Gentle Care

Today, I looked at my tomato plant and thought,
This is a true miracle,
I remember the day I planted this tiny seed into the dark soil,
It seemed impossible at the time that anything could result from this seemingly worthless action.
But instead I erased that thought and hoped,
Pictured a bountiful crop of tomatoes,
Pictured those canned jars of tomato soup, salsa and remembered the taste of tomato sandwiches.

Yes, my hope was in the life that was within the seed...

So although my natural eye was telling me one thing, I chose to believe in the life within the seed.
And hope blossomed,
And I became a gentle gardener over those tomato seeds.
Carefully, I watered, and exposed those seeds to heat and light,
My hope was rewarded when I saw the green begin to pop through the dark soil,
With faith building...
I gently transplanted each little skinny sprout, watering and exposing it to sunlight.
As the temperature got warmer outside, I began giving them an hour, then 2, then an afternoon
Gradually weathering them for the outside temperatures.
As that plant continued to grow, I transplanted it again, giving it more room to spread its roots...
But then I looked at the calendar...
And began to fear...
Are these plants going to be ready by mid-May when I want to plant??
But I continued to believe in this miracle and gently garden those plants,
And today I am looking at them...amazed and delighted!!!

This little miracle made me think of my Gardner, the Father, my Maker,
He has such faith in me as He plants me here on this earth.
Gently, He tends to my every need, without me even being aware of His touch.
At first, I rest in His care, child-like, carefree,
But then the disappointments of life begin to show up,
And I begin to doubt His gentle care over me as I fear, worry, and complain.
But gently He reminds me that He planted me...
He knows what is in the seed,
He knows what is needed to bring me
To that place of fullness, that place of maturity, that place of fruitfulness.

Yes, so many times these natural eyes and finite mind cause me to reject His care,
To fret, doubt, or fear...
But gently He restores, strengthens my branches again
Allowing me to receive His kind, compassionate care...

Yes, it is all a miracle
The process of a seed growing and maturing into fruit,
And the process of growth in my life...
All resulting from the gentle care and abundant grace of our Father!

Springtime of Passionate Love

Did you know that if you are in Christ,
If you have said,"Yes" to Jesus,
That you are planted in the valley streams where the orchards of the King grow and mature?

The valley beds that are next to the river or stream are rich in nutrients.
They prosper from the nourishment of abundant sunshine and water.
The Lord has planted you here friend, in this valley stream,
So you could grow, prosper, and mature.

To our eyes,
This does not appear to be a place of growth,
Here in the valley.
The mountain top seems more preferable.
Here in the valley,
Life can be harsh, hard, difficult, painful...
But the Lord has planted you here with purpose.

It is those hard times friend,
That turn us to the stream,
For nourishment, for help, for answers, for refreshment.
This stream has life in it,
Because it flows from the throne room of God Almighty!
It is the river of His perfect love.

We can have as much of this stream, this river as we like.
We can wade in it a little, duck our heads in once and awhile...
Or we can swim in this river of His perfect love.
He gives it to us freely, willingly,
Offering it to us in our every need.

Yes, friend,
It is the rough times that turn us to Him, the stream, the nourishment, the Help,
It is the hard times that keep us hungry, keep us thirsty,
It is the hard times that allow us to see our need.

When we enter,
He does all the work,
Pursing, forgiving, washing, transforming, renewing, beautifying...
Yes, He comes and lifts those branches up into the embrace of the Father's heart,
And new growth appears as His love is absorbed.

The blooming of springtime comes
When I receive His passionate love,
And life becomes Him and me...
Not just me.

The Sparkle

They will sparkle
In the land,
His chosen ones,
His beloved ones,
His rescued ones.

Yes, beloved one,
Chosen and rescued
By the King of Kings, the Lamb of God,
You sparkle...
You have been rescued, delivered, bought
With the precious blood of Jesus.

His righteous blood
Won the battle for you.
His perfect, powerful blood
Makes you sparkle...

Sparkle in your world,
Like a jewel in a crown...

You did not realize it did you...
That as you drove to work... you sparkled,
As you walked into your office...you sparkled,
As you ran to catch the bus...you sparkled,
As you prepared breakfast for your family...you sparkled,
As you paid for your groceries...You sparkled,
As you worked in the yard, went to the gym, conversed with your neighbor.....
You sparkled...

You did not know,
But the oppressor saw the sparkle
And trembled in fear
Of the potential danger your sparkle would have in his plans...

You did not know,
But the One who rescued you saw the sparkle,
And He rejoices with great delight
In His jewel,
His delight,
His glory.

Zechariah 9:16

Tender Love

Thank you Lord, that Your tender love is blended into everything You do.
Your tender love is blended into Your beautiful creation.
Your tender love is in my relationships,
Your tender love is in the gifts and talents you bestow upon me.

Tenderly You protect me,
Tenderly You provides,
Tenderly You comfort and encourage,
Tenderly you teach and instruct me,
Tenderly you shepherd, anoint, commission,
Tenderly You heal,
Tenderly You embrace me with your hugs and kisses,
Tenderly You whisper Your endearments and sing your song over me.
Tenderly You continue to love...without accusation or condemnation.

Yes, Your tender love is blended into everything You do...

But you are not tender with the enemy, the accuser, with that spirit that attempts to harass and harm...
No, powerfully You destroy and command justice.
Powerfully You command the enemy to leave, to get off Your property...
Powerfully You defend, protect, fight, preserve and rescue me...

Yes, powerfully and tenderly You take such good care of me!!!

We Do Not Know What to Do

We do not know what to do
But we are looking to You, Lord, for HELP...

This proud oppressor has come to taunt,
Taunt defeat, taint loss, taint with a boastful victory shout...

But You, Lord, tell me something different as I cry to you for HELP...
Softly You whisper,
"Do not be afraid...
 Do not be discouraged...
 This battle is not yours,
 This proud oppressor has come to taunt Me!!!
 He has come to tread on My territory and oppress My property...
 Yes, you must know that this battle is Mine..."

"Now march out, dear one,
 March on knowing that I am with you!"

When Jehoshaphat did not know what to do,
He called out to God for HELP..
And even though that proud oppressor continued to taunt Jehoshaphat with his mighty threats...
Jehoshaphat heard the Word of the Lord,
And now, he knew and he believed...

He told his army to, "March out and believe."
Believe that God was with them,
Believe the Word of the Lord that was given them,
Believe the promise of God Most High...

Jehoshaphat did not wait for the victory to shout his praise,
No, he appointed singers to march ahead of the army,
And shout the praises of God...

They marched forward singing and believing,
And they watched God destroy that enemy
Totally
Even causing them to leave all their riches behind.

Jehoshaphat and his army did not begin their battle in fear,
Neither did they begin hoping for victory,
No, they began their march forward believing, knowing and singing the victory that was to be theirs.
They had cried out to their God for HELP,
They heard His Word, His promise,
And they believed...

The result..
Victory on all sides,
With the enemy having to pay with defeat and great loss...

When the enemy comes to taunt, dear friend
And the storm looks wild and fearful,
And we do not know what to do...
May we call out to our God, for HELP.
He will speak His Word...
And we can march on, knowing
That He is with us and He is fighting this battle!!!

Yes, and may we always be singing His praises!!!

2 Chronicles 20

Shame

Precious friend,
Are you bent over with burdens of shame?
Does a memory cause your face to cloud, and your heart to cry regret?
Maybe you hide a continual shame,
That you think only is known by you,
But Oh, how your heart cries to be set free...
Is this shame causing you to think yourself unworthy...
Unworthy of the grace of God,
Unworthy of His blessings,
Unworthy of His goodness...?
Has the shame of a rash decision, a heated argument, or a compulsive choice...lowered your head?
Yes, you have tried to conceal,
Tried to make everything appear fine,
But inside you know that one thing...
That continues to haunt you with defeat and failure.

The Lord sees it all, knows it all.
This shame you bear has not altered His opinion of you,
It has not erased His acceptance of you, nor removed His love for you...
He knows what is causing your head to hang,
He knows what continues to cloud the spark of light and hope from your eyes.
He know all about shame...

He experienced it to the fullest degree
When all the shame and guilt from humanity, past, present, and future was placed upon Him...

Yes, He bore your shame so you wouldn't have to carry it anymore.
He stands before you now and gently whispers,

"Lift up your head, my beloved.
 Look in My eyes of love,
 Observe the nail prints in My hands,
 I took the shame so you wouldn't have to carry it.
 I want you to lift your head,
 You are shame-free,
 A new wave of My grace is washing you even now...
 I took your shame and gave you My righteousness.
 I want you to receive this gift from Me.
 I accept you...
 I want you whole...
 I paid for your shame, you are now free..."

Psalms 145:14 "Those bent over with burdens of shame You will lift up."

The Unseen Promise

How quietly,
My Father blankets the earth with His provision of snow.
His provision of moisture and nourishment,
That will penetrate through the ice and ground and water those hidden things.
Those hidden bulbs, hidden seeds, hidden roots...

Yes, this blanket of snow is a promise,
A promise that is not seen at the present,
But a promise, in the making...that will bring those desired longings,
Of spring...seed time...blossoms...
These desired blossoms are unseen at the present,
But friend, they are coming!

And this snow, that at the present, may seem to be an irritant...
An irritant of cold, wet, closings, difficult travel, shoveling...
This irritant is actually part of a beautiful promise of the unseen goodness of God.

In your life, friend,
The winter and barrenness you are experiencing at present is for a purpose,
Yes, the purpose is hidden,
Just like the springtime and blossoms are hidden from me on this snowy day...

But your God has heard your prayers,
He knows the desires of your heart,
He has plans of good for you.

Your irritant of today
Is preparing the way for your springtime, your fruitful blossoms of tomorrow...

Be assured, treasured one,
That the unseen of what God is doing...will spring forth...
The seed is being watered,
Roots are being nurtured,
And before you know it...

"Your bondage of barren winter will be over
 The cold rains will be finished and gone,
 Flowers will appear everywhere,
 And you will see that a new season of grace has arrived." Song of Songs 2:11,12 TPT