How blessed I am to be drinking some Door County Cinnamon Sugar Biscotti Coffee and eating a warm slice of banana bread, fresh from the oven today.
I was up and out of bed really early this morning and it just seemed that the oven was calling me to fill it with something that would benefit me and the whole house with a beautiful aroma. But then, I have a vivid imagination.
I often share my personal experiences on my daily blog, or "brain ramble scramble" as some have called it. So today will be like no other day. It seems that God has not only given me life, but a daily adventure to live and love.
So here we go. There are times in this adventure, when it just seems that the quest for seeing the adventure through becomes difficult. As a child I was not one to hide under the bed when afraid or discouraged. But I would often retreat to our basement to sit in the dark and avoid life's messes and pretend that the world did not exist for a little while. I pretty much do the same thing now. I retreat upstairs instead, to my den, surrounded by books, hunting equipment, some trophies and plenty of pictures. I am looking at one photo right now of my grandson and daughter. I find pleasure in these retreats. There is a difference now, compared to when I was a little boy hiding in the basement. Back then the basement. although dark and quiet, was very lonely, I did not have the relationship with God back then that I have now. I felt that I could even hide from Him and that He really did not care or even know I was around.
Later in my life I found Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I now have a relationship with the Triune God and the Holy Spirit now illuminates the Bible and God speaks through His word to me. Back in 1983 I was feeling way down and I was led to a passage in Scripture that reassured me that I was never alone. I go to it when it seems that life has just dealt me a blow that has staggered me, or when the adventure is a little frightening. I retreat to my den and dig out my survival passage of love, hope, and reassurance. I have realized that there is nowhere I can go to hide from God and no amount of desperation can separate us from Him .
Psalm 139New King James Version (NKJV)
God’s Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
139 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word on my tongue,
But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.
5 You have hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall[a] on me,”
Even the night shall be light about me;
12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,
But the night shines as the day;
The darkness and the light are both alike to You.
13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them.
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
How great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.[c]
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
20 For they speak against You wickedly;
Your enemies take Your name in vain.[c]
21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
My friends, if you are in a place of retreat and despair, save this and read it as needed. Consider it a prescription for your health and wellness. I just read it again and the world seems to be a little sunnier now.
Have a blessed day. You are loved/
Marty
No comments:
Post a Comment