The Path

#FiveMinuteFriday and the word prompt is

The Path

When we lived in the country of Latvia a few years ago we had visitors from home! Our niece, Dacia, and her husband, Jordan, flew in to visit the Baltics and to see St. Petersburg and Moscow. We also planned a road trip. To Poland! About a ten hour drive from the capital of Riga, the four of us headed out as if we were driving from Indiana to Florida. Yeah, they’re the same.

We didn’t do much sight-seeing in Lithuania except for a stop at a cemetery. They are amazing, btw, and I was captivated by the decorations (tons of candles) and the giant monuments. Sounds creepy but it was very educational.

On to Warsaw where we met up with the missionaries there and had a most wonderful time seeing the city. Heading back to our hotel one evening, we were relying on our GPS to get us everywhere. The Sweetheart was having a little bit of a hard time finding his way, it is especially difficult when the road signs are in a foreign language. Our nephew, Jordan, was navigating the best he could and the women were giving advice from the back seat. It’s what we do.

Strangely, we began to notice that people were staring at us as we drove down one beautiful street. The trees were perfectly lined up, the street was very, very narrow, one way and most walkers were families with small children and strollers that we were passing by. Confused, but enjoying the view, I turned around as we neared the end of the street and saw a sign with two words on it, in Polish, so I use my trusty Google to look it up and what do you think it said?

Park Miejski

We had just driven through a city park that was strictly for walkers! Our GPS was set on WALK instead of DRIVE and had taken us right down the path of Mommy’s and Daddy’s pushing their little darlings through the beautiful and quiet park. No wonder everyone had turned to stare!

Thankful that we hadn’t been arrested, we hurried on our way to a more vehicle-populated street.

Have you ever been down the wrong path? Found your way without clear direction and wondering what to do next? Proverbs 3:5,6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your path.”

When God is first, when He is your go-to, your GPS so to speak, He will never lead you astray! When you put Him first and ask Him to guide and protect your life, ask Him for direction and seek His will in all things, you can be assured that He will do just that. You never have to wonder if you are in His will, just keep doing what you know to do and if He wants you to do something different then He will open a door or make your path clear and straight.

If you have gotten off of the right path, have neglected your walk with God or just not been as close to Him as you would like to be, don’t put it off another day. Make plans to spend time with the Creator of the Universe who will never leave you nor forsake you but will be your Guide in all things.

“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalm 16:11

Jesus is a Waymaker

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Jesus is a Waymaker.

The night I brought my first newborn home from the hospital I rocked him to sleep. And I sang. Rocking away in that uncomfortable chair, not a care in the world (as long as he wasn’t screaming) and singing Jesus Loves Me or the morbid lullaby, Rockabye Baby in the Treetop. As time went on, I began to widen my repertoire and sang songs that I created impromptu. Somehow, silly as they were, I could make them rhyme and even though they were not going to make it into a Dr. Seuss book OR a Dr. Spock instruction manual, My Three Sons loved them.

Fast forward 35 years and enter Norah Jayne. The very first time I was able to rock her to sleep? I sang. What came out were old choruses from church services gone by. I am a huge fan of the “new” worship songs, can sing along with KLove like nobody’s business but when I sit in that rocking chair, Jesus is a Waymaker.

If you have never heard it, the lyrics are:

Jesus, He is a Waymaker

One day, He made a way for me

One day, when I was lost in sin

One day, Jesus took me in

One day, He made a way for me

The tune is upbeat and catchy and it has become Norah’s favorite. I used to go into an entire medley of old choruses, from Isn’t He Wonderful, I Call Him Jesus, My Rock, When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He has done for me….you get the idea. But as Norah grew from a few weeks old to a couple of months, she became particular. She wanted one song and one song only and that was Jesus is a Waymaker. It has become such a part of the two of us that, if she is fussing, I can start singing that song and she will immediately calm down and go to sleep.

(Btw, I can sing this song even in the middle of the Dixie Stampede pre-show and Norah will go to sleep!)

It is true that Norah doesn’t know much about Jesus making a way for me, you or anyone else. She doesn’t realize that she is a miracle sent from Heaven and only Jesus could have made a way. This sweet baby isn’t aware of the many times God has answered other prayers right on time. Norah has never read the Word, hasn’t prayed a prayer and doesn’t understand the word, Hallelujah. Until she is old enough to comprehend, she just takes comfort in the Name that her mommy, daddy and grandmothers sing about and the peace and serenity it brings to her every single time.

You see, Jesus IS a Waymaker whether we can see it or not, whether we feel it or not. Even when we don’t understand the reason a family member is suffering, our prayers don’t seem to be answered, the bills have all come due at once, the kids are sick, the tensions are high even in a home where God is first…He is still a Waymaker.

When we find ourselves in those difficult seasons, we need to follow the pattern that this old song has set. First, it DECLARES that Jesus is our deliverer, the way-out-of-the-way, the One who can make clear the path for us. Then, like most great songs, it REPEATS the declaration, not once but two more times! We must remind ourselves WHO it is that CAN make things better, that can deliver us and we must declare it. Once we have done that, we then begin to REPEAT it and remind ourselves of that Truth!

Then the chorus tells WHY we know He is a Waymaker…because one day He made a way for ME. Begin to LIST the times that He has showed up with an answer. DEFINE it! Remember the other prayers He has answered and how it was done. Play it over in your mind and give God praise for it. The chorus ends with the same declaration, that it was for ME, so DECLARE it again.

Declare it.

Repeat it.

Define it.

Declare it again.

If you have something in your life today that is impossible for man, take it to The Waymaker. Sing this old song if you know the tune, or make up your own, and begin to declare the promises of God while remembering what He has already done for you!

“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 1:20,21

It is not only our job to teach our little ones that Jesus will be their Deliverer, Savior, Friend, and Ever-Present-Help-in-Trouble, but we must remind OURSELVES and EACH OTHER that He is STILL a Waymaker, making a way for all of us. So, tomorrow, when something impossible comes against you…

Declare it. Let your spirit know that Jesus is God!

Repeat it. Say it a couple more times and with authority.

Define it. List the things He has done for you or others in the past, building up your faith.

Declare it again! The more we say it, the more we believe it and nothing shall be impossible, according to His will and in His perfect timing.

Do you have a favorite lullaby or song that you sang to your children or to your grandchildren? How are you influencing them for the Kingdom? Share with our community of friends! I found a Gaither version of the song that is very similar to the one I sing to Norah. I didn’t know it had verses and the middle is a little different but the tune is the same. Enjoy!

Sharing with Amaze Me Monday, Modest Monday

Loyal

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It’s everyone’s favorite day of the week and my favorite time to write. The #FiveMinuteFriday word prompt today is loyal. Write for five minutes (I try real hard!) with no editing (that is usually noticeable). All for the love of the written word. You can read some of my friends’ posts here!

217,431. Want to guess what that number represents? It’s definitely NOT our bank account, thankfully it is NOT our debt either. And, no, it isn’t the number of friends I have on social media.

This number represents the number of miles we have traveled for Revival By Design in the last 4 1/2 years and the dial that turns on our 2005 Nissan Altima every single day.

We bought this car right before we went to Latvia in 2010, shortly after we had sold our home and nearly all of our possessions. It was the first time we were a one-car couple EVER. We were thrilled to find it, a 2005 with only 30,000 miles on it, I am positive no one had ever sat in the passenger seat or the back at all and we were convinced that the single, older lady that owned it only drove it to church on Sunday’s. It was exactly what we needed and exactly what we could afford.

Fast forward to 2016. We didn’t dream we would still have this loyal friend with us. Of course we would love to have a newer car; who wouldn’t! But if she has been anything, she has been faithful. That is what I think of when I think of the word loyal. Always there, always dependable, never questioning when we hop in for long trips to Milwaukee from Tennessee or heading off to Louisiana, Alabama or Arkansas for the umpteenth time.

Not one time have we been stranded along a highway. Not one time have we had to call a wrecker or someone to fix the car. Aside from a battery, ONE battery, and new tires and oil changes, we have not had to have any serious work performed on our loyal friend. We are forever grateful.

I ~~think~~ know the Lord picked that car for us that day. He knew the miles we would be traveling for the Kingdom, He knew what our finances would be like for the next several years and He alone could provide such an instrument of blessing where we wouldn’t have to worry about transportation when going from church to church.

As simple as this post sounds today, this is our God.

In the seemingly little, everyday things, to the cancers, job losses, divorces and other tragedies that cause our knees to buckle, He is faithful. “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!'” Lamentations 3:22-24 NKJV

Every day I can count on that car to start right up because God provided it for me. And one day when it doesn’t? He will make a way for our ministry to afford another! And every morning, when I rise, I can count on my loyal friend, Jesus, to be waiting for me. He meets me where I am, comforts me, encourages me through His Word and gives me the strength I need for each new day.

And one day when I get up and my world has fallen apart? His Word declares that He will STILL be loyal, still be faithful because He is God and I am His child. He will be the One to make a way of escape.

“The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 3:18

Sharing with Grace and Truth

The Path

Park Miejski

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