Spring rain for my soul

A teeny tiny nest that the kids found in a little bush in our flower bed.
God certainly does amazing things!

"So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3

 Do you ever get into what I tend to call a "slump"? I'm talking about when it seems like you're struggling to grow spiritually or maybe you're having trouble dealing with your kids, husband or friends or maybe you're just not feeling like cooking or cleaning or any of those little jobs that just need to be done. Or just maybe the struggle is in all of those areas.

 I have had trouble being in a slump lately. In most of the areas that I mentioned. I have struggled a lot with growing in the fruits of the Spirit and with having a good attitude. I think (at least with me) when I tend to struggle in spiritual areas then the struggle tends to spill over into other areas of my life as well such as in my relationships and my ability to work happily. I have discovered it also really spills over into my blogging. I don't really feel like I have much ability to encourage others when I was struggling myself. I just had trouble thinking of what to write about.

   I have been reading through the book of Hosea lately. It is any interesting book where God through Hosea gives Israel some big object lessons about their unfaithfulness and God's desire for them. In Hosea 5:15 it says "I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." God needs us to come to the place where we too acknowledge just how much we really need Him!

 Then hopefully we will say as it says in Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on the know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."

  Verse 3 was such a huge encouragement to me.

• It says: "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord." That need to seek that, work at knowing the Lord is emphasized, as if to say "Don't give up! Don't get discouraged! Just keep on working- You will make it!" 
• Then is says: " His going forth is as certain as the dawn;" That just reminds me that of how faithful and ever present God is. Even if we struggle God is still there- all the time- whenever we need Him!
• Next it says: "And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." I was reminded today of how important Spring rains are when I went out and saw some dry little tomato plants in my garden. We can get dry and thirsty like that too. God will come and give us the water we need but we need to be receptive to it. Oh what a blessing is God's rain that often comes in the form of His word. We should immerse ourselves in it so we don't dry up!

I hope you have found these verses encouraging too! I hope you will join me in making sure that we spend the time we need to letting God's word work in our lives and talking to God about everything. Lets do some growing!!

Spring rain for my soul

A teeny tiny nest that the kids found in a little bush in our flower bed.
God certainly does amazing things!

"So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." Hosea 6:3

 Do you ever get into what I tend to call a "slump"? I'm talking about when it seems like you're struggling to grow spiritually or maybe you're having trouble dealing with your kids, husband or friends or maybe you're just not feeling like cooking or cleaning or any of those little jobs that just need to be done. Or just maybe the struggle is in all of those areas.

 I have had trouble being in a slump lately. In most of the areas that I mentioned. I have struggled a lot with growing in the fruits of the Spirit and with having a good attitude. I think (at least with me) when I tend to struggle in spiritual areas then the struggle tends to spill over into other areas of my life as well such as in my relationships and my ability to work happily. I have discovered it also really spills over into my blogging. I don't really feel like I have much ability to encourage others when I was struggling myself. I just had trouble thinking of what to write about.

   I have been reading through the book of Hosea lately. It is any interesting book where God through Hosea gives Israel some big object lessons about their unfaithfulness and God's desire for them. In Hosea 5:15 it says "I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me." God needs us to come to the place where we too acknowledge just how much we really need Him!

 Then hopefully we will say as it says in Hosea 6:1-3 "Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, That we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on the know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth."

  Verse 3 was such a huge encouragement to me.

• It says: "So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord." That need to seek that, work at knowing the Lord is emphasized, as if to say "Don't give up! Don't get discouraged! Just keep on working- You will make it!" 
• Then is says: " His going forth is as certain as the dawn;" That just reminds me that of how faithful and ever present God is. Even if we struggle God is still there- all the time- whenever we need Him!
• Next it says: "And He will come to us like the rain, Like the spring rain watering the earth." I was reminded today of how important Spring rains are when I went out and saw some dry little tomato plants in my garden. We can get dry and thirsty like that too. God will come and give us the water we need but we need to be receptive to it. Oh what a blessing is God's rain that often comes in the form of His word. We should immerse ourselves in it so we don't dry up!

I hope you have found these verses encouraging too! I hope you will join me in making sure that we spend the time we need to letting God's word work in our lives and talking to God about everything. Lets do some growing!!

Remembering



Tree Pollen - photo by Mara

 Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I think it is very fitting that we have a day set aside to remember all those who have suffered and died for our country. I am very grateful for what they have done. It is good to remember them.

  In our remembering there is another that is even more important to remember. He also suffered and died for our cause. His suffering was way beyond what we can ever understand but we do need to remember him!

  Take note of these verses:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

 Jesus asks us to remember what He went through for us. He was willing to give His life for us, are we willing to remember Him?

Remembering



Tree Pollen - photo by Mara

 Tomorrow is Memorial Day. I think it is very fitting that we have a day set aside to remember all those who have suffered and died for our country. I am very grateful for what they have done. It is good to remember them.

  In our remembering there is another that is even more important to remember. He also suffered and died for our cause. His suffering was way beyond what we can ever understand but we do need to remember him!

  Take note of these verses:

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes."

 Jesus asks us to remember what He went through for us. He was willing to give His life for us, are we willing to remember Him?

What will we pursue?

"He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense."

Proverbs 12:11

I really appreciate the Proverbs. They words in there don't mess around, the message comes out plain and simple. I love this simple reminder to work hard and don't waste time on useless things! This is a message that I need reminding on every once and a while and I am sure others do to. There are so many, many worthless ways to occupy our time if we let them. Let's not go there! Let's concentrate on the activities that are productive either physically, mentally or spiritually.



What will we pursue?

"He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,

But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense."

Proverbs 12:11

I really appreciate the Proverbs. They words in there don't mess around, the message comes out plain and simple. I love this simple reminder to work hard and don't waste time on useless things! This is a message that I need reminding on every once and a while and I am sure others do to. There are so many, many worthless ways to occupy our time if we let them. Let's not go there! Let's concentrate on the activities that are productive either physically, mentally or spiritually.



He cares for you!

 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." Luke12:27-31



We have really been enjoying the flowers that have started blooming around here. As we look at them how wonderful it is to be reminded of how God cares for them and how much more he cares for us!

He cares for you!

 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!  And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.  For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.  But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well." Luke12:27-31



We have really been enjoying the flowers that have started blooming around here. As we look at them how wonderful it is to be reminded of how God cares for them and how much more he cares for us!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you Mother's have a wonderful Mother's Day!

I am blessed to have a wonderful Mother and am also very blessed to be able to be the mother to four precious children. Here is a verse that I think describes my Mother pretty well and is what I want to try to be as well:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her: Her husband also, and he praises her, saying; Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:25-31

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all of you Mother's have a wonderful Mother's Day!

I am blessed to have a wonderful Mother and am also very blessed to be able to be the mother to four precious children. Here is a verse that I think describes my Mother pretty well and is what I want to try to be as well:

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future. She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her: Her husband also, and he praises her, saying; Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all." Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates." Proverbs 31:25-31

Always be Prepared

I like the idea of being prepared, of having what is needed no matter what situation should arise. I think I have always been that way. I remember when I was a kid and we used to go camping not far from our home (Just us kids, hauling all our gear in our arms) and our friend and neighbor was quite amazed at how much stuff my sister and I thought we needed to bring. We liked to be prepared!

   I still have a tendency to pack heavy and I like to have extra clothes for my kids (at least the younger ones), rain gear, jumper cables, water bottles, snacks and more in our van at all times so no matter what happens we should be prepared.

  We live in a time when it certainly makes since to be prepared. I doubt if there has ever been a time when it wasn't necessary to be prepared but there are certain things that definitely point to the need now. We are a country at war, natural disasters are abundant (I am thinking of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, etc.), our nation is deeply in debt which makes our country less stable and we are in a recession. I think those reasons do encourage us to be prepared for whatever might happen. It bugs me when some people seem to worry and think things are worse than they are. That reminds me of this verse:
"You are not to say "It is a conspiracy!" in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear of be in dread of it. "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. " Isaiah 8:12 & 13.

  I see no great reward (just a bunch of stress) in imagining conspiracies or worrying about world events. In fact we are told specifically not to worry and that God cares for us more than he does for the lilies and the sparrows (and he takes care of them well!) and He even knows the number of hairs on our head. So we don't want to worry but God still wants us to strive to be prepared.

I love this verse:
"Go to the ant O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise. Which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in summer and gathers her provision in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

My goal is to be prepared like that wise little ant!

This week some of our working toward being prepared has been:

• Going to the grain elevator (In a town about 50 minutes away) and buying over 400 lbs of Wheat and 50 lbs of whole corn. That will provide bread and such for us for quite a while. It is always nice to have a good supply on hand.
• Reading! Lately I have been reading aloud to the kids out of a survival book. We like to be in nature, going camping, canoeing, biking and hiking, and I would like to have our kids be prepared as possible for any situations they might ever face. It has been fun to read through the book together learning about making shelter, finding safe water, figuring out direction, dealing with hypothermia and much more. We might not remember everything we read (though we are attempting to practice some of it as well) but at least we have learned some. Learning ahead of time will help them not to feel afraid should they ever be in an emergency situation. Fear is one of the worst enemies of survival. We also enjoy reading out of various plant guides and Euell Gibbon's books to learn about finding wild foods. I have also been reading a lot of bee books which is helping me to prepare myself for my beekeeping adventure (which is going well- I will share more about that on Monday.).

The very most important step in being prepared however is this: "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:24 We need to be absolutely sure that our lives are right with God. It is nice to be prepared in other ways but that would only affect us for a little while but if we aren't prepared for Jesus' return then it will affect us for eternity.

Do you like to be prepared?

Always be Prepared

I like the idea of being prepared, of having what is needed no matter what situation should arise. I think I have always been that way. I remember when I was a kid and we used to go camping not far from our home (Just us kids, hauling all our gear in our arms) and our friend and neighbor was quite amazed at how much stuff my sister and I thought we needed to bring. We liked to be prepared!

   I still have a tendency to pack heavy and I like to have extra clothes for my kids (at least the younger ones), rain gear, jumper cables, water bottles, snacks and more in our van at all times so no matter what happens we should be prepared.

  We live in a time when it certainly makes since to be prepared. I doubt if there has ever been a time when it wasn't necessary to be prepared but there are certain things that definitely point to the need now. We are a country at war, natural disasters are abundant (I am thinking of earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, etc.), our nation is deeply in debt which makes our country less stable and we are in a recession. I think those reasons do encourage us to be prepared for whatever might happen. It bugs me when some people seem to worry and think things are worse than they are. That reminds me of this verse:
"You are not to say "It is a conspiracy!" in regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, and you are not to fear what they fear of be in dread of it. "It is the Lord of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. " Isaiah 8:12 & 13.

  I see no great reward (just a bunch of stress) in imagining conspiracies or worrying about world events. In fact we are told specifically not to worry and that God cares for us more than he does for the lilies and the sparrows (and he takes care of them well!) and He even knows the number of hairs on our head. So we don't want to worry but God still wants us to strive to be prepared.

I love this verse:
"Go to the ant O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise. Which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in summer and gathers her provision in the harvest." Proverbs 6:6-8

My goal is to be prepared like that wise little ant!

This week some of our working toward being prepared has been:

• Going to the grain elevator (In a town about 50 minutes away) and buying over 400 lbs of Wheat and 50 lbs of whole corn. That will provide bread and such for us for quite a while. It is always nice to have a good supply on hand.
• Reading! Lately I have been reading aloud to the kids out of a survival book. We like to be in nature, going camping, canoeing, biking and hiking, and I would like to have our kids be prepared as possible for any situations they might ever face. It has been fun to read through the book together learning about making shelter, finding safe water, figuring out direction, dealing with hypothermia and much more. We might not remember everything we read (though we are attempting to practice some of it as well) but at least we have learned some. Learning ahead of time will help them not to feel afraid should they ever be in an emergency situation. Fear is one of the worst enemies of survival. We also enjoy reading out of various plant guides and Euell Gibbon's books to learn about finding wild foods. I have also been reading a lot of bee books which is helping me to prepare myself for my beekeeping adventure (which is going well- I will share more about that on Monday.).

The very most important step in being prepared however is this: "Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." Matthew 24:24 We need to be absolutely sure that our lives are right with God. It is nice to be prepared in other ways but that would only affect us for a little while but if we aren't prepared for Jesus' return then it will affect us for eternity.

Do you like to be prepared?

Thinking on these things....

This past week, these words have been pressing into my heart and convicting me:

"Give to everyone who asks of you,

and whoever takes away what is yours,

do not demand it back.

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

If you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

If you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

But love your enemies,

and do good, and lend,

expecting nothing in return;

and your reward will be great,

and you will be sons of the Most High;

for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Be merciful,

just as your Father is merciful."

Luke 6:30-36

The message here isn't easy and it isn't something we do naturally but it is what Jesus showed us to do. I want to follow Him in everything. I have so much progress to make in this area!



Thinking on these things....

This past week, these words have been pressing into my heart and convicting me:

"Give to everyone who asks of you,

and whoever takes away what is yours,

do not demand it back.

Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.

If you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners love those who love them.

If you do good to those who do good to you,

what credit is that to you?

For even sinners do the same.

If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.

But love your enemies,

and do good, and lend,

expecting nothing in return;

and your reward will be great,

and you will be sons of the Most High;

for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.

Be merciful,

just as your Father is merciful."

Luke 6:30-36

The message here isn't easy and it isn't something we do naturally but it is what Jesus showed us to do. I want to follow Him in everything. I have so much progress to make in this area!



He has risen!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

  We are at the time of year in which we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus' death and Resurrection. This event is so important, so life changing if you allow it to be. I hope that it is something you think about far more than this time of the year.

  It is so hard to believe, so amazing, almost more than we can comprehend, that God was willing to send His Son, Jesus, to come to earth for us. He is called Immanuel, which means "God with us". He came to earth to live a normal life and then not only be the greatest example ever but to become the needed sacrifice for our sins! He took the burden of our sins to the cross- suffering all the way and then He was put to death for us.

 "For you have been called for this purpose,

since Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

"who committed no sin,

nor was any deceit found in His mouth:"

and while being reviled, did not revile in return;

while suffering, He uttered no threats,

but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;

for by His wounds you were healed,

For you were continually straying like sheep,

but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."

1 Peter 2:21-25

   But that wasn't the end of the story. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb but He didn't stay dead. He came to life again! That makes all the difference in the world. We do not serve and worship a God who is dead, He is alive! Death has no power over Him!

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried,

and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4

Jesus did this for us because he wants us to die to sin and live to righteousness. He did this so that we could get rid of our burden of sin and have a new life with the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Last week was a pretty exciting week for us because Jonathan and Aaron after several months of thinking and visiting decided that they were totally ready to make the decision to follow Christ and make the full commitment to having a changed life. Both boys are fairly young (7 & 9) and so I was hesitant in them making this decision but they were fully convinced that they were ready to do so and so I am rejoicing in that. They were uniting with Christ in His resurrection and death as it speaks of in Romans 6.

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus

have been baptized into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,

in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,

certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,

that our body of sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves to sin;

for he who has died is freed from sin."

Romans 6:3-7

May you have blessed day remembering what Christ has done for you!

He has risen!

Happy Resurrection Sunday to you all!

  We are at the time of year in which we celebrate the anniversary of Jesus' death and Resurrection. This event is so important, so life changing if you allow it to be. I hope that it is something you think about far more than this time of the year.

  It is so hard to believe, so amazing, almost more than we can comprehend, that God was willing to send His Son, Jesus, to come to earth for us. He is called Immanuel, which means "God with us". He came to earth to live a normal life and then not only be the greatest example ever but to become the needed sacrifice for our sins! He took the burden of our sins to the cross- suffering all the way and then He was put to death for us.

 "For you have been called for this purpose,

since Christ also suffered for you,

leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

"who committed no sin,

nor was any deceit found in His mouth:"

and while being reviled, did not revile in return;

while suffering, He uttered no threats,

but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,

that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;

for by His wounds you were healed,

For you were continually straying like sheep,

but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls."

1 Peter 2:21-25

   But that wasn't the end of the story. He was taken down from the cross and buried in a tomb but He didn't stay dead. He came to life again! That makes all the difference in the world. We do not serve and worship a God who is dead, He is alive! Death has no power over Him!

"For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received,

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

and that He was buried,

and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures."

1 Corinthians 15:3 & 4

Jesus did this for us because he wants us to die to sin and live to righteousness. He did this so that we could get rid of our burden of sin and have a new life with the promise of eternal life with Him in heaven.

Last week was a pretty exciting week for us because Jonathan and Aaron after several months of thinking and visiting decided that they were totally ready to make the decision to follow Christ and make the full commitment to having a changed life. Both boys are fairly young (7 & 9) and so I was hesitant in them making this decision but they were fully convinced that they were ready to do so and so I am rejoicing in that. They were uniting with Christ in His resurrection and death as it speaks of in Romans 6.

"Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus

have been baptized into His death?

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,

in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,

so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death,

certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,

knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,

that our body of sin might be done away with,

that we should no longer be slaves to sin;

for he who has died is freed from sin."

Romans 6:3-7

May you have blessed day remembering what Christ has done for you!

Speaks to me Sunday

I thought I would quickly share with you tonight some verses that always a good reminder to me of how I should be living. They are encouraging and motivating to me- I hope you find them that way too!

"In the same way, you wives,

be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them

are disobedient to the word,

they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,

as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

Your adornment must not be merely external-

braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

but let it be the hidden person of the heart,

with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:1-4

May God bless you as you strive to walk with Him!

Speaks to me Sunday

I thought I would quickly share with you tonight some verses that always a good reminder to me of how I should be living. They are encouraging and motivating to me- I hope you find them that way too!

"In the same way, you wives,

be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any of them

are disobedient to the word,

they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives,

as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior.

Your adornment must not be merely external-

braiding the hair and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

but let it be the hidden person of the heart,

with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,

which is precious in the sight of God."

1 Peter 3:1-4

May God bless you as you strive to walk with Him!

He is Able

Psalm 104

1 Praise the LORD, my soul.

LORD my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The LORD wraps himself in light as with a garment;

he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.

He makes the clouds his chariot

and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers,

flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations;

it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;

the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,

at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains,

they went down into the valleys,

to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;

never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;

it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;

the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;

they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;

the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle,

and plants for people to cultivate—

bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens human hearts,

oil to make their faces shine,

and bread that sustains their hearts.

16 The trees of the LORD are well watered,

the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.

17 There the birds make their nests;

the stork has its home in the junipers.

18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;

the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,

and the sun knows when to go down.

20 You bring darkness, it becomes night,

and all the beasts of the forest prowl.

21 The lions roar for their prey

and seek their food from God.

22 The sun rises, and they steal away;

they return and lie down in their dens.

23 Then people go out to their work,

to their labor until evening.

24 How many are your works, LORD!

In wisdom you made them all;

the earth is full of your creatures.

25 There is the sea, vast and spacious,

teeming with creatures beyond number—

living things both large and small.

26 There the ships go to and fro,

and Leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

27 All creatures look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them,

they gather it up;

when you open your hand,

they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face,

they are terrified;

when you take away their breath,

they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever;

may the LORD rejoice in his works—

32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,

who touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33 I will sing to the LORD all my life;

I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,

as I rejoice in the LORD.

35 But may sinners vanish from the earth

and the wicked be no more.

Praise the LORD, my soul.

Praise the LORD.

We were singing the song " He is able" (you can hear it in the video above) at church tonight and I was just reminded again of how great of God we have. How big and mighty He is. How He can do anything! And how much He cares for each one of us. I don't know your situation, but I hope you are remembering what a great God we have!