Sunday Scripture

 

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is the last post of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Isaiah 60:1-9. 

S= "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
"For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples, but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee.
"And the darkness shall come to the light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
"Lift up thine eyes round about, and see; they all gather themselves together, they shall come to thee; thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
"Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged, because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the nations shall come unto thee.
"The multitude of camels shall cover thee; the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; they all from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall show forth the praises of the LORD.
"All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee; they shall come up with acceptance on mine altar, and I will glorify the house of my glory.
"Who are these that fly like a cloud, and like the doves to their windows?
"Surely the coasts shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the LORD, thy God,  and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee.  (Isaiah 60:1-9)

O= In the Scofield Study Bible, C.I. Scofield titles chapter 60 of Isaiah "Glorious Zion in the Kingdom Age."  

In With the Word, Warren Wiersbe focuses on three words that sum up the various sections of Isaiah 60.  Two of them describe our passage.

For verses 1-3 (and also v. 19-22) he uses the word "light".  He notes: "As Isaiah looked ahead to the redeemed people and the restored city of Zion, the thing that impressed him most was glory.  It would be the dawning of a new day for the nation."

For verses 4-9 he chooses the word "unity".  He writes, "Jews and Gentiles alike will delight in worshiping and serving God.  Our world is plagued by division and conflict, but one day, God will give peace."

Cross-references for "risen upon thee" (v.1) --"And I will gather the remnant of My flock out of the countries to which I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase." (Jeremiah 23:3)

"And so all Israel shall be saved, as it is written, There shall come out of Zion a Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." (Romans 11:26)

Cross-references for "glory" (v. 2) -- "And the LORD will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night; for upon all the glory shall be a defense."  (Isaiah 4:5)

"And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did light it, and the Lamb is the lamp of it.  And the nations of them who are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it."  (Revelation 21:23-24)

Cross-reference for "light" (v.3) -- "I, the LORD, have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the nations."  (Isaiah 42:6)

The above is clearly speaking of Christ.

Cross-reference for "come to thee" (v.4) -- "Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold; all these gather themselves together, and come to thee."  (Isaiah 49:18a)

Cross-reference for "Ephah" (v.6) -- "And the sons of Midian: Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah.  All these were the children of Keturah." [Abraham's second wife following the death of Sarah.]

Cross-reference for "Kedar" (v.7) -- "And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Israel, Nebaioth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam."  (Genesis 25:13)

Verses 14-15 of Genesis 25 go on to list 8 more sons of Ishmael.  So Kedar was one of twelve sons of Ishmael.  And Nebaioth (also in verse 7) was Kedar's eldest brother, according to Genesis 25:13.

Cross-reference for "acceptance" (v.7) -- "Even them will I bring to My holy mountain, and m ake them joyful in My house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon Mine altar; for Mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all peoples."  (Isaiah 56:7)

Cross-reference for "glorify" (v.7) -- "And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts ... The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former, saith the LORD of hosts; and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts."  (Habakkuk 2:7-9)

Cross-reference for "bring thy sons from far" (v.9) -- "Thus saith the Lord GOD: Behold, I will lift up Mine hand to the nations; and set up My standard to the peoples; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders."  (Isaiah 49:22)

Warren Wiersbe writes in Be Comforted, his Bible study on Isaiah: " 'Arise and shine!' is God's 'wake-up call' to Jerusalem because a new day is dawning for Israel.  This light is not from the sun, but from the glory of God shining on the city.

    "God's glory had once dwelt in the tabernacle, only to depart because of Israel's sin.  God's glory then came into the temple, but it departed when the nation turned to idols.  The glory came to Israel in the person of Jesus Christ, but the nation nailed that glory to a cross."

A= For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"May His glory be seen in me." -- Rachel Wojo

My thoughts about this: These verses are all about God's glory.  God wants me, and all of His people, to bring glory to Him with our lives.

 

"Today, God's glory dwells in His church and in His people individually; but one day His glory will be revealed to the earth when He answers His people's prayer: 'Thy kingdom come'." -- Warren Wiersbe

 
Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "radiant". 

 
The question was asked: Which of my own words have blocked the beauty of God's Word?

My response in 2018: Maybe my worries and concerns as to what people may be thinking of me or may be saying about me.  I need to pay attention to bringing glory to God, and leave everything else in His hands.

Answering this same question in 2024: Life feels a little uncertain right now with our national circumstances.  But I must look to all that I know about God and not to the circumstances.  And there is so much truth about God just in these few verses from Job!

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the places I go; the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the words I read, I recently came across an essay by Hal Borland in a 1960s Readers' Digest magazine.  Titled October Splendor, the essay gave a lovely picture of October in New England.

For the air I breathe, it's been a joy to get out in the fresh air and walk many mornings lately.

For the weather I experience, I mentioned a string of perfect September days.  It felt like such a gift!

For the rest I receive, I'm so thankful that at the recent ladies' retreat, I slept all night.  That was unusual, as I don't usually sleep all night.  What a blessing not to have to leave the cabin to go out to the rest room.

A journaling prompt was this:  List one or more ideas to remind myself to intentionally look for God's beauty throughout the day.

My response in 2018: Go for a walk if possible.  Enjoy birdsong.  Breathe deeply.  Notice the beauty of God's Word.  Appreciate the beauty of the privilege of prayer. 

For my response in 2024, I added: Observe the leaves just beginning to turn color on isolated trees -- splashes of red and orange.  Notice the night sky -- the moon looks like a mandarin orange slice right now, and I recently observed several planets.  Watch for the progress as the sedum we planted at camp gradually changes color.

P= "Lord,  I thank You for how You have worked in my life through this study.  It has been a true exercise in looking to You and not my circumstances.  My circumstances personally in 2018, and circumstances in our country in 2024, have been especially challenging, but this study has forced me to see Your beauty in spite of them. What a blessing it has been to focus on Your beauty!  May I continue in Your strength to do this every day of my life regardless of circumstances.  I thank You in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture -- as mentioned, the last in this particular series.  I pray it's a blessing to someone.  Next week we will be starting a new series on Psalms, though that may be interrupted by Thanksgiving, Christmas, and possibly something else.  We'll see!

Some goals for October

 

A new month means new goals (and with me, always some ongoing ones as well).  October is going to be an exceedingly busy month -- so here goes!

* Keep up with Flylady's homemaking zones of the week
* Get back to working through the "Make Room Challenge" from Make Room for What You Love
* Spend time with our friends who are younger believers
* Enjoy our church ladies' gathering
* Post in this blog as often as possible
* Post in my Christmas blog as often as possible
* Continue planning for family birthday gifts and crafting any handmade ones
* Use Charles Swindoll's devotional Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life for my quiet time daily
* Continue studying and preparing for my Sunday Scripture blog posts
*Work on Even If, a study of Habakkuk from the Daily Grace Co.
* Continue stocking my Etsy shop and continue selling vintage items
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family
* Touch base with teen grandchildren regarding the Stand Firm Bible study
* Help and encourage my local daughter as I'm able
* Plan meals with a greater emphasis on healthy eating
* Continue to work on memorizing the book of James
* Continue to help a widowed friend with the challenges of life in general
* Get to bed by 8:30 each night we are at home
* Drink enough water each day
* Walk and/or exercise at least 4 times each week
* Help in many ways with our church's missions conference
* Host missionaries during the conference
* Do a lot of cooking/baking for various hospitality opportunities
* Prepare lunch for our friends from TWNE who are helping us to get our wood in the cellar for winter
* Host friends at our camp for lunch
* Get together with our friends Syd and Cyndy for Columbus Day
* Spend time with our friend Charlotte up north
* Attend a couples retreat (combined with a getaway)
* Attend a Bible conference
* Start a 40-day sugar fast

HEALTHY HABITS FOR OCTOBER:  Drink more water/get more sleep/get more exercise/intermittent fasting/limit carbs

WORD FOR 2024: Continue 

And there you have it -- my goals for October.   We will see how I do!

Sunday Scripture

 

 It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Psalm 119:12-18. 

S= "Blessed art Thou, O LORD; teach me Thy statutes.
"With my lips have I declared all the ordinances of Thy mouth.
"I have rejoiced in the way of Thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
"I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways.
"I will delight myself in Thy statutes; I will not forget Thy Word.
"Deal bountifully with Thy servant, that I may live, and keep Thy Word.
"Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."  (Psalm 119:12-18)

O= Psalm 119, as we know, is devoted entirely to the praise of God’s Word and the role of His Word in the life of the believer.  There is so much that can be said about this psalm!

Just for starters, Psalm 119 has been called the golden alphabet of the Bible.  It is divided into 22 sections, one for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  Every section contains 8 verses, and every verse in a particular section begins with the corresponding Hebrew letter.  For example, the first section —  verses 1 through 8 — is titled Aleph.  And, in the Hebrew, each verse in this section begins with the letter Aleph.  The second section is titled Beth.  So in the Hebrew, each verse in that section — verses 9-16 — begins with the letter Beth.  And so on.
  
What a work of art this psalm is!  C.S. Lewis described it this way: “The poem is … a pattern, a thing done like embroidery, stitch by stitch, through long, quiet hours, for love of the subject and for the delight in leisurely, disciplined craftsmanship.”

A cross-reference for "teach me" (v. 12) and for "ways" (v.15) -- "Show me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths."  (Psalm 25:4)

Cross-references for "declared" (v. 13) -- "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, Thou knowest."  (Psalm 40:9)

"And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up."  (Deuteronomy 6:7)

"All the ordinances" (v.13) can be read "all the just decrees".   

Cross-references for "riches" (v.14) -- "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.  For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.  She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her."  (Proverbs 3:13-15)

"Receive my instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than choice gold.  For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it."  (Proverbs 8:10-11)

"Testimonies" (v. 14) indicate "God's own declarations concerning His nature and purpose".*

Cross-reference for "meditate" (v. 15) -- "O, how love I Thy law!  It is my meditation all the day."  (Psalm 119:97)

"Precepts" (v.15) -- "Man's moral obligations as enjoined by  God". *

Cross-reference for "delight" (v. 16) -- "Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet Thy commandments are my delights."  (Psalm 119:143)

"Word" (v.16, 17) = "Speech or utterance, a general word for the disclosure of God's will."*

Cross-references for "deal bountifully" (v.17) -- "Return unto thy rest,  O my soul; for the LORD hath dealt bountifully with me." (Psalm 116:7)

"I will sing unto the LORD, because He hath dealt bountifully with me."  (Psalm 13:6)

Cross-reference for "that I may live" (v. 17) -- "The righteousness of Thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live."  (Psalm 119:144)

"Law" (v.18) = "Primarily God's instruction or teaching, then all of God's revelation for life."*

* Definitions for testimonies (v.14), precepts (v.15), word (v.16,17) and law (v.18) are from the Scofield Study Bible.

A= The well-known Bible commentator of old, Matthew Henry, said that his father, Philip Henry, “recommended that his children take a verse of [Psalm 119] every morning and meditate upon it, and so go over the Psalm twice in a year, and that will bring you to be in love with all the rest of Scripture.”  I have read through a chapter of the Gospels a day, and a chapter of Proverbs a day, at different times in my life.  But I am thinking seriously of taking Mr. Henry’s advice and meditating on one verse of Psalm 119 per day.

For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"Center my vision on Your wondrous Word." -- Rachel Wojo

As we've said, the entire 176 verses of Psalm 119 are devoted to the praise of God's Word and to the role of His Word in the life of the believer. 

Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "fix". 

 

In the ESV verse 15 reads: "I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways."  This is really a great thought for believers in any situation they may face.  Fixing our thoughts on God's Word and our eyes on His ways is incredibly helpful every day.

The question was asked: What one thought can I surrender to create room for seeing moments of grace?

My response in 2018:  The erroneous thought that things are never going to get better, that God is not working in my situation.  That's just not true.  He is working, and things are improving.

Answering this same question in 2024: The thought that our country is doomed.  Sure, things do look bad, but God is not bound by the way a situation looks.

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; places I go; the music I hear; the people I encounter;  the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the words I read, I was struck anew by the amazingly creative and beautiful way Psalm 119 has been structured.

For the music I hear,  there were beautiful, soaring notes as teen musicians practiced a strings piece for our missions conference.

For the rest I receive, I mentioned sleeping so well in this cooler, late-summer weather.

For the air I breathe, there was the blessing of low humidity.

For the weather I experienced, I noted the recent string of perfect, fall-like crisp blue-sky days.

A journaling prompt was this:  Everything God made is beautiful.  Where have I noticed God's beauty in the past 24 hours?

My response in 2018: In brilliant blue skies and warmer temperatures.  In the descriptive words of writers like Hal Borland and Gladys Taber concerning April.  In the glorious profusion of colors in a variegated yarn I was crocheting with.  I believe it's the one shown below.

For my response in 2024, I added: In a yellow maple leaf plastered against white clapboards by the wind.  In the intricately designed flowers of orange jewelweed.  In a gentle rain the other evening.  In the courtesy of two fine grandsons who escorted us from their house to our car with umbrellas.

P=  "Lord,  I pray that You would indeed center my vision on Your wonderful Word.  Help me never to forget that Your Word is truer than any of my own thoughts, and that it is more real and reliable than any of my feelings or emotions.  I praise You that You have indeed dealt bountifully with me.  Help me to be faithful in sharing Your Word with others.  I thank You for all You will do,  in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

September archives from 2018 --

 

 Just wanting to put together a quick post for today.  It occurred to me that the last time I wrote archive posts -- featuring posts from the archives for specific months -- was in 2017.  So I decided to quickly pull together one from past Septembers -- 2018 and forward.  Here goes:

First day of fall, from 2018, features a poem from a vintage magazine page.

A few more late-summer scenes  is from 2019, but it shows pretty much how things are looking around here on my walking route right now.

Making some apple coasters was a fun craft tutorial from 2019.

From 2020, A company meal at our little camp was a fun re-read for me and such a great reminder of all that God did in giving us that cottage.  It continues to be a blessing as a getaway place for us and as a frequent location for hospitality! 

 From 2021, a Sunday Scripture post that just might feel very timely right about now ...

And from 2022 this post about my hubby's very special birthday celebration is short -- but as sweet as he is.

That's a span of five years of archive posts ... hope one of them is a fun or interesting read for someone!

Sunday Scripture

  

It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Psalm 145:1-9.  

S= "I will extol Thee, my God, O King: and I will bless Thy name forever and ever.
"Every day will I bless Thee, and I will praise Thy name forever and ever.
"Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
"One generation shall praise Thy works to another, and shall declare Thy mighty acts.
"I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works.
"And men shall speak of the might of Thy awe-inspiring acts; and I will declare Thy greatness.
"They shall abundantly utter the memory of Thy great goodness, and shall sing of Thy righteousness.
"The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy.
"The LORD is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works."  (Psalm 145:1-9)

O= The Bible titles Psalm 145 "David's psalm of praise".

C.I. Scofield gives this psalm the title "Praise to the gracious God."

Here in these verses 1-9 David seems to alternate between speaking TO God (v.1-2, 4-6) and speaking ABOUT God (v. 3, 8-9).

TO God he says:
* I will extol Thee, my God, O King
* Every day I will bless Thee
* I will praise Thy name forever and ever
* One generation shall praise Thy works, and declare Thy mighty acts, to another
* I will speak:
    • of the glorious honor of Thy majesty
    • of Thy wondrous works
* I will declare Thy greatness.

*Men shall speak:
     • of the might of Thy awe-inspiring acts
    • of the memory of Thy great goodness.
* Men shall sing of Thy righteousness.

ABOUT God he says:
* Great is the LORD
* The LORD is greatly to be praised
* His greatness is unsearchable
* The LORD is gracious
* The LORD is full of compassion
* He is slow to anger
* He is of great mercy
* The LORD is good to all
* His tender mercies are over all His works.

Cross-reference for "great is the LORD" (v.3) -- "For the LORD  is great, and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods."  (Psalm 96:4)

Cross-references for "greatness is unsearchable" (v.3) -- "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause, Who doeth great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number."  (Job 5:8-9)

Who doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number."  (Job 9:10)

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out."  (Romans 11:33)

Cross-references for "gracious" (v.8) -- "And The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty."  (Exodus 34:6-7)

"The LORD is long-suffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation."  (Numbers 14:18)

"For Thou, Lord, art good; and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all those who call upon Thee ... But Thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."  (Psalm 86:5, 15)

Lovely graphic by Abby at Little Birdie Blessings

"The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy."  (Psalm 103:8)

Cross-references for "good" (v.9) -- "For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations."  (Psalm 100:5)

"The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knoweth those who trust in Him."  (Nahum 1:7)

A= For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"When I think about the Lord's wondrous works, beauty shows up." -- Rachel Wojo

My thoughts about this: Psalm 145:5 says, "I will speak of the glorious honor of Thy majesty, and of Thy wondrous works."

 
Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "meditate". 

 

When we meditate on God's wondrous works, His mighty acts, and His glorious character as David has done in this psalm, we can't help but see His beauty.

The question was asked: What season or circumstance in life challenges me to see God's gifts of beauty?

My response in 2018: With me it is very often not feeling well physically that challenges me in this way.  If tired or troubled, I can usually still see and appreciate God's gifts of beauty.  Physical pain or illness is much more challenging.

Answering this same question in 2024: Challenging circumstances or seasons of difficulty or uncertainty in life.  Things seem very uncertain in our world right now.  Probably the most certain thing is that it seems the forces of evil are working very hard to try and control all of us.  It can be challenging to see God's gifts of beauty -- but if we can do it, it will be a great reminder of His sovereignty and power. and will help us to point others to Him.

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the music I hear; the food I eat;  the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 for the music I hear,  I recalled singing around a campfire on a recent Wednesday night.

For the words I read, I commented on how all the verses in this psalm that speak of God's character and work are so beautiful.

For the food I eat, I mentioned colorful roasted vegetables.

For the people I encounter, I noted our recent trip to the Canadian Maritimes and its gorgeous scenery.

For the weather I experience, I noticed that we're beginning to feel the crispness of fall approaching.

A journaling prompt was this:  List one or more ideas to remind myself to intentionally look for God's beauty throughout the day.

My response in 2018: Get out in the brilliant sunshine and breathe deeply.  Take a short walk if possible.  Take time to notice the progress of spring bulbs.  Notice the color and texture in everyday objects.

For my response in 2024, I added: Pay attention to the signs of fall approaching.  Look at the night sky and observe the moon and stars.  Really listen to people when they talk!

P= "Lord, like the Psalmist, my intent is to praise and bless you every day.  You are gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, of great mercy, righteous, great, good to all -- just to name a few of Your majestic qualities.  Help me to see and appreciate Your beauty even when my circumstances are less than ideal.  I thank You for all You will do, in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.

Friday five

 

 Just a quick Friday five today because I really do intend to post more than once a week!

1.  Getting out for a walk with a friend three times this week.  What a blessing!

A scene from our walking route -- in a previous year

2.  Having our neighbors come over to our cottage for a campfire and dessert.  So good to get to know them a little better.  I served this S'mores Pizza from Five Heart Home.

 

 

3.  Being able to spend part of last Saturday with our dear friends Syd and Cyndy, plus a visiting friend of theirs.  Christian friendship and fellowship is such a rich blessing!

4.  So looking forward to a ladies retreat at The Wilds of New England this weekend!  Getting to attend this with friends from church and learning from Denise Cunningham will be a huge blessing.

 

5. Our local daughter's family has been wondering where their cat disappeared to.  He has been gone for eight days, and there's been a large bobcat in their yard.  Early this morning the kitty woke them up by yowling under a window.  I'm no cat lover, but am so thankful he is safe!

I told you it would be quick!  But I'm thankful I could take a few minutes to post!

Sunday Scripture

  It's time for another Sunday Scripture!  This is part of an ongoing series on my simple study of Rachel Wojo's Everything Beautiful.  You can read about the plan here if you are interested in it for yourself: Everything Beautiful Bible reading plan. My answers and input on this series are a combination of what I learned back in 2018, and what I found in looking over the Scriptures now, six years later.  I'm attempting to SOAP the passages too, though some of them are longer. [Quick reminder that S stands for Scripture; O stands for for observation; A stands for application, and P stands for prayer.]  Today's study is from Job 12:7-13.  

S= "But ask, now, the beasts; and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee.
"Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
"Who knoweth in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
"In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.
"Doth not the ear try words?  and the mouth taste his meat?
"With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.
"With Him is wisdom and strength; He hath counsel and understanding."  (Job 12:7-13)

O= These verses are part of Job's rebuttal to Zophar's charge: How can Job claim innocence?

Back in verses 2-3, Job responds to his critics: "No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.  But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you; yea, who knoweth not such things as these?"

Believer's Bible Commentary notes:  "Anyone knows that God is wise and powerful, but how do they explain the excruciating sufferings of a man who once received answers to his prayers, and the contrasting prosperity of the ungodly?"

This is what Job is saying in verse 5: "I am as one mocked of his neighbor, who calleth upon God, and He answereth him:  the just upright man is laughed to scorn."  He goes on to point out that his accusers are attacking him when he is about to fall: "He that is ready to slip is ... despised in the thought of him that is at ease."

The commentary summarizes verses 7-12: "Even the world of nature -- the beasts and the birds and the fish -- shows God's arbitrariness in destroying some and protecting others.  If Job's critics tested words as carefully as they tasted food, they would agree with the ancients, who uniformly agreed with what Job had said."

Cross-references for "whose hand" (v.10) --  "And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will Thou be wroth with all the congregation?"  (Numbers 16:22)

"And thou hast lifted thyself up against the Lord of heaven ... and thou hast praised the gods of silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know, and the God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose are all thy ways, hast thou not glorified."  (Daniel 5:23)

"For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring."  (Acts 17:28)

"Soul" (v.10) could be read "life".

"Mankind" (v.10) can be read "flesh of man".

"Mouth" (v.11) can be read "palate."

Warren Wiersbe writes in With the Word: "Job replied to all three friends and reminded them that he had wisdom as well as they.  In fact, all creation knew the things that they said to him.  God is great.  His hand made everything (v.6) and His hand keeps everything alive (v.10).  Job wanted to die and escape his suffering, but God held his life in His hand."

A= For this Scripture, there were also a number of ways to apply it as prompted in the journal.  

"God woke you up this morning because He has a meaningful plan for you." -- Rachel Wojo

My thoughts about this: This statement obviously fits with the words of verse 10 -- "In the hand of the LORD ... is the breath of all mankind."

 

"If your life is in God's hand, have you anything to fear?" -- Warren Wiersbe

 
Rachel also shares a "focus word" in each of the devotional pages.  For this lesson the focus word is "breathe". 

 

The question was asked: How can I realign the eyes of my heart to see the Father's present of everyday elegance?

My response in 2018:Even the fact that He gives us breath should make us stop and think.  He does indeed have a meaningful plan.  If He were finished with us, we would be in heaven.

Answering this same question in 2024: Life feels a little uncertain right now with our national circumstances.  But I must look to all that I know about God and not to the circumstances.  And there is so much truth about God just in these few verses from Job!

This prompt was given, along with a list: Today I will keep my eyes open for God's beauty in one or more of these places.

These are the places I circled: The words I read; the music I hear; the people I encounter; the food I eat;  the air I breathe; the weather I experience; the rest I receive.

In 2024 I can note that for the people I encounter, we recently reunited with old friends in Canada.  What a blessing to see them still growing, still walking with God through every circumstance of life.

For the food I eat, I recalled the carefully planned and prepared, delicious food our friends made for us.  They work full time (though they took vacation time the week we were with them) so they prepared much ahead of time.  So much thought and care was beautiful!

For the rest I receive, I mentioned how well we slept during our visit, even though we were in a different time zone and were getting to bed later than usual.

A journaling prompt was this:  Everything God made is beautiful.  Where have I noticed God's beauty in the last 24 hours?

My response in 2018: In the gorgeous profusion of colors and designs in the Easter flowers at church.  In glorious blue sky and sunshine.  In words from the Bible and also those penned by hymn writers concerning Christ's resurrection.

For my response in 2024, I added: In the beauty of ocean and dunes.  In the color and form of shells.  In the gracefulness of a great blue heron.

P= "Lord,  I thank and praise You that You give breath to all mankind.  I praise You that in Your wisdom and understanding you have a plan for each of our lives.  I pray that You will help me to get serious about living out that plan each and every day of my life.  I thank and praise You for how You will help me to do this, in Jesus' name, Amen."

 And there is this week's Sunday Scripture!  I pray it's a blessing to someone.