When the Mighty Waters Rise

Yesterday as I was preparing to leave for church I turned on the dishwasher to run a load through. Just before walking out the door I noticed some water on the floor and then realized that the water sound coming from inside the dishwasher had an added hissing sound that was not usual. I am so thankful that God gave me an ear to notice when things aren't quite right. I grabbed a towel but the water kept coming. I ran downstairs to my finished basement only to find the ceiling tiles on the floor and water pouring down the walls like a waterfall. I tried turning off the dishwasher - nothing. Then tried turning off the water cut-off under the sink - nothing. By this time there is water covering the kitchen floor. Finally I shut off the breaker to the water pump - but the water did not stop until all the water was drained from the water heater and the water tank of the pump. Gallons and gallons were overtaking me. I cried out to the LORD and kept saying part of the verse as I remembered it from Psalm 32, "when the mighty waters rise they will not overtake me..." - LORD, please go before me and help me know who to call and how to proceed for help.

Psalm 69
For the director of music.

To the tune of "Lilies." Of David.

1 Save me, O God,

for the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in the miry depths,

where there is no foothold.

I have come into the deep waters;

the floods engulf me.
3 I am worn out calling for help;

my throat is parched.

My eyes fail,

looking for my God.

Psalm 32

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. 7 You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

Isaiah 51
1 "Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD : Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn;
2 look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was but one, and I blessed him and made him many.
3 The LORD will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; He will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the LORD. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.

Psalm 32
6 Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to You while You may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah

Psalm 29
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in His temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; the LORD is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people; the LORD blesses his people with peace.

God was faithful. He was in complete control. On a Sunday morning I was able to reach my home owners insurance company right away with a live person calling me back. Through tears I was able to relay what had happened and she walked me through what to do. Then my phone rang and a friend had called to ask a question about Bible study. She heard my tearful voice and asked what was wrong. "Stephanie, don't you remember when my kitchen was flooded and I went through the same thing a few months ago. I can help you. Let me make some calls." Within minutes she made the calls and the men came from the Emergency Fire and Water Restoration Co. I didn't even know such a company existed. The culprit was a hot water hose connection under the dishwasher that had burst. A friend came and changed that out and I had water back on. Now the restoration begins. There are machines everywhere in my basement and kitchen to dry out the floors and ceilings.

It could have been so much more of a disaster - had I left for church and not noticed the water on the floor or heard that unusual sound. But God had His eye on all of it. He took me through yesterday and He will take me through every day of my life - not matter what comes! He is faithful! I praise Him! He promises to take us through!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led Home by the Shepherd]

HE Has Not Forgotten

Isaiah 49 (selected)

Restoration of Israel

8 This is what the LORD says:

"In the time of My favor I will answer you,

and in the day of salvation I will help you;

I will keep you and will make you

to be a covenant for the people,

to restore the land

and to reassign its desolate inheritances,
9 to say to the captives, 'Come out,'

and to those in darkness, 'Be free!'

"They will feed beside the roads

and find pasture on every barren hill.
10 They will neither hunger nor thirst,

nor will the desert heat or the sun beat upon them.

He who has compassion on them will guide them

and lead them beside springs of water.
11 I will turn all my mountains into roads,

and my highways will be raised up.
12 See, they will come from afar—

some from the north, some from the west,

some from the region of Aswan. "
13 Shout for joy, O heavens;

rejoice, O earth;

burst into song, O mountains!

For the LORD comforts His people

and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
14 But Zion said, "The LORD has forsaken me,

the Lord has forgotten me."
15 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

Though she may forget,

I will not forget you!
16 See, I have engraved you on the palms of My Hands;

your walls are ever before me.
17 Your sons hasten back,

and those who laid you waste depart from you.
18 Lift up your eyes and look around;

all your sons gather and come to you.

As surely as I live," declares the LORD,

"you will wear them all as ornaments;

you will put them on, like a bride. [all emphasis mine]

May God's Word speak to your heart this day!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led Home by the Shepherd]

[Day 7 of 365]

TO HIMSELF - One Year Later

A year ago today - I knelt down beside my bed and committed my life [with the LORD] to full-time "ministry". I had felt the LORD'S call to that -and wholeheartedly pledged myself to Him. At that time I wrote some things down and tucked them into my treasure box and asked the LORD whether or not I should tell my Pastor or the elders about my commitment. The LORD spoke this to my heart, "I hear your prayer of commitment to 'ministry' and I know you mean what you say, but you really have no clue what ministry is or what it will entail. So I will show you. I do not call you to a 'task', nor to 'do' anything. First and above all, I call you to 'MYSELF'. Once you understand that - we can move on in all that I have called you to."

Over the past year the LORD has shown me that ministry means HIMSELF - before anything else. When I allow HIM to pour HIMSELF into me through prayer and His Word - then I have something to pour out - but only then. If I do not spend time with HIM - I have nothing to give. If I attempt to give of myself [without Him] then what I give is useless. But if I fill myself with HIM - then everything that pours out of me is the overflow of HIM - and not me!

The LORD told me that life with Him would be an adventure. He bought me a pair of hiking boots this week and as I trotted off the teach Bible study early this morning I wore the boots for the first time. I guess I'm now ready!

Last night the LORD gave me this 1st Scripture - and then again this morning.

1 Peter 2:21
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.

At 1:30am He awakened me - I got up got some water and went back to bed. It was 1:32am. I looked at the numbers on the clock and heard God whisper, "Those are the two Psalms I have for you to read in the morning when you awake.

Psalm 130:1-5
A song of ascents.
About HOPE
1 Out of the depths I cry to You, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice.
Let Your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If You, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with You there is forgiveness;
therefore You are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,
and in His word I put my hope.

Psalm 132
A song of ascents.
About OBEDIENCE
1 O LORD, remember David
and all the hardships he endured.
2 He swore an oath to the LORD
and made a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
3 "I will not enter my house
or go to my bed-
4 I will allow no sleep to my eyes,
no slumber to my eyelids,
5 till I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 We heard it in Ephrathah,
we came upon it in the fields of Jaar:
7 "Let us go to His dwelling place;
let us worship at His footstool-
8 arise, O LORD, and come to Your resting place,
You and the ark of Your might.
9 May your priests be clothed with righteousness;
may Your saints sing for joy."
10 For the sake of David Your servant,
do not reject Your anointed one.
11 The LORD swore an oath to David,
a sure oath that He will not revoke:
"One of your own descendants
I will place on your throne-
12 if your sons keep my covenant
and the statutes I teach them,
then their sons will sit
on your throne for ever and ever."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion,
He has desired it for His dwelling:
14 "This is my resting place for ever and ever;
here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it-
15 I will bless her with abundant provisions;
her poor will I satisfy with food.
16 I will clothe her priests with salvation,
and her saints will ever sing for joy.
17 "Here I will make a horn grow for David
and set up a lamp for my anointed one.
18 I will clothe his enemies with shame,
but the crown on his head will be resplendent." [all emphasis mine]

The LORD spoke to my heart after reading both of these Psalms. He showed me that over the last year [and longer] I have lived my life each day - in HOPE [Psalm 130] - of Who He IS and what He can do - and all the promises He holds out for me here on earth.

He showed me from [Psalm 132] that living IN HOPE - can only be done through total obedience to His Will, to His Word, and to His plan - for what HE is doing for His kingdom purposes. It really had nothing to do with me - it's what He's doing that will bring Him glory. He has invited me [and you] to participate in all of it. As a result I [we] get to share in the glory and all the splendor of Who God Is!! There is no greater reward!

As I was preparing to publish this blog Point of Grace new CD played this song . The song is called BECAUSE YOU ARE and here are just a few of the words that spoke to my heart:

You are I AM - and I am - because YOU ARE
Holy, unbreadkable, infinite God
Every unchanging in all that You are
Light of the World and the sun and the stars
You are I AM
and I am
because YOU ARE!

Choosing JOY in the journey,

Stephanie
[Led home by the Shepherd]
[Shepherd's Walk = The Sanctuary at Sweetbriar = Dedication of God's Dwelling Place = Earth is His Footstool]

Through the DOOR

As I was reading my Bible early this morning the LORD directed me to 1 Peter where I read again that very familiar passage - the same one that my husband, Bob, claimed over his life right after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2001. It became a reality for him as he is now in heaven with his salvation made complete.

Later in the morning I was reading a book about faith and Peter's name came up. The book described Peter's life - one of flaws and failure and wrong choices, and then showed what he became when he was transformed by the Living Resurrected Christ.

It made me ponder what my life would be like today without the transforming power of Christ. It reminded me of when I have made wrong choices - and the long road back - with consequences in tow that hovered like a thick cloud. Then - I remembered making a conscious choice to follow hard after Christ - daily - taking up my cross - choosing to please only HIM - not myself - not others - just HIM! It made all the difference! How about you? It's never too late to choose to walk daily with Christ - never too late to choose HIS WAY over your own - never too late to experience HIS transforming power in your life! What is it that hinders you?

1 Peter 1: 3-9

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. [emphasis mine]

Matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Revelation 3:20

Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me. [emphasis mine]

May we feast together at the LORD'S Table!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Led Home by the Shepherd]

RECOUNTING SHEEP

How often do we stop to recount the steps the LORD has taken in our lives to bring us to where we are today - and celebrate in true worship with thankful hearts ?

If we are living living in loving obedience to His Word and His will - then it should be quite often. That is why He calls us to CELEBRATION! The Israelites marched the hill to Jerusalem several times each year - singing as they went - repenting, worshiping, recalling the blessings, dangers and help, security, joys and promises that the LORD had done.

Exodus 12 (selected)
14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD - a lasting ordinance.
17 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.
24 "Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as He promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' 27 then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians.' " Then the people bowed down and worshiped [this is how we celebrate].

Exodus 23:16
"Celebrate the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the crops you sow in your field.
"Celebrate the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field.

These same passages can also be found in Leviticus 23, Numbers 9 and Deuteronomy 16. They must be pretty important if God speaks of them all through these first books [the Law of Moses].
Yes, we live under grace today - but these are still the commands and the ordinances of the LORD to be observed from the heart. If we are the "spiritual seed of Abraham" - then these apply to the believer in Christ as well.

Check out what Phillip W. Keller says about the word "house" in his book:

A SHEPHERD LOOKS at PSALM 23

"This Psalm opened with the proud, joyous statement, "The Lord is my Shepherd."

Now it closes with the equally positive, buoyant affirmation, "And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

Here is the sheep so utterly satisfied with its lot in life, so fully contented with the care it receives, so much 'at home' with the shepherd that there is not a shred of desire for change.

The word 'house' used here ... has a wider meaning than most people could attach to it...

It must be kept in mind that the Psalmist, writing from the standpoint of a sheep, is reflecting on and recounting the full round of the year's activities for the flock.

[The Shepherd] has taken us from the green pastures, still waters, up the mountain, to the high tablelands of summer... Fall has come with its storms and rain, sleet and drives the sheep down...back to the home ranch, for the long, quiet winter...

The sheep is deeply satisfied with the flock to which is belongs, with the ownership of this particular shepherd... It is as if it had finally come home again and was now standing at the fence, bragging to its less fortunate neighbors on the other side. It boasts about the wonderful year it has had and its complete confidence in its owner."

Truly the LORD is MY SHEPHERD - is He yours?

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie
[Led Home by the Shepherd]
[Day 1 of 365]
PHOTO Taken: 9-19-08 Lancaster County, PA

Under the WATERFALL

[God has provided so many beautiful days this week but we need rain. It is amazing how dry and parched everything is when it is thirsty for water.

We can look good on the outside for only so long without the living water to fill us and quench our thirst. The Holy Spirit is an oasis from which we can drink at any time. We need to remain under the waterfall of His outpouring in order to be refreshed and carry on all that God has for us. ]

I wrote those very words almost a year and a half ago in May 2007. The Lord brought me back to them today to show me how much my own life has grown [after being watered] because of heeding those words so many months ago. I am no longer dry and parched, or thirsty, because I have remain under the waterfall of grace and mercy through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I drink in daily - as much as my [spiritual] body can absorb. God does this - not me. I just stand under the waterfall with my mouth open - ready to receive it.

Jeremiah 2:13

"My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken Me,

the spring of living water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

John 4

10Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water."
11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15 The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water ..."

John 7

37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Revelation 7

16 Never again will they hunger;

never again will they thirst.

The sun will not beat upon them,

nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;

He will lead them to springs of living water.

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Until then..... stand under the waterfall He pours out daily - and drink!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Guided by the Shepherd]

Stubbornness Iced in GRACE

Isaiah 48 (selected)

Stubborn Israel

3 I foretold the former things long ago,

My mouth announced them and I made them known;

then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.
4 For I knew how stubborn you were;

the sinews of your neck were iron,

your forehead was bronze.
5 Therefore I told you these things long ago;

before they happened I announced them to you

so that you could not say,

'My idols did them;

my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
6 You have heard these things; look at them all.

Will you not admit them?

8 You have neither heard nor understood;

from of old your ear has not been open.

Well do I know how treacherous you are;

you were called a rebel from birth.
9 For My own name's sake I delay My wrath;

for the sake of My praise I hold it back from you,

so as not to cut you off.
10 See, I have refined you, though not as silver;

I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.
11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this.

How can I let Myself be defamed?

I will not yield My glory to another.

12 "Listen to Me, O Jacob,

Israel, whom I have called: I am He;

I am the First and I am the Last.

20 Leave Babylon,

flee from the Babylonians!

Announce this with shouts of joy

and proclaim it.

Send it out to the ends of the earth;

say, "The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob."
21 They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts;

He made water flow for them from the rock;

He split the rock and water gushed out.
22 "There is no peace," says the LORD,

"for the wicked."

John 15:5

[Jesus speaking]

"I am the Vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. [all emphasis mine]

Both then and now - it's still about....

GOD'S GRACE!

Choosing JOY,

Stephanie

[Taking Possession of the Land]