Pure Bible!!  It has the BEST raindrops, doesn't it?  I came across this verse a little while ago:  Ephesians 5:14 says, "Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light."  (This is a great prayer to pray for your lost loved ones!!)

This is exactly what I want for my lost loved one. I pray quite often that God would illuminate that life and dispel any darkness.  Jesus said that He is Light.  John 8:12 says, "Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world:  he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."  I am rather impatiently awaiting the day when I can rejoice because there has been an awakening, an arising, and a Light-giving!!!

God amazes me and makes me smile and laugh!!

After what I wrote about worrying about not having done enough for my lost loved one, I read the following from Jack Hayford's book, Penetrating the Darkness (p. 178):  "...many of us fear what we do is not enough.  And let me say here:  you are right.  It will never be enough; because neither the invitation nor the response is based in works.  They are both based in grace."  Then he quotes Ephesians 2:8-10, which says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  He was talking of God's invitation to pray and share in the work of His kingdom.  Later on the same page, he wrote, "Everything has been provided for us by grace; everything has been won for us on the cross of Jesus Christ--our salvation, and the good works God invites us to walk in.  So it may never 'be enough,' but it also 'counts.'" 

I needed to read that!!!  No, what I did was not enough, but it does not have to be; but God is enough!! 

Thank You, Lord, for placing this in my life at this time!!!

God can handle satan. 

This may be a little redundant, but I found something I had written a while back, and it was a raindrop to me today. 

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour".  If you look back to younger Sunday School days and remember the story of Daniel and the lions's den, you know taht God knows how to handle lions.  Satan may be walking about, seeking whom he may devour, but I have placed my loved one in the hands of the Almighty God, and He can shut satan's mouth permanently.  My lost loved one can know the truth because satan will not be able to speak into that life when God closes his mouth!! 

The raindrop is that God is more powerful than satan.  Daddy said in his sermon a few weeks ago that "there can only be one most powerful being," and it is not satan!  It is GOD, my GOD, our GOD!!  Praise our omnipotent, all-powerful GOD!!!

The Five Loaves and Two Fishes

I have been feeling some regret about my role in my lost loved one’s life, mourning that I had not done enough to make sure their foundation was sure in the Lord; feeling guilty for not living on purpose enough, for ignoring those gut feelings that I should be bolder, for not making fervent prayer my first option always, for not praying and fasting until I saw results, for letting satan have a stronghold in my life that caused me to want acceptance more than godly results.  See?  I have been really beating myself up, even though I have confessed all these sins to my heavenly Father and received forgiveness.  In other words, I am remembering them in detail, but He has chosen to remember them no more!!  I am trying to walk in that scripture that says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:1)

I was mulling over some of this mess when it felt like God spoke into my spirit and said, “I placed that person in your life for a reason.”  I started crying.  What a raindrop!!  Although I am nothing, I know God used me in that life.  Was my contribution enough?  No, but God can take my efforts and make them enough.

Several years ago, I came across a prayer for parents that I believe was written by Dr. James Dobson.  I do not remember where I found this prayer, but it applies to all relationships and has blessed me so much.  The part that has stuck with me asks the Lord to repeat the miracle of the five loaves and two fishes.  Matthew 14:19-20 says,  “And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  And they did all eat, and were filled:  and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”  Just like Jesus took the meager offering and made it more than enough for the hungry, He can take my meager efforts in my relationships and make them more than enough.  I pray that He will do this.  I pray that He will take my meager efforts to be light and salt and make them more than enough.  He can do this. 

So when satan comes at me with feelings of guilt, I can boldly say that I have been forgiven for my shortcomings and blatant disobediences and that my God is MORE THAN ENOUGH!!! 

We will KNOW Him by Name!!!

Raindrop—When the Lord is done working in our situations, we will know Him by name!!!  Now I know the Lord by name, but then I will really know Him more personally through what He will have done for me.  Through His deeds, the Lord revealed Himself to His people in the Old Testament:  Abraham, Sarah, Gideon, Jacob, etc.  He revealed Hmself as Saviour in the New Testament.  I am honored that He is revealing Himself to me through His deeds, even though my trial is painful and not what I would have chosen!!  I am so glad He is revealing Himself to me!!

In Exodus 6:2-4, the Word says, “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.  And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.  And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.”  Then the Lord tells them what He is about to do.  You should read it!!  It is awesome!!  It is time to “walk the land,” as we talked about ion Wednesday, July 11, 2012. 

Then we come to Exodus 15:1-3 and 11, which says, “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.  The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation:  he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.  The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name.  Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”  They were praising Him as Lord, because they finally really knew Him by this name, just as He said they would know Him through the mighty deeds He had done for them.  God did just as He had promised!!! 

He does that for us!!  He hears our groanings and remembers His promises to us (not like He ever really forgot them!), and He does His work!  Then we know Him better!!!  He is Yahweh, the LORD!!  He is El Shaddai, God Almighty, and He will show Himself strong in our situations!!  I can hardly wait for my Exodus chapter 15!!  I just hope I do not mess it up and have to wander in the wilderness for 40 years!!  Perhaps it is time to “groan” to Him some more!!!    

Ezekiel!!!

I had a great raindrop this morning!!  I am studying about the book of Ezekiel, and so many times in the book, God tells through Ezekiel how He will bring judgment on Israel for their sin.  He says that after He performs His judgment on them, they will know that He is the Lord. 

That is what my lost loved one needs:  to KNOW that God is the LORD!!  God needs to be first in that life, just like He desires to be first in all of our lives. 

Then, after all the judgment stuff, the Lord describes what He will finally do in their lives.  In chapter 36, verses 22-29a, 33-35, the Word says, “Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went.  And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.  For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:  from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you:  and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.  And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.  I will also save you from all your uncleannesses. . . .  In the day that I shall have cleansed you from all your iniquities I will also cause you to dwell in the cities, and the wastes shall be builded.  And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.  And they shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are become fenced, and are inhabited.” 

Now I know that this is Old Testament written to Israel specifically, but Romans 15:4 says, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”  That gives me so much hope and makes me want to “WOOHOO!!!”  1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.”   

Also, remember that 2 Timothy 2:13 says, “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful:  he cannot deny himself.”  He will keep His promises simply because that is Who He is!!!  In the Ezekiel passage, He said He would do all of that for His name’s sake.  2 Timothy supports that:  He cannot deny Himself!!  He will save my loved one, because He has promised, but through that He will be known among the sinners that witnessed the sin in my loved one’s life.  This person was a testimony of sin but will be a testimony for the sake of God’s name!!   

I can hardly wait!!! 

I know this is a little lengthy for a post read, but every word is worth it!!  So, sit back and absorb all of it!!

Isaiah 44:1-8 says, "Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:  Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, which will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.   For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:  And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.  One shall say, I am the LORD'S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.    Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.  And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.  Fear ye not, neither be afraid:  have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."

Is that not awesome in its entirety?!?!  I especially like the last part that starts with "Fear not." 

I have been singing a song this morning that says, "You are an awesome wonder....the oceans applaud You."  Harbor Light from Pennsylvania sings it.  I am not sure about the composer, but I believe Kurt Carr wrote it, because he sings it as well  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCGoxPT6db8).  Our God is truly an AWESOME WONDER!  He has declared some things, and they will come to pass!!