A Quiet Hum

And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?                                                                                                                                                           (1 Kings 19:11-13 KJV)

I woke up yesterday morning to the quiet hum of distant neighbors' generators. The power was off. It was off for over twelve hours (the reason for no blog yesterday). I spent a lot of time with quiet hums and not just due to generators. As my husband got moving we realized that I need to bring him to the emergency room. (He is fine - probable stomach virus) Since no one except the patient is allowed in the hospital I sat in the truck in the parking lot waiting for about six hours mostly in sheer silence except for the hum of the truck's engine and the air conditioner now and then when it got too stifling sitting there. 

It wasn't a bad day. I appreciate the quiet. Quiet affords us a time to listen for the voice of Lord. Too much noise around us is a distraction. It is a distraction from being more fully in the presence of God. Being present; being aware of God's presence and His voice is a good thing. It can be a very renewing experience to spend time alone with God. Be still and get to know the Lord. Be quiet and listen to Him.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 

                                                            (Psalm 46:10-11)

God's Peace - Pr. J. 

Falling

He will raise you up!

The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down. (Psalm 145:14 KJV)

Well, I fell. No, not spiritually; but, physically. It happens and it seems to happen a bit more the older I get. Saturday was the first day of my official retirement. I was packing the back of the pickup truck for our trip and using an end table to help me step into it. I fell through the end table, tipped it over, and fell on my back, and hit my head on the ground. There were no bones broken. The pretty deep gashes in my leg that went through the table did not even bleed. They stung a bit and my head ached a little; but, all in all, I felt pretty good. Sunday morning we left for our trip about 5 am and I still felt pretty good. But, as I drove the muscles in my back and neck started tightening up. By bedtime I found that I could not roll over without extreme pain and to get out of bed I have to kind of slide out of it as it hurts to put any weight on either arm or shoulder. A hot shower in a bit should help that a lot though.

I am fortunate. I normally heal quite quickly. In cases where I've had to see a doctor over illesses or accidents, I am usually well before the doctors even come up with a real diagnosis.

The Lord is good to me. My poor choice of a step-stool could have had much worse consequences. The Lord is lifting me up. He is always with me even when I do foolish things.

Whatever happens, the Lord is always with us.

God's Peace - Pr J

Walls

And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the Lord had given him rest.

Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought him, and he hath given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered." 
                                    2 Chron 14:6-7 KJV

Walls were built around the cities in the land that God had given the Israelites. They were for their protection and it worked. Of course there were gates and entrances so that people could come and go. But, these gates and entrances provided a way for people with legitimate purposes to do so. Those who stood watch knew who entered and who left the cities. There was very little sneaking in by people who had minds to harm the inhabitants.

I have always believed that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I prefer taking precautions so that there never has to be offensive or defensive actions. As I get older, I really appreciate not having to get involved in either offensive nor defensive actions. I like peace. I like rest.

A few months ago a permit was pulled for a fence around the property we live on. It is almost completed. I think it will be finished rather quickly after yesterday. We live out in the country, with no immediate neighbors. A couple of times over the last month, I woke up in the very wee hours of the morning to find that someone is parking by our side yard on what can be barely called a street as it has grass not gravel or pavement. It is wooded between the house and the street, yet, they managed to park in the only spot that you can see the house clearly from the road. Early last evening, as I was preparing to cook a birthday supper for a nine year old on the grill, I heard a gunshot. I looked up to see a black truck parked in that "bare spot" next to the side yard. My son was heading across the yard. Very few words were exchanged. The man jumped into the truck and took off. 

I do not know what the guy was aiming at or if he was even aiming at anything. I do know that you do not stand on the street in front of someone else's house and fire guns. It just doesn't get it...

I really like peace. I have been around for a good many years and I have been around way too many fights where knives or guns were present and even used on occasion. I don't get too excited about it any more. It is more like exhausted. It is tiring having to deal with irresponsible and disrespectful people. Most of the incidents I've witnessed had something to do with someone being under the influence of something. It has made me to be as close to a prohibitionist as you can be without actually being one. 

I am also an advocate of being prepared to defend yourself and others. A fence is a good first step in being prepared. Then comes rest... 

May God grant us all peace and rest...

God's Peace - Pr. J