Pa-TEA-o Ponderings

Unseasonably cool temps. A hot cuppa. A quiet patio. 

Contemplation......more like a mishmash of thoughts. Meshed with scripture. 

So begins a time of meditation.

Sa-TEAs-fy---How did I miss the verse from Psalm 145:16 last week? Maybe because I needed it this morning to pray for D.W. in NY, knowing God can lift the bowed down and "satisfy desires" of those who are near to Him and call on Him.

Proverbs 3:7-8, another miss---nourishment. It's that fear of God....reverential love and respect that nourishes (fer-TEA-lizes) our growth, all the way to our bones....bringing great refreshment. 

Drought conditions in the west---wildfires so dense that darkness prevails even in the middle of the day. Physical darkness akin to spiritual darkness. A captivi-TEA of sorts, when one can't see beyond the darkness.

How about in a "dark" room of depression? Is it just physical when one can't see hope for a better tomorrow? How does light penetrate a heart darkened by despair? Does she know that the Lord is with the lowly and crushed in spirit? (Isaiah 57:15)

How do I pray about the invasion of darkness in Ukraine? Against the darkness of a Russian leader's heart? How do I encourage "my" Ukraine girls to know that God is there even in the darkness? God is there....for even the "darkness is not dark to Him." (Psalm 139:12) 

My prayer---

May His light dawn in the darkness and (Isaiah 58:10) and penetrate thru the darkness of wildfires, depression, wars and hearts of evil men.

A cuppa "tea" ponderings, served on a pa-TEA-o, that prompted prayers for others. 

LIGHT vs Darkness

12/28/13 Gift to hubby---tickets for both of us to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

Definitely not my kind of movie, BUT God showed me me truths of the faith imbedded in it---stark similarities between Tolkien's fantasy and the reality of good and evil as it exists today.

Evil is afoot. Darkness is always looking to find a foothold in Tolkien's Middle Earth as in our world as well. 

Such is the nature of evil. "In time all foul things come forth!  We will hide with in our walls, live our lives without light and let darkness descend. We've been blind, and in our blindness, our enemy has returned." 

Smaug who is a "devil" of a dragon states, "The darkness is coming. It will spread to every corner of the land.""I am fire.. I am death!"

But Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins offer hope for the dwarves with daring and encouragement. Valuable assets even in these times.

Gandalf: Saruman believes it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay... small acts of kindness and love. 

Like Gandalf, I see the power of God in the land of the living. (Psalm 27) In the lives of His people is where goodness resides and takes action----even in the little acts of ministry, one step at a time. God's goodness and the kindness and love of His people give light and hope to others.

Light dispels darkness---(John 1:5)