Ladies, Ladies…All the Ladies!!

“So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it “The Lord is Peace”  Judges 6:24

Day 1

This week we are studying Jehovah Shalom: The Lord our Peace.  This particular name has been very hard for me to write on….  I am going to be honest with you and admit that I struggle with the concept of “peace.”  I so desperately LONG for it within my home, within my marriage, within my heart.  I am a worrier to the core and Satan so often uses this as a stronghold against the power of Christ in me.  I am praying for the Lord to teach ME about trusting Him for who He is as the God of ultimate peace as I am praying He will teach YOU!  With that said… let’s begin today by reading about the story of Gideon.

Read Judges 6:11-24

1.       Who appeared to Gideon?

2.      What was Gideon’s response? 

Wow!  Gideon’s response really hit home with me.  This past week my family has been battling one of the WORST stomach bugs we have EVER had!  I was the first to become infected with this HORRIBLE virus…chills, fever, vomiting…really, it was awful.  I prayed and prayed that the Lord would place a shield around me and protect the rest of my family.  As I watched member by member fall prey to this plague I prayed…”ok, Lord… now place a shield around the two of us and spare the three…. Then, Lord place a shield around the three of us and spare the two…..and so on and so on….”  Finally… my sweet little baby was the only one who had not been infected.  We had now all been sick for about a week.  One night, I remember my sweet and faithful husband saying “Oh, Emma Faye, I’m going to pray against you getting this”.  I remember… now extremely bitter towards God’s responses to MY requests….thinking in my head “WHY pray for that!  I mean, come on…of course she’s going to get it!  God hasn’t spared ONE of us… why would he choose to stop now?”  I felt like Gideon.  The children of Israel were not in a very restful… peaceful season…..where was God? I believe if the angel of the Lord had appeared before me this past week… I would have said the same thing…”If the Lord is with us…why then has all this happened to us?”

3.       Have you ever asked God such questions? What was His response to you?

4.      What was God’s response to Gideon’s questions in verse 13?

5.       What does God say in verse 16?

“Surely I will be with you” Judges 6:16

God is the God of peace.  He desires this for us.  He desires that we live in peace with each other and He desires that our hearts are filled with peace… complete reliance upon Him…..that He will be our joy.  I think one of the scariest times for me, is when I feel like I’ve been abandoned.  When I feel like God has somehow left me…that He is no longer working in my life and has handed it over to Satan.  But the fact is….everything is under God’s authority.  Everything has a particular purpose…all that somehow brings Him glory.  Whatever difficult situation you are finding yourself in….God is working in that…and He is working in that with you.  As He states time and time again throughout the bible…”surely I [am] with you” He continues to whisper those same words to US!  His word is truth and these are promises.  After all, He said to Gideon in verse 14 “Have I not sent you?”  He is commanding Gideon to go and defeat the Midianites….be the leader to save Israel.  Gideon….of the weakest clan…and the LEAST in his father’s house…..That is who God is sending.  It sounds absurd.  But EVERYTHING is possible with God… and He finishes what he begins….and He NEVER abandons His “work.”

Read these passages.  What do they say about our God of Peace?

1.       Joshua 1:9

2.       Psalm 23:4

3.      Matthew 28:19-20

4.      Genesis 26:24

5.      Isaiah 41:10

Really take time to pray through these verses today.  Realize that our Lord wants to be our peace.  Through our pain, our grief, in our struggles, in our disappointments, even in our defeats, He is still walking alongside of us.  He has not left us out here alone.  I pray that this will bring comfort to your hearts today and that you all will be able to “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Day 2

“…..And He said, “I will wait until you come back.”  Judges 6:18

Read Judges 6:14-24

1.       In verse 17 what did Gideon request of the Lord?

2.      What was God’s response?

I must stop and sit awhile on verse 18.  I think about all of the times I’ve had to wait on my children.  I think of all of the times that I heard, “Mommy… wait, wait….let me go and do this… and then you can see…please don’t move, mommy…”  And I wait….patiently.  Patience certainly is one of the qualities of love.  I just can’t get out of my mind the picture of God waiting for Gideon to come back… asking for a sign… God, all the while, knowing who He was!  He didn’t have to wait… but he did.  I just can’t get that out of my mind.  How precious.  I think about all of the times I have chosen Worry over Trust in my Lord…over belief in who He is… over trust in the fact that He says He is with us.   I think about all of the times I asked God for a sign.  And I can’t help but hear my precious Savior saying to me during those times…”I will wait until you return..”  Until your faith returns… until you are able to see me for who I am… for who I’ve always been….someone who loves you… who is not desiring havoc for your life… but sweet abundance. God is ALWAYS our Peace… I am learning that OUR peace is mostly contingent upon our trust in the Lord.  If we are longing to experience his peace within our hearts, we must believe He is who he says He is… We MUST place our trust in HIM and Him alone.  We must realize that He’s love for us is deeper than anything we could ever comprehend.  Do YOU believe those things?  If you are struggling..as I often am… please spend some time in prayer asking our Heavenly Father to strengthen your faith.

Our faith should stand apart from our circumstances. However, in this fallen world…somehow, sometimes it falls into the trials….somehow it often gets squeezed between the struggles and the heartache…..but that is where Grace comes in.  That is where we have a Lord saying to us… “I’ll wait until you return.” 

3.      Are you going through a difficult time presently?  Why do you feel like it’s difficult?

4.      In what are you placing your trust?  Be honest.

Read Isaiah 26:3

I know that we have studied this verse in previous weeks… but I feel like it is so fitting for today.  Write out these words and commit them to memory.  Begin praying today for the Lord to help you keep your mind on Him…keep your Faith strong and unchanging through the waves of difficult circumstances. Lord, give us trusting hearts.

Day 3

“Ah, Sovereign Lord!  I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”

Gideon asked the Lord to prove himself.  God was faithful.  Only then was Gideon able to recognize Him.  Only then was he able to realize that he had encountered the angel of the Lord “face to face” and it brought fear into his soul.  Why? 

1.       Read Exodus 33:20.  What does it say?

2.       What was God’s response to Gideon in verse 23?

3.      What did Gideon do?

Gideon built an altar to the Lord and called it The Lord is Peace.  He calmed his fears…He spared his life…he was the bringer of peace not only to Gideon’s heart and fears..but He was also calling him to deliver Israel “out of Midian’s hand” (Judges 6:14)…He was bringing about peace for His people.  God desires that we live….and live for Him.  Therefore it was part of His ultimate plan to send His son…our Prince of Peace…….. to reconcile us to Him forever.  To not only bring peace to the world FOREVER through redemption of sin…but to bring peace into our hearts as we live out our time HERE on this earth.  I am sure when the Lord spoke “Peace” to Gideon he was immediately calmed.  Gideon’s peace was realized when He recognized the Lord.  Are you able to see the Lord in your life… are you able to recognize him?  Hear him?  Are you looking for Him?

Today I pray that you will be able to open up your heart and eyes to Jesus.  He is in all things and through all things.  Today I pray you will be able to see Him and hear Him.  Spend time today in His word.  Ask Him to speak to you.

Day 4 

“…Peace!  Do not be afraid.  You are not going to die.”

Read Matthew 14:22-32

1.        What were the disciples initial reactions when they saw Jesus?

2.   What was Jesus’ response to them?     

3.When you encounter God working mightily in your life what is your reaction?  Are you surprised?  Do you make excuses for this occurrence other than the Lord, Himself, working?

4.      What was Jesus’ response to Peter’s questioning?

“Come.”  It is hard for me to believe that these men walked with Jesus and yet they still needed proof that He was who He said was.  Still, God does not refuse our requests to convince us of Himself.  God waited patiently for Gideon to come back with an offering and Jesus accepted Peter’s offer to call him out to the water with him. However, Peter was fine amidst the storm until he took his eyes off of Jesus.  Then, he became afraid.  I firmly believe that faith and peace go hand in hand.  We are fully able to experience the “peace that surpasses all understanding” when we remain face to face with our Savior.

Read Numbers 6:22-26

5.       What does verse 26 say?

6.      What does this passage mean to you?

Read Hebrews 12:2-3

It is my prayer today that we fill be able to fix our eyes on Jesus…that we will remember it is HE who perfects our faith… it is He who extends peace….we are to continually keep Him our focus so we may not grow weary and lose heart.  Things around us will not always be peaceful.  We will not always understand why things happen the way they do.  Sometimes I don’t even understand the lessons God is trying to teach me…but He says..

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.  Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” 

1 Corinthians 13:12

Through Jesus Christ…we WILL understand… we will not see him as a GOOD reflection in a mirror…no… we will stand before him and see him face to face… we will look upon our Lord and we will surely not die for Christ has conquered death.  For He says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world. “(John 16:33)  “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14:27).  God—our peace…sent us a prince!  That we may have peace forever.  This is Jesus Christ.  He longs to be our peace.  Embrace Him… Fix your eyes upon Him today… remain in His word.  This is our Lord of peace…this is Jehovah Shalom.

Well, I haven’t written in a long time… I’m having trouble deciding my reasons.  For the most part I feel like I really have nothing worthy to write about these days…. I’ve just been hot.  And honestly, I thought that I couldn’t function last summer because I was pregnant and  had a baby and all.. but I have come to the conclusion that I just can’t function… HOT.  I mean… hot in the temperature sense… I mean,  I can very well deal with my “hotness” physically speaking (jk!  :)… I just don’t like being hot in the summer.  I’m miserable and I just realized this.  The temperature has officially altered my temperament.   And temperament alterations…. make for several altercations.  Being that I am a very NONconfrontational person….these are all VERY much “the summer heat” talking….may I present…..

My Top 10 reasons I know the Summer Heat is Getting me Steamed

(just a little disclaimer… I realize I was wrong in ALL of these)…

1.  Verbally assaulted my husband for buying the wrong ice cream for a cake I had made.

2.  Fussed at Will for throwing up on and around EVERYTHING in the bathroom EXCEPT the toilet.

3.  Told the Discover Card people to never call us again.

4.  Made Josh wear a diaper one day because he kept refusing to go potty when I asked and continued wetting himself.

5.  Rolled my eyes at the “Ice Cream Man” who parked his truck outside of Lowe’s one afternoon when I had ALL the children trying to get them across the parking lot safely–they just kept trying to run his way.

6.  Made both boys take a nap one day just because it was hot and there was nothing else to do.

7.  Was so hot one day and sick of cleaning up the kitchen and wiping down the table YET AGAIN… I simply took my vacuum cleaner and sucked up all of the table crumbs and left over breakfast cheerios through the hose attachment. (Thank you Eureka.)

8.  Got into a heated discussion with my house cleaners because they came while I was tending to one of my children…saw my car… but it took me awhile to make it to the door…so they left…(like I wasn’t home or something?)

9.  I now get great satisfaction in the murdering of all flies in our house.  I currently own a professional Fly Swatter.

And the top 10 reason I know the Summer Heat is getting me steamed….

10.  When the Ice Cream Truck drove by my house yet again today… I just yelled out “seriously”.

I know, I know….I have some issues… I promise you… I’m praying.  I’m trying.  I really am.  Be patient with me… I’m struggling here…Could someone take pity on me and please offer some suggestions of what I can do… we are dying over here on the other side of Hotlanta………..oh and before you start throwing out words like “kiddie pool” and “sprinkler”…. that was soooo May.  We are in July, people… give me somethin’ fresh and new!

I glanced at my alarm clock:  6:20am…… just 10 min before the time I had set it to wake up “early”….to have some time with the Lord and myself before I started my day.  I sigh…. not because I’m not ready to get up…. but because my day started at 5:15am with both boys.  My entire family has been throwing up this week… ALL of us have been sick and I’m STILL not feeling great.  I have watched this virus spread through my household like a bad stench beginning on one side of a room and gradually making it’s way to the other.  I’m tired… beat down…. I think what’s most frustrating is that you have moments of feeling like you are getting better and them… WHAM… you’re sick again.  Yesterday Josh was the only one with fever…. Will felt GREAT!  Last night Will threw up again.  I’m just done… I’m frustrated…. I think I’m sort of angry at God.  I’ve been so positive and strengthened this week… I have really felt His presence….  but enough already?  Did I not stand the test?  Please… can you let up a bit?  I have my in-laws coming tomorrow afternoon…. there is still cleaning and cooking to do…..  I’m just beat.  So at 5:30 I placed my sick little boys on my bed and turned on the TV…..thank you, Lord, for the Disney channel.  I stepped outside….sat on my patio and opened my bible.  This morning was beautiful.  The birds were singing…. the air was cool… the sun was just coming up…..  I just sat there contemplating where to turn in my bible.  If I’m going to be honest, I didn’t want to read God’s word this morning.  I’m frustrated, yet something inside of me still needed to be in His word.  I prayed that the Lord would bless my time… that he would speak to me….mostly that He would teach me something.  I opened up to Psalm 28…why?  because it’s June 28…why not?

“Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help,

as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place……..

The Lord is my strength and my shield, my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.”

I need mercy from my heavenly Father today.  I need Him to look down on our pitiful family and feel so sorrow for us.  I need a compassionate hand on my heart right now.  I hadn’t thought to pray for God’s mercy.  I’m always asking for grace. I didn’t feel like God was my shield at that moment….I hadn’t felt shielded from this illness…. I certainly didn’t feel strengthened….then again…was my heart trusting in him? 

Last night as Chris was leaving for work, after Will’s vomit explosion, he said “I’m going to pray against Emma Faye getting this.”  And I remember thinking “why?  oh course she’s going to get it.  God hasn’t spared ONE of us… why would he suddenly decided to grant us THIS one request…I mean since I had gotten sick (I was the first)… I had prayed this same thing for my entire family”  I was so bitter…..doesn’t sound like a trusting heart does it?  Somehow in the mess of vomit and diarrhea I had lost a little of my faith.  Not that if I trust in him… he will suddenly heal us… but my heart will be healed… my bitterness can be replaced with contentment in my circumstances….the Lord once again can be my strength.  This morning I suddenly felt like the father in Mark 9 when Jesus heals his son…”Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me in my unbelief.”  (Mark 9:24)  I need help in my unbelief today. 

Will’s new favorite CD is my very old Caedmon’s Call CD… I was in the playroom with them and I was listening to the words of one of the songs…..”my faith is like shifting sand so I stand on grace”.  I need grace from my heavenly Father today as well as mercy.  Praise the Lord that He extends BOTH to us….as we cry out to him….he looks upon us with merciful eyes….our faith is carried along by his grace.. after all it is by GRACE that we are saved… nothing of ourselves.  So today I cry out for grace and mercy and peace……….

“……..and I am helped.”

Today has been one of those days.  I know I seem to describe about 60 percent of my days like this…but today was no exaggeration… it was a “real deal”–one of those days.  I think I must have had a little extra of what Emma Faye was suffering from… I’d like to think the Lord answered my prayers when I kept praying “Lord, please just take this sickness from her… give it to ME…please, Lord”  I can’t describe the feeling of fear that covered me last week… I could hardly see through Satan’s blanket over my eyes…. Doctors talking “diseases”….”bad viruses”…. “infections”…  I realized last week how we rest in the mercy of our Lord.  We are guaranteed nothing on this earth–yet through Christ guaranteed EVERYTHING…..salvation….comfort… strength… peace…. healing…hope… and joy even in suffering.  It’s a very strange place to be…. Helplessly being held in our Redeemer’s arms….yet completely comforting…..completely restful.  He is our hands, our feet, our voice… our joy… He takes on our sorrow….and carries our burdens.  Why can’t we let him?

This morning I was watering our flowers at 6:30am with my sweet early bird, Josh.  :)  I used to fight this… literally screaming at a whisper level to him every morning for probably the first year of his life…about how no one needs to get up until 7am….. and all of this was to no avail.  I surrendered to the fact that he is who he is… I, therefore, force my “night owl” self to go to bed at a reasonable hour so I can meet him in the morning with a cheerful heart.  It has been very sweet.  It’s our time together and I cherish my early mornings now with my precious son.  Anyway, we were out doing our routine little watering and he asked me “Mommy, why is the grass wet?”   Without even thinking I said, “That’s called ‘dew’…. God sends the little drops to feed all the plants so they may have a little water each day before the summer heat sets in—to help them grow”

Suddenly the bible passage that I had read in a haste this morning came to my mind… I didn’t know why I started thinking about it… but now… after my difficult day of being sick and still having to be mommy to three little ones…. I realize now that this particular passage had fallen like morning dew on my heart…preparing me for my day before I even knew that I was going to be sick–before the “summer heat” of my day had set in, so to speak.

God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. If you speak, you should do it like one speaking God’s very words. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Give him the glory and the power for ever and ever.  Amen.  (1 Peter 4:10-11)

My day could have been a disaster…..well.. it wasn’t great… I guess I’ll say… my heart could have been a disaster today.  I could have spent the entire day watching TV and forcing my children to leave me alone… complaining to my husband….ranting and raving… crying and sobbing….but it was the grace of God that carried me through THIS day.  I kept praying through my words….Lord, help me be like one speaking God’s very words…..  Help me serve with the strength that YOU provide.  God was faithful.  My friends… we have all been given gifts.  Most of you who read this blog have been given the gift of being a mother and/or a wife….”use it faithfully.”  Serve your family…..speak Christ’s words… fall into Christ’s strength……only THEN will we see Christ move and work in our lives.  I praise Him today.  Anything peaceful and calm in me was certainly in and of HIMSELF.  I give him ALL praise for my day.  I still feel a little sick….but I’m joyful.  I live a blessed life.  The beauty of grace, as Peter explains, is that it comes in many forms…. there are no formulas, no recipes, there is not a limited supply….it is simply offered for our taking at a perfect time when our precious Savior knows that we need it the most.  So, open your hearts… hold out your hands…… and catch the morning dew.

    This I recall to my mind,
         Therefore I have hope. 
    The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
         For His compassions never fail. 
    They are new every morning;
         Great is Your faithfulness. 
    ”The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
         ”Therefore I have hope in Him.”  (Lamentations 3:21-24)

1.  Josh when asked what is the first place he is going to go when he learns to drive (he’s always asking when can he drive) says, and I quote:  I’m going to drive to cah-wehge (that’s ‘college’ in non-Josh speech)

2.  My boys behaving SO well in the Doctor’s office while the Dr. was checking out Emma Faye.

3.  Chris’s grilled London Broil.  Delicious… restaurant quality, babe!

4.  Finishing painting Emma Faye’s bathroom.

5.  Taking the boys to an “ice cream party” at our local library here in town.

6.  Will wanting to practice more writing his letters.

7.  Josh remembering the letter ‘C’.

8.  Will telling me the story about Eli and Samuel that he learned in Sunday School.  (I LOVE hearing a bible story told by a child… I think it’s just beautiful!)

9.  At dinner one night Will telling me how great the meal was…just on his own.

10.  Chris surprising me one morning with piping hot starbucks coffee the morning after our coffee maker broke.

11.  Chris buying us a new coffee maker.  I LOVE YOU!

12.  Will telling me that his best friend is Josh.

13.  Josh telling me that his best friend is Will.

14.  Seeing one of my best friends, Debra.

15.  Eating dinner outside on our patio with Chris after we put the kids to bed.

16.  And last, but certainly NOT least……..Seeing Emma Faye’s first smile after a week of being sick and feeling so miserable.