Five Smooth Stones

Oh, couldn’t we do with a few slain giants today? Those huge obstacles that get into our thoughts, minds and hearts and try to take us down in defeat and leave us feeling like whipped puppies?

Oh, yes, those fears, anxieties and failures that just have a way of wrapping themselves around our little finger to blackmail us into their captivity, always present themselves, just when we think we’re making a little progress along the way. They creep out of the cracks like poisonous spiders, small but mighty, ready for attack, and we feel helpless to escape.

So, friends, that’s why we grab our five smooth stones of scripture to tuck into our pockets before we head out for the day.

David knew, didn’t he? He collected his stones and his words just before he went out to meet the big guy, the Philistine no one dared to speak of, let alone meet. In 1 Samuel 17:45-49, we find him reinforcing God’s faithfulness in action, when he states,

“You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s armies..whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.”

So, maybe the battle rages on within and without and you’re left without much to go on, but five smooth stones of scripture. That’s enough! Grab them! Tuck them into your heart! It’s all you need to face those big guys who are out to get you and trip you up.

#SafeINAHARDPLACE

Be Still

So today, maybe we all just need to inhale God’s grace and exhale His praise. Maybe we all just need to sit still in His presence and recognize who He is and what He means to us in all of our ups and downs, highs and lows, in and outs, faults and all.

Yeah, so maybe it’s a hard day of j nothing but “All gone wrong” and everything seems so misshapen and out of sorts.

Where’s the joy when the world’s in a mess and your world follows close behind in its messed-up footsteps? The joy you knew yesterday took a dive into the deep and it kinda seems like it’s gone forever. Here in this dreadful “now” moment, you’re emptied of emotion and the pain felt in the heart can’t feel the hurt anymore because it’s just too weary to feel anymore.
Where do you go when worries have numbed your spirit and hung your beautiful soul out to dry? Where is your refuge when your world hangs by a thread, and the thing you feared most has taken its position? The Psalmist in Psalm 46 tells us,

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though it’s watered roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

Beautiful one, when all is lost, the Psalmist goes on to bring words of hope to the reader,

“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the Holy Place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day…Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Oh, what comfort for our crumpled spirit and our broken world. God is in charge and He will be exalted in your situation and in your circumstances if you rest “Still” in Him and know that He is sovereign overall. Rest then today ~ right now ~ you who are broken, and shattered in your brokenness, just be still in Him.

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

Psalm 46:10 

His Perfection

I get that some days you feel the walls are cracked the paint is chipped, and that you blend in the wallpaper, but remember perfection and performance aren’t necessary ‘nor are they a standard for your value.

You get that don’t you? You get it that you don’t have to be perfect, all you need to do is be you in your less-than-perfect state. We will never be that, only God’s way is perfect and He loves our broken selves just as broken as we are ❤ It’s Him who perfects our ways just as He pleases.

#Soulnotetoself#youareloved

All Gone Wrong Days

So maybe your day isn’t going so great and it feels like it’s one big heap of nonsense that no one even cares about. What do you do with that? What to do when the good ole days have kicked up their heels and jollied off south to the sunshine and fun-shine and left you in the heaps of winter doldrums feeling a bit shabby and just not up to snuff?

Maybe there’s been a conundrum of ifs ands and buts and you’ve played 20 million questions and not gotten any answers because there are no answers to get!

Everybody else is right and no one even hears what you have to say, nor do they care if you have anything to say at all. It’s a crazy mixed-up life and your day has just toppled off the wall much like a Humpty Dumpty. Yeah, we’ve all had them, haven’t we? We’ve all been there, haven’t we? We’ve all witnessed firsthand the downside of difficult and the hard-pressed pages of hardship.

Beautiful you, through it all, stay true to the right things. Don’t let a downcast spirit, crush your day or dictate your feelings. You can know the sun shines from the heavens on you, and even through dark clouds of gray, God sends His grace and favour from His heavenly throne to your soul.

Get away with the God who cares deeply about you and even though you feel alone and isolated He’s crazy about who you are. You are made in His image and that’s His brilliant creation and perfection, personified in you. It’s no small matter. It’s who you are!

David knew how perfect God’s way is when he penned Psalm 18:30, 32, 33, 34,

“As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him…It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, and He enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle;…You give me the shield of victory.”

Awesome words from David to us on this all-gone-wrong day. So, beautiful one, get away with Jesus, even for a few minutes. Soak in His grace and learn from His laws. They will revive your soul and bring joy to your heart. It’s a promise from His heart to yours.

Read Psalm 19: 7, 8, 9