"migh-TEA to Almigh-TEA" : a transfer

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

“Have you ever had one of those days boys, have you ever had one of those days?  When nothing goes right from morning 'til night, have you ever had one of those days?" Those old Elvis (?) song lyrics whirred in my head recently. Did you ever......?

Have you ever felt crummy from the "get-go?" You awake feeling "down" and that feeling continues throughout the day. Edges of His Ways (April 26 entry)

No matter how hard I try---my (mental) strength gets me no where. I cannot change this mindset.

Carmichael's entry helped me understand why this is so.
It (trying in one's own psyche) is useless. Trying to feel different does not "touch" feelings. One can't even argue with self because feelings elude arguments.  In psychology 101, I learned that feelings follow action.
Prayer is an action.

But now, I pray let the power of the Lord be great..... (Numbers 14:17)

Turning to the Lord is an action.
Even waiting on Him is an action. Especially if patience is involved.

One chooses to turn and to wait on the Almighty.

Not my might but His.

The Almighty serves up a cuppa migh-TEA to everyone who turns to Him.
Almighty might!

Praying, briefly

10/21/11 No words were listed. “So I prayed to the God of heaven.” (Nehemiah 2:4) It’s been noted by scholars as the shortest prayer ever sent to heaven.

We all know such short spontaneous prayers.

Peter prayed, “Lord save me,” when he began sinking as he was walking on the water toward Jesus. Interestingly enough, Peter only began sinking when he took his eyes off of the Lord and looked at his windy circumstances. (Matthew 14:30-32)

“Help me, Lord.”

Praying it scripturally only adds a few words. “Let Thy hand be ready to help me.” (Psalm 119:173) In the psalms we read of many brief accounts of cries unto the Lord. Cried---just another verb for prayed. Poor (afflicted) man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)

Edges of His Ways, 10/17 entry summed up such short Bible verses. Those “short” Bible verse prayers are what we want on those days when we are tired or hard-pressed…….. Like the touch of the electric light switch---just a touch and the power comes flowing from the powerhouse---the power that turns to light. (Carmichael, p. 192-193)

Praying tonight, though not briefly, for "Bubba's" family and praising the Lord that all four of her girls were with her when she eased into eternity.

SHATTERED and GATHERED

9/30/11 Life can happen in "shattering" ways. Blots on our life's pages.
Interruptions abounding. Often we are caught unaware.

Revelation 1:17 speaks of the Lord as the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. I like the way the prophet wrote of that concept in Isaiah 52:12. For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard. As our Alpha, he goes before us----our paths and stage are set by Him as we follow Him. As our Omega He is there in eternity. Amy Carmichael's devotional book, Edges of His Ways, opened my eyes to this glorious truth. Rotherham phrased it thus, "For your Van-guard is the Lord." "He who begins, finishes." (Edges, 9/29) God's there first and He's there as our rear guard. He is first and last and every where in between.

So what's the glorious truth? For me, it was not just the guidance we receive from the One who goes ahead, nor the protection we receive from the One who defends and brings up the rear. It was the job description of the rear guard that had me gratefully seeing Him as Gatherer. The rear guard follows after "to gather us up if we flag and are weary." (Edges 9/30) He gathers up----that's my favorite thought. My rearguard gathers up my mistakes, my bumbling intentions, all the detritus that I have left on my life's path and He takes care of them. He is first and He is last, and we are gathered up in-between, as in great arms of eternal lovingkindness. (Edges, 9/29) So, as we travel on into another month we need not fear: Eternal love is our Vanguard, the glory of Eternal Love is our Rearguard. (Edges, 9/30) His everlasting arms will gather us up.

More refreshment---

4/14/10 There’s an icon (a curved arrow which I can't get to paste into the blog) on my computer browser’s URL line---Just click it and the current page refreshes itself. Wouldn’t that be nice to have for our own lives. We could just push our refresh button and God’s truths would become relevant in a new and clear way. We’d be on a new/right path.
Though it might not be as instantaneous, we do have that capability. Time in His word (not nano seconds) can be just the refresher needed to walk in a godly and fresh way.

…so we too might walk in newness of life…. (Romans 6:4)

…so that we serve in newness of the Spirit… (Romans 7:6)

Amy Carmichael, in Edges of His Ways. (April 1 entry) searched the word “newness” in a Young’s Concordance and found that the word, “newness” in the above verses was rendered in the Greek as “freshness.”

To learn more of His truth and His ways, spend time in His word today. Doesn’t that sound refreshing!

Forgiving Fridays

1/30/09
This week the ole pragmatic mom in me, seeking to advise my daughter, was appropriately rebuffed by her. "Mom," she said. "Get out of my Kool-aid!" To all of you reading this today------If I have gotten "up" in your Kool-aid, please forgive me. I'm sure that I rationalized that being "up in your Kool-aid" was for your well-being. My, how easy it is to label CONTROL as good intentions......as easy as pushing the control button on my iMac computer.

Trust me on this one folks, only God is in control! And that's a good thing.
That's what "Forgiving Fridays" are all about ---making amends with God (asking forgiveness of sin) and making amends w/ others. In a "12 step" program my Forgiving Fridays are similar to their Step #5 which admits to God, self and others (when appropriate) the exact nature of the wrong. It goes hand in hand w/ their Step #4, where they take a moral inventory. The two steps are done together to be effective. I think that's right---
Do you ever get caught up in yourself? My confession---when Dr. B. (Memphis doc)
called the other day and said Dr. H. (Dallas doc) was awaiting my phone call , I envisioned
him standing by the phone. NOT!! I'm still waiting—- but there's a great lesson there for me.
Have you ever felt singled out in a positive way? Lately, every time I read one of my 5 different devotional books I think they are written just for me---but they are written for each of us who allows the Presence of God to use them in his/her life. New devotional book (from GI), Amy Carmichael's, Edges of His Ways----

-----today told of ST. Paul letting his letters break into song---WOW, just where I was yesterday. It concluded w/ the importance of praying against barriers, "which are nearly always made of self-love in one way or another." Journal excerpt: "Forgive me Father. Take me back to square one---review with me the basic steps of "our dance" ---enable me to continue to say, "move over self----it's not about me ---it's all about Thee!"