The other day I went out to take pictures of the ice skaters at our pond--only to have them decide to come home just as I headed out!
And so I ended up just taking a walk--with the dogs following me.
Some days you forget that you are almost 50 years old.
You are grateful for energy and brisk, cold air, and a new camera.
To the east a long shadow is cast, with the puppy standing at the end of it.
And as you go, you meditate and talk to the Lord.
Here are some thoughts once again from John Bloom, from Desiring God.
I pored over a bunch of his articles one day when I ran across them.
My heart was so famished for thoughts like these:
..." It is not the one who trusts in the Lord that is irrational, but the one who leans on his or her own understanding. It is insane to trust such pitifully limited understanding when one can trust the unlimited understanding of God.
"God does not want us to be miserable, even in this fallen, futility-infected evil age. He wants to relieve our anxiety (Luke 12:12; Philippians 4:6–7), fear (Psalm 118:6; 1 Peter 3:6), doubt (Matthew 21:21; Luke 24:38), and sinful anger (Ephesians 4:31). And so he gives us Proverbs 3:5–6 as a priceless gift.
In exercising faith — trusting fully in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding — we’re not setting aside our intellect. We’re resting our intellect upon the intellect of God. Nothing is wiser or saner. To do so is to allow him to direct our paths, which not only lead to ultimate joy, but also make the journey itself, even when laden with sorrow, joyful (2 Corinthians 6:10). And it preserves for us all the pleasures God provides us in the world. To not do this is the height of foolishness and the path to misery.
So let us choose joy today by not leaning on our own understanding
but in sweet, childlike trust on the sure foundation of our loving
Creator’s omniscience."
To the east a long shadow is cast, with the puppy standing at the end of it.
And as you go, you meditate and talk to the Lord.
Here are some thoughts once again from John Bloom, from Desiring God.
I pored over a bunch of his articles one day when I ran across them.
My heart was so famished for thoughts like these:
..." It is not the one who trusts in the Lord that is irrational, but the one who leans on his or her own understanding. It is insane to trust such pitifully limited understanding when one can trust the unlimited understanding of God.
The Joyful Sanity of Trusting the Lord
"So many of the things that cause us the most difficulty and heartache in life, the source of so much of our anxiety, fear, doubt, and anger with others and with God, is the result of leaning on our own understanding.
"God does not want us to be miserable, even in this fallen, futility-infected evil age. He wants to relieve our anxiety (Luke 12:12; Philippians 4:6–7), fear (Psalm 118:6; 1 Peter 3:6), doubt (Matthew 21:21; Luke 24:38), and sinful anger (Ephesians 4:31). And so he gives us Proverbs 3:5–6 as a priceless gift.
In exercising faith — trusting fully in the Lord and not leaning on our own understanding — we’re not setting aside our intellect. We’re resting our intellect upon the intellect of God. Nothing is wiser or saner. To do so is to allow him to direct our paths, which not only lead to ultimate joy, but also make the journey itself, even when laden with sorrow, joyful (2 Corinthians 6:10). And it preserves for us all the pleasures God provides us in the world. To not do this is the height of foolishness and the path to misery.
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