The Word keeps us, centers us on the truth; cares fall away, peace comes.
Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
6So we may say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me”|
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.
9It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace.
Worth repeating: the Word of God keeps us, centers us on the truth; cares fall away peace comes.
We commit it all, our needs, our desires, our fears—to You, Jesus. Thank You for Your strengthening grace. It enables us to look away and be content and have joy.
Yesterday the news was that there was a strange person on the grounds.
The day before that it was that a person desperately needing a place to spend the night.
Then last night a lady’s screaming woke us up. Fear gripped me as I lay awake…and then guilt at not helping any of them.
This morning I was disappointed and angry at myself, and still fearful.
But God’s Word totally erased all of it. There is power in the Word.
Luke 10:18-19 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. Hallelujah!
I happily went alone on my morning prayer walk with the Lord.
Trial: Apprehension about our new apartment. We are moving today and sleeping in the other apartment tonight. Dan, bless his heart, cleaned the stove, the fridge, and fixed the gas leak. Our bed will be in the bathroom. Weird. This old building is strange. Very strange. We cleaned, we thanked God that we are inside for the winter.
January 28
We moved everything in two hours and had the old apartment cleaned. The boys were a tremendous help. We got them to bed (after a Mexican treat) and GRACE came like a flood. This is the Lord’s blessing for us, and we love it.
Later: There is not enough space, even for our very meager possessions. There are a few cupboards in the kitchen but we have no dressers. So we set our eyes on the seen rather than the unseen, and trust the Lord.
Thank You, Lord. I take this for just what it says: in listening for Your voice and obeying You, we have Your blessing and protection.
Exodus 23:20-33 He is sending an angel ahead of us on our journey!
20 an angel will go ahead of us to guard us and bring us to the place God has prepared for us.
21 pay attention to him and listen to what he says: do not rebel against him! My presence is in him.
22 If we listen carefully and do what He says, God shall be an enemy to our enemies.
24 Do not bow down before other gods or worship them or follow their practices; demolish them.
25 WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND HIS BLESSING WILL BE UPON YOUR FOOD AND WATER.
I WILL TAKE SICKNESS AWAY FROM THE MIDST OF YOU.
26 None will miscarry or be barren,
I WILL GIVE YOU A FULL LIFE SPAN.
27 I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter.
I will make your enemies turn their backs and run.
29 Little by little I will drive them out – until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.
32 Do not make a covenant with them or with their gods.
33 Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against Me, because the worship of their gods will be a snare to you.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, NOT KNOWING where he was going. Hebrews 11:8
Just as we had ‘gone out now knowing’ on our trip from Reno to New York, and at other times in our Christian walk, this is what God was requiring/requesting at this juncture.
Father, two nights ago when Gramma who lived next door called late to say the sheriff believed a murderer was in our neighborhood, my blood ran cold! Fear really gripped me. We closed all of our windows to the cool night air that would have cooled the house, we prayed. Dan read Psalm 91, and I continued reading aloud in the psalms. We both fell asleep in peace.
Father, why can’t I come to that same peace about the stacks of unpacked boxes and being consistent in rearing the boys? With the stranger in the night, I knew quickly that it was totally beyond me to do any more than write down the sheriff’s number in a prominent place and make sure the doors were locked, and then take refuge in the Word. Would you bring me to that same place of peace with the boys?
This is my job: wife, mother, homemaker. This is my daily work. It is inside the home.
July 21
When I worked outside my home at the Christian School for a month, I got up in plenty of time to shower, fix my hair and makeup, do devotions, do any preparations that were necessary. That was it. I was on time, neat, tidy, ready to do my best. I went to the job even if I was tired. I got up at the same time every day even if I was tired.
I said NO to distractions that would interfere with me doing my best at the task to which I was assigned.
January 2, 1979 Since I went to the doctor two weeks ago, I have been counting contractions daily because he said six means trouble. Oh how anxious and fearful I have become.Rejoice always, be anxious for nothing, pray with thanksgiving, AND HIS PEACE WILL KEEP YOU. Philippians 4:4-7 (paraphrased)
Later: I am overcome! Slipped into the pit. Where does responsibility get practical for our baby? Do we become parents now and go home to prepare a place? Or do we continue in our role as Bible students and trust God for preparing a place? Also I am frustrated and so bored with the food. And there is more…it all makes me double-minded and easily tossed about.Continue reading “38- Appealing to the Father”→
My sister, Marsha (born in 1948) and I (born in 1945) say that we had a Leave It to Beaver childhood.
Leave It to Beaver was a sitcom in the early 1960’s, in which the parents were hard workers (she at home, he at the office), loved their two sons, and took their parenting seriously. Rather than having all of the answers, Ward and June worked with their sons to figure things out. Their home was comfortable and all of their problems were manageable.
Marsha and I grew up in the security and innocence of the late 1940’s and the decade of the 1950’s knowing we were very loved. Connie (born in 1953) enjoyed a good start like we did, but by the time she got to middle school and high school society had changed a lot and life was more challenging for her than it had been for us.
1953, Dad and Mom relaxing
Our parents loved each other and they loved us. We were their focus. Our home was very stable and happy. Our small house was kept clean and tidy; our clothes were washed and ironed. We ate every meal together at the kitchen table. For dinners our mom fixed meat and potatoes and vegetables and home-made desserts, and fish on Fridays.
When we were young, Mom, Grayce, enrolled us in dance lessons, swimming lessons, and gave us birthday parties. She made us Halloween costumes, and many church and school dresses. She bought us Sunday hats and gloves, and polished our white Easter shoes. After school, she had snacks ready for us and was excited to hear about our day.
Our Dad, George, was the rock of our family. He was a quiet man who went to work every day at 7:55 and was home every night (except for the Elk’s club meetings once a month) a few minutes after 5. He built us a playhouse, set up the tether ball pole, taught us to ride our bikes, and how to drive a car. He took us to church every Sunday and to confession every two or three months.
1955, our family
Daddy was more than a provider; he was a fan of his girls. We each knew that he and our mom loved us unconditionally. When he spanked us (because we deserved it), it truly hurt him more than it did us. We knew that there was a deep mercy inside him for each of us.
When troubles came, and they did, our nuclear family foundation was firm and our relationships were laced with love. Even in our extended family, love won–over and over again. Disclaimer: one woman who married into the family moved herself to the fringe of the group through her very critical spirit. We tried to keep a good attitude about her and kept welcoming her back, but she became embittered.
I mentioned that our parents were social drinkers and that it was always a positive part of our family life. At some point daddy began using alcohol as an escape from a troubled relationship with his brother, who was his business partner, and from the stress of being a small business owner and paying taxes every quarter. Daddy and Walt had carried on their father’s tractor sales and implement business. Uncle Walt was the office manager and daddy was the mechanic.
I’m sure daddy had also taken refuge in alcohol as an escape from the worries and sorrows that we three girls caused him as we were making our way into adulthood.
georgannlemaire.com 
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