Great (and Small) Things He Has Done

God has done great things, but sometimes it takes the small things to remind me how great He really is.

I don't believe in coincidence; I believe God is Sovereign over every detail of this universe, including those that seem mysterious or random to our limited human understanding. When I find myself stumbling upon the same Bible verse in various places, or reading about the same subject in different books and blogs and magazine articles, I think it is more than random chance. I see it as God getting my attention through the small things, to make sure I really understand what He is trying to teach me.

Don and I experienced this just a few weeks ago, when he was given the opportunity to preach at an afternoon church service. He was inspired by Psalm 150 to prepare his sermon, "A Proper Response to God," on how God wants us to joyfully praise Him. When it was nearly time to deliver the message about David dancing before the Lord, Don felt uncertain, wondering if he really was interpreting the Scripture correctly. He had been plagued by a pulled muscle for a few days leading up to Sunday morning, and he wondered if it was God trying to tell him something about the sermon. But then, when the morning service ended and we picked the boys up from their Children's Church class, they were shaking paper plate tambourines. The papers they had colored showed David praising the Lord with music. In fact, their lesson was on the very same event that Don was planning to preach about! The back of the paper even had a verse from Psalm 150. When I noticed that, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. God was so good to give us such clear reassurance!

Then this week, as the children and I enjoyed our last summer days and started to gently transition back towards a more structured school year schedule, the Lord has shown me the same Bible verse three times. First, he convicted me that instead of spending every nursing moment in front of the laptop, I should use the times when the boys are awake to read with them, just like I used to read board books to Donny in the early days of nursing Hayden. Accordingly, during Monday's first nursing session, we read a chapter from Hymns for a Kid's Heart, a really interesting book about the stories behind famous hymns - it even comes with a CD of children singing the hymns that we all enjoy listening to. Each chapter includes "A Verse for My Heart," so after learning about "To God Be the Glory," we read:

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. -Psalm 126:3

It is such a simple verse, yet so profound. God HAS done great things for us! And we read about some more of those great things on our "Worldwide Wednesday," when I flipped to a fitting article in Donny's magazine. The article was about some orphans in Kenya who had gone to live in a place called Sanctuary of Hope. At their new home, they have brothers and sisters, and they learn verses and songs about God. Splashed across the magazine page in bold letters was Psalm 126:3, this time from the NIV:

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

I pointed out to Donny that we had just read the same verse in a different translation. Then tonight, I had written all of one line of a new blog post, when I decided to do a search for something on my website. The first post to pop up in my search was a summary of last year, concluding with, once again, Psalm 126:3. By now, I have the words memorized!

The Lord has done great things for me, for my marriage, and my family. He has done great things for orphans in Kenya and for a blind girl who wrote thousands of praise hymns. He has done great things for all of us, because He IS great, and His love is greater than we can understand. As I meditate on it, like the Psalmist, my heart is filled with joy. I love when He speaks to me through the small things.

Thank you Lord, for being greater than coincidence and more than chance. Thank you for the great things you have done. Thank you for encouraging me tonight. May I always be glad and filled with joy because of YOU!

Needing Him Every Hour

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.
2 Thessalonians 3:16

I had anticipated a busy day of visiting, or perhaps a busy day of having visitors, but it was not to be. Instead, we had a quiet day of chores, a few errands, some making and eating of decadent desserts (Donny's cherry chocolate cheesecake pie, to be specific), and a few serious conversations.

In the evening solitude, while Don was out with the guys, I reflected on the day's events. I became painfully aware of my own inadequacy, and how desperately I need my Savior at every moment. I need His wisdom when I don't know what to do or how to help. I need His comfort when I am burdened with pain and sorrow. I need His Spirit to guide me when temptations and selfishness distract me. I need His Word to instruct me, encourage me, and even rebuke me so that I follow in His ways. I need His nearness in my daily tasks of cooking and tidying and reading books and tucking little ones into bed, to remind me that I am serving Him by serving His children.

As I contemplated all this, my heart was filled with the words of this precious hymn as though they were written for me:

I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like thine can peace afford.

Refrain
I need thee, O I need thee;
every hour I need thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.

I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;
and thy rich promises in me fulfill.

I searched online for the history behind the fitting song. Both on the Cyber Hymnal site and this helpful blog, I read the account left by Annie S. Hawks, the author who penned "I Need Thee Every Hour" in 1872. She wrote,

"One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks. Suddenly, I became filled with the sense of nearness to the Master, and I began to wonder how anyone could ever live without Him, either in joy or pain. Then the words were ushered into my mind and these thoughts took full possession of me."

Isn't that just what I should be - constantly filled with the nearness of my Master? His presence was discernible to me tonight, as it was to Mrs. Hawks more than a hundred years ago. My Lord has given me a much-needed reminder that He is always with me, not just because He loves me, but because I need Him. Though there have been countless hours - even days and weeks - when I was consumed with my own thoughts, sorrows, pleasures, and activities, there has never been an hour when I did not need a Savior. Every hour of every day He gives me, I need my Lord.

Years later, after the death of her husband, Annie Hawks wrote,

"I did not understand at first why this hymn had touched the great throbbing heart of humanity. It was not until long after, when the shadow fell over my way, the shadow of a great loss, that I understood something of the comforting power in the words which I had been permitted to give out to others in my hour of sweet serenity and peace."

Thank you, Lord, for the words of this song that touch my heart. In moments of peace and of moments of chaos, moments of joy and moments of sorrow, moments of hope and moments of discouragement, may I ever remember that You are near, and You alone will fulfill my every need.

My Secure Dwelling Place

If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
- Psalm 91:9-12

If you asked me what my greatest fear is, I would not know how to answer - and it's not because I am fearless. In fact, it is not difficult to make me uneasy. As a young child, I lost sleep over movies like Honey I Shrunk The Kids that others found harmless. To this day, I cannot watch TV shows or movies that contain suspenseful music or screaming characters. I admit that I do not understand the Lost phenomenon; just hearing that show from another room bothers me. And even a few minutes of watching shows that flash through crime scenes and cruel acts haunt me with disturbing images.

For some, it's easy to brush off the horrors of Hollywood with the thought that, "It's not real." Maybe I identify too much with the characters, so their trials seem as real as if they were my own. Or maybe I remember that even if the murder or rape or terrorist act on the movie is scripted, such violent crimes are committed in real life everyday, and they are not the good and lovely things that my Lord would have me dwell on. People really do contract deadly illnesses, lose loved ones, and suffer at the hands of others, but the frequency of such events does not make them any less painful for those who are afflicted. It seems that slowly and subtly, "entertainment" has built up a tolerance in most Americans for the sin and suffering that plagues this fallen world. But 1 Thessalonians 5:22 tells us to avoid every kind of evil, and I believe that applies to our choices in entertainment. I do not like to think about evil things, and I certainly do not want to be plagued with images of wickedness when I am alone in the dark.

As Don and I pursue purchasing a single family home - and one that is surrounded by woods - we are considering my safety in being home with the children while he is at work. Should we get a big dog, an alarm system, or a shotgun for my protection? Or is locking the door enough to keep harm at bay? In our worries and actions, we have to find the balance between guarding our family from potential evil and acting out of fear. It think it's easier for my husband - he fears nothing except the wrath of God. For a petite young woman like me, the world can be a scarier place. And while I know that God is watching over me, I also know that I am not immune to the effects of sin. There is no guarantee that I will never find myself in a frightening or dangerous situation. My guarantee, it seems, is simply that I will never be there alone.

I was thinking over this subject as I contemplated this week's "In Other Words" hosted at Writing Canvas. The passage from Psalms above is a timely reminder for me that God is a protector whom I can trust. Beyond a secure home with fences and deadbolts, I need to make the Most High my constant dwelling place. When I am dwelling with Him, His Word says that no harm will befall me. He even commands His angels to guard me and hold me in their hands. How many times, when my mind has wandered to the thoughts of all that could go wrong - car accidents, robbery, injury, and so on - has the Lord been sending angels to protect me? These guardians are more than the gold Cupid-shaped birthstone pin I wore when I was ten. Real angels, powerful heavenly beings, are at the disposal of the Most High. If He sends them to protect me, they go. I need not fear disaster, for the Lord says it will not come near my tent. And if a cloth tent can be secure, surely the Lord will protect me inside walls of wood and Sheetrock.

At bedtime tonight, I turned to the comforting words of "Leaning on the Everlasting Arms" in our treasured hymnal. The lyrics of the third verse, especially, stood out to reassure me that so long as the Lord is my refuge, I need fear no evil. His everlasting arms will hold me in this dark, distressing world, and lead me safely into eternal life, where there will be nothing left to fear.

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Blah Blah Blah

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:7-8

We can thank Grammy for today's title. During her visit yesterday, we munched on bagels and muffins from Dunkin Donuts while she filled me in on the latest family news. I can't remember the details of her story now, but she filled in the gaps in her reenacted dialogue with the seemingly harmless phrase, "Blah blah blah." I am amazed at how many phrases are perfectly acceptable for adults to say, but just don't sound right out of the mouths of babes. (A recent example was Donny exclaiming, "Oh man! You've gotta be kidding me!" as he unpacked groceries.) So not surprisingly, my observant three year old instantly picked up on the new word, asking what it meant. Soon Hayden joined in the conversation, and the two boys spent much of snack time chanting, "Blah blah blah!" and giggling. As funny as it was, I was thankful and a bit relieved that the new catchphrase was apparently forgotten for the rest of the day.

Or so I thought. As part of our bedtime routine, each family member gets to choose a song for us to sing together. Last night, I chose "Oh, How I Love Jesus" for my song, but when I drew a blank on the words of the second verse, I filled in with lyrics of, "I can't re-me-e-em-ber the words; I'll ha-ave to look them up." Donny interrupted my chorus to inform me, "If you don't know the words, say, 'Blah blah blah' - that's what Grammy always does."

I laughed, but somehow I don't think that singing, "Blah blah blah" to the Creator of the Universe is a good idea. In fact, I hope that there is nothing "blah" about my communication with the Lord. Donny's bedtime prayer started off being sweetly thankful for our visit with Grammy, but then he began to repeat the same jumbled phrase over and over and over (and over) until I wondered if the prayer would ever end. When he finished telling God how proud he was that Grammy got to stay and play Legos with us (and I corrected him to say glad instead of proud), I attempted a quick lesson in Prayer 102. I explained that although God always wants us to talk to Him, we don't have to keep repeating the same words within the same prayer. Surely the Lord never tires of our communication with Him, even though He knows our needs before we ask. But if we get stuck in one phrase or repetitive prayer, are we really communicating? Or are we just following the motions - singing a song, reciting a poem, chanting a prayer - without thinking of the One we are talking to?

Donny has a standard Grace, too. Before meals, he always likes to say,
"Dear God, thank you for the food and thank you for EVERYthing and thank you for the wonderful animals you made. Jesus' name, Amen."
For a three year old, I think his prayer is perfect. But for me, an adult who has been claiming the name of Christ for many years, I cannot be content with rote prayers. My Heavenly Father gives me the privilege of talking to Him through His Son. He knows my every need and desire, yet He affords me the opportunity to present my requests, rejoice in His answers, seek forgiveness, and sing His praises. I may not drone on endlessly like a pagan seeking attention, but I am afraid there are times when I throw up a few words to Heaven and miss out on the chance for the real fellowship that comes from heartfelt communication. My prayers may have the basic effect of, "Dear Lord, please help me and please bless everyone I know...blah blah blah."

My husband sometimes accuses me of not paying attention when we are talking on the phone. I am striving to be more attentive during our phone calls, and more so, I hope my God can never bring the same charge against my prayer life. Many words are not necessary, but a properly submitted spirit is required. So I pray, dear Father, may I sing Your praises even when I cannot remember the words to a song. May I pray in the Spirit on all occasions and with all kinds of requests. And may my prayers be free of babbling and blahs, and full of reverence for You, my Sovereign Lord.

Wordle The Word

I discovered Wordle after seeing an image on a friend's blog that appealed to my inner word lover. When you enter a blog address, the web program scans the page and generates a randomly arranged cloud of words with the most frequently used words appearing larger. I had lots of fun experimenting with different fonts, layouts, and colors for my Lambs In His Arms Wordle. (You can click the images to enlarge.)



If you don't have a blog, you can type in any text to create an original Wordle. To make this one, I pasted the lyrics of my favorite hymn, Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.



You could also use a poem, verse, or passage of Scripture. What better words to dwell on than the Word of God! Can you guess what text I used for the Wordle below?



Update August 21: Unfortunately you cannot save a Wordle to your computer through the website, but I downloaded free software called Screenshot Pilot to capture the images. I like that these are much easier to see than the thumbnail links I had before.

Happy Wordling!

May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
Psalm 119:172