Sunday, February 1, 2009

Bloggin Church

Ok, so last night I read a passage in my little book that I try to read daily... "Joy & Strength". It is a wonderful devotional. I don't read it every single day, I admit, but it is my favorite. So, I thought I'd share a bit. I was going to do this on my other blog, but felt like it might be more appropriate here today, because of the article I posted yesterday.

Exodus 3:7 : And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary says:
3:7-10 God notices the afflictions of Israel. Their sorrows; even the secret sorrows of God's people are known to him. Their cry; God hears the cries of his afflicted people. The oppression they endured; the highest and greatest of their oppressors are not above him. God promises speedy deliverance by methods out of the common ways of providence. Those whom God, by his grace, delivers out of a spiritual Egypt, he will bring to a heavenly Canaan.

Psalm 106:44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress When He heard their cry;

And back to my little book:
Thou knowest, Lord, the weariness and sorrow of the sad heart that comes to Thee for rest;
Cares of today, and burdens for tomorrow,
Blessings implored, and sins to be confessed;
I come before Thee at Thy gracious word,
And lay them at Thy feet, --Thou knowest, Lord. (Jane Borthwick)

These words really hit me last night. God does know me. He knows me! He knows every single one of us. This isn't just talking about Egypt. It is for me too. It is for you. It is in the here and now. God does know my sorrows, my fears, my weariness. He does know my joys and happiness and blessings. I can sit at His feet and let that comfort wash over me, HE KNOWS. And, what's more, loves me anyway. God has seen my my deepest sorrows, yearnings and those things I cannot put into words. HE KNOWS.

This comforts me because I know that God is taking care of me, even when I don't know what or how to ask...or even how to talk about whatever "it" is. This is faith. And even if we falter, God doesn't. Because, again, GOD KNOWS.

This should be a comfort to others, too, who are going through rough times or big changes in their lives.
I promise God will help you get through this. Look at my life over the past 2 years... there have been a lot of ups and downs. Lot of downs... and, yet, GOD KNOWS.

And it is good.

Peace.

PS. I added some music to the site. Let me know if it is really annoying... I love the songs, some are Christian, some aren't... You can always pause it, I guess, but if it is overkill I'll get rid of it (here anyway) lol.

5 comments:

  1. Some nice quotes you have there. I like reading C.S. Lewis, Thomas Merton, & Teilhard de Chardin, or anyone who can give me some insight into Mysteries that are beyond my ability to comprehend.

    I haven't been able to listen to all the music you posted, but the few that I listened to sound pretty good. If there is anything in there that remotely sounds like country, please give me a heads up so I can wear a helmet next time I visit your blog:0)

    Say, is it customary for Kentuckians to fire off a round or two in the air after reading a devotional? In my history class, I read that during WWII Kentuckians were placed in strategic locations all around Europe, armed only with a devotional book and a shotgun. I’ll make a long story short: they single handedly destroyed over 90% of the German aircrafts that were flying overhead.

    Just wonderin’.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Tom. :) Um, I don't think devotionals and firearms go together... even here in the good ol' KY!! Hope it doesn't make anyone want to pull out a gun, lol.

    Peace.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I agree, shotguns and devotionals do not go hand-in-hand. Shame on the person who perpatuated that rumor:0)

    Thank you for setting the record straight.

    Besides, I follow the WWCSD (What Would Colonel Sanders Do) approach to something that doesn't sound quite right, and I don't think he have would approved of such behavior:0)

    ReplyDelete
  4. No, he would have probably handed you a chicken wing instead! ;-) Eat and be merry.

    ReplyDelete