Hopeful Spoils of War

 

 

"Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the LORD." I Chronicles 26:27

 

You know the Israelites must have grown so tired of war; but from the spoils of those battles they were able to keep up and preserve the tabernacle.

 

"Let us never forget that the source of helping other people must be victorious suffering…Spiritual force is stored in the depths of our being, through the very pain which we cannot understand." ~from Days of Heaven Upon Earth

 

As you emerge victorious from your God-ordained trials and battles, you will be in possession of the very riches that will allow you to minister to others.

 

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all." Philippians 2:17

 

Let us not despise our battles. 

Rather let us stand and fight valiantly, knowing that our suffering will lead to great reward.

 

A Continual Hope

 

"The hardest ingredient in suffering is often time

"A short, sharp pang is easily born, but when a sorrow drags its weary way through long, monotonous years…

and day after day returns with the same dull routine of hopeless agony…

the heart loses its strength…

and without the grace of God, is sure to sink into the very sullenness of despair." ~Streams in the Desert

 

Do you find yourself sinking into despair, due to a sorrow that just won't end?

So did the Psalmist David.

Psalm 38 is made up of verse after verse listing the many trials, pains and sorrows of King David.

But this chapter also shows us where he placed his trust, and where he eventually gained his strength.

 

[6] I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.

[9] Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.

[10] My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.

[15] For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.

[21] Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.

[22] Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation.

Psalm 38:6,9-10,15,21-22


We can trust the same God David trusted.  We can place our faith in His plan and His working in our life. 

No matter how long the trial may last, our God, and His grace and mercy to us, endures forever!

We can Hope in Him continually.

Hope in Pursuing Jesus

 

 And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying, Thou Son of David, have mercy on us.
 And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him: and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this? They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
 Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you." Matthew 9:27-29

 

"Let us remember that no earthly circumstances can hinder the fulfillment of His Word…

if we look steadfastly at the immutability of that Word, not at the uncertainty of this everchanging world. 

God would have us believe His Word withouth other confirmation…

and then He is ready to give us "according to our faith." ~Sir R. Anderson

 

There is much to be said for clinging persistently to the belief that God will answer our prayers.

So, believe on, my friend! 

Hold fast to the hope that is anchored in your heart by His Word.

He will answer.  We can depend on that.

 

Thank You

Thank you so much for praying for me yesterday.  The MRI went well.

The tech would not let me bring my iPod in with me.  She said it would "fry" it.  As I swung my feet up on the end of the bed and felt my shoes being pulled down to the magnet – I totally believed her!!!  I also said, "Hey, I feel that in my shoes!"  She quickly removed them and said, "Who would've thought you had metal in your shoes?!!"

I was able to have an "open" MRI, which was a blessing.  I had never seen one before, and as I lay there listening and feeling the giant magnets pelt my body with…(what…magnetism?!!)…I kept thinking "I need to ask to take a picture of this machine!"

But in the end, I chose not to subject my phone/camera to the magnetic field!  I would hate to ruin my phone while trying to get a picture of that thing!!!

If you've never seen one, imagine a stack of 3 pancakes…but the 2nd pancake is missing.  That's what it reminded me of.  Then they put you on a moving table, slide you in, and you become the 2nd pancake! πŸ™‚

It was loud.  It was mind-blowingly vibrate-y.  But it was tolerable.  I've seen Isaac go through medical tests and procedures that are so much worse.  I kept reminding myself of that when I opened my eyes and saw the top "pancake" just inches above my nose.  Then I just closed my eyes really quickly and "sang" in my head.

My doctor should have the results of the MRI by next week.  I will be making an appointment to see him then.

Thank you, again, for praying for me.

Blessings,

Alesha

Hope in Crying

 

God doesn't have a problem with our tears.

 

Crying helps us physically as well as emotionally.

"The researchers found that…emotional tears contained far more toxic biological byproducts. Weeping, they concluded, is an excretory process which removes toxic substances that normally build up during emotional stress."

 

"The simple act of crying also reduces the body’s manganese level, a mineral which affects mood…"

 

"The researchers concluded that chemicals built up by the body during stress were removed by tears, which actually lowered stress." ~The Miracle of Tears – Answers in Genesis

 

Crying does not make us weak.  Crying makes us human.

"Emotional tears are a response which only humans have, for only people can weep. All animals that live in air produce tears to lubricate their eyes. But only people possess the marvellous system that causes crying." ~The Miracle of Tears – Answers in Genesis

 

Crying is healthy.

Suppressing tears increases stress levels, and contributes to diseases aggravated by stress, such as high blood pressure, heart problems and peptic ulcers."~The Miracle of Tears – Answers in Genesis

 

Don't hold back your tears when your heart is breaking.  Let them flow.  You will feel better physically and emotionally when your tears are passed...and they will pass!


"…weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Psalm 30:5b

 

Our tears will not last…we will feel joy again.  Until then, allow yourself the blessing of crying.

What a Lovely Day!

 

Doug and I had such a nice day together on Friday.

It was one of those days when not one thing went according to plan!  It was, however, a day full of fun surprises:

  • avoiding the traffic jam on I-4 by doing a u-turn on the ramp, driving through the median and hopping a curb to get back on the road.
  • wandering around Kissimmee looking for a place to eat, but finding all the nice restaurants closed.
  • seeing a road that Doug recognized, taking it and ending up on the road on which we meant to end our day.
  • eating Turkish cuisine for the first time.
  • looking for a used bookstore, with written directions from a barista, and never finding the store.
  • deciding to not return the way we came, and looking for a bead store.
  • finding the mall that the bead store was supposed to be in, and learning that the entire mall was empty except for a few store on the end near Outdoor World.
  • walking through Bass Pro Shop (now, I can say that I've been…nothing spectacular, in my opinion)
  • finding a new way to get to the road we were on before, so that we could go to Whole Foods before we headed home.
  • going home with freshly ground cashew butter (yum!)

Now a few pictures from our lovely lunch. (I do apologize for the poor quality – my cell phone is notoriously difficult to hold still while pressing the shutter button.)

Hot Lemon Green Tea

Tea

 

Fabulous Turkish Bread.  We were amazed and asked for instructions!

Bread1

 

"Just use your knife and poke it!"  Steam billowed out as it collapsed.

Bread2

It was served with amazing authentic hummus (very similar to mine, I am proud to say), pickled cabbage and Kalamata olives.  The taste combinations were extraordinarily delicious!

 

Soup of the Day – Lentil, with a squeeze of lemon on top

Lentilsoup

 

Falafel Wrap with Tahini dipping sauce

FalafelWrap

 

Lamb Kabob with grilled Veggies and Rice (that Doug said was amazing!)

Kabob

 

Turkish Pistachio Baklava

Baklava

 

Anatolia – our Lovely Surprise of the Day

Anatolia

 

And of course, one of the best things about being out in Florida is the always breathtaking Sky!

FLsky

Our day was full of twists and turns (literally and figuratively); but we enjoyed our time together and made some wonderful memories.

Changes to our plans are not necessarily bad!

Embrace the unexpected with an air of expectancy.

God will surprise you in ways you would never imagine.

πŸ™‚

Blessings,

Alesha