Finding Rest - Psalm 62

I’m sitting here on my sofa ... house quiet save the puppies running around and playing in the den. It’s been rainy today and so when they came in from a few minutes in the yard the youngest one, Lucy, looked like a wet rat (she’s only 4 months old, a hairy mixture of malti-poo and “powderpuff” breeds) and I can hear her running with all of her might through the kitchen and den, sliding as she goes. She’s such a ball of energy and completely unaware of it! If she’d only slow down!

My thoughts return to what I’m doing ... I’m sitting here on my sofa ... my quiet corner of the house ... feeling very content at the end of a day where the housework is done; things, for the most part, are put away in their places; the laundry is finishing up; and dinner is in the crock pot. You know those kinds of days? Contentment, satisfaction, peace ... emotions that lend themselves to our fully thinking about the goodness of God! Moments where it is easy to be still before the Lord.

But what robs us of these moments in our daily days? You know the days when nothing is going right? What makes us come in from the world looking like a “wet rat” sliding all over the place, like Lucy, completely unaware that if we’d just slow down a bit ... just a bit, and take time to be still ... perfectly still in His presence ... how different our days might be.

I can only speak for myself but I want to be still. I want to be found resting in His presence, safely in His grip, completely absorbed by His goodness! I want to say with David (from Psalm 62) ...

 1 My soul finds rest in God alone;
       my salvation comes from him.

 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 
       he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
 5 Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; 
       my hope comes from him.
 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; 
       he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
 7 My salvation and my honor depend on God; 
       he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; 
       pour out your hearts to him, 
       for God is our refuge. 
       Selah

Did you catch that in verse 1 and 5? They basically say the same thing but the tense makes the application slightly different. Vs. 1 says, my soul finds, that’s present tense ...it’s happening at this very moment; Vs 5 says it this way, find rest, indicating a plea to take an action; to look for something, in this case to find rest.
Now I’m no scholar but in my life that speaks to me ....
I can be confident that my soul does find rest in my right now moments.
I must be actively pursuing rest in those moments that I find myself striving against the rest that He so freely gives.

So Father, I thank you for the rest that you give me in the midst of peaceful days and the peace you offer on those days where, to You, I must look like a ball of energy, striving for rest that is only found in You. Forgive me Lord for not being still in Your presence.

Psalm 23 ~ With added perspective ...

Several weeks ago at church, our Latino Pastor, Gilberto Colon shared an incredible message about suffering and rejoicing. In his message, he read Psalm 23 with an added perspective and it really touched me in that deep, deep place where our hope abides. We know that David wrote Psalm 23; however, the author of the added perspective is unknown......may these words minister to your soul right where you are .... right now ....

Psalm 23
The LORD is my Shepherd (That’s a Relationship!)
I shall not want (That’s Supply!)
He makes me to lie down in green pastures (That’s Rest!)
He leads me beside the still waters. (That’s Refreshment!)
He restores my soul (That’s Healing!)
He leads me in the paths of righteousness (That’s Guidance!)
For His name’s sake (That’s Purpose!)
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (That’s Testing!)
I will fear no evil (That’s Protection!)
For You are with me (That’s Faithfulness!)
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (That’s Discipline!)
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies (That’s Hope!)
You anoint my head with oil (That’s Consecration!)
My cup runs over (That’s Abundance!)
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life (That’s Blessing!)
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD (That’s Security!)
Forever. (That’s Eternity)


Also, praying for the country of Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake .... join me won’t you?

Cindy K

Sunrises and Rocks..The story of the photograph ......

I feel so privileged to be able to use this photograph as my CD cover. Let me take a moment to give the backstory.....

For months I had been attempting to say “overwhelmed” in a picture. I thought that a sunrise would say it nicely and settled on an online stock photo depicting the sun coming up and spreading it’s warmth over a green grassy field and one lone tree stretching heavenward for all of it’s needs. That was a good idea, perhaps, but it still didn’t capture the essence of being overwhelmed. What to do?

While sharing my dilemma with a friend and sharing with her the story of the rocks my son had given to me....more about the rocks in the insert of the CD which tells that story and the lessons that God is teaching me through this simple gift of 4 rocks. The rocks are inseparable from the songs that have been recorded....so, I was telling you that I was telling my sweet friend about my dilemma.

She had an idea...it turns out that her brother-in-law, in Minnesota, is a professional nature photographer and has the most beautiful picture of rocks on his website. She told me to check it out and if I liked it, she’d contact him to see if he would let me use the photo. Well, I did like it...alot...and he has allowed me to use it. He is a fellow believer and very supportive of what I’m doing.

He explained to me that he captured the picture quite by accident as he was out at Sugarloaf Cove, Lake Superior, Minnesota trying to capture a sunrise...oh really? So was I! It just wasn’t working out for him...oh really? Me either! He happened to down look at his feet and saw the water rushing over the stones. He stood there trying to time the incoming water so as to capture the water’s power, covered and uncovered rocks, and the water’s foam in perfect timing. This photograph is the result.

Praise God for His own perfect timing...
2 people trying to capture the sunrise, for different reasons,
2 people beholding rocks and gazing at their beauty,
2 believers, bound in Christ, capturing “overwhelmed”....
for such a time as this...

Thank you Darren. My heart is blessed by your generosity to me and your support in this call of the Lord. May the Lord bless you abundantly!

Check out his website of beautiful photographs at www.darrenolson.com

Blessings to you for your day! And, whatever happens to you today, find God in the details....He may just be working behind the scenes of any given situation to accomplish something incredible in you a little further down the road....

Cindy

New Year 2010

Praise God for new beginnings! Surely His mercies are new each day! No resolutions for me this year just a deep abiding conviction and desire that each day will be, must be, deeper still with Christ than the day before.

Each moment, a cherished one.
Each breath, deeply inhaling God’s grace.
Each step, walked out with my Maker.

I may stumble along the way, I may feel squeezed by the cares of life but He is the Lifter of my head. He sustains us moment by moment.

So, with our finite minds we say “Happy New Year” precious Lord..timeless, eternal, unchanging God...walk with us, guide our steps, guard our hearts, shower down Your incredible mercy...

we are desperate for You!

Reflections...past, present and future...

Time to “un-decorate” our trees, put the ornaments away, take the lights down, return the unwanted gifts, go on a diet because of all the goodies that we consumed ... whew, I’m exhausted just typing it!

Seriously, while we will do those things listed above, Christmas is never really over for the believer. I mean, sure the day passes, the season passes, and we flip our calendars but if we abide in Him and He abides in us then we get to celebrate Him, His very presence, every day of every year. What better gift could he give us than Himself - Emmanuel, God with us (John 1:14), His very life, His righteousness, His benefits (1 Peter 2:24)! Oh it just thrills me to think of all that He blesses us with every day of our lives.

For me, I’ve been thinking more and more about how very good God has been to me in 2009. He has taken me to deep places and grown my faith in ways that, given the choice, I would never have desired but He knows best and is molding me, more and more, into His image. The Refiners fire....indeed...and I’m learning to surrender!

And then there’s the last week of December...there has always been something so special to me about the last week of December. The celebrations behind us and the new year before us...we find ourselves standing between the old and the new. We find ourselves standing on the precipice of untouched days ahead and it sets our hearts to dreaming of all that can be and maybe will be. I find it so refreshing and exciting, even with the unknown of those days.

So Happy New Year my friends! I pray that you will reflect on 2009 fondly. I pray that even in the ups and downs of this past year you will have seen the mighty hand of God in your life. I pray that as you stand on the brink of 2010 you will be more determined than ever before to press in and press on. More determined to surrender to His will and the calling on your life!

Be blessed!
Cindy K.