"But the LORD is still there in city and He does no wrong."
Zephaniah 3:5
Zephaniah 3:5
My Take Aways
Somethings Old:
Though I am unclean with sin, disobey and fail to trust the Lord as well as refuse correction, the LORD is still with me. Oh, I am so grateful to Him.
Something New:
I am very much like the people of Moab in that I trust too often in my own wealth and skill.
Something to Do:
Remain clean before Him.
Respond to His discipline
Trust and draw near to Him.
17 Comments:
Dear Kelly,
Praise the Lord for your good news! My prayers continue to be lifted up that you prognosis remains good.
Susan, I am indeed very close to the Black Forest and if your friend would like to write, or you would, my e-mail is karenwalker99@gmail.com
Wendy, you closed with one of my favorite memory verses; Zephaniah 3:17. I prayed it last night without knowing (I guess I didn't pay attention yesterday) that we would read it today. I was in the habit of praying this verse daily for my daughter, who is not walking so closely with God right now and who gives her Mama much stress and concern... :) After hearing the other versions (I memorized the NIV), I think I should start praying this daily again, but in different versions to stress different aspects of the verse.
You covered Zephaniah beautifully, so I will move on to two other places in the reading today. The first is 2 Chronicles' presentation of the death of Josiah, the young king who walked with God (thanks Amy again for your comments the other day. Sorry I mixed up Josiah and Manasseh). I had to read verse 22 twice; "But Josiah refused to listen to Neco, to whom God had indeed spoken,"! What? God spoke to an Egyptian King? My first thought was wondering why Josiah didn't inquire of God before he went into battle; and this is the point Matthew Henry also remarks on in his commentary: " If perhaps he could not believe that the king of Egypt had a command from God to do what he did, yet, upon his pleading such a command, he ought to have consulted the oracles of God before he went out against him. His not doing that was his great fault, and of fatal consequence. "
But then a second thought came to me. On July 31, we read these words from the Prophetess Huldah "You tore your clothing in despair and wept before me in repentance. And I have indeed heard you, says the Lord. 20 So I will not send the promised disaster until after you have died and been buried in peace. You will not see the disaster I am going to bring on this city.’” I wonder if this is not like Isaiah 57:1b-2 -the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.
All in God's plan.
I am running late, so I won't take the time now to probe the end of our reading, but just let you know that Jer.48:47 also gave me a lot to chew on today.
Have a great day everyone!
Karen, Basel
Good morning GIGs. Popping in with a quick prayer request - my friend Beth's husband Chuck was recently admitted to the hospital w/ pneumonia and was found to have advanced, inoperable lung cancer. For all of you who SAP and add names to list, I covet your prayers for Chuck. Thank you so much!
Kate in VA
Good morning all.
I have been up all night. I did today's reading and listened to the vlog. Tina I then got hooked on reading all the posts from Claire's Caring Bridge page. God has definitely taken you on a journey. It warmed my heart to read about sweet Claire. I live next door to the school for disabled children and my aunt along with my spiritual mom has suggested that I try and do some type of volunteer work there. I think the kids are pre-school through eighth grade maybe high school. I do love children. Perhaps they even have some blind kids I could help with since that's my area of expertise, smiling.
Well while you all are getting your day started I'll be taking a little nap.
Perhaps I'l be back later with a comment from today's reading.
P.S. Donna today is day 215 in our journey through the Bible, smile.
What a great spirited group yesterday! Welcome to Kristie!!
Thank you for your beautiful prayer Michelle... I am continuing to pray for Ryan and his family.
Karen your words are always such good food for thought!
Linda, it is hard to not question God's plan right now, BUT you have your sisters here to lift you up when you are weary, and I am SAP as you await your appointment tomorrow.
Tina, thank you for your touching words, a big hug to Baby Claire!
Teeny, praying for sweet sleep for your daughter Sarah tonight as she prepares for her surgery tomorrow.
Rhonda, what amazing news for your family! Blessing you all, and may you continue to see God's plan fulfilled in Brady!
Kelly, what wonderful news-- yes, claim your healing and feel His peace!
So good to hear again from you Jeanne-- you have indeed had tough things going on. I will remember Laura (I have a Laura too) and your unborn grandbaby Will in my prayers, as you seek answers. Your words show your faith in His goodness!
Kate, SAP for your friend and her husband Chuck as they face this sad news.
Jen Ren, you are finding inspiration in the wee hours! You could be such a blessing to those little children. For now I pray you get some restful sleep.
Zep 3:12 says, "Those who are left will be the lowly and humble, for it is they who trust in the name of the Lord." I wrote in the margin, I want to be there. Humility. I have a long way to go.
I put a huge star next to Zep 3:16-17.
"I, Jacque, must cheer up! I should not be afraid! For the Lord my God is living in me... He will delight in me... He will calm my fears... He will rejoice over me with joyful songs."
He is bending down and gently encouraging me to CHEER UP! Thank you Lord for words of hope! Help me to be a cheerful person. I will put my trust in You.
Blessing and prayers for all,
Jacque
Good Morning, All!
The verse that jumped out at me is Zephaniah 3:14b - Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
It commands us to be glad and rejoice for what the Lord WILL do, not for what He has done but to see past the current circumstances and rejoice in faith! Put our confident hope in Him alone!
Praise the Lord this morning, Ladies! May we be glad and rejoice with all our hearts this day for what the Lord is doing among us. May we live in awe of Him today!
Have a blessed day,
In Him,
Bethany
HAPPY TUESDAY...
“Then I will purify the speech of all people, so that everyone can worship the LORD together” (Zeph 3:9). One day dear sisters all the nations will worship Him together!
Who are these people going to be?
the “scattered ones” (10)
“the lowly and humble” (12)
“they who trust in the LORD” (Zeph. 3:12)
a “remnant” (13)
“Cursed are those who refuse to do the LORD’s work” (Jer. 48:10).
“I will see to it that you do not get away, for the time of your judgment has come” (44).
What do these people look like?
“rebelled against the LORD” (26)
“lofty pride” (29)
“haughty heart” (29)
“insolence” (30)
“boasts” (30)
“false gods” (35)
“no one can tell [them] anything, [for they] refuse all correction” (Zeph. 3:2).
“continu[ing] their evil deeds” (7)
Our hope dear sisters’ is the thought of all of us together worshiping our Lord! “Cheer up,…Don’t be afraid!...For the LORD [our] God…will delight in [us] with gladness. With his love, he will calm all [our] fears” (Zeph. 3:16-18).
Wendy, the verses just come alive through you! Thank you for the double lessons today!
Boldly, securely, & confidently - seeking to trust my Father! That puts a whole different picture on the word, “trust!” That actually allows the word to have some teeth! We can’t be meek when we say we are trusting in God! We have to say it and mean it, so that those around us actually see our peace! Lots’ to ponder today, dear friends!
Lord, thank you for your Word. Today, may it even be more alive in each one of us! Amen.
LOVE U~Lori
Rhonda, When I wrote u this past weekend about never knowing what’s up at your place…whewie, you keep keep surprising us sister! Aaahh, now did I hear you say, AZ camp?! You know that is where I live! Smile! C O N G R AT U L A T I O N’ S !!! BRADY!!! “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the “correct message” to others. Amen! May God use this young fellow to further His kingdom in a mighty and glorious way!!! I hear ya, with the two teenagers…never a quiet moment, that’s for sure!
And, GP, I want to learn your new skill sister! You are MRS. TECH QUEEN! I just may have to drive over to where you are! Ha-ha!!!
Beautiful prayer, Michelle for Teeny’s daughter, Sarah…will be lifting her up today and tomorrow morning. Praying for Ryan, too. Michelle, glad you are commenting while at the beach! It’s not the same without your comments! Thank goodness your hubby did not get the crazy idea of going tech-free!
Tina & Kelly -boy or boy have I experienced the post and poof! Now, I type in a word document, and then copy and paste on Wendy’s comments. It’s really much easier…then, I can judge how long I’m getting, and try to shorten it up! yikes! Tina, the picture in my mind, of you and Wendy beneath the cross –ahh, just so touching. What a lasting memory you both shared! Divine friendships formed by God. And, the thought of Claire watching Wendy and asking “Is that god?” What a God moment! What a darling little precious girl who we have grown to love like our own child.
And…yay, Kelly, a praise report for us all! Thank you, Lord!
Those of us with unsaved husbands totally relate to you, Jodi!! Lately, I’ve been just imagining what it will be like when my husband IS saved! His perfect timing and His perfect way. Daily, I ask Him to help me out until the blind fold is removed from Dave’s eyes. May my love for our Father, be strong enough to catch on in my whole entire family/extended family! Talk about a miracle(s)!!!!!!!!!!!!! Keep holding to what you said Jodi –yes, God is working!
Jennifer Renee, you are LOVED by us all. I always feel better, once I see your name, and then always enjoy what you have to say!!! {{{HUGS TO YOU}}} The thought of you volunteering, next door, makes me smile! I want you to jump on this idea, before the enemy tries to talk you out of it, (after you catch up on your sleep!)
Precious Jeanne! So, so good to see “you” again! What a full plate you have, and what a privilege to all of us to add your daughter to our prayer’s (easy for me to remember HER name!) We will pray for baby Will I womb too, the womb that God has placed Him in!
Like Wendy said today, we trust (boldly, securely, & confidently) in God, alone.
Hugs, Lori
We learned a new song last Sunday at church…I wrote down part of the chorus and was able to find the lyrics. I thought of many of you as I sang this song. Aren’t we all “waiting upon the Lord” for something?
“You’ll Come” - from Hosea 6
Chains be broken
Lives be healed
I have decided,
I have resolved,
To wait upon you Lord.
My rock and redeemer
Shield and Reward
I wait upon You Lord.
As surely as the sun will rise
You’ll come to us
Certain as the dawn will appear
You’ll come,
Let Your glory fall
As You respond to us
Spirit rain
Flood into our thirsty hearts again
You’ll come.
We are not shaken,
We are not moved,
We wait upon You Lord.
Might Deliverer,
Our Triumphant and Truth,
We wait upon you Lord.
Lord, we join together across the miles as we lift up our prayers to You, our Rock. We wait upon You, our Sovereign Redeemer, Shield, and Reward. Thank you, that each morning, we wake up and You are waiting to greet us! We love you dear Lord. Amen.
Hugs, Lori
Wendy, the message today spoke to my heart. I trust boldly, securely, and confidently in my Father God! May I hold tightly to His hand daily for I know He holds my tomorrows. Each day your words are just the ones we need to hear and I know He is using your mouth to speak through you. Thank you for being His obedient servant.
Your prayers for Sarah are so coveted and I thank you for lifting her before the Lord.
SAP for Beth and Chuck as they face this uncertainity. May His peace envelope and comfort them.
Jen Ren, volunteering sounds like a great idea. Rest and then check the possibilities for ministry.
Jacque, praying for Michael and his decisions.
Rhonda, Congratulations to Brady! Rejoicing with you. I'm a baseball fan! What position does Brady play?
Praying for your unsaved Husbands.
Missing Brandee.
Lori, the song is beautiful.
Have a great day GIGs,
Lovingly,
Teeny
Good Morning all! I have been out of the loop as I have been sick, better now,PTL!
Lori, loved the breakdown of who are going to worship. I latched onto Zephaniah 3:20 "On that day I will gather you together and bring you home" When my dad was dying, all he wanted was to go home, so we brought him home. As he was wheeled in the door, he looked around, smiled, and said it is time to go home. All he wanted was to go up, constantly requesting at the end to go up, to go home, to go see our Lord and to go to heaven.
So appreciate all the comments and sharing. I SAP for each need and for each blessing. You are each such a blessing.
In Him,
Gaylene
Good morning, GIGs,
Kate, SAPing for Chuck. Shall we pray CONFIDENTLY for a miracle. My sister had a double lung transplant because Scleroderma had ruined her lungs. Would that be a possibility for Chuck?
Jen Ren, nap well. I am excited for you about the seed of an idea the Lord has planted in you!!!
Jeanne, wonderful to hear from you. Do you have children in addition to Laura. I'd like to add them all to my prayer list.
I confess the reading has again left me dry. It's not that I'm faltering in my walk. I am praying a lot and seeking to improve my prayers, and the Lord also has me pondering lots of things, just not our readings.
I'm rushing this morning because I am soon off to babysit three little ones. Remember the littlest, whose on-the-beach singing of "Look on the Bright Side of Life" I shared with you all last week. I will leave you all with that thought, especially you, Jacque (although I personally think you deserve a little "crash time" after the July that you had. Be easy on yourself, Sister!)
Have a 4:8 day, all.
Peace and Gratitude,
Michelle in New England
Jeanne, it was so nice to hear back from you, sister! Glad you're all caught up. To answer your question, I have all three volumes of Jon Courson's commentaries (2 Old Testament and 1 NT).
Michelle and Lori, my "mad skillz" at formatting aren't that hard at all. Just use the html tags at the bottom of the comment box, the one with the letters inside the less than("<") and greater than (">") symbols. Then put the code inside "b" for bold, "i" for italics, etc. then type your text. To close the text, use the same symbol but insert a "/" (this is the signal that it's the end of the code) after the "<". Clear as mud? I would do a sample but it would not show you the codes - it will just bold the text.
It was hard for me to come up with a nugget last night. My sister called to let me know our Dad is going back to Asia to see his gf in November. Which means he's going to miss the holidays to be with her. Our birthdays fall on that period too, so, we're bummed to say the least. Anyway, picking myself up and looking for nuggets I found this from David Guzik.
Zeph 3:16-20 Do not fear; Zion, let not your hands be weak: Knowing this is the tender love and care of God for us should make us respond two ways. First, we do not fear - if the Mighty One loves us and delights in us this way, what can we be afraid of? Second, we let not your hands be weak - knowing this mighty Lord of Love is for us, we want to be for Him with all of our energy. We will not become weak or weary in our service for Him.
i. “‘Fear thou not.’ What! Not a little? No, ‘Fear thou not.’ But surely I may show some measure of trembling? No, ‘Fear thou not.’ Tie that knot tight about the throat of unbelief. ‘Fear thou not’: neither this day, nor any day of thy life. When fear comes in, drive it away; give it no space. If God rests in his love, and if God sings, what canst thou have to do with fear?” (Spurgeon)
I will gather . . . I will save: God promises to encourage the discouraged, to defeat our enemies, to heal the lame, and to gather the scattered. All this is for His praise and fame and for ours, because we are found in Him (I will give you fame and praise among all the peoples).
All I can say is Amen!
Have a blessed day dear friends.
Hi ladies,
I only have a few min till Elliot wakes up. Just had to tell you what an amazing time I had a She Speaks. I was blown away by the testimony of so many powerful Jesus girls and was filled to overflow with practical information on spreading God's message through writing. If you ever get the chance to go - I can't recommend it enough!
Wendy if meeting Clair was your lifetime moment - meeting you was mine :) I had been trying to find you all day Friday. We actually bumped into each other Sat morning but it was so quick I barely registered it was you :) I finally found you in a corridor where I spilled my coffee and then finally got a squeeze and a pic at dinner. Thank you for taking the time to say hello. I will remember it always.
Girls, I am just so excited for what God has planned. I don't the know the what or the how, but I know one day I am going to be writing something for Him who made me, loves me and has a plan and purpose for me! What a good feeling it is to know that! It brings a smile to my face.
And it was so awesome to praise and worship Him with all those wonderful women - just wanting to love on God and be inspired. Joyful - it was awesome to meet another Canadian. Hope you and Chef Diane have an amazing trip. Tina - so nice to meet you as well.
Thanks to all those who prayed for the conference and for me. I am just feeling so refreshed (even though I am still super tired from the conference itself).
Have a wonderful week girls.
xoxo
Jodie
I'm melting! Our air conditioner went out on Saturday, and the piece we purchased was faulty; so it's one more night in a steamy house! The Lord is teaching us patience and endurance!
I lift up prayers for you all. Wherever it is you may find yourself; may you first and foremost find yourself at the Lord's feet. Whether your health is good or bad; your children are healing, struggling, or shining; whether your husband is a believer or not; whether you have financial struggles or success; WHEREVER it is you find yourself, there is JOY to be had IN THE LORD! Seasons come and go....and we don't know what the next season holds for us...but we know Who holds it! Grab on, cling to Him, and praise Him wherever you find yourself.
Wendy, you touched on Zeph 3:2...and trusting (boldly, securely, and confidently) in the Lord. I noticed later in verse 12 it tells us WHO trusts in the Lord: it is the LOWLY and HUMBLE! What a great paradox...(I hope that's the word I want)...it actually makes me think of Jesus: He was lowly and humble, yet bold, secure and confident all at the same time! May we use Jesus as our shining example of how to truly trust in God!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
Morgen
Just a quick note:
Michelle, I do have a son, Brian, who is 33 and married to Melissa; they have Nicholas, 2 1/2 yrs. old and Emma who is 7 weeks old.
Laura had a good day today; she still has not heard from her tests from Friday though. I'm trusting the Lord for that no news is good news. I appreciate all of your concern and most of all your prayers for her, Will, and her husband, Greg!!
Teeny, I live close to Greensboro, and that is where I shop, etc.. All 3 of Laura's drs. are located there. I was over there 3 times last week. May I ask where your daughter will be for her surgery? I would love to get over there and be able to meet you if it would even be a time....and pray with you. What day is Sarah's surgery? If there is anything I can do, please let me know. Wow!!! I couldn't believe it when I read that Sarah would be in G.boro.
Zeph. 3:17 has been a very meaningful scripture for me during this past year. It was used at my step-niece's funeral who was tragically killed last June 2 while on her way to the Capping Ceremony for h.school graduation. I had never heard it until then.
I see Jer. 48:33 in reference to our nation---"Joy adn gladness are gone from fruitful(America). ;(
With His Love, He has calmed my fears,
Jeanne,NC
Hello GIGs
What amazing stories from She Speaks and all the testimonies from all of you lovely Believers. We truly do have an amazing group here – and I am so comforted by all of you.
I must comment to Rhonda - I have a soon to be 18 year old baseball player. What an amazing accomplishment for your son. That is so very awesome. My son, Ty, has played select baseball for about 7 years. We travelled to Arizona 2 years ago and then Denver last year for baseball. What wonderful memories for all of us. Although he is talented – high school ball will be his legacy!! Smile!! I can only imagine how proud you are of your son. Cherish this time and these memories!!
I do have an update on Rebecca and her family. Rebecca has been home now for 3 weeks. Unfortunately her numbers are still very high and her pancreas is not getting better. She is still on the NG tube through her nose. On top of this, her mom, Christyn, lost the child she was carrying today – at 4-1/2 months. She was due in December. I cannot imagine the pain this family is enduring. There are so many times in my life when I wonder how much more I can take – things are going wrong, I have been wronged, etc. – and yet I look at this family. They have been handed a road of trials, but I just want to scream – ENOUGH. I covet your prayers for Brian, Christyn, Rebecca, and their entire family as they deal with this loss and the continued uncertainty of Rebecca’s treatment.
Thank you to all of you for your prayers, your comfort, your presence….You are all a true gift to me.
SAP for those listed, Ryan, Chuck, Michael, Claire and all others.
Jenn Renee- Wow, you have brought tears to my eyes, thank you for the beautiful message you posted to Claire’s carepage and here on the comments. Great big hug to you & to Grace&Peace,Jacque,Kate,Kristie,Morgen,Must-Haves,Teeny,SuzyR,Val,Karen,Rhonda,Kelly,RunnerMom,Lori,Jodie,Kristin, You all have touched my heart with your words. And to all who have visited the carepage & included us in your prayers, thank you :)
Extra thanks to Grace&Peace for the posting of our link. My computer is finally fixed, PTL!
Wendy,once again you made Claire’s face light up as we watched the vlog this morning, and she has been talking about it all day!
I have fallen behind on the readings.But,hope to catch up tonight. It is taking me a few days to get rested from She Speaks.
PS-Jenn Renee-I think it is a great idea for you to volunteer at the school. You would be a wonderful inspiration to those children! Go for it! Go in the strength God has given you :)
Lori-Copy & pasted today:) Thanks for the tip!
Love and God Bless you all!
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