Radiant: Psalm 34: 5-7

5 Those who look to him are radiant,
and their faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
and saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Psalm 34:5-7 (ESV)

In Psalm 34, David is praising the Lord, for the Lord answered his prayer for deliverance. This psalm was probably written by David, in praise, of his escape from the Philistine king, Abimelech.

Reaching out to the Lord in faith, with prayer during troubled times, we find hope. Our demeanor changes; we become radiant, cheerful, and calm. If we keep our eyes centered on the Lord, we will not walk in shame.

David describes a poor man (not in wealth), but desperate and afraid, who cried out to the Lord, and the Lord saves him from his troubles. The Lord is our strength, our hope, our light, and our joy. He will send His angels to protect us.

No longer downcast, when we take our troubles to the Lord in prayer, we glow; we are radiant.

5 Look at him; give him your warmest smile. Never hide your feelings from him. 6 When I was desperate, I called out, and God got me out of a tight spot. 7 God’s angel sets up a circle of protection around us while we pray.
Psalm 34:5-7 (MSG)

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When you go to the Lord in prayer, do you trust in Him and feel peace and radiant?

Prayer; Our holy loving Heavenly Father, teach us to release our fears to You; reaching out to You in prayer. Help us to grow in faith, trust You and be radiant with hope. Like a sunflower turns to the sun and glows, let us turn our worries over to You and glow with Your light. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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Lamp: 2 Samuel 22:29

You, LORD, are my lamp; the LORD turns my darkness into light.
2 Samuel 22:29 (NIV)

Chapter 22 in 2 Samuel is a hymn from David, a hymn praising God and thanking Him for deliverance. David called out to the Lord, asking for help, protection, and deliverance from his enemies and Saul. The Lord heard David and helped him, protecting him, guiding him, and saving him from his enemies. The Lord was his lamp; brightly shining forth light; illuminating the darkness of wickedness, depression, loneliness, and despair.
The Lord is our lamp, illuminating our path and brightening our lives with His light of understanding, hope, and peace.⁂

Is the Lord, your lamp? Do you reach out to Him on dark days, letting Him turn your darkness into light?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for your protection, help, and care. You are our lamp; teach us to reach out to You in our darkest times. Help us to trust you to shine Your light on our worries and fear. Teach us to be patient and trust in Your strength and power. Like flowers grow, flourish, and glow in the sunlight; let us flourish and glow in Your light. In Jesus’ holy and loving name. Amen

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Listen: Isaiah 48:1718

This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.
Psalm 48:17 (NIV)

Isaiah is a prophet who is bringing a message from God. The people were praising God with their words but not with their actions; their hearts were far from Him. At this time, they were probably in captivity in Babylon.
Isaiah’s words are ones of encouragement; God had not forgotten them. They need to change their ways and action. To listen to God and obey His laws. For God knows best; follow His directions and His path.

“If only you had listened to my commands! Then blessings would have flowed for you like a stream that never goes dry. Victory would have come to you like the waves that roll on the shore.
Isaiah 48:18 (GNT)

In verse 18, God reminds them that if they Had listened to Him instead of following sinful ways, His blessing would have flowed like a stream that never runs dry. Victory and peace would be theirs; rich blessings would be abundant, rolling like waves over the land.

What does this mean for us? It is vital to keep God’s laws and act accordingly. To have a teachable spirit and an attentive heart and to listen to the Lord, obey Him, and let Him guide our way. ⁂

Do you take time to listen to God; and have a teachable spirit?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your patience and forgiveness. Lead us on Your path of righteousness and teach us to listen and obey. Like the Gerbera Daisy turns toward the sun, let us turn toward You and follow Your ways. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

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His Strength: 1 Chronicles 16:11

Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.
1 Chronicles 16:11 (NLT)

This verse in 1 Chronicles is also in Psalm 105:4, David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving. He wrote this verse to celebrate the return of the Ark of the Covenant. To remind everyone of the importance of seeking the Lord and having a relationship with Him. We need to search for Him and listen to His way, not seeking our path but following His path for us. Our strength is found in the Lord; He is our hope, grace, and salvation. When our world is complicated and confusing, we can find strength like David did through our relationship with our Lord. Always search for the Lord and seek His strength. ⁘

When you are overwhelmed and confused, is your first response to seek the Lord’s strength?

Prayer; Our Heavenly Father, we come to you in praise and thanksgiving. Teach us to follow Your ways and seek You. Lord, when we are overwhelmed and uncertain about what to do, let us ask for Your guidance. Like the zinnia blossoms, seek the sun; Lord, let us seek You and Your strength. In Jesus’ loving name. Amen

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Saved: Romans 10:12-13

African Violet

¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:12-13
And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; Joel 2:32a

Many undertakings have difficult and complicated steps to achieve approval. The Lord, however, doesn’t require difficult and complicated procedures from us to be saved. Paul states in Romans and Luke states in Acts, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
In Luke 23:42-43, a criminal on the cross beside Jesus calls to Him, “… “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

To call on the name of the Lord means to reach out to Christ, in faith seeking salvation. God, our Father, richly blesses all who call upon Him. Today, take time to thankfully praise God, our Father, for His grace, compassion, and love. For, we are truly loved and blessed.

When in distress, who do you call out to for help?

Prayer: Dear Lord, we thank you for richly blessing us and answering our calls for help, protection, direction, and strength. Let our faith grow and blossom like the African violet’s numerous blooms. Help us to turn away from sin, call on Your name, and embrace Your gift of salvation. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Abounding in Love: Psalm 103:8

waterlillies

⁸The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
Psalm 103:8-9

With the start of the new decade, much has been written about change. However, with God, there is a constancy he is unchanging. Our Father has been and is compassionate, gracious, slow to anger. As David said, “He is abounding in love.” The best change for us this new year is to follow God’s wisdom and be abounding in love.

Where could you share God’s love today?

Prayer: Our Father, we thank you for your many blessings and your abounding love toward us. Like waterlilies flourish in the water, help us to flourish by being compassionate and spread Your love. May we also learn to be slow to anger and accepting of others. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen

Growth: Psalm 47:1 (Decade tag)

¹Clap your hands, all you nations.
Shout to God with cries of joy.
Psalm 47:1

Thanks to Matt at jesusluvsall.wordpress.com for tagging me for the decade tag. The tag is a look back at what the Lord has done in my life the past ten years. I am going to look back at my spiritual journey, my spiritual awakening.

Growing up, Sundays always included church and Sunday school. Then things started distracting me worldly things like pride, my things, me first, my schedule.

Happily, this decade God became my focus, my joy, and my path. People with kind words and caring hearts helped me find His way. My church community opened my eyes to opportunities to learn and grow.

Pastor Kay, my mentor, and friend and prayer warrior taught me many ways to pray and opened the door to healing prayer. All my fellow healing prayer warriors who accepted my quiet listening for years, until faith allowed me to step out of my fear and insecurity and reach out to others in healing prayer. Life-changing for me. As my Spiritual Director, Pastor Kay encouraged me to take my flower photographs to tie them with scripture to share them. The push needed to start this blog in June to share His word and joy.

Fran, another friend, encouraged me and showed me ways to be God’s hands and feet. Her guidance has opened my eyes and heart to local needs through the church’s soup kitchen. She also directed me into church-based fundraising projects and other local opportunities to spread God’s love.

This decade I have grown in faith found that I could escape my shyness with God at my side, that I could encourage others by Listening, Praying, and Loving.

I am leaving this tag opened ended for anyone who wants to look back and write about the changes the Lord has made in their lives, just leave a comment on this post.

Rules: To play along: 1- Please share a link to the creator of the tag- jesusluvsall.wordpress.com 2- Share some highlights for you over the past decade and if you want a few low points 3- Tag whoever you wish to. 4- Ask them some questions 5- Use any picture appropriate for such a tag. (As usual, I didn’t follow all the rules, sorry Matt.)

My question: Where have you seen God in the past decade?

Remember this new year to shout to God with cries of joy!

God Bless!

God With Us: Deuteronomy 31:8

⁸The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 (NIV)

The Lord is with us, he goes before us, he never leaves us, and He surrounds us with unconditional love. Take time to rest in God’s love, and let go of fear, worry, and discouragement. Do not fear God, is with us, and He cares about us. May your New Year be blessed with hope, faith, and joy.

What do you need to let go of and let God handle?

Prayer: Dear Lord, loving Savior, we give thanks for your help and compassion for us. Teach us to be bright and open like the poinsettias, reflecting Your love and compassion. Help us not to worry, instead to realize that You are always with us and will never leave us. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.

Have a Healthy and Happy New Year – 2020!

– Jeanne

Shield of God: Psalm 84:11

Calibrachoa “million bells” and Petunias brighten a summer day

¹¹The Lord God is like the sun that gives us light.
    He is like a shield that keeps us safe.
    The Lord blesses us with favor and honor.
He doesn’t hold back anything good
    from those whose lives are without blame.
Psalm 84:11 (NIRV)

God is like a shield He keeps us safe. He honors us and blesses us with His favor. He is Our Father He loves us with unconditional love, and He takes care of us. We just need to believe in God and have faith. To reject evil and do good. It is the deal of a lifetime for it leads to His kingdom. We are blessed!

Have you embraced God’s shield of faith?

Prayer: Our Lord, our light, our salvation, our shield from worldly problems, we give you thanks. We rejoice and raise joyful praise to You like the joyfully colored “million bells” and petunias reflect the sun. God, we are blessed by your favor, care, and shield of protection. Teach us to live righteously. In Jesus’ name. Amen

Shine: Proverbs 4:18

Remembering Spring – Flowering Cherry Tree

¹⁸The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.
Proverbs 4:18 (NIV)

While following your path, do you reflect enough light so that others see you shine? Take time to review your day, do a check, see if your righteousness is showing. Christmas season is a wonderful time to brighten someone’s day, be kind, helpful, in sharing God’s love. As you walk your path, today try to shine ever brighter until you glow, like a Son lit day.

Would a stranger recognize you as a Christian by your actions?

Prayer: Our gracious God, we thank you for Your forgiveness and blessings. Teach us to glow in righteousness as the cherry blossoms glow in the sun. As the lovely pink cherry blossoms brighten Sping days, let us reflect God’s light and shine brightly. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen