Canaan's Rest

Canaan’s Rest represents a quiet place “set apart” for the purpose of hearing God's voice, growing in intimacy with the Lord, and being renewed in soul and spirit.

Dark Nights of the Heart

I have been enduring some storm tossed days in my soul life  It has been dark and cloudy.  I struggle with conflicting thoughts about who I am and what I am doing with my life.  I want to be a light for Jesus in my present surroundings, but I am haunted with doubts about my own faithfulness.   

I have learned to accept inner storms as a normal part of my spiritual journey.  Years ago, I was reluctant to acknowledge the  frequent storm occurring in my inner life, since I felt I had matured enough to be able to have clear sailing.  But I have learned as I journey along, storm will appear unexpected.  The storms, allowed by the Lord are a natural part of my spiritual growth.  I only learn by going through the storm, not by pretending it isn’t there.

I share my struggle because I got some encouragement from a recent blog by Ron Rolheiser. It helped give expression to my experience of the “dark night.” “Jesus,” notes Rolheiser, had a cosmic image for this experience.  “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give forth its light, stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken”  (Matt. 25:29). When Jesus refers to these words from Isaiah, he is not describing only  cosmic cataclysms, but also a cataclysms of the heart.  “Sometimes our inner world is shaken, turned upside down; it gets dark in the middle of the day, there’s an earthquake in  the heart; we experience the end of the world as we’ve known it.” 

I say “amen.”  Rolheiser goes on the talk about “a dark night of the soul,” an experience of the soul life that I have have spent almost forty years of trying to understand.  Discussing St. John of the Cross, he writes, “God takes away the pleasure and consolation and we experience a certain dark night in that where we once felt fire, passion, consolation, and security, we will now feel dryness, boredom, disillusion, and insecurity.  For John of the Cross, all honeymoons eventually end.”

Why does the honeymoon need to end?  Rolheiser suggests, “on a honeymoon, too often we are more in love with being  in love and all the wonderful energy this creates than we are in love with the person behind all those feelings. The same is  true for faith and prayer.  When we first begin to pray seriously, we are often more in love with the experience of praying  and what it’s doing for us than we are in love with God.”  Therese of Lisieux used to warn: “Be careful not to seek yourself in love, you’ll end up with a broken heart that way.”

Years ago, I finally came to the realization that the honeymoon stage of my journey was over.  I was like a child who always expected candy from his father.  My heavenly Father was weaning me of the “sweet” experiences of prayer with its “sugar highs.”   I did not like giving up the familiar, while my heavenly Father was expecting me to live more like a maturing adult.  The honeymoon was over. I was being led down a path meant for a more mature adult man.   

Briefly, this is what I have learned thus far.  1) Realizing darkness, dryness and not knowing is normal.   2) God allows changes in the life of the soul for our growth.  Our old self will resist.  3) God looks at the intention of our heart.  Do we truly want to love Jesus more.  4) He will continue pursues us in love.  5) God will never give up on us.  6) Ultimately we surrender to his love as we mature.

June 16, 2025

Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend, especially you fathers. Al enjoyed his Father’s Day with family, going to church, having a picnic overlooking the lake, cards, candy, flowers and gifts. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How well would we say we know ourselves and where we come from? It is important not only to know our present family, but also our family of origin. Some people think that is a waste of time and block out their past, but how then can we integrate our past into our present life if we do that? In every family there are weaknesses and conflicts, but even when we distance ourselves from our family, we are more likely to repeat the weaknesses. Like the words above the Dachau concentration camp say: “Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.
I grew up with a fun-loving grandma who, when she babysat us, would tell us stories of other relatives, especially our mischievous second cousins who were often in trouble. We couldn’t imagine how they got by, doing the things they did and one did end up in the penitentiary. We also had relatives that became pastors, doctors and nurses, etc., and we accepted the good along with the bad, as they were family. It is not good to block out our past, for when we marry, we combine the past of two families that will make up our future children’s lives as well. It is healthy to look at our family of origin, accept people as they were and deal with the consequences of their behavior affecting us now.

June 14, 2025

Dear Ones,
Happy weekend and also Happy early Father’s Day to all of you Father’s reading this. Tomorrow we plan to go to church in Hackensack and to the lake for a picnic with Mark and Ann’s families. Kurt has an appointment with the surgeon on Monday morning and praying he will be able to have surgery on his arm soon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I woke up one morning with the words to a familiar hymn playing in my mind that you may know: “O Lord most holy, O Lord most mighty, O Loving Father, we praise forever more. Help us to know Thee, know Thee and love Thee; Father, Father, grant us Thy truth and love. Father, Father, guide and protect us. Rule Thou our willful hearts; keep Thine our wandering thoughts; in all our sorrows let us find our rest in Thee: And in temptation’s hour save through Thy mighty power. Thine aid, O Lord send us. Hear us in mercy, O Lord we pray. Show us Thy mercy, so shall we live and sing praise to Thee.”
As I got my coffee and began my devotions, I read from Jeremiah 8. Jermiah was a prophet sent by God to call the people back to God. He had to speak to God’s people who had turned from Him and were going in the wrong direction, refusing to change. They were lying, deceitful, committing adultery and idolatry, yet they thought they were wise and would suffer no consequences for their sins. Jeremiah was sent to warn them how wrong they were. Even the priests and scribes were giving the people false assurances that all was well when, in fact, they were heading the wrong way and correction was coming.
Are we also ones that minimize our sins and find ourselves going farther away from the Lord, failing to hear His voice? Or are we like the words of the song wanting to know the Lord, to praise and love Him? What about our friends and family? Do we see them going the wrong direction and it grieves us as it did Jeremiah? He was heartsick, and as he grieved for the people he said that the harvest was past, the summer had ended, and the people weren’t saved. He wanted to awaken them and although he was angered by their sin, he was full of compassion. Let us be prayerful and compassionate for those who are yet far off from the Lord, thinking like the people in Jeremiah’s time that there are no consequences. Time may run out; may they know the Lord before it is too late.
Challenge for today: Read through the words of the song again make it your prayer.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and Love, Judy

June 13, 2025

Dear Ones,
Happy Weekend! Hope you have time for R & R. Yesterday our son Kurt snapped his bicep while unloading his new Father’s Day 300-pound grill and will now need surgery. Please pray that he can get surgery soon. He usually works out every day and recovery time is 6 weeks which will seem forever for him. Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Do we want to be shallow Christians or do we want to live deeply in the Lord? I read today from Eph. 1:3-4 that God has chosen us and wants us to be holy. Paul writes, “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.” When he says we should be holy it doesn’t mean we will do everything right, but it does mean a surrendering of our wills to Him and having our hearts transformed into a heart of love so we can live deeply in Him. We will find that as we do this and walk in obedience, we are given love and compassion for others as well.
Today it has become almost impossible to live on the fence: we have to choose either the kingdom of light or the kingdom of darkness as there is a vast difference between the two. Many are trying to find meaning in life as they have a spiritual hunger but don’t know where to find the answers to satisfy that hunger.  Only Jesus will satisfy our heart’s longing and He wants a close relationship with us. Jesus promises us in John 14:21, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
We can’t earn a deep and transforming relationship with Him, for it is a gift of grace, but we can focus on things that will help us draw near. In fact, we are promised in Deut. 4:29 that when we seek the Lord we will find Him if we search with all our heart and soul. He calls us to a holy life, a deep life, a transforming life, and we exist for Him. We can seek Him in faith and in our prayers, following up with actions. Let us not hold back from seeking Him, and little by little we will be transformed into his likeness.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to work in you to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 12, 2025

Dear Ones,
Hope you have a prayer-filled day. Al and I had a wonderful day yesterday as we celebrated our 60th Anniversary. I am going to bake this morning and we have Bible Study this afternoon.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Perhaps we all have had times when we ask the Lord if He is listening to us, if He hears us and understands our dire situation. Of course it is wonderful if He answers right away, but that is not always the case for our answer can sometimes come at the very last minute. We know from His Word that He always hears us, His ear is open to our cry and He answers according to His perfect will.
Recently I was reading David’s prayer written when he is on the run from King Saul who is out to kill him. He says in Psalm 54:1-2, “O God, Save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer: give ear to the words of my mouth.” He ends his prayer with thanking God for delivering him from previous trouble and knowing he will triumph again over his enemies.
Prayer is powerful and the best way to start our day. It is good to pray before we even get out of bed and invite the Lord into our day. Maybe we have an urgent request for the day and it is good to pray about it; then each time it comes to mind, just thank the Lord that He is at work and answering it, even though you don’t know the exact answer at that moment. Like David, it is also good to remember how He has answered previous prayers of ours and give thanks as it inspires more faith and confidence in the Lord. There are times when I am going about my work, and a memory comes to mind of a specific answer the Lord gave me, and I like to just praise Him again.
What a privilege prayer is! We can pray anywhere at any time and be heard, even when it is inaudible to others. One day I was praying about an upcoming situation and wondered why I wasn’t hearing back from the Lord. Little did I know then that there would be a cancelation and the concern would no longer be there. He answered even though I was unaware at the time. He always hears and answers.
Challenge for today: Start your day with prayer and pray throughout your day.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 11, 2025

Dear Ones,
Hope you have a faith-filled day. Today is a special day for Al and I as we celebrate our wedding anniversary and thank the Lord for the 60 years He has given us together. We plan to go out to eat but our real celebration is next weekend with all our immediate family together.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We may not think our words matter, but they are important. We are to live and walk in faith, so our words should not carry doubts or unbelief. As John said in I John 5:4, “And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Faith isn’t a feeling, but the most important thing is that we express our faith through love. (Gal. 5:6) The enemy wants to deceive us and get us to put our faith in anything but God and His hope-filled and love-filled words that bring encouragement to us and to others.
It is powerful when we speak our faith aloud and confess with our mouths what scripture says. What would happen if all of us who know the Lord spoke faith-filled words rather than idle words that we will one day have to give an account for? It is better to be quiet than to speak biting and gossiping words, or any words that don’t line up with scripture. Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”  (I John 6:63)
When I was a young girl, my mom had teenage girls over for missionary sewing, rolling bandages, etc., working on the ping pong table in our basement. Once, I put a recorder under the table and then later played it back and we all got a taste of what we sounded like and talked about. It was very revealing and would have been even more revealing if my mom had not been at the table with us.
There are so many scriptures about our tongues; we need to guard our mouths and not speak fearful words. We can fight fear with God’s word and cast all our cares on the Lord. I try to memorize scriptures on fear so that when I am in a difficult situation,  those words will be in my heart and I can boldly speak them out.  It’s not just what we say, but how we say it and when we say it. Our words should be life-giving and give others hope.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to guide your tongue that you would speak words of faith and love in the power of the Spirit.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

June 10, 2025

Dear Ones,
Hope you have peaceful day. It is supposed to warm up and we hope so as it has been cool and windy since our son’s family got here from N.C.  This morning I am going to make meat loaf and do food prep and this afternoon Ann is stopping by.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How humble are we? I have been reading of saintly people who love even their weaknesses without an attempt to hide them or pretend they don’t exist. Instead, they accept humiliations as necessary for their growth in humility. As I first read of this, I wondered how do we come to love our weaknesses and face our difficult circumstances with rejoicing, and know that grace is on its way. We know that God resists the proud and gives His grace to the humble (James 4:6) and so when he sends us humiliations, we hopefully respond and embrace them with a humble spirit.
What if someone lies about us and damages our reputation? We may speak a word of truth in response, but then have to leave it and not continue to try to defend ourselves but trust the Lord. He is the one who judges us and His judgment is just.
What about our health? We like to be strong and healthy, but if we have chronic illnesses, grow old and weak, then what is our response? Do we get angry and wonder why it is happening to us, or do we accept it with meekness and develop a deeper trust in God? Sometimes God brings us healing, but other times our health crisis continues because He has a good purpose in store for us to better serve Him. Our part is to offer our suffering up to the Lord and praise Him however He answers. Teresa of Avila used to challenge the nuns to learn to suffer for the love of God and to “come to die for Christ, not to live comfortably for Him.”
When I began writing this, I got a phone call that Jack, the 85-year-old doctor for whom I asked you to pray in the past and who had recovered from many serious things, is now being put in hospice. They estimate he has only six months or less to live and he wants to go home from assisted living to prepare for his homecoming. He knows the Lord and is not holding on to his earthly life, but is preparing for his death. Al also prays for us that we may have a good death. Let us offer our pain and weaknesses to the Lord and prepare for our eternal glory.
Challenge for today: When you are sick, embrace your suffering and ask for God’s good purpose to serve Him.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

The Four Last Things

Ralph Martin is president of Renewal Ministries, a movement among conservative Catholics.  I have followed Ralph since the early days of the Charismatic Movement in the early 70’s.  I call Ralph a “prophetic straight shooter.”  He is a catholic theologian, who is a faithful orthodox author.  He dares to say things that many evangelical authors would not dare say and with conviction.  He wrote an article recently entitled “The Four Last Things.”  I want to summarize his article because of its blunt clarity.

He begins by quoting Pope John Paul II.  “The Church cannot omit, without serious mutilation of her essential message, a constant catechesis of man’s Four Last Things: death, judgment, hell and heaven.  Knowing what comes after this earthly life can guide us in it.  Beyond the mysterious gates of death and eternity, we will arrive at either joy and communion with God or separation from Him.  Only by understanding these Last Things can one realize the nature of sin and move toward penance and reconciliation.”

First, Death – Why do we die?  Death is the result of the fall in the Garden.  The fruit was forbidden because it was harmful; it meant death.  The lie told in the garden is being offered today. “You shall be like God.  Create yourself, choose your own identity, declare your independence from Him.”  But the gospel  invites people to be saved, forgiven and transformed.  This implies believing in the Word of God and turning from sin.  Martin declares, “Jesus is the antidote to death.  He paid a price for our sins. He perfectly obeyed and loved the Father as we never could.  By dying and rising again, He established freedom, immortality, and eternal life.  And he gives it freely to whoever wants it.

Second, Judgment.    Hebrews 9:27 declares, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”  Jesus will return in the fullness of his glory to judge the living and the dead.   Martin boldly points out, “We scarcely hear about God’s severity, holiness, justice, and judgment.  There should be a constant catechesis on these things.  Christianity isn’t a game; everyone doesn’t get a trophy.  Being a disciple is hard.”

Third, Hell.  Those who won’t be welcomed into God’s kingdom face “the second death.”  This is eternal separation from God. We are given what we’ve chosen, awful isolation, rebellion, anger, hatred, lust and greed.   Martin says “This is not a game, this is life and death.  The Son of God wants to save us, but we need to pay attention to what He is saying.”  Then, even more bluntly, “Do whatever you need to do to get free of serious sin, because it will kill you.  Serious sin will send you to hell unless you repent.”

Fourth , Heaven.  Those who have their names written in the book of life, will hear, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them. and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Rev. 21:2-4).  Relationships in heaven will far surpass our earthly relationships.  In heaven, there is perfect love and union 

I was struck by the candid manner of Martin, who I respect greatly.  It makes me ponder how candid my witness has been.  Reality for all who live here below, involve these last four things.  For me, I have been reluctant  to speak of hell.  Yet hell is a reality for all who have not been  saved by Jesus.    

 

June 9, 2025

Dear Ones,
Hope you had a great weekend. Yesterday the youth had a fund raiser and meal following the service, including the dunk tank where Pastor and others got very wet! We also had a wonderful surprise as Ethan and Taylor (who many of you have prayed for in the past) came for a visit. She is now 7 months pregnant!!
Today I am going to Aldi’s and my exercise class and then having a DEXA scan, hoping my bones have gotten stronger.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Each one or you who is reading this devotional today has either come to the Lord through a conversion experience that might have been sudden and dramatic, or one that one that happened more gradually over time. Or perhaps you are one that has not yet accepted Christ. Coming to receive the Lord is the most important decision any one of us will ever make and effects how we will spend eternity.
Professor Zittser, in his book Water From a Deep Well, writes that conversion means a change of direction, a new way of life. It involves repentance and a change of heart, mind and direction. It is like a new birth! It happens in many ways and we can tell if it is true and authentic by the results that follow. If it is real, we will draw closer to the Lord and we become more like Him. Some may listen to a charismatic evangelist and go forward at a crusade to receive the Lord, but there is no evidence of a change of life that follows. One such girl in our youth group had an emotional experience, but it didn’t last long as she later returned to her former life.
Jonathan Edwards preached to many in the 1700’s and saw great awakening in the church. He observed the pattern that conversions seem to follow: “a conviction of sin, commitment to live a better life, repeated failures, feelings of utter helplessness and guilt, and finally an experience of grace, which overwhelmed the converts with confidence, rapture and love.”  Edwards recognized and believed people coming to the Lord was the result of God’s initiative and work! If we try to live it out on our own we will fail, but when we experience His grace we are left with gratitude and great joy. Yes, conversion is far more than just an ecstatic experience. When we experience God’s grace in a deep way, we may then respond with love for God and for our neighbor.
We may not have an exact date when we came to believe but the big question is, have we surrendered to God and does it affect our marriages, schedules, relationships, jobs, finances, etc. If we know Him, it will impact on how we love and serve, for we will be known by our fruits. (Matt. 7:16) If you have never received Him, the Lord waits for you to open your heart to Him.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to help you live a life of love and service and share Him with others.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

June 7, 2025

Dear Ones,
 Hope you are enjoying the weekend! We are excited as Andrea and our grandsons have made the big road trip to MN. and John Mark got to do part of the driving as well. Mark flies in this afternoon and we hope to see them soon. This morning I plan to clean the apartment and get things ready.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We are all made up of three dimensions: body, mind, and spirit, and it is good when there is compatibility between psychology and faith. There are times we may need to go to counseling and as things get uncovered in our lives, we see the need for the spiritual dimension as well. Other times we may go to our pastor or priest for prayer and healing, and he or she sees a psychological disorder that could be helped by a psychologist. Both should work together, because like priest/therapist, Martin Padovani writes in his book Healing Emotions, “There can be no spiritual healing without being in touch with the emotional, and no fullness of emotional healing without the spiritual.” They should complement each other.
Jesus gave us His example, for he blends the human and the spiritual in His life and said, “Follow Me. I am the way, the truth and the life.” He is also the Light. We are to follow Him not only spiritually but emotionally. I had never thought of that before. He wants us to get in touch with our problems, deal with them, and follow through to go on with life.  When we deal with our problems, we can grow through them to maturity. But if we run from our problems and fail to use the trained pastors and counselors around us, our problems often intensify. God’s desire is to lead us through our problems, for He always loves us, forgives us and is present with us to give us hope.
When we think about it, Jesus is the master psychologist who understands people, relating to our human needs as well as our spiritual needs. I think of Mary Magdalene who had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus and whose life was forever changed by Him. Being around Him and helping provide for the needs of Him and his followers must have taught her healthy behavior and how to get in touch with herself and bring deep healing.
If you are reading this and have unresolved problems, know that the Lord is ready and waiting to help you face the things that seem so huge, and also give meaning to your life. May we all come to know and love ourselves and experience healing.
Challenge for today: Don’t hide from your problems but address them with God’s help and grow through them.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy
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