HEAVEN'S DECLARATION

HEAVEN’S DECLARATION

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky displays what his hands have made. 2 One day tells a story to the next. One night shares knowledge with the next 3 without talking, without words, without their voices being heard. 4 {Yet,} their sound has gone out into the entire world, their message to the ends of the earth.
Psalms 19:1-4 (GW)

I carried my Bible and my cup of coffee out into the yard. A large flat boulder in the midst of desert plants invited me to come sit a while. I set my Bible down next to me and took in the glorious stillness while I waited for He whom my soul loves to nudge the day into wakefulness.

I took a sip of coffee and looked up at the night sky. The moon hung in the west, and was beginning her quiet descent behind the mountains while Mars lit her way. I continued studying the sky and my gaze came to rest on the Big Dipper. My thoughts began turning, and I looked down at His Word sitting next me and then back at the Big Dipper. A smile touched my lips as I whispered, “Lord, the Big Dipper even reminds me to dip into your living word water, and drink deeply.” It was then my heart became aware of familiar footsteps, and looked up to see Him walking through the garden to meet with me.

He sat down on the boulder next to me, and I simply enjoyed His sweet company there under the expanse of stars He had hung Himself. As we sat quietly, I looked around the garden and then at Him and thought of another garden He had spent time in, the night before He went to the cross. I looked at His hands, the ones with the deep, dark scars in them, and thought of how the hands that hung stars had spikes pounded through them. “Lord,” I whispered. “that must have hurt so much. Thank you for…” I couldn’t finish. I looked around the garden, and then at Him as I thought about the wonder of grace. I smiled through my tears as I realized I was sitting with Him in a garden – a garden of grace.

We turned our attention back to the heavens and He shared familiar words with me from His book. They were words He had given a shepherd boy named David to write down.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky displays what his hands have made. 2 One day tells a story to the next. One night shares knowledge with the next 3 without talking, without words, without their voices being heard. 4 {Yet,} their sound has gone out into the entire world, their message to the ends of the earth.
Psalms 19:1-4 (GW)
I looked back at the Big Dipper and how it reminds me to drink from the Streams of Life, and Psalm 19, came alive and made its way deep into my heart. I was filled with wonder at the One Who before time itself had written His love for me into His sky. It declares without uttering a word God’s love.
I was overwhelmed by Him and Who He is. The Great I AM. My heart bowed in worship, and a song I used to sing when I was a little girl came to mind, and I decided to sing it to the One my soul lives for. You can sing it to Him too.


How Great Thou Art
Oh Lord my God when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the *worlds thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the **rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed

REFRAIN:
Then sings my soul my savior God to thee
How great thou art
How great thou art
Then sings my soul my savior God to thee
How great thou art how great thou art

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze (Refrain)

And when I think that God, his Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin (Refrain)

When Christ shall come With shout of acclamation
To take me home What joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim my God how great thou art (Refrain)

LOOK TO THE LORD

LOOK TO THE LORD
“I lift up my eyes to you, to you whose throne is in heaven. As the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, till He shows us His mercy” (Psalm 123:1,2 NIV).
Have you ever been in the midst of the ordinary when suddenly the Lord shows up and reveals something to you about being in relationship with Him?
The sidewalk narrowed and I dropped back behind Marc and Teddy. Teddy is our golden retriever and is about to turn two years old. He is a wonderful dog. Not only is he beautiful, but he is so very gentle. I smiled as I recalled a recent visit by our six year old grandson Hunter. Hunter picked up one of Teddy’s toys and began to run through the living room, dining room, kitchen, entry way and back to the living room with Teddy in hot pursuit. Around and around they went. Teddy could have easily caught Hunter, knocked him down and taken his toy back, but he didn’t. The great chase finally ended with Hunter turning around giggling, as 110 pounds of joy licked his face. The memory warmed my heart as we walked along under a starry canopy.
Suddenly, headlights pierced the darkness as a car approached from behind us. I glanced at Teddy, wondering if he was going to try to chase the car as he had the previous morning on our walk. I could see the scene clearly in my mind’s eye. A car approached from behind us, and as it passed Teddy suddenly darted after the car, attempting to chase after it. Marc’s discipline was immediate and firm. His hand gave the corrective collar a jerk, and his voice thundered through the predawn stillness as he commanded Teddy to heel. I wondered now what was about to happen.
The car was fast approaching, Teddy’s ears moved into alert mode and there was no doubt he was very much aware of what was coming. The car reached us and as it passed Teddy suddenly turned his gaze upward to his master, and then he touched Marc’s hand with his muzzle while moving his body in closer until he was actually in physical contact with Marc as they continued walking along. For several minutes they walked this way, with Teddy constantly looking up at Marc, and Marc pouring verbal praises down on Teddy. Teddy was basking in the approval of his master.
As I took in the scene, I pondered Teddy’s response to his master’s discipline. He hadn’t pouted or become wild or rebellious. His response was to look to his master and move in closer to him. “A master disciplines those he loves.” “Lord, I didn’t see you arrive,” I said a bit startled. I looked at Marc and wondered if he noticed the Lord walking with us. Teddy had stopped to investigate some bushes as we turned onto a path that wound through many trees and shrubs.
“I don’t like discipline very much,” I said, flatly. “I discipline those who belong to Me. Don’t make light of it,” He replied. He stopped to look at a little blue flower that had opened at the tip of one of the many vines that lined the path. The vines had recently been pruned, and were now beginning to blossom again. The scene caught my attention. “Discipline produces fruit, doesn’t it Lord,” I asked as I turned my heart’s gaze fully toward Him.
I glanced over at Marc and Teddy and then back to Him whom my soul loves as I thought about what the Lord was revealing to my heart. “Lord,” I whispered. “Make my response to your discipline like Teddy’s. Help me to learn from it and to look to You and move in so close to you that I am in contact with you. Help me to stay in step with you. Thank You for reeling me in at those times I have allowed something to distract me from You, and I have run off after it. Thank You, Lord, for Your discipline.”
We walked in quietness, my heart overwhelmed by His presence. I turned my gaze up to Him, and He reached down and touched my heart with His nail-pierced hand, and I moved in closer, so close I could feel His very presence, and I never wanted to leave His side. Joy!
How about you, my sweet friend? What is your response to the Lord’s discipline in your life? Read Hebrews 12. Then look up and move in. Look up at the One who calls you His own, and draw closer to Him. Oh the blooms that will appear in your life as a result.

An original Conversations at the Well
By Diana Morgan
© Copyright by Diana Morgan September 16, 2010

LIMITLESS HOPE

LIMITLESS HOPE
"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure." (Hebrews 6:19 NIV)
Have you ever found hope inside the grocery store? I spotted Him in the isle of household cleaning products, and He appeared to be reading labels. Marc continued a bit further down the isle to pick up our preferred laundry soap, but I drew near to the One for whom my heart beats, and He directed my gaze to the particular label He was studying.
The bottle was red, and in bright, large letters across the front were the words "LOADS OF HOPE." Directly below that in much smaller print were how many loads there were. "Hmmm...," I said with a chuckle, "it looks like you only get 42 loads of hope."
"Don't settle," He said. "Huh?" I replied, leaning in so I wouldn't miss anything He said.
"Don't put your hope in the things of this world. Put your hope in Me." He finished. I thought about all the things people around me put their hope in: government, money, material things, their children, their spouse, their careers, their physical health, and even religion. I pondered all these things in my heart as we went through the check-out line and then home.
As soon as the groceries were put away I headed down the familiar path to the well. I arrived at the well and Perfect Hope was waiting there for me. His Book was open and He had marked some places He especially wanted me to read. So I took off my shoes - the ones I wear on Saturdays to run around doing all my chores - and I took my place at His feet.
My heart grew still as He talked with me about Hope. Here is some of what He shared with me. Why don't you kick off your shoes of busyness and sit a few minutes with Him too?

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13 NIV)

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians 1:27 NIV)

"He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us." (2 Corinthians 1:10 NIV)

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us. (Romans 5:5 NIV)

I remained quiet as I pondered hope. I had heard about different kinds of hope. There was little hope, diminished hope, crushed hope, vain hope, empty hope, and lost hope. I had even talked with people whose hope had died. As I thought of these kinds of hope, the laundry soap label came to mind, “LOADS OF HOPE…42 loads.” I looked at Him who is Eternal Hope and asked, “Lord, why would anyone choose hope that only goes so far and then runs out?” A picture formed in my mind of someone hurrying to the place where their hope was kept only to find their hope gone. An ache for those who had this kind of hope began to form deep in my heart.
In that moment He drew me very near Him and said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:37-38).
I thought about a thirsty world that didn’t seem to know what they needed to satisfy such a thirst – a thirst of the soul. How would they know? Following my train of thought, He said, “You are salt and light.” I thought about that for a moment, and then moving in a bit closer to Him, said, “Sometimes, I don’t feel very salty or like I have much light. In fact, there are times my own hope seems to be a bit low.” “That’s the trouble,” He said. “What is?” I asked. “Your own hope; it’s no hope at all. Lasting hope is only found in Me. Come to Me,” He finished.
I’m not sure why, but our talk made me think of another woman who had met Him at a different well long ago. Knowing my thoughts, He softly said, “Her hope had run out.” Gazing up at Him, I said, “But then You gave herYour hope.” I thought about her, and then it occurred to me, she had run back to town casting light and salt on everyone she met, and then she led those heart-thirsty people to Jesus. “Then they believed for themselves,” He said.
It was then the Master Weaver took the threads from Romans 5:13 and John 7:37-38 and turned them golden as He skillfully wove them into the fabric of my heart, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. …so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” “Oh,” I cried as my heart sat up. “I too must come to You every day. You will fill me with Living Water and with Your hope. Then as I go about in a thirsty world, the power of the Holy Spirit will cause me to overflow with hope.” “Salt and light,” He said.
I lingered a while, drinking deeply at the Well of His Presence. When I stood to put my shoes of busyness back on, I saw that He had replaced them with shoes of hope. My heart smiled broadly as I put them on, they felt so much better than shoes of busyness. I walked the path, my feet shod with the hope He had given me; not a hope like the world gives, oh, no. His hope doesn’t end after 42 uses. It can’t be crushed and it can never die. It’s glorious, living, limitless hope.
A little later, as I was going about finishing my chores for the day, I found a note He had tucked into a corner of my heart, and I sat down and read His Words – they were from Psalm 62:5-8. I decided to turn them into a prayer.
Father, give me rest for my soul – the kind only You can give. You alone are my hope, my rock, my salvation, and my fortress, so I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on You. You, Lord, are my mighty rock, my refuge. Help me to trust in You at all times. Help me to pour out my heart to You, for You are my refuge. Amen. Feel free to borrow my prayer if you want to.
Later that night, I stopped by the well and found a note He had left for me. “Daughter, thank you for the prayer. Will do it.”

Dear one, are you running low on hope? Are you unsure where you left it? When was the last time you stepped out of the busyness and spent some time with Him who is our Living Hope? What kind of shoes are you wearing today? Perhaps yours are shoes of sorrow, rejection, guilt, depression, fear, worry or anxiousness. Do you hear His voice thunder through your soul, “Come with Me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31) And after you have drawn away and sat with Him a while, you'll find He has exchanged the shoes you wore for shoes of hope; glorious, limitless hope.

An Original Conversations at the Well
By Diana Morgan
© Copyright September 18, 2010