He heals the heartbroken and bandages their wounds. He counts the stars and assigns each a name. Our Lord is great, with limitless strength; we'll never comprehend what He knows. Psalm 147.3-5 (The Message Bible)
In the past few weeks we experienced an earthquake and Hurricane Irene in our area. The name Irene means "Peaceful", but Hurricane Irene sent forth quite a bit of wind and rain and did not seem very Peaceful. However, most of us here were extremely blessed and protected. My sons were concerned about my being "alone" during the storm. I am never alone, because my loving caring Shepherd has been with me for many years now, and I know He won't let me down now. However, to give them peace, I went to be with friends. Praise the Lord, my electricity kept the sump pump working to keep water out. Others to our north and south were not as blesssed. We do not know what further storms we will face in the future. Katia is brewing and another storm is hitting our southern states. All we can do is Hide under the Shelter of our God's Mighty presence and promises.
I recently saw a quote "Friends are like flowers in the garden of life." This morning I received news that a dear friend has gone home to be with the Lord. One of our widows lost a loving sister recently. Because of our faith in our Loving Redeemer, we can know that we will one day be able to rejoin them and our loving mates in the Lord's Garden of Life where we will be with our Saviour and all our loved ones forever. Our Lord assures us there will be no more sorrow or death there, only Life Forever More. Sometimes our time seems to pass quickly; at other times not so fast. In the light of eternity when we are all together with our Maker, our struggles and trials here will seem like a wink in the night.
Let's choose to love and cherish our family and friends while we have each other. Stand together in God's precious word and promises, praying for one another and being ready to love, forgive and encourage our loved ones while we can. As we look forward to our meeting next week, let's remember ~~
Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20, 21)
In Jesus love and mine,
Dee
