Got Breath?

“Let everything that has breath
praise the LORD.”  Psalm 150:6

It we do this, we’ll never have to worry about wasting our breath. 

Lord, let me not waste the breath that You gave me to praise You with.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

All Given To Glorify

tabathastinyinspirations.wordpress.com

All that I’ve been given
are tools with which to glorify
to praise You and exalt You
until the day I die.

Dear friends and readers,

I’m going to be stepping away from blogging a bit, but I hope to stay in touch, reading and commenting on your blogs when I can.    I’ll be leaving my blog up, but closing the comments.  And maybe coming back to it in the future. 

Thank you so much for teaching me, inspiring me, challenging me and always lifting me up!  Blogging has been such a huge blessing to me.  YOU all have been such a huge blessing to me.   

For those who’d like to get J of Jerusalem’s letters sent to you directly, please email me at dfeller2@yahoo.com with “Inside Israel” in the subject line and I will hook you up! 

Thanks again!!  God bless you!!!

Beautifying Humble

“For the LORD takes pleasure in His
people;
He will beautify the humble with
salvation.”  Psalm 149:4

I’m not sure we could see the beauty of  “humble” without Jesus.

Lord, may we live beautifully humbled by Your salvation.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

The Beauty of Salvation

jasminhalim.com

Beautifully humble
marvelously low

none of this makes sense
in a world that’s all show

only through Jesus
and the salvation He brings

can the last become first
and the child-like become kings

Praise Him

“Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise the LORD from the earth . . .
Fire, hail, snow and clouds . . .
Mountains and all hills . . .
Beasts and all cattle . . .”   Psalm 148:3,7,8,9,10

All of creation automatically praises Him.

Lord, may I praise You as naturally as all nature does.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Naturally

scienceyearfour.blogspot.com

Lord, let us praise You
like the wind, the birds, the trees

that it may flow out of us
oh so naturally

not stopping to think about
what is happening

but considering Your goodness
constant and continually.

Hope In Mercy

“The LORD takes pleasure in those
who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.”   Psalm 147:11

I can feel woefully inadequate.

Thank You, Lord, for showing me what I can do today . .. hope in Your mercy!  And here’s a simple poem . . .

What To Do

animalfriendsrescue.org

I listen to their stories, their testimonies
see all the miracles You are doing in their lives

it is beautiful and wonderful
and truly You are glorified.

So what can I do, Lord
that will make a difference at this time?

“Fear Me and hope
in the mercy only  I can provide.”

A Present Tense God

“The LORD opens the eyes of the
blind
The LORD raises those who are
bowed down;
The LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD watches over the
strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow . . .”  Psalm 146:8-9

I really loved all the present tense verbs used in this portion of scripture.

Thank You, Lord, for all You are doing right now, for so many.  And here is a simple poem . . .

His Goodness On Display

en.wikipedia.org

I see Your goodness to me
like the first star in the sky

I am blessed and humbled
then You ask me to multiply

my experience times a billion
of peopled Milky Ways

to imagine Your lovingkindness
spread out on display.

“You Open Your Hand”

“The LORD upholds all who fall,
And raises up all those who are
bowed down.
The eyes of all look expectantly to
You,
And You give them their food in
due season.
You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living
thing.”    Psalm 145:14-16

When I’m typing at the computer and Aubrey is close by, she reaches her hand out for me to touch with mine, desiring to stay connected.

Lord, we thank You for Your open hand policy with us.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Palms of Grace

openhandweb.org

His open hand upholds us
whenever we do fall
and is sure to lift us when
we’re weighed down by it all.

Our eyes look expectantly
to His blood streaked face
our desires satisfied by His
pierced palms of salvation grace.

Foreign

“Stretch out Your hand from above;
Rescue me and deliver me out of
great waters,
From the hand of foreigners,
Whose mouth speaks vain words,
And whose right hand is a right
hand of falsehood.”  Psalm 144:7-8

David repeats this statement twice in Psalm 144, not afraid of being politically incorrect.

Lord, please deliver me from all “foreign” thoughts, and the vain words and false actions that can follow.  And here is a simple poem . . .

Stretch Out Your Hand

gannettblog.blogspot.com

Please rescue me
and deliver me

out of the
great waters

of foreign thoughts
and vain words

and the falsehood
that follows.

Cause Me To Know

“Cause me to hear Your
lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in
which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.”  Psalm 143:8

I am noting that David doesn’t say “cause me to see You, Lord”, in this portion of scripture.

Lord, please help me to exercise my faith – to hear You and know You even when I’m not seeing what I want to see.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

Relying On Him

bonneylake-sumner.patch.com

Cause me to hear You
when I can’t see

cause me to know the way
You have for me

let me not rely
only on sight

but trust in You
my Lord, my Delight.

Someone To Care

“Look on my right hand and see,
For there is no one who
acknowledges me;
Refuge has failed me;
No one cares for my soul.”  Psalm 142:4

David was running for His life and hiding out in caves.

Lord, thank You for sending people who cared about my soul when I was running from life and hiding in caves of addiction.  And here’s a simple poem . . .

He Cares

twitter.com
Someone Who Cares @youarewonderful

We know that You
are with us

and that
You’ll never leave

but also
understand about

our basic
human needs.

It Shall Be A Kindness

“Let the righteous strike me;
It shall be a kindness.
And let him reprove me;
It shall be as excellent oil;
Let my head not refuse it.”  Psalm 141:5

Ben Nelson – http://anotherredletterday.wordpress.com – did a great series on righteous judgement.

Lord, help me to not run away from righteous reproof.   And here’s a simple poem . . .

Righteous Reproof

marriage-miracles.blogspot.com

Oh Lord let me be
secure enough in You

to understand the benefit
of righteous reproof

to let it do the work
that it was sent to

to be a kindness
that I mustn’t refuse.