Longing only God will fill!

Psalm 42:1

As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for God, the living God. When can I go and stand before him?

 

Do you remember a time in your life, when you desperately needed just a little sip of water? Just a small taste of water would fill that hole empty inside of you? What about a time you felt a need for a whole pitcher of water?

I am ashamed to admit that at one point in my life I was empty, but I didn't realize that it was God I needed. I tried to fill that space with stuff, other friendships, etc. and the hole was still inside. Now, when I miss a few days of alone time with God's Word and Him I have a the hole return. The space is empty without Him!

Again, I am ashamed to admit when I heard others say things like this; I thought wow they are going a little bit too far with this God stuff. I had always attended church, knew that Jesus died for me, and that God loved me, but a relationship now? I thought people were crazy. Until one day, I opened my heart and my eyes to the possibilities!

Wow, God is amazing! Now I miss the days that I forget to look for Him or the days that I don't make my time alone with Him. He is alive and at work, it's just us that forget to include Him. It truly is a longing that only Jesus is able to fill. It is like verse 4 ~ My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be; or "O God my rock," I cry, "Why have you forgotten me?" God doesn't forget us. Oh, He may not answer our prayer the way we desire, so we choose to think He forgot us. Perhaps, He is silent because He knows better or yet again, we don't look or listen for His reply!

A longing that only He is able to fill in our hearts, let Him fill it! Open up and share with Him. Open the Word and let Him speak. Listen to a welling meaning friend that may share the exact words of your morning prayer. Remember to place your hope in God, just like we are told in verse 11. The only hope to that longing is God! The only answer to quenching that thirst is Our Father, but are you going to ask the question? Will you fill the hole in my heart Lord? Will you quench this thirst inside me?

Thank you Father for loving me enough to fill that empty hole!

Sweet blessings,

Debbie

Do you know any?

Proverbs 31: 10-31

Do you know a Proverbs 31 woman?

I typed in virtuous woman to pick my picture today and guess what came up? Daisy flowers, angels and violins. Angels, do you know any of these?

Reading this I thought of different people that would fit each verse. I came to the conclusion that this woman would be a lot of different women rolled into one! What do you think we need to learn from this scripture?

I believe this woman puts God first! We all need to learn this and do the same. In verse 30, we are told that charm and looks are fleeting, but the woman that fears the LORD is greatly praised. We must learn this for ourselves and share this with others.

No one woman is all of these beautiful qualities. Some women are talented in sewing or making things with your hands, others excel in cooking, others in work related abilities and some women excel in a couple of areas, but absolutely not in every area. We need to accept and grow with what we are given!

A Proverbs 31 woman is a beautiful exquisite picture of woman that doesn't exist, at least in my opinion. I think that all of us should strive to be the best we can be, but not forget that we learned in Psalm 139 that God knows everything about us and loves us. If we focus on the woman in this scripture, we might begin to question God's work (which is us). I don't think this is a good idea! In fact, I know it's not a good idea.

We should strive to put God first! I love verse 25 and 26 ~ she is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. Girls, we can learn to be wise and gentle in our conversations because we are able to rejoice in the LORD. We know and give praise to God.

Perfect not many, if any!

Learning to put God first always,

Debbie

Sharpening of a Friend

Proverbs 27:17

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

I loved this verse! I know it is true, because of my friends. Since we have been reading the Word and discussing what God shares with us we have grown. We have grown because of God mostly, but also the friends and their thoughts on what He shares with them.

We ask each other questions about what we read. Then, we ponder the verses and then we revisit our discussion. It has been amazing.

When I looked at commentaries and searched the meaning of the words. I loved what I found about the original Hebrew meaning ~ it sharpens the face of another! Don't you love that? Also, sharpening a friend causes us to dig deeper on the subject and it promotes intelligence! God is so good! We learn from His Word and then we grow our intelligence when we are sharpening one another in our friendships!

It is my prayer that I will continue this reading with friends until the day I leave this earth. I will continue to grow in a more intimate relationship with Our Savior, but also with my friends. I know that God placed very special people in my life to share this journey with me and it is amazing! So, let me continue to be sharpened by my friends!

Sweet Blessings,

Debbie

 

P. S. Did you catch all the verses about fools? Three Hebrews words are used in Proverbs to describe this kind of person. Kesil which means a dull or closed mind, it is used 49 times in Proverbs, more than any other Hebrew word for "fool". This person is a person that is seemingly harmless, but is totally closed to others thoughts or what they say. The next is "nabal" which is used only 3 times in Proverbs and refers to one who lacks spiritual perception. Remember, Abagail and her husband before she married David? His name was Nabal, not a name I would want, but one he deserved. The last Hebrew word for fool is ewil, used 19 times. Ewil means the whiny old woman, or the dirty old man, the people who turn their back on God for so long they have become set in their ways or crusty…Just a little added information for you today..

Intercede for others

2 Chronicles 30:19 -20

…"May the LORD, who is good, pardon those who decide to follow the LORD, the God of their ancestors, even though they are not properly cleansed for the ceremony." And the LORD listened to Hezekiah's prayer and healed the people.

I loved Hezekiah's interceding for the people. Hezekiah knew the rules about being cleansed, but he believed their hearts were in the right place to seek God. He felt their sincerity, so he prayed to the LORD. If we are sincere in asking for our forgiveness when we fail, God will hear and heal us. He knows our hearts. If our hearts are right, then healing will take place.

We all have moments in our life that we must intercede for those we love. Richard Foster had a quote that went like this "Intercession is a way of loving others." It is true. I know at difficult times in my life, when I was struggling I felt the prayers of others. It helped me to get through the difficult times and I felt God's healing hand. The people in Jerusalem were healed due to Hezekiah's prayers to the LORD.

Hezekiah was trying so hard to follow every law and he was encouraging all to worship the LORD. They all celebrated for the week joyously worshipping. I almost felt my own feet dancing this morning that joy was again back in the city of Jerusalem not since Solomon had they seen this celebration. The people were healed, they were changed and they returned to their own homes and smashed the shrines to other gods.

Wow, what if Hezekiah had not offered the prayer for these people? The story would have ended not in celebration, but more likely destruction. Today, intercede in prayer for the ones you love. It might be our prayer that makes a difference in their life, just like Hezekiah's did in these people.

Praying,

Debbie