Saturday, September 17, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
wings
5 Your love, LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. [Psalm 36]
your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
You, LORD, preserve both people and animals.
7 How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings. [Psalm 36]
Sunday, September 11, 2011
psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
8 Come and see what the LORD has done,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease
to the ends of the earth.
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire.
10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
of men and angels
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You 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 your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.” [Psalm 91]
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You 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 your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.” [Psalm 91]
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. [I Peter 1:3-5]
Friday, September 9, 2011
love & peace
"We who are in God's secret place of safety must begin to talk and act like it! We, above all who dwell on the earth, should be calm, hopeful, buoyant and cheerful. We will never convince the scared world that there is peace and assurance at the cross if we continue to exhibit the same fears as those who make no profession of Christianity!" - [A.W. Tozer]
Lord, I pray that Your peace will show through my behavior.
3 You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
4 Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD, the LORD himself, is the Rock eternal. [Isaiah 26:3-4]
4 Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good. [Psalm 25:4-7]
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. [Psalm 9:9-10]
Thursday, September 8, 2011
accept, breathe, relax
{accept each day exactly as it comes to you}
{trust Me absolutely}
{resting in My sovereignty & faithfulness}
Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. ~ Psalm 42:5
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God. ~ Psalm 42:5
I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. ~ Jeremiah 31:25
6 The realm of the dead is naked before God;
Destruction lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” ~ Job 26:6-14
Destruction lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” ~ Job 26:6-14
Monday, September 5, 2011
in Christ alone...
God, being your daughter doesn't guarantee an easy life, it's usually the oppsite; however, life is never hopeless. when my spirit is downcast and weary, like David's and Jeremiah's souls were at times, help me to put my hope in You, remembering my joy, my unchanging reasons to praise You. Amen.
[Lamentations 3:19-26]
19 I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
20 I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.
21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
22 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
1 As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One[d]
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
so my soul pants for you, my God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
3 My tears have been my food
day and night,
while people say to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember
as I pour out my soul:
how I used to go to the house of God
under the protection of the Mighty One[d]
with shouts of joy and praise
among the festive throng.
5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
therefore I will remember you
from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep
in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers
have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock,
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
“Why have you forgotten me?
Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
[Psalm 42]
Sunday, September 4, 2011
monsterrr
In this strange tangle of love
I'm learning how to see
In this weird change of space
I"m learning to believe in this life
I'm living, I feel you helping me
If I were a monster
Would you wince
When you looked at me?
If I were a freak would you stare?
If I were a leper
Would you say unclean?
If I was lost,
Would you help me get free?
Time and space are closing in
And their turning me weak
You and me are making friends
Just learning how to be
I learn from you and
You're watching me
This is the way to be
This is real, this is now
I don't wanna go, I hold on
You let go, will I ever know?
When I am a monster
You never wince
When you look at me
When I am a freak, you never stare
When I am a leper
You never say unclean
And when I am lost
You come and get me free
Are you read to live your life?
Are you healed enough?
Can you stop?
Can you stop and enjoy the ride? - Monster [The Almost]
I'm learning how to see
In this weird change of space
I"m learning to believe in this life
I'm living, I feel you helping me
If I were a monster
Would you wince
When you looked at me?
If I were a freak would you stare?
If I were a leper
Would you say unclean?
If I was lost,
Would you help me get free?
Time and space are closing in
And their turning me weak
You and me are making friends
Just learning how to be
I learn from you and
You're watching me
This is the way to be
This is real, this is now
I don't wanna go, I hold on
You let go, will I ever know?
When I am a monster
You never wince
When you look at me
When I am a freak, you never stare
When I am a leper
You never say unclean
And when I am lost
You come and get me free
Are you read to live your life?
Are you healed enough?
Can you stop?
Can you stop and enjoy the ride? - Monster [The Almost]
Thursday, September 1, 2011
faithful
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds...
[Hebrews 10:23-24]
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
no fear
i decided on a school yesterday, and I signed the contract and everything and emailed it to the director yesterday morning along with a few questions. i haven't heard back from the director yet, and i'm already starting to fear the worst. especially, since i already cancelled all my other interviews. i want to smack myself in the head. i feel like the Israelites. God goes and does something amazing, I do a quick thank you, and then I let fear and doubt seep in and threaten my hope and joy in what God is doing in my life.
it's not my timing, but it's God's --> i must accept that.
[now. today. tomorrow. every moment.]
Romans 8:6 ~ The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
it's not my timing, but it's God's --> i must accept that.
[now. today. tomorrow. every moment.]
Romans 8:6 ~ The mind of sinful man is death,
but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.
Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that in all things God works for the good of
those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
[I know that my Redeemer lives]
~ Job 19:25
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
limitless
it's so easy to get sucked into living by the world's standards, living with a "logical" and "rational" mindset. however...
God isn't a part of that scene.
that's why He commands us to be in the world, but not of the world.
Romans 12:1-2 ~ "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
I pray daily for my mind to be renewed, to be refocused on God, in order that I may be able to perceive God's will for me...His direction, His guidance.
Today (not for the first ime) I am asserting my belief (without any hesitation) in God's limitless nature. The rules of the world do not constrain my God, and that is why He is my living hope.
God isn't a part of that scene.
that's why He commands us to be in the world, but not of the world.
Romans 12:1-2 ~ "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
I pray daily for my mind to be renewed, to be refocused on God, in order that I may be able to perceive God's will for me...His direction, His guidance.
Today (not for the first ime) I am asserting my belief (without any hesitation) in God's limitless nature. The rules of the world do not constrain my God, and that is why He is my living hope.
Psalm 78:41-43 ~
41 Again and again they put God to the test;
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
Ephesians 3:20 ~
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...
Luke 1:37 ~
For no word from God will ever fail.
Luke 18:20 ~
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Genesis 18:14 ~
Is anything too hard for the LORD?...
Jeremiah 33:3 ~
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Matthre 19:26 ~
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
they vexed the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not remember his power—
the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,
43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,
his wonders in the region of Zoan.
Ephesians 3:20 ~
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us...
Luke 1:37 ~
For no word from God will ever fail.
Luke 18:20 ~
Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Genesis 18:14 ~
Is anything too hard for the LORD?...
Jeremiah 33:3 ~
Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
Matthre 19:26 ~
Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Monday, August 29, 2011
a new beginning
The necessary background: I graduated college this summer - August 13 with a B.A. in English. Months ago I applied to graduate school, starting in January. I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted, it just seemed to be the next step. I quit my nanny job this summer because of my course load I had no time to work. my personality needs to work, I need to feel like I'm contributing, making money, doing something. As soon as I graduated, I wanted a job. I had orientation as a substitute teacher for LCPS last Friday. I figured it was a nice job to have - flexible, gaining teaching experience, not a too serious career while I pursue my M.A (which is what I was planning to do when I applied). Unfortunately, my car broke down on the way there. I never made it.
God had different plans.
One of my professors this summer talked a lot about her experiences teaching English abroad. I love traveling, and naturally, I was intrigued. I had considered it before, but it always seemed like a long and difficult process and I had kind of brushed it aside.
I am planning to begin teaching English in South Korea sometime between the end of October and early December. I requested my CBC 3 weeks ago, and I am still waiting to receive my diploma by mail. Assuming I'll have all my VISA documents ready by the end of September, I hope to be out of here by November.
Some might call me anxious or eager, ambitious. I've already packed up everything, figured out what I need to purchase before I leave, started learning the Korean language, talked to other teachers over there, researched schools, the culture, and the country.
And now I'm waiting. waiting. waiting. Wondering if I should look for a job while I'm waiting. I could be a substitute teacher right now, but my car broke down. I'm the type of person who likes to be continually busy, who thrives on being challenged.
so God's challenging me.
I believe in signs, I believe God communicates in the most mysterious ways - not always obvious or clear. my mom told me the other to just listen to God, and I said how will I know? there's a zillion different voices and "feelings" - my heart, my mind, my soul, my desire, my dreams, and God, and somehow I'm supposed to decipher between them all. It's a lot.
Right now, I know more than anything God's teaching me to wait - the patience and trust that comes with that, the growth of faith - and the beauty of His sovereignty and control.
Proverbs 16:9 - In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps
Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
I can try to figure it all out, to persist in getting a job, to being in control of this whole situation - but God is going to prevail, and I know it will be so much easier if I just let go and trust. it's so hard - the way human nature tells me to fight God for control, to abandon faith in what is unseen, to refuse trusting what is unknown.
every day I feel a panic come over that maybe the FBI didn't receive my CBC request, maybe my diploma is back ordered or lost in the mail, maybe it won't work out, maybe I'll be a jobless grad still living at home next year. STOP, God shakes me, begging me to trust in Him. He is sovereign. I need to let go. Each day it gets better, easier. The fear eases.
prayer works.
He whispers: Wait with Me for awhile...
God had different plans.
One of my professors this summer talked a lot about her experiences teaching English abroad. I love traveling, and naturally, I was intrigued. I had considered it before, but it always seemed like a long and difficult process and I had kind of brushed it aside.
I am planning to begin teaching English in South Korea sometime between the end of October and early December. I requested my CBC 3 weeks ago, and I am still waiting to receive my diploma by mail. Assuming I'll have all my VISA documents ready by the end of September, I hope to be out of here by November.
Some might call me anxious or eager, ambitious. I've already packed up everything, figured out what I need to purchase before I leave, started learning the Korean language, talked to other teachers over there, researched schools, the culture, and the country.
And now I'm waiting. waiting. waiting. Wondering if I should look for a job while I'm waiting. I could be a substitute teacher right now, but my car broke down. I'm the type of person who likes to be continually busy, who thrives on being challenged.
so God's challenging me.
I believe in signs, I believe God communicates in the most mysterious ways - not always obvious or clear. my mom told me the other to just listen to God, and I said how will I know? there's a zillion different voices and "feelings" - my heart, my mind, my soul, my desire, my dreams, and God, and somehow I'm supposed to decipher between them all. It's a lot.
Right now, I know more than anything God's teaching me to wait - the patience and trust that comes with that, the growth of faith - and the beauty of His sovereignty and control.
Proverbs 16:9 - In their hearts humans plan their course,
but the LORD establishes their steps
Proverbs 19:21 - Many are the plans in a person’s heart,
but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
I can try to figure it all out, to persist in getting a job, to being in control of this whole situation - but God is going to prevail, and I know it will be so much easier if I just let go and trust. it's so hard - the way human nature tells me to fight God for control, to abandon faith in what is unseen, to refuse trusting what is unknown.
every day I feel a panic come over that maybe the FBI didn't receive my CBC request, maybe my diploma is back ordered or lost in the mail, maybe it won't work out, maybe I'll be a jobless grad still living at home next year. STOP, God shakes me, begging me to trust in Him. He is sovereign. I need to let go. Each day it gets better, easier. The fear eases.
prayer works.
He whispers: Wait with Me for awhile...
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