Answers ...

Answers

We always wait
and God reveals --
sometimes all at once
but mostly bits and pieces
in His good time.

We think we understand
His word to us
but then we doubt
whether we heard it at all.

Answers

Sometimes yes
Sometimes no
but mostly just plain wait

Wait

and continue to go
continue to do

The end will be greater
than the beginning

and what does that mean?!

wherever He leads
whenever the time

His answer
will come to us all
For it is His answer
that matters most --
more than any other.

Continue to go
Continue to do
Be My Light
to those who reside in the darkness
who have lost their way
who fail to see all they have and/or could have.

Answers.

1 "Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! In your faithfulness answer me, And in Your righteousness. 7 Answer me speedily, O Lord; My spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, Lest I be like those who go down into the pit. 8 Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, For I lift up my soul to You. 9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies, In You I take shelter. 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."  -- Psalm 143 

Hope

"For I know the plans I have for you, plans of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11) 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Why?
For what reason
would

you hurt
worthless
let me be

But they did not

Choices
made
all hurt

Jesus
loves 
you

He
died
for you

Will you
not live
for Him? 

No one
not one
is less than
another
All precious
to God

Perspectives
flawed
thinking
disconnected,
distorted

Think about Jesus
Think about His love for you
Think about His plans for your future

You fall
the pit deeper
Endless misery
when to end

But hope whispers
picked up
brushed off
taken in
embraced

Disappointed
God is
bad choices
swallow you

But hope whispers
Do not be afraid
His hand extended
Another chance
perhaps? 

You accept His hand
cling to life

Will you accept His love
freely given?

Will you accept His guidance
to direct your steps?

Will you accept Him as your Lord, your Savior?

Will you become a new man, discarding the old? 

(c) April 20, 2016

Rise Above

We share
We help
another
We feel
downtrodden
We see
looks of disdain
We are
disheartened,
hurt
Smiles
hide
ourselves
Quietness
closes in.

God says
Rise Above.

Needless,
unnecessary
words
do not
build up
only say
how far
another
has to go
Looking down
as if to pass
judgment

Are we so good?
Our thinking,
perceptions
remove us
from reality.

God says
Rise Above.
It is
My Way
My Truth
My Life

When
you
fall down,
Rise Up,
Rise Above
the circumstances
of every moment
locked behind
invisible walls
in darkened minds.

Rise Up
Rive Above
Come,
into My Presence
Daily seek
and Follow Me
bring your awareness
of your need
to Me
Be thankful
for I give you
Peace.

(c) April 18, 2016

He promises, He knows, He says, He Is

He promises
to meet all our needs.

He knows
exactly what our needs are.

 He says
PEACE
is our deepest need.

 He says
trials
bring about peace
through trusting in Him
in the midst of every trouble.

 He says
Focusing on Him
instead of the stones and weeds
that take up residence in our hearts
will bring us Peace.

 He says
PEACE
will flourish
 when pride
and
worry
and
anger
and
swearing
and
lying
and
cheating
and
envy
and
jealousy
and more
are kicked out.

 He says
I DIED FOR YOU
 not for the world
not for the things of the world
but FOR YOU.

 He says
I LOVE YOU.
You are Mine.
I can do all things.
I AM all things.

 He says
Believing in Me
is good,
but even the demons
believe.

 I want a relationship with you.

 He says
I want a future for you,
a hope growing within you

 He says
PEACE in Me
I give you.

 In the world
there is only one struggle on top of another.
It is unending.

 He says
COME.
Come into My Presence
and listen
and hear
and do.

 Be Still.

He says
I AM ALIVE!
I arose from the grave!
Satan has not won
I am not defeated.

 He says
defeat does not live
in your heart.
I moved in
when you accepted Me
as your personal Lord and Savior.

 I AM THEVICTOR.

I offer abundant life.

 Come.

 Walk with Me

 and live life abundantly,

 in Victory.

(c) April 2, 2016

John 16:33 ~ “…In Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Jeremiah 29:11 ~ “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil,  to give you a future and a hope.”

Philippians 4:19 ~ “Any my God shall supply all you need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

James 2:19 ~ “You believe that there is one God, you do well. Even the demons believe – and tremble!”

Who do we please?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.”
~ Proverbs 3:5-7

Should we do that
Should we do this
Should we please you
… individually
or as a group
Should we please ourselves

Someone
wants this done
Another
wants something else

And then there is the Lord
He too we hear
His word is different
than all the others
To please Him
we simply must be
in His Presence.
Meeting with Him daily
Listening to His counsel
Following His advice

We are bombarded

The Lord says to go
So we go
He says to stay
So we stay
Sometimes too He says to stop
Stop and wait
So we stop… and we wait

But some do not like
where we go
nor
where we stay
and stopping and waiting
is just not reasonable thinking

The Lord says
+ to keep our focus on Him
+ to seek His kingdom, His righteousness
+ to follow His leading
+ to look at every circumstance for His provisions
+ to live our lives with His light
shining in us
shining upon us
shining through us

+ to share His love with everyone
+ to be still and know Him.

It is not the world
and not our Christian brothers and sisters
to whom we owe allegiance,
but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself!

To Him
we must look first
for every answer, every need, every desire

Is not our faith in Him?
We trusted Him to save us … do we not trust Him with our day-to-day living?

 How can we say we trust the Lord,
but do not obey His commands, do not follow His  leading ?

 How can we pray for guidance and then  decide it is not enough?
 We need more.
We know what we need.
God doesn’t have a clue.

Are we sure our faith is in Him …
Are we sure we trust the Lord to guide us down the right path …
Are we sure He knows the way?

 No, we are not sure.

 We proclaim to be born-again Christians
and yet we live as though we control the universe.  

and we do not. 

(c) March 31, 2016

The best gift of all

Christ is me
The best gift of all
For without Him
all of me
all of life
is filled with distractions

It is not
what He does
nor
what He gives
but
who He is

And
who He is in me

I only walk
through the motions
of the day-to-day grind
in the workplace
in home life
even in leisure time

Our bodies fail
and wither away

Our minds nod off
into dull senseless thought

 We are … nothing.

But we can be transformed.

Christ
born for us
lived for us
died for us
and three days later,
He arose
for us!

Christ is alive!
I too am alive
Reformed
Reborn
Renewed

I must Be still
I must
come into His Presence…
I must
listen
be alert
obey
His every call
upon me

I must!

For if I am only
what is
and nothing more

God’s light in me
will never shine.

(c) March 27, 2016

Showered with blessings

The Lord says to me, I shower blessings on you daily, but sometimes you do not notice them. When your mind is stuck on a negative focus, you see neither Me nor My gifts.

The showers (of blessings) fall upon you

 Are you so unaware when things go contrary to the way you think is right
that you can not give another the benefit of the doubt?

Is the other always wrong?

Do you ever consider your perceptions might be faulty?

Do you go to your Father in heaven?

Do you ask for a better vision  of how you see things?

Do you seek the light of God whose presence defeats the very darkness that overwhelms and steals all that is good from you?

Do you knock daily, seeking a presence with His almighty Presence?

He lives in your heart.

He is with you always.

or

 Do you believe the day you accepted Him as your Savior was enough?

Do you wonder  … What more could there be? 

                                                                                                      (c) March 21, 2016

Shadow of Emptiness

I am like a shadow

Cast upon the earth,

My worthiness being

That of dirt,

In darkness I am not known,

But in light my life is shown,

Nothing to glory in, nothing to own.

This is my destination,

For eternal condemnation.

But lo, I heard a voice,

God said I have a choice,

"My Son I send to thee

To be your Savior

To set you free.

He'll give you purpose and meaning

He'll give you a life worth living,

Believe in Him my beloved friend

For to His kingdom there is no end." 

(c) Donald Brayton, 1979

God knew ...

He heard the call
You Lord placed on his heart
He heard
and responded
If you please Lord, I will go
And he went
off to school
to learn and be equipped
to follow You wherever sent

Along the way
life crowded in
oh so merry
so very grand
but distractions
overtook and
the path
He was destined to follow
became overgrown
with fear and worry,
anger, lies

The call, still present
He knew it was there
God doesn’t say yes
and mean no

There was another voice
He heard in the darkness
No, you can’t!
You are done for
You’re a failure

You can’t
You can’t

The words echoed
in his mind

Many years
come and gone
He remembered
the call
the words spoken
by many
who could not condone
would not forgive

Awakened
as if in a dream

a phone call comes

God remembered His child
God knew his heart
God sent him
for He knew he would go.

(c) March 20, 2016

And He wept ...

Behold, your King, My Son, is coming.
To you who gather He comes
lowly, as was His birth
astride a donkey … foretold
and regally,
a white horse His steed.

Jesus enters
The city
Your heart

To finish
To return
To restore
To carry you home
To conquer
To complete

Palms strewn at His feet
and hands lifted high in praise
cries of Hosanna! Save Us!
hammer the air

As His disciples proclaim,
“Blessed is He, the King, who comes
in the name of the Lord.
Peace in heaven and glory
in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38)

But they knew not

Peace
was far from them
Rejoicing was in hope
of a “for the moment” fix
Wisdom and knowledge
hidden
as prophecy long foretold
not remembered.

And He wept.

 (c) March 18, 2016

Parenting and ...

Parenting and …
We know nothing firsthand
Yet we know much
Learned and still learning
when our grandson
and then later his brother
were born

We are not their grandparents
Yet we are

There are no blood ties
Yet heart strings pull hard

We love them so
We – Gramma and Papa

(c) March 7, 2016

Hearing Hearing

Hearing, Hearing
What do you hear
Are there many voices
vying for control
or just one
who bends your ear

Hearing, Hearing
What do you understand
of the words that are said
Do you know what is meant
when The One voice you hear stronger
is not yours alone

Hearing, Hearing
concentration a struggle
discernment more
So many voices
How do I know
one from another

Stay near
Walk close
The Lord Jesus says
Read My Word
Study My  Way
Follow My Life
Know My Truth

Hearing, Hearing
I wander
but the path is not rough
nor overgrown with weeds
Wherever I travel
I know the way
for the voice I need
is here beside me
One voice alone
I know His voice
and He knows mine
I hear
He speaks
I follow
His lead.

(c) March 3, 2016

“He who does not enter the sheep hold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow Him, for they know his voice. Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.”  ~ John 10:1-5

His Love ...

How wide
How long
How high
How deep

Beyond our comprehension
We can only imagine
A fullness we cannot experience
We must wait
until our time has come
and we see Him
face to face

Then we will not only know
but see and embrace Him –

The Lord Jesus Christ -
and His Love.

For now
there is much darkness
We struggle to focus
on His Light.

When we be still
in His Presence
His Light shines bright
glowing in us, through us, upon us
and the awareness of His Love
is enough
each and every day.

(c) February 24, 2016

He did, He did, He did

He did die
He died for all
He who knew no sin at all
took upon Himself
every one of ours

He did lie
buried
3 days
in a tomb

He did rise
The Son of God
arose
The stone did roll
The angel did say,
“Do not be afraid.
He is not here.
He is risen.
He is risen from the dead.”
(Matthew 28:5-7)

Alleluia! He is risen indeed!
 

He did give
He gave the gift
of eternal salvation
when we do accept
Jesus died for us all
each and every one

When Jesus rose from the dead
We too have risen
… from the deadness
of our sins
to new life

No longer to ourselves
are we to live
but to The One
whose life was given
as an
atonement
for ours.

He did
He did
He did

 He died
He rose
He gave

The death He died
and rose from too
Have you accepted
that gift He gave?

Have you become
a new creation?

Have old things
passed away?

(c) February 17-18, 2016

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” ~ II Corinthians 5:17

The Lord says 'Come'

He says to come.

Come to the Father
bring  your brokenness
find comfort in Me

I will shelter you
I will give you rest
I will renew, revive

You are not alone
I am with you
Do not flounder

Ah, My child,
you belong to Me

I see your pain
your  every struggle
I see your fear growing
I see your tears flow

What another misses,
I do not.

I know the longings of your heart
the misery that has captured you

 I will guide you

 Dwell with Me

Do not succumb to thoughts
that pull you down

 Take My hand
We will walk this path together, My child
I will not leave you
I will not give up on you
I am forever with you

Look unto Me
Do not fall prey to what
is lurking out beyond

I am The Way
Follow Me
through the quiet stillness
and the dark shadows

 I am The Truth
Obey Me
My commands
My instructions

 I am The Life
It is My life within you
that changes you
 You are restored, renewed
Do not look back - Look Ahead
Do not look down - Look Up

(c) February 15, 2016

“For with God nothing will be impossible.” ~ Luke 1:37

“…He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” ~ Ephesians 3:20

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul, He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they cocomfort me.”  ~ Psalm 23: 1-4

That One - Jesus

Being aware
of where we be
needn’t  keep us
immersed
in what may come

Only one and ourselves alone
know where we be

Only one and He, the Lord
know what may  come

We long to be free
of every strike
and blow
every ache settling
in our bones

So aware
of all holding us down
we miss
The One
The Only One
up above
the reaches of our mind
yet so near

wherever you are
wherever you’ve been
wherever you think your going

The focus
belongs on the Lord

 Stay in the midst of
His awesome Presence

 Embraced within the arms of
His Precious Love

 Strengthened by
His Almighty Power

and
wherever you are
whatever may come

will come to pass

The One who knows
your every move and thought

 The One who knows
yesterday
and tomorrow
and every today

 is with us always

His name

 That One

 JESUS

“I commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.” ~ Psalm 37:5

“I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” ~Matthew 28:20

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” ~ John 1:1-2

The light

The day is cold
The sun is bright
above a cloudless sky
oh what a sight
His light shines
our countenance grows
we less weary
by every weighty burden
we carry

But when the sun
hidden
where none can see
storm clouds gather
oh how frightening it be
The dark of day
The dark of night
away we run
looking for that precious light -
hidden.

“If I say, Surely the darkness shall fall on me, Even the night shall be light about me; Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You.”  ~ Psalm 139:11-12

The gift

The gift
given
Jesus
He who died
in your place
took upon Himself
your sins, everyone

What have you done?
Is it all in vain?
Does the gift you received
remain unopened?
Is it likened to an empty box
with colorful paper
and a pretty bow
decorating a corner of your home
as if to say
“See what I have.”

What is it you have?
Have you opened the gift?
Have you shared its contents?

Or does the gift
just sit upon a shelf
gathering dust
with each passing day

Does the gift of Jesus
given and received
warm your heart
fill you with love
and compassion
and obedience

or does your heart
grow cold and numb
filling you with the ways of the world

Do you reflect God’s love
or Satan’s hate
in your life?

(c) February 8, 2016

II Corinthians 5:20-21, 6:1 – “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”

II Corinthians 13:5-8 – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. But I trust that you will know that you are not disqualified. Now I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though we may seem disqualified. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.”

Galatians 5:25 – “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

I John 2:15-16 – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Read also Romans 1:17-32 and Galatians 5:16-26

Come

Come
enter into My Presence
wherever you are

Seek
find my goodness, my love, my guiding light

Stay
attentive to My every instruction
and the life you desire
with fullness of joy 
will be yours.

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

February 7, 2016

Come - Seek - Stay

Come 
Seek
Stay 

My Presence
beckons
My Peace 
awaits
My Rest 
restores 

(c) Cathy Orrick Luders

February 6, 2016