Today is one of those Sundays when I didn’t feel well enough to join my dear church family.  I didn’t want to share whatever virus seems to be making me just a little bit ill.  So I curled up in my recliner with an old notebook of scriptural word studies, random printouts of old email essays back from the days before Blogs, lots of old sermon notes with things to think about, and miscellaneous post-its with ideas to add to all these notes on the day I might actually organize them.

It has been a comfortably sweet morning just “being with” God.  Drawing near to Him and knowing He’s always with me.  Sensing His presence.  Praying without words.  Not asking Him for anything.  Not telling Him anything.  Just listening to Him while reading each scripture with His words; but, not a lot of words.  Just enough for me to ponder and smile and let them soak into my soul.  Like a gentle rain.

 Some of the dates on this hard copy collection of saved papers go back before the turn of the century.  One in particular made me smile because it was emailed to my husband and me in 2001 (just after the turn of the century).  We were planting gospel seeds and nurturing new babes in Christ in Estonia at the time.  It was sent from a brother-in-Christ in Alabama.  Right now, he is among those at the top of our prayer list (not a coincidence, I’m thinking).  We are praying he is recovering from foot surgery after a very long battle with foot related problems.  I’m going to share what he sent 19 years ago.  Thank you, Ralph Wallace.  May these anonymous words make you and your dear wife Peggy smile once again .  Let me just preface this by saying, There is so much godly wisdom in “becoming like a little child” in the kingdom of our precious Jesus, who gives us …

MUD PUDDLES AND DANDELIONS

When we look at a patch of dandelions, we see a bunch of weeds that are going to take over our yard.  Kids see flowers for Mom and blowing white fluff you can wish upon.

When we’re out in public and hear music we love, we smile and sing along silently in our head or under our breath.  Kids feel the beat and move to it.  They sing out the words.  If they don’t know the words, they make up their own.

When we feel the wind on our face, we brace ourselves against it.  We squint. We feel it messing up our hair and pulling us back as we walk.  Kids close their eyes, spread their arms and fly with it until they fall to the ground laughing.

When we pray, we say properly phrased grown-up words to go along with “grant me this” or “give me that.”  Kids say, “Hi God!  Thanks for my toys and my friends.  Make my hamster feel better.  Bless Mommy and Daddy and bless … and bless … and bless ….”

When we see a mud puddle, we step around it.  We see muddy shoes and dirty carpets.  Kids sit in it.  They see pies to be made, dams to build, rivers to cross, and worms to play with.

I wonder if we are given kids to teach or to learn from?  God loves little children.  He loves the little child within each of us.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED

No matter how hard you try, you can’t baptize cats.

When your Mom is mad at your Dad, don’t let her brush your hair.

If your sister hits you, don’t hit her back.  They always catch the second person.

You can’t trust a dog to watch your food.

Puppies still have bad breath, even after eating a Tic-Tac.

You can’t hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

Don’t wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.

GREAT TRUTHS ABOUT LIFE THAT ADULTS HAVE LEARNED

Families are like fudge—mostly sweet with a few nuts.

Growing old is mandatory.  Growing up is a choice.

Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s acorn that held its ground.

My mind wanders, but sometimes it leaves completely.

God put me on earth to accomplish a certain number of things.  Right now, I’m so far behind I will live forever.

AND, OF COURSE, THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE

1. You believe in Santa Claus (and Mrs. Claus).
2. You don’t believe in Santa Claus (or Mrs. Claus).
3. You become Santa Claus (and Mrs. Claus).
4. You start to look like Santa Claus (and Mrs. Claus).

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Thank you for sharing way back when, Ralph!  Praying you will be able to jump in some mud puddles (if you want to) very soon!  And pick a bouquet of dandelions for Peggy!

AN ALLEGORY.  There was a woman who had a lovely patio.  In a protected alcove on this patio hung a beautiful macramé—a hand crafted gift from her mother-in-law.  On the natural piece of wood at the top of the macramé was a swallow’s nest.

The woman sat on her patio and thought about the nest.

She remembered when she first saw two swallows in her patio alcove.  Their wings glistened blue and black in the sun.  They perched and chirped awhile. There was no nest then.

The woman was surprised a few hours later to see the swallows flying in and out of the patio alcove–each time with a beak full of mud and dry grass.  A nest began to take form atop the macramé.  The swallows continued to build, coming and going again and again.  The nest grew until it was finished.

One swallow settled into the nest.

The other watched nearby.

The woman reflected upon the work it takes to build a nest.  So much patience and perseverance.  So much dedication.

Soon after the nest was finished tiny little swallows peaked over the edge.  Beaks wide open.  Chirping and chirping as if to say, “Feed me!  Care for me!  Give me your undivided attention!”  The swallow parents were always near, protecting and providing for their little ones.

The woman enjoyed the nest when it was crowded with the family of swallows.  She watched the babies grow.  She thanked God for them.  And then—way to soon–they were gone.  The nest was empty.  She was wistfully sad, but understood that all babies must grow to become adults.  There comes a time to leave the nest.

After they were gone, the woman was careful to protect the empty nest because swallows always return.  Don’t they?

However, the next spring and the next the swallows did not return.  The woman found herself thinking long and hard about the dangers that might have prevented their return.  It was frightening and sad.

The woman tried to process her disappointment and expectations.  After much worry and many thoughts, she chided herself because she had forgotten the babies would have found mates and built their own nests.  Of course, they would not return to live in this nest.

But what about the parent swallows?  Aren’t they the ones to return to the nest on her patio?  Coming spring after spring to the same nest atop the macramé?

The woman began to consider that perhaps these parent swallows were a lot like herself and her husband.  They built a nest for their babies where hungry mouths were fed.  The little ones were nurtured and taught to fly.  And fly they did.

The woman remembered when their nest was empty; she and her husband began their migration.  They didn’t return to the original nest either, but wherever God directed their flight … wherever they landed … they built new nests and welcomed new births into God’s spiritual family.

This woman now supposes that the reader would have to know a little more about her journey to understand this allegory better.  The original nest stands for the safe place she and her husband built to nurture and protect their three daughters before they began to fly on their own.  When their daughters were grown and the nest was empty, the woman and her husband flew many miles to make new homes.  These new and different homes welcomed new babies, too.  These new babies were babes in Christ whose true Father is God.  These babes were cared for and fed spiritual food until one day they were ready to be on their own. 

These first new babes in Christ matured until they welcomed new babes who matured and welcomed new babes.  Season after season after season.

SEEING THE TRUTH IN THE ALLEGORY

Psalm 84:1-4

How lovely is your dwelling place,
    O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
    for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
    to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,
    and the swallow a nest for herself,
    where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
    my King and my God.
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
    ever singing your praise! Selah!

PRAYING THE TRUTH IN THE ALLEGORY

O Lord of everything large and small, we lay our young at your altar.  Feed us.  Protect us.  But, if we or our young should migrate far from You, recalculate our flight pattern to point us in your direction.  May we never choose a place far from You to nest.  You are our home, O Lord of All!  May we always sing eternal praises to You!

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RANDOM BLESSINGS FROM SWALLOWS

• Adam gave names to all the birds of the heavens (Genesis 2:20)

• In Hebrew, the word for swallow is deror, which is described as a bird that loves freedom, that is distinguished for its swift flight, and does not do well in captivity

• God’s wisdom to be learned from deror:

FREEDOM

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  2 Corinthians 3:17

SWIFT FLIGHT

Know this, my beloved brothers and sisters: let every person be quick (swift) to hear ….  James 1:19

The years of life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty … they are soon gone, and we fly away.  Psalm 90:10

DOES NOT DO WELL IN CAPTIVITY

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (sin).  Galatians 5:1

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“I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Life happens–joy and tears, good health and illness, success and failure, love lost and love found, good times and bad times, and so much more. Figuring out life is like trying to get a Rubik’s Cube to line up according to the manufacturer’s plan of getting all the squares of the same color together.

In my thoughts today our life experiences became like little Rubik’s squares–green, yellow, blue, white, red and orange. With every twist and turn of life we try to make sense of it all. We try to get the colored squares of our days, months, and years to line up. Only by looking for the unseen do we find any real hope of ever getting any big-picture eternal understanding. Only by following our Manufacturer’s instructions can we ever hope to get the clarity to see what He sees.

Everything in each person’s life squares up differently.  We all have our own struggles, sorrows, and successes as God counts success.  Blessings come with each experience, seemingly random.   No particular order, but somehow promising a plan if they can all just be perceived in the right way.

Our Creator has had a plan for each and every one of us from before the beginning of everything. Our God loved His world and every person who would ever live life in it so much that He gave His everything—His heart, His spirit, His son (John 3:16).

God spoke to His people long ago, saying, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).”  He still says the same thing to His people today.  To us!  To you and me!  His plans run through time into eternity.

When a blessing surprises me and is totally unexpected, I’m the one who perceives it as a Random Blessing.  When I post and share it with you, you may receive it as random, too.  The blessings that come my way from people I know and love may be random moments of encouragement.  The blessings that come from people I’ve never met face-to-face may be random surprises. 

Blessings accumulate like the colored squares of a Rubik’s Cube.  The unseen goal is to see by faith.   See our life placed into the hands of God.  Trust that He knows exactly how to move our colored squares into something good and eternal.  Let Him keep His promise to work all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).

Our Eternal God is NEVER random! He knows how blessings work together! Every blessing from Him fits perfectly into His plan!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons (and daughters) through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Ephesians 1:3-10 ESV emphasis mine)

“Then all the people said, Amen! and praised the Lord.“

(1 Chronicles 16:36b ESV)

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My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies.

(Song of Songs 2:16)

While looking for the unseen blessing this past week, my thoughts began their journey on the day called Palm Sunday. I remembered all the green construction paper I had folded and cut into palm branches so little ones in Bible classes could wave and shout “Hosanna to the King.” Little ones from California to the Philippines, the jungles of Borneo, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Rostov-on-Don Russia, Tallinn Estonia … and even Twin Falls Idaho, Florence Alabama, and Pomona California. My prayer became, “Lord, bless these little ones who are now middle aged. May they still be singing Hosanna to you, Jesus!” 

From palm branches my thoughts shifted to lilies, blooming at this time of year and displayed for worshippers as they sing, “Hallelujah to our Risen Lord and Savior.” Poets have always—in the language of flowers—depicted beautiful white lilies as expressing purity, majesty, and “It’s heavenly to be with you!” White lilies are mainly used for weddings and funerals. Strange mix, but not so strange when my thoughts went to Jesus, our eternal bridegroom. A marriage made in heaven!

And then thoughts about the funeral of Jesus? He was dead. Witnesses confirmed it. He was buried and lay in the grave as he had said he would. He was wrapped in linen and a 75 pound mixture of myrrh and aloes. Two angels guarded his dead body, one sitting near his head, the other at his feet. Roman guards had sealed his tomb and stood guard outside.

When the time came for the women to prepare his body for the funeral, Jesus was walking in the garden. He was not in the tomb. He was no longer dead. He was alive, and for many days continued walking! Talking! Consoling! Explaining! Confirming the fulfillment of prophecy! Speaking about us, “Bless are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).”

Every time I read these words in scripture about not seeing and yet believing, I have to pause and take a deep breath letting them sink into my very soul. And then … my thoughts led me back to where I began this unseen journey:

My beloved is mine, and I am his;

he grazes among the lilies.

(Song of Songs 2:16)

Lilies! Purity! Jesus was without sin!

Lilies!  Majesty! Jesus began his week riding on a donkey with people shouting, “Hosanna to the King!” He died with a sign nailed above his head, “This is the King of the Jews!” And, later he would be proclaimed King of Kings! (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:17, 19:16)

Jesus is my beloved and I am his! As a follower of his, Jesus is your beloved and you are his! If Jesus is not your beloved, he can be. You can be loved more than you’ve ever imagined!

I know Jesus is the Beloved because his Father spoke words that were heard and written down:

“This is my Beloved Son!”

(Matthew 3:17, 17:5; Mark 1:11, 9:7; Luke 3:22; 2 Peter 1:17)

“He grazes among the lilies!”

This spring has been a wonderful year for wild flowers.  The Texas bluebonnets are gorgeous!  California hillsides have bloomed like they haven’t in many years.  When a dear sister-in-Christ in northern Israel saw the photos on Facebook, she said it reminded her of the hills in Israel.  They were also in beautiful bloom.

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My mind can envision Jesus, his disciples (the twelve and more), plus his mother and extended family making the long 80 mile journey to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival.  On foot!  Through the hills covered in wildflowers including lilies.  Jesus who said, “I am the good shepherd!” walking the long seven or eight days toward Jerusalem.  What a welcome sight Bethany must have been.  Martha and Mary’s home-cooked food for weary travelers.  A chance for Jesus to talk with Lazarus about the persecution he was under because Jesus had raised him from death.

And, Jesus own death must have been heavy on his mind.  After saying so many times, “My time has not yet come” … now Jesus was saying, “My time has come!”  His cousin John (the baptist) had introduced him several times saying, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Our Good Shepherd, who is also our Lamb and our Beloved, grazed through the lilies along the road to Bethany.  He would graze the two miles into Jerusalem.  He would graze among the people, the sheep of His pasture, in the temple court.  He would graze and pasture His sheep where he would teach his final lessons in Solomon’s colonnade—an open air porch 600 feet long (2 football fields) with gigantic columns topped with seven foot carvings of lilies.  Even in the temple, Jesus grazed among lilies!

Jesus still grazes among lilies!  In my mind we graze together as my heart sings one of the first hymns I learned in my childhood. Please graze with us:

I serve a risen Saviour, He’s in the world today
I know that He is living, whatever men may say
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need Him He’s always near

In all the world around me I see His loving care
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair
I know that He is leading, through all the stormy blast
The day of His appearing will come at last

He lives, He lives,
Christ Jesus lives today
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life’s narrow way
He lives, He lives,
Salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart!

Song: He Lives by Alfred Ackley, 1933

They will still bear fruit in old age. They will stay fresh and green. (Psalm 92:14 NIV)

Thank you for joining me! Let’s savor a Random Blessing!  Let’s look for the unseen!  We will find an eternal blessing!

The first week of January I began a new daily Bible project.  I sat looking out my window … thinking … asking God to fill me with hope and joy!    My Bible was open in front of me, heavily underlined with a red pen.

During the past few years my Bible project has been to do a red letter edition of the Old Testament.  Yes, the Old Testament.  God’s words in quotation marks are on every page.  I determined to underline all of them with my red pen.  This project was completed at the end of last year. 

The New Testament words of Jesus were already done in red by the publisher.  However, there are places that aren’t in red letters, which, in my thinking, should have been.  For instance, when God the Father said, “This is my Beloved Son!  Listen to Him! (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35)”  In my current favorite hard copy Bible, Our Father’s words in the New Testament are now underlined in red.

Looking back to the first week in January, I really wanted to underline all the prayers in the Bible.  But not in red ink.  I looked for another choice in my pen mug and chose green.  I took a deep breath asking God to bless me.  I opened the book of Psalms.

As the weeks go by and the green lines appear on more and more pages, my prayer to be filled with hope and joy is being answered with a “Yes!”  Within my 77 year old soul there is a sense of new growth.  I feel fresh and green!

Every time I sit down, open my Bible, pick up my green pen, I smile and say, “This is the first day of the rest of my life!  This is the day the Lord has made!  I choose to rejoice and be glad today!”

How long will the rest of my life be?  To me, it’s not even worth the energy to ponder.  Sometimes I’m homesick for heaven and wish the rest of my life could be shorter rather than longer, but it’s not my choice.  I can’t make it longer or shorter by worrying about it.  I’d rather put my energy toward hope and joy … toward staying fresh and green!

Only God knows the number of our days.  When Grandma Moses picked up her paint brush at 78 years of age and painted her first painting, did she know she would live to be 101?  No!  She said she just wanted to keep busy and do something that brought her joy.  Did my friend Anna Counts in Florence, Alabama know she was going to live to be 109 years old when she published her book in her 80^th year?  No!  She just wanted to share her faith and bring glory to God.

Age truly needs to be seen as just a number!  Any age is a good time to begin something new!  Seeing the unseen, I’m imagining Jesus watching me type this 4^th blog post.  It makes me happy!  I’m thinking about you reading it!  I’m wondering if you think it’s a bit “sappy.”  Smile, the ESV does translate Psalm 92:14:  “They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green.”  If that made you smile, the KJV may make you laugh out loud. “…in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing.” 

The pages of green underlining in Psalms are looking more and more like spring grass.  Both are getting greener and greener.  Reading the prayers in Psalms is refreshing my soul, making me feel young and vital and joyful.  You might want to try it!

My Prayer of blessing for all of us:

May we grow in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and also with the people in our lives!  May we stay fresh and green!

From my favorite morning chair, looking through the open door and across my patio … the sky was grey.  Rain and thunder were in the weather forecast.  The trees I could see were still bare.  No leaves yet.  Then I looked closer!  There were tiny green leaves on many branches.  I paused, took a deep breath, and focused.  What I saw looked like green lace.  Intricately designed by our Creator, the One who holds all things in His perfect hands.  It’s as if He took a huge shawl of green lace and spread it over several trees.

I sat quietly just observing and smiling in my soul, sensing the value of taking closer looks.  The joy of zooming in. 

I remember what is written about the Creator of everything, “And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight …. (Genesis 2:9 ESV).”  Yes, trees are pleasant to look at …

This thought connected to a few words directly from the mouth of Jesus:  “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these (Luke 12:27 ESV).”

In my mind I substituted the word trees for lilies.   “Consider the trees, how they grow, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory (nor anyone since Solomon) has been arrayed like one of these.” 

From my heart I say, “Thank you, Father of Creation.  Thank you, Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of All Nature.  Thank you for green lace.”

Yes, on that grey day, the trees I saw had a cloak of green lace wrapped around their branches.  They were beautiful.  These trees aren’t grand and glorious trees like the cedars of Lebanon or the giant redwoods of California and certainly not like majestic oaks.  They are just ordinary, everyday Texas trees that grow everywhere; but, they look lovely in green lace.

Looking for the unseen blessing in this, I see in my mind ordinary people—ordinary people just like me.  I’m in a huge crowd of ordinary people and all of us are dressed in white linen.   “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Jesus the resurrected and living Savior), clothed in white robes.”  Together we all are “crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)!’”

Lingering awhile longer at the throne in the spiritual place where the unseen is eternal, I envision how beautiful it looks to see those dressed in white linen standing under God’s canopy of green lace.  A blessing from our beautiful natural world embracing the reality of our eternal hope.

The trees outside my patio brought a Random Blessing, causing me to think eternal thoughts.  Causing me to look for the unseen … and I saw it.

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My prayer for you this day is that you may be able to see the beauty in God’s wonderful natural world.  Even more, may you be able to see beyond the natural which is temporary, to the spiritual which is eternal.  Look for the unseen and be blessed!

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2 Corinthians 4:18

We look not to the things that are seen

but to the things that are unseen.

For the things that are seen are temporary,

but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Random thoughts have been marching through my mind all month.  Maybe that’s because it is the month of March–the month that comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  Last night here in north Dallas, March weather roared huge hailstones, smashing windows, denting cars, and flattening newly planted garden flowers.  This morning the weather is like a lamb–beautiful, delightful, perfect temperature to sit on my patio to ponder and just think little lamb thoughts.

Looking for the unseen!  That’s what I do when random thoughts bless me.  I’ve found a segway between the weather (temporary) and the Eternal One who is both Lion of Judah and Lamb of God.   And, now that this Random Blessing—this segway from the natural to the spiritual–is roaring through my thoughts, my spiritual ears are hearing a loop of two songs.  They sinc into rhythm with my typing fingers. ( I just had to leave the patio and come to the computer to share with you!)

One song is rejoicing: 

How great is our God, and all will see
How great, how great is our God

The Godhead Three in One
Father Spirit Son
The Lion and the Lamb
The Lion and the Lamb[1]

The second song is proclaiming and explaining:

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah
He’s roaring with power and fighting our battles
And every knee will bow before You.

Our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain
For the sin of the world, His blood breaks the chains
And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb
Oh every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb[2]

The Lion and the Lamb.  The Lion is Jesus!  The Lamb is Jesus!  Both are one in Jesus!  What a wonderful thought!  It made me click my personal pause button and take a deep breath.  I wanted to really think about Jesus as lion and lamb long enough to truly absorb what it means for me … for you … for all of us!

Jesus is our Lion King[3]!  Jesus is the Lion of Judah[4]!  Descended[5] through the tribe of Judah who was once called a lion cub[6]!  Jesus is the Lion of Judah who prophesied to one day roar and call His trembling people to Himself[7].

Warning!  Be alert!  There is another lion.  A different kind of lion.  An imposter.  A liar.  An enemy who stalks and crouches, waiting to pounce upon the weak.  A lion searching for souls to devour and destroy[8].  Oh, how important it is to be fully aware of this soul-destroying lion.  This lion is the wicked one of Psalm 37:32 who watches for the righteous and seeks to put them to death.  Eternal death.  This deceptive lion can rip a person’s soul to shreds, leaving them to die alone without God.  He is the one about whom Jesus spoke, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy[9].”

Rejoice!  Our Lion King will always be the Alpha![10]  Jesus, our Lion King, said, “I came that people may have eternal life and have it abundantly.[11]”  Our Lion King roared His words of promise with the power and authority given Him by His Father.  Jesus came from His Father to live among us in order to destroy the works of the lion who seeks to put us to eternal death[12]. 

The lion of destruction continues to roam this world looking for those he can destroy.  It’s frightening to think about … or it should be!  Remember this, when we are afraid and doubt our own strength, there’s no need to fear.  We can stand our ground and declare, “The spirit of Jesus who lives within His true followers (and I am one of them! and I pray you are too!) is greater and stronger than the evil one who prowls like a thief in the night.[13]”

The apostle Paul understood the reality of the unseen.  He wrote, “At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.[14]”

This same Lord stands with us.  Our Lion King roars louder than any imposter, because He has all power and authority in heaven and on earth[15].  By comparison, the roar of the imposter is like a mouse with a microphone. The teeth and claws of the imposter are powerless to rip us to shreds and leave us dead.  We are never alone.  We are protected by the King of Kings, our Lion … who is also our Lamb.

Our Lion has conquered the evil one!  Our Lamb has conquered the evil one!  In Jesus, the pretender has no power over us.  In Jesus, we are more than conquerors![16]  Our Lion and Lamb say, “Be brave!  I have conquered the world![17]”

We trust our conquering Lamb to continually take away our sin[18].  We are safe in Jesus.  We rest in His love and His peace.  Nothing can separate us from our conquering, victorious, triumphant Lion and Lamb!  Nothing in this world!  Nothing in the spiritual world!  Not even death!  We are safely protected by our Lion and Lamb![19] 

Amen!  Jesus comes into our lives like a Lion roaring to get our attention and to promise His protection.  When we trust that everything He promises us can be ours and we cloth ourselves in Jesus, we are then covered in the blood of our Lamb.  We rest safely in the Lion and Lamb!

So … my random thought about the month of March, has found eternal blessings which are definitely not random.  May we all cling to the eternal blessing that Jesus our Lion King protects us and Jesus our Lamb continually covers us with His blood.  Rejoice!

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Thank you for reading this expression of my random thoughts which roared in like a lion until my conclusion settled down like a lamb.  I would love to have you as a regular reader.  If you want to encourage me, please leave a comment and share your email below so we might connect the next time a Random Blessing shows up to help us look for the unseen.

~~~~~~~ Footnotes ~~~~~~~

[1] Lee Scott, “How Great is Our God,” YouTube

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[2] The Zoe Group, “The Lion and the Lamb,” YouTube

[3] 1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, Revelation 19:16

[4] Revelation 5:5

[5] Matthew 1:1-16

[6] Genesis 49:9

[7] Hosea 11:9-11

[8] 1 Peter 5:8

[9] John 10:10

[10] Revelation 1:8, 21:6, 22:13

[11] John 10:10

[12] 1 John 3:8

[13] 1 John 4:3-5

[14] 2 Timothy 4:16-18

[15] Matthew 28:18

[16] Romans 8:31-39

[17] John 16:33 CJB

[18] 1 John 1:7

[19] Romans 8:31-39

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At my desk.  Facing my computer.  Looking at the blog site I set up quite a few years ago. It needs a new name.  It needs a makeover.  It needs to be busy.  Random thoughts are scurring in my head like the squirrels in the trees outside my window.  Each random thought is making me smile and think, “Oh, that’s a good one.  I need to write that down and flesh it out with words.”  Thoughts running in all directions.  Slow down please!  I will try to give you words, but at least for now, first things first.  Give me a minute to think and come up with a new name for this blog that definitely needs a redo.

The word random seems to be shouting, “Choose me!  Choose me!”

“Well, who are you?”

“Look me up in the dictionary!”

“Good idea!”

The dictionary app on my phone says:  “random – occuring without definite aim or pattern.”  I like the idea so far, mainly because the idea of a self-inflicted deadline for writing and posting terrifies me.  It causes angst at the least.  I just want to write when I want to write.  Be creative with words and maybe some photos when the mood strikes me.  I don’t have to be on a schedule during this season of my life.  God has given me good health and joy in my soul.  I’m just a woman who wants to enjoy the pleasure of living in harmony with my Creator.  I want to stay busy … and rest … and get busy again so I may enjoy being creative when I feel like it. 

Life is such a wonderful blessing!  Blessings should never be taken for granted.  There are promised blessings.  There are unexpected blessings.  Serendipitous blessings.  “Thank you, Lord” kind of blessings. Random blessings!

And, there it is!  Exclamation mark!  The new title for my blog:  Random Blessings.  Freedom from deadlines.  Freedom to begin at the beginning.  Freedom to start in the middle of one theme and jump to the who-knows-which-chapter of another theme.  Freedom to write the final chapter of my next book before I write the first chapter.  Freedom to put all my ideas in a basket and wait to see which one randomly lands on top.

But, I’m not finished with the dictionary yet.  Down at the bottom of the definition of random is written Origin: 1275-1325.  It seems its Middle English, Old French, and Germanic.  It comes from the Germanic word randir which means to gallop.  I love it!  Talk about a random blessing!  My mind just picked up speed.

Random thoughts are galloping right now.  I see a magnificent white horse coming out of heaven and on this horse is a rider whose name is Faithful and True, the Word of God, King of kings and Lord of Lords.  Galloping with him are the armies of heaven, following on white horses (Revelation 19:11-16).  And my mind is hearing a wonderful, powerful song called We Will Ride. I Googled the lyrics, randomly, because I have the freedom …

We Will Ride byLindell Cooley

He has fire in His eyes
And a sword in His hand
And He’s riding a white horse
Across this land

And He’s calling out to you and me
Will you ride with me

And we say yes
We’ll ride with you

We say yes Lord
We will stand up and fight
We will ride
With the armies of Heaven
We’re gonna be dressed in white
We say yes Lord
We will ride

He has a crown on His head
And He’s carrying a sceptor
In His hand
And He’s leading the armies
And He’s calling out to you and me
Will you ride with Me
Will you ride with Me
We say, “Yes Lord
We’ll ride”

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Galloping thoughts!  Galloping blessings!  Yes, Lord, yes!

Blessings seem to come out of nowhere, unexpected, surprising us when we aren’t even looking.

So … I’m going to be praying that when my blog pops up, you will smile and say, “I wasn’t expecting this.  What a nice surprise.  I will see what Judy has to share.  This is surely a Random Blessing!”