Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. As I sat inside the camper looking out the window waiting for the big storms to end, suddenly the sun came out and there was this kind of light that I call rainbow light. It is a kind of light with gold and green hues that happens when the sun is low in a sky filled with clouds and moisture. I grabbed my camera and hurried down to the lake and sure enough there was a rainbow. This one was unusual in that you could see the rainbow, the rain from the lower dark cloud, and white fluffy clouds and blue sky above.
As I edited the image I thought about how all rainbows require sunlight and rain - sometimes after a hard storm or sometimes after a gentle shower. All of us have days filled with white fluffy clouds as well as dark stormy and rainy days - sometimes even at the same time. When we have our foundation firmly fixed on God then we can withstand the rain and storm; look through to the white fluffy clouds; and see the beauty of a rainbow. Prayer God of Light Thank you for being our strong foundation and guiding us through the storm to see your beauty. Amen
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You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds, God our Savior, On the drive up to Newfound Gap we stopped at the pullout with a clear view of the Chimneys. According to my grandmother, these mountains got their name because they looked like the chimneys of two houses. As I looked up, you could see the spring green gradually working its way up the mountain, with the lower elevation trees much more green than the ones at the top. Right after the 2016 fires you could only see the burned tree trunks and the rock outcrop but gradually the vegetation is taking the place of all that was lost. The mountain remains in spite of the trauma of the fire. Now the green is gradually returning to heal those wounds.
These mountains are formed by the power of our God who stills our turmoil; who answers our questions with awesome and righteous deeds; and who brings hope to all the ends of the earth. We have wounds too, brought about by many and various traumas, but like the green returning to the mountain, because we serve a living God there is hope, a new day dawns, and there will again be a time of singing songs of joy. Prayer God Our Savior We see your mountains and we are filled with wonder at our salvation. Fill us with your hope and give songs of joy in your presence. Amen Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. I have stood at this place hundreds of times, this path going down through the meadow that will eventually lead to Hyatt Lane and the Lawson Place. It is a beautiful place to watch a sunrise. I haven’t been there in a very long time. I look forward to going back but right now I am waiting, just waiting. This has been a long season of waiting for most of us. It is hard to keep waiting. I take heart in knowing that while I haven’t been able to see this path through the meadow it is still there. And like the this meadow God is still there in all our waiting. So my friends, take heart, and keep waiting. Lean on the Lord for your strength for He will always be there.
Prayer Lord God Strengthen our hearts in this time of waiting. Give us the endurance and hope to wait on you. Brighten our days with sweet memories of your love for us. Amen View the post for February 27 for an explanation of my Lenten Project Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; The branches of this strong, old, oak tree spread out and provide protection for the birds who nest here and the animals that take shelter under its branches in summer storms. We have a God who is our protector. He doesn’t promise that the storms won’t come, only that he will bear us through them under his loving care. We only need to accept his care and and trust his authority.
Prayer Lord Our Maker We bow before you grateful for your care. Teach us to rest under your loving arms. Amen View the post for February 27 for an explanation of my Lenten Project Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” I was drawn to this little tree because of its position. It wasn’t big and beautiful; it wasn’t straight and tall; it wasn’t standing in the forest. Even though it was small it still had an unique place on the cliff overlooking the ocean. In this story after Abraham was willing to follow God’s command and offer his only son, God stopped his sacrifice of Issac. Abraham had trusted God even when it meant doing the unimaginable. And then in a small tree the Lord provided the sacrifice. God will provide for us when we seek to follow him even when we feel like this small tree on the cliff wondering how long we will be able to stand in the place where we are planted.
Prayer Lord God We trust in you to provide for us. Walk with us closely today as we seek to serve you in the unique place where we are planted. Amen View the post for February 27 for an explanation of my Lenten Project I love you, Lord, my strength. These trees in the Canyon Region of Yellowstone stood straight and tall on the wall of the 1,200 foot deep canyon. The canyon's walls were formed from geysers and mud springs and are easily eroded. Still in these harsh conditions these trees stand. We have a refuge, a rock, and a strength to stand when we walk in harsh times. Look to God and take refuge in him.
Prayer Lord, Our Strength May we run to you first in difficult times knowing that you are our rock, our fortress, and our deliverer. Amen And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day. When I first started using a camera to do more than make a snapshot of a memory, I had no idea what aperture was or how it impacted a photograph. I was content to just put the controls on automatic and let the camera make the decisions. While this can make a good image, it takes away your freedom to create something that communicates what you feel. As I have spent lots of time taking pictures I have learned, along with other things, what an aperture is and have developed a confidence in my knowledge of the camera and photography editing software. This knowledge has allowed me to become freer when I take an image. Before I learned to use a camera I would have never even thought about taking an image on a rainy, dreary day like this one. But on this day, I saw this bright colored boat and I had the confidence to try to capture the feeling of seeing the boat; the juxtaposition of the dreary day and the single boat named “Morning Sun.” I hope my image makes you think about that for a while like it did me.
Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy while in prison, reflecting on his life as a way of encouraging Timothy to keep going. His words of encouragement explain why, even though he was in prison and probably facing his death very soon, he was able to offer those words. Over his life journey with Christ he had come to know him and was confident that Jesus would always guard him until he was safely with him, whenever that day was. His confidence gave him a freedom that transcended the bars of his prison cell - a freedom from fear and anxiety, a freedom to write these beautiful, encouraging words to Timothy. The more we know whom we have believed in, the more we develop a confidence that leads to freedom. Just like with Paul, it doesn’t happen instantly but instead over much time. The more we know him, like the more I know my camera, the more we can create lives that communicate the love of Christ. Prayer Loving God Walk with us today. Increase our confidence in You and make us free to share your love. Amen You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. As you travel to Cades Cove on Little River Road you drive uphill through the mountains. Then, just before you get to the cove, you begin a downhill descent. At the entrance to the cove this beautiful valley opens out before you. You are surrounded by mountains, hemmed in by beauty. I imagine what it must have been like to live in the John Oliver cabin, nestled up next to the mountain with the valley before you and the mountains in the distance. I never tire of going to the cove. I can’t really explain the feeling of peace that comes over me, especially when I am there in the early morning.
I believe that when we come to worship our God and open our hearts to him we can have that same unexplainable feeling of being hemmed in. In God’s presence we can safely lay bare our hearts for he knows everything about us, yet still loves us. Like the psalmist it is too much for us to understand or explain the freedom and peace that comes from being hemmed in. Prayer Lord God We open our hearts to you. Show us the path that you would have us walk and hem us in with your love. Amen You are my hiding place; I think we all have days when we just want to run away - to ride off into the sunset and leave the pain and anxiety behind. But where do we run to find rest and peace we seek? The best place is into the hands of a loving God. From his word we learn the way we should go, the road we should take.
Prayer Loving God Thank you for being our hiding place and surrounding us with songs of deliverance on days when we just want to run away. Show us the road that will lead to you and counsel us with your word. Amen Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: I am not exactly sure why the tree in the field across from the Lawson place in the cove is so special to me. I still stop to take a picture of this tree every time I go to the cove. To give you an idea of its size, I can easily walk under its branches without bending over. The last time I visited the cove, this tree had something else to teach me. This day this large, strong tree was dwarfed by the clouds that heralded the coming storm. I stood there amazed at the vastness of God who made all things and my own smallness in relation to the tree. And then I hear his promise that this God who made all things will hold my right hand. Overwhelmed.
Prayer Lord God, Maker of All Things Thank you for taking hold of our hands and leading us through the vast and beautiful world you have created. May we humbly reach out and accept your love. Amen Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. The homes that remain in the park are really only shells of what they were when people lived in them. Even though they seem primitive in comparison to the homes of today, they still offered protection. They were filled with life, joy and sadness, and set in a truly beautiful place. We all seek home, a place where we are loved and protected, a place where we see beauty. Jesus offers us that home. He has offered his life for us. He made himself a refuge for us, even those of us who run away from him.
Prayer Jesus, For the home you give us, for the protection you offer, for your heart of love for us that weeps when we run away, we bow in gratitude at your gift of love. Bring us home and help us show others the way. Amen My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors of death have fallen upon me. You could see the storm coming. The clouds were getting darker by the minute and the waves were getting choppier and higher. My fear grew as the skies got darker and the winds stronger. I was glad that I had to run only a short distance to the safety of our motel room. From here I could watch the power of the storm, grateful for a safe shelter. Like the safety of my motel room over looking Lake Superior, we can face times of fear and trembling and even see beauty in the storm when we find our shelter in the Lord. Why do we stand in the storm when all we need to do is to call out to him? Hurry to his shelter,and he will save you.
Prayer Lord of the Wind and Storm Watch over us when we face strong storms. Teach us to hurry and run to you when we need shelter from the raging wind that surrounds us. Amen Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies, and your right hand delivers me. I have only had the desire to become a hiker since I started learning about photography. Hiking still scares me some. You never know what is going to be around the next curve in the trail because the mountains are filled with snakes and bears and other many other dangers. My fear has kept me from hiking a trail with a water crossing, hiking a trail longer than 8 miles, or solo hiking. (I tried that one time and after 20 minutes headed quickly back to the car.)
There are fearful times in our lives when we walk in the midst of trouble afraid of what will be around the next curve. We face enemies of many kinds - sickness, loneliness, loss, temptation, addiction. We don’t have to be paralyzed by fear because we can choose to walk with God who stretches out his hand to us. We can walk forward around the curve because we walk with a loving Lord who knows where the dangers are and delivers us from all of them. Even though I am afraid I still hike to see where the trail leads, be it a peaceful level path, beautiful waterfall, or a mountain vista, for each hike has its purpose. When we walk with God he will fulfill his purpose in our lives. He will sustain us with his steadfast love even though we walk in the midst of trouble. Prayer Steadfast Lord Let us walk with courage, knowing that you have purpose for the path you have set for us. Your steadfast love will sustain us in the midst of trouble. Amen Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; Our family has camped at Fall Creek Falls State Park for many years. We have special places in the park where we like to go every time we camp. One of the special things we like to do each time is watching the sunset at Buzzard’s Roost. You have to do just a short walk, climb down over some rocks with the help of a tree that whose bark is worn smooth, then step over a rock bridge to be at the top of a large rock outcrop overlooking the gorge. There is a peace and comfort and joy that I find here, every time we come. While I can’t make the trip to see the sunset at Buzzard’s Roost when I need strength and a place of refuge I can always go to God. No matter how many times I come running to him, he is always there. And the more I go to him, the easier it is to find him. He has saved me and is my rock and fortress.
Prayer Strong Rock of Refuge Remind us to always return to you, for no matter how far away we have run you are always there, a strong fortress. Amen The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Without a word nature speaks volumes, from a sunset that paints the sky gold and orange and the mountains purple to the smallest plant and creature. In these wonders we see the glory of the Great Creator God. But God speaks in a more specific and personal way in his word. Ground you live in his words today. Make them a part of your life and you will find a stronghold that will never give way.
Prayer Creator God, We thank you for the glory we see in the heavens, for the joy we see in the sky. Implant your words in our lives today so that we may reflect your glory. Amen For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; The first thing we do when we get out of the car with our grandchildren is to tell them that they must hold an adult's hand. We tell them that streets and parking lots are dangerous places for children and they willingly grab hold. They hold our hand because they trust us and accept our help getting to a safe place. As adults we often find it hard to trust others and accept help when we need it. Taking hold of an outstretched hand means we give up control, we admit our weakness. Holding hands is also a way of showing and accepting love. God promises us his outstretched hand and his help in difficult times. But we must take hold of it, let got of control and admit our weakness. Whose hand do you hold today? If it isn’t God’s then let go and take hold of the hand that you can trust to help you.
Prayer Loving Father We admit our weakness and need for your protection. Give us the desire to hold on to your hand like a child willingly grabs hold of a parent's hand. Amen My flesh and my heart may fail, All lighthouses need to be high enough above the water to shine their warning light. At the time most lighthouses were built, a person had to manually climb to the top to operate the light. Most lighthouses have stairs of some kind and usually they are very narrow. On our recent trip to the Great Lakes I developed an appreciation for those lighthouse keepers who had to climb a very narrow, difficult, and frightening set of stairs many times carrying supplies needed for the light. There have been times in my life when I thought I just can’t climb another set of difficult stairs that are before me. But I have learned that is in those times when I let God be my strength that I grow the most. He has always been my strength. And after climbing those hard steps, I look back and see their beauty like the intricate ironwork of the lighthouse steps.
Prayer Strong, Mighty King When I grow weary and my heart fails, teach me to look to you to be my strength. Amen My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. I am not sure why but mountains always make me think about strength. Maybe it is because climbing a mountain takes a lot of physical strength and ability. Maybe it is because they stand so tall and imposing like impenetrable fortress walls. We all face mountains in our lives that seem impossible to summit. But God promises to be our strength when we face our mountains, even when facing the mountain makes our heart grow faint and strength seems beyond our reach.
Prayer Strong and Mighty Lord Strengthen our hearts to face the mountains that stand before us today. Make them a place to grow closer to you and teach us to depend on your strength when our flesh and heart fail us. Help us to see the beauty in the mountains we face. Amen I love you, O Lord, my strength. The rock towers of the west are like strong fortress walls. They have stood for many years against the natural forces of wind and water. We all look for places of security and safety like these rook fortresses. Only when we trust in God do we find a place of refuge and strength.
Prayer Strong Tower Teach me to trust in you, to make you my strength and stronghold. Amen The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The trees at the edge of the open field were all leaning, yet somehow they were and are still standing. We all face times when we, like these trees, are leaning over and almost falling. The Lord promises us that when we feel like we can stand no longer and have even bowed all the way down to the ground that he will support us. In his love we find strength and assurance that we need to take one step forward and then another.
Prayer Lord of the Falling When we feel overwhelmed and on the verge of bowing down to the ground, remind us to look to you to find our support. Amen |
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Soli Deo Gloria,
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan
1 Corinthians 10:31
© 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Karen Milligan