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: March 2022 (Page 3 of 3)

March 11, 2022

March 11, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend! Hope you have some time for leisure over the weekend! This morning I did some studying and food prep and this afternoon both Al and I are getting haircuts and hopefully a  walk etc. We had a large group at Bible Study yesterday and it was good to be back again. Ann and Leif also made it for an early supper. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Leisure is important in all of our lives and gives us room to live gently and not be so driven. In other words, it gives us room to breathe.
I am reading a book by Father Michael Casey and I liked what he had to say about living a simple life, with an undivided heart and embracing silence, leisure, mindfulness etc. He speaks of leisure, not as idleness, but as a time and space of freedom in which our deep self can find fuller expression. In other words, it is like being attentive to the present moment. We are not held captive to our past or living in future anticipation, but being open to the present. We have a receptive attitude.
In leisure we take time to listen and don’t need to control what is happening around us. We practice silence and come to know what is happening within us. We practice involuntary inactivity and some people would not find value in that. But it is an opportunity to step back from our usual busy self and have time to reflect. It’s learning to take each day as it comes.
Father Casey said that leisure is a gift of time and space…time for oneself and for others; time to listen and encourage; time to discern and assess. He said there is space for people to grow, space for differing gifts to be used and space to pass through crises.
Leisure also has enemies that can be seen in people that work too hard and who take on too much and get pre occupied. They may be afraid that others will say they are failures so they fill all their available time; but then there is none left for the unexpected adventures in life. 
A leisurely mind is open and does not have the need to be in control.
We were all made to be creative and we block it up when we overwork or are idle. Instead, in leisure we need to seize the day, and make the most of the opportunities that come. Each day is important and like Father Casey says, “Leisure teaches us to recognize that we need to do everything at the opportune time.”
Let us live each day to the full for today matters. As it says in Eccl. 3:1 (Amplified), ” to everything there is a season, and at time for every matter or purpose under heaven.”
Challenge for today: Take some time for leisure, without feeling guilty.
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

March 10, 2022

March 10, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this sunny day! Al went to Men’s group this morning and I baked cookies and made bars and went downstairs for donuts. We have Bible Study this afternoon and then Ann and Leif may stop in to see us. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Every moment of the day we must remember we are in God’s hands. We are not in control, but He is and we can totally rely on Him. But often we need reminders as we go merrily along, planning our day, and sometimes forgetting that He is the one who is in the driver’s seat and not us. Things happen to us that may stop us in our tracks and we call out to Him for help. Sometimes they are big things that He uses to get our attention and sometimes they are just the little things during our day that remind us to rely on Him.
A funny thing happened yesterday as Al and I were out doing errands and stopped to get our car washed. Al has done that many times and knows just what to do. He drove into the car wash and the big door closed behind us but nothing happened. Nothing. No water, no suds, no nothing. We noticed that two other cars were behind us and were probably wondering what was taking us so long. We were stranded and all we could think of was to just honk our horn and hope that help would come. It took a while and lots of honking but finally a man came that had to fix things and get them going and we breathed a sigh of relief. We were helpless in this situation but God sent just the right person to get us out of it.
This was a small situation but there are big things in our lives that we feel desperation for His help.
One friend who is going through a hard time right now wrote a poem with a quote from C.S. Lewis, “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our conscience but shouts in our pain. It is his megaphone.” Our friend went on to say that “we may feel like a constellation of pain, hear His voice, He invites us into a more intimate relationship with Him, and we are never alone. A richer dimension of faith Jesus has shown me. I need to move forward, rely on Jesus and LET IT BE.”
I was reading from Psalm 27 and David knew where to go in all of his troubles. He sought the Lord and said, “O Lord, I will seek our face. Do not hide your face from  me..You have been my help. Do not leave me!:”
In all of our situations, big and small, Jesus invites us into a deeper intimate relationship with Him and to rely on Him. We are weak but He is strong and He is with us always.
Challenge for today: Look to the Lord and rely on Him and not yourself.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

March 9, 2022

March 9, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying this day. Al gave a communion service next door at Assisted Living this morning.  I went shopping and then to exercise class. This afternoon I have crafts and then tonight is soup supper and Lenten service….a full rich day.
Devotions from Judy’s heart
While doing food prep in my kitchen one morning, a thought came to me of something I foolishly did many years ago; not something that big but just dumb. The enemy seems to bring up things from our past that we have said or done that have already been forgiven, but he wants us to ruminate on them rather than praise the Lord that they are gone in the sea of forgetfulness.
But there are also underlying character flaws that we may have that the Lord wants to rid us of, and we need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to change us. Will power by itself cannot change us in the long run. We need God’s power to take those hidden faults we have and to straighten us out. I marvel at how God places us next to individuals that He uses to help shave off our rough edges, and He knows just the perfect ones. As it says in Proverbs 27:17 (ESV), “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
Maybe we lack self-esteem, or perhaps we are stubborn, or lazy, or negative, or judgmental; the list goes on and on. There are things we may accept in ourselves and yet God wants to shave off those rough places and bring change from the inside out.
Perhaps as you read this you are saying, “Yes, I wish God would straighten out my mate or someone close to me”, but that is not up to us. The Lord wants to change us! He uses others to help in that process and it can be mutually beneficial, just like when two iron blades are run together, the edges get sharper and more efficient.
We are told to meet with others, just as the early Christians did, and to fellowship together, share the word and encourage one another. In the process we can help one another and exhort one another to deal with the hidden things. God has used friends in my life to do that and I am so grateful. Sometimes after such a time, I feel lighter in my spirit and that something heavy has been lifted…or maybe a rough edge has been shaved off!  We are told to “spur one another on towards love and good deeds.” (Psalm 133:1); that may involve confessing our sins to one another, challenging one another, and sharpening one another.
Let us forge ahead by dealing with the flaws and grow in grace and love.
Challenge for today: Make yourself accountable to another who will help you see your hidden flaws.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,                                                                                                                                                               Hopefully you had a great weekend and time to relax. Today I was excited to go back to my normal schedule after being sick. This morning I went to Aldi’s and then to my exercise class. Wonderful!  PTL!                                                                                  Devotions from Judy’s heart                                                                                                                          How have each of us been impacted these past couple years during the pandemic? Our lives are not the same in so many ways and I suspect we have all been changed in various ways. Hopefully we have new vision and have come to recognize what is really most important in our lives.                                                                        I was reading an article by Ines Valasquez-McBryde who shares about what it must have been like for Noah after so many months and months on the ark. He boarded the ark with only a promise from God and the goal to keep his family and animals alive. What went through his mind when he had to wait for the waters to recede and to embark on dry land? He must have stepped off the ark a different man, with everything radically changed for him and his family. What did he learn during that time on the ark?                                                                                                                             Ines asks similar questions of us, referring to the Pandemic. Let us ask ourselve   1. During these 2 years what did we lose during pre-Covid that we want to restore in post-Covid?                                                
2.What things did we do in pre-Covid that we don’t want to see restored and choose to leave behind?                                       
 3.What are the things we picked up during Covid that were life-giving and that we want to continue?continue?                         
4. What are the things that we picked up during Covid that we want to let go of post-Covid? 
Hopefully we have all learned and grown through this time. I’m sure we have all experienced losses of many kinds, but have we have also been transformed in many new ways?  Let us each take inventory of our own lives and have new vision and desire to continue the transformational process. As it says in II Cor. 3:18 (NRSA), “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”                                                      Challenge for today: Write down the answer to the questions and ask the Lord to continue the transformation process to make you more and more like Him.                                          Blessings on  your week and prayers and love, Judy

 

March 5, 2022

March 5, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I feel especially happy today as I made a porkchop and rice dinner and cleaned and scrubbed the apt. It felt good to have energy again and the apt certainly did need a good cleaning! I also got dressed today in something other than pj’s! When we were sick, I never lost my appetite or my sense of smell and enjoyed each meal. Especially loved the soups that were left outside our door!
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Waiting is not easy for any of us and waiting patiently is especially trying. Just ask a mom who is 9 months pregnant and waiting for her baby to be born. Or for the young man who is waiting to hear if he got the job after 3 interviews, and keeps hoping the phone will ring soon. Al and I have been waiting to resume our normal activities after being sick and it seems forever since we were downstairs mixing with other residents or walking outside on the Paul Bunyan trail.
 It is hard to be patient and it says in Isaiah 30:15 (God’s Word), “You can be saved by returning to me. You can have rest. You can be strong by being quiet and by trusting me.”
Waiting for the Lord is very beneficial for we are choosing to trust Him as we wait. We are not jumping ahead but recognizing that God is in control and we are waiting for His timing.
In verse 18 it says, The Lord is waiting to be kind to you, He rises to have compassion on you. The Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him,” Because we cannot see the future as we wait, we have to trust. It doesn’t really matter what we think about the situation we are in, for we are not in charge, He is!  He will know when the time is ripe, He will direct us at the right time and in the meantime, we are just to enjoy His company.
In many ways being sick was also a gift for Al and me, as we had extra time to just be with the Lord without distractions, Now I can’t say I would choose that way, but God uses everything in our lives to draw us closer. The Message translation says in verse 15, “Your strength will come from settling down in complete dependence on me.”
During the waiting times in our lives, it is a time of preparation as God gets us ready for what new things He has for us. He takes His time but He does things right and we are blessed if we wait. Let us allow God to do His work in us so He can pour out His goodness on us at just the right time.
Challenge for today: Let us learn to wait well!
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

March, 4, 2022

March 4, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Happy weekend to you! Today I actually accomplished something as I made Al’s cookies and also some choc O Henry bars. We are both doing better and enjoying more soup that was left by our door! Emoji
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Sometimes our usual routine flies out the window when sickness hits and God has much to teach us as our life slows down and everything changes. When we came home from N.C. we weren’t expecting to get sick but rather to pick up where we left off.  I grocery shopped right away, paid the bills, washed clothes etc, and a day or so later started feeling not so good. That changed everything for since we live in Senior living, we are especially careful not to mix with others when we are not well. There are lessons to be learned as I’m sure so many of you have also been through the isolation times during covid, and found out new things about yourselves. I asked the Lord what was He trying to teach me and that I would to be a willing learner.

First of all, I realized I had to listen to my body, which I sometimes ignore. My body wants to get well and it is doing all it can to heal itself and I need to cooperate. That meant sometimes taking 2 or 3 naps a day as I had so little energy. It meant drinking lots more water than I ever care to drink, eating healthily. It meant also asking advice of others of what supplements to take and following their advice. In our Christian walk, it isn’t always easy going and doing whatever we feel like? It is listening carefully to His voice and finding out what He knows is best for us. It is welcoming those who He sends into our lives to help us grow.

I quickly found out that I didn’t need to accomplish so much all in one day but to slow down and enjoy what I was doing. The truth is I didn’t have energy to do more either. But I had time to smell the roses! enjoy each meal and savor each bite. We don’t have to rush through life but let each day unfold, knowing that God has a plan for us. Let us be in the present moment and enjoying His presence with us. If we have a long commute to work, even that can be a time of sharing all that is on our hearts with the Lord as we give Him our day. 
Life was certainly less distracting as I wasn’t running to my exercise class, shopping, or going to meetings. I had all this extra time to just be with the Lord in quietness. Sometimes we need those getaway times to go on retreat and just be together with the Lord. I think those with especially demanding jobs need those times even more, to dial down, and get renewed.
I also found I didn’t have to be concerned about appearances like keeping up a perfect apt and I just settled for comfy clothes (PJ’s) and a very casual hairstyle. The Lord isn’t concerned with the outward for as it says in I Samuel 16:7, “For man sees the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart.”
Hopefully, I have learned new things from being sick that will carry over in my life as I am getting healthy again.
Challenge for today: What things have you learned in alone times?
Blessings on your weekend and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

March 3, 2022

March 3, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you are enjoying the day. We are getting more energy. PTL! I also seem to be getting a cold, and am hoping to shoo it away! I haven’t been outside our apt. so seems impossible. We will enjoy soup today left by our door last night by kind friends! A perfect treat! 
Devotins from Judy’s heart
Perhaps we all have had moments when we have a sense of the supernatural and can actually feel the prayers of others holding us up. It’s like we are going through the actions with much grace but absolutely knowing it is not our power but it is the Lord!
Let us never underestimate the power of prayer for we cannot fully comprehend what a difference it is making in the spiritual realm.
Recently a friend sent me a text message she had received from her sister that was written by a Ukrainian brother who fights for Ukraine. Hopefully it will help us persist in prayer for those suffering and giving their lives for their country.  His words: “I want to inspire those who pray for us with the words of our soldiers and ordinary people from different parts of Ukraine, where the battle takes place. Soldiers of Ukraine testify, ‘We feel your prayerful support. Sometimes something really incomprehensible happens, as if someone’s invisible hand is actually making bullets fly past us. We win in very difficult situations as if someone is helping us. We are invisible to the enemy, while we ourselves become able to see in the dark, and we know what to do and how to do it. It inspires us and gives us strength. We believe that the Jesus Christ Himself is for Ukraine. We ask you not to stop, support us and continue to pray.  We really need you.’”
Sometimes we apologetically say to another, “I can’t do much all I can do is pray.” That is the most important thing we can do as we put it all into God’s hands. It touched my heart to see the picture of rows and rows of soldiers on their knees, many of them lifting their hands heavenward, all praying for God’s help. The future is unknown to them, but humbly asking for God’s help.
As it says in Psalm 107:28-29 (NIV), “Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought the out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided the to their desired haven.”
Only the Lord can hush this horrible storm and may we all stand together with the people of Ukraine and pray as never before.
Challenge for today: Gather with other Christians and pray for the people of Ukraine.
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

 

March 2, 2022

March 2, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
May you have a blessed Ash Wednesday! As we begin this Lenten season, may this be an especially meaningful time for us all. We are still in the healing process and hoping our energy level will rise some more. We are content to stay in our snug apt for now but also longing to get outside on the trail again. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Blessings on this Ash Wednesday! Lent is here and we begin the 40 day period until Easter. The paraments at church are changed to the color purple which stands for penance, preparation and sacrifice, as well as royalty. During this time, we think of Jesus 40 days in the desert as he was tempted by the devil and how He overcame him. We remember His tremendous sacrifice on the cross for us.
Although Al and I would like to be at the Ash Wednesday service, we are going to skip this year to be sure we are completely well and not going to pass anything on to others. Our pastor will be putting ashes in the sign of the cross on the foreheads of all, as with many churches. Ashes represent repentance and it is a time of humbling ourselves before the Lord and asking Him to cleanse us from all our sin. It’s also a reminder that we were dust and one day we will return to dust. (Gen 3:19)
Now many people give up something during lent to make more room for the Lord.  But whatever it is, we don’t need to put it on Facebook for all to read and to appear pious before others. It is rather something hidden that we do out of love for the Lord and is between Him and us. I find it helps me to be reminded of the sacrifice Jesus made for me, as I give up something that is sacrificial for me.
The Lord is after our hearts and not that we keep certain rules, or do outward displays. He wants to have a close relationship with us built on love and humility and gratitude.
We all know what it is like to give something of value to another and yet we may not even get a thank you or an acknowledgement that they received it. I wonder if that is how the Lord feels when we take things for granted, when He suffered and gave everything for us. It is not something to pass over quickly but to ponder, to appreciate, to be full of gratitude, and to be changed because of it.
Let us enter the Lenten season with humble, repentant hearts that are aware of our own sinful ways but also full of gratitude for what Jesus did for us.
Challenge for today: Spend some time in confession of your sins and then time thanking the Lord for His pardoning grace.
Blessings on your Lenten journey and prayers and love, Judy

March 1, 2022

March 1, 2022 / / 0 Comments
Dear Ones,
Hope you wake with anticipation for what the Lord has for you today. 
Devotions from Judy’s heart
Our lives are in God’s hand and we don’t know the number of our days but He does. During this Covid time, many of us have lost friends and family that are no longer with us but in their eternal home. Some were old and some were young but none of them knew the exact moment they would leave this world. But for all of us each day is one day less we have remaining on this earth, and one day closer to what awaits us.
Those of us who know the Lord, what we wait for is more glorious than we can imagine. Like the simple childhood song we may have sung, “Heaven is a wonderful place/ filled with glory and grace/ I want to see my Savior’s face/ Heaven is a wonderful place!”
One day we will be with the Lord and have new bodies but in the meantime, Paul says in Romans 8:23, “Not only so but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” Everything will be made new!
Where we live in Senior independent living, we see what it is like getting older and earthly bodies wearing out. Ambulances pull up now and then, and we have been to funerals for those friends who have died, since coming here 3 years ago. Death seems more real but none of us know how many days we have left, even if we are young.
It is good to imagine what will take place when our time comes, whenever that is, for we will be with the Lord forever. No more sadness, no more pain. Whatever we go through in this life will be worth it all, when we see Him. Like the song goes:
“It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Chrst;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.”
Challenge for today: Live this day as if it was your last day on earth
Blessings on your day and prayers and love, Judy

 

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