“And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph – to Ephraim and Manasseh – saying, ‘You are a great people and have great power; you shall not have one lot only, (Joshua 17:17)
but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites though they have iron chariots and are strong’.” (Joshua 17:18)
The children of Joseph were wanting more than one lot and portion of land. They just might not have expected their “more” to bring with it the challenges it did.
Lord, as I seek more of You, let me not be intimidated by the work and challenges it brings. And here’s a simple poem . . .
Blessed With Him
We are blessed
in His presence
where we’re closest
to His heart
so we might find
in life’s hard moments
that we are blessed
most of all.
Deb's Blog 
Thank you, Deb
Much to think about hither.
The hard moments can be painful, yes? Thankful for the blessings that follow.
Blessings,
ann
I’m not sure I conveyed my thoughts about this well, but I guess I’m wondering if what we think of as “blessings” and being blessed might not always be the same as God’s. Being in His presence is the most blessed I’ve ever been, but I often equate blessings with everything going well, no problems, unexpected favor. Would I consider myself blessed if I just had Him, felt His nearness, in the midst of something hard?
Now you have me thinking of a song by Laura’s Story!
God bless you, Ann full of Jesus grace, with His presence and His glory.
Oh Deb, I am so thankful for your blog. It is manna for me. 🙂
Love,
Theresa
I’m rereading “Band of Brothers,” which tells the story of Easy Company in WWII. This group of 150+ men fought battles from Normandy to the Battle of the Bulge to Eagles’ Nest at the war’s end. The group suffered 200% casualties and was constantly surrounded by the Germans and cut off from supplies and ammunition. Yet, it was considered the premiere rifle group in the war.
Why was it so good? Because it had a lunatic commander who forced them to run up and down a tall hill with full equipment every day. Stragglers were forced out of the elite group into the regular army. It was brutal boot camp for these men. Each man hated it and the commander.
If you would have told the men during boot camp they were blessed, they would have laughed at you. But when the men were in battle, that brutal conditioning and rigorous training saved their lives and allowed them to hang on and win battles.
So, many times, our tough times are preparations for the big battles to come. We need the tough times!
Thank you for all the ways you encourage me, to keep writing and doing devotions/poems and to keep in His word and close to Him, and to keep trying in trying situations!
God bless you, woman of the Word, and bring you just what you need . . .more of Him!
Larry, I appreciate you so much and your insight and ability to teach His truths. Thank you for taking the time to come here, read and comment! You bless me/us!
In this part of Joshua, the house of Joseph was being kind of demanding. They were telling Joshua how great they were and how they deserved more land. I loved how Joshua handled it! And it made me think of wanting to be blessed with more of Him without maybe having to exactly do anything to receive it. And what if being blessed with His presence in my life meant living in the hard moments more and more? Just thinking!
God bless you with exactly what He knows you are going to need!
When I read your post, I thought of my favorite quote from Hudson Taylor. “God does not give us overcoming lives. He gives life to those who overcome.”
Fits well with Larry’s and your comment.
“…you shall not have one lot only…”
…and yet, our Heavenly Father blessed me with three “lots”…my three sons.
When they were very young, and I found myself facing the prospect of raising them all by myself, I almost gave up. I couldn’t imagine how I would be able to provide them with a happy childhood and a good life.
But the Lord knew he had placed those three boys in capable hands…by giving me a Pioneer Spirit and a hunger for His love…and He has blessed our lives beyond our wildest imaginations.
My Darling Deb…you seem to draw it out of me! I am committed now, more than ever, to finish the book I have been working on.
Thank you for inspiring me, each and every day 🙂
love, love, love
Bee
Thank you, Mike, for that great quote! It absolutely does fit well.
God bless you and the life He has given you!
I was going to ask you about that book! Now I am committed more than ever to praying for you as you work on it. 🙂
I am so encouraged by you, by your faith, by your Jesus, by all that He has brought you through and is yet to do! You have me smiling again. 🙂 And jumping up and down some too!
God bless you and the hunger you have for Him and your dear sons and families!
Deb, This reminds me of something I read once in a book about Billy Graham. Just before his first crusades in New York City he was quoted as saying, “I believe God would have us go to hard places, not easy ones.” Sometimes it is the challenges that we don’t think we can handle (and probably can’t) that lead us to rely more on the Lord for strength and wisdom. And more reliance on God is, I believe, a very good thing. Peace, Linda
That has certainly been true in my life, Linda. 🙂 I never would have thought I could handle motherhood, let alone be the mom of a special needs child . . .and then take that child out of school to home school her. I have had to rely on Him big time.
God bless you as you let Him challenge you each day!