All Things Shall Praise The LORD!

           

               Praise the LORD you great sea creatures!

                                (Manatee - Blue Springs State Park, FL)

         Praise the Lord.

         Praise the Lord from the heavens;

praise him in the heights above.

Praise him, all his angels;

praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Praise him, sun and moon;

praise him, all you shining stars.

Praise him, you highest heavens

and you waters above the skies.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for at his command they were created,

and he established them for ever and ever—

he issued a decree that will never pass away.

Praise the Lord from the earth,

you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,

lightning and hail, snow and clouds,

stormy winds that do his bidding,

you mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars,

wild animals and all cattle,

small creatures and flying birds,

kings of the earth and all nations,

you princes and all rulers on earth,

young men and women,

old men and children.

Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

And he has raised up for his people a horn,

the praise of all his faithful servants,

of Israel, the people close to his heart.

Praise the Lord.

Psalm 148 NIV

God's Peace - Pr. J

I Will Give You Rest

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matt 11:28-29 NIV)

So many people seeking rest for their souls in the world today. Yet, they seek it in all the wrong places. There seems, at times, that there is nothing one can say or do, to help them to understand that Jesus truly can give us the rest we need. Unwilling to take up his yoke and to learn from Jesus; we take upon ourselves a much heavier yoke, stumbling and often falling.  For some awful reason, we would prefer to do everything our own way; the harder way.

If, today, you find, that you are weary and burdened with the cares of the world, toss aside the yoke that is holding you down and find rest at the feet of our LORD and King, Jesus the Christ. Go to Him; learn from him, and He will give you rest.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Peace And Joy Beside Still Waters

Baby and Adult Manatee, Bulow Creek, FL

"He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul..." (Psalm 23:2b-3a NKJV)

God has once again blessed me with a home where I can sit beside still waters and know a semblance of peace. In the midst of a small village with homes all around, I can sit on the dock in the backyard and watch wildlife. That is an activity that brings me both peace and joy.

And, what joy it can bring. I spent most of last evening, until it became too dark to see, sitting on that dock watching manatee swimming about in the canal. These huge sea creatures are so gentle and trusting. As I stood at the edge of the dock one of the adults and the baby came up to me repeatedly lifting their heads out of the water to both breathe and take a look at me. They move slowly and gracefully through the water as though they do not have a care in the world.

I noticed even the young alligator who normally come out to take a look at me stayed far away from them. There is only one real predator of the manatee and that is humankind. No, they are not hunted here in the U.S.. But, our boat propellers, discarded and tangled fishing lines, and other human sources are the main cause of death outside of natural death due to aging. The large manatee that greeted me last night is quite scarred up from boat propellers. It appears she has run been run over by more than one boat. 

In spite of the fact that humankind is the only real danger to them, it does not stop them from investigating us close up. They are not afraid. They appear to live in peace. I thank God for the reminder of peace and the joy that they bring to this sometimes fretful heart.

May God help you to find still waters.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Beside Still Waters

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;He leads me beside the still waters.

Psalm 23:2

He leads me beside still waters and not just figuratively. I have been blessed once again to live by still waters. The photo above was taken by my granddaughter in my new backyard. My last back yard was the mouth of a river. This one is a creek. I have been told that every now and then in the winter, I might see a manatee in this creek. I don't know how true that is; but, looking forward to seeing one, again. A few decades ago, I had the privilege of swimming with them. That, I understand is no longer allowed as they are awesome creatures and must be protected.

I have been most fortunate to live most of my life with a creek or river or even a Great Lake or ocean within at least walking distance of my home. I remember catching minnows for fishing in the creek near my grandmother's home when I was very young.

The waters reassure me of God's many promises to us. They are a reminder that through the waters of baptism our sins are washed away and we are born again. They are also a great reminder that there are some things that human beings cannot control as every now and then God will stir up even the stillest of waters. But, most of all the still waters remind of the peace that can be found only in Jesus Christ. No matter what storms might come; the water reminds me of God's peace.

God's Peace - Pr. J