Praise the Lord All the More!

It has been some time since my last post. It has been an interesting couple of weeks. It has been a tumultuous couple of weeks. Being of sounder mind, body and soul today as I have been recovering from a WICKED cold virus, I get a better sense of how to express what has felt like a roller coaster ride. The only semblance of peace that has been lent as I battle a debilitating cough, nasal congestion, body aches, sleep deprivation, seeming vertigo like imbalance and nausea...has been the Word of God.

I don't do "SICK" very well...not that anyone would boast in doing it well, but what I mean is that I don't reside well in my being when I get sick. I confess that I am that person who will stop taking calls, I won't initiate calls, I turn on the TV or put in movies and I tune out. THEN, paradoxically within that self induced isolation, I lament in my loneliness. I find myself wondering how I am valued or cared for by the presence or the lack of well wishes or calls I get for people expressing care for me. I take it hard...I pull in, I retract even further and Satan uses that place to try and discourage me further. It's not fun as you try and battle that. HOWEVER, the saving grace in this predicament always comes down to God's Promises and his never failing faithfulness to us...to me personally. It's a perilous road to go down, Self Pity. There is nothing helpful or beneficial in it. It has the potential to undue the fruits of God's love and provision that has been evidenced in the fellowship and relationships within the context of the body of Christ. Don't fall for it! Counterstrike the enemies attempt to yank you from the Fold of our Savior. He lies and he's good at it! I would exhort you to take your gaze and shift it up to the Cross. If nothing else, praise the Most High for his demonstration of "Agape" love...that's "Unconditional" love. Because we are in a fleeting world and from time to time our bodies will give out. And although our bodies will fail us, our God never does.

I have found considerable comfort and joy in the Psalms during this time. Particularly Psalms Chapters 16-34. It has nourished my soul with it's beauty. The beauty lying within the expressions of who God has been, who he promises to be and who God Always is !!!

* "O Lord my Rock"-Psalm 28:1

* "The Lord is my strength and my shield;my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in Song. the Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their Shepard forever."-Psalm28:7-9

* "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."-Psalms 16:11

* "I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom i take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies." Psalms 18:1-3.

Need I go on? How about one more! This is especially indicative of David's uncontrollable impulse to praise God amidst adversity.

* "The Lord Lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior! He is the God who avenges me, who subdues nations under me, who saves me from my enemies. You exalted me above my foes; from violent men you rescued me. Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O Lord; I will sing praises to your name." Psalms 18:46-49.

SO...be encouraged to GIVE THANKS to the Lord, for he is good, his love Endureth Forever and Ever. May you always come to a place amid your trials and the dark times, to all the more express your love and faith in His Goodness!