I TRACE THE RAINBOW THROUGH THE RAIN

"But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation." Psalm 13:5 (ESV 2001)

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.*

Most of us see our pain as a curse, something that God should not allow. Yet our composer, Mattheson, recognized that pain and sorrow and adversity are opportunities to practice trust, trust in our Lord God. Problems can be passports to a closer walk with God and can be embraced as a blessing when we are not wrapped up in our own self pity.

A friend from a different time and place told me about her Aunt Woe. She said the dear woman would often say, "Woe is me." Finally, all the woman’s nieces and nephews began to call her "Aunt Woe."

How are you known by those around you? Sadly, I have to admit that I can be a complainer but I hope I am not totally defined by that tendency. I would pray that my complaints could be turned into signposts for praise. Every time I hear myself complain, I pray that I would recognize that as my cue to give praise and to seek the strength of God and the help of others.

Don’t kick yourself too hard for your negative attitude. We cannot change a behavior until we recognize we are doing it. When you complain, negate that thought with a praise—don’t entertain it with a pity-party. Let us pray:

"Father God Almighty King of all that is good, I praise your holy name. May your kingdom of love come into my life that I may speak only your words for others to hear. I ask you Father to forgive my wandering thoughts that dig in little muddy pits of the soul and set my mind on You. Forgive me when I complain rather than call on you to walk through the hard days with me. May my words speak love songs to you so that others may see you more clearly. I love you Lord and you alone do I want to magnify. In the name of Jesus, your Son and my Lord I pray. Amen"

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp

*Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Mattheson 1882 Public Domain

LIGHT THAT FOLLOWEST ALL MY WAY

Scripture: Psalm 13:5

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.*

"I can’t do all this by myself! Why does God demand more than I can do?"

We are not here to walk this road alone. God has given us all many and varied tasks to do on His behalf. And, He has given us His entire community of Christians to help us and we help one another. Why do we think we can or should do it on our own?

I receive prayer requests nearly every day, some days there are multiple needs. These prayers are not for me to hold close to my own heart and pray in secret, but are to be to be prayed over and passed on to a vast network of believers who also pray and send the prayer request down the heart-line to other praying believers. These prayers are not our own. They are entrusted to us, just as the Light is lent to us for His use.

The light we bring to a dark world is a borrowed flame. It comes from God, for us to use to bring light to others, not ourselves, and goes back to God where its blaze is as bright as the sun! And, there, the light that we bring back to God is restored and burns even brighter than before. Wow! And, we had the arrogance to believe that it was our light all the time!

Come, tip your candle to the Lord God, where He can renew your light and your strength. We never were the light. We are only the tapers. Depend on Him to be the flame. The only thing we have to offer is to be a candle bearer - not the Light. Let us pray:

"Father of Light and Love, we bow before your flame. Your light can never go out because it is the source of all brilliance. May your flame be lit in me that it may be bright enough for others to see and come to know you as their Lord. I ask only to be your servant, the vessel of your flame. I give the light back to you daily, to be trimmed and relit with the oil of your love and energy. Forgive me when I get confused and begin to believe that I am the light, not the torch bearer. May I always be willing to bring your flame back to you so that your light may burn brighter, longer, stronger for others to find their way home. In the name of Jesus, your son, I pray. Amen"

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp

*Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Mattheson 1882 Public Domain

Visit: www.lengthofdays2112.blogspot.com for fun stories.
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LOVE THAT WILL NOT LET ME GO

(Scripture: Psalm 13:5)

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.*

Whom are you living for—yourself, others or God?

If you are living for yourself, you will never find that perfect satisfaction of a full life for we are incomplete except in God’s hands. Our soul is linked to God, it comes from God, lives fully through God and returns to God at the end of our Length of Days. If you are living for yourself, you have totally abandoned that middle section of living fully as we were intended to live, connected to God our Creator.

If you are living for others, you will never satisfy them. They have their own agenda and you will spend your entire life trying to fit into a scheme or meet the goals that are not your own and certainly not God’s.

If you are living for yourself or others and not God, your soul will return to God at the End of Your Days, no bigger than the infant you were when you came here. A total life lost to selfishness and failure at the hands of others.

When we live for God, through God and in God, we find a love that will never fail us and we find rest and comfort there. Give back to God the life that is His so that in the unknowable depth of His love, your life may be rich and full. Let us pray:

"Dear Lord and Father of us all, I claim your promised love, a love that is more deep than the deepest sea. You are my Creator, my Guide, my friend and the one who will always be there, who will never let me go. I stop this day. I stop trying to find the next pretty thing to please my eyes; I stop trying to live my life to please others. I give you back the life I owe, that in your ocean depths it may richer and fuller be. Forgive me when I give you my life on Sunday and take it back on Monday. You are the one who loves me most, loves me best and loves me forever. Help me to keep my eye on your face and the cross of your Son, Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen"

Doris
"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine."
Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp

*Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go
George Mattheson 1882 Public Domain

Visit: www.lengthofdays2112.blogspot.com for fun stories.
Also: www.directbuybooks.com

OBVIOUSLY!

"By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work." Genesis 2:2 NIV

"Sissy, do you want this toy or that?" Mandi asked her twenty-month-old baby.

Shyloe was tired. We had gone to southern Ohio to attend a wedding and Shyloe had played outside all day. If she wanted the first object her Mommy offered, she shook head "no" and a negative response produced a "yes" gesture.

"Sissy, I think you have your yes(s) and no(s) mixed up," her Mommy said.

"Obviously," the not-yet-two-year-old responded—and then smiled.

Mommy, grandma and grandpa heard her clearly and laughed. If a baby knows when they are too tired or overwhelmed to make a decision and not feel guilty about acknowledging it, why can’t we as adults do the same?

This world will take you down if you are not open to God’s leading and reminders to rest. God rested after each new creation. The Bible doesn’t say, "God knew he wasn’t done with creation and he felt like he should press on, but he was so tired he had gotten his yes(s) and no(s) mixed up. He thought he might create man with long horse-like legs and hooves so he could run as fast as the deer he hunted. No, we may laugh at some of His creations but we can be sure, he made no mistakes. God observed all of his work and said it was good. He rested on the seventh day!

Rest is not only a blessing, it is a responsibility. In order to hear God’s spirit, as he directs our paths, we have to be rested enough to discern God’s voice from the call of the things of the world. Let us pray:

"God of creation and Lord of my heart and soul, I praise your holy name. I thank you for demonstrating that rest is a vital part of our existence. Without clear thoughts and clear vision, your people will parish. This is a time for serious decisions, from serious people, about serious topics. We must all be ready to face the real threats to our way of life. You gave us a blessed country when your faithful servants fought for our right to be a free people. And, they did it without computers, cars, phone, television or any other modern communication devices. On this day, I take my stand in favor of what was sacrificed by others to give me the beautiful city on the hill. I vow to remain informed, involved, rested, and in-tune to you, so that I may be part of the solution and a new blessing to others. In the name of Jesus, your son, I pray. Amen"

Doris

"God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine." Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp

Visit: www.lengthofdays2112.blogspot.com for fun stories.

Also: www.directbuybooks.com