Words from Jeremiah

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 

The God Who Directs Our Way

This is what the Lord says — your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Isaiah 48:17

Today’s world is uncertain; perhaps more so than anytime during our lives. Making decisions about our future seems out of focus and simply a guess. Many of the adults living today grew up in a fast-changing world, but there were trends and predictable outcomes to base our aspirations and goals on. But in the last quarter century expectations have turned into uncertainties that seem to swing broadly based on where we live, who we love, and the leader we choose. The traditional life plan of securing an education, starting a family, building a nest egg, and retiring with confidence doesn’t seem guaranteed any longer.

This message in Isaiah 48:17 is significant because it speaks to us today as well as it did when it was written. The people of Israel were facing challenges and needing reassurance from God because the people of Israel were often disobedient and strayed from God’s teachings. In this scripture, God reaches out to them, reminding them of His role as their Redeemer.

No matter how far we have strayed, God is always willing to guide us back. He desires a relationship with us where we seek Him and follow His ways. The phrase “which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go” reinforces God’s commitment to being an active presence in our lives. He doesn’t leave us wandering but shows us the best way to live.

“In every decision we make, we should ask ourselves: is this leading me closer to God? His teaching will always direct us to what is good and profitable.” ~ Michael Thompson

Carol McClain

Rain

 Ask the Lord for rain in the springtime; it is the Lord who sends the thunderstorms. He gives showers of rain to all people, and plants of the field to everyone.  Zechariah 10:1

May he be like rain falling on a mown field; like showers watering the earth. Psalms 72:6

There is such delight in being able to listen to a gentle spring rain, with only faint grumbles of thunder. The sound of drops pattering on horizontal surfaces and trickling down vertical ones is like a soothing lullaby. Seeing the mistiness making lights waver and bright spring greens shimmer is like enjoying a moving work of art, shifting in the changing cloud light. Birds send out their most joyful songs and seem to chuckle softly to themselves. Puddles reflect the white sky and seem to boil with bubbles as drops bounce into them. The freshness of the air and the smells of the wet earth make everything feel clean and rinsed of dusty weariness.  Spring's growth is nourished just as the soul's thirst for comfort and healing is tended. Memories of other times and places in this hypnotic kind of soft rainfall arise and pull this moment into a thread of continuity.  

Rain has many associations for Christians; in the Bible - and in agricultural states like the one where I live - rain is an important part of the planting and growing seasons. Crops and livestock depend on adequate rain, and ultimately everyone's food supply is tied to it. God provides all this, and it is a testament of his care when the rain falls; it is a gift that feeds all people. 

The rain can be threatening, and floods are a fearful event in Biblical lore. Rain is sometimes symbolic of God's righteousness showering down on the earth.  

But the beneficial rain is inclusive; it falls on everyone and everything. If we choose to shower blessings like this, we share them without exception to all within reach. God is in the water that baptizes us, the water that cleans us and everything we use and touch and see, the water that is a habitat for countless amazing beings, the water that nourishes our food and the trees and plants that give us shade and joy.

The rain I am enjoying at this moment is one of the ways I can experience God's peace that surpasses understanding. This same rain is making someone else feel soggy and chilled, so I have to hope that somehow God's comfort is felt by that person in some way as well. I often work in the evenings, and I am fortunate enough to be home by an open door for this rainfall. Someone else who planned an outdoor event for this evening has had to make a change in plans and isn't feeling as fortunate.  

There is a Jewish prayer recited at the start of the rainy season in Israel. This is an excerpt.  

May He send rain from the heavenly towers,

To soften the earth with its crystal showers.

You have named water the symbol of Your might,

All that breathes life in its drops to delight. 

O revive those who praise Your powers of rain....

For you are God, who causes the wind to blow 

and the rain to fall; 

for a blessing and not for a curse - Amen!

For life, and not for death - Amen!

For plenty, and not for scarcity - Amen!

Mollie Manner (reprinted from 2018)

Happy Memorial Day!

 

Rest for Your Soul

Jesus offers real rest. The world offers temporary relief, Jesus offers true rest for the soul.

Rest in Christ means:

Letting go of the weight you were never meant to carry

Trusting God with tomorrow's worries

Finding peace in His presence today 

Rest for the Weary

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:26 

Stillness

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

“The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14

“He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.” Mark 4:39

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” 1 Kings 19:12