Virtual Field Trip--Hastings' Potato Patch!

Good Morning Everyone!

This looks like a great day for a field trip--a virtual field trip!  So follow the link below to see where Austin and I are going to take you today! :)  We are guest posting over here: Hastings' Potato Patch

Hope you enjoy the trip!

~Susan

Hiding Psalm 27 in My Heart--verse 3

Good Morning Everyone!

We are smack dab in the middle of working on memorizing verse 3 this week, in our beautiful chapter of Psalm 27.  I definitely need to spend some more time working on this verse, but my major accomplishment was I DID get my entire chapter and the first letter helps laminated and posted up in my shower--yea for me!  Much easier for me to remember to review my verses before I go to bed each night now that they are staring at me in the shower and I can't help but to read them when I am standing in there! ;)

I had some thoughts I wanted to share with you about verse 3--a Bible story that God reminded me of last night, and I felt it really did help reveal a bit more about this verse we are working on memorizing this week.  I love it when God does that--connects for us one part of the Bible with another.

So here is this week's verse:
"Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident."  Psalm 27:3

And the story that God reminded me of?  It was about a man who had this very thing happen to him--quite literally!

You see, it went like this. . . the king of Aram was at war with Israel.  And it seemed that every single time he went to attack Israel, the Israelites were already prepared for him!  It was driving him crazy!  The king thought one of his officers must be a spy--and be leaking out this information ahead of time to the Israelite king, but when he demanded of his officers to tell him which one of them was doing this, they told him it was not them, but Elisha the prophet.  In fact, they went on to tell their king that Elisha could tell the king of Israel "the very words you speak in your bedroom."  (2 Kings 6:12)

So somehow thinking that he would be sneaking up on prophet Elisha, the king of Aram sent his army to surround the city of Dothan where Elisha was.  An army was very definitely encamped against Elisha--yet his heart did not fear.  War was definitely arising against him--yet he was confident.  Why?  Was he confident in himself?  Not at all!  I will let the Bible speak for itself:

"Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city.  When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city.  'Oh, my lord, what shall we do?' the servant asked.
 'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered.  'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.'
And Elisha prayed, 'O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.' Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
  2 Kings 6:14-17

WAS an army surrounding Elisha, wanting to do him harm?  Oh yes--that army was very very real.  But no less real was God's army, which was surrounding the king of Aram's army!  Just because they were not at first visible to the human eye did not mean they were not there.  And when Elisha prayed for his servant's eyes to be opened, the servant was able to see God's army that had been there all of the time.

I love the end of this Bible story.  Elisha prayed to the LORD to strike the people with blindness, and suddenly the Arameans were blind.  Elisha then led them right into the city of Samaria--the heart of their enemies territory.  After they were inside the city, Elisha prayed for the LORD to open their eyes, and there they found themselves inside the city.  Can you imagine their fear?  The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha "Shall I kill them?," but Elisha told him no--but to feed them instead!  To give them food and water-- to prepare a great feast and entertain them like honored guests!

From enemies to honored guests!  Not THAT is a twist to a story!  And listen to the end of the story:  "So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master.  So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory."
  2 Kings 6:23

Because of treating their enemy well--because of this feast--Israel had peace for years.

Our enemies may not all become our friends, no matter how kind we may treat them.  But whatever army is encamping against us--be it a physical army,  cancer army, or any other type--we can know that God and His army are right there with us.  And that His army is greater than whatever army is surrounding us.  He is able to carry us through, no matter what.

And THAT, my friends, is GOOD NEWS!

~Susan

Hiding Psalm 27 in My Heart--verses 1 & 2

Photo Credit:  Jody Ohlsen Collins--used by permission

Good Morning Everyone!

I have been meaning to share with all of you about my newest memory project for several weeks--but alas, thinking about it in my mind somehow does not equate finding the time to sit down and actually post about it!  But as they say, better late than never, and in this case it is not too late to join in with me if you would like to memorize with me! :)

The passage I am working on currently is Psalm 27.  I am not very far into it--on our memory schedule we are doing just one verse a week, and taking time off for the holiday weeks.  So far we have memorized verses 1 and 2, and then had this past week off for Thanksgiving.  So today is the day the memory group will be starting in on verse 3, so you see, we really aren't that far into this chapter and if anyone desires it really WOULD be fairly easy to catch up with the rest of us and join in the fun and blessings! :)

Even though today starts us onto verse 3, I would like to share about verses 1 and 2 with you here today.  So far, I have these two verses written up on index cards and taped to my bathroom mirror.  I try and remember to review my verses whenever I am in the bathroom, especially when I stand at the mirror curling my hair each morning.  I figure if I am going to be standing at that mirror anyway, I might as well be doing something more productive than staring at ME! I would much rather be staring at God.  Beholding Him.  Changing into His image. . . My plan today is to get the chapter laminated so I can post it in my shower.  I like to laminate the entire chapter and post it on one shower wall, and laminate just the first letter helps and post it on the opposite shower wall.  That way I can study, review, and quiz myself each evening when I take my shower.  You would be amazed at how just two very short review times each day--morning and evening--can really add up and help me to learn precious Bible gems!  Normally I would have wanted to start out immediately with the verses posted in my shower, but life has been a little bit crazy around here recently, and I just haven't dragged out the old laminator and fired it up.  But today that is high on the priority list!  I am tired of having to squint around the shower curtain to read the verses posted on the mirror and make sure I repeated them correctly--I need those verses in the shower as well and today's the day!

Anyway, on to the lovely verses! :)

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

"When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall."

Psalm 27: 1&2

Aren't those beautiful promises?  A couple things that stood out to me in these verses:   The LORD is my light and my salvation--with a light, you are safe even when surrounded by darkness.  A light helps you see obstacles in your pathway.  A light helps keep you from stumbling.  A light can even be a barrier to keep wild animals away.

The LORD is the stronghold of my life--have you ever visited a fort?  I have been able to tour several in different locations.  A fort is usually built up on the highest point of land in the area.  This helps it remain safe, as others must come from below to attack it.  The design of each fort varies, but they are usually all built with strong, thick walls, and often have a high tower from which the people inside could see a long way off and prepare for any attack that was coming.  My God lives in heaven.  He knows the end from the beginning.  He is the Alpha and the Omega.  He was here before I was born, here during my lifetime, and will be here after I pass away.  There is no "attack" that surprises Him.  He knows the enemy, and is well prepared to fight him off for me.  In fact, the war has already been won.  The battle was fought on a cross.

When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh--when I first read this, I only assumed it in a figurative way.  Well, I still believe that is a good way to read this verse, but last night in the book we are reading as part of our daughter's bedtime I read aloud of a missionary who was surrounded by cannibals who wanted to literally assail him and eat up his flesh!  Immediately this verse came into my mind--and I realized that perhaps it could be taken as both figuratively AND literally!  It was amazing to read of how this missionary put his trust in God.  His danger was real--VERY real--and he could see it with his own eyes.  This was not a fear that was just something made up in an overworked imagination--no, his danger, his enemies, were very very real.  Just as ours is--even if we do not see him with our eyes.  But so is our God--even if we do not see HIM with our eyes.  And no one can snatch us out of His hands!

So on to verse 3--that is what I will be working on this week.  I hope you will join me in memorizing this beautiful passage.  It does not have to be memorized perfectly to be a blessing--any time at all spent meditating on God's Word will bring abundant blessings to you!

Please share with me in the comments what words or phrases stood out to YOU in these verses.  And if you have blogged about these verses, feel free to share a link to your blog post so I can go visit! :)

Have a beautiful week with your Savior!

~Susan