June 30, 2018

Are we "being still" or are the sounds destroying us?

The sounds can destroy us

The Lord speaks
I have heard His gentle voice
I have listened to His words of wisdom
I have obeyed His instruction

Yet
It has not always been so
and is not now

I could hear Him -
I was "still"

Now
It is hard to be still
when pushed and pulled
in every direction

My own thoughts
tear me down
filling me
with questions, concerns,
irritation,
even outrage

Calling
Asking
Seeking

Noises distract
ringing, rattling, talking

Where is my time
with You, Lord?!
When will the "stillness"
You desire of me
return

The Enemy seeks to devour, destroy

I miss what I know
I miss what I had,
what I remember

My Jesus
My Lord
My Father God

Show me the way back
to being still in Your Presence

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
June 30, 2018
___________________

I wrote the following on April 24, 2015, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is titled "Be still, and know."

"Be still, and know
that I AM God." (Psalm 46:10)

God is here
with us
His Presence
our refuge
our hiding place
our strength

Be still
Will yourself
to focus
on Him
who is...
GOD

Remove
yourself
from endless thinking
planning
for any and every
circumstance

It is not easy
Keeping yourself
away
from where
you should not be
should not travel

Oh Lord
guide my steps
my every step
guide my thoughts
so I am not
led places
that are unfruitful

You are my Light
How can I be
fruitful
and multiply
if I stumble
along the path
before me?

You, Lord
show us
love
and joy
and peace
Patience
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Gentleness
self-control (Galatians 5:22)

to show
another
the way
to You
the way
You lived
the way
You are
the way
for us
to become
like You

So much
seeks
to destroy
our walk
our life
with the Lord
Selfish desires
become
a higher priority
than
God's desires (Galatians 5:19-21)

We hear
but not
that which
God wants us
to hear
We see
but our vision
is cloudy
We think we
comprehend
but are misguided
True Understanding
escapes us

Do not fear
but we are afraid
The Almighty God
creator of the universe
and of us
lowly humans
We fear His Promises
are not real
We fear His Presence
is not surrounding us
We fear His Power
is not enough

Oh we of little faith
Where is our trust
We make ourselves
bigger
We are so small
so insignificant
yet God loves us
Loved us
so much
He sent His Son
to be
the sacrificial lamb
to die
in our place

Be still
and know
Ask for all
you do not receive
Seek all
you do not find
Know
as much as
He will share
and understand
He Is.

June 13, 2018

Jesus had it

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."                                                                                         John 14:27 NKJV

"Rest is a state of calm rising from a heart deeply and firmly established in God."                                                                         ~ Henry Drummond

Jesus had it
within His heart

Although turmoil and
life's everyday troubles
wore His body down
Peace
and rest
sustained Him
and gave others
Hope.

Cathy Orrick Luders
June 13, 2018

June 10, 2018

Later... we will know

"You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." ~ John 13:7

Our days
we do not understand
Sometimes dismalness
crosses our path
and stays a while
We are saddened
No one seems to notice
or care
But God is at work
If only we would
remember
He is always with us,
always working
Life is not about me
nor you
It is about the Lord
Yet we forget
to look only and always
unto Him,
letting our thoughts
take precedence,
becoming our reality.
Woe is me.

God told us
through the apostle Paul,
"We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

Do we not love Him
Did we only say we did to get Him off our back

Woe indeed we are
My good
Your good
Those who love Him
who follow Him
study His book
meditate on His word

Those who are called ...
We all are
but not all have heard the message
nor listened
nor obeyed
nor trusted
nor believed

God is calling
God has called

The call goes forth -
Come
Come to Me as little children
Come to Me and sit at my feet
Come, My child
learn and know
Bring your every burden unto Me and find rest

Take that step
One step at a time
not one forward and two backward,
but one in front of the other,
Come, Follow Me

The dismalness of your days
will dissolve
as you rely more and more
on Me
for I AM
He who was
and is
and forever will be.
(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

June 03, 2018

The Lord knows - do we?

Jesus said, "Do not be afraid, only believe. ... The child is not dead, but sleeping. ...And they ridiculed Him."  ~ Mark 5:36, 39-40

The Lord knows
if one is sleeping
as at rest
or
as dead

Who are we to ridicule
He who is greater
more powerful
than all we are
all we know
all we think

Who are we to reject
He who came to earth
to save our souls
from the pits of hell,
worse than any terror
we face on earth

Who are we to condemn
He who spoke the truth of His Father
who knew no evil

Who are we to love
He who died,
bearing our sins upon His body
who was buried
and three days later,
rose from the grave

Who is He we say
He who we have ridiculed
rejected
condemned

He is Jesus
Our Savior
Our Redeemer
Our Foundation Rock
Our Everlasting Promise
Our Teacher
Our Refuge
Our Protector
Our Strength
Our Witness
Our Truth
Our Hope
Our Wisdom
Our Light
Our Life
Our Way
Our Peace
Our Patience
Our Kindness
Our Faithfulness
Our Joy
Our Gentleness
Our Forgiver
Our Healer
Our Judge
Our All

Jesus
is He
Who is The Way
The Life
The Truth

Jesus
is He
who loved us then
loves us now
will love us tomorrow.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
June 2-3, 2018

June 01, 2018

An Ode of Remembrance

He lived
He died
But he is not dead
His soul lives on
in the hearts
of every loved one
left behind

He was born
and lived life
as he saw fit

But then one day
he discovered God
became re-born -
a believer
in the Lord
who saved him
from an eternal hell

and lived life anew
with Jesus
his redeemer
his Savior
his refuge
guiding his way
to the golden gates
of God's heaven -
our eternal home.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders
May 31, 2018