LOOK UPWARD

“ARISE … SHINE for your light has come!”
– the LORD woke me with these words this morning. They were so clear and plain that I asked Him again as I was making my bed, “Did you just say to me, 'Arise, Shine for your light has come'?” Then I laughed and said, "OK, what does that mean for today?"

A few mintues after coming downstairs I saw a huge full moon hanging in the night/morning sky over Shepherd’s Walk [the Prayer Walk here at Sweetbriar - in my back woods]. I ran out there to try to photograph it but it was still too dark to get a good picture. The moon got bigger and more golden until it eventually dipped down behind the trees and disappeared.

Later in the afternoon the LORD took me back to my old journal from 12-5-08 to read what I had written on that day:

Isaiah 60
The Glory of Zion
1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the LORD rises upon you
and His glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 "Lift up your eyes and look about you:
All assemble and come to you;
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters are carried on the arm.
5 Then you will look and be radiant,
your heart will throb and swell with joy;
the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,
to you the riches of the nations will come. [emphasis added]

The next Scripture in my journal was this:
Acts 26:16 [Paul's testimony before King Agrippa]
[Jesus speaking to Paul]
'Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of Me and what I will show you.'

The next entry in my journal was a heart with the words:
House of Prayer [the photo above!]

Then I looked up:

Isaiah 56 6 And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to serve Him, to love the Name of the LORD, and to worship Him, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to My covenant-
7 these I will bring to My holy mountain and give them joy in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar; for My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations."

God never calls His house [His church] a house of preaching or teaching - only a "house of prayer". Many thoughts to ponder today.

Looking Upward and Choosing JOY,

Stephanie [Flying High witht the Most High]