A Letter from God

This post is partly from a work by Diane Noble, titled Letters from God for Women, but it can be interpreted to include everyone, not just women.  I will say a few words after I make this post, and I hope it is inspiring for you.  It inspired me last night to use this as my next post because I think we all need a little tenderness from our Father:

 "Beloved"

I watch your hours fill to overflowing with the busy details of your life.  I see your concern for your family and friends.  So many depend on you, dear one, making your responsibilities seem overwhelming and at times, your weariness soul-deep.

Did you know that I created you to draw strength from My presence?  Did you know that I delight in your knowledge of Me?  I long to refresh you; I long to open My heart to you.

So come to Me.  Learn of Me.  You will find rest for your soul, My children, and peace beyond understanding.  Come to the still waters of My presence and draw joyously from the wellspring of My riches.''

Waiting for You,
Your Heavenly Father

Matther 11:28-30 The Message

"Come to Me.  Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest.  Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of Grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly!"

I take these words as directly from Jesus, telling me of His tender mercies and His longing to help us and to lift the load from us.  He is the ever flowing water of life.  He is always aware, always awake, living an eternal existence with God and He is offering to take the load from our shoulders and help us to solve our problems.  He is aware every minute of the day that we need help and are growing weary.   He gives us everything we need, when we put Him first.  He wants to bless us, to bless you with all good things.  Your material needs and the money you need for your living expenses will be fulfilled when you put Christ first in your life.  That doesn't mean you have to rush off to church and get on your knees and pray and then put money in the coffer for God and show off for the world that you are pious.  Jesus tells us to enter into our closets and pray in secret and the God who made you will reward you openly.  He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, He annoints us with the oil of the Holy Spirit who helps us on our journey.  God has all the Universe in His power.  He sustains us.  He keeps the heavenly bodies in place and you are made of stardust.  Isn't He an amazing God?  He created the world perfectly for our use.  We have oxygen to breathe, all sorts of foods to eat, the good earth to plant our crops in and gardens, but the garden He is interested in most is the garden of your heart.  He knows those who have come to Him.  They are His sheep.  He loves them all, no matter what their faith.  He loves the Catholics, The Presbyterians, The Mormons, The Lutherans, The Episcopalians, The Buddhists, The Zen Masters, the Taoist....all of us.

I imagine God sometimes, as this huge brain that directs all the workings of the Universe.  He is all intelligence.  He gives us our intelligence and our wisdom to run the world as necessary.  What happened?  Why is the world in such chaos?  It's because we have all gone our separate ways and don't work together to achieve world peace and to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and teach the illiterate.  He would do all those things, and yet remain humble. 

We sit up on our fancy chairs with out little caps on our heads and a huge gold cross on a heavy chain around our necks.....does that bring to mind a picture of Jesus?  Not for me.  I know Him as the humble shepherd who has sheep in every nation that hear His voice.  Maybe you are in a country where Jesus is not taught, nor accepted, but you have given your heart to Him because someone told you about Him.  You have Him in your soul.  You don't need to run to church.  God will meet you on your knees wherever you are!  He will meet you standing, laying down, just when you least expect it.  He is aware of all you do and see's the content of your heart.

If you accept Christ, both Christ and His Holy Father will come into your life and help you with everything that is a part of your life.  He promised to never leave us nor forsake us.  Come to the waters of life and drink your fill.  You'll never be sorry that you decided you too needed a good friend.  Someone outside of your circumstance that can see better than you what you need because He has a higher view point.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, stop for a moment and consider that your Heavenly Father is right beside you....better yet, He's within you.  He is your thoughts, your love, your understanding, your intelligence, your body your brain.....all created by Him.  Who better to help you?  I'm 65, and He has been my best friend since I was 12.  I could not have made it this far without Him.  I had a heart attack at 43, and a part of my heart died.  But here I am 22 years later, have never had another heart attack, and the clogged arteries of my heart have been cleared with medication and faith and life-style changes.   He has met me everyday to walk with me and talk with me and advise me on what to do in each difficult circumstance.  He is a personal God and I love my Lord and my God.  He's there for you too.  All you have to do is go wihin your soul and pray to the Father.  He will hear you, and I guarantee He will answer you in a way you never expected!  "God works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform!"  Let Him do a wonder in your life and know that your Father is tender and forgiving and He wants to be your best friend too!

Amazing Grace

The title of this post is Amazing Grace, because His Grace is all we need and indeed all we have, to sustain us in this life, and ensure that we have a home in paradise when we pass from this life into eternity.  "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see!"  The Bible tells us that our righteousness is as filthy rags compared to what God has in store for us.  His own righteousness fills us when we are born again by the spirit of God.  He give us a heart of flesh that can be touched by the sorrow of the world, and the heartbreak of those less fortunate than we ourselves.

If you have children, you love them and would be devastated if anything should happen to them.  If you had one son, and he was near and dear to your heart, would you let him sacrifice his life to help some other child?  What if your child had perfect health and someone you know has a child that is ailing and may die without help from your child, say a kidney, or a lung, would you risk it?  I doubt it.  So can you imagine how God felt, to give his only son for people who have gone astray and lived their life in sin?  He had to look away when His Son was dying, and Jesus had to have the thought in his mind, I thought you loved me, where are you now when I need you?  His exact words were, "My god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?"  That's how we feel sometimes when the battle here on earth get's to be more than we think we can cope with.  Where is God when we need Him?  He's here.  In your heart, in your life.  He never promised us a rose garden, but he comforts us in our sorrow and rejoices with us in our gladness.  I just think that sometimes we don't love enough.  We sometimes don't love ourselves either, and our destructive urges take over and we turn to alcohol or drugs.  We live a life of shame and can't even see that we are on the wrong road.  But even then, God's Amazing Grace is available to us.  His Grace washes us clean and our crimson stains will be turned to a dazzling white as His Grace is applied to our hearts.  In this world, we need Him in the worst way.  And He is aware of what we need even before we ask. 

Today is the day of salvation.  If you need help in any way, call on the one who made you.  He knows exactly how to deal with your problems because he gave you the mind you have and the soul you have.  He knows you need Him and He is available to you and to me today.  I received Christ as my Savior at the tender age of 12, and I was not acquainted with the ways of the world and the meaning of Sin.  I only knew I needed a friend, and He was willing to be the best friend I could ever ask for. 

I don't mean to come across as judgemental.  I don't mean to say I've never sinned because I have.  Yes, even after He saved my soul I still did things I am sure did not meet with His approval.  Yet His Grace has washed me clean and He has walked with me every step of the way I've traveled.  In Sickness, in health, He has been there for me and I just want to share the news that He loves you too.  Whoever you are out there in the night hours that reads this blog, know that I am only one candle in a dark world.  I know the truth and the truth has set me free.  Free to live a good life and to have a relationship with the one who made me.  I sleep like a baby at night because I know I am in His Tender embrace and that He will be there as soon as I open my eyes to walk my pathway with me and that gives me peace and rest.  If you can't sleep, if your mind is churning, turn to Him and ask Him for his Amazing Grace.  It's all you need to get you through the portals of Heaven.  It's all you need to live a wonderful life right here on earth and to have your future assured in paradise with those you love and the loving God who made you.  Your burdens are shared by one who can do something to lift the load you are bearing.  It's never too late.  "Those who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first."  It doesn't matter WHEN you come to Him, but that you just come to Him.  He will accept you as you are, today, in the quietness of your own heart.  Open the door of your heart and let Him in.  He gave His all for you.  It's a gift.  Accept it today and let Him bathe your soul in His Amazing Grace.

Come Unto Me All Ye Who Labor & Are Heavy Laden...I Will Give You Rest

Are you tired of the grind of daily life and wish you could escape for a while?  Just take a trip or go to a happy place in your life, a time when all went well and you just lived every day like it was your last?  There is a place of perfect peace and rest available to you today.  Safe in the arms of the One who made you.  In the travels of Jesus, He drew many people who wanted to hear him speak.  He took into account that they most likely were hungry, so He fed them.  He didn't preach to hungry people to go and be filled and then come back and hear him speak.  He fed them.  He healed them and then He told them about Himself and the Kingdom of Heaven.  He told them that the Kingdom of Heaven is within them.  It's in you and in me.  If you go within do you find only turmoil and troubles?  Then let me introduce you to the One who made you and tell you He still cares about you today as he did in ages past.  He sees your troubles and He worries over you when you are in the middle of problems with no answers in sight.  He has the answers.  He may be the only one who does. 

I use to work for the Internal Revenue Service, and one evening as I was waiting for my husband to pick me up from work, I was watching the crowds come out of the buildings and frantically rush to their next destination.  They were frowning and looking at their watches and in such a hurry.  I was humming a tune to myself, but I was thinking that they were so lost and searching, but not realizing what they were searching for.  An elderly man with snow white hair and rosy cheeks stopped where I was standing and smiled at me and said, "They never think about God, do they?"  I was stunned for a moment but nodded my head in agreement.  They never gave Him a second thought when He wanted so much to comfort them and draw them close to Himself.  He waits for us to want to know Him.  He's not an ogre and out for revenge for what we did all those aeons ago.  He's a kind and benevolent father, that want's to help us with our trials and problems.  He has the answers, He's just waiting for you to ask Him to help you.  He will.

I was lucky as a child.  My parents went to church and my Mom played the piano and she and my Dad would sing.  We all went as a family and I really liked the singing, even as a little child.  For some reason, over the years they lost their footing and stopped going to church.  The arguments over money began when we moved to the city and having our Mom's Mom living with us stirred up conflicts between all 3 adults.  But I was very attentive in church and Sunday school and I retained more than anyone thought.  At 4 years of age, I prayed one day for God to heal my eyes so I could see like everyone else.  I was extremely near-sighted and needed glasses, but no one knew.  A few years ago, I developed cataracts and found reading and seeing very difficult.  I saw my optometrist and he told me I'd need surgery to replace the lenses in both eyes.  I now see almost 20/20.  I only need a slight correction now.  God answered my prayers in 4th grade when they had my eyes checked and realized I couldn't see well.  He answered it again when I thought I was going blind.  I didn't have $2,500.00 for each eye, but with the insurance I have had for years, I didn't pay anything.  The surgery was done in 2 steps.  First the left eye, and 6 weeks later the right eye.  To me it was a miracle.  I can't believe my good fortune, to have such a loving and tender Heavenly Father.

I've had many problems with my health since I was about 17 years of age and I've kept my relationship with God open and honest for as long as I can remember.  I'm not just quoting things from the Bible to be saying something profound.  I have a daily walk with Jesus and I want to share the news that He is as real today as in the past, and He still does miracles.  He uses the skills of his children to help us and He needs our hands and feet and a dedicated heart and mind.  He can do miracles without us, as He did in days of old.  But if you want a real purpose to pursue in your life, take time to cultivate a relationship with the One who made you.  He says, come to the water and drink your fill without money.  It's free.  The water of life is Jesus and it's free.  He never passed around a collection plate, he never asked for money.  He told those who tried to trick Him, to give to Ceasar what belonged to Ceasar
and to God what belonged to God.  God gave us a soul.  We need to fill it with good things if we want to have a successful life. 

Give your life to the One who made you.  He's the only one that can fill that vacant spot in your soul reserved for Him.  He stands at the door and knocks....  Answer Him, and He will come in and stay with you for the rest of your days.  He has a place reserved for you in Heaven.  Look within and find it.  It's real, and it is yours, today, if you ask.

The Laws of Nature and of Spirituality - Giving & Receiving

There are laws in nature that we cannot control.  We can only observe.  There are also spiritual laws that most religions are based on.  The Bible tells us that what we sew, we will reap.  Karma.  If you go through your life only taking from others, you will have a meager life.  Yes, you will have what you take from others, but you will feel empty inside and like nothing quite satisfies you.  In everyday life, if you give little, you receive little.  It doesn't take long to leave a comment for other's when you read their blog.  Even if it is not the most profound statement you've ever read, at least respect the person for taking time from their lives to share something good and wonderful with others.  It's rude to come, read, and absorb the good things people are trying to present, and never say a word.  Not even a negative comment.  I have thought about giving this up because no one but one or 2 people ever say a word to me.  But I am not doing this to receive kudos or praise from anyone.  I do it because it makes me feel good about who I am and what I am trying to accomplish.  If you don't feel moved to make a comment, well, perhaps I haven't done a very good job.  Maybe you aren't interested in Jesus.  Maybe you are of a different faith.  That too is alright.  All religions have good things to offer.  I am a seeker for truth.  Not just a believer.  My husband is a Taoist, and I found the Tao through my relationship with him.  He is one of the best people I know.  I am very blessed to have met him and share my life with him over the last 36 years.  I gave my whole life.  I took care of my Dad's family, bought food, paid bills, and took care of a sick Mom and a brother on drugs and a little sister who was in Junior High.  I was sick as well, and had my own doctor to pay and my perscriptions to get filled.  None of it was easy.  It was hard.  I sewed good seed, and now it is coming back to me.

I am sorry if my post doesn't interest you.  I need to diversify a bit perhaps.  Or bring in my own stories now and then.  My husband has gotten frustrated as well, because he puts up post after post and no one hardly notices.  It's just rude.

I am still contemplating whether I want to continue doing this or not.  I have 7 grandchildren to be involved with, and a family to take care of.  I can find plenty to do.  I just thought sharing something good would be rewarding and I'd get to talk to people of like mind.  But now I see that isn't so.  Perhaps people just don't have time.  Whatever the reason, I may or may not post any more.  It seems to be fruitless.  Time will tell.

True Love

The day dawns.  Life beckons.  The sun shines bright and the birds are singing.  God is good to me.  I awaken without strife or turmoil to greet me.  Days are past that were full of doom and dark clouds no longer fill the skies.

The Lord is good and gracious.  I am thankful for many things.  My strength, my peaceful mind, the soft white clouds and the sound of the sea.

I am grateful for the man who sleeps beside me and the love and happiness he has brought to my life.  The poem he wrote for me about the rose of purity and the rose of passion.  My days are full of joy and gentle breezes.

The 3 children we made together and the gladness they brought to our lives.  They were sweet and loving and so much fun.  They filled our days with joy and pride as well as much hard work.  We were blessed with twin sons and a sweet little girl to love and cherish.

The story unfolds as days go by.  A story of true love.  A story about giving to one another.  A tale that tells of a gentle soul and endurance and of rewards and dreams fulfilled.

I am a poet.  In nature I see the unfolding of the cosmos before me.  I have made a mark in the universe.  I count.  I have not found my destiny-it came looking for me...and found me.

I am a person of value.  I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a poet, a painter, a cook, a friend, a dreamer of dreams, a servant, a person justified by the sacrifice of my Lord.  I have a relationship with God my Father and in Him I trust.

I matter.  I am loved.  I will go a wandering through the stars of Heaven one day and pick jesels from among them.  I will live on in the great vastness of time.  I do not fear the end, for the end is just a new beginning.

I am justified, sanctified, made strong and happy in this life.  I could not ask for more.  But the Eternal One always gives us more than we deserve and more than we even realize.  We need to stop and smell the beautiful roses.  Life is good.  We are One.

God's Power & Mercy

My favorite Psalm is 116:  I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. 

   2  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

   3  The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow.

   4  Then I called on the name of the Lord; O Lord, save me!

   5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. 

   6 The Lord protects the simplehearted, when I was in great need, he saved me.

    7 Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.

This isn't the whole Psalm, but it is the part that touched my heart the moment I read it.  When I was young, I was afflicted with a disease and also suffered a traumatic event in my life.  I felt like I was someone else, and I remember once, I went into my parent's bathroom and went through all their medicines to see if there was one that would kill me.  I sat in the floor with a bottle of some sort of pills in my hand, and I struggled to not open it and take all the pills.  I didn't want to die.  But my disease made me hear things and see things and it was all I could do to not open that bottle and finish my life.  Oh what I would have missed.  I fought with this disease for years.  I tried to maintain a semblance of a normal life, but I had to work eventually and only the Lord could have given me the stability I needed.  The hand of the Lord was upon me and He protected me, even from myself.  I would not be here today if it wern't for Jesus.  He has blessed my life so abundantly and in this blog I am trying to serve Him and to help those in need.

I know what it is like to not be able to fall asleep and rest.  I would get up in the middle of the night and search for peace, but I couldn't find it.  I'd read and study and pray and trust.  I was so confused and couldn't find any relief.  Sometimes things would smell so foul to me I'd have to go outside to get fresh air.  I'd see the books moving when they wern't and I had a lamp with the 3 graces on the base of it and I would see the heads moving up and down even though the lamp was solid.  I worked, even though I couldn't really apply myself fully to what I was doing.  In the back of my mind, the thoughts of suicide still plagued me. 

One day at work, I couldn't function.  I walked to the lady's room and laid down on the couch.  I was in there for quite some time and my boss finally cam and opened the door and asked me if I was alright.  I told him I wasn't and that I was going home.  He said ok and I left.  I drove myself and I don't even remember how I got home.  I eventually did, and went into my bedroom and just laid down on the bed.  My Mom came in and asked me if I was sick.  I said yes, and she left the room.  I don't know how long I laid there, but I was unable to fall asleep.  I didn't go to work for 3 days.  I told my Mom some story that wasn't true to explain why I wasn't going to work.  She believed me and said no more about it.  After 3 days, my boss called my Mom and asked her where I was and what was wrong?  She told him the story I had made up and he told her that that wasn't true and that I had been acting strangely at work and that she should take me to a doctor.

That was when I found out what my disease was all about.  I was diagnosed as Schizophrenic and put on medication.  I didn't say anything to the doctor when he told me I was mentally ill.  I just looked at the floor and didn't say anything.  He was a Christian, and even in that God was looking out for me.  I saw him for a good number of years, but when he told me that reality was what society had set up and I needed to face it, I decided I didn't need to see him anymore if that was His idea of reality.  I grew during all this time and began making my own decisions.  I eventually moved out of my Mom's house and got my own place.  I bought my own car, paid my own bills, and the semblance of a normal life was apparent to all.  I even got to the point where I enjoyed my job and got awards and had ideas for improving my daily job to the point where I got a monetary award for it.  I had enjoyed knowing my doctor, but I couldn't accept the idea that anything that man had constructed was the ultimate reality.  I beleived in a higher power that ran the universe, and the things of mankind seemed foolish to me.  The Bible says that man's wisdom is foolishness to God.  I believed that. 

I had had hopes, once, of falling in love, getting married, having children, but I was 28 years old and felt like that had all been just wishful thinking on my part.  I had continued to pray about things, and was good to people I worked with.  I applied myself at my job because that was my source of friends, and had given me the means to move away from home and get my own apartment.  One day, a young man came to work there, and I thought he was from Data Processing or something.  He was very handsome and pretty much kept to himself.  One day, we all found out that his great grandmother had passed away.  He wasn't at work that morning, but he came in in the afternoon and worked anyway.  That should have clued me in to what type of person he was.  Eventually we started talking.  One day it was raining and I was going out to the lunch wagon.  He took off his coat and put it over my head, and I turned around and looked at him.  He said, "it's raining" and I thought what a nice person he was. 

One thing lead to another, and we dated and had fun together.  One day, he said we should get married and I could have a baby!  I was floored.  I told him I was too old for that, but he told me that we didn't have to have a marriage like the ones we had grown up with.  I was so touched and after break time, I told my best friend I was engaged.  Here I am 36 years later, still married to him, still in love with him, and God blessed our marriage with 3 wonderful kids, and now we are the grandparents of 7 children that are smart, beautiful and loving.  God does miracles even today, but we are too blind to see.  He promised me once, that if I'd put Him first, He'd give me the desires of my heart.  He wasn't kidding.  I guess I had done a good job of listening and learning, and He fulfilled His word to me.

This story may not mean a lot to you, but God took me from near-suicide, to being a fulfilled person with a wonderful story of God's love to share with the world.  I am doing that.  God truly is love.  He loves each one of us more than words can say, and He loves you too.  You need God in your life.  There's not one of us that is an island unto himself and doesn't need anyone.  There are many pitfalls in life.  Many paths that lead to destruction.  But the Bible tells us of that.  It says that "God made man upright, but he has sought out many devices!"  We like being lead astray.  We follow the crowd rather than think and do for ourselves.  My Dad gave me some really good advice once, he said don't follow the crowd.  Be your own person and think for yourself.  I took his advice to heart and I have many rewards for following my heart. 

So, the verse above means a lot to me.  I have done my best to follow what God has taught me over the years, and He said that I would reap 7 fold more of everything I had left behind to follow Him.  My rewards are all around me and I don't have room to receive it all! 

If you have dreams, commit them to God.  Ask Him for His help, and follow his advice and direction.  The Bible says, that the way is so simple that even a fool can find it.  Love is the key.  Love thy neighbor as thyself.  The first step is to learn to love yourself in a healthy way and then to love your neighbor and all mankind as you love yourself.  God is present in all of us.  We are all vulnerable to the things that are in the world to lead us astray.  You have to dedicate your life to the one who knows how hard life can be.  Follow Him.  He will give you the peace that passeth all understanding, and will reward you with His love and compassion.  God is generous with His love.  He want's all to come to repentance.  None of us is without sin.  None of us is an island unto ourselves.  We are here to help one another.  Let your service begin today and lay the groundwork for what God can do in your life.  His righteousness is available for all of us, and only God can help us change the way things are in the world.  Decide to live a life of service to others and your life will be full of meaning.  God loves you.  Trust Him today. 

The Lord Is My Light & My Salvation

When I was young, 18 years of age, I left my Mother and Father's home in Minnesota and flew back to California alone.  I had planned to live with a friend and her family, but many things happened to me a short while after I had arrived.  I let friends lead me astray and I found troubles and sorrow that no one could ever understand.  I spent most of my time alone after that and this is a prayer that I wrote years later, after the Lord had shown me his grace and power and had lifted me out of the sorrows I endured.

Lord, In your Holy Name Jesus, I pray:  Oh Lord, you are a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.  I trust you for life.  For health of body and mind.  Lift up my head and let me wealk with you all the days I have left.  Deliver me from Godless people and set my feet upon a rock.
Take me out of the quicksand my enemies have pushed me into, and set my feet upon the path that leads me to life ever-lasting.

I am your child.  Let not a day go by without your hand on my life.  Bless me, for I love you and long to serve you and to be like you.  I've known much pain and sorrow Jesus.  Surely it was not all in vain.  Let your power have its way in me and help me to forgive more readily and put personal pain behind me so I may rejoice. 

Heavenly Father and friend, I am here to thank you for all your wonderful gifts.  Help me to let my light shine so brightly that others may see you in me, and grant that I too can be a fisher of men.  You are the light of the world.  Fill me up with your light and let me always remember how you have seen me through all the trials in my life.  Take from me anything that would hinder my service to you and my walk with you.

In your Glorious Name Jesus, I ask these things,
                        Amen

He lifted me out of my sorrows and set me free.  He then brought a friend to me so dear, and so honest and forthright.  He later became my husband and he has always been there for me.  We were blessed with 3 wonderful children, and today we are the proud grandparents of 7.  I was recompensed more than I ever could have imagined.

Try trusting the Shepherd.  Give Him your burdens.  He will meet your needs and give you peace that passeth all understanding, if you just have the faith the size of a mustard seed.  Nothing we do can guarantee us a place in Heaven, except to trust that Jesus died for us and was risen on the third day.  He now sits on the right hand of the Father in Heaven, and if the Kingdom of Heaven is within us, He already dwells there.  In Us.  Give Him the praise He is due and live your life for Him.  He will bless you and give you the desires of your heart.  All you have to do is trust Him. 

The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Shall Not Want

Do you trust in God to meet your needs?  Do you think He can't be touched by our troubles?  God clothes the fields in beautiful flowers.  He knows when a little sparrow falls.  Why do we not believe He will also take care of us?  "Oh ye of little faith, why do you doubt?"  God  loves us more than anything He created.  He gave us dominion over all other life forms.  And yet we doubt.  Why is it so hard?  Do we look at the world and the state everything is in and doubt that God loves us?  Why would He allow us to suffer and do without when everything belongs to Him?  It's because we have fallen so far from grace.  Jesus said, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 

We have walked a path that didn't consider what God would have us do.  We don't give God a thought until we are in deep waters with no way out.  We can't think straight.  We live above our means.  We splurge and waste out money and there is so much crime and horrible things happening with natural disasters and the state of the economy.   Just tonight they were talking about the tornados killing at least 28 people tonight, maybe more.  There are families who had to foreclose on their homes through no fault of their own.  It seems to me we all need to get on our knees and pray for God to intervene. 

Maybe it's just me, maybe I'm warped.  But doesn't it make sense that if we lived in accordance with God's word, these things wouldn't be happening to us?  I don't mean to get on here and always be ranting and raving about how awful we all are and how we don't trust in God.  Why do we wait so long to ask for help?  God can solve our problems.  He wants to give us the keys to the kingdom.  We are looking in the wrong place for paradise.  Did you ever stop and think that if we all aligned our lives with the wishes of the almighty, that these awful conditions would mend and people would again flourish as in days gone by?  My own children are having a very difficult time just making enough money to live on and raise their kids.  My daughter was fired when she was getting workmana comp for an injury suffered on the job.  They got rid of her even though it's not legal for them to do that.  We have 2 of our children who are in their 30's living at home because they can't make it out there.  We'd rather have them here with us and share what we have than see them struggle and do without.  We have another son that doesn't live here in San Diego, and he's so far behind in his bills that he's afraid of losing his job.  We all need to pray and take this situation seriously.  I for one am of the opinion that only God can mend this situation.  What more do we have to suffer before we believe and turn to God in repentance and ask Him to please help us?  He is our Father.  He doesn't want to see us suffer. 

The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want.  He maketh us to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth us by the still waters, He restoreth our soul.  Yeah 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 my enemies.  Thou annointest my head with oil, my cup runneth over.  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord, forever.

The very first verse, I shall not want, tells me if I live according to God's wishes and laws, I shall not want.  You reap what you sew.  Sew the seeds of life and goodness and faith and mercy, and you will receive the same.  The time has come to trust in God for our very survival.  Let us all reconsider our actions and our priorities.  It's past time to come to the throne of grace and ask for our needs to be met.  Turn your life around and give God the praise for all He has so wonderfully provided.  We need an answer.  God is our answer and I am sorry if this strikes home.  Sometimes we need to face the facts and turn around and listen to our Heavenly Father.  You can't mistake His voice, it is that soft still voice that speaks to you when your conscience tells you you are doing something wrong.  We know how to live better.  It's time for us to grow up in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.  He means what He says.  We need to take it seriously, today.