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.

Month: February 2021 (Page 3 of 3)

February 6, 2021

February 6, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a relaxed weekend and having time to get refreshed! We are enjoying our time here in Kansas and so much joy to be with family after a whole year. We are eating, laughing, shopping and catching up. Our granddaughter took us to her favorite store this morning as she is really into plants, and the house will soon look like the garden of Eden! We plan to celebrate tomorrow going to church and eating as we watch the Super Bowl.Emoji Appreciate prayers as we leave early Monday for home and some snow is predicted. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
We all get weary at times and not just tiredness of body from work, but also of our souls. Jesus said in Matt. 11:28-30 (ESV), “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” That invitation includes all of us at various times in our lives who need rest! Going to Kansas yesterday we had gotten up at 2:45 a.m. and began our long road trip. Al and I talked the first 5 hours together, and then walked a mall, had lunch etc before I took a little snooze. I was feeling weary! Other times we may feel tired from a hard work day project and we remember Jesus inviting to us to come to Him for rest.  We serve the Lord often in our strength but we also can serve Him in our weaknesses. The apostle Paul had lots to boast about as a Pharisee of Pharisee, but after coming to the Lord he boasted instead of his weaknesses. Could it be we actually serve the Lord better in our weaknesses for there we come to experience His strength. Pastor Tish shares about a friend who confessed his secret sin to the Pastor and told what he was ashamed of. The Pastor’s response was surprising as he said, “We need you in our church, not in spite of your struggle but because of it.” In the place of weakness and repentance God shows Himself best! Jesus calls all of us who are weary and know we are not strong and all together. We need the Lord. How many times I have to pray, “Lord I need you!” Isaac the Syrian said, “Blessed is the man who knows his own weakness, because awareness of this becomes the foundation of beginning of all that is good and beautiful.” In our weaknesses, we experience God’s strength! Jesus said He’d give us rest and a yoke. Those that wore a yoke in Jesus day were to submit to someone. We are to submit to God’s authority and be taught by Him.  If we go our own way, we will experience a heavy yoke. Going God’s way, the yoke will be light for He shares our burdens, however heavy. Sometimes we find ourselves exhausted, and may not even have the words to pray, and in those times we can just sit before Him in silence. We then have the promise that the Holy Spirit will pray and intercede for us. Let us learn to rest in the Lord!
Challenge for today: Confess a weakness you have and ask for His strength.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

February 5, 2021

February 5, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
We got up very early this morning(2:45) to be on our way to Olathe, Kansas to see our son’s family. We just arrived and had a stop in D.M at the mall and Barnes and Noble. So wonderful to see family and hug again. Thank you for prayers. We saw many cars and trucks in the ditch.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
It is time to seek the Lord! It is time to stand for truth! It is time to praise the Lord! As we see things happening so quickly in our country, we may wonder how we are going to navigate in the future. How can we remain faithful to the Lord in a world that seems to be embracing lies and warring against God’s truth? I read an article on Elijah List by Faith Marie Baczko who warns us about agreeing with the lies of the enemy and principles of the world; and instead, how we need to agree with the will and Word of God. Do we desire to live for His purpose and pursue truth and faith? It is only God’s wisdom that will scatter the enemy and tear down the lies of Satan. Just like a sermon Al preached, she wrote how God is calling His people into the Ark, who is the Lord. There we gather with others who want to serve and praise Him, and find courage as we are united, to stand up and not to give in. The flood is not coming but rather has begun, and we need to get into the Ark.  Baczko also sensed God was saying to her that praise is how we will make it through the coming times. She felt like she was standing in a small boat in a bad storm with lightening and dark clouds around her. But she had her hands raised in worship and God saying to her, “Praise me in the storm, because praise will bring you through the storm.” When everything is getting darker by the minute and changing so quickly, we need to look to the Light and the One who is Power and victory. Baczko went on to say that now is the time to put on the armor of God  and get our house and marriages in order and stand in unity. It is time to fast and pray and worship together. It is time to seek God’s wisdom as it says in James 3:17 (ESV). “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.” Only God’s wisdom will win the war over truth and let us stand together. We won’t make it standing alone, just like the animals that get separated from the herd when a predator is nearby. We need to get into the Ark and to stand together with praising hearts.
Challenge for today: Don’t agree with the enemy but seek to know more intimately the One who is Truth.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

February 4, 2021

February 4, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the day and burr the weekend looks to be very cold! This morning I cleaned the apt and went downstairs for rhubarb muffins and cookies on a stick.Emoji This afternoon Al has someone coming to see him and I hope to do a little fun shopping. Tomorrow we leave very early in the morning for Olathe Kansas so your devotion will get to you later. Appreciate prayers for a safe trip and staying well! 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
When I sent out my daily devotional yesterday, I asked the question, “What has been the hardest for you in this year of COVID?” I have never before had so many responses as I did to that question. For most of you, the most difficult thing was the lack of being able to physically see your loved ones and to actually hug them. Grandparents expressed missing this growing up time with their grandkids and not being present to see their birthdays and accomplishments. Care workers were most saddened in seeing their patients isolated from loved ones and suffering alone. But with that said, there were many of you that saw this time as a time to draw closer to the Lord, to reflect, and not have as many distractions and meetings to go to. Time with family was cherished and spending more time in the Word was definitely a blessing. We have all had radical changes take place this past year, and what do we do when faced with them? We can complain and get depressed, or we can ask God what He wants us of us; what can we learn and what is His plan for us during this time? I was reading from an old worn book by Billy Graham and he said we can become embittered or we can grow through adversity. He gave an example of George Handel who wrote the Hallelujah chorus. At the time Handel lived in poverty and was suffering from his paralyzed right side and arm and yet the music he wrote has blessed all of us and brings much glory to the Lord. He also told of George Matheson who was the oldest of 8 children and very bright, graduating with honors. When he was 19 years old, he began going blind as he had an incurable condition. While he was at the University, he fell in love but when his girl found out of his blindness, she said she did not want to be married to a blind man. When Matheson’s sister got married, he was reminded of his own painful feelings of rejection and he wrote the song, “O Love that will not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee; I give thee back the life I owe, That in thine ocean depths its flow May richer, fuller be.” He wrote it in a place of suffering but committed himself to the Lord, becoming a wonderful pastor, got his doctorate, and wrote many books. Perhaps COVID and other harsh things that happen in our lives are meant as opportunities to grow stronger and deeper and to share the Lord with others. And we have the promise that he will sustain us until the end. ( I Cor. 1:8)
Challenge for today: Write down what you think you have learned through this time of COVID
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

February 3, 2021

February 3, 2021 / / 0 Comments
 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes we make the mistake of thinking the Christian life should be one of ease and without struggles. But the desert saints who lived in the 4th and 5th century thought that struggle was necessary and normal for a healthy spiritual life. It’s not something we try to run away from but to embrace. Our goal should be intimacy with the Lord rather than a life of ease. Jesus said we must die to ourselves and take up our cross and follow Him and that is always a struggle. Jesus said in Matt. 16:24 (God’s Word, “Those who want to come with me must say no to the things they want, pick up their crosses and follow me.” This is something we need to do daily, and in many ways, moment by moment. When things are easy, we seem to let the world flood in on us and we become like the world. We read of the desert saints who chose that barren life in isolation and loneliness so that their spiritual growth would not be hindered by distractions and possessions. They wanted quiet and distance from the world, and felt comfort and wealth were enemies of the spiritual life. Many of the desert saints had a life of rhythm of work prayer and solitude. They prayed even as they worked. Of course, we don’t all have to live like the desert fathers but we can accept struggles in life as a means to help us humbly grow and be transformed more into His image. If we think back in time of when we grew the most and were dependent on the Lord, it would most likely be in times of struggles. The world we live in is fast paced and people are seldom satisfied and want more and to do more; many are in a constant state of busyness, and we miss what is really important which is what is going on in our hearts. And if problems come, we may feel we have to quickly get out of them rather than asking the Lord to teach us from them. My frustrations come with the computer and can send me for a loop. But I have to live with my computer if I am going to write devotions and send out e-mails so I can’t wiggle out of dealing with the issues that come up. As with any of our struggles we have Someone who we can go to, that will listen, calm our hearts, and bring change. We can ask Him what it is you are teaching me that I need to learn, and the Holy Spirit waits to help us. Let us be open, receptive and accept whatever means God chooses.
Challenge for today: Thank the Lord for the next struggle that comes, and seek to learn what God is teaching you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy 

February 2, 2021

February 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope your day is full of sunshine! This morning I went to Aldi’s and then brought a friend with to the Dollar Store to get some prizes etc. Fun! This afternoon I need to wrap and do some food prep etc. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How attentive are we to the Lord, recognizing His hand in what is happening in our lives and things around us? As Christians our stance should be to notice how God is working and to watch for Him to act. Maybe right now things do not seem okay as our world is in an upheaval and news is hard to watch. But our ultimate hope is not in this world, and we wait for the day things will be made right. Our hope is in the future when one day all things will be made new. Tish Warren and her husband (both Anglican priests) were having marital problems and she shares how they went away without their kids to try to work things out. At the time they didn’t have much hope to save their marriage but they bought a magnet that said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.” They purposed to forgive and listen and love, even though their marriage was not ideal at that point. She quotes Julian of Norwich who said, “All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” Things may be far from what we would like right now and it may seem like a dark night; but we can learn to watch and wait in hope for the morning to come. We don’t know how God will answer our prayers or even if things will get worse, but we know that ultimately, we have a glorious future. One day we will enter into an eternity of all that God has promised for us! Tish writes to encourage us to also wait and watch for signs of his kingdom here and now and not miss what He is doing. He is always at work and sometime we need to slow down and be still and watch. I know I need to do that. Because of technology we take in small bits of information but don’t have much sustained attention. We find it hard to wait. But let us take time to see God’s presence in the world, to pray with others, to wait with hope. In Micah 7:7 (Amplified) it says, “But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch: I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.” This is not a time to be asleep but to be awake, and to recognize His grace and mercy as we wait for the dawn to come.
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to make you more aware of His presence and how He is at work.
Blessings on  your day and prayers and love, Judy

February 1, 2021

February 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a good weekend! We have been enjoying walks on the Paul Bunyan while the weather has been mild. Al has two Doctor appointments today and I went with him to one this morning and this afternoon he hopefully gets the ear stitches out. So good the Dr. caught this when she did.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Our relationship with the Lord is the most important relationship of all. Sometimes we show by how we spend our time that we don’t value this deep connection with Him as a priority and He is somewhere down our list. Our life was not meant to be lived that way but rather with Him as number one and all the rest of our life flowing out from that. I was reading today from Matt. 6:33 (Amplified), “But seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides.” When we seek the Lord first, we can relax and not have to worry or be pre-occupied with getting our own way. When we give our full attention to Him and His kingdom work, everything will fall into its proper place. But sometimes we have a mental schedule of what we want to accomplish in a day and hold to that; and then we can get frustrated when it doesn’t work out!  But if we give the day into what God has planned, we can sail along even with anticipation, wondering what He has in store for us. We need to be flexible and remember He is in charge; I especially have to remember that! Too often I speed into my day, after I have my devotional readings, rather than taking quiet moments to just sit and listen and commune with the Lord. After Jesus told us to seek His kingdom first, He went on to say, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.” (verse 34) In may ways it gets down to a matter of trust. Do we trust God with our whole lives, relationships, work, needs? If we are in charge, worry will set in, but if we give Him first place, we can be at peace, knowing He will work it out for His glory. May we put Him in first place in every area of our lives.
Challenge for today: Start each day with setting yourself aside and giving the Lord His rightful place.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

Mercy in the Midst of Judgment

February 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet.”  He kept warning the people of Judah of God’s approaching judgment at the hands of the Babylonians.  They ignored his warnings.  God even instructed Jeremiah not to pray for the people. “Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah.  Do not weep or pray for them, for I will not listen to them when they cry out to me in distress” (Jer. 11:14). The pain and sorrow that God felt for “hardened rebels” was experienced by Jeremiah himself. 

Jeremiah knew he would live in the midst of God’s judgment.  That is the background of his prayer in 10:23-5. “This prayer of Jeremiah entered into the prayer life of the exiles as well.  This is clear from the way the words are built into Psalm 79, a psalm of lament that clearly comes from the stinging trauma of those who survived the destruction Jeremiah foretold” (Bible Speaks Today).  “Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need” (Ps. 79:8). 

Jeremiah’s prayer can be instructive for us today, living in what Eugene Peterson called “disruptive times.”  Could our current cultural crisis be a sign of God allowing his judgment to come upon us as a nation?  If so, believers will be caught in the middle of this collapse. Jeremiah can help us as we journey through any dark days ahead.

Jeremiah then affirms God’s sovereignty and the limits of finding our way through the darkness.  “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps” (Jer. 10:23).  Proverbs 20:9 also reminds us, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”  

Remember that history is God’s story.  He sees the beginning from the end.  Isaiah reminds us, “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'” (Is. 46:10).  The future of our nation is in his hands.  He will guide our steps through whatever He allows to happen.  Begin to see yourself as part of the faithful remnant (Rom. 11:1-5).

In the midst of what he saw coming, Jeremiah prays for himself.  “So correct me, Lord, but please be gentle.  Do not correct me in anger, for I would die” (Jer. 10:24 NLT).  Jeremiah in his prayer identifies with the people.  He asks the Lord to be merciful in the midst of judgment.    

We may very well be experiencing the judgment of God on a culture that has turned its back on him, but we can pray for God’s mercy to see us through whatever he sends upon us. Referring to the deeds of God in the past, Habakkuk prayed, “Renew then in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy” (Hab. 3:2b). 

Finally, Jeremiah appeals to the justice of God.  “Vent your anger on the godless nations, who refuse to acknowledge you, and on the people who won’t pray to you” (Jer. 10:25 Message).  The prophet asks God to deal with the enemies of his people.  He is leaving the judging of the nations in the hands of God, since God knows the intentions of the heart. 

In the end, we cry out for God to be merciful, knowing that God in his justice must bring judgment.  We leave those opposed to God in his hands.  We are not responsible.  Vengeance belongs to God, not to us. 

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