Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 76:7
"Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?"
This made me think of the last days. Then I read the footnote and saw this.
"For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"
(Revelation 6:17)
I know when God's judgments comes to the earth no one will escape it. Those that are proud will fall & tremble out of fear, those that love God will bow in reverence to Him, until everyone confesses that Jesus is the Christ.
"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
(Philippians 2:11)
"For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God."
(Romans 14:11)
"And this shall be the sound of his trump, saying to all people, both in heaven and in earth, and that are under the earth - for every ear shall hear it, and every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, while they hear the sound of the trump, saying: Fear God, and give glory to him who sitteth upon the throne, forever and ever; for the hour of his judgment is come."
(Doctrine and Covenants 88:104)
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 75:9
"But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob."
There is nothing better than having a stake or general conference where we all stand together and sing. It just touches my heart. I missed it even more when my ward was so small, and no one sang very loud. Now we have more members in our ward and the hymn singing is once again so beautiful and powerful. I love hearing all the voices blending together. What a marvelous sound it will be when the Lord comes again and we all sing praises to him together. This made me go find and listen to the video of a thousand people singing "Angels We Have Heard on High". Might be a Christmas song but those are the best songs singing praise to the Son of God. I imagine the same type of songs we will sing when he comes again.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 74:18
"Remember this, that the enemy hath reproached, O Lord, and that the foolish people have blasphemed thy name."
This made me think of this commandment.
"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
(Exodus 20:7)
How foolish indeed are those that take the Lord God's name in vain. It hurts my heart as I hear it so casually used. Some are so used to swearing they don't even know what they are saying. They speak the words of a fool. As I have often thought upon this frequently abused commandment I have come to see it as a cursing that the individual asks God to pronounces upon their own head. For if I can pray to God for deliverance and he hears me, how powerful are the words when he is called in vain? Truly it is foolishness to think there are no repercussions for committing this sin. The first I believe is spiritual death, for the spirit cannot reside in such a tabernacle.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 73:24
"Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory."
I thought about how I am guided. The scriptures and counsel of the prophets guide me, for they speak the words of Christ. The footnote refers me to "Conscience". Which I believe is the light of Christ to everyone to know right from wrong.
"For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God."
The light of Christ is my guide. Through the spirit I will be lead to understand what is right, and the path that leads back to Him.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 72:13
"He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy."
The chapter header says, "David speaks of Solomon, who is made a type of the Messiah - He will have dominion - His name will endure forever - All nations will call him blessed - The whole earth will be filled with the glory of the Lord."
This verse made me think about the Sermon on the Mount. Given by the Lord in the New Testament and in the Book of Mormon after his resurrection.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:3)
"Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(3 Nephi 12:3)
Being poor and needy has nothing to do with money. It has everything to do with my heart and humbly turning to the Lord for deliverance. I need Him. Only then can He save my soul.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 71:1
"In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion."
I pondered on confusion, no sense of direction. It made me think of this verse.
"But if it be not right you shall have no feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget that thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me."
"Doctrine and Covenants 9:9)
If I went against the stupor of thought and did my own will, that truly would lead to confusion. Trusting in the Lord, means I listen to the prompting of the spirit. Acting upon His will would never put me to confusion.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 70:2
"Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt."
I pondered on how I have been seeing this time and time again on social media. Someone tries to destroy or spread hate and the tables just turn on them. Quite a messy war I see going on. Effectively them seem to take themselves out. Wouldn't it be lovely if the word would simply read the scriptures and learn what behavior does and doesn't work.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 69:4
"They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away."
I happened to stumble upon this dream by Joseph Smith and this verse made me ponder on it.
"In the evening I attended meeting in the Seventies' Hall. George J. Adams preached and I made some observations afterwards, and related a dream which I had a short time since. I thought I was riding out in my carriage, and my guardian angel was along with me. We went past the Temple and had not gone much further before we espied two large snakes so fast locked together that neither of them had any power. I inquired of my guide what I was to understand by that. He answered, "Those snakes represent Dr. Foster and Chauncey L. Higbee. They are your enemies and desire to destroy you, but you see they are so fast locked together that they have no power to themselves to hurt you. I then thought I was riding up Mulholland street, but my guardian angel was not along with me. On arriving at the prairie, I was overtaken and seized by William and Wilson Law and others, saying, "Ah, ah! we have got you at last! We will secure you and put you in a safe place!" and, without any ceremony dragged me out of my carriage, tied my hands behind me, and threw me into a deep, dry pit, where I remained in a perfectly helpless condition, and they went away. While struggling to get out, I heard Wilson Law screaming for help hard by. I managed to unloose myself so as to make a spring, when I caught hold of some grass which grew at the edge of the pit.
I looked out of the pit and saw Wilson Law at a distance attacked by ferocious wild beasts, and heard him cry out, "Oh Brother Joseph, come and save me!" I replied, "I cannot, for you have put me into this deep pit." On looking out another way, I saw William Law with outstretched tongue, blue in the face, and the green poison forced out of his mouth, caused by the coiling of a large snake around his body. It had also grabbed him by the arm, a little above the elbow, ready to devour him. He cried out in the intensity of his agony. "Oh, Brother Joseph, Brother Joseph, come and save me, or I die!" I also replied to him, "I cannot, William; I would willingly, but you have tied me and put me in this pit, and I am powerless to help you or liberate myself." In short time after my guide came and said aloud, "Joseph, Joseph, what are you doing there?" I replied, "My enemies fell upon me, bound me and threw me in." He then took me by the hand, and drew me out of the pit, set me free, and we went away rejoicing. (June 13, 1844)
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 368-369)
I pondered on the enemies of righteousness can be mighty, in their own strength. But, I have seen them fight amongst themselves and accomplish nothing.
"But, behold, the judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the children of men unto bloodshed."
(Mormon 4:5)
While they are fighting amongst themselves the Lord's work continues to move forth.
"That no weapon formed against them shall prosper; that he who diggeth a pit for them shall fall into the same himself;"
(Doctrine and Covenants 109:25)
At some point evil will think it has won. Yet on judgment day they will be restored to exactly what they are.
"And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame - mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption - raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on the one hand, the other on the other -
The one raised to happiness according to his desire of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh."
(Alma 41:5)
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 68:28
"Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us."
This verse made me thing of this.
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
(Ether 12:27)
I have found in the Lord I am equal to the task ahead of me, when I trust Him. He makes me stronger than I am able. It is a overwhelming miracle to me how He makes this happen. For I know exactly what he had to work with.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 66:5-6
"Come and see the works of God:he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him."
So I really have a hard time when I see God referred to as terrible. I don't think him a terrible God, but a loving and merciful one. Then I thought of the "great and the terrible day of the Lord" to come. It will be a great day for those that love the Lord. Yet that very day will be terrible for those that rejected Him. Same as the Egyptians that were buried in the depths of the sea. I guess the reference to God being terrible depends on which way you are looking at Him.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 65:1-2
"Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come."
This made me think about what happened to me and my good friend Laura this past Saturday. We met at my house so we could carpool together up to Centerville's Family Discovery Day. As Laura started to pull out of my drive way I stopped her, so we could say a prayer for our safety and protection first. We head 1 1/2 blocks down the road to the intersection. The light was green as we were approaching and then turned yellow as we entered the intersection. All of a sudden I saw a car speeding through the intersection against the light. I gasped and Laura turned the wheel hard to avoid what would have been a horrible accident. It rather stunned us. We continued a couple blocks before Laura pulled over and this time she said a prayer of thanksgiving for the protection we just received. The thanking is just as important as the asking in the eyes of the Lord.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 64:3
"Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:"
David maybe saying this about his enemies, but I marveled how fitting this is today. I witness the same thing happening on social media. Bitter words slicing and wounding each other. I cannot look upon the gore. God is the same yesterday, today and forever - and it appears in a way so is evil.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 63:6
"When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches."
Waking in the middle of the night with insomnia used to be so difficult. I would toss and turn and sleep would escape me. Now when I wake my first thought is what is the Lord going to teach me? I grab my cell phone and begin to read my scriptures while laying in my bed. I can read for hours with such a hunger to learn. Scriptures will just open up to me. When sleep starts to come, I actually resent it. But, I know I must rest if only for 20 minutes before my day must begin. I marvel that I am not exhausted from my lack of sleep. It's like my body was at rest while my soul was feasting on the words of the Lord.
I guess I'm not alone in awaking in the middle of the night to be taught. Samuel as a child heard his name during the night. It was Eli that taught him to say "Speak; for thy servant heareth." and the Lord came to him. Even Joseph the father of Jesus was raised from sleep by an angel of the Lord. The KSL program "President Nelson: Brilliant Mind, Gentle Heart" has President & Sister Nelson speaking of him receiving revelation during the middle of the night. It's funny how you can have such a paradigm shift over waking up in the middle of the night. The difference is who's will am I seeking to serve.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 62:8
"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."
I pondered on how many times I have sought refuge in the Lord. The difference is so striking between the times I have been a fair weather friend and now. Things would go well and I forgot God. It was only when it got difficult that I called on Him. One day I realized I was in this terrible cycle. I wondered if terrible things kept happening to me because it was the only way I gave God some attention? I aimed to change it and I am the better for it. Now there isn't that panic when trials come. I have a relationship with the Lord that keeps the refuge in place. It's always there. I just have to trust Him as he closes the shutters and lights the fire while the winds blow. In His due time he will calm the storm. Inside is this comfort, protection and peace passing all understanding. I am home.
This made me think of the hymn "Master, the Tempest is Raging" and I found this beautiful song arranged and sung by Emily Mower. It filled my soul.
Master, the Tempest is Raging
Master, the tempest is raging!
The billows are tossing high!
The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness.
No shelter or help is nigh.
Carest thou not that we perish?
How canst thou lie asleep
When each moment so madly is threat’ning
A grave in the angry deep?
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Be still.
Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in my grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled.
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o’er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Be still.
Master, the terror is over.
The elements sweetly rest.
Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored,
And heaven’s within my breast.
Linger, O blessed Redeemer!
Leave me alone no more,
And with joy I shall make the blest harbor
And rest on the blissful shore.
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Peace, peace, peace, peace be still.
Be still
Peace, be still.
Peace, be still.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 61:5, 8
"For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name.
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows."
This made me think of prayer. Prayer is a daily habit now, but there are times I get rushed in the morning and am late saying them. It is during these times that things do not run smoothly. I cannot overlook the importance of prayer to start my day. When I finally stop and pray its like a clean slate just happened and things become manageable again. When I take the Lord's name upon me, saying I will always remember Him, I find he reminds me.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 60:11
"Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man."
I know God can answer my prayers through other people. This makes me think of the story of the drowning man.
The Drowning Man
A fellow was stuck on his rooftop in a flood. He was praying to God for help. Soon a man in a rowboat came by and the fellow shouted to the man on the roof, "Jump in, I can save you." The stranded fellow shouted back, "No, it's OK, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me." So the rowboat went on. Then a motorboat came by. The fellow in the motorboat shouted, "Jump in, I can save you." To this the stranded man said, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the motorboat went on.Then a helicopter came by and the pilot shouted down, "Grab this rope and I will lift you to safety." To this the stranded man again replied, "No thanks, I'm praying to God and he is going to save me. I have faith." So the helicopter reluctantly flew away.Soon the water rose above the rooftop and the man drowned. He went to Heaven. He finally got his chance to discuss this whole situation with God, at which point he exclaimed, "I had faith in you but you didn't save me, you let me drown. I don't understand why!" To this God replied, "I sent you a rowboat and a motorboat and a helicopter, what more did you expect?"
Whether or not a man knows he is on the Lord's errand I have to acknowledge God's hand in preparing the way. It is a saving help regardless. The help from a vain man, without God, may give me worldly advice that would make me spiritually drown. For this I must be careful. The bottom line is I have to look at the source.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 59:9, 16-17
"Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.
But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy."
As I was pondering on these words I realized you cannot sing aloud without someone hearing you. If God is my defence and refuge then I need to testify of it. When I testify of gospel truths and God's hand in my life, I am strengthened in my own faith.
"Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you."
(Doctrine and Covenants 62:3)
Bruce R. McConkie (Quorum of the Twelve) said:
"The relationship between the bearing of testimony by the power of the Holy Ghost and the forgiveness of sins illustrates a glorious gospel truth. It is that whenever faithful saints gain the companionship of the Holy Spirit, they are clean and pure before the Lord, for the Spirit will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle. Hence, they thereby receive a remission of those sins committed after baptism."
(The Mortal Messiah 3:40)
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 58:1-2
"Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth."
This made me ponder on the violence on the earth today. How wickedness is the root cause of it. Have we judged uprightly those that commit crimes? I thought of recent articles I have read. Teachers being frustrated and unable to teach, because of the unruliness of the children. How the parents turn around and support their children in bad behaviors. We are actually encouraging violence and wickedness when we judge unrighteously, and let those off that should face judgment.
This made me think of Proverbs 12:24
"He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes."
The rod does not need to be a weapon of discipline, though I know the switch to my bottom taught me to listen and obey my parents. I am the better raised with it. The rod in this verse makes me think of the iron rod, the word of God. When parents do not teach the word of God to their children then how can they feel accountable for anything.
I just had to find the hymn "The Iron Rod". This one has all the verses and was so powerful. It made me think of how desperately homes today need the influence or good and honorable men in them. That will teach their children right from wrong, and the word of God.
The Iron Rod
To Nephi, seer of olden time,
A vision came from God,
Wherein the holy word sublime
Was shown an iron rod.
Hold to the rod, the iron rod;
'Tis strong, and bright, and true.
The iron rod is the word of God;
'Twill safely guide us through.
While on our journey here below,
Beneath temptation's pow'r,
Through mists of darkness we must go,
In peril ev'ry hour.
And when temptation's pow'r is nigh,
Our pathway clouded o'er,
Upon the rod we can rely,
And heaven's aid implore.
Hold to the rod, the iron rod;
'Tis strong, and bright, and true.
The iron rod is the word of God;
'Twill safely guide us through.
And, hand o'er hand, the rod along,
Through each succeeding day,
With earnest prayer and hopeful song,
We'll still pursue our way.
Afar we see the golden rest
To which the rod will guide,
Where, with the angels bright and blest,
Forever we'll abide.
Hold to the rod, the iron rod;
'Tis strong, and bright, and true.
The iron rod is the word of God;
'Twill safely guide us through.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 57:1, 7
"Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast.
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."
Where is my refuge, while I stay in the shadow of the Lord's watchful arms? I seek refuge in the house of the Lord. Turning to the words of the Lord. I also seek refuge in the hymns. They heal my soul and bring me strength. These verses once again had me turn to my favorite hymn and just let my heart melt into it.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace
Streams of mercy never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it, mount of thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I've come
And I hope by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wondering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
O to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be!
Let thy goodness like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 56:3
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee."
This has been such a light to me. When I am afraid, no matter the situation, I have learned it is not the Lord speaking to me. Conscientiously, I stop to recognize that. I then turn in prayer to the Lord asking him to carry my burdens and fears. Take them from me so I can hear the promptings of the spirit and know His will. Then peace comes as I learn to trust Him no matter what. He knows the direction I am headed and will guide me through it. I am amazed how quickly he brings peace and resolves the trials before me as I trust Him. I will never be without trials, but I appreciate passing through them more quickly.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 55:5, 17, 22
"Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.
Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."
David enemies hate him and seek his life. He moves from fear and wanting to flee, to seeking comfort in prayer. Casting his burden upon the Lord sustains him. I pondered on how this truly is an example of how to get through the trials of these last days. Prayer is such a simple thing, but so vital to the soul. God cannot sustain me if I do not seek Him.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 54:4
"Behold, God is mine helper: the Lord is with them that uphold my soul."
On this Sabbath day I thought of those the uphold my soul. I could count many. The first among them are his chosen prophet and apostles that just spoke to me last week during general conference. Then I thought of all those that bore their testimonies at church today or shared during a lesson. Each of them strengthened me in the Lord and feed my soul. This would not have been possible if the spirit had not been with them.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 53:1
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good."
Had an interesting conversation with my family during scripture reading this week. We got onto the subject of apostasy and destroying another's faith. Who would be at fault, the one that lead the person away, or the one lead away? Honestly I have no idea on a person's heart or knowledge that they had prior to being lead away, but I think both are accountable for their actions. I hope I never stand in the shoes of either individual. All I can work on is myself and my personal relationship with my Savior.
This scripture makes me ponder on that again. For I think the heart of the matter is corruption had to be in both places. I have my agency, and no one can take from me my faith, unless I let them. If I stop working on my testimony or let pride or sin overcome me, then I am ripe for corruption. I am one of the five foolish virgins without oil in my lamp.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 52:8
"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever."
What is a green olive tree? The footnote takes me to Jeremiah 11:16
"The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and of goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he hath kindled fire upon it, and the branches of it are broken.
I want to be considered a "green olive tree", fair and of goodly fruit.. I am learning to trust in the Lord's mercy for I see it has been extended to me over and over again. The more I look, the more I find how merciful He is to me. I just don't know how I would endure, if I did not have his mercy.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 51:17
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."
I looked at my notes from this LDS General Conference. It was Elder Goday that said in the Saturday, 31 Mar 2018 session, "Sacrifice...gives sacred things meaning."
The sacrifice that God asks is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. I sacrifice any pride or my own will for a humble heart that will serve God. It makes me think of the experience I had a couple years ago.
"In the middle of the night I was woken up hearing the word "Broken" clearly spoken to my mind. The though immediately came to me that when a horse is broken it becomes tamed. I knew it was an answer to a little gospel question I had pondered off an on. How does one have a broken heart and a contrite spirit? Now I knew that to be broken meant to become tamed. I pictured then a beautiful horse with a rider galloping in unison together. The rider taking the reins was the Savior and he guided that horse where it needed to go. It could even go into battle and avoid all the traps that lay ahead of them.
I understood then that to be tamed meant I let the Savior have control of the reins. That my life would be beautiful no matter what lies ahead of me. He would always be with me. I had much to ponder on how horses are broken, and what better service they can render when they are tamed. It was a beautiful personal parable.
Maybe to others that is such a simple thing, but to me it had deep meaning. My spirit yearned to understand the things of God. I wasn't obsessed over wanting to understand it, I just knew some day when I was ready it would come. God works in his own way. Even if the answer comes in the middle of the night with a single word."
This experience changed me. I have since tried to let the Lord take the reins and I can only say the ride has been amazing. I stand in awe of the Master rider. He knows the way around the dangers and trials I have faced with a percussion and timing beyond my comprehension. Seeing further ahead then I ever thought possible. I will let him remain in control.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 50:15
"And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me."
I pondered on how many times I have seen trouble and God has delivered me. The most important thing afterwards is to acknowledge God's hand in all things. That the matter was not resolved on my own merits. Through all things glorify God's hands in it, and he will continue to rescue me. It seems the rescue comes faster and faster now as I seek Him first and acknowledge my dependency on Him. Then praise Him for his loving mercy shown to me.
I really liked this quote from Elder Robert D. Hales in the March 2018 Ensign article, "He will Make Our Burden Light".
"He has the power to make our burdens light if we will turn to him"
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 49:17
"For when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him."
Must be where the saying "You can't take it with you." comes from. Wealth, power, fame and glory will not follow after me when dead. It is only the essence of who I have become, what I learned, what I experienced, and my relationship with the Lord that have any meaning.
Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 47:7
"For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding."
On this beautiful Resurrection morning I reflect on when I shall sing praises at His feet. How could I even praise Him if I did not understand him. You cannot worship or praise the master you never served or loved. Now is the time for me learn of Him.
