He Reign In Awesome Wonder

Wolf Point, Keweenaw Peninsula, MI
Praying With Creation Sabbatical

Psalm 93 KJV

The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever.

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One of my fondest memories is kayaking on Lake Superior during small craft warnings. The waves were big. Yet, there we were paddling away and enjoying every minute of it. It was an awesome display of God's creative work. 

Along with the movement of the winds and waves came a whole lot of noise from this awesome wonder. But, in the midst of it there came a sound even louder than that. In the midst of us riding those waves came the sound of Pr. Peter singing How Great Thou Art.  And... Pr. Peter can sing!! What a sense of peace being reminding that what we were experiencing was the very hand of God.

Lake Superior, the oceans, all of God's creation can make us stand back in awe. We do need to respect these powerful creations even as we can appreciate and enjoy their beauty and power. They can be very powerful indeed. In fact, they can be very dangerous. But, none is so powerful or enduring as the Creator of it all.

Thank the Lord for the beauty of His creation. Thank the Lord for all that He has done.

God's Peace - Pr. J.

His Peace In All Times

Taken from the back door

"The Lord bless you
    and keep you;
²⁵ the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;
²⁶ the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace."
                       (Numbers 6:24-26 NIV)

I just got off of the phone from talking with my husband, Howard. He is not a real happy camper this morning. He is on vacation at our home in Michigan. Our home in Michigan is at the mouth of a river leading into a bay. On top of the normal tides moving in and out because the bay is on Lake Superior; he has experienced a couple of seiches since yesterday. This morning, we video chatted and the water was up to the top of the deck at the back of the house. The dock is floating around and it is not a floating dock. He is going to have a mess to clean up after the water quits moving so much.

He is not a happy camper. But, like the tides that go in and out, so does just about every aspect of every one's lives. That is the way it is. All we can do is pray this wonderful prayer for one another. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the Lord look upon you with face and grant you His peace.

Due to the storms there have been a lot of areas and homes that have been devastated (destroyed) in the past few weeks in the Upper Peninsula. We are fortunate on Huron Bay. The mess at our home is nothing more than a mess. It can be cleaned up with a bit of work.

May God grant you His peace!

God's peace - Pr. J

Secret Places

Secret Hiding Place

Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them?” declares the Lord. “Do not I fill heaven and earth?” declares the Lord. (Jer 23:24 NIV)

When my granddaughters were very young, the three of us had a secret place near Gay, MI on the shore of Lake Superior. It was inside an abandoned concrete building that had fallen down. We called it our secret place; but, it really wasn't a secret place at all. It was out in the open for anyone who passed by to see. It was secret only in that not a lot of people ever passed by. But, my granddaughters were convinced that no one else knew where our hide-out was and they were happy with that.

We can pretend that where we are and what to do is unknown to others. Usually, there will be at least a few people who will stumble on our secrets. But, always God knows the deepest secrets of our hearts. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows exactly where we are and what we are doing every second of every day because He is with us. He fills the heaven and the earth. He is everywhere. He fills all in all.

You cannot run from God. You cannot hide. He is with you and He is for you. May this knowledge be a delight and not a burden to you so that you might live a life glorifying Him.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Still Waters

Video: Kayaking on a peaceful day in Huron Bay on Lake Superior

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil;

my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalm 23 KJV

It is no secret that I love the water. I enjoy being beside still waters and even on them. I even enjoy the storms because for me they are reminder that God is with me. I have no need to fear for nothing can happen without the Lord knowing what is going on. He is with me always.

The water reminds me that I have been washed in the waters of baptism. The storms remind me that I have been baptized by the Spirit and I am reassured that by the goodness and mercy of God I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. Even this day, I abide in His Kingdom for He is with me.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Water and Word

"And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins." Mark 1:5

Scripture is full of stories of the water. The Israelites passing through the Red Sea; Jesus promising to give us living water; baptizing us with water and the Word; John baptizing multitudes in the River Jordan are just a few examples.

It is no secret that I love the water and I highly enjoy living near it. My last home was in an awesome cedar swamp on the edge of a bay of Lake Superior. These days, at least temporarily, I am, once again, living just a few miles from the Atlantic Ocean on a beautiful little river. The waters remind me of what God has done for us; for me. He has washed us. He has made us clean and not just with water; but, with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Word.

May God bless us with constant reminders that through Him our sins have been forgiven; we have been washed and made clean.

God's Peace - Pr. J