The Plumbline

But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. (Isaiah 40:31a) I did not bring the full verse into our study this morning because I wanted to know if anyone else actually read these words and took them to heart. The rest of the verse is: "They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired." The thing I wanted all of us to realize is that God's people get weak, weary, and 'wasted' by life at times! We need to 'become strong again' - strength being sapped from us by what life sends our way. We've talked about this before - the 'but' is very important. It means there was something that came before - a condition that was met. Here it is: "He gives strength to those who are tired and more power to those who are weak. Even children become tired and need to rest, and young people trip and fall." (vs. 29-30) The condition - we all get tired, and we lose our power to ...

The Lord will protect you from all dangers; he will guard your life. The Lord will guard you as you come and go, both now and forever. (Psalm 121:7-8) Over the past couple of days, God has taken me to scriptures about his protective covering over our lives. Whenever he does this, I know it is not by accident - there is always a purpose to his revelation. Last night, we had a walloping monsoon storm go through - no rain but mighty high winds. The yard is a mess this morning with pine needles, leaves, and trellises blown down. As these raging storms pass through the valley, I can frequently hear all kinds of noises in the night hours. They usually hit later in the afternoon and early evening, with all the high winds bringing pinecones thumping down on the rooftop, yard furniture skittering on the patio, and shade sail whipping up and down, startling me as I am alone in the house! I usually freeze in my tracks and just listen to figure out what is going on as I am oftentimes uncertain as ...

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1) Do you know how you get God's protection in your life? You GO to him. You take your worries and pressures TO him. Too many of us think he knows this stuff already and just expect he will 'fix it' without us having to do anything. God's plan is that we acknowledge these needs actually exist and then we allow him to be our protector.  Yes, God does indeed know your struggles, anxiety-producing moments, and even your worries that have absolutely no basis. He knows everything, so why does he ask us to GO to him for his safe protection? There is something powerful in 'taking' our 'stuff' to him. At first, it may be hard to understand, but it is an acknowledgement that we realize his love for us. Yup, when we GO TO him, placing ourselves clearly under his protection and care, we are acknowledging an awareness of his love. More than that, we are acknowledging our recogniti...