WORD on WEDS.
In the very inspiring Lent Devotional that I mentioned from Michelle DeRusha, we started with reading Jeremiah after Psalm 137. So, in my "New Women's Devotional Bible", when I began reading, I encountered this devotion shared there for this portion of scripture and I chose to make a point to add it here for you, too, because it fits well with my theme of LIGHT and God impressed upon me that someone may need this encouragement to look beyond this "time" in their journey:
God Owns Time Read: Jeremiah 29:4–14 "It’s so hard to look beyond our circumstances. For the Jews in the time of Jeremiah, it seemed impossible. The Babylonians had whisked them from their homes and settled them in enemy territory. Into this depressing scene, God sent Jeremiah, the anguished prophet of judgment. But his message this time was one of hope. In essence, he said, “Though your circumstances look bleak, your confinement will be limited. So settle in and make a home away from home for yourselves. As incredible as it sounds, look for and enjoy the moments of joy, even in this place. It won’t be long before the worst will be over.” Today endless darkness may seem to surround you, just as the Israelites experienced. Maybe it is hard to remember the last time you felt free or comfortable. You’ve watched your business struggle, your friend fight disease or a child disown you. And you may have lived in this place for such a long time that you consider it a second home. Whether or not the darkness is of your own making, and whether or not you can see its end, remember this: God owns time. Though He rarely shares His reasons with us, He knows why He allows the pain to continue. And He also knows the date—the day, the hour and the precise minute—when the agony will end. Not only that, but He also knows what He has in store for us when it’s over. Through Jeremiah, God invited the exiles to look to Him, to call to Him. God promises that when we search for Him with every ounce of our energy, we will find Him. In His time, He will bring us back from the dark and hostile places. As difficult as it is to imagine now, this is true: God has plans for us. And because He’s God, His plans are always good. ~ New Women's Devotional Bible ~ |
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what you say
In Your time.
(maybe not a woman of great worth)
Yet we can learn from her hate and wickedness
Clues for next week's Woman:
- the NT woman who wore the badge of kindness
- a 'saintly' sister
- a servant of the church
- a succourer of many
- a devoted, and it would seem particularly a brave friend of converts in trouble, and of Paul himself
- a witness to what Christ can accomplish through consecrated spinsterhood. (Bible Gateway's words, not mine)
- one of the first, if not the first, of the noble band of deaconesses in the Christian Church
My week in review:
In my first Week of "40 Day Soul Fast", I read about "The Power of 40: Enlarging Your Capacity". I think in my 40's, I thought I was more filled with His Power and I know my capacity was enlarged (in more ways than one). But here in my 50's, coming out of the darkness that surrounded my life in my past and reflecting through my life's journey, keeping my eye on the Light of God that has led me to this current season as I try to make sense of it all ...
"Confident Heart" by Renee Swope has really been an eye opener, like I'm reading my own life in her words and finally making sense out of much of it, with Renee's excellent words of wisdom and transparency. This is a book, you should not miss reading.
Add to this my 'Soul Fast' week one of Transforming, Cleansing, Aligning, Preparing and Loosing(days 1-5) as I arm myself with these characteristics to empower me to live more authentically: Awareness, Godliness, Truth, Commitment and Patience...
WOW! It's been one power packed week. And I'm in the midst of being "empowered" today's portion from my Current week 2 (days 6-10) "The Purpose of a Soul Fast: The Self Leadership Challenge" where my focus will be
Day Six: Connecting - Characteristic 6: Capacity
Day Seven: Healing - Characteristic 7: Wholeness
Day Eight: Empowering - Characteristic 8: Balance
Day Nine: Directing - Characteristic 9: Peace
Day Ten: Seeing - Characteristic 10: Goodness
So thankful for public cybers with printers, my notebooks and good health (well, better health, except for sinking knee deep, in a newly planted "mango tree" hole that's replacing the large dead tree that fell in front of my house, and loosing my right foot's flip flop until I was able to dig deep down to retrieve it after many tries ... I even took a photo to show you sometime). Life is so full of wonder and laughable "Candid Camera" moments (but definitely not at the time you're sinking or in them). I definitely have sensed your prayers and I'm mostly thankful for YOU and your continual encouragement
Praying, believing and thinking of you daily,
Peggy
