Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Perseverance and Preservation



You know, I learned at lot of what I know about God and the bible at the feet of the older saints and I can relate and equate all my experiences to songs that I’ve heard groaned and moaned a capella….you know the kind of singing that touched the very essence of your soul and ushered in the praise dance of the Holy Spirit.
Today I was reminded of hearing…..the heartfelt singing of the church mother’s kicking off evening services with “just another day that the Lord has kept me” and I was flooded with the memories of seeing my grandmother bowing her head in prayer. Anyone who knows my story knows that my grandmother and I were tighter than cheap pantyhose and I can say that seeing her in prayer and remembering her in prayer is one of the most beautiful memories of my life. I know for a fact that because she prayed and taught my mother to pray, who in turn taught me, I know, that I know, that I know that there is a God who sits high and sees low. You know we were taught that aforementioned phrase in our “churching” but have you ever really stopped to consider what it means? Well, allow me to elucidate, it means that God on high, sees and protects us in our mess; in our “Lord if you just see your way to help me and I’ll never do it agains” It means God is in the midst of working out our lows and elevating us.
If your grandmother was anything like mine, she did what they called “canning”, some of you young folks won’t understand this concept so I’m going to take a little time to explain. Canning or preserving was a way to save and store food in the event of a crisis or emergency. What happens in the canning process is that they would take fresh fruits and veggies and place them in mason jars and boil the jars to produce the proper amount of heat to safely seal the lid and thereby “preserving” and protecting the contents to be used at a later time. Doesn’t this remind you of life? Think about it, we periodically have breakthroughs and were all fresh and new, full of energy and focus and then something happens that just staggers the imagination and undermines all what you thought you were going to do! Some, people are questionably preserved; their seal leaked and they cannot be used… but then there are the people who have gone through the fire and are properly refined and are fresh for that thing that popped up…… you following me with this? You finding hope in this word?
So the next time, oh trust and believe there will be a next time….you find yourself struggling think about the circumstances that caused David to write the Psalms specifically Psalm 91: 1-16 New International Version (NIV)
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; 12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Remember God’s promise in Isiah 41:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

The next time you’re in hot water and begin to feel the heat, look to God, stay focused and just know that you’re being preserved and you’re obtaining your seal
James 1:12 New International Version (NIV)
12 Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
The victory is not given to the swift or the strong but to the one who endures to the end (paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 9:11)
Hang in there y’all

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