the love story {of Psalm 105}

Today I was reading Psalm 105. Which is, by the way, a beautiful story, and a great reminder, and I think you should go read it right now. Don't worry, I'll still be here when you get back. :) 

I love the beautiful reminder in vs. 3-4 that when we seek the LORD, we will always find a reason to rejoice.

But as I kept reading, I kept seeing all the reminders to remember all His wonderful acts, and His wonderful faithfulness, and to tell all the nations about what the LORD has done. And it goes on to tell the story of God's chosen people, from His covenant with Abraham;

"He remembers his covenant forever,
    the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
⁹ the covenant he made with Abraham,
    the oath he swore to Isaac.
¹⁰ He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
¹¹ “To you I will give the land of Canaan
    as the portion you will inherit.” "   

 to when He led them to the promised land;

  ⁴³ He brought out his people with rejoicing,
    his chosen ones with shouts of joy;
⁴⁴ he gave them the lands of the nations,
    and they fell heir to what others had toiled for—
⁴⁵ that they might keep his precepts
    and observe his laws. Praise the Lord.

Throughout the Psalm, it tells the beautiful story of God working, a large portion of the first part of the Bible condensed. 

But it got me to thinking. Looking back at it all, there is none who can deny that it is a powerful story which shows the faithfulness of the LORD. But what about in that time? We know there was a lot of heartache, a lot of discouragement that was felt every step along the way there. 

 They wandered around from nation to nation, they were strangers in all lands. How discouraging must that have been?! But we can clearly see that He protected them the whole time. He prepared for them the land in Egypt, where they were to live for many years. 

When Joseph was sold by His brothers, and all that happened to Him in Egypt, including being sent to jail for something he didn't do, it would be easy to say that it was all wrong. But one of my favourite verses is from Genesis 50, when Joseph is talking to his brothers, and he says: "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Think of all the hurt. But God used it to save many, many people from the famine, and to bring His chosen people to high positions in Egypt. 

But then they became slaves in Egypt; we'd say the story's gone wrong. The Israelites must have felt abandoned by God, they must have wondered if they were ever going to be free, going to get to the promised land. But looking back now, we know He was working all things together for them.

And He sent Moses and Aaron to lead the people. Through them He did many signs and wonders. He sent the ten plagues. And through that, the people left Egypt laden with silver and gold. 

And then they wandered around in the desert. We know the Israelites had a lot of problems during that time. Think golden calf, think lots of complaining. But honestly, if I were in that situation, I really couldn't say if I would've been much better. 

He provided well for them in the desert;

⁴⁰ They asked, and he brought them quail;
    he fed them well with the bread of heaven.
⁴¹ He opened the rock, and water gushed out;
    it flowed like a river in the desert. 

And still, they were discouraged, and they complained!! But we know that God was faithful to them.

If we can look at that story of God and the Israelites, and see that despite of, or even through, the discouragement of the people, God worked a miraculous story of love, then we should not doubt that He is doing the same to us even when we are in the middle of days of discouragement. 

He worked all of the story of Joseph for good - maybe, somewhere in your life, someone intended something to harm you. But God is working through that, redeeming it, using it to bring good. He led them through the desert, He fed them manna and gave them water from a rock (hello?!! food from the sky?! water from a rock?! does that not blow your mind??!), God is giving you great and amazing gifts all the time. Will you choose to complain anyways (like the Israelites did, they got tired of manna pretty quick), or will you choose to let the miracle blow your mind and be thankful to the LORD for leading you and providing for you. 

So today, whatever discouragement you are walking through, remember: in the middle of the story told in Psalm 105, it looked like a lotta heartache. But when you look at the whole story, it's beautiful. The same is true for yours. 

Blessings,
love Emma  

  

31 Days :: {17} :: Today...

 Hey there friends! thanks for stopping by! You've found us at Day 17 of my 31 Days series on Celebrating Life. If you'd like to see all the other posts so far, you'll find the introduction here {includes post-list at the bottom} or the posts all here :) 

Today, we're celebrating a last minute trip to our grandparents, to see our Papa who is having surgery this Thursday. {Please pray? :)}

We're celebrating family, and good food, and games and laughter.

And also? ...I'm celebrating God's timing, because as we headed over this direction it turns out my great-grandmother had a heart attack today and what a blessing that we were able to be here to help and support. Prayers for her and my grandfather would be appreciated as well!

blessings on your day friends!
love Emma

linking up with Chantel and Elizabeth :)

Tunes Tuesday :: Giants

We all have those 'giants' in our lives, things that stand in the way of dreams that people say will never be able to come true, and sometimes we even doubt them ourselves. And sure, maybe some of them will never happen, but the truth of it is, each and every one of them could. Because we have a God with whom everything is possible. Sometimes these things we're holding onto, dreams or whatever, don't happen because God doesn't allow them to, maybe they aren't a part of His plan for our lives. And that's something hard. But I think a lot of times our miracles don't happen because we don't step out and fight those giants. Friends, we are not alone in this fight, and everything is possible for the One we are fighting with!

I just love this song, it is so catchy and it holds such truth! :)

Francesca Battistelli - Giants Fall

Everyone's telling you
To let go of what you're holding to
It's too late, too far
You're too small, it's too hard
Throwing water on that spark
Living deep inside your heart
With oceans of reasons
The things you're not seeing
But oh, maybe they don't
Know what you know
That you're not alone

[Chorus:]
Don't you be afraid
Of giants in your way
With God you know that anything's possible
So step into the fight
He's right there by your side
The stones inside your hand might be too small
But watch the giants fall

We could really live like this
Can't you imagine it
So bold, so brave
With childlike faith
Miracles could happen
Mountains would start moving
So whatever you may face

[Chorus]

Ask and believe
You're gonna see
The hand of God in every little thing

[Chorus]

Miracles can happen
Anything is possible
Watch the giants fall 

What about you? What giants are holding you back from things you believe can happen in your life?

blessings, friends!

love Emma

Tunes Tuesday :: cornerstone

When I first heard this song at church, it was back in the stpring, and I did not like this song. It sounds just like a hymn I grew up loving, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less. The lyrics to most of the verses are the same, but they changed the melody and that bothered me. so. much. :P

Fast forward several months... I love this song! :)

We sang it at church on Sunday, and I have had it stuck in my head ever since then. I know there is a point where even an amazing song gets annoying when it is stuck in my head, but one thing I love is when I get a great worship song stuck in my head and sing it all the time for a couple of days and I really begin to ponder the lyrics and what it means.

Like the first line {two lines?} of this song:
my hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness

I find that all too often my hope is built on things that are far less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. Things like the weather {seriously. far too much.}, and my family and friends, and my activities for the day. And the list goes on and on. I guess by the grace of God that's something I need to work on. 
 

Cornerstone - Hillsong

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus name

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly trust in Jesus name

Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

When Darkness seems to hide His face
I rest on His unchanging grace
In every high and stormy gale
My anchor holds within the veil
My anchor holds within the veil

Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all
He is Lord
Lord of all

Christ alone
Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

Christ alone; cornerstone
Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
Through the storm, He is Lord
Lord of all

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless stand before the throne.

I pray that this song will encourage you today, and to think about what your hope is built on. Anyone else find their hope built on things that are not Jesus' blood and righteousness? 

love Emma

Linking up with Chantel through Jack of All Trades :)

*sigh* debriefing the July challenge

So remember that challenge I gave myself? way back at the beginning of July?

well I failed. big time.

as in, I only did it one day, and then half of the next. and then I completely dropped it. and not only that, but that list I had at least been making at the end of the day? well I pretty much stopped doing that too.

the last almost two weeks (?) have been full of those days where they're not horrible and they're not great. I just kinda make my way through them, and unless it's somehow 'unmissable' I don't see the beauty, God's little graces, His gifts to me.

one thing that I have realized, is that when I am fixing my eyes upon Jesus, everything else seems to sort of fall into place. not that it's all simple, or easy, cuz it's not... but when I'm looking around at all the things down here, everything gets all mixed up, and I don't have the clarity or strength to sort out what's good or not, so it all just kinda gets jumbled up inside me and I can't figure it out.

it's super easy to be focused on God during quiet time in the morning, but it's all throughout the day that I need it, and that's where lately, it's super hard to remember.

I also have to admit that up to the last few days, reading my Bible has also not exactly been at the top of my list. and that makes me sad. because I know it is life-giving. and it is what I need to make it through the day.

the last few days I have been more disciplined at getting up early and spending time with God. yesterday morning I went on a romp through the woods, and I sang loud for only my LORD, lots of praise songs as I wandered in and wondered at the woods.

but it's in the middle of the craziness that I forget... anyone got any tips?


some things that I need to remember:

•  Hebrews 12: 1b-2a
  "Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith."
•  to look to God all throughout my day, to turn to Him with every little bit, it should {will?} change the way I think and the way I do everything
• Philippians 4:6-7
  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

 vbs camp next week!!! so excited! would appreciate any and all prayers :)

blessings,
emma


 

Tunes Tuesday :: the constant :: late edition

 I was working on this post Monday and yesterday, but of course I was interrupted several times and didn't manage to post it. So here it is late :) {better late than never, right? ;)}

For me, as you may be able to tell by the number of posts which include music on this blog, including this post, music is very important in my life. It is very powerful, and for me, it has the power to work with the Holy Spirit to transform my day, or my outlook on a situation. While I do love a little bit of my country music, I listen mostly to Christian music because I know the impact music has on my life.

So my goal here, is to share a song and why it's special to me, every Tuesday :)

This week, it's I See You by Love and the Outcome {yes, this album is still playing frequently! ;)}

 I see You, yeah

I've seen the view up on a mountain
Where trouble seems a million miles away
And I know the lonely of the valley
When sorrow is close enough to taste

I've had my share of suffering
I know the pain that life can bring
I've gone through some things
I may never understand (never understand)
But You've been good when life was not
Through battles won and battles lost
And when I look back
On everything I've been through
I see You (I see You)

I know that all things work together
For those of us who choose to call Him God
He might use calm, He might use chaos
He'll use whatever leads us to the cross

I've had my share of suffering
I know the pain that life can bring
I've gone through some things
I may never understand (never understand)
But You've been good when life was not
Through battles won and battles lost
And when I look back
On everything I've been through
I see You (I see You)

So now when heartache comes around
Surrounds me like a cloud
I know, I know You're standing next to me right here
I'm gonna hold Your hand right where I am
Yeah, yeah, yeah

I've had my share of suffering
I know the pain that life can bring
I've gone through some things
I may never understand (never understand)
But You've been good when life was not
Through battles won and battles lost
And when I look back
On everything I've been through
I see You
Standing next to me (I see You)
Standing next to me (I see You)
I see You

I don't know what it is, but lately I've been in a reminiscent sort of mood. And as I look back on my {albeit short}life, I can see that there is one thing that is the same all throughout. God. Sometimes when you're in the middle of life, in the moment it's hard to feel God's presence with you. I know this to be true! But when I look back, without a doubt, I can see God. That He has been with me, I have no doubt.

I'm not talking about how I can see Him working at weaving my story {although I can. mostly. there are still a few things... :P}, I am talking about the fact that His presence is the greatest most amazing thing I can have, and I have had it with me my whole life. I am talking about the fact that He is with me whether or not I feel it - which is hard to grasp sometimes, in my heart and mind.

And because He is God, He is also with each and every one of us. He has been with you throughout your whole life and is with you now, whether or not you see it. I challenge you to take some time, and ponder, reminisce, and see how the LORD has been with you. If you can see Him, thank Him. If you can't - take some time to pray, ask Him to show you, and He will. It's not always easy, but He will come through!

blessings on your day!!
love emma

Linking up with Chantel over at A Harvest of Blessing :)

the wasteland-bush and the tree by the stream

Jeremiah 17:5-8
“This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh, and whose heart turns away from the Lord.That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.
But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

This is one of my favourite passages. Well, the second half is. The first half I like, and I included it here as a contrast, and while I wouldn't say it's a favourite, it is certainly has several points we can learn from.

Here are a few things that we can draw from each part of the passage, to contrast with each other.

5-6

• Cursed
• Trusts in man
• Bush in wastelands
• Desert, wasteland, salt land (Dt. 29:23)
• Parched
• No prosperity
• Strength from man
• Turns away from God

7-8

• Blessed
• Trusts in the LORD
• Confidence in the lord
• Tree by water
• Roots by the stream
• No fear of heat
• No worries of drought
• Always bearing fruit

Think about that word picture, of the two ways of life. You get your strength from yourself, and you and your life are just a bush in the wastelands. Wastelands - what images does that word bring to your mind? A barren land, with not a lot of plants, no water, a lonely place, it has no way of sustaining life. Now think of being in the desert without water - think even of being really thirsty on a hot day, then multiply that, you are parched. You are cursed, and whether you realize it or not, you turn away from God. You may even think you are still walking with God - and truly you are never too far from Him, all you need to do is turn - but you cannot be walking by both your strength and His. When you walk by yours you are rejecting Him, or turning away from Him. You are a bush in the wasteland. 

 Now let's look at the promises that we have to hold to when we are getting our strength from God. We are a tree by the water, our roots are by the stream. Even if the land goes dry, we will still have our source of water, and our leaves will still be green. We can have confidence in the LORD. Confidence! Think about it, what a powerful word. We will be blessed. We don't need to fear and worry about heat or drought coming, because our water supply won't disappear on us. We also don't need to fear or worry if we are in the middle of one of those seasons. If we are, maybe we're not getting our strength from God, and that's something to pray about and really work on! 

And the last few months, this has been the part of the verse that I have really clung to, that has been powerful in my life. "and never fails to bear fruit." If I am getting my strength from the LORD, there is no promise that life will be easy, all lollipops and sunshine, it won't even always be hard work that makes you feel good-tired at the end of the day. It will be messy, and we will have troubles (John 16:33). But what we can hold to, is that even in a season of drought, or heat, or whatever it may be - we will not stop bearing fruit. That's because we're not the ones doing it anyway, and He who does, is not affected by the seasons. 

If your strength comes from the LORD, rest assured, that even if you don't feel like it, you are bearing fruit.


May God bless you richly this day, as you seek to walk in His strength!
Emma 

Linking up with Elizabeth over at Oak and Oats today :)

to Love to Pray

When I went to bed last night, I was lying there, and thinking, or not-so-much thinking, more just letting my mind wander, until it had wandered to a place which made me more alert, because it involved something I really wanted to work out. Instantly, ya know, I thought, well this is something I need to pray about, that if God wants it to work out, then He will work it out, because right now it's a little too complicated for my little brain. So I start to pray, ya know; I always start by thanking Him for the day and for whatever blessings I can remember, then move on to prayer requests, for friends and family, for church and missions etc, and personal ones. Maybe it was because I was really tired, but my mind just kept wandering. I kept trying to bring it back to praying but it was really a struggle.

But somehow through my tired-mind-wandering-state, I did come up with these coherent thoughts. I think that as Christians, as followers of Jesus, we should love to pray. We should love to pray like you love to have a good conversation with a great friend. It shouldn't just be 'duty' or 'obligation' or us wanting something that makes us pray (although I do think that sometimes those are helpful things for when we aren't feeling like we'd love to pray, but need to pray anyways), we should really love to talk to our LORD.

A few weeks ago, I really did feel like I was maybe sort of starting to love to pray. Most afternoons, right after lunch I will take the little girls out for a walk for them to have a nap. For a long time, I would always listen to music while I was walking, ya know, join the earphone people all walking down the street. Then one day I consciously made the decision to leave my iPod at home, and go walking without music. At first it was hard, so I decided that it might be a good time to get some prayer time in (note at this point I did not 'love to pray' but decided to use it to help me). So off I went, praying the little girls in the stroller, for my 'list' of prayer requests, for the people I passed on the street, and whatever came to mind. As time went on, I really began to enjoy my 'prayer-walks', and I think I began to 'love to pray'.

Then it started to not go so-well. I'm not sure what it was, but for some reason one day when I was walking, I didn't pray, I just let my mind wander. I was thinking about a bunch of things, I don't really remember what; and I didn't pray. Okay, whatever, you say, that was just one walk. And it was, but it turned into two, then three, then four. Then I would think about it, and it would occur to me that the girls always went to sleep faster when I was praying, so I would start to pray that God would give them peace, that He would help them to relax and settle and fall asleep. I would pray that they would come to know God's love for them as they grew each day. I would pray a bunch of things for them, but really my motives were to help them fall asleep.

I don't think that it is wrong for us to pray when we have something to as God for, but I believe that shouldn't be the ultimate reason we talk to Him for. Wouldn't you think it was a bit weird if every time your friend called you, it was just so she could ask you a favour?  It says in Philippians 4:6 to ask God for all your requests (through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, so that you will not be anxious). Many times throughout the Bible we are told to come with faith and ask God for what we need. But I don't think we should only pray when we have a prayer request, or something we want God to do for us. I believe those are very valid things to pray for, but that our 'end goal' should be that we love to pray. That we would love to talk to God.

And like I said, this is something that I most definitely need to work on myself.

Prayin for y'all today folks! ;)

Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
Emma

For Your Weekend... He is with you!

May you feel His presence in a very real way this weekend. May every decision that you make rest upon the fact that He is with you. May every fear fall away as you dwell on His presence. May He be the One you depend upon when all others forsake you, because He won't. Nothing in this world or beyond it can separate us from Him. Cast your cares upon the One who is always with you, for He loves you. May you know this truth this weekend, from your head to your heart and everywhere in between. :)

Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Matthew 28:20b
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 

Isaiah 41:10
So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 

Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.  

John 14:16-17 
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

love Emma :)


 

Cast Your Cares

Good morning!! :)

I just wanted to leave you all with this glorious promise this morning.... 

Psalm 55:22:
Cast your cares on the LORD, and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall. 

1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (~Jesus)

love emma xoxo