Prayer in Daniel 9....

Prayer in Daniel 9....

I am not a Biblical scholar by any means and am becoming less of one as I age...feeling like there is so much more to understand and am only lightly skimming the surface of the Bible...God is so great, infinite and yet he wants us to ask for wisdom....

"Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
James 3:13-18

I am finishing up the book of Daniel and feel like I am reading a modern day account of life...there is a prayer of Daniel in chapter 9.

"I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame —the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. “Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
Daniel 9:4-19

I realize he was praying for the nation of Israel, but so much describes humanity...
-rebellious
-unfaithfulness
-sinners
-disobedient
-non seekers of God
-wrong doers

On the other hand, Daniel describes God as merciful, forgiving, righteous, great and awesome...

We people haven't changed for the better over the centuries...as some would say...But God remains the same...ever patient...waiting for us to acknowledge our need for forgiveness, wisdom ...to come  to Him in humility of heart, soul and mind..

Thank YOU...

The grumpies are hitting....

The grumpies are hitting...

After being cooped up in a bus for six days, the "grumpies" are hitting some of the travelers...

Either food is slow, the selection limited, not enough or too much, cooked poorly, bones and joints are creeking, mornings are earlier, nights are later, the scenery monotonous, family waiting, or whatever....sounds like when I was traveling with four children only deeper voices and grayer hair (no arguing or teasing, or touching, though).....

I opened my Bible reading for today and found...
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.
Philippians 2:1-2

so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
Colossians 1:10-12

It was a reminder not to fall into step with the "grumpies" but look for the good in each day, each scene...to think on...

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9

To be an encourager, to be thankful even in "rough" times...we are so blessed....

Thank YOU.....

" the Lord is there"...

"The Lord is there".....

The gates of the New City...
This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,” declares the Sovereign Lord. “These will be the exits of the city: Beginning on the north side, which is 4,500 cubits long, the gates of the city will be named after the tribes of Israel. The three gates on the north side will be the gate of Reuben, the gate of Judah and the gate of Levi. “On the east side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Joseph, the gate of Benjamin and the gate of Dan. “On the south side, which measures 4,500 cubits, will be three gates: the gate of Simeon, the gate of Issachar and the gate of Zebulun. “On the west side, which is 4,500 cubits long, will be three gates: the gate of Gad, the gate of Asher and the gate of Naphtali. “The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. “And the name of the city from that time on will be: the Lord is there. ”
Ezekiel 48:29-35

I am having the privilege of traveling around an area in Wyoming, Montana and South Dakota...the sites both manmade and God made are awesome...the God made ones are not to be duplicated by mere man, nor the wildlife of mountain sheep, deer, buffalo, prairie dogs....the rolling hills, jagged rock hills, "Devils tower", the forests... The beauty....views to behold...

We are getting plenty of Native American culture with their stories, traveling through some of their sacred places, the areas and dreams their nations have for their future and the stories of the past...their battles, their national triumphants, their boundaries, their pride of life and history, their heartaches, their ups and downs....

It is like reading the history of all manikind...the same has gone with probably  many cultures worldwide...

Reading through the Bible again this year has been a reminder of the same...with the twist of seeing it through various leaders, men of God, prophets God ordained....promises, covenants, blessings, consequences, history, writings to encourage and teach...sacred boundaries and dividing of land long promised ....

Through it all God has been there and is still there, reigning with judgment, power, love and care...desiring each to turn to Him in faith...believing in the Son, Jesus ....strengthened and taught by the Comforter, the Holy Spirit...
thank YOU...,

Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
Psalm 26:8

Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain.
Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King.
God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress.
When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror.
Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor.
You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind.
As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever.
Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.
Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments.
Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 48:1-14

Old Faithful...

Old Faithful....

Sunday, not able to attend regular church, it seemed fitting to watch "old Faithful" at Yellowstone National Park....

We had just missed the earlier eruption of this beautiful scene, so we waited for the next...it spit and sputtered off and on for an hour....then erupted with all of its glory high into the air sending plumes of steam and hot water shooting into the sky for a few minutes then fell back into the hole to prepare for its next mighty eruption....

It seems like over the years the timing has gotten longer and not as faithful...still spectacularly erupting, just not as timely as it once was...but, it has gone on for thousands of years and will probably continue until God seems fit to change it...faithfully spouting thousands of gallons of blistering hot water toward the sky...

The song "Great is thy Faithfulness" came to mind as hundreds of spectators watched the fountain of water...not wholly because of the geyser...but, the beauty that God has gifted mankind with...or His faithfulness to his creation...He saw that it was "good" and then went on to create something else "good".  He created us in His image....He blessed us with Himself, desiring fellowship...

One just has to read from Genesis to Revelations to see God's faithfulness in a myriad of aspects of our lives...from creation to final judgement and redemption...the beauty of creation, the Word through Jesus the Son , the gift of the Holy Spirit, the love of the Father....faithful...thank YOU...

For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
Psalm 33:4

"God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds. ” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the third day. And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the fourth day. And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning —the fifth day. And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground. ”
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food. ” And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning —the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
Genesis 1:10-2:1

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Shepherding ....

Ezekiel 34 talks about shepherds and sheep...

The question asked, "what kind of sheep are described?"

-weak
-sick
-injured
-strays
-lost

Describes the church....all of these kinds of sheep are found there...in the big churches, the dying churches, the spilt churches, the small churches...all in need of a good shepherd...the Good Shepherd..

In this chapter, the shepherds of Israel are being called out from their lack of care for the sheep they are supposed to be tending...the sheep were scattered, wandering, devoured because of shepherds who took care of themselves over the care of their flock....the leaders not taking care of their people....

We are likened to sheep in so many places....our leaders, the shepherds...

Further , the Lord goes on to say that He will rescue, gather, pasture, tend, search, bind up, strengthen...."I will shepherd the flock with justice"...

Going through a church split several years ago  as well as attending several other churches over the years, I look for a good shepherd. One whose foundation is found in the Word, who tries to get to meet the flock, one who is bringing others in, looking for strays, one who binds up, one who equips other shepherds...who is not elevating himself...but serving...whose heart is listening to the Real Shepherd and encourages the flock to look and listen as well...

Our hearts deep down desire the Shepherd who cares....Jesus...
Thank YOU...

 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them. “‘Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them. “‘For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign Lord. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice.
You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Sovereign Lord.’”
Ezekiel 34:3-16,31

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23:1-6

Waiting 101....

Waiting 101....

There are some days that I feel like i am in back in preschool-no waiting, no patience...I want to surge ahead doing my own thing, without filters, with time limits, crying to get my own way as fast as I possibly  can...there, the truth...about my spirituality, my lack of patience at times...

Waiting for medical results, papers to sign with a deadline, a plane, doctors to come, a microwave to heat water, people to grow up, a debt to be paid....you name it, a cazillion things or events to wait for...some pretty petty and others, life shattering or changing...

Noah building a boat for rain he had never seen, Joseph in prison for crimes he didn't commit, David on the run for another's hatred, a nation under bondage, Jesus loving us so much to die for our sins not wanting any to perish ....these all make my waiting look small and unimportant...but, I still have to lay that  anxiousness down...and lean not on my understanding and be still...give up the tenseness I feel my body holding on to, think of other things instead of OCDing on the same idea over and over again ...oh, my...

Love is described as patient...God is patient.....and I am to be growing in that trait...as I am being transformed into His image...I have such a long way to go...thank YOU for being there for me...

He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.
Genesis 8:10,12

Moses answered them, “Wait until I find out what the Lord commands concerning you.”
Numbers 9:8

Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
Judges 6:17-18

Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord .
Psalm 27:14

We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
Psalm 33:20-22

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret —it leads only to evil.
Psalm 37:7-8

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.
Proverbs 14:29

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Romans 8:25

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-25

Then they will know that I am the Lord their God...

Then they will know that I am the Lord their God....

I am reading through the prophets in the Old Testament,....lots of woes...lots of judgements....lots of bloodshed...lots of prophecy...lots of gore for this "G" rated book reader and movie watcher...l like more "and they lived happily ever after"  stuff...even if I live in a world where that realistically doesn't happen... And is happening less and less with faster and faster communications ...

We live in a dying world filled with sin...defined or relative...there is bad out there and it affects us all whether we acknowledge it or not ...as time goes by we are not getting better as some would argue...

There has been kindness and goodness since the beginning as well as evil, when Satan entered with his pride of life and desires...God is all that is good and down through the ages the battles have come and gone...we really haven't changed through time..."for all have sinned" and all need a savior no matter the century in which we live...

The phrase "then they will know that I am the Lord" or similar is repeated over and over in the prophets of old...in the New Testament I find,
It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Romans 14:11-12

I am not a Biblical scholar...but they sound very similar...we will acknowledge God...and I do....thank YOU...You are same yesterday, today and tomorrow ...eternal ...never changing...

Then they will know that I am the Lord their God, for though I sent them into exile among the nations, I will gather them to their own land, not leaving any behind. I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the people of Israel, declares the Sovereign Lord. ”
Ezekiel 39:28-29