Evening Song - The Lily of the Valley

Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: 

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acapeldridge.com

Texas Memories - Elm of Gold

 

From Mom’s Collection - Some Thoughts on Prayer

 Worth Repeating

Here are some more items from my mother’s collection, along with some of my own thoughts. This time we’re thinking about prayer. [First published here 4/12/2015. Updated October 2022.]

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God Cares

He knows, He cares, He understands;
With love and wisdom He commands
Our lives, and knows our every need;
Lovingly, He’ll intercede.

- Author Unknown

My thought: There is a lot in that short poem. 

Romans 8:26-27   Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Hebrews 7:25  Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

The Holy Spirit of God and the Lord Jesus are both said to intercede for the saints. Because they are members of the Godhead it is impossible for them to ask anything that is not the will of God. It is strange that we so quickly forget that God knows and understands our every need and that His own Spirit is praying for us and helping our infirmities.

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In another place in her book where she was likely taking notes on a sermon or teaching session, my mom wrote a short note on Acts 4:24-30. I am going to include a couple more verses.

Acts 4:23-31  And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

Mom’s note:

“Prayer for boldness, not for situational change. Our attitude needs to be changed. God has a purpose in every situation.”

My thoughts: I don’t know about you, but that rebukes me. I know that it’s OK to pray for situations to change up to a point because Paul did pray that his thorn in the flesh would be removed (2 Cor. 12:7-8).  However, the Lord did not change that situation for him either.  There are other instances in scripture where people did pray for a situation to be changed, and God changed it for them. 

But, what is our attitude? How often when we get into a trial do we ask God to change it for us, to take it away, to make it better with little reference to what He wants us to be doing? Sometimes it’s as if we think we shouldn’t have to suffer, even for Him. 1 Peter 4:19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

I know from my own experience that there are times when instead of praying for deliverance from a difficult situation, I should be praying for wisdom and boldness to speak the right words – His words – at the right time. I fail to speak His words so often, I surely need to pray about it more! We can’t deliver ourselves from troubles, and while it is fine for us to pray for deliverance and let our requests be known to Him (Philippians 4:6), yet how often we fail to pray that we might glorify Him and speak His word! I feel very deficient in this myself. How about you?

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Be Still and Know

When the cares of the day overwhelm us,

And its tensions are hard to bear,

There’s a refuge that’s sure,

   And a shelter secure,

In the quiet communion of prayer.

For there in the hush of His presence,

We lose all our sense of despair;

Our hope springs anew,

  And His peace comes through,

In the quiet communion of prayer.

- Cleo King

My thought: This reminds me of one of my favorite verses.

Isaiah 30:15  For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength…

How hard it is sometimes in the clamor of life to just be still and rest in God. We are so apt to pray a lot of “please do this” prayers, and neglect to listen for His still small voice and His comforting words. Maybe if we were quieter and more focused upon His words to us we would have more confidence in His ability and have more peace and rest.

The last part of that verse, the part I left off, says, “…and ye would not.”  What a horrible commentary on the people to whom God was speaking. They would not. That means it was their will – their choice – to refuse to rest and be quiet and confident in the Lord. What would be the results of their rebellion? They would not be saved from their enemies (in the context of the passage) and they would not have strength.

Do we wonder sometimes why we lack strength and can’t resist the enemy? Perhaps we need to return to the Lord, and rest in Him in quietness and confidence. What better way to do this than to pray and listen to Him?

Psalms 55:16-17  As for me, I will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.

Isaiah 32:17  And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Psalms 85:8  I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

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Evening Song - I Will not Forget Thee

Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

Isaiah 49:15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. 

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The Thousand Word Project - Gold Dust

 
...Nothing gold can stay. 
- Robert Frost

Since Yesterday - A Poem by Martha Snell Nicholson

 

Since Yesterday

Along the golden streets

A stranger walks tonight

With wonder in his heart --

Faith blossomed into sight.

He walks and stops and stares,

And walks and stares again.

Vistas of loveliness

Beyond the dreams of men.

He who once was weak,

And often shackled to a bed,

Now climbs eternal hills

With light and easy tread.

He has escaped at last

The cruel clutch of pain;

His lips shall never taste

Her bitter cup again.

O never call him dead,

This buoyant one and free,

Whose daily portion is

Delight and ecstasy!

Now bows in speechless joy

Before the feet of Him

Whom, seeing not, he loved

While yet his sight was dim.

Along the golden streets

No stranger walks today,

But one who, long homesick,

Is home at last, to stay!

Martha Snell Nicholson

Philippians 1:23-24 For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

2 Corinthians 5:6-8 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Evening Song - For Me to Live Is Christ to Die Is Gain

Philippians 1:21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: 

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

In loving memory of my Uncle Bruce who went to heaven last Sunday morning. 

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Texas Memories - Ripe

 

Pyracantha berries

(Also known as Firebush)

Worth Repeating - His Way Is Perfect

 

(Aug. 2013; edited Oct. 2022)

I read Psalm 138 this week and this last verse especially touched my heart.

Psalms 138:8  The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

We all have our struggles in life. Some things that are struggles to one person may not be at all to someone else, but it doesn’t mean that those struggles are any less real to the person who finds it a trial. Many of us have challenges that worry, bother, or frighten us. But, here is the point – the Lord knows all about it and He will perfect those things in our lives as children of God through faith in Jesus Christ.

I think it is interesting that the King James translators used the word “concerneth” here. The word no doubt means the things that pertain to us, things in our lives or that we are connected with. But, in modern times we use the word “concern” to speak of things that cause us worry or that we’re bothered about. So, to me this verse speaks a double meaning – both the things that surround me as well as the things that I’m concerned about.

Sometimes there are things in life that really worry us – things we’d like to do and are not able to do, things that we don’t want to do but we have to do. Sometimes there is a person we have to deal with or live with who is not saved or refuses to do right according to God’s word. All these things we can trust God to perfect!

To perfect as a verb means “Make (something) completely free from faults or defects, or as close to such a condition as possible.” What a wonderful thought! Of course, the scary part for us sometimes is that the situation might not be perfected the way we want to see it done. Maybe the Lord will remove someone from our lives whom we love, maybe He will take away possessions or people or situations in a way that is frightening to think about.

This brings us to the last two-thirds of the verse, …thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.

Our comfort in trusting Him to perfect those things which concern us is that His mercy endures forever! That’s a lot of mercy, friend. We can trust Him to be merciful in whatever solution He gives to our situation.  This should bring us peace.

Then too, the prayer is added that He won’t forsake the works of His own hands. We know from other scripture that He will not, so we can have complete confidence that He will not forsake us no matter what perfecting He gives us for our concerns. 

Hebrews 13:5  Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Philippians 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

What sweet fellowship. What wonderful comfort. He is with us and He will work each concern out in His perfect way.

Sometimes we are concerned about the decisions or actions of other people and how those things affect us or will affect our future. J. Hudson Taylor said something to this effect, “It may not have been God’s will for him to do what he did, but by the time it reached me, it was God’s will for me.” I would amend that to say that it was God's will for me to honor Him in how I respond to it or handle it. God is not limited by the sins of others in His care for us, but we may indeed suffer from the bad choices of others. 

This reminds me of Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Some situations are so horrible that it is hard to imagine how God can work them for good or perfect that thing for us. In this day and age when victimhood is a common complaint, I'm sure some people find it insulting even to suggest that their hard trial could be worked for good. But, think of Corrie Ten Boom and the terrible things she saw and went through at the hands of the Nazis. Think of Richard Wurmbrand and the horrors he experienced in Communist prison in Romania. Think of Annie Johnson Flint and Martha Snell Nicholson - two women who suffered greatly due to their physical health. Yet all of these poured forth the sweet and precious comfort of God and the determination to keep going with God no matter what into the lives of millions, and they keep on doing so to this day though they "being dead yet speak." Nothing is wasted with God, even when it seems impossibly hard. 

It is good to remember that the Lord will perfect all things for us according to His mercy and good pleasure, even those things that are brought to us through the sins of others. And, He won’t forsake us, or any of His children, in the process.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

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Better than My Best – a poem by Annie Johnson Flint

Evening Song - Be Thou My Vision

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Hebrews 12:1-2 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Colossians 3:11 Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. 

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Texas Memories - Ripening

Pyracantha Berries
(Also called Firethorn)

Merry Autumn - A Poem

Merry Autumn

by Laurance Dunbar

It's all a farce, — these tales they tell

About the breezes sighing,

And moans astir o'er field and dell,

Because the year is dying.

Such principles are most absurd, —

I care not who first taught 'em;

There's nothing known to beast or bird

To make a solemn autumn.

In solemn times, when grief holds sway

With countenance distressing,

You'll note the more of black and gray

Will then be used in dressing.

Now purple tints are all around;

The sky is blue and mellow;

And e'en the grasses turn the ground

From modest green to yellow.

The seed burrs all with laughter crack

On featherweed and jimson;

And leaves that should be dressed in black

Are all decked out in crimson.

A butterfly goes winging by;

A singing bird comes after;

And Nature, all from earth to sky,

Is bubbling o'er with laughter.

The ripples wimple on the rills,

Like sparkling little lasses;

The sunlight runs along the hills,

And laughs among the grasses.

The earth is just so full of fun

It really can't contain it;

And streams of mirth so freely run

The heavens seem to rain it.

Don't talk to me of solemn days

In autumn's time of splendor,

Because the sun shows fewer rays,

And these grow slant and slender.

Why, it's the climax of the year,—

The highest time of living!—

Till naturally its bursting cheer

Just melts into thanksgiving.

Letters to My Friend - Anti-Abortion Laws that Can Kill

In this Letter to My Friend I address a subject that has been a concern to me due to the recent anti-abortion laws. It may not be the most popular thing to to say in some quarters, because according to some we must never question the working of the pro-life movement in way or we'll be accused of not loving baby's lives. (Been there, done that.) This is not about disregarding the lives of babies, but it is about valuing the lives of mothers equally.

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Lately I've been reading in Genesis, and I came across a couple verses that I've thought on before. This time they struck me on a different topic, one that I've been concerned about since the Roe vs. Wade ruling was overturned. At that time I was unimpressed by the Christians who were saying that there had been a great victory for life, as if the overturning of that case automatically meant that abortion was illegal in this country. Of course, it didn't mean that at all. It only meant that the states now had the right to make their own laws based on the whims and beliefs of the "majority" in each state. As time has shown, some states will likely go farther and do more evil than even the national laws on the issue previously did.

But, that isn't the specific thing that I was thinking about in regards to these verses.

In Genesis 18, Abraham has been told by the Lord that He is about to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham took it upon himself to plead for the cities because he knew his nephew, Lot, was living there and he didn't want him and his family killed. At the beginning of his pleading he starts out with this observation on the nature of God: Genesis 18:24-25 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

Let me tell a few personal stories:

Continue Reading

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Fruit photo by an anonymous friend.

Evening Song - Meeting In the Air

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 

Revelation 21:6-8 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. 

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