peace

Draw Nearer

I am learning to draw nearer to the Lord. It is a lifelong path. After almost fifty years of serving Him, I am not where I want to be. But I am getting closer.

One day last week, during my morning quiet time with the Lord, a song written one hundred years ago flowed from my heart. I sang the chorus to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Do you know it?

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

When we look upon Jesus with our whole heart, our problems no longer seem as large. Our troubles seem to fade when we consider the sacrifice He made for us and focus on the hope He gives. He died so we can live eternally with Him if we know Him as our Savior and Lord.

I read YouVersion’s Verse of the Day each morning and journal the verse along with the Guided Prayer. The app offers background music, too, which helps me to focus on a quiet and personal time with the Lord. The verse on the day I sang, “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” was Isaiah 26:3.  

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (NLT)

This verse spoke to my heart and aligned with the song that I had sung. If I fix my thoughts on Jesus, and I trust in Him, I can turn my eyes upon Him and see not only the light of His glory and grace, but perfect love and peace.

Because I could not remember the verses to “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” I googled the song. Here is verse one.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

When our troubles seem to overwhelm us and we don’t know what to do, we can look to Christ. In Him, we find light, life, and freedom. And because of the freedom He has given us, we can draw nearer to Him.

What do you see when you turn your eyes upon Jesus?

Lemmel, Helen Howarth. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.” Hymnary. Accessed July 3, 2023. Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus | Hymnary.org.

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Photo by Ben White - Unsplash

From Anxiety to Peace

In my recent newsletter, I told the story of our older cat, Paka, and how she’d stopped eating. She had gone for several days without food. She would use her scratching post and groom herself, but she had no interest in her paté or kibble.

After a thorough examination and Xray, our vet, Doctor Amy, and I came to the same conclusion. Our new kitty, Tatertot, had caused Paka a lot of anxiety.

Paka has always been a little skittish. She was a rescue cat that lived with a man who didn’t like her. He wasn’t too fond of his former girlfriend either, who had left the cat with him when she moved out. I assume Paka stayed hidden from him because she hides whenever someone comes to our house. When it’s my husband, our youngest daughter, and me, she’s the perfect cat. But she doesn’t like change. And our new kitten brought a lot of that!

Although our vet took great care of her and got her back to her old self, Paka was not out of danger. Doctor Amy told me that the treatment she used with Paka would last for thirty days. She hoped Paka would bond with Tatertot by then, solving the problem. Today is day thirty-five. So far, so good. I am certain the two of them have formed a stronger connection.

On multiple occasions, I’ve discovered them sharing a bed, either theirs or ours, with their bodies close together. And twice, I’ve observed them as they groomed each other. So sweet! Brings a smile and praise to my lips.

During our times of stress and anxiety, our circumstances may become so overwhelming that we forget to pray or lack the energy to do so. Often, these situations take a severe toll on our bodies, hearts, and minds. But the Lord encourages us to turn to Him. He opens His arms and waits for us to run into them. To hold us. To comfort us. To pour out His unfailing love and peace upon us.

Two of my favorite verses are Philippians 4:6-7.

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 

My hope for Paka is that she has found peace to deal with Tatertot and will continue to thrive. My hope for us is that we find peace in Christ whenever anxiety strikes. He desires us to come to Him in prayer, tell Him what we need, and thank Him for all He has done. He’s done much in my life. What about in yours? Please share below a recent blessing He’s poured out upon you.

In Awe

My husband and I took a vacation in September. I wrote what follows from my hotel room while I enjoyed the view as I gazed outside. Below, I’ve included photos from our trip to the Oregon Coast and Redwood National and State Parks in Northern California. I’m in awe of the Lord’s creation. He’s blessed us with an amazing world to enjoy.

From our hotel window and to the left, a river flows through Seaside, Oregon. Seagulls fly overhead and squawk their cries, and a lovely heron awaits its next catch from a dock along the Necanicum River. Beyond are hills covered with shades of green.

To my right, other hotels line the street and evergreens emerge from the fog on a hill behind them. The sun tries to sneak a peek at the people below after hiding behind dark clouds that poured down rain the day before and overnight.

Although I can’t see it from my window, past the hotels and a block away, the Pacific Ocean calms its rumblings from the overnight storms. Beach sand settles after blowing across the shore like a soft snow that formed tiny craters along the beach.

Peace fills my heart as I sip my café mocha. The setting reminds me of a dream I had in the wee hours of the morning on September 16—the day we traveled here. I saw beautiful hills and beyond them the sea, and I heard joyful singing. My thoughts turned to heaven. But I doubt the angels will sing The Sound of Music—the song in my dream.

What have you seen in recent months that caused you to be in awe of Creator God?

The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.
Psalm 65:8, NIV

Sometimes It Hurts

Sometimes it hurts. We feel forgotten or ignored. I’m sure it happens to most of us. It happened to me last weekend.

I’d emailed a few former coworkers three weeks earlier to say hello and to tell them I missed them. None responded. Why? Were they too busy? Did they not miss me too? And the friend I texted? She didn’t respond either.

Although I didn’t know the reasons for their silence, Romans 12:14 instructed me on how to handle the hurt.

Speak blessing, not cursing, over those who reject
and persecute you. (TPT)

No one persecuted me, but I felt rejected. I prayed for God to bless them, to help them in their struggles, and for His will to be done in and through their lives. I reasoned that maybe life was tough for them, and they didn’t want to share—too personal. Or perhaps they were busy but intended to respond later and then forgot. 

After spending time in my Bible and praying for them, I listened to worship music and lifted my hands to “House of the Lord” by Phil Wickham. I have a hard time staying in the mulligrubs while worshipping my Lord.  

I also put on my armor as stated in Ephesians 6:10-20 and prayed the “Warrior’s Prayer.” [Click link for a pdf copy warriors-prayer-printable.pdf (com.s3.amazonaws.com).]

None of my feelings were new to the Lord. Christ understood rejection. He recognized how I felt and offered me comfort and strength as I honored Him.

Sometimes it hurts. The evil one wanted me to spend my day in despair, but I had too much to do. Through Bible reading, prayer, worshipping, and putting on my armor, I found victory and peace in my Lord and Savior.

A special thank you to J.D. Wininger for introducing me to the “Warrior’s Prayer” in his blog post: Preparing for Battle - J.D. Wininger, Christian Author (jdwininger.com).

Photo by Kyle Glenn - Unsplash

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