For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.I went to www.biblegateway.com (which is an awesome resource tool) you can look up any passage in any version of the Bible. It helps me a lot. Anyways, when I went there it defaulted to the following passage.
Nehemiah 9 5-6 Blessed be your glorious name,
exalted above all blessing and praise! You're the one,
God, you alone; You made the heavens,
the heavens of heavens, and all angels; The earth and everything on it,
the seas and everything in them; You keep them all alive;
heaven's angels worship you!
Which really seemed to fit my mood today. PRAISE GOD!!! The weather is beautiful. It's Friday, we have the weekend ahead, next weekend is Family day at AR Tech, the next weekend is mine & Dale's weekend at Petit Jean. Then on the 24th we have Renee's 18th birthday, and my Soulfood Sisters retreat. So much excitement, so much too look forward to doing. So different than I've felt lately. I've felt so down, so lost, but I feel myself lifting out of that pit. The pit that I helped dig. Why is this Friday so much better? Because I've been remembering to be thankful! My situation isn't that different this week from last week, but I'm different. I feel every day like I am walking closer in the word of God.
Then.... I finally made it to Psalm 71. I'm copying the whole Psalm from The Message Bible. It so fits, I can completely identify with this Psalm today!
Psalm 71
1-3 I run for dear life to God, I'll never live to regret it.
Do what you do so well:
get me out of this mess and up on my feet.
Put your ear to the ground and listen,
give me space for salvation.
Be a guest room where I can retreat;
you said your door was always open!
You're my salvation—my vast, granite fortress.
4-7 My God, free me from the grip of Wicked,
from the clutch of Bad and Bully.
You keep me going when times are tough—
my bedrock, God, since my childhood.
I've hung on you from the day of my birth,
the day you took me from the cradle;
I'll never run out of praise.
Many gasp in alarm when they see me,
but you take me in stride.
8-11 Just as each day brims with your beauty,
my mouth brims with praise.
But don't turn me out to pasture when I'm old
or put me on the shelf when I can't pull my weight.
My enemies are talking behind my back,
watching for their chance to knife me.
The gossip is: "God has abandoned him.
Pounce on him now; no one will help him."
12-16 God, don't just watch from the sidelines.
Come on! Run to my side!
My accusers—make them lose face.
Those out to get me—make them look
Like idiots, while I stretch out, reaching for you,
and daily add praise to praise.
I'll write the book on your righteousness,
talk up your salvation the livelong day,
never run out of good things to write or say.
I come in the power of the Lord God,
I post signs marking his right-of-way.
17-24 You got me when I was an unformed youth,
God, and taught me everything I know.
Now I'm telling the world your wonders;
I'll keep at it until I'm old and gray.
God, don't walk off and leave me
until I get out the news
Of your strong right arm to this world,
news of your power to the world yet to come,
Your famous and righteous
ways, O God.
God, you've done it all!
Who is quite like you?
You, who made me stare trouble in the face,
Turn me around;
Now let me look life in the face.
I've been to the bottom;
Bring me up, streaming with honors;
turn to me, be tender to me,
And I'll take up the lute and thank you
to the tune of your faithfulness, God.
I'll make music for you on a harp,
Holy One of Israel.
When I open up in song to you,
I let out lungsful of praise,
my rescued life a song.
All day long I'm chanting
about you and your righteous ways,
While those who tried to do me in
slink off looking ashamed.
I feel like I have faced so many things recently. The hardest being seeing my daddy so sick and weak. I'm thrilled to tell you that Daddy is doing wonderful! (Just like everyone assured me he would be doing.) During that same time, Dale was sick (and he's never sick) he actually missed 2 days of work (again, he NEVER misses work). It was so hard to see these 2 strong men, part of my foundation, in a weak position.
Verses 8-11 really struck me. Though, I don't feel that there are those "humans" that are out to get me, I do know that Satan has been after me and trying to get into my head. I actually started to feel like maybe it was time for me to step away from the youth group. I realize today, that I will always be part of the youth group, even if I'm 100. We have 80 year old Ms. Dorothy that still hangs out with the kids, and Ms. Roberta who's in her 60's, both are like grandmothers. Right now, the kids call me "Aunt Kim", maybe someday I'll be Granny Kim. I don't know, I just know that Verses 17-24 are my hope for the future. Even when I'm old & gray, (the gray part is already here)I'll still be working to get out the Good news. I may not be as "relevant" with the kids, but the Spirit of Praise is ageless.
I've already learned that from Ms. Roberta, Ms. Jackie, Ms. Dorothy, my Grandmommy...... I could just keep naming strong women that influence me.
So I'll stop. It's Friday, the weather is beautiful. PRAISE GOD!
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