Touching the House of God

This morning, I read the sections in 1 Kings 3-6 and 2 Chronicles 2-3 about the temple Solomon built. As I read, I pondered the appearance of cedar walls and cypress floors. A few verses later, I was reminded that, though Solomon imported cedar and cypress for walls and floors, the boards were not left bare. They were carved with images of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, then overlaid with gold. As I read it, all the floors and walls were covered with gold.

I hate to admit this, because I do plan to spend eternity with God in heaven, but, for the tiniest of moments, I wondered if that looked a little gaudy. Of course it didn't, because, instantly, I was reminded of those heavenly streets paved with gold. Heaven is a breathtakingly beautiful place, and Solomon's temple was, too.

You know it was, because God dwelt there. Of course, He's everywhere, but His Spirit filled that temple, and the Presence must have been overwhelming

You probably remember that Solomon's temple was destroyed. The second temple (really the third temple, but we call it the second temple) was built by Herod. It, too, has been destroyed, but the Western Wall remains today, as does the Western Wall tunnel. It's the closest we can get to what was once the Holy of Holies.  

As I read about the temple this morning, I realized I have touched the literal stones of Herod's literal temple with my very own hands. 

I have touched the back wall of the Holy of Holies. 

I have touched the house of God.

That fact astounds me. 

I went to Israel for one main reason. (There were many other reasons, of course, but this is the one that made up my mind for me.) 

At the dedication of the temple, Solomon prayed the biggest prayer he could pray, and he included me in it.

"Also concerning the foreigner who is not from Thy people Israel, when he comes from a far country for Thy great name's sake and Thy mighty hand and Thine outstretched arm, when the come and pray toward this house, then hear Thou from heaven, from Thy dwelling place, and do according to all the foreigner calls to Thee, in order that all the peoples of the earth may know Thy name, and fear Thee, as do Thy people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Thy name." 2 Chronicles 6:32-33 nasb

Please don't misunderstand what I'm saying. I certainly don't believe that God hears my prayers any less because I pray in Mississippi instead of in Israel, nor that touching an old stone would guarantee an answer to my prayer. 

I saw those verses, realized I was the foreigner who could come from a far country. I was the one who could pray in that place. Those words rang in my heart and I felt God might use my trip, and my time of prayer, to do something special. 

And He did. 

He did a profound work in my heart. He hasn't answered all the prayers I prayed at the Western Wall Tunnel. Yet. But I still believe He will.

I believe that, because I believe God answers all prayers. Yes. No. Later. I believe He hears our prayers and answers them. One way or another. I believe He will respond to the prayers I've prayed this morning and the ones I prayed as I laid, face-down, on the stones of the Western Wall Tunnel three years ago. 

"O Thou who dost hear prayer, to Thee all men come." Psalm 65:2 nasb

God responded to that big prayer Solomon prayed, and it's one of the verses I depend upon. Especially in these tumultuous times.

"If My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14 nasb

When we pray, God hears us. When He hears us, He responds. Regardless of the "size" of our need, our burden, our hurt, or our guilt, we can take it to our God and know that He can handle it. He will help us. He will carry us through. 

Today, let's take all the burdens in our heart to our Heavenly Father and leave them with Him. 

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:6-7 nasb

This is the Western Wall, the most sacred site in Judaism and in Christianity. You can see that the area is divided into two sections. Men pray in the area to the left and women pray in the section to the right. Many people write prayers on slips of paper and slip them between the stones. More than a million prayers are left there each year.

Western Wall tunnel stones.
Women sit in the tunnel throughout the day as they read the Psalms and pray.

If you're interested in a "virtual tour" of the Western Wall and the Western Wall Tunnel, here are a couple of links you can follow:

http://www.businessinsider.com/western-wall-tunnels-israel-jerusalem-temple-photos-2013-1

http://www.aish.com/sem/wtt/82579377.html?mobile=yes
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Shepherd's Shepherd 
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-shepherds-shepherd.html)
If you're following the Hosea study, the link for Chapter Four will be available later today.
http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com 
#prayer #Israel #temple #westernwall

The Shepherd's Shepherd

King David was a shepherd at heart and, as king, he shepherded the nation of Israel. In a way, his care for his people was a living picture of God's care for us. 

Asaph, in Psalm 78, wrote of how Israel had been unfaithful to God. They lied to Him, rebelled against Him, grieved Him, and refused to believe Him or obey Him. 

When God disciplined them, they crawled back, begging for forgiveness. "But their heart was not steadfast." They wanted symptom relief, not the cure repentance could bring. 

Despite all they had done, God chose to give Israel a good king, and He gave them David.

"So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart, and guided them with his skilled hands." Psalm 78:72 nasb

David knew what was important to sheep, and he provided that same care to his people.

Protection.

Provision.

Peace.

Paths of righteousness.

It was a picture of the care God had given to him. 

When I'm overwhelmed with life and the uncertainty of literary pursuits, I try to remember that God offers the same care to me. 

Always vigilant. Always caring. Always prepared to fight off enemies. Always ready with the provision that's needed.

No matter what we face, our God can handle it. He can give us peace in the midst of our trials, victory in our battles, provision in our need. We have only to turn to Him with our whole heart.

Today, let's remember the words of the shepherd boy:

The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures:

he leads me beside quiet waters.

He restores my soul;

He guides me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake. 

Psalm 23:1-3 nasb

God can handle whatever comes our way. He wants to be our shepherd, too, and He will be, if we will follow Him.

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photo courtesy of freeimages.com

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sin That Wrecked a King (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sin-that-wrecked-king.html)

#theLordismyshepherd #disciple #follow 

The Sin That Wrecked a King

My reading this morning focused on the time when Solomon became king. As I read about him, I realized that King Solomon is one of my least favorite Bible people, even though he was the wisest man who ever lived. 

One of his first actions was to make a political alliance by marrying the daughter of the Egyptian Pharoah. Granted, this was before God offered him anything he wanted. Solomon had not yet asked for wisdom, but a wife from Egypt? He didn't have to be the wisest man in the world to know that might not be a good idea.

In Deuteronomy 17, God told the people He would be their King, but He knew there would come a time when they would want a human king. (Leanna Paraphrase coming up) "If you're going to have a king, at least go by my rules about the king." 

God was very specific:

No foreigners could be king.

The king could not send to Egypt to buy horses.

The king could not have multiple wives.

The king was to work with a priest to make his own copy of the law and study it every day.

The king was to carefully obey God.

This section of the law did not say, "The king should not send to Egypt to get a wife," but it should have been obvious from what it did say. 

In his defense, Solomon was young. I don't know where his advisors were or why they didn't try to stop him, but the decision to begin his life of increasing disobedience was his alone. 

Solomon made an error at the start that set him up for a terrible fall. He married one pagan wife after another, and they led him astray. He sacrificed on the high places, even after the temple was built. He sacrificed to idols. 

He built a "high place" for Molech, and he worshipped the idol. His heart was turned away from God by his foreign wives. 

In case you've forgotten, Molech was worshipped with child sacrifices. The child was burned alive as an offering to the god. Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, worshipped at the altar of Molech. It astounds me. (1 Kings 11:1-8)

His sin led to the splitting of the kingdom and the downfall of Israel.

Sin always carries a cost. No matter how much we want what we want, it doesn't come free. 

When I look back on my own life, I see how one bad choice led to another, and another, and many more. If I could redo my life, I'd choose better, but I can't. All that sin was costly to me, personally, and to those who love me (in terms of heartache as they watched). 

Solomon's first sin wasn't burning a child at the altar of Molech. That came later. It started, though, with one bad choice that led to many more. 

Today, let's take a careful look at our lifestyle and the choices we've made. Consider the price our choices have cost us, and what they will cost if we continue on the path we've chosen. Is that a price we want to pay? If not, let's ask God to forgive us, cleanse us, redirect us.

If Solomon had obeyed one simple command, he, and the nation of Israel, could have been spared considerable pain and sorrow:

"And it shall be with him (copy of the law), and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes." Deuteronomy 17:19 nasb

We may not have made the best choices in the past, but we can do better in the future, by the grace of God. If we do what Solomon was supposed to do, we will do better. 

_________________

In case you missed it, here's the link for yesterday's post: The Wonder Dogs, Wandering, and Getting the Best Snacks 
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-wonder-dogs-wandering-and-getting.html)

#sin #sinhasaprice #obedience 

The Wonder Dogs, Wandering, and Getting the Best Snacks

The Wonder Dogs are a little bored with the Hosea project. 

They were thrilled when I first moved my laptop and commentaries to the screened porch to write every day. After a few days, however, they were ready for adventure. 

Yesterday, I let them outside to run around when they got restless. "It'll be time for lunch soon, so don't go far." 

Maggie ran around for a little while then took her favorite spot in the sun. Mamie ran around for a while, then ran around some more.

I stopped for lunch and headed to the kitchen. As I did, I stuck my head out the door and yelled, "Come on, girls. Time for lunch."

Maggie raced for the door.

Mamie did not.

Maggie has a little experience with lunch time, and she likes it. She stayed at my feet while I retrieved roasted chicken from the refrigerator and sliced some to add to my spinach salad. Her big eyes and wagging tail were nearly irresistible (as she knows), so I dropped a few pieces of chicken her way. She gobbled them up and rewarded me with such happy dancing that I gave her a little bit more.

Mamie missed the chicken because she didn't come when called.

When she finally arrived, happy and smiling from her adventure pestering the cat, Mamie went straight to her food bowl. She ate, without any idea that she'd missed the best because she'd been following her own way.

I watched her eat and wondered how many times I've missed God's best because I was following my own way instead of His. How many times I've gotten what I needed instead of the extra God wanted to give because I didn't obey when He called.

Psalm 23 tells us, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."

We have those green pastures and quiet waters when we follow the Shepherd who leads us, not when we (like Mamie) go our own way.

Today, let's be the ones who follow close behind our Shepherd, who come when called. It's not just the right thing for disciples to do. It's the only way to position ourselves to receive all the sweetness of relationship with Him. 

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Here's the link to another Wonder Dog story: The Wonder Dogs Run in Circles: The Search for God (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-wonder-dogs-run-in-circles-search.html)
Here's the link to yesterday's post: A Gift God Doesn't Already Own (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/a-gift-god-doesnt-already-own.html)
#WonderDogs #WednesdayWisdom #disciple #follow

A Gift God Doesn't Already Own

My Chronological Bible Study has finally brought me to my favorite Psalm of all time. Psalm 50. It's the "cattle on a thousand hills" psalm and, every time I read it, I find something new. 

Here's a brief Leanna Paraphrase to get us to the main point. God is speaking against Israel. He's not arguing with them about the sacrifices they have given. He's saying, "Sacrifice something that I don't have. All those cows and goats are mine already. I'm just letting them live in your pastures."

Everything in this world belongs to God. What He desires from us is not what belongs to Him already. He wants something only we can give. A Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. 

The word translated as "thanksgiving" is towdah and means more than sacrifice, more than saying thank you. The word includes "confession, praise, and thanksgiving". When we offer an acceptable sacrifice of thanksgiving, we confess our sin, praise our God, and thank Him for His great generosity to us.
The same word is used to describe "hymns of praise". 

When young king Hezekiah cleansed the temple, he required the priests to consecrate themselves to the Lord. It was only after their consecration that they were to begin offering sacrifices. (2 Chronicles 29:31) Hezekiah was right. An offering of thanks begins with an acknowledgement of our sin and our need for cleansing. 

Today, let's give God something He doesn't have. Followers with deeply grateful hearts. Begin with confession. Praise Him for Who He is. Thank Him for His generosity toward us. 

Today would be a good day to sing hymns of praise to God. Carry a tune in your heart all day long and share it with the Lord. 

Give God something He doesn't already own.

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,

And pay your vows to the Most High;

And call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

Psalm 50:15 nasb

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In case you missed them, here are a couple of other blog posts on the topic of the sacrifice of thanksgiving:
The Turning Point: A Grateful Heart  
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-turning-point-grateful-heart.html)
Being One of the Richest People in the World 
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2015/07/being-one-of-richest-people-in-world.html)

Here's yesterday's link: The Way God Met My Need  
(http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-way-god-met-my-need.html)
#sacrificeofthanksgiving #praiseHim #disciple #TuesdayMotivation

Being One of the Richest People in the World

Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." And He told them a parable, saying, "The land of a rich man was very productive. And he began reasoning to himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God." And He said to His disciples, "For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. (Luke 12:15-22 NASB)

In the previous post, we looked at the foolish man's response to wealth. "Tear the barns down! Build back bigger and better! More! More!" This rich man counted his money and said to himself, (Leanna Paraphrase) "This is enough money to last me as long as I live, even if I live a long time." 

The foolish rich man might have been pleased with his approach to wealth, but God wasn't. Before we look at what God said to the man, let's look at wealth around the world. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that millions of dollars are required for wealth. There are mega-wealthy people, but wealth requires less than you think. It's all a matter of perspective.

I've spent some time this morning reviewing data about world wealth. The numbers might surprise you. According to Gallup, the median annual household income worldwide is $9,733. (or $1,225 depending on what source you read. Regardless, it's much lower than most of us in this country have.) 

The median annual household income in Liberia is $781 with an annual median per capita income of $118. In Rwanda, the median annual household income is $1101; median annual per capita is $235. (1) Not much is it? 

Think about being limited to that amount of money for an entire year. My income looks outrageously extravagant in comparison, and yours probably does, too.

According to Daily Mail, nearly half of the world's richest people live in the United States. To make it into the "wealthiest people in the world category" requires an after tax income of $34,000.(2)  

Why do these numbers matter? Perspective. When our view of wealth is the uber-rich of the world, who fly in personal jets, wear designer clothes, and feast on champagne and caviar, we lose the understanding of the blessings God has given us. 

We are among the most blessed people in the world. We are among the richest people in the world. We serve a God who owns it all. The only appropriate response is deep, consuming gratitude for His great generosity to us.

Years ago, I was worried about my finances and the future. I found a passage of Scripture that changed both my attitude about money and my life. 

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving And pay your vows to the Most High; Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." (Psalms 50:14-15 NASB)

When I'm concerned about something (not just finances, but anything), I offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. I consider giving thanks when I'm worried a sacrifice, because all I want to do is whine to God about my need for Him to solve my problem. 

What I've found is that giving thanks begets gratitude. As I move through my life, house, and across my property, giving thanks for the things God has already given me, I am overwhelmed by the breadth of blessing I have received. I find myself giving thanks nonstop because that's how God has blessed me. Nonstop.

Do you want to know what happens after a little sacrificial thanksgiving? I find myself saying, "I love you, Lord," over and over. Because I do. LOVE is the only appropriate response to kind of extravagance God has shown to us.

Just yesterday, I needed a tall person to help me with several tasks I couldn't do for myself. A light bulb on my highest ceiling needed to be replaced. Several panels on the greenhouse roof had blown out in a storm and needed to be secured before the next rain (which turned out to be last night). 

Yesterday morning, I prayed that God would send me a tall person. I have laughed off and on since I received a text from someone who wanted a quick job for cash saying, "Do you need any work done? I have one hour and a tall boy who will work, too." That tall boy was a gift from God and the work I desperately needed done was quickly accomplished. 

The text about the tall boy was one more assurance that God is in control and concerned about even the tiniest details of my life. I am extravagantly blessed. And you are, too.

For today, let's stop grumbling about all that's wrong in our country and all that is evil in our culture. Let's focus on the generosity of our sweet God who has given us far more than we deserve. Let's give thanks as a sacrifice and keep giving thanks until we are so overwhelmed with gratitude that we can't stop. 

To live as those who are redeemed, we need to understand the gift we have been given. For today, let's begin by thanking God for His gift of salvation, for the people in our lives, for the safety of home and hearth, for health. Then, walk through every room of your home. Touch every item. Thank God for it. 

Everything we have, tangible and intangible, is a gift from God. Let's be sure to give Him thanks. It will change our lives. It might just change the world around us, too.

(1) http://www.gallup.com/poll/166211/worldwide-median-household-income-000.aspx 
(2)http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2082385/We-1--You-need-34k-income-global-elite--half-worlds-richest-live-U-S.html

The Sign

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 NASB)

And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 NASB)

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD." Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. (Jonah 2:1, 9-10 NASB)

At last, we come to the sign of Jonah. In his rebellion, Jonah became a prodigal. He ran as far as he could to get away from the call of God on his life, then boarded a ship and went even further. He was determined to avoid obedience, but that determined avoidance came at a terrible price. 

God responded to Jonah sin with a powerful storm that engulfed all those around him and threatened to turn deadly at any moment. The sailors, veterans of many storms, were terrified by this one. Desperate for answers, they turned to Jonah. "Save yourselves and throw me overboard," he told them. In desperation, out of options and as a last resort, they did. 

What no one could have known was that God had already made a provision for Jonah, and a giant fish was waiting for him. When Jonah was tossed overboard, it appeared that all hope was gone. He sank into the depths and, at just the right time, the great fish swallowed him whole. In that inky darkness, Jonah rediscovered his faith and his Lord.

He repented of his sin and promised to obey what he had vowed to God he would do. For three days and three nights, Jonah was in the belly of the fish before it vomited him onto dry land. When his feet his dry land, Jonah was a changed man.

When Jesus told the people of his day that the only sign they would receive was the sign of Jonah, this is the sign of which He was speaking. 

As Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights, so Jesus would be in the belly of the earth for three days and three nights. 

As Jonah was changed by his confinement, so Jesus would be changed. 

As Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so Jesus would be a sign to be the people. 

As Jonah's confinement in the belly of the fish was God's response to sin and rebellion, so Jesus' confinement in the belly of the earth was God's response to sin and rebellion. 

The vital difference in the two situations is that the sin and rebellion in Jonah's situation was his own. The sin and rebellion that led to Jesus' entombment, his death, was ours, yours and mine. His resurrection serves as proof that He has conquered the sin and rebellion we could not.

Jonah served as a sign to the people that there was no sin so great that God could not forgive, no prodigal escape so far away that God could not reach, no situation so hopeless that God could not intervene. Jesus' death served as the once-and-for-all payment for that sin, the once-and-for-all rescue for prodigal escapes, the once-and-for-all intervention for all hopeless situations.

Like Jonah, we are all prodigals. Some of us are running prodigals and some of us are staying prodigals. We all wander from God in our hearts, even when we do not run with our feet. It's a simple problem of rebellion. There is a God and we are not it. We want our own way, but His is best. Rebellion will not change those facts.

Aren't you tired of being a prodigal? Aren't you tired of seeking your own way, rather than God's? Aren't you tired of the storms that  result from your rebellion? Consider the sign of Jonah. Resurrection and a fresh start are available, and they can begin right this minute if you are willing.

From the belly of the darkest place on earth, Jonah called out to the Lord and He answered Him. He will do no less for you and me. Jonah found that salvation comes from the Lord. It still does. Call out to Him. He will not fail to respond.

The Way God Met My Need

One of my morning Psalms today contained words that spoke to me and reminded me of my grandmother.

"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, 

and shall declare Thy mighty acts. 

Psalm 144:3 nasb

Parents and grandparents are to tell their children and grandchildren about all the sweet things God does for them every day. As we do, we will train them to see God at work around them. That presumes, of course, that we can see God at work around us.

The Psalm continued with these words:

And men shall speak of the power of Thy awesome acts;

And I will tell of Thy greatness. 

Psalm 144:6 nasb

With those words in mind, I'm going to share one of those sweet things God did for me yesterday.

There has been so much going on in my life lately that I have hardly known which way to turn. I won't list it all, but I have a crazy number of projects underway. I've been swamped. And very nearly overwhelmed.

My church is having a four-day Thirst Revival this week. I hate to admit it, but I didn't really want to go to the revival. I was worn out and I needed a break, not another meeting. Or so I thought.

I left church yesterday morning as tired as I went, and wondered if I would get revived or not.

You may not do this, but, last afternoon, I struggled with whether or not to go back to church. The fear that I might miss a mighty move of God was the reason I finally decided I should go. 

I prayed that God would begin His revival with me. "I don't want to pass time in a pew. Do something, Lord."

He did.

Last night, the preacher talked about idols in our lives. He asked us to write down the idol we needed to give up, take it to the altar, and leave it there. 

What was so unusual was that he talked about idols, but I thought he talked about the burdens that were weighing me down. I had some questions for the Lord about a few issues in my life, and the preacher answered every one of them. When he got to the "write down the idol" section, I heard him say to write down my burdens, take them to the altar, and leave them there. 

So I did.

It was only after I got home that I realized I had heard a different sermon than he had preached. It was the very sermon I needed to hear.

Here's what was so surprising. At the very moment (at the exact time) that I was at the altar, giving my concern to the Lord, an email landed in my inbox. When I got home, I found the email and read words that encouraged me to press on. They validated my efforts. "In case you've wondered..." it said. 

Those words were exactly what I needed to hear in regard to the issues I'd taken to the altar, as were the preacher's words. Any one of those things might have happened separately, but only God put all those things together at once.

It reminded me of a verse from Luke. I love the way The Message puts it.

"There was a lot more of this - words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them." (Luke 3:18 MSG)

The words I heard last evening gave me strength and put heart in me, and I'm grateful for them. I saw the orchestration of God, in both words and timing, and it, too, strengthened me.

That orchestration of those words yesterday was one of those works of God we are supposed to tell others about. God saw my need and He met it. Exactly as I needed it met. It was like cool refreshment on a hot summer day.

When I share that little incident, I am praising God's works and declaring His mighty acts, telling of His greatness, speaking of the power of His awesome deeds.

We don't serve a God of paper on print, merely a story in a book. We serve a God who is intimately involved in all our days. Let's rejoice in His goodness and share the news with all who will listen.

What about you? What have you seen God do in the last few days? 

Don't just soak His goodness up like a sponge. Be a sieve. Allow the goodness of God to pass through you to those around you as you share the news of all He's done.

Praise His holy name.
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Sweetness of Snuggling  (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-sweetness-of-snuggling.html) 

#PraiseHim #MondayMeditation #faithlife

The Sweetness of Snuggling

I'm working my way through the Psalms in my morning devotions and found a verse this morning that was too precious not to share. 

"Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; 

Like a weaned child rests against his mother, 

My soul is like a weaned child within me." 

Psalm 131:2 nasb

David wrote a precious word-picture of his relationship with the Lord. He was writing about the hope he had in the Lord. In the previous verse, he said he didn't involve himself in "great matters or things too difficult for me". 

Although David was a warrior-king who united the nation and took it to its finest hour, he still considered himself a simple man with a simple faith. He described his relationship with the Lord in simple terms, too.

When a child is tired, upset, or afraid, he quiets himself by snuggling against his mother's chest. She wraps her arms around him, holds him tight, and croons to him with the sweet language of mother-love. The child burrows into her embrace and is calmed. Composed. Quieted.

In that same way, when David needed comfort and quiet, he spent time in the presence of his Lord. For him, the time was like a child snuggling against his mother. He found comfort and peace there.

We, too, can find that same snuggling-comfort with our Lord when we approach Him with humility, thanksgiving, and praise. When we abandon our wish-list and are still in His presence, we can find the calm, composed, quiet that David found.

For a moment let's remember the times we snuggled against our own mother, the times we snuggled our own children.

Now, consider having that same sweet comfort with our Lord. 

Ah, how precious.

It can be ours, if we will but be approach Him with our longing and be still long enough to let Him draw us close and love us.

Today, be still. Be quiet. Listen to the sound of our Lord all around us. Snuggle in to His love and embrace the deep intimacy of Jehovah-shalom, The God Who Is Our Peace.
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The photo above is of a fountain in Nazareth, Jesus' earthly home town.
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Lesson three of the Hosea study is now live and here's the link: http://lessonsindiscipleship.blogspot.com/2016/05/hosea-3-complete-chapter.html

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Not-so-secret Password (http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-not-so-secret-password.html) 

#knowingGod #peace #intimacywithGod #snuggle