The Dark and Cloudy Day Promise

Jesus,
Such a Good Shepherd...
How magnificently You care and tend Your flock.

You promise me today, that You, Yourself...
Will search for those who were scattered on that dark and cloudy day.
That You, Yourself,
Will find that one who wandered away from the flock on that dark and cloudy day,
That day when...
Their eyes were blinded to Your smile,
Their ears were closed to Your song,
That dark and cloudy day when the lie from the enemy was believed...

You promise me that,
You will search,
You will find,
You will bring them safely home!

You don't say, "Maybe" or "If they co-operate."
You don't make conditions that if I do this... then You will rescue.
You say,
I will search, I will find, I will bring them safely home!

You promise to rescue them from the one who is enslaving them,
You promise to heal their injuries, strengthening them.
You promise to,
Nourish them in the green pastures,
Refresh them with Your still waters,
Heal the wounds that caused their hearts to turn.
Tenderly care for this dear one, and bring them to peace.

Jesus, You are peace.
There is peace in your tender care,
Peace in Your shepherding love,
Peace in Your constant Presence,
Peace in Your promises...
That you are the Good Shepherd...
And You will find...rescue...bring them safely home...restored,,,and blessed...

Ezekiel 34

In His Arms

Father,
I want to snuggle up and wrap myself in Your limitless...
Your limitless grace
Your limitless peace,
Your limitless wisdom
Your limitless joy
Your limitless love
Your limitless power and strength
Your limitless comfort and encouragement
Your limitless provision and protection...
Snuggle up in You...breathe You in...
Until my spirit convinces my soul, my mind and emotions
Of the Truth
Of Your limitless, abundant, overflowing, extravagant, immeasurable magnificent love.



Father God,
It is an exquisite pleasure to gaze upon Your face.
You allow me to come near,
You open up Your arms of embrace
Wanting me, desiring me, accepting me.
You make a way for me to come near
Even when I am in my dirty rags
You beckon me to come
With your poured out blood
You provide a way for me to come..be cleansed, transformed, made whole, restored....
No other God
Allows this closeness, this nearness,
No other God
Smiles upon me with intense desire of love...even in "my mess"
What an exquisite  and eternal pleasure it is
Gazing upon my Savior, my God, my Beloved,
Gazing upon the face of the One who loves me completely!

Limitless

There is no limit to the ability of my God
To restore, transform, rebuild and remake...

He looks at those dry bones...and breathes life into them.

He sees the seemingly worthless slag
With the apparent mixture of copper, dirt, and lead
And He creates a sparkling treasure.

He surveys the uncleared wilderness
And restores it to purpose, direction, soundness of mind, and vision.

He is well acquainted with that parched desert,
And inhabits it with streams and flourishing trees and plants.

Is there any limit to what He can transform.
What He can create?

Not for a God who is limitless in His power, His strength, His love, His goodness!

He is a God...
Who makes all things possible...beyond our wildest dreams!!!

He Makes the Desert Bloom

What is your desert, child of God?
You know...
That difficulty in life which you inwardly plead,"If only."

Maybe its an illness, symptom, pain or impairment
That you have been dealing with...
Praying and waiting for health to return...

Maybe its that job that you go to every day, which you dread...

Maybe its that difficult person in your life,
At work, in your family, even a spouse...
That brings drama and chaos to your every day...

Maybe its the boredom of every day...
Or unfulfilled promises, delayed hopes and dreams...

Maybe its the longings and desire for that prayer to be answered,
For prodigals to come home,
For provision to come,
For answers and solutions to booming problems...

Whatever your desert is, my friend,
The Father says, "I want to make your desert blossom!"

Yes, it is possible...for your desert to blossom,
For these are the words of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Has He ever failed to keep a promise?

"Ok, how God?" you question repetitively, "Can my desert blossom?"

My friend, the answer is fixing your gaze upon the One who wants to bless you in this way.
Fix your eyes on Jesus,
On His goodness, His greatness, His kindness, His suffering love.
He poured out His life and shed His blood,
Like a lamb marching to the slaughter room,
Your Jesus marched to the cross,
To bear the brutality of the all the guilt, shame,
To break the power of the curse, condemnation and sin that the enemy intended to destroy you with.

Yes, Your Jesus did this for you, my friend so that in the midst of the desert of life...
You could experience blossoms of hope, peace and joy.
He has a "garden of the Lord" for your desert,
A garden of His presence, His peace, His joy, His strength.

Fix your eyes on your Beloved...
In the midst...
Contemplate His goodness, His faithfulness, His kindness...
And soon... very soon...
You will begin to see the beauty of the everyday, the hidden treasures,
The grace that has been surrounding you all along...
And before you know it...
Joy and gladness will be heard in your garden,
Lovely songs of thanksgiving will fill the air...
And suddenly,
You will realize that your desert is no longer a desert,
But a garden of the Lord!!!

Isaiah 51:3

Patient Lover of God

You are becoming, dear one,
A patient lover of God,
As you patiently wait
For your prayers to be answered,
As you patiently wait for your dreams and the longings of your heart to be fulfilled...

You are becoming a patient lover of God
You are getting practice in trusting His faithfulness, His goodness, His promise,
You are getting practice in believing...
Believing He is good all the time...
Even now...as you wait...

But one day...very soon...
Patient lover of God...
You will watch in awe and wonder,
In triumph, and with much joy and shouting...
You will watch that stronghold topple,
Topple...fall...
And the new will be issued in...
The longing and desire of your heart,
The answer to your prayer...

And you will be an experienced lover of God,
Continuing to declare...
His goodness, His kindness, His faithfulness!!!

How beautiful are the dancing feet of the rescued ones
As they climb the mountain...of their journey.
These feet  dance because they are free.
These feet are quick and willing to respond...
They respond out of joy, out of purpose, out of freedom.
These feet are not trudging along, barely making it,
No, they are child-like in nature, with gaity,
But experienced with a confident step.

These feet are beautiful to observe.
They are not strong in their own strength...
But they go forth in the strength of the One, whose footsteps they have stepped into...
The rescued ones have stepped into the supernatural gait of grace, peace, and favor of the One,
Who walks with them!

Yes, dear one,
Your actions, your faith, your joy as you step into the footsteps of the One who rescued you...
Is the poetry of God...His very handiwork...

"Yes, my darling beloved, even your feet are beautiful." Song of Songs 7

Always, He Has Cared for Me

The Eternal One is my Shepherd,
He cares for me always...

Always, He has cared for me.

Before the foundations of the world
As He thought me into being
As He held me in His heart and delighted in my specialness,

Always, He has cared for me.

As He planted me on earth
Carefully providing, and determining my going and coming...
Loving me unceasingly,
Protecting, opening and closing doors, providing treasures for me to discover,

Always, He has cared for me.

Pursing me with His faithfulness,
Leading me to Himself,
Into the arms of His Son, and joining me to Him...

Always, He has cared for me.

As He taught me about His kingdom
Allowing me to discover who I was...His daughter,
And who He is...my Father...
Graciously giving me His Spirit
For a constant companion, a constant help, a constant source of wisdom and strength,

Always, He has cared for me.

Providing me rest in green pastures,
Restoration in streams of cool waters,
Soothing my fears,
Renewing... transforming...
Continuing to steer me off the hard, worn path of worry, fear, unbelief, and strife,
To a road where truth and righteousness echo His name,

Always, He has cared for me.

Even in the darkness of the storm
He brings my heart to rest,
Reminding me of His presence, His help

Always, He has cared for me.

Laviously spreading a table before me
Of provision and protection
Even when those unwelcome inhabitants invade...
He provides and rescues...
Filling my cup again and again with His grace,

Always, He has cared for me.

Always, He will care for me
Whereever I go...wherever I am...

The Eternal One is a good, good Sheperd!!!

Psalms23