Listening and Loving

"I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." - Deuteronomy 30:19-20

Other translation of focal verse: "Love the Lord your God. Obey him. Stay close to him. He is your life. And he will let you live many years in the land. This is the land he promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." - Deuteronomy 30:20

"The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." - Zephaniah 3:17

"Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us." - Psalm 62:8

Dear God,

Help me to listen better to You. Help me to be closer to You. Help me to hear Your song over me. Help me to let You love me more. Help me through the troubled times. Guide me. Hold me close.

Thank You.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James

You Make Me Sing!

Psalm 95:2 - Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

Psalm 118:24 - This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with lour singing. 

Zephaniah 3:17 - He will rejoice over you with singing.

Dear God, Thank You for the many gifts You have for me each day-the squirrels playing, the birds singing, the colors of the flowers growing, the puffy clouds that make fun shapes, and many others. I am sorry I do not always remember to stop and thank You for each and every little thing, which really, nothing is little when it comes to Your gifts. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James (YouTube)

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

Come to me, all who are weary

And take my yoke upon you

Come to me, all who are weary

My burden is easy and light

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my sing, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my sing

And I'll quiet you with my love

Laughing at Troubles

Proverbs 17:22 - A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Proverbs 31:25 - She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.

Matthew 1:23 - "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us).

Matthew 11:28-30 - "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will fond rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." 

Dear God, teach me how to laugh at my troubles, to find joy in the midst of them. Help me to never lose the joy You give me even when troubles do exist. Thank You. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James (YouTube)

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

Come to me, all who are weary

And take my yoke upon you

Come to me, all who are weary

My burden is easy and light 

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Come to Me by Jamie-Grace (YouTube)

I had a dream I was standin' on the shore

Two feet planted in the sand

Soakin' up Your glory yeah

Saw You walkin' from a distance

Without a hint of resistance 

Had Your arms open

And a warmth in Your eyes

You took my hand and You whispered

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden now

I woke up to the weight of the world

Right back into reality

And all that's goin' wrong

Cuz in the midst of this chaotic life

I try to find peace of mind

But You've been there all along

And even now I hear You whisper

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden

I feel the weight, I feel the weight is slowly liftin'

As you close the distance

And I know, it's gonna be okay when I hear you say

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

Oo I'm gonna carry your burden

Come to me when

You're weary and

I'll give you hope when you're hurting

I'll give you rest from your burden now

The weight is lifted now

Hear My Song

Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Matthew 7:7 - "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

Dear God, I hear Your song. Probably more than most people. You call me to hear it in a variety of places and in a variety of ways. Sadly, many people do not hear Your song. When I go to the park, I can hear Your song in the gentle breeze that rustles the leaves, the chattering of the squirrels, the singing of the birds, the babbling of the creek. When the snow falls, I can Your song in that. When the rain is soft and gentle, I can hear Your song. When the puppy yaps or the kitten mews, Your song echoes through. Even in the sniffle, Your song breaks through. This is something that many people need to slow down and practice more of. Tom would benefit from this practice of listening for and to Your song. Maybe if he did, he could also hear Your words echo that he should talk with me so we can either have conflict resolution and restoration or at least closure. Maybe if the leaders at his church would learn to listen and practice it, they would actually hear those echoes of how much better it would be for everyone for them to listen to me and work on a better resolution than they have even dreamed of. Open their hearts, their minds, and their ears. Because Your song is coming. And when it does, it will be a beautiful symphony. And simply because this day was about Your song, I want to end with this:

"Let it go, let it go, the autism mind is coming through, let it go, let it go, never let the world stop you, I don't care, what they're going to say, let this mind grow strong, the truth never bothered me anyway."

Haha. God, many people are getting sick of that song. Which must actually be a good thing because the world gets sick of mostly good things and even though the song is not necessarily a Christian song, it is a good song with a good and powerful message. I have said it could be the new autism anthem song. Anything good and powerful has to come from You, for You are good. Thank You for the music, Your music, Your song, in the world and in my heart. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James (YouTube)

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give your rest

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

Come to me, all who are weary

And take my yoke upon you

Come to me, all who are weary

My burden is easy and light

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Count on Me

Psalm 73:23-26 - Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Zephaniah 3:17 - The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17a - The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save.

Dear God, Thank You that You will NEVER let me down. It is hard to trust the truth in that though. Tom said he would never abandon me and would always be my friend. Then in the one moment I needed him the most he became a bully and an abuser. He shook me up. And it hurt. And I am not angry now. Just very sad. Sad that he has refused to do what You said we are to do which is to seek peace and restoration with each other. I have tried. He has refused. And that is what prompted the complaint against him. The complaint that needs the people to have wisdom in order to advise and to intervene before someone else gets hurt. But God, You need to direct them to how to form the committee to help and soften Tom's heart. And I need to somehow trust You to do that. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Mighty to Save by Laura Story (YouTube)

Everyone needs compassion

Love that's never failing

Let mercy fall on me

Everyone needs forgiveness

The kindness of a Savior

The hope of nations

Savior 

He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever 

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Take me as you find me

All my fears and failures

Fill my life again

I give my life to follow

Everything that I believe in

Now I surrender

Yes I surrender

Savior 

He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing

For the glory of the risen King

Jesus

Shine Your light and let the whole world see

We're singing

For the glory of the risen King

Savior

He can move the mountains

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever 

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered the grave

You're my Savior

You can move the mountains

God You are mighty to save

You are mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

You rose and conquered the grave

Yes You conquered the grave

You are mighty to save

Quiet You With My Love by Rebecca St. James (YouTube)

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Come to me, all who are weary

And I will give you rest

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

Come to me, all who are weary

And take my yoke upon you

Come to me, all who are weary

My burden is easy and light

Lay your head down on my shoulders

Be still my child, rest a while

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love

Rejoice over you with my song, with my song

And I'll quiet you with my love