Good Morning from the most beautiful place in the world...Orange Beach, Alabama! I'm so blessed to be able to spend some time here on a "retreat" to pray, write, study, and rest in God's presence and His Word in a place that truly brings peace to my soul.
What is it about the beach that draws us out of our routine to enjoy the splendor of nature...the sand, the waves crashing, the children laughing, seagulls diving and playing in the water? Dolphins jumping, sandcrabs scurrying, sunsets, people walking up and down the beach searching for that adventurous shell that has journeyed from the depths of the sea to the edge of the shore...
I awakened today with a song on my heart..."Great is Thy Faithfulness" -- read these words and let them flow into your soul...
Great is Thy Faithfulness, Oh God my Father!
There is no shadow of turning from thee.
Thou changest not, Thy compassions - they fail not.
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be
Great is Thy Faitfulness
Great is Thy Faitfulness
Morning by Morning new mercies I see!
All I have needed Thy Hands hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness - Lord unto Me...
Summer and Winter and Springtime and Harvest
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above...
Join with ALL NATURE in manifold witness
To Thy Great Faithfulness, mercy and love...
Great is Thy Faitfulness
Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Morning by Morning new mercies I see
All I have needed Thy Hands hath providedMorning by Morning new mercies I see
Great is Thy Faithfulness - Lord unto Me...
Pardon for sin - and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear shadow to steer and to guide
Strength for today - and Bright HOPE for tomorrow
Blessings all MINE with ten thousand beside!!
Great is Thy Faithfulness
Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Morning by Morning new mercies I see!
All I have needed Thy Hands hath provided
Great is Thy Faithfulness Lord unto me...
Great is THY FAITHFULNESS!! Lord unto me....
Those words! Can't you just hear the waves crashing on the shore behind them! Can't you just feel the troubles washing away in God's awesome faithfulness?
Troubles come and go - seashells wash up on the shore and wash out to sea - but God is always faithful - always constant - unchanging in His amazing love for me... for you...
He tells us in His Word that if we will seek Him, we can find Him -- if we knock, the door will be opened...How beautiful! We never have to worry about God getting lost from us or hiding from us if we look for Him...even when it seems as if He is. We never have to worry about calling on Him and getting a message that says He's unavailable at the moment or worse, He's moved away with no forwarding address...
There will be times in our walk with Christ where we "feel" as though His presence is far from us. There will be times in our walk with Christ where we "feel" as though our prayers aren't being heard...but it's in those times that we can't rely on our feelings - because they are rooted in self -- and will lie just like a GPS in the Smokey Mountains! (see previous blog posts on that subject)....But God's Word never lies. He tells us to seek Him in order to find him -- LOOK! Open your eyes! See His majesty in nature, His Creation, all around us! No, we may not find the solution to our problems there, but we can certainly find God...who is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble...our Comforter, our Provider, our Source....our everything! But if we're caught up in believing our feelings, we miss Him. We can't see Him. We can't hear Him. We can't "feel" Him...oh that's profound! If we're wrapped up in our own feelings - we cannot feel God...WOW!!! That's a word to somebody today!
Today, I challenge you to seek God...whatever you are facing - a cancer treatment, a broken relationship, a job loss, unanswered prayers, stresses at work and at home...seek God in His Creation not just in your thoughts -- listen to a bird singing, look at the wings of a butterfly...the hands and feet of a newborn baby. Allow yourself to get caught in the miracle of that creation for a moment and see if you can "feel" God's presence there....take a deep breath and journey outside the natural and into the spiritual and seek Him...
When you find Him there - allow your heart to open and speak the pain and hurt of your day and situations to Him. Lean into Him and feel His heartbeat in the sound of the wind and rain, or in the rhythm of your own heartbeat...
And then trust Him to answer in His time and in His way. People are trustworthy to a certain point - but God is ALWAYS trustworthy...believe me - I know about trust issues - Test Him and see if His promises are true - He will not let you down. You may not get your way - but His ways are so much better. His ways may not be easy in the process, but getting to the other side will bring you closer to Him...
Cast your cares on Jesus...trust...Great is His Faithfulness....Lord unto YOU....and me...
I love you so....be blessed today....Amy
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