View the post for February 17 for an explanation of my Lenten Project When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. The crowds were gone from the park. The starkness of the cloudy day brought a kind of sadness. The tide was low and the blue skies and crashing waves we came to see were not to be seen. In the distance was the light house, so far away and so small. Yet there it was on the point, doing its job to guide the boats safely into the cove and home. I still took the picture even though it was not the image that I had come to take.
So many of us are experiencing stark and lonely days. We wonder if we will ever feel safe again; if we will ever see blue skies; if God is still there. God doesn’t promise that there will always be clear, blue sky days. Instead He promises to be the lighthouse that guides us through stark days and safely home to him. His promises are true. If we keep our eyes on him we will see His beauty even in lonely places. Prayer Lord God, Even on our cloudiest days be the light that shines through the clouds. Help us to see your beauty even on days without clear, blue skies and to trust you to guide us safely home. Amen
3 Comments
View the post for February 17 for an explanation of my Lenten Project Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Diana’s Baths are a series of cascades in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Most of the summer and fall they are very shallow and offer a safe place for all to enjoy the water. You can sit on a rock and let the water gently roll over your feet.
As we need safe places to enjoy mountain streams we also need safe places to reflect on our lives. Admitting our sins and failures isn’t an easy thing to do. Jesus is that safe place. When we confess our sins to him we are sprinkled clean. We know his cleansing is safe - he doesn’t condemn us. Instead Jesus looks at us through his eyes of love. Through his sacrifice we are washed cleaned. Prayer Lord Jesus We draw near to you this day, our safe place, knowing that you have opened up for us a new and living way. Show us our sin and sprinkle our hearts clean. Amen The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: When John the Baptist preached in the wilderness he was the messenger preparing the way of the Lord. He was calling people to get ready for the one to come. He called people to be baptized, to wash. In the Old Testament books of Leviticus and Numbers you find many references to washing as a way of preparing to meet with God. Lent is a time for us to spend some time in water, too - a time of repentance, of cleansing from sin and freedom from shame.
We need water to survive but it also can clean, heal, and transform. Practicing Lent is something that I have only begun in recent years. This year, like last year, I decided to create a Lenten project for the blog. My posts during this season will include scripture about and images of water and its ability to clean and transform. I pray these images and scriptures will help us become aware again of the sin that separates us from God and the cost that Jesus paid to reunite us. Prayer Lord God, Cleanse us with the water of life that flows from Jesus as we prepare for our hearts for you. 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 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: Sometimes, when you least expect it, a vision of beauty or a song of joy comes into your heart. Today was such a day. It was just my usual walk on a cloudy day so I had brought my headphones to listen to some music. I tend to walk faster when I walk to music. As soon as this simple song, “Chorus of Faith,” by Michael Card, began the sun broke through the clouds. The cloudy day became a beautiful clear day as these words of the chorus filled my heart.
Sing it with your life, Sing it with your heart Make melody with the words of your mouth But mind that you listen, tell it to others Hear the chorus of faith Live the chorus of faith It was just so joyous that I just joined in the at the top of my lungs, thankfully no one was around to hear me. We need times of joy like that. It made me wonder what it will sound like when we hear the angels sing, thousands and thousands of angels singing praise to God. Prayer Lord God, We sing to you with our hearts and our lives. Thank you for unexpected times of joy now and in the time to come. Amen The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. If the winds are calm, the air is still, and you are by a body of water, there is a good chance that you will be able to see a reflection of the shore. The calmer the water the more exact the reflection will be. When we see Jesus we see exactly who God is. Unlike a reflection in water which will never be exact, we will always see and understand what God is like when we look at Jesus. Christ has called us to be representations of him so we too can reflect God’s love.
Prayer Lord Jesus, Son of God This day as we walk with you calm our hearts and make us more into a reflection of your love. Amen |
Get In Touch
If you have something to share with everyone reading the blog, click on Comments to add your thoughts. Remember that your comments will be seen by anyone reading the post. If you want to just share your comments with me then click on the Contact link in the menu above. If you are looking for a particular scripture or post title then enter the word in the search box below. You can also find posts about specific topics in the Topics section.
Topics
All
Archives
March 2024
|
All the photographs in this site were taken by me. If you use or share anything from my website, please link back to this page. You are free to view and share this website by linking but I ask you not to download or redistribute anything from the site. Thanks.
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