A Psalm for Sunday...

Psalm 8

O Lord, Our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Your glory is higher than the heavens.

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, 

silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers-- 

the moon and the stars you set in place--

what are mere mortals that you should think about them,

human beings that you should care for them?

Yet you made them only a little lower than God

and crowned them with glory and honor.

You gave them charge of everything you made,

putting all things under their authority--

the blocks and the herds

and all the wild animals,

the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,

and everything that swims the ocean currents.

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!

Show Me Your Glory......and more from A. W. Tozer...

I just love a good story, don't you? I suppose that my love of history with the stories of great men and women is why I enjoy reading the historical books of the Bible. The stories of people meeting, talking and walking with the Lord God are a wonder to me. Oh how I long for the day when I get to meet Him face to face.

The book of Exodus is a favorite of mine (and aren't they all!) The stories of God's mighty arm extended to free His people and lead them through the dessert places are thrilling. Moses...what a mighty man he was! He experienced an intimate relationship with the Lord like none other.

In Chapter 33 of Exodus, God gives a command to His people to leave the Sinai...to go and claim the land of Promise.

Then the Lord said to Moses, "Depart and go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'To your descendants I will give it.' And I will send My Angel before you..."

Moses took his tent and pitched it outside the camp, far from the camp, and called it the tabernacle of meeting. And it came to pass that everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tabernacle of meeting which was outside the camp....And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tabernacle, that the pillar of cloud descended and stood at the door of the tabernacle, and the Lord talked with Moses...So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend...
Then Moses said to the Lord, "See, You say to me, 'Bring up this people.' But You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said 'I know you by name, and you have also found grace in My sight.' Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You and that I may find grace in Your sight. And consider that this nation is Your people. And He said, 'My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.'"

So the Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.' And he said, 'Please, show me Your glory.' Then He said, 'I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.'

And the Lord said, "Here is a place by Me, and you shall stand on the rock. So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen." (excerpt from Exodus 33, NKJV)

What a story! A real story...flesh and blood people with the very real God of the universe! They were 'friends'. Imagine that for a moment...friendship with Him.

The cry of my heart...

Oh Lord! Show me your glory! I have experienced you in so many ways. You have shown me your Friendship. Now, Lord, please show me Your Glory!

A prayer from The Pursuit of God, by A. W. Tozer:
O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, "Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' name. Amen.

God told Moses that he could not look on His Face because no man could see Him and live.

What a picture of perfect faith is portrayed in this passage...to not be able to see the face of your closest, dearest Friend...

when you are in the valley...that misty lowland or that savage desert place, wandering, wandering...

Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen.

He is there! No, we cannot see His face while we are in the lowlands or the desert places. BUT, we will see His back!

We can know that He was with us all the time as we see Him walking ahead of us to the next place wherein we will need a display of His Glory!

Take joy, dear one! He is there with you, even now as you sit before this keyboard or read this on your phone...wherever you are the Promise is real.

As the angel said:

Matthew 27 v 7
And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

He promises to be with us in every situation that we face...revealing His Glory, step by step. We may not see Him, but we have the assurance that He was there, is still there and always will be there...
Look! Do you see His back?

Be blessed,

Happy Anniversary, Barb at Bella Vista!

There is a lovely lady who has a beautiful blog! She is having a 200th post giveaway... you will certainly want to stop by Bella Vista and check this out!

Happy 200th Post Anniversary, Barb!!! Bless you...

Please pray....

Sometimes we see the Hand of God at work in small ways. This weekend, my family has seen Him working in the most awesome, magnificent ways!

My son-in-law's sister became ill and was in the hospital this last week. He, being the good brother that he is, felt compelled to make the trip from Atlanta to New Hampshire to make sure everything was okay. He headed to the airport, but his flight was delayed 2 hours.

During this time, his sister was released from the hospital and was at home with their Mom. When it came time for Mom to leave to pick up Trip at the airport, she looked up at the house and saw flames coming from the garage area roof. The smoke alarms had not as yet gone off. She dialed 911 and then went back in the house to get her daughter, and the dogs.

If my Son-in-law had not been delayed by two hours, this could have been a very different story as his Mom would not have been at home when the fire started. His sister, having come home from the hospital would likely have been asleep in the house.

It seems that the cause of the fire was most likely an electrical fault, something totally unanticipated.

However...

Psalm 85:13
Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.
(New International Version)

Ps 1:6
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
(from New International Version)

Ps 5:12
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous;
you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
(New International Version)

Psalm 34:15-19
The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry;
the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

A righteous man may have many troubles,but the LORD delivers him from them all;
(New International Version)

Thank you, Lord, that as we walk in your ways, Your Hand is upon us...leading us, guiding us, protecting us.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

(Please pray for this family as they pick up their lives quite literally from the ashes! If I have erred in any of the above facts, please forgive me as my sources are quite emotional at this early time frame. If you would like to know more, please visit: http://www.wmur.com/slideshow/21616880/detail.html?taf=man )

Be blessed,