Ancient Words

 

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night to what seems to be a conversation already going on in your head?  Last night, I did.  I woke up to thoughts of the struggle of knowing truth from lies, and human opinion from reality, in our messed up, chaotic world of politics, and coronavirus pandemic.

The overwhelming influx of information, misinformation, and disinformation engulfs us.  It can be a  struggle to cope with the bombardment of negative news and talk of death.  Suddenly, our walk in this world has become more difficult than before.  We grapple with the questions,  “Who or what can we believe?  Where does the truth rest?”

My sleepy thoughts turned to God, the author of Truth.  Not only is He the source of all Truth, but He is Truth! I thought about now more than ever, the importance of God’s people being thoroughly immersed in the good old B -I -B- L -E, the ancient scriptures, where our God shares His heart and words of truth and life.

I began to feel great peace and comfort as God reminded me that the God I serve is a God of unchanging truth.  He is the Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, He is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnipresent (everywhere).   He is the one who will show us the way to heaven and how to navigate the troubled waters we are currently swimming in due to this rebellious, upside-down world we are living in.

As I meditate upon the truth of God’s word, the song “Ancient Words” plays softly in my head, and my consciousness begins to ebb away into a peaceful slumber.

 

                                               Ancient Words by Michael W. Smith

Holy words long preserved for our walk in this world, They resound with God’s own heart, Oh let the ancient words impart.
Words of life, words of hope, give us strength, help us cope.  In this world, where e’er we roam, ancient words will guide us home.

Ancient words ever true, changing me, changing you.  We have come with open hearts, oh let the ancient words impart.

Holy words of our faith, handed down to this age.  Came to us through sacrifice, oh heed the faithful words of Christ.
Holy words long preserved, for our walk in this world.  They resound with God’s own heart, oh let the ancient words impart.

Ancient words ever true, changing me, and changing you.  We have come with open hearts, oh let the ancient words impart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“God, Jesus, and the Coronavirus” Bible Study for Children with Free Printables

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Can children feel secure in unsafe and threatening circumstances?  They can if we point them in the right direction by opening up God’s Word with them. 

My 10-year-old grandson had been feeling a little anxious recently over the overnight changes to life as we know it due to the coronavirus.  We haven’t been able to see each other recently due to self-isolation, but I wanted to reach out to him and provide comfort, so I held a  Bible study with him over Skype. Thank you, God, for technology!  I titled the study, What Does the Coronavirus Have to do With You, God and Jesus?   

My grandson and I very much enjoyed our time together as well as our Bible study.  By the time we hung up, his precious little soul was feeling refreshed, a little more secure, hopeful, and peaceful.  I thought it would be nice to share what we talked about and the scriptures we turned to, to hear what God’s Word had to say about it.  Perhaps some of it can be helpful for you in speaking with your child/grandchild about the coronavirus. I titled the Bible Study, 

This study doesn’t have to be done in one sitting.  Ir can be broken down over 2 or even 3 parts if you’d prefer. I’ve also included free printable coloring pages and scripture cards for your youngster at the end of the study.  

                     What Does the Coronavirus have to do With You, God and Jesus?

For the foundation of our study, we read about who God says He is in Exodus 34:5,6.  The common thread throughout our Bible study was God’s characteristics based on Exodus 34:5,6, His power over everything and His love for us that is faithful and never-ending.

In the beginning, we discussed the reality of what we are experiencing as a world.  We talked about:

• How sickness is changing how people live all over the world and that our leaders are concerned about the coronavirus because it is so contagious and some people will die from it, but that the virus hasn’t badly affected young children, and that we are all working together to try and keep everyone safe.
• The challenges of quarantine, self-isolation, and social distancing and the importance of practicing an attitude of gratitude every day, even for the smallest of things.  I suggested to him that every day upon awakening and going to bed at night, he writes down one thing that he is grateful for and keeps the list visible throughout the day.
• The importance of practicing good hygiene, getting proper rest and eating healthy and how it can help fight off illness.
• The coronavirus is NOT in command, but God is!

In the next part of our Bible study, we dug into God’s Word to read about God’s power and control over all creation. We read about His power over:

• Sickness/diseases–Matthew 4:24
• Wind, rain, and snow–Mark 4:39, Jeremiah 51:16, Job 5:10, Job 37:6
• Sea and fish–Exodus 14:21, Jonah 1:17
• Plants–Genesis 1:11-13, Psalm 104:14
• Bugs–Psalm 105:31,34, Exodus 8:24
• Birds and frogs–1 Kings 17:4, Job 39:27-29, Exodus 8:5,6

Job 12:7-11 sums it up greatly. “But ask the animals and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you or let the fish of the sea inform you. Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”  All of creation does what God says!

We also discussed the fact that:

• Because God made the world and everything in it, it is His world. He does what He wants to do with the world and everything in it, including His most precious and loved creation, mankind.  Even when the world seems a little crazy or out of control, Isaiah 54:10 says, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet My unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor My covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord who has compassion on you.”  We talked about the definition of compassion which is to have sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.  In other words, God cares and is concerned about our sufferings such as sickness and sadness.
• “God works all things according to His will” (Ephesians 1:11)  That means that no one or anything tells God what to do, including the coronavirus.  He made the world, He keeps it going and He has plans for it.
• God’s plans are always wise and that we don’t know why there is a coronavirus, but God does.  And we know by what God’s word says that He could make it go away in an instant, just by snapping His fingers.  The time will come when God will make it go away. We don’t know when, but God, who loves us does know.
• God works in mysterious ways that we don’t understand because we are not as wise as He is.  Sometimes the things God allows to happen don’t make sense to us, but that doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love us or that He isn’t a good God.  He is the same God always, no matter what our circumstances are. 

We thought about the question, “Why doesn’t God just take it away right now?”  to which my grandson replied, “He has a plan and a way for everything to work out in the long run.”  My grandson is right! God does have a plan, a good and wise plan for the world!   We know God could take it away this very second, but God has wise purposes for it and He is much wiser than we are.  He knows and sees way more than we ever could.  He knows what needs to be fixed in this broken world and how to do it.

We also talked about the question, “What does God want more than anything for everyone in the world?” 

• He wants everyone to know, love and worship only Him–Luke 4:8, Psalm 95:6, 1 Chron. 16:25
• He wants people to turn to Him and be saved–Isaiah 45:22, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9
• He wants people to believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior–Philippians 2:9-11

God is more concerned about our souls than He is about how comfortable we always are here on earth. He is more concerned about how we will be forever than how we will be for a short period of time.

We then chatted about the pride of man and how God wants people to stop thinking that they are bigger, stronger, and smarter than God and that they are in control because they are not. That’s called pride. People are full of pride. Pride makes us trust ourselves and not God. It makes us try to take God’s place or live our lives without God and God knows that this will hurt us. God’s word tells us, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.”  Psalm 118:8. 

We discussed how people tend to forget about God when things are good and that’s our fault, not God’s.  Often times it isn’t until things that we think are more important than they really are, are taken away that we begin to look to God for comfort, hope, and to meet our needs.

I ended by reminding my grandson that we are weak but God is strong.  We can be brave during the coronavirus because our God who loves us, our best friend Jesus, is strong and wise!  He is strong and wise enough to make everything, even the coronavirus, turn out for our good if we trust Him! Romans 8:28. When we trust God we need not fear nor worry.

We ended our Bible study by reading verses about trusting God:

• Joshua 1:9
• Psalm 13:5
• Psalm 31:14
• Psalm 56:3
• Proverbs 3:5-6

And fear and worry:

• 1 Peter 5:7
• Philippians 4:6-7
• Isaiah 41:13
• Psalm 23:4a
• Isaiah 43:1
• Joshua 1:92
• 2 Timothy 1:7
• Deuteronomy 31:6

Click on the links below for your free coloring pages and scripture cards!

 

God is Our Refuge coloring page

God is Love coloring page

The Lord is With Me coloring page

Do Not Fear scripture cards

Fill In Gratitude List

 

God’s Life-Giving Gifts Through a Deadly Virus

 

                                                                           God’s Perfect Timing     

A pandemic smack dab in the middle of Lent!  Uncanny, right?  During lent believers are called upon to reflect, repent, and recognize God and His place in our lives. We’re encouraged to spend more time in God’s Word, and prayer. We give thanks during this season and recognize God’s provision in our lives as we prepare to celebrate the ultimate sacrifice and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Some forgo the option of Lent because of a disbelief in God and others because life’s distractions are allowed to get in the way.  Yet here we are, stripped of many of those distractions. Things we tend to idolatrize such as our economy, sports, money, jobs, entertainment, and casinos, are unavailable to us. Our health and the health of our loved ones which we often take for granted is being threatened.  Essentials like toilet paper and hand sanitizer have become a sought after commodity.

Countless people have been forced to stay home with their children with the shutting down of public and private school systems and daycare centers.  Numerous families thrust together, holed up in their homes day after day and scores of families such as mine, separated due to quarantines and self-isolation/social distancing.  We have no idea when this is going to end and what the long-lasting repercussions will be.  For everyone, life as we know it has come to a screeching halt.

The dictionary definition of the word halt means; to bring or come to an abrupt stop. Demand or order a stop. Is it possible that God has demanded or ordered that we come to a complete stop of what we’re doing? Perhaps this coronavirus outbreak, it’s repercussions, and the battle against it that is ensuing is an incredible blessing, a gift from God.

                                                     

                                                       A Gift Needs to be Opened. 

There is no doubt in my mind that God in His love and mercy is giving us an opportunity to be blessed mightily through the crisis known as the Coronavirus Pandemic. But these opportunities can only be blessings if we embrace these opportunities put before us while we have the chance. What are a small few of these blessings and opportunities?

• Many parents now have more time with their children and vice versa.  They now possess more precious time to love and hug them more and to teach them the love and forgiveness of God, to influence them toward Christ.  Families may have more time to spend just being and connecting, not always doing.
• Many have more time and more reason than ever to reflect and pray about how we have been living our lives, our relationship with God and others.
• For families quarantined or self-isolating together, we have more opportunities for closeness, to practice patience and forgiveness and giving thanks that we can be together.
• For families who are separated due to quarantine and self-isolation, we are given a new appreciation for each other.
• We have an opportunity to appreciate all the things we have foolishly taken for granted and give thanks and praise to the One who has blessed us with those things.
• The realization of the fragility of life and our lack of control, which pushes us to seek God all the more.  For some, it has pushed them to seek God for the first time.
• For the church, this is our time to shine!   We have been given an enormous opportunity to give those who are anxious and fearful the reason for our hope which is Jesus Christ.  Times like these are perfect for sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.  Talk about open doors!  God has flung the doors wide open!!
• This is also a great opportunity to obey the greatest commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves by taking our focus off of ourselves and focus on others in need because it really is better to give than receive.
• For our divided government leaders, this is an occasion to stop the insane divisions, and disagreements and work together for the good of our nation and the world.
• This is a chance to realize that God is our true source of provision and security, not our government, economy or stocks and bank accounts.
• Most importantly, this is an opportunity to see the error of our ways as individuals, a nation, and as a world and repent!

What can you add to this list?  More importantly, will you open these gifts?

 

                                                    God Brings Life Through Death

Some may wonder how this pandemic could ever be a gift when so many are dying.  Many people have lost loved ones to this horrible virus.  My heart and prayers go out to them.  I cannot imagine their pain!

But our priorities and agendas often tend to be different than God’s.  I believe that God’s number one priority in this crisis is for the salvation of souls.  As 2 Peter 3:9 states, God does not want anyone to perish but wants everyone to repent.

In our fallen nature, we have a pitiful habit of relegating God to the backseat when life is easing along to our satisfaction.  For some, He’s not allowed in the car at all. It is when we are in pain and in desperate need that we begin to seek God, the God Who is our Provider, our Comforter, our Source of life.

Pain, heartache, despair, confusion, fear, uncertainty, loss; these are often the driving forces behind our desire to seek out God.  For many of us, it may take death or the threat of death to cause us to seek the Giver of life. God uses death to bring many to life, specifically eternal life!  God having to send His beloved Son Jesus Christ to die so that we might live is the perfect example.  Only God can bring forth life through death.

 

                                                                 Concern vs Worry

There are 2 lanes in the road ahead; the lane of concern and the lane of worry.  Through prayer, Bible reading and time spent with God, I am striving to stay in the concerned lane.  But the worry lane at times seems much more inviting.  At first glance, it seems wider, easier, more comfortable. When I inspect it more closely, however, I can see the lane is thick with muck and mire, and that once I thrust my foot in there, like quicksand it will suck me down into its grasp, making it extremely difficult to near impossible to escape its grasp.

Let’s eagerly seek God’s comfort, assurance, and peace in all of this.  Let’s endeavor to be concerned without fretting. We are commanded in Philippians 4:6,7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Why?  Because God loves us and wants us to trust Him no matter what the circumstances. His desire is for us to have peace and He made NO exceptions for the situations in which we are to Trust Him.

This is by no means an easy journey we are on right now.  God never promised us an easy time in this broken world.  I struggle at times with what’s happening.  Again, the worry lane can seem more inviting at times, but it’s not the lane God wants us to travel.

When things don’t make sense and we see pain and suffering all around us and on the road ahead, God’s children are strengthened and encouraged in remembering that their loving, merciful, all-knowing, all-encompassing God of the Bible that loves them, can make beauty from ashes, turn a mess into a message, and bring life through death.  God is so good!

                                                               Special Prayers

**First responders, healthcare workers, supermarket employees, and others have been called upon to work longer hours, and have been taken away from their families. But as my husband likes to say, “God is a great multitasker.”  He can bring forth good from the very worst and tragic of situations. He knows the needs of each and every person. He can bring forth blessings in their situations as well through their trust in Him.  Let’s keep these brave men and women in our prayers!

 

 

 

Two Words That Break the Chains of Bondage and Set Us Free!

Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Psalm 107:43 ESV

I have spent the last few years of my Christian walk, an unwitting slave of guilt, fear, and failure.  Guilt over past mistakes, fear over things that I couldn’t control, and the word failure ringing in my brain like an alarm clock that won’t turn off.  Let me attest to the fact that living in guilt and fear while feeling like a failure is exhausting, draining, and overwhelming. It sucks the life right out of you!

Fatigued and battle-weary, I withdrew from the clamor of this noisy world and spent an entire day praying, fasting, praising God, and reflecting in the comfort of my quiet bedroom.   There, I poured out my heart to God all of my great sorrow and distress. After some time of quiet, I felt God nudging me to write down everything that I felt guilt over or had fear about. So I did…….. 5 pages worth! I was amazed at how much I had just written. Seeing it all down on paper really brought to life the extent of the heavy burdens I had been dragging around with me all this time.

“It’s all down on paper now Lord. Can you give me a word or something to reflect upon?” I asked. I decided to meditate on some Psalms.  After opening my Bible, my eyes fixed their gaze on Psalm 107:43. Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. Hmmm. Quite some time ago I had underlined the words, steadfast love, in my Bible every time I saw them because I had noticed that the phrase had been used repeatedly.  191 times actually.

Although  I had spent time underlining the words, I never took the time to consider (contemplate, examine, ponder, meditate on) exactly what steadfast love meant, so I did like the verse said, and I attended to considering the steadfast love of the Lord through an impromptu word study.  What transpired was a truly awe-inspiring, mind-blowing realization of the riches and depth of God’s steadfast love for me.

Please join me in this mind-renewing word study.  I pray that as you do this study, you will treasure in your own heart, God’s steadfast love for you and that you will truly discover God in a healthy, new, refreshing way as you are given the gift of a deepening knowledge of God’s steadfast love for you.

Begin by reading through Psalm 119. Underline or highlight all the verses containing the words steadfast love.  Then soak up, drink in, the following definition of the word steadfast and it’s synonyms. Steadfast: A sureness and continuousness that can be depended upon. (Loyal, faithful, determined, committed, relentless, unchanging, unwavering, unfaltering, unflinching, firmly fixed, enduring.)

What is this saying about God’s love for you? It’s saying that God’s love for you is sure, firmly fixed. It will never change. It doesn’t flinch (recoil, wince, or drawback in fear or distaste) when you mess up. His love for you is relentless (continuous, non-stop, endless, untiring).  God never stops, never tires of loving you!  You cannot escape God’s steadfast love!  God not only shows you steadfast love, He is steadfast love! His love isn’t endowed to you out of some sort of obligation. God can’t help but steadfastly love you because it’s who He is.

Our earthly relationships, no matter how close, are flawed. We are a flawed people.  Others disappoint us, let us down.  Sometimes we are disappointed with ourselves as a result of past mistakes or failures. We begin to feel unloved, unlovable.  Inevitably these feelings spill over into our relationship with our Creator.  We begin to doubt His love for us.

Thankfully, our reality is much different than our feelings. God described Himself this way in Exodus 34:6 “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.” Don’t you just love that God Himself uses the words, steadfast love, to describe Himself? He says He is abounding (profuse, generous, boundless, inexhaustible) in steadfast love.  More wonderful yet is that His abounding, profuse, generous, boundless, inexhaustible steadfast love is directed at you and me!

Satan, the great deceiver, the father of all lies, the accuser of the brethren, loves to remind us of our sins and failures, but God has chosen to forget them. God sees the person you are yet to become, through the help of the Holy Spirit. “For we are God’s handiwork (His workmanship, His masterpiece), created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10. When God sees you He sees His masterpiece (a work of outstanding artistry, an artist’s greatest work). God sees you as one of His greatest works!

The Bible tells us that it’s wise to consider the steadfast love of the Lord because it frees us.   It utterly destroys Satan’s stronghold of habitual wrong thinking built into our thought lives, bringing his craftily whispered deceptions to total ruin and breaking the chains of our bondage!

I’m so very grateful that sitting alone in my room that day God led me to that verse. It’s wonderful, yet a lot to wrap one’s brain around. I’m still digesting it all because God’s love is so very different from mine. His is a perfect love, mine is very imperfect. I’m learning not to judge God’s love based on mine. My imperfect way of loving here on earth is far from steadfast. Thankfully, though my love isn’t steadfast, His is. Always.

So settle into (get to know, become familiar with a new way of life, to adjust by getting a new way of thinking, to make yourself comfortable) God’s steadfast love for you. Make yourself comfortable ( to be free from stress or fear. At ease, restful, relaxed, secure, safe, unworried, contented) in it.  You’ll have a new way of thinking and you’ll be free from stress and fear, living a life that’s much more secure, unworried, and content, glorifying God in the process.

And if the Liar tries to deceive you once again, which he will because he in no way wants you abiding in God’s steadfast love, go back and ponder it all again, as many times as you have to in order for it to sink down deep into the depths of your heart. Don’t get discouraged. Instead, remember that freedom doesn’t have to be all at once. It can happen in small steps, in stages. Persevere. Don’t give up! God is stronger than any chains Satan can bind you in.

What Does it Mean to Settle Into God?

I recently heard someone say that we should “settle into God.” I’d never heard that before. I liked the thought of it, but I wasn’t exactly sure what it meant so I looked up the phrase ‘settle into.’

What I thought would be a quick little glance at the definitions of a couple of words, ended up being an eye-opening, uplifting, morning-long journey for me as I realized how overflowing with meaning and purpose those two simple words were.

Ready for an inspiring word study? As you read the following word definitions and their synonyms, allow them to sink down deep into your heart.

Definition of ‘settle into’ and it’s synonyms:

Get to know, to become familiar with a new way of life, place or job.

To adjust, get used to a new situation by changing your ideas or the way you do things.

To gradually feel that something is normal or natural

To make yourself comfortable in a place because you are going to be there for a long time.

I then looked up the word comfortable and it’s synonyms. It’s described as this:

Comfortable:

To be free from stress or fear, not in pain, physically relaxed and free from constraint. Also; at ease, restful, relaxed, secure, safe, unworried, contented.

A word study wouldn’t be complete without applying what we’ve learned to our lives. Below are some ways in which we can learn to settle into God.

Get to know Him more. How? Through prayer, worship and His word, this will help you to become more familiar with who He is. Ask God for help in changing your thinking patterns. Adjust to His way of thinking. A new way of thinking leads to changes in your ideas and the way you do things. Your new way of thinking will gradually feel normal or natural. You will be settled into a new way of thinking, God’s way of thinking.

Finally, make yourself comfortable in His presence. Know that He is with you wherever you go. You never leave His presence even though you may not feel His presence at times. In His presence, you can find freedom from stress or fear. When feelings of stress and fear subside, you’ll begin to feel more at ease, restful, secure, safe, unworried and content. “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” Matthew 11:25-30

Know that God longs to be with you not just now, but for eternity. So you might as well settle into Him and get comfortable in His presence because you are going to be there for a long time!

Lessons From a Wildflower Part Two

​God has so many ways of speaking to us through His creation. In my last post about the wildflowers, I spoke of God’s gentle, delicate side that can be clearly seen through something as unnoticed as a wildflower.

Unnoticed.  How many times had I looked across or walked across my yard and never once noticed those beautiful, intricate wildflowers that God so lovingly created, tucked away amongst the trillions of blades of grass?

After having paused to study those wildflowers more closely and being so awestruck by their beauty, intricacy, and fragility,  I began, with sadness, to think about the realities of their existence.

Those purposefully, gloriously designed, beautiful wildflowers are not only trampled on by my feet on a daily basis but will end up in the next day or so being cut down by the swift whirling blades of our lawnmower.

With sadness, I thought about how their beauty has only such a short time to be displayed if they’re even noticed at all.  Yet God took such great care in lovingly designing them anyway.

But God notices them. He even knows how many leaves and petals each flower possesses and when one of them falls to the ground!

I think that we can sometimes feel a lot like those short-lived yet gloriously created wildflowers. Feeling unnoticed, trampled on underfoot by the careless deeds of others, the weight of the world coming at us like the whirling sharp blades of a lawnmower cutting us down when we least expect it.

If God takes such great care in creating those beautiful wildflowers and watching over them even though they may live their brief lives virtually unnoticed, how much more us?

God created us to be so much more than a wildflower. To Him, each of us surpasses the beauty of His beautiful wildflowers. He loves us that much more too!

When the world gets me down, as it so often can, I  remember the wildflowers and the great care God took in making them. The great care He took in making you and I doesn’t begin to compare. We are so much more to Him!

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown in the furnace, how much more will He clothe You?  Luke 12:27,28

Indeed the very hairs on your head are all numbered. Do not fear, you are more valuable than many sparrows.   Luke 12:7

 

A Prayer for our Children or Grandchildren Based on Colossians 1:9-11

Father, I ask that you fill my children with the knowledge of Your perfect will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that they may walk in a manner worthy of You Lord.

May they be fully pleasing to You, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of You.

Please strengthen them with all power, according to Your glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to You Father.

May they be qualified to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

Please God,  deliver them from the domain of darkness and transfer them to the kingdom of Your beloved Son, in whom we have redemption,  the forgiveness of sins.

In Jesus’ name, amen.