A Promise to Restore and Renew

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Ephesians 3:20-21 “May you be filled through all your being with God himself. Now to him who by His power within us is able to do infinitely more than we ever dare to ask or imagine– to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus for ever and ever, amen!

Colossians 1:11 “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.”

I Peter 5:10 “After you have SUFFERED a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal flory in Christ, will himself, restore, establish, and strengthen you.”

Dictionary definition of restore: “To give back. Return. Put back into original state. To repair.”

Psalms 52:12 “Restore to me the joy of thy salvation.”

Psalms 80:3 “Restore us, O God; let thy face shine, that we may be saved.”

Lamentations 5:21 “Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored.”

Zeph. 3:17-18 “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will RENEW you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.”

Jeremiah 31:25 “FOR I WILL SATISFY THE WEARY SOUL, AND EVERY LANGUISHING SOUL I WILL REPLENISH.”

From the Dictionary:

Weary: Strengthen impaired by toil or suffering. Having ones patience or tolerance exhausted. As weary of reading.” (Could it also be weary of children, weary of clutter, weary of requests by others)

Satisfy: “To fill up the measure of want. To gratify fully the desire to make content.”

Languish: “To lose strength or vitality because of outward circumstances.”

Replenish: “To supply fully. To fill again especially after having been emptied.”

Psalms 23:1-3 “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me besides still waters; HE RESTORES MY SOUL, He lead me in paths of righteousness, for His names sake.”

One of the best reasons for a quiet time with the Lord in the morning….. To be replenished, filled, restored, renewed, with all that was depleted the previous day. Start the day with a full tank of gas. Don’t limp along with an empty tank.

 

Three small reflections

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Psalms 34:5a “Look at Him and be radiant”.

“Mom, you sound so much better, you must have been sitting under your light”, said daughter Cindy as we chatted on the phone in mid January.

This came a day or so after a letter from daughter Becky, who lives in London. She said, “You sounded so much better in your last letter, you must have been sitting under your light. We were worried when in the letter before you said how boring everything was and the most exciting thing that had happened that week was getting a new toilet.”

Because of SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) I sit by an “Argo” light in the mornings from January through April. I have seen amazing results because of the light therapy. However, after Cindy’s call and Becky’s letter, I began to think, “It is apparently very noticeable at least to my family when I have been faithful with my Argo light.” Psalms 34:5 came to mind and I wondered if it was as obvious to others when I have been in the presence of the “light of the world”.

Prayer: Oh Lord, today may your light shine through me to those whom I meet. May it be very obvious that I have been in your presence. May I radiate with your love today. Amen.

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Romans 8:24-25 “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.”

Our long driveway from our house to the road was an absolute disaster and looked like a war zone. After the recent ice storm of December 26th our beautiful “Drømmegaard” (Our Dream Farm) looked more like a nightmare than a dream.

I surveyed downed trees and fallen limbs and wondered if there was any hope under all that rubble for the previous peaceful sanctuary that this farm had become. Was all of Dick’s hard work in vain? Was there any hope for the future of this place?

Then one morning in late January I noticed the wild snow drops had begun to appear along the side of the driveway. Green leaves pushing out of the ground with little bell shaped white flowers hanging from them. To me it was God’s miracle of promised spring. The life of that little flower was there all the time under the ugly rubble and ready to burst forth in God’s perfect timing.

Prayer: Oh Lord, when things seem to be falling apart around me in my life, help me to know that your life and love and hope are alive and powerful, under it all and the evidence of it will spring forth in your perfect timing.

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II Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work.”

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

It was a cold and dreary day in February, 1975. As I sat at my Quiet Time with the Lord that morning I was thinking about my life at the moment. My husband, a self employed builder, was in between jobs. We had a houseful of five children in age from 12 to 20. As I prayed, I asked the Lord to give me peace regarding our financial situation. That a new job would be forthcoming and that our needs would be met.

Later that day I looked out into our backyard and saw that the bird feeder was empty and the little birds were fluttering around the feeder. I was thinking, “You silly birds, you think there is no more food and you are looking very anxious. But I know I have a big bag of birdseed in the store room and you just cant see it”. Suddenly a light when on in my head. Oh Lord, Is that what you are trying to tell me? That I am fluttering around like those little birds, worrying about our next job, while all the time YOU know where the job is, and where the food is. It is only I who cannot see it!

Prayer: Oh Lord, help me to trust you for your provision. You are so faithful and you promise that you will not let the righteous go hungry (Proverbs 10:3). Help me to walk into this day full of hope and joy in you, knowing that you care for us and will provide for our needs. Amen.

Fear Not

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Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you. I will help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”

Phil. 4:6-7 “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus.”

Phil. 4:8-9 “Finally brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about those things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do, and the God of Peace will be with you.”

Psalms 34:4 “I sought the Lord and he delivered me from all my fears.”

Proverbs 1:33 “But he who listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease without dread of evil.”

Isaiah 12:2 “Behold God is my salvation. I will trust and will not be afraid for the Lord is my strength and my song.”

II Timothy 1:7 “God hath not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and sound mind.”

I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.”

Isaiah 26:3 “My people will abide in a peaceful habitations, in secure dwelling and in quiet resting places.”

I Timothy 2:1,2 “First of all then I urge supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgivings be made for all men, for kings and for all who are in high position that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way.”

Psalms 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Psalms 34:17 “When the righteous cry for help the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

 

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