Today’s blog title is Quiet moments with God. When I think about these special times with my Lord, I usually envision a devotional time—Bible Study, prayer or worship. But that’s a narrow perspective.
All of creation is formed by the very hand of my Heavenly Father. He means for you and I to enjoy all that He has made.
A couple days ago my daughter, Sarah, and I and her three children piled into the car for an adventure. We headed for a Butterfly Park not far from our home. We found all sorts of exhibits. There was a butterfly pavilion with the winged beauties where we discovered newly laid eggs on the leaves of some of the plants. There were baby caterpillars. I’d never considered a caterpillar as being cute, but these were. There were also cocoons, but none were ready to reveal the finery hidden inside. If we want to see that miracle we’ll have to go back.
My grandchildren studied butterflies and bees, gathered special stones, and talked about the wonders of the universe as we strolled through stunning gardens. I watched and laughed as they rolled down grassy hillsides, galloped through forested trails and climbed sculptures. My daughter laid down in the sweet smelling grass and the children piled on, then decided it would be fun if grandma took pictures of them pretending to sleep or playing dead. We laughed ourselves silly.
Although it was a day filled with activities it was definitely a quiet moment with God--precious time spent with the ones I love. Memories are now tucked away in my mind to be recalled again and again. Days like these are special reminders of the treasures of life, offered up by the God of the universe and made possible only because of Him. They are gifts to be opened, enjoyed and treasured.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
Showing posts with label creation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label creation. Show all posts
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, February 06, 2009
Tips For Triumphant Living -- Worship Him
On dark days, worshipping God may seem like an impossible task. However, it is those times that most require our worship. Hebrews 13:15 says, Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. It would seem praise is something we should do continually and whether all is well or it is not.
There are many times that praise and worship are just not in us, but this scripture says we are to worship through Jesus. And we know that all things are possible with Him.
So we might ask, what does worship look like. What is it that God is asking us to do? Is worship when we corporately sing praise songs in church? That certainly is one way to show reverence and to draw close to God, but we can’t do that continuously.
Worship is His name upon our lips and in our hearts. When we remember Him and who He is and all He’s done, we will worship. When our hearts are filled with gratitude and our minds are filled with awe and our perception is His rather than ours, we shall worship. When we have single-minded thoughts inspired by our Lord we are embraced by worship.
His love surrounds us, and His wonders astound our limited minds. Can we gaze upon a glimmering mountain range and not see Him? Is it possible to fix our eyes upon a windswept beach or something as magnificent as the Grand Canyon and not feel His presence? His handprint is on creation.
That handprint is a gift offered to us by our Lord. It is everywhere and in everything if we will only see. It's amazing that although we cannot fully comprehend his grandeur and His love that He still remembers us always and calls us His own. His love is deeper than any valley, taller than any mountain, and wider than any sea. How can we not worship Him?
May we look to Him with awe and with thankful hearts knowing that He is God, even on our darkest day.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
There are many times that praise and worship are just not in us, but this scripture says we are to worship through Jesus. And we know that all things are possible with Him.
So we might ask, what does worship look like. What is it that God is asking us to do? Is worship when we corporately sing praise songs in church? That certainly is one way to show reverence and to draw close to God, but we can’t do that continuously.
Worship is His name upon our lips and in our hearts. When we remember Him and who He is and all He’s done, we will worship. When our hearts are filled with gratitude and our minds are filled with awe and our perception is His rather than ours, we shall worship. When we have single-minded thoughts inspired by our Lord we are embraced by worship.
His love surrounds us, and His wonders astound our limited minds. Can we gaze upon a glimmering mountain range and not see Him? Is it possible to fix our eyes upon a windswept beach or something as magnificent as the Grand Canyon and not feel His presence? His handprint is on creation.
That handprint is a gift offered to us by our Lord. It is everywhere and in everything if we will only see. It's amazing that although we cannot fully comprehend his grandeur and His love that He still remembers us always and calls us His own. His love is deeper than any valley, taller than any mountain, and wider than any sea. How can we not worship Him?
May we look to Him with awe and with thankful hearts knowing that He is God, even on our darkest day.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
Monday, March 31, 2008
Quiet Moments With God--Crazy Drivers
Over the weekend I made a trip to Seattle and back, traveling more than 800 miles. I’ve made the trek many times, but this time it was an enlightening experience. Before I left home I asked God to reveal something new to me or to show me something familiar with new eyes. He’s faithful to answer our prayers, and He didn’t let me down.
The weather was spectacular on my way up, rain, hail, snow, wind, sun . . . a little of everything. The trip was definitely not boring. However, my focus was on my destination and I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the gorgeous surroundings.
As I approached Tacoma, heavy traffic socked in travelers. Some drivers seemed to have a death wish, diving in and out of lanes. Soon we no longer raced along, but slowed to a crawl and finally stopped. The minutes ticked by and frustration set in. I had a bit of a melt down. I just wanted to get to my daughter’s, get out of the car and away from all the “crazies” on the road.
Three days later I headed home, shamefully remembering my terrible attitude when I’d arrived. Again, the weather was spectacular. There were stacks of gray and white clouds that looked like piles of pillows. Others were black walls filled with moisture. Wind buffeted my car, and a mix of snow, rain, and hail pounded my windshield and flooded the highway. Unexpectedly the sun would burst through the mounded mountains of clouds, turning open fields to emerald green and gold. Hillsides and forests were cloaked in white from recent snowfalls. It was a spectacular display of God’s handiwork.
Most drivers were not focused on God’s creation. Instead they gripped steering wheels and kept their feet hard on gas pedals. Most flew past me, intent on their destination and unaware of the journey.
More than once I was forced to move into the fast lane to get around a snail-moving truck or trailer. It usually took only a moment before another car came up behind me to ride my bumper, pushing me to hurry. God whispered, “That’s all right. Just pull into the slow lane and let him pass. You enjoy the view.”
I did and found myself praising God. He had created this immeasurable beauty and most human beings didn’t even notice. He offered a gift and we couldn’t take the time to even look.
My trip home was filled with worship and intimate fellowship with God. It was a blessed time, unlike my excursion north.
God loves to display his splendor; He understands that it ministers to our hearts and draws us closer to Him. In the future, I hope to spend fewer hours being one of the “crazy” drivers and instead be a blissful sojourner on God’s highway.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
The weather was spectacular on my way up, rain, hail, snow, wind, sun . . . a little of everything. The trip was definitely not boring. However, my focus was on my destination and I didn’t pay a lot of attention to the gorgeous surroundings.
As I approached Tacoma, heavy traffic socked in travelers. Some drivers seemed to have a death wish, diving in and out of lanes. Soon we no longer raced along, but slowed to a crawl and finally stopped. The minutes ticked by and frustration set in. I had a bit of a melt down. I just wanted to get to my daughter’s, get out of the car and away from all the “crazies” on the road.
Three days later I headed home, shamefully remembering my terrible attitude when I’d arrived. Again, the weather was spectacular. There were stacks of gray and white clouds that looked like piles of pillows. Others were black walls filled with moisture. Wind buffeted my car, and a mix of snow, rain, and hail pounded my windshield and flooded the highway. Unexpectedly the sun would burst through the mounded mountains of clouds, turning open fields to emerald green and gold. Hillsides and forests were cloaked in white from recent snowfalls. It was a spectacular display of God’s handiwork.
Most drivers were not focused on God’s creation. Instead they gripped steering wheels and kept their feet hard on gas pedals. Most flew past me, intent on their destination and unaware of the journey.
More than once I was forced to move into the fast lane to get around a snail-moving truck or trailer. It usually took only a moment before another car came up behind me to ride my bumper, pushing me to hurry. God whispered, “That’s all right. Just pull into the slow lane and let him pass. You enjoy the view.”
I did and found myself praising God. He had created this immeasurable beauty and most human beings didn’t even notice. He offered a gift and we couldn’t take the time to even look.
My trip home was filled with worship and intimate fellowship with God. It was a blessed time, unlike my excursion north.
God loves to display his splendor; He understands that it ministers to our hearts and draws us closer to Him. In the future, I hope to spend fewer hours being one of the “crazy” drivers and instead be a blissful sojourner on God’s highway.
Grace and peace to you from God.
Bonnie
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