“O, Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”
(Psalm 8: 1)
Summer has suddenly made its presence felt in B.C. Canada, where we live, and the relief of seeing sunlight, feeling those pleasant, light breezes and warm temperatures, gives one the urge to step outside man-made structures and revel in the outdoors! This week end, thanks to a son-in law and our daughter, we could do just that, as we went away on a trip with them. Our route took us through breathtaking vistas which made me exclaim in wonder at the Creator’s work in moulding the earth and every turn of the road would bring yet another example of his glorious creativity.
“Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.” (Psalm 108: 5)
We live on the coast, but our trip took us through fertile valleys, over steep mountains, some still wearing their caps of snow, through beautiful little glens filled with wild flowers until we finally reached the hot, dry grape growing area, our destination.
While we were travelling, I began to realise how easy it is to forget the hand behind every living creature, every living plant and tree, every craggy outcrop of jagged rock. We get lulled into thinking that man is in control of nature and our media is filled with stories of breakthroughs that mankind is making in new fertilizers, wonder drugs, new methods of beating the seasons, so we can eat strawberries all year round. This constant focusing on man’s achievements, distances us from acknowledging the one who is the Creator and sustainer of all living creatures. We lose a little of the awe of who he is and I especially felt on this trip that I had not spent enough time remembering this in my daily walk.
After we returned home I went back to reading Job’s story, where God reminds Job of whose hand created the amazing earth he allows us to live in;
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone – while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38: 4 – 7)
The whole weekend away I tried constantly to be aware of the Master’s hand on everything I saw and as we were staying by a beautiful lake I also saw his power as one evening a strong wind came up and the calm waters of the lake turned into choppy waves. I was surprised by the effect concentrating on God’s creation had on me. A feeling of serenity enveloped me. A feeling of tranquility ensured. A letting go of anxiety. 
A chid like feeling that I did not have to worry, the Heavenly Father was in control.
Psalm 148 is a psalm of praise coming from the very earth he created and one worth reading when we his created ones also want to praise him.
“Praise him sun, and moon, praise him, all you shining stars. Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.” (Psalm 148: 3 – 4)
My husband and I frequently watch a programme on the television about a wild life refuge which often amazes us, when we see damaged and often badly hurt birds or animals, brought to the refuge and then restored and released back into their own habitat. We also had an example of this in our own area, recently, when the media reported a baby bear cub being found in distress with no sign of the mother and this little one was transported to a local refuge centre to be cared for.
Psalm 91 is one of my favourite psalms, especially when I am facing all sorts of problems or even if I just want to be soothed by the reassuring love of the Father. To be able to just grasp a little of the enormity of this love, his word paints beautiful pictures so we can relate to how he wants to comfort us. This verse, in particular, always speaks to me;
The first verse of this magnificent psalm shows us the door always open of the safest refuge anyone would ever want. We just have to ensure we enter and dwell with him
Our youngest granddaughter who is 11 months old, has begun crawling and last Sunday she and her family were at our house for dinner. As soon as she was put down on the floor I rushed to protect, what I thought, would be objects she might damage or might damage her. My son-in-law, stopped me by saying.
Later, the prophet, Isaiah, also reminded the people and of course us as well the importance of listening to God’s voice, especially when we are about to choose a course of action.
I have a dear friend with whom I walk with each week and as we live in such a beautiful part of the world, our walks take us through spectacular displays pf God’s majesty in creation. One of our favourite walks, is along the sea wall which is boarded with stately trees. After one of these walks my friend wrote a beautiful poem about the contentment she felt the trees were exhibiting, which really intrigued me and made me realise that the glory of the Lord is proclaimed though nature and what we humans can learn from this.
When we look at the apostle Paul’s life it certainly does not look like he sailed through without any trouble, but his attitude is an amazing example for us to contemplate and try to follow if we wish to obtain the contentment Scripture refers to.
Last week we had a wind-up brunch for the Women’s Bible Study, organised by our Church. It is a large number of ladies who meet together for worship and then break up into small groups with a leader, to study God’s word. In September of last year, I had no intention of joining, until my daughter pressured me to come with her, as she was joining the Mom’s Group, also part of the wider study. I am ashamed to say my reluctance was based on pride. I have had extensive training in Bible study and have led many groups over the years and felt there was no need for me to attend yet another one. In the midst of my arrogant thinking I came across a saying of St. Ignatius, I had recorded many years ago and I was suddenly ashamed of what I had been thinking. Here are St Ignatius’ words;
Over and over the Israelites in the Old Testament forgot to practice humility and took things into their own hands and made decisions without consulting God, believing in their arrogance that they knew best. Our present society is still doing much the same and we need to heed these words that God spoke to Solomon and learn to walk humbly with the Lord.
(as soon as I heard the name of the river I should have been more cautious before agreeing to us all going!) When we arrived at the edge of the river from which all the rafts entered, we had to listen to very detailed instructions about life jackets which of course were compulsory, then instructions to turn on our backs and float if we found ourselves in the water, and then how to sit and where in the craft, and we were all to face forward once we began our journey.
wonderful safeguard we always have with us.
forget that strong man at the back safely protecting us, and the same applies in life, sometimes we want to take charge of our own lives and ignore the faithful guidance of the Holy Spirit and that often leads us into challenging waters.
I can remember as a child often from parents, or older family members, being encouraged to taste some food that was totally new and the message always seemed to be the same.
When we think of savouring God’s words they are no longer just words written on paper, they become spiritual food for the soul and the more we spend savouring them the stronger we become in our faith;
food stands have lots of tasters as other shoppers see looks of delight on the faces of those nibbling around it. How wonderful if we could encourage others to taste and see as they observe how knowing the Lord, brings us such great joy.
Just recently I heard such a sad story about a mother and daughter trapped in a cycle of unforgiveness that had enveloped them for years, even evident in the tragic circumstances surrounding approaching death. The daughter is dying of cancer, but even though the mother has at last come to see her, angry words and accusations have erupted between them. Unforgiveness, has surrounded both, like an impenetrable brick wall that they have both built brick by brick, that so sadly could have been torn down with the beautiful power of asking for forgiveness.
incredible outcome of being a peacemaker is that we receive a rich blessing from our Heavenly Father and as we forgive, so too we are forgiven and set free from the ugly burden of unforgiveness.
Several years ago, my husband and I and our youngest daughter (then a young girl) visited some dear friends in the outback of Queensland, Australia, a very exciting time for all three of us! My friend suggested my daughter might like to try riding one of their horses and assured me they had a gentle old mare that would be very safe for her to ride. When we got to the paddock I was surprised to see that there was no fence, but the horse seemed to be just waiting at the edge of the field. My friend explained to me that when the horse was young the field was surrounded by an electric fence and very quickly the horse knew not to go close to it. After some time went by, the electric fence was removed, but the horse still never ventured past that area. The horse, basically was free, but was not using its freedom.
The beautiful story of the Exodus is really the story of God’s protection of human freedom. When God gives his people the Ten Commandments, the very first words he says, are emphasising he is a God of freedom. He wants his children, and of course that includes us, to remember we are no longer slaves to all that would hold us back from experiencing this incredible gift.
BE PREPARED!!
God suddenly gives him an opportunity to tell the king of what he is feeling and look what he does before speaking!
Then we need to have confidence in those words and Paul assures us that we cannot even imagine what power our words will have when they have been covered in prayer before we speak;
God Speaking 