Don’t you just love it when God confirms the season you are in. We are one week in our Bible & Group Study Pausing In His Presence: A Shut-In Experience by yours truly and I receive the following article by my good friend and editor, Barbara Hollace. I thought this word of encouragement was too good not to share. We hope you are as blessed as I was when I read it.
You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11 AMPC)
In times of uncertainty, I have found a place of refuge and strength. In the midst of the storm, I have found a shelter that is waterproof. When the hurricane-force winds of turmoil threaten to blow me away, I have found a solid rock that cannot be shaken.
There is no other name like the name of Jesus. There is no greater power than His resurrection power. There is no greater hope than what we find at the empty tomb.
As we emerge from the chaos of 2020, our lives have not instantly changed. Even what we thought would “stay the same” has not. If we put our hopes and dreams in a person, business, a leader, our bank account, or even our health, we will be sorely disappointed.
The only place where we will remain stable and secure is in His presence. “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” Are you experiencing the fullness of God’s joy today?
On my journey through 2020, God brought me new revelation and new “tools” to add to my “toolbox.” One of them was a new song in the night.
For many people, the cares and concerns of this world in this last year have come with an extra measure of anxiety and worry, even depression. And often that translates to sleepless nights. It’s not “sheep” that we are counting, instead we are counting our “troubles” and sleep is elusive.
Often, we turn our eyes toward heaven and pour out our hearts to our heavenly Father. When other family members are sleeping or you find yourself alone, God is always available to listen. But what about those times when our prayers don’t bring us comfort? What do you do then?
Sometimes God gives us a new strategy as we pray with words or pray in our prayer language. One-night last year I had such an encounter with the Lord. As I was praying, I strongly felt His presence enter our home. I could almost reach out and touch Him in the air – it was charged with the glory of the Lord.
And from within me rose up a new song. Not only the words but a new tune as well. And it had not one verse but seven verses. It was a short chorus, but it was powerful. For about two hours, I sang praises to the Lord. I sang this new song that He had given me. I believed I would never forget it. As a writer/editor, I knew it was a good decision to write down the lyrics, because as my friend, Dr. Mark Batterson says, “The shortest pencil is longer than the longest memory.”
I finally fell asleep. The next morning when I woke up after this amazing encounter, my spirit wanted to sing the song again and remember those joy-filled moments. And the music was gone! What??? How could that be? The song I believed I could never forget had vanished. The words were there, but the melody was missing.
Adventures of the Miracle Man will introduce you to Bill’s encounters with Jesus in the heavenly realm. Just as they encouraged and inspired Bill, may you find new hope and courage to face your own challenges.
Quickly I asked the Lord to send me that song again, bring back that joy to my heart, the music of my soul. For several days, this “new melody” was AWOL. I decided I needed help and asked one of my prayer groups to pray with me that God would bring back the melody. That night, my song returned! Praise the Lord!
So I quickly recorded it – in two places. Frankly, it was in the “losing” of it that I realized the treasure God had given me. The words and the melody were a gift from God’s heart; they embodied the power of His presence.
What is the treasure that God had placed in your hands, in your heart? Hold onto it. Cherish it for the blessing that it is. Today may you experience the fullness of His joy.
Storms are inevitable, but our legacy is shaped by how we navigate them. Musings was written to honor my husband’s path to healing using his own words. May you be inspired by Bill’s faith and courage as you bravely face your own storms. Don’t give up!
Although I am not able to share the melody, let me share just a few of the lyrics from my new song in the night, “I Enter Your Presence, O Lord.” (Maybe the Lord will give you your own melody.)
I enter Your Presence I’m burdened, Dear Lord. I enter Your Presence, Dear Lord. I enter Your Presence I’m burdened, Dear Lord. I enter Your Presence, Dear Lord.
I leave Your Presence rejoicing, O Lord. I leave Your Presence, O Lord. I leave Your Presence rejoicing, O Lord. I leave Your Presence, O Lord.
I enter Your Presence, I’m Yours, Dear Lord. I enter Your Presence, I’m Yours. I enter Your Presence, I’m Yours, Dear Lord. I enter Your Presence, I’m Yours!
Receive the gift of His peace and the pleasures found at His right hand forevermore.
(Reprint from Good News Newspaper, February, 2021 http://www.goodnewsnorthwest.org )
Day and night, people from around the world are thrust into a health crisis. Ambulance sirens, hospital waiting rooms, life and death decisions are exchanged for the familiar in a heartbeat.
There is no time to prepare for an event that will forever change your life. The question is how do you navigate these uncharted waters armed with courage and faith?
Pausing With God 