WORDS OF TRUTH FOR WEDNESDAY

God feeds.....even the birds.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?(Matthew 6:26)

At our house, especially during our recent snowy days, hubby helped this process.Think, hands and feet of Jesus. 

Today, my thought is, "Who does God use to help feed the truly hungry in "my" town?" If that's my thought then I need to more frequently replenish the little free pantry or donate to the Food Bank at various times of the year, other than just the holidays.
Grateful for this Isaiah 58:10 (NLT) needed reminder.  

Scarci-TEA to Opportuni-TEA

"In our weakness He is strong" is a familiar verse to most Christians. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

However, last week in Turkey, I saw the essence of that verse in a new light. His light. 

I saw my scarcity as His opportunity. 

My opening keynote speech was delivered with "scarce" light and "new" bifocals which made clearly reading my notes virtually impossible. 

The result had me sharing words  and experiences which I had not written down. Afterwards, a lady tearfully approached me and said thanks for sharing. 

"I thought I was the only one who had ever experienced that ." she said. 

We talked and it was as if the Lord used those words to release her from guilt and to renew a "right spirit" within her.

When my physical strength waned from lack of sleep, younger members of the team came alongside this "senior member" and offered "an arm" as we climbed the hill in Ulus toward the castle.

Last Wednesday, as we walked the road above the refugee camp, I was privileged to deliver food to families living down those narrow paths past the garbage. 

A needy place. A place of abandoned properties. A place with hungry children.

A place where the possibility of ISIS members roamed. A place deemed unsafe by some. A place of scarcity of food, both physical and spiritual. (Matthew 25:35)

At one crowded "home" a Syrian gentlemen invited us in. His "stove" offered us heat, and though he offered tea, we politely declined by "patting our chest"---  a gesture of thanks, but no thanks, as we were unable to accept because of time constraints. 

This stranger invited us in.....and offered hospitality out of his meagerness. S asked if we could pray.  He said yes. Together......Syrians, Turks and Americans bowed in prayer. 

I saw scarcity in lives of others that God used as an opportunity for the household of faith to share His love with both food and prayer. (Pix of family removed for their safety.)

Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, (Isaiah 58:10)

In Turkey, my cuppa scarci-TEA was clearly filled many times with His opportuni-TEAs.

Opportunities to allow me to experience afresh His sufficiency for myself as well as others.

Encouraging Words

K- Love brightened my day yesterday with an "Encouraging Word."

That's the intent of the radio program's (94.9 FM/Memphis) daily Bible verse.

"Then when you call, the Lord will answer. 'Yes, I am here,' he will quickly reply." 

(Isaiah 58:9, NLT)

Those encouraging words encouraged me, allowing me to share with others in prayers.....from Mexico to Binghampton and on to a hospice room in east Memphis.
Paying it forward.
How about praying it forward? .....all the way to the end of the chapter.......to satisfy the afflicted soul, (v.10) to allow the Lord to guide, (v.11) to honor Him (v.13) and once again to delight Thyself in the Lord. (v.14)
That's what encouraging words are meant to do.

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.