Hotspots

Psalm 33:6

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host."

Since I write a lot on the drive home, I often use my iPhone as a hotspot to post or research something. It’s a very handy thing to have, and it helps me make the most of my time. (Don't worry, my husband does the driving; we carpool.) I can also attend to my banking, etc. if I hadn't had time earlier in the day.

We don’t spend much time at home, and it’s usually bedtime when we do arrive. Being able to do things on-the-go makes errands and goals much more possible. I thank God He made the necessary waves for hotspots, so we have one more thing at our disposal to make the best use of our time.

It amazes me when I consider all the little pieces and parts of creation God made. From the beginning, He designed everything we could or would use and the ways in which we could use it - science itself. Of course, this makes me wonder how much He taught Adam and Eve in the beginning... how much we may have lost that we once knew, and how much He allowed us to discover. Sometimes, I wonder if this isn't why many of us are enamored of the idea of lost ancient - but advanced - civilizations.

What piece or part of God's creation helps you make the most of your time?

Sheets

Psalm 5:11

"But let all who take refuge in You be glad, let them ever sing for joy; and may You shelter them, that those who love Your name may exult in You."

My husband and I were recently given a set of microfiber sheets. Can we say comfortable? Yes. Yes we can. We normally use a set of 600 thread count sheets, which are the silky kind of comfortable that feel like living in the lap of luxury! We love those sheets, but I have to admit, these microfiber sheets are definitely nice, too. They offer the cuddly kind of comfort.

I am thankful God provided us with both kinds of sheets. My body doesn't produce much heat, so the silky sheets can take awhile for me to warm up - which makes them great in the summer! The microfiber sheets don't start off so cold, and are much easier to warm up. I am thankful to be graced with His provision not only of something practical, but something luxurious. His grace covers all I do, is found in everything I have, and is the source of my hope and joy in Christ. As I cuddle in my sheets, I think of His loving embrace and the refuge and shelter I find there.

What reminds you of His love, grace, and/or how He is our refuge?

Nighttime

Ecclesiastes 3:1

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven..."

I am a night person. I get a second wind around 9:00-9:30pm during which I feel as though I can actually get some chores done or do something fun. The trouble is, everyone else seems to be getting ready to wind down for the night. I also have a day job (which I love), and thus, must curb my nightly ventures. Yet I still love nighttime.

I am thankful God made nighttime, because of its relaxing atmosphere of stillness. I used to call my second wind “relaxed energy,” because even though I have the energy to do something, it’s the kind of energy that can be channeled into most anything and still be content. It isn’t the type of frantic energy that must be used. It simply is.

I pray God would help to teach me the delicate balance of how to choose between what to work on during that time - or if it's time to simply rest. May His wisdom guide my choices. How do you spend your moments?

God's Schedule

Romans 8:28

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

I am thankful for God’s schedule - that He is in control. 

Have you ever encountered a project whose deadline seemed impossible to meet, and you prayed and you worked - and lo and behold, the deadline comes and the project is actually finished? I call that God’s schedule. Or when I'm running late as I drive, pray like crazy - don't speed - and somehow arrive on time. I wonder sometimes if He doesn’t warp time in the same way He multiplied the five loaves and two fish to feed the five thousand.

As the church secretary, I was so thankful today to be able to see God’s schedule take place with a project that had to be completed for a biblical counseling class presented tonight. It always seems easier to rest in the Lord when I know circumstances are beyond my control. I hadn’t received the needed material to work with until - what seemed to me - too late.

Yet I knew if God wanted the material presented, He would see it presented. So I didn’t stress about it... actually, I rather enjoyed the process, and laughed and joked with my colleagues. When I felt my heart beating faster, I would just turn back to Him and pray for strength and endurance to do what I could do, then rest again in His sovereign plan. Apparently, it was His desire to see all of the material presented - as that is just what He did through us. What a privilege to be part of His plan!

God’s schedule is truly wonderful to behold, and I am glad for faith in the God who can manipulate time and space according to His will. That will is for His glory, and the good of those who love Him. This is His promise to His children, and never will He separate those two, no matter how bad things may seem, for they have a symbiotic relationship! Your joy glorifies Him! (Check out the link to see what kind of joy I'm actually talking about.)

Can you rest in the joy of the Lord?

Rocking Chairs

Proverbs 3:22-26

"Keep sound wisdom and discretion, so they will be life to your soul and adornment to your neck. Then you will walk in your way securely and your foot will not stumble. When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. Do not be afraid of sudden fear nor of the onslaught of the wicked when it comes; for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught."

I'm thankful to be able to rock my adorable one-year-old to sleep in a rocking chair. It is a precious time when my son actually (mostly) holds still. To look down at his sweet little face and watch those baby blues fight a losing battle to stay open makes me smile.

How often do we hold still for God? Certainly not every moment is meant for us to hold still. Yet do we have that time, and are we truly looking back at God and so at peace that it takes great effort NOT to fall asleep?

I don’t know about you, but my struggle is usually the other way around. Sleep does not come easily. I have noticed, however, the more I keep my focus on God, recognize He is in control, and place my fear upon Him, the more quickly I fall asleep. Rest is less illusory and more refreshing (see Impressions ~ Self-Focus vs. Refreshment for more). It isn’t just something that seems like it should happen - it’s actually happening.

Proverbs talks about this. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...” (Proverbs 9:10). In Proverbs 3:22-26 above it talks about the correlation between wisdom and sleep, as well as lack of “sudden fear.” The “...Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught.” (verse 26)

I am thankful for rocking chairs, for God granting me a time of peace with my little one, and His reminder to have a time of peace with Him. May our hearts and minds be staid upon Him.

Does something help you get in a relaxed mindset in which you can focus on God?

Weekly Impressions - Marvelous God

Isaiah 25:1

“O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for You have worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.”

I love God. I can’t express enough how awesome it is that - though I revile Him through my sinful actions - every day, every hour, every moment, He draws me back to Himself with the perfect love only He possesses. Despite my idolatry, He gives me answered prayer, and joy, and victory, and doors, and comforters and every thing in my life that is good and perfect. (James 1:17) That is the God I serve.

His Holy Spirit is teaching me humility, and I think I’m actually beginning to get an inkling of what it looks like in minute corners of my life. God has blessed me with so much less depression and so much more joy. When I feel frustration, or anger, or complaint rising, I can catch it much quicker. The first thing I tell myself? “God means this for my good - so smile at His victory, and enjoy the journey.” I cannot tell you how much it changes the outcome of my day. Life is so much more joy-filled when there is less of me and more of Him.

I think God's voice is clearer when we take the time to marvel at Him. Our wonder keeps us more humble, and it's easier to enjoy His gifts, too. How often do you marvel at God?

Philippians

Romans 15:14

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

God has been pointing me back to Philippians in most of my recent struggles. This letter Paul wrote to the church at Philippi is rich with theology we can put into practical use. It is easy to set what we read in the Bible on a shelf in our minds - perhaps to display and be proud of - and yet its practice eludes us. Perhaps it’s just me, or the current phase I’m going through, but Philippians is written in a way that helps me to see how to put its theology into practice.

For example, anxiety (worry) is mentioned in several places in the Bible. However, Philippians is the book in which the “cure” is made most apparent to me: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6) This is the main verse that instigated the creation of this blog. Void of other verses in the Bible, I wouldn’t quite have picked up on this meaning, but this verse says to me: “Pray without ceasing, and be thankful in everything.”

Paul also tells us to “have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus...” (Philippians 2:5) and then proceeds to explain how to be humble. “...[A]lthough He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant... He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8) I again pair this with other verses to say to myself, “Be obedient to God, and focus on Him, not you. Empty yourself of yourself, and fill yourself with praise for God.”

Philippians is a book about how to live in the joy of the Lord. Without humility (chapter 2) we cannot have true joy (as distinct from, though not exclusive of, happiness). Anxiety and worry - which are a type of pride - come in and steal our joy. So many of us lose our joy because our focus draws inward instead of meditating upon God. It is our moment-by-moment struggle with sin.

I am thankful God inspired Paul to write this letter to the Philippians for the instruction - and thus hope - of those who love Him. (Romans 15:4) Have you been robbed of your joy? Where has your focus been?

My personal prayer is Psalm 19:14: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.”