valleys do come, He is the one to walk us through them.  He is the one who takes care of us.  He takes amazingly suberb care of us because He loves us more than any other shepherd ever could.  He brings good out of it, and He is glorified. 

He was so faithful to help us keep going.  What a blessing we would have missed!

If you haven't yet trusted in Jesus as your Good Shepherd, your Savior, I pray you will...right away!

For further study on this, there are so many passages in the Bible about sheep.  Here are some books I also highly recommend:

LORD, I Want to Know You, by Kay Arthur

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 and  Lessons From a Sheep Dog by Phillip Keller

Scouting the Divine by Margaret Feinberg

Thank You, my Faithful Shepherd, for loving me like You do!  I am so undeserving and so thankful!  I love You!

Jehovah Raah: The LORD is My Shepherd Part 1

This is my absolute favorite name of God.  I just love what it means to be His sheep and have Him as my shepherd.  Of course, I didn't really understand what that meant for a long time.  After all, I actually don't know any real-live shepherds, and I have only spent time with sheep a few times and for a few minutes at a time.  Through my study of what it means to acknowledge the Lord as my Shepherd and what it means to be His sheep, I have grown to love this imagery and now have a great affection for all things sheep.

Sheep are the most frequently mentioned animal in the Bible, believe it or not, and for good reason.  The more one gets to know sheep, the more one can realize how much we humans relate to them.  The bottom line is this: Sheep need not just a shepherd, but a very good one.  Without a good shepherd they eventually die, often because of not-so-smart decisions, and often slowly and painfully.  They are not the brightest of animals on their own and can be very impulsive.  Also fear can cause devastation to a flock because they all panic and often get into more trouble as a result.

Sheep need food, freedom from pests, freedom from friction (conflict), and freedom from fear in order to be able to lie down and rest peacefully.  It is completely up to the shepherd to see that these needs be met in order for his flock to thrive.  This takes constant and consistent attention and care on the shepherd's part.  The sheep trust him and look to him for help.  When they are warned of danger, they group together to help protect each other and trust that their good shepherd is on his way.

The good shepherd helps them to have everything they need. They can lie down and rest because they are satisfied.  They are lead by waters that are good for drinking because their shepherd cares for them. 

He helps them when they fall over - which can very quickly be deadly for a sheep because they literally cannot pick themselves up again.  He restores them to health and watches to be ready to help them again. 

He leads them down good paths, and he is known as a good shepherd as a result of his care for his sheep.  When there is trouble, he protects them and guides them with his rod and staff - which also can be used as a weapon to defeat predators. 

He goes ahead of his flock to prepare the fields where they will graze, making sure no deadly weeds or parasites are there.  He pours an oil mixutre on their heads to protect them from irritating and deadly parasites and pests that can devastate a sheep and even the whole flock - sheep can be so irritated by a pest that they have been known to throw themselves off of a cliff just to get relief not realizing that it also will lead to their death.

And when the year comes to a close, the sheep are lead back home to rest with their shepherd until the next journey begins.

Does all of this sound familiar at all?

Psalm 23: A psalm of David.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 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 anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

David, King of Israel, was a shepherd.  He fully understood these words and how they related to his Jehovah Raah.  This psalm literally covers a year in the life of a shepherd and his flock!  David recognized that the LORD was his Good Shepherd, and that He could be trusted completely.

We need a good shepherd!  According to Isaiah 53:6, "All of us like sheep have gone astray.  Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him."  

It is so easy for us to go astray because we often seek our own way instead of relying on our Good Shepherd, Jehovah Raah, to lead us.  Just like a stubborn sheep, we all at times step off of the good path He has laid for us in order to chase after that bright green patch of grass that looks so good.  We think we can just quickly go after it.  What harm can that bring?  We question His path.  Why this path when there is a perfectly good path (at least to our eyes) over there?  Sometimes we don't get into much trouble.  The shepherd calls us back and we come.  Other times a straying sheep can get into so much trouble that the shepherd actually has to break her legs, so she won't run away into more trouble and bring her back over his shoulders safely.  He then restores her to health and mends her wounds hoping she has learned her lesson.

This passage in Isaiah 53 speaks of the Messiah - the One who would die for our sins in order to bring salvation to those who would accept Him as their Savior, their Messiah.  He not only was willing to forever take care of His sheep as their Good Shepherd, but He also temporarily became a sheep Himself in order to pay the penalty for our sins.  "...he was led like a lamb to the slaughter...he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 53:7,12).

This is what Jesus did.

To be continued in Jehovah Raah: The LORD is My Shepherd Part 2

Impressive and Healthy Doesn't Have to Be Difficult!

Several years ago we started making {almost} everything from scratch in our household as a way to save money (tons!) and eat a more healthy and more balanced diet.  The rewards have been well worth any effort and besides that we think food tastes a whole lot better this way.

I am always surprised by how many people think it is far too difficult and time consuming to actually make a meal from scratch.  First of all, let's define from scratch.

From scratch: An idiom that means from the very beginning or starting point and from nothing (nothing already done for you)

While it is probably not likely that we are always going to start a meal from nothing already done for us...for example, I don't have the equipment to ground my own flour, I don't catch the fish we eat, and in the example I will get to of a meal idea I didn't shred my own coconut.  However, the point is, you can make a meal that is healthy, affordable, and even impressive all from simple and natural ingredients.

I am not saying that it is morally wrong to use a box to make a meal or baked good.  I am just saying that you don't have to do it, and if you don't you will probably save a lot of money and make something that is much healthier.  This is because there is a lot of junk available today in boxes.  These items often have terrible ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils, and when you break down the price you can be spending a lot more money for the convenience.

We started with one change at a time in our home until we had made a whole lot of changes that had become a part of our lifestyle.  I don't often make food that is fancy or has a lot of steps in the recipes.  You don't have to do that, either.  There are so many ways to make this kind of cooking and eating fit into your life and your family.

Here is one example.  We had one pound of salmon in the freezer that I bought fresh and froze immediately because it was on sale a couple of weeks ago.  I also had some white potatoes, about five little purple potatoes, a small bag of snow peas, a leftover portion of an onion, and four cloves of garlic that I wanted to use up before I forgot about it and accidentally let it go bad in my fridge (letting food rot doesn't save you money, of course).  So I thought about it for a few minutes.  Hmmm, what can I do this all of this?

So I chopped up all of the mentioned veggies and put them in a baking dish.  I seasoned them with sea salt, black pepper, and Mrs Dash after coating them with extra virgin olive oil and stirring it all around in the pan.  I didn't worry about chopping the pieces up perfectly or taking too much time on it.  The goal was to wash and cut it and get it in the pan to bake.

Then I preheated the oven 425 degrees.

Taking the salmon that I had thawed in the fridge overnight, I placed the two pieces on a baking sheet (without greasing the pan).  I put a good bit of black pepper on the top of the fish, and then I put a little bit of sea salt.  Then I had a really exciting idea because we love coconut here.  How can I put coconut on this salmon without having to go through the steps of breading it or making a mixture of some sort?  So I took the unsweetened, organic coconut shreds I had leftover in the freezer and generously sprinkled and spread them on the tops of the two fillets.  Then I took our bottle of raw, unfiltered, local honey - a.k.a. the good stuff - and cautiously sqeezed thin lines of honey all over the top of it.  I just wanted to lightly cover the top with honey to help the coconut not burn and to flavor the fish more.

The oven was finally ready!

I put both the pan of veggies and the baking sheet of fish in the oven side by side for 10 minutes, making sure that the fish was flaky and cooked in the middle.  After letting it cool we had such a yummy dinner that we ate all the fish and managed to save only a little bit of veggies for leftovers.  It was so tasty and even looked like a meal you would order at a restaurant. 

And it only cost me around $12 for almost four portions of fish and about six portions of veggies!  That is really good for a salmon dinner!

This one is going to show up again at our house.  Impressive and healthy doesn't have to be difficult!

Eating His Words

I love the many practical analogies in the Bible.  I also love to eat, so the analogies that are about food I particularly find appealing. 

I have been thinking a lot the last couple of weeks about what separates a carnal Christian - one who belongs to Christ and wants to follow Him but remains mostly unchanged by Him, and a growing and vibrant Christian - one who belongs to Christ and follows Him with a wholehearted devotion that is not only evident to those around him but also leads to a more fulfilled life.  I keep coming back to this:  The Bible.  Our lack of maturity or gain of maturity simply rides on studying, knowing, and applying God's Word to our lives daily. 

Thankfully I am able to eat food everyday, several times a day in fact.  The food is available to me, and I am physically capable of eating it.  I need food to not only survive, but also to thrive.  Food is not only a need for me, though.  I also want food and rather enjoy a variety of it throughout each day.  I also feed my children and make sure my husband also is well-fed.

Why of earth then do I neglect to feast upon His Word sometimes???

Do I think I can just handle life on my own?  I don't need the food I gain from knowing His Word???

Do I not realize that by studying, learning, knowing, and applying His Word daily that I am actually getting to know my Savior better and letting Him mold me and shape me into a more mature, more real, more relevant, and more fulfilled Christian???

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." (Psalm 34:8)

Once we truly taste the goodness of the LORD it is difficult for anything else to satisfy us fully.  Sure, there are times when we make attempts to be satisfied elsewhere, but eventually He brings us back and reminds us of what we were missing.

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good." (1 Peter 2:2,3)

Think about how a baby craves milk.  He must have it to live!  After receiving that milk he is so satisfied.  This milk helps Him grow.

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil." (Hebrews 5:13,14)

Milk is wonderful in the beginning.  This is the foundation, the first truths we learn when we first become a follower of Christ.  Then we must grow and mature by not only seeking the milk, the basics, but moving on to seeking more truth, the meat of God's Word.  I love the phrase "constant use" in the passage.

Constant: –adjective

1. not changing or varying; uniform; regular; invariable

2. continuing without pause or letup; unceasing

3. regularly recurrent; continual; persistent

Am I continuing without pause or letup in my study of the Word of God, the Bible?  Am I not just studying it but also persistently using the truths found within it to discern good from evil?

Maybe you feel overwhelmed when you look at your Bible (if you even have one, yet).  The first step is to ask the LORD to help you.  There are many great helps for studying the Bible, but I recommend one to start with: "How to Study Your Bible; The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method," by Kay Arthur.  You can find it on Amazon for under $2 plus shipping.  This method of study has helped me personally in my quest for knowing God more through knowing His Word more and looking to Him to help me apply His truth in my life, for His glory.

This is yet another area of my life that takes intentionality.  Some days I don't feel like sitting down a reading my Bible.  Other days I cannot wait to do so!  Usually I find that the days I don't feel like it follow many days that I have not really taken much time with my Savior to grow and be filled by Him.  When I get in a funk like that, it may take a couple of days to feel like I want to be constant again.  However, relying only on feelings is generally not a good idea.  I know I need to do it, so I must.  Then I can say like Jeremiah:

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." (Jeremiah 15:16)

Are you feasting on His words today?  Are you eating His words lately letting them change you for the better because of His goodness and love for you?  Or are you still hungry and thirsty because you have not yet found the source of true satisfaction?

"Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." (John 6:35)

Thank you, Jesus.

Ode to My Husband and Children

This weekend I was reminded for the seven thousandth time, give or take, of how thankful I am for my husband and children.  In a society where there is much mockery and devaluing of men and of children, I want to take some time to counter that with some truth.

"He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge." (Proverbs 14:26)

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him." (Jeremiah 17:7)

I am so blessed because my husband trusts in the LORD!  He is a pillar of strength like Boaz, and I am so thankful.  Though he is not perfect, and I don't expect him to be, he is everything I could have hoped and prayed for in a husband.  We do not always agree, but we do usually see things the same way and walk hand-in-hand through life's pastures.  I couldn't imagine a better partner. 

I love how kind he is to others.  He is gentle, but strong.  He is humble, but confident.  His humor is many times dry and sometimes corny, but he very often makes me laugh.  A lot.  We have a lot of fun together, and we also enjoy serious and thought provoking discussions.  I really love him and like him.

My husband is very good at the job God has placed him in, but he is even better at being a great daddy.  My children are so blessed not only with a daddy who loves God and loves their mommy, but also with a daddy who loves them and takes care of them just as much as I do.  I am so blessed with an actively involved daddy for my children.  We are on the same page with parenting, which takes communication and prayer together, and this is a huge blessing for which I am very thankful.

And for my children.  I adore them tremendously, as well.

"Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth.  Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them." (Psalm 127:3-5a)

Children are a blessing.  They are a blessing to be cherished and taken care of diligently.  They are not a financial burden or just another mouth to feed.  They are a precious gift from the LORD!  I am thankful for the blessing of my children.  I know intentional parenting can get exhausting, but it is worth every once of effort.  Furthermore, intentional parenting is my responsibility.  It's not fair if I just get through these first 18 years and then send them out into the world to make it on their own without the proper training and love.

I actually really enjoy my children.  I like bringing them with me places and spending time with them at home.  It's not always easy, but it is always rewarding.  I like to think they enjoy being around me, as well.  I hope we have even more children if the LORD so chooses to bless us more.

My older child is spunky, yet very sweet.  She is learning to do what is right and realizes that she needs the wisdom of the Scriptures to help her.  She does disobey quite a bit right now, but she also responds well to discipline realizing that she has a lot to learn and that we desire to teach her and love her along the way.  She has such a great memory and can learn a song after only two or three times of hearing it.  She also loves to dance and to sing.  Dressing like Snow White she dances around the living room to whatever music we have playing.  I love her. 

I love her desire to learn, evidenced by a million questions.  I can tell she thinks a lot and wonders about the way the world works.  She prays so openly and honestly.  She also loves to be silly.  As she grows, we pray that she will become the woman God wants her to be and that she will fulfill His purposes for her for His glory to bless others and share His truth with those around her and beyond.  It will be fun to see what that will look like.  I love to walk with her holding her soft hand in mine while she jumps along and laughs.  Plus it is kind of fun that she is the spitting image of me, minus the hair color and toes which are from her daddy.  Her smile is contagious.

My little one is most often very mellow, but she does have a temper.  She was born strong physically, and has also shown us that she is smart like her sister.  She is a little cuddler who loves to hug anyone and anything around her, but mostly her mommy.  I love hugging her, too.  She is such a sweet little loving girl whom I love dearly. 

It's so fun to watch her watch her sister and others around her.  She loves to watch and learn, and now she is trying to communicate more verbally.  As an early walker she quickly became a busy-body, and she gets into everything.  However, she is also pretty obedient thus far.  She doesn't always like the word, "No," but she does usually comply.  We're not sure, yet, who she looks like in the family, but she is beautiful.  Both of my girls are so beautiful.  This one might just become a redhead, too, which would thrill me!  I love when she smiles and when she laughs.  We pray for her to accept the Lord as her Savior one day as her sister has, and that she too will become a mighty woman of God.

As I boast about my husband and children, I boast in the LORD because it is He who has blessed me with more than I deserve.  I am thankful, and I desire to be the best wife and mother I can with His help and grace.  Thank you, Father God for blessing me with such a wonderful husband and dear children.  I love them, and I am blessed.  I wanted to build them up through this ode today. 

Who are you thankful for today?

"So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." (Romans 14:19)

The Lost Art of Conversation

Do you remember that song from the 90's by Boyz II Men, Water Runs Dry?  It's starts out with, "We don't even talk anymore..." 

I think of this lyric when I think of all of the texting, social media, and emailing that goes on daily in our society.  At the risk of sounding like a 90 year old woman (with all due respect to the 90 year old women out there who are reading this post), I can't help but wonder how detrimental this lack of conversation is to our relationships, families, culture, and society.

Remember when we used to talk?

I remember when my family first got a computer (which was the same year I got my first CD player).  I was in the 8th grade.  Chat rooms were all the rage, and I loved getting in chat rooms and talking to people, mostly boys, about pretty superficial and not-a-good-idea-to-discuss-with-a-stranger-in-a-chat-room topics.  Thankfully I never had any problems, by God's grace.  There was a sort of ease to being able to "chat" without actually having to "talk" to the person.  I could think about what I wanted to say first instead of being put on the spot.  I didn't have to be a good conversationalist.  I could just be a good writer.

Little did we know that it would go from bad to worse over the years.  Now, you can't even print some coupons from sites online without receiving the code via text.  If you use your cell phone for just simply making calls, people look at you like you are from another planet.  If you don't have a cell phone at all (gasp!) you are even more strange!

I know, I know.  There are some good things about all of this.  I agree.  There are some good things about all of this.  There are more ways to connect with others and texting, for example, helps those who otherwise could not communicate at any given moment.  There is much more information and even a sense of community that has been created through Facebook and blogs.  However, I think much of it has gotten out of hand.

There have been times when I was going to meet a friend somewhere, and we had only been communicating via Facebook or email.  When I couldn't find her or was running late I realized that I didn't actually have her phone number.  I had never actually called her.  I felt like a bad friend, actually.  I don't think there is anything wrong with using email to set plans or communicate, but should it be the only way I converse?

There have been other times when I opted to email someone instead of call them because it would be quicker, and I could check it off of my list.  Also I do enjoy being able to keep up with people through Facebook.  Of course, there are times when this is fine, I think.  For example, if I just have a quick question, and it is midnight I think emailing the person instead of calling would be best.  Also there are some friends that you really are never going to have a phone conversation with and you might not see very often.  Facebook comes in handy for this and helps people stay connected at least on some level.

However, I have noticed in myself that it comes down to my motives.  What's going on in my heart?

People are busy.  I get busy.  Face to face conversation is not always an option. Still I just can't help but think that I never want to be too busy to actually pick up the phone and call someone or sit and skype with someone at the very least.  Am I too task-oriented at times to be a good friend and actually talk with another person to hear their voice and understand them more clearly than I probably would if I were just reading their status update?

I really wonder if this next generation has learned how to have a healthy conversation that requires them to thoughtfully produce words on the spot while engaged in dialogue with another human being.  It seems that almost everyone under that age of 25 texts more than any other method of communication.

Are we avoiding each other or perhaps avoiding connecting on a deeper, more emotionally involved level by relying on texting, emailing, Facebook?

Is there a false sense of friendship, community, and belonging that results from this form of relationship?

Furthermore, how does this effect the way I converse with the Lord?

These are some of the questions I have when it comes to the way we interact in our country and world.  Again, there are many good atributes of technology, but still I do prefer the more traditional art of conversation either on the phone, through skype (okay, so that is not really traditional), or in person.

And by the way, I do not have texting.  I don't want to pay for another way for people to not have to call me, and I cannot stand the fact that so many people text while they are driving!  If you text me, it will get lost somewhere among all of the waves that are flowing through our bodies because of all of the wireless connections we cannot escape.  I will not know you texted me, and you will think I don't want to be your friend anymore which is most likely not true. 

What do you think about this?  I would love to hear from others...

End rant.

Refresh Me, Dear Lord

After the move and all that it included, I was feeling the need to be refreshed.  Actually I was feeling that way even before the move, so I was now longing to be refreshed.

It seemed kind of crazy to go on a week-long-family-vacation immediately following a relocation, but the timing became more and more perfect as the departure day neared.  I. needed. a vacation.  So, as the paint was drying and the last box was unpacked, I stayed up late packing suitcases for a road trip to the mountains of West Virginia.

The seventeen hour drive with two little ones was on its way, and my husband began the journey in the driver's seat.  Thankfully I had remembered to go through our CD collection (No, I don't have an iPod or anything like it, and I am okay with that) and pick out a bunch of CDs for us to listen to as we drove to WV and back.  As we started listening and singing along I was reminded of how much I love music.  Music is so very refreshing to me.  Well I guess it depends on the music, but this music was so refreshing to me.  It also brought me back to two other times in my life.

We were listening to Caedmon's Call's 40 Acres, which by the way is one of my all-time favorite albums, and I remembered when I was a new Christian back at the end of high school and beginning of college.  That CD was played so many times as I cruised around in my little black Ford Ranger searching for who I was and who I wanted to be.  I could sing those songs word for word and hum them note for note, and I still never tired of it.

I also thought of my semester in London while I was in college.  It was the fall of 2001, and there was a lot going on in the world.  There was also a lot going on within myself.  I was pretty sure I had met the man of my dreams (I did), I had just been in a bad car wreck (with him) and been obviously protected by the Lord (We totaled my sister's car), I was in another country on the other side of the world away from everyone I was close to, and I was with a group of people that I didn't really know very well, yet.  I grew up there.  What I mean is that I did my growing up there.  As I walked the streets of London either with my friends or alone I could literally feel myself growing up.  By the end of that semester I looked in the mirror at a different woman than the one who first stepped foot on British soil months earlier.  I liked this new woman, and I never could believe that I was actually there.  I had actually done it.  I had ventured way out and learned so much about the world, about God, about myself...  I have such fond memories of that time, and many of them included this same CD playing in my ears as I walked or sat at the park and read or journaled.

Both of these times that came to mind were times in my life where I was maturing, learning, and longing for the Lord's touch.  I was longing for the Lord's touch of refreshment and leading to guide me along His paths for me.  I can only smile when I think of those times when I sensed the Lord doing just that.  His refreshing touch is like wind in a sail or a living breath that fills up the lungs.  I need it.  I must have it.  I can only come to Him to find it.

So here I am again.  Though I am in a much different place than I was back then - over ten years ago - there are still many familiar thoughts and emotions I now realize accompany this time in my life just as they did back then.  A wise mentor of mine years ago encouraged me to not let these cycles of life surprise me.  Instead I must realize what I learned last time and what I missed last time and move on to learn more this time around.  Hopefully these cycles become smaller and quicker as I grow and mature because I recognize them sooner and deal with them more quickly.  In fact these cycles are evidence of God's grace and love in my life and His desire to mature me.

I know how I got here.  I got here by letting my priorities shift just enough to cause inner, and sometimes outer, chaos.  It doesn't take much to rock the boat of order, but I am thankful for that.  Otherwise I may get even more off track before getting uncomfortable again and looking towards my Savior for order and tranquility again.  God is so kind in this.  He carries me toward a sort of holy discontentedness that points again towards my need for Him.  Though I know what I am doing when I neglect my time with Him, I still do it sometimes, and so here I am again - needing His refreshing touch.  Sure I have read scripture, even if just a verse or two, everyday.  I talk with Him everyday, but the quality times of study and prayer have been placed on the back burner lately more often than not.  This doesn't work for long.

Well as we drove and listened and sang along He did refresh me.  He stirred in my heart and my spirit a quiet contentedness and peace and anticipation that can only come from Him.  It's a comfort knowing that He is in control and that I can run to His open arms any time I feel weary - whether it's my own doing or not.  And there He reminds me of His truth that sets me free and brings life.  Then I am again equipped for the day ahead of me.  Then I can carry on again with the strength I need and the resolve to make the most of what He has given me.  Then I can spur others on, as well.  Then I can remember what His word says:

"Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.  He will be like a bush in the wastelands; he will not see prosperity when it comes.  He will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.  But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."  (Jeremiah 17:5-8)

When I trust in myself I get very thirsty and in need of refreshment, but when I trust in Him, the LORD Almighty, I am satisfied and content able to rest and to bear fruit that glorifies Him.

With only a couple of days left of our trip, I want to be intentional to listen as He directs me and brings me to His refreshing streams.

Are you thirsty today? 

Call on the name of the Giver of Living Water and be refreshed. You'll be glad you did.