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: August 2021 (Page 2 of 3)

In a Little While

August 23, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Haggai is one of the shortest prophecies in the Old Testament.  Haggai wrote this in 538 B.C. to those returning from 70 years of captivity after the Babylonian empire had fallen to Cyrus, King of Persia.  They returned to a land devastated and were shocked to see a ruined temple – the center of their worship – left in shambles.

The people of God began to rebuild the temple but soon grew discouraged due to fierce opposition. Lacking commitment to finish the work, they began to settle for personal peace and prosperity, giving energy to building their own homes while neglecting the reconstruction of the temple.  God warned them that their lives would not improve, “…because my house… remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house” (1:9).  “Because of you,” God declares, “the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops” (1:10). 

Through Haggai, God reminded the people of their spiritual priorities, helping them to see that he was up to something: “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house” (2:9).  It was hard from them to visualize this.  God tells them, “In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land” (2:6). God had his sovereign timetable for history and reassured them that He was working out His plan. 

God declared he “will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple.  I will fill this place with glory” (2:7 NLT).  The silver and gold belong to the Lord.  All the physical creation and all nations will bow to the sovereign Lord. In bringing some of this to pass, the emperor Darius even “instructed the opponents of the temple to pay the cost of the project from the royal revenue in their own taxation districts” (Bible Speaks Today – BST).  

As in the first coming of the Lord, this will also be seen in the second coming of our Lord.  “Jesus’ death and resurrection were both accomplished by a shaking of the earth (Mt. 27:51; 28:2).  But the final fulfillment lies in the future when, “the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb” are the temple (Rev. 21:22 BST).

Men, we live in this period of a “little while.”  Be assured that God continues to bring about “great shaking.”  We read in Heb. 12:26, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.”  We, however, belong to an unshakable kingdom.  “…God is not an indifferent bystander.  He’s actively cleaning house, torching all that needs to burn, and he won’t quit until it’s all cleansed. God himself is Fire!” (Heb. 12:28-9 – Message).  

During this “little while” before Jesus returns, God is purifying and cleansing His church.  The shaking will continue for some time.  You might be shocked and dismayed at what you read in the popular media.  But remember God is moving us to a time when He will receive all the glory.  In the meantime, he is preparing something far greater than anything we could have imagined.  

Pray to keep your priorities straight, so that you are part of what God is doing for the future.  “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house.  And in this place, I will grant peace” (2:9).   

Lord, help me to see where I’m too busy focused on meeting my own wants and desires rather than the needs of your Kingdom – and help me do something to change that. 

August 21, 2021

August 21, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones.
Hope you are enjoying the weekend. We got a good rain last night. PTL!
You are getting this early as we will be leaving for Mora for a time of fellowship with friends who were former Board Members of Canaan’s Rest. Tomorrow we hope to see more friends from our previous church at the morning service where Al will be preaching. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
How wonderful we can call on the Lord any time, morning, noon and night. He responds when we call to Him and always listens to us. David wrote Psalm 55 when he was troubled and confused and betrayed by his best friend. He says in Psalm 55:1-2a (God’s Word) , “Open your ears to my prayer, O God. Do not hide from my plea for mercy. Pay attention to me, and answer me.” He goes on to say that will put his trust in the Lord who will listen and will save him and take care of him.
How about us when we are fearful and confused and troubled? Is that our first response to call on the Lord? His name is all powerful and He wants our trust that He will work things out for His glory. His answer is not always like we expect or exactly what we asked for but rather according to His wisdom.We have all most likely had times we have felt like the Lord wasn’t listening or maybe we are paying more attention to the voices around us rather than His.
 I read today about blind Bartimaeus who was a beggar and sat on the side of the road. When he heard Jesus was near he began to shout for Him to have mercy on him. Many tried to hush him up but he only yelled louder. Jesus stopped for He heard his cry and asked what he could do for him. Of course, he was quick to tell the Lord he wanted to see. Jesus told him that his faith had healed him and he immediately got his sight and accompanied Jesus. Bartimaeus could have given up when they first tried to silence him but he was not distracted or silenced. Neither should we be, no matter what others say. We can always come to the Lord with all that weighs on our hearts, and in faith, entrust everything to Him.
Right now my own prayer is for my cousin Susie who has Covid. I know God has the power to heal her and I pray for a miracle but I also know the answer belongs to Him. He will work all things out for His glory and honor and therefore, we trust.
Challenge for today: Give the Lord all your concerns and in faith wait for His answers and give thanks.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

August 20, 2021

August 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Dear Ones,

Happy weekend to you! Another sunny day and not so hot. The house is full of wonderful aroma as I was busy in the kitchen this morning and then cleaned the apartment. We are packing up to leave tomorrow morning for Mora MN where we will be meeting with our former Board for Canaan’s Rest and having a time of fellowship. We will stay overnight and then Al preaches at True Vine on Sunday. We look forward to seeing friends from our days in Brunswick. 

Devotions from Judy’s heart

Water is needed and so important and we are now reading now about water wars. In the U.S. the southwestern states are especially suffering with a water shortage. Lake Mead, the largest reservoir in our country is only at 40% of its capacity and being part of the Colorado river system, it has ramifications for many states. Farmers will have to cut back and changes will have to be made for many.

My cousin’s daughter and son-in-law are especially aware of the need for water for they are now in the desert as they continue their walk across America. Water was their big concern and much to their wonderful surprise, concerned friends left water and food at certain points along the way for them. What a relief!

We have only to think of our spiritual thirst and how much we need the water of life. Jesus offered the Samaritan woman at the well living water and He said in John 4:13-14 (The Message), “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water that I give him will never thirst—not ever. The water that I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”  Jesus offers us living water to quench our thirsty souls. So many try to satisfy their spiritual thirst with other means but that will never work.The Lord told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 17 that if we trust in man, we are like a shrub in the desert that dwells in parched places. Such a person is like a tumbleweed, rootless and aimless in the desert. But the Lord says if we trust in Him, we are like a tree planted by water; our leaves remain green even in the heat and we have no cause to fear the drought. Living water is always available to us and we don’t need to become anxious but rather let our roots go down deep into the Lord. Let us receive the living water and drink deeply each day that we may flourish.

Challenge for today: Spend some time in the Word and drink deeply of the living water.

Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

P.S. Since I wrote this there was rain in the desert for the first time in a year and a half for the walkers across America. PTL!.

August 19, 2021

August 19, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this lovely day. This morning I did food prep and went to Aldi’s, and downstairs for donuts. This afternoon Al leads our Bible study here and tonight is Women’s Bible Study at church. No time to get in trouble!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
As I see friends and family struggling with health issues my heart is saddened and I pray for God’s grace upon them. My cousin is fighting for her life right now as she has Covid and is on a respirator and has sepsis. Another friend lives in constant pain and hoping for relief through surgery. We all know so many who  live with pain and wonder when and if relief will ever come. But no matter what, we must continually remember God’s grace is sufficient for all that each of us face today and every day of our lives, whether it be physical pain or difficult circumstances. We are meant to lean into the Lord and find our strength in Him.
 The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to face afflictions of every kind, and he had a thorn in the flesh which he was never relieved of, and yet could say as in II Cor 4:7, & 10 (God’s Word), “Our bodies are made of clay, yet we have the treasure of the Good News in them. This shows that the superior power of this treasure belongs to God and doesn’t come from us. In every way we’re troubled, but we aren’t crushed by our troubles. We are frustrated but we don’t give up…we carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus is also shown in our bodies.” 
Our bodies contain the greatest treasure of the Gospel and though they are frail like clay, it only makes it more evident to others that our power is from God. We must never give up even when we feel we are at the end of our rope, for we are children of hope. Our bodies may be weak but God works through them to spread the Good News and share His love. Even in our humiliations, He uses them to display His power and presence. Our trials will not last forever!  Let us not focus on our pain but on the great treasure He has put within us, and remember one day our suffering will be over and we have an eternity with Him.
Challenge for today: Give all your struggles to the Lord and ask that others will see God at work in your life.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

August 18, 2021

August 18, 2021 / / 0 Comments
 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Haven’t we all dreamed of a life of ease, where everything seems to just flow along smoothly? No computer problems, no deadlines to meet, no battles to fight…just peaceful sailing. Now even though it sounds wonderful, I wonder how our faith would fare? Would we get spiritually lazy and run simply on auto pilot? Perhaps. Even though we love good times, it is often in our times of wounding and brokenness that we seem to grow closer to the Lord and our faith deepens. I read what Anne Neilson had to write about our times of trials and the battles we have to face. She was building a new home over a 3 year period, and while it was being framed, she noticed that the 2 by 6 foot lumber all had ugly knots. When she complained to the builder he told her, “Anne, the more knots there are in the timber, the stronger the wood!” She let those words speak to her in the spiritual sense and visualized that when she went through trials, every victory was a mark on her heart that created a knot and brought strength. What a wonderful outlook. The more knots the stronger we can also become.While at the cabin, I also looked at the walls and ceiling that was full of knots and thanked the Lord they were marks of victory.
When building, after the framing, comes the dry wall that hides the knots just like Jesus covers all by His sacrifice for us on the cross.  Anne quotes from Psalm 147:3 (ESV), “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” He takes our pains and sorrows, bandages up our wounds, and brings healing to us. Scars are marks left by the tissue that is healed; just like Anne, our scars can be symbols of victory.  God often uses us to share our scars with others so that they also may turn to Him and receive healing. Even if we have had a rough start in life, parents that were far less than perfect, things done to us that caused big knots, the Lord can heal us and make us stronger. Let us give all our hurts to Him, let Him cover them with his love, and receive His deep healing.
Challenge for today: Be open to share a personal healing in your life when given the opportunity. 
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy



 

 

August 17, 2021

August 17, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying your day. This morning I did more catch up, food prep, and took a friend to the Dollar store. Continue to pray  for our friend Grace who visited as she is not feeling good yet and resting before deciding if they will continue their trip to Iowa. I also ask for prayers for my cousin Susie who has Covid and in acute respratory distress syndrome. The doctor is now trying to get her transferred to Mayo and many prayers are appreciated. Thank you!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
God’s timing is incredible! I specifically prayed for His timing Saturday morning as we were going to the lake. We wanted to get there in time to wash bedding and prepare the cabin for dear friends that were going to arrive after lunch. But on the way I also wanted to see a friend who is in Assisted Living and spends much of her time in her wheel chair. We decided to stop for gas on our way so we wouldn’t get there too early. When we arrived at Birchview Gardens there was my friend outside in the parking lot on her way to the Art Fair in her wheelchair. She had only to go down an incline from where she lived to the Art Fair but I don’t think she could have stopped her wheelchair if she had decided to go that way. I was glad I arrived when I did for when I held onto the handles of the wheelchair, I had a hard time holding it back from speeding down the incline into the path of others.
My friend has such a generous heart towards others and she loves to spend money that she has saved in order to buy gifts for her son’s family and for all the care workers where she lives. Since her eyesight is very limited, we hunted together for just the right gifts. We searched the whole Art Fair for jewelry, but since she needed about twenty gifts, paying over $50 for a pair of earrings was not in the cards. But we came upon a table that had just the right gifts and the right price, and made the vendor very happy too! We began rejoicing and thanking the Lord! Before leaving I wanted to bring her back to her room; it took all the muscle I had to get her up the incline and I wondered how she could have done this on her own without help. We both keep saying, “Isn’t God’s timing perfect!”
I know we may often feel like God is late in answering our prayers and wish He would hurry but we need to trust Him for His perfect timing. Jesus’ brothers wanted Him to show himself to the world and told him to leave Galilee and go to Judea so his disciples would see the great works he was doing. But Jesus responded with, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here.” Jesus did exactly as His Father told him to do, and in His perfect timing. Let us not be too soon or too late for our times are in His hands.
Challenge for today: Pray each day for God’s plan and timing for your life and be patient as you wait.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

Yet I Will Rejoice

August 16, 2021 / / 0 Comments

Habakkuk proclaims at the end of his prophecy, “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (Hab. 3:18).  He had seen God at work in some difficult times. In the beginning, however, he had cried out impatiently, “How long, O Lord” (1:2) lamenting, “Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds.  Therefore, the law is paralyzed, and justice is perverted” (1:3).  What happened?  

In this brief book, we see that the prophet – like us – was learning to wait – “I will wait patiently” (1:16 BST – Bible Speaks Today).  He was learning to live by faith, being “transformed from an impatient prophet into a calm and expectant one” (2:4 BST).  With so much that did not make sense, he declared, “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me and what answer I am to give to this complaint” (2:1).

Now at the end of his prophecy, he responds with, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior” (3:18 BST).   Habakkuk was able to rejoice even though he was living through a time of devastation. “It is one thing to rejoice in our blessings; it is quite another to rejoice when blessings have been removed” (BST).  

Habakkuk’s prayer could be a model for us in the days to come.  Much of what we take for granted will be removed.  Even the church will suffer.  There will be some difficult times ahead. Could Habakkuk be expressing what we might experience in the days to come? “I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered with fear.  My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror.  I will wait quietly for the coming day when disaster will strike the people who invade us” (3:16 NLT).  We may very well have to wait quietly, knowing there is little else we can do.

Habakkuk was prepared to rejoice in God no matter what happened around him. “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the live crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the sheepfold and no cattle in the stalls,” he was learning rejoice, even in the midst of starvation and loss (3:17 BST).  

Habakkuk concludes by declaring, “The Sovereign Lord is my strength (3:19).  The prophet’s secret to enduring devastation was the strength he found in the Lord.  He declares that the Lord “makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the height” (3:19).  David also bore witness to the ability to move nimbly as a deer in the midst of danger (Ps. 18:33), “but whereas David composed his psalm at a time of victory, Habakkuk uses the words to express a faith which trusts God while it is still very dark” (BST). 

Like us, Habakkuk was learning to live by faith and not be sight (2:4).  This is the kind of “see through” faith that will be needed in the days to come.  I encourage every man reading this blog, to recommit today to trust Jesus more and more.  Take Paul’s words to heart: “I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything.  I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little.  For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” (Phil 4:12-13 NLT).   

 

 

August 16, 2021

August 16, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you had a wonderful weekend. We are home now after spending the weekend with friends at the Silver Chateau. Perfect weather and so great to have time to fellowship together. Also, had time with Ann’s family, time to swim and snorkle, a birthday feast, etc. Do pray for our friend though as she arrived not feeling well and is on medication and wanting to finish the rest of their trip to see friends and family. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
I recall a song by Ralph Carmichael that we use to sing in youth group when I was a teen, “We are more than conquerors, through Him who loved us so/ The Christ who dwells in us is the greatest pow’r we know/ He will fight beside us tho’ the enemy is great/ Who can stand against us, He’s the Captain of our fate/Then we will conquer never fear, so let the battle rage/ He has promised to be near until the end of the age.”
We are truly in a battle today against the powers of evil and it is imperative that we are strengthened to stand in God’s power. I read today what John wrote in Revelation 3:10-12a (The Message), “Because you have kept my Word in passionate patience, I’ll keep you safe in the time of testing that will be here soon, and all over the earth, every man, woman, and child put to the test. I’m on my way; I’ll be there soon. Keep a tight grip on what you have so no one distracts you and steals your crown. I’ll make each conqueror a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, a permanent position of honor. Then I’ll write on you the name of my God.”
When we resist the enemy and are faithful to stand for the Lord, we are called pillars. Pillars are important and essential for structural integrity. If they fail the entire structure fails. I read what author Kathi Pelton recently wrote about pillars as we have all seen what happens when there is pillar failure.The twelve-story condominium in Miami is a recent example. Three years ago, the owner was told he needed to do something to retrofit it to hold the structure in place. He delayed and 150 lost their lives as the whole structure crumbled and buried so many. 
Today there are also pillar failures in the church as people with big name ministries who were once trusted, failed to overcome and have caused many to fall away. But there are others who have remained faithful to the Lord through hard trials and testing, and they have conquered and are like strong pillars and will one day receive a crown.
We are also called to be pillars but we must be willing to resist the enemy and stand strong in the power of the Lord. May He strengthen us to be more than conquerors when times of testing come!
Challenge for today: Ask the Lord to empower you to stand strong in the days ahead.
Blessings on your week and prayers and love, Judy

 

August 14, 2021

August 14, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying your weekend and have time to be refreshed. We are heading out early for the cabin to get ready for our friends who are coming from Washington. We look forward to time together and have so much catching up to do. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
What is the one thing? What is most important in life? Is it not to love God and for Him to be our first love? David describes his seeking after the Lord in Psalm 63 and says, “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you…..Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.” He goes on to say in verse 6 that he meditates on the Lord throughout the watches of the night. I was reading what Joyce Huggett taught on prayer and she writes that meditation does not mean emptying our minds as in Eastern meditation; but rather it is engaging every part of us which includes our emotions, imagination, our will, our creativity etc. We are to be attentive to God and to ponder and to reflect and to consider His words and let them penetrate our hearts. Jesus must have meditated on Scripture for He knew the Old testament so well that He answered Satan 3 times quoting Scripture and said,” It is written.”
When we dial down and meditate on His word, we will find that our pressures seem to diminish, and in stillness we may find a verse or phrase just seems to refer to a need we have. We don’t need to keep reading but stop there and just ponder it and let the words speak to our hearts. If something has been distressing us, a verse may just seem to spark a truth that reaches from our head to our hearts.
Perhaps we have all experienced a troublesome time and when we went to the Word, a truth or some promise just penetrated us. We received a new perspective and we felt encouraged; even though we didn’t know how things would turn out, we could leave it in God’s hands.
Let us meditate on scripture and be attentive to His voice as He speaks to us, that we may experience the joy of the closeness of His presence; the one thing.
Challenge for today: Read Psalm 63 only until something seems to stand out and speak to you.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

August 13, 2021

August 13, 2021 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Another gorgeous day with lots of sunshine. This morning I cleaned and did food prep and began packing for the lake. We are going tomorrow morning and dear friends from WA are coming in the afternoon and stay until Monday. Looking forward to catching up and fellowshipping together, spending time by the water, celebrating Al’s birthday with Ann’s etc.  
Devotions from Judy’s heart
If you have been reading my daily devotions you know about the Church of the Paul Bunyan Trail. Nearly every day Al and I meet together with a special couple on the trail who love the Lord and sometimes others also join us along the way. As we share the Lord together, we go home encouraged and built up in our faith and that is God’s wonderful plan for all of us. I was reading from Heb. 10:24-25 (God’s Word) today and it says, “We must also consider how to encourage each other to show love and to do good things. We should not stop gathering together with other believers, as some of you are doing. Instead, we must continue to encourage each other even more as we see the day of the Lord coming.”  We are meant to stir one another up with love and good works that we may be mutually strengthened. The Message translation says we should see how inventive we can be in spurring one another on and encouraging love, not avoiding worshiping together.
After Bible Study here at our Apt complex or after meeting friends on the trail, my heart feels like it is singing. There is something so energizing and faith building when we are connected with other Christians and rub off on one another. It is just what the Doctor of our Souls orders!
We should be intentional to gather together with other Christians and of course, the enemy will do all he can to hinder that from happening. He will tell us it doesn’t matter, just stay in our pjs and sip coffee and watch church online. But Sunday mornings can rather be spent in quality time with other believers as we worship side by side and fellowship over coffee.  After Covid restrictions were lifted, it seemed extra meaningful to be in church, singing together, and worshiping, even if we had to social distance. God uses others to help us grow in our faith and overcome doubts we may have. Let us use the opportunities He sends our way to deepen our relationship with the Lord as we share His love together!
Challenge for today: Make room in your schedule to fellowship with other believers.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

  

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