Intended For Good

6“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the morning,
Your healing shall spring forth speedily,
And your righteousness shall go before you;
The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
You shall cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you take away the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 If you extend your soul to the hungry
And satisfy the afflicted soul,
Then your light shall dawn in the darkness,
And your darkness shall be as the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually,
And satisfy your soul in drought,
And strengthen your bones;
You shall be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
12 Those from among you
Shall build the old waste places;
You shall raise up the foundations of many generations;And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach,
The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In.

Isaiah 58:6-12

Where do you look to for help? Where do you look to find answers? In what do you put your trust?

David wrote in Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; From where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

Perhaps when David wrote these words he was remembering when he was a shepherd boy watching his father’s sheep. He would have led them through the mountains and it would have been in those mountains where he faced the lion and the bear. It would have been in those mountains that he found himself alone and in need of help so that he could protect his father’s sheep.

Looking to the mountains might have reminded David of the days when he was on the run from King Saul. When Saul was jealous of David and set on killing him, David ran into the mountains and hid in caves.

Mountains are majestic and beautiful! Many artists capture them on canvass, and  photographers capture them in pictures.

Mountains speak and each one who beholds them hear their words in a personal and intimate way.

When David wrote Psalm 121 he declared that it is the Lord who helps him, keeps him, protects him, and guards him.

That day the mountains spoke words that reminded David of the help that God provided when he faced fears and dangers. Those times David was alone in those mountains and there was no one or nothing else that could help him.

It was in those mountains that David found God to be his help!

The God who made the mountains, the lion, the bear, King Saul…

The God who made him…

God proved Himself to David in supernatural ways. God alone gave him the strength and courage to kill a lion and a bear. Only God alone helped him to stay safe and alive from the wrath of King Saul.

This is the God who David looked to for help!

Looking up at mountains your eyes are on their way up to the heavens. When you need help don’t stop at the mountains, for there is nothing on this earth that can help as the Lord who made everything in heaven and on earth.

Everything you look to here on earth will never help in the ways God helps. His help is always available in your time of need and when you put your complete trust in Him, He will enable you to do the impossible, and will protect you from all harm.

May the mountains you look to be reminders that your help comes from God alone, for He is your keeper, He is your protector, and He guards over you night and day!

We are told by those who study the stars that there will be a very large star visible this Monday evening, the Christmas Star 2020, as Jupiter and Saturn come together. The alignment of these two planets hasn’t happened in 800 years.

I am reminded of these verses in Psalms…

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.” Psalm 19:1

God speaks through all that He made and it is

the wise who take the time to look, to listen, and to believe!

The wise men saw something one night they had never seen before and what they saw captivated them so much they packed up their supplies, saddled up their camels, and went on a long journey.

As astronomers the wise men were familiar with the stars and consolations in the heavens above. So the night they saw a new star it caught their attention. Its presence made them curious. And as they searched for it’s meaning they found it to be the star of “He who was born King of the Jews.”

Why would wise men from the East go on an extended leave to a far away country bearing expensive gifts to bow down in worship of the new born King of the Jews?

I can only believe that just as God spoke and all things were created…

The voice of God “heard” in creation still calls people to come, see, and believe that He is God!

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,” Romans 1:20

The account of the wise men recorded and written down, preserved through the ages, tells of the wisdom in…

Leaving everything behind,

Earnestly seeking and following God’s leading,

Presenting precious gifts…

Gold=belief in the One who is King,

Frankincense=the One who is worthy of worship,

Myrrh=the One who died so that we may live.

Bowing down before the King!

The new star the wise men saw in the night sky spoke of the King of the Jews coming to this dark, sinful, hopeless world, and so Jesus, the Light of the world, continues to shine and reveals the glory of God to all who choose to seek Him.

May the Christmas Star of 2020 be a reminder of God’s amazing glory displayed through His creation and of His perfect timing as He calls us to seek Jesus in this dark and confusing world.

As we marvel at this great light in the sky, may we consider the true Light of the world who loves us so much He left everything, gave all He had, bowed down to His Father’s will, and died so that we may live!

Did you ever say something and then regret what you said because you realize you may actually have to do what you said?

This past summer as Mark and I were planning for our Reservoir Bible Study which would need to be pre-recorded to be used on our zoom meetings I had an idea…

In the past I would begin our Bible Study time together by encouraging the youth and young adults to share something they were thankful for, an answered prayer, or a God story from their week.

It was a stretch, but usually there would be several brave ones who would share something and I loved whatever they said because I know the power of words and it gave them a safe place to learn the power of praise!

Well, this summer I was considering how to include praise and thanksgiving via zoom. I have to believe it was God’s idea that He put in my mind because it certainly wasn’t something that I actually wanted to do.

So, I found myself saying to Mark one day, “I should dress up like Where’s Waldo’s girl friend, Wilma, and do a video clip encouraging the students to Find God in their lives and give Him thanks.”

It was just a thought, just a silly idea…

But Mark took it seriously!

He thought it was a great idea!

Next thing I knew we were ordering the “Where’s Waldo” Book, AND the “Where’s Wilma” costume.

It started to take on a life of its own. We thought of shooting the video in different places in West Milford and at the end of my talk we could pan out to something that would be a clue of where I was so the students could guess and for each correct guess their name would be put in the basket for a drawing each month.

As long as it was an idea; as long as the book was on the table, and the costume was folded on my dresser and there were some plans of where we could record the video, it was all good.

Then, there came the day I needed to pick up the book, put on the costume, go out to some place in West Milford, stand in front of the video camera, and talk.

That was a different thing!

But I found as I went out with the motive to give others the encouragement to be thankful and to share their God Stories, I became brave and courageous to do exactly that, even in my “Wilma Suit” and with the possibility of people passing by seeing me and hearing me.

And so, the very thing God stirred in my heart, the very thing I spoke out, though it was something I regretted and feared, became something that I am very thankful for and have learned that God’s will doesn’t always fit in my comfort zone, but it is for my best and intended to point others to Him!

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I will be found by you, says the Lord…” Jeremiah 29:11-14