Ch. 713 - All I Have

'Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy
name.'
[Psalm 103:1]

To praise our Lord God with all our inmost being... what an incredulous thing. Do we truly let ourselves do that, though? I know at times, that's all I want to do. But I hold myself back. Containment. Why?

As much as I love to just put my thoughts out there and go on to the next thing [or post, in this case - seeing how I'm behind a couple days...], I can't answer this question right now. I need time to think about it... and decide what, if anything, I want to say.

But God is good.
And He does deserve to be praised with everything we have.

......

Click here to revisit Chapter 143.

Ch. 712 - Triumphant Praise

TRIUMPH.
VICTORY.

The enemy has been defeated.
He has overcome sin and the grave.

PRAISE.
REJOICE!

We have been given freedom.


'When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth - Gog and Magog - to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown in to the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.'
[Revelation 20:7-10]

......

Click here to revisit Chapter 132.

Ch. 703 - I had to.

Lover of my soul.
Creator of my heart.
Beautiful is He.
And beautiful am I.

He can do great things.

All it takes is a breath.

Life.
Renewal.
Thirst, quenched.
Hunger, satiated.

Zeal.
Strength.
A new perspective.

Made alive.

The Lord Himself will proclaim and declare His greatness.
Are our eyes and ears open?


'Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, O Lord, have delivered my
soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.'
[Psalm 116:7-9]

Ch. 687 - Highest Praise

'To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy - to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.'
[Jude 24-25]

Oh, to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Oh, the goodness and grace of God the Father.

Thankfulness abounds.

Ch. 686 - I refuse.

I am so glad that I am in Bible college right now...


'I do not sit with deceitful men,
nor do I consort with hypocrites;
I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, O Lord,
proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.'
[Psalm 26:4-7]

Ch. 681 - Steady

And I will praise You
up on the mountain...
down in the valley...
I will meet with You, God.


'Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.'
[Psalm 145:3]

Ch. 654 - Constant

'I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.'
[Psalm 69:30]

This verse often convicts me in regards to the fact that we do not do either of these things. At least not in sincerity, with a pure heart - and certainly not often enough.

Ch. 226 - To This Day

'My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.'
[Psalm 71:15-17]

7. September 2010 Edit:

This is a psalm of supplication and praise. I've actually been thinking lately about how it is easy for us to bless God with our praise and worship after He has done something in our favor, answered our prayers, etc. But really, we should be swift to praise Him before and throughout our time of supplication. It should be continuous. Imagine a life lived doing exactly what the above verses state.

Telling of His righteousness.
Proclaiming His mighty acts.
Declaring His marvelous deeds.

What a testament to the belief that our Lord God is sovereign.

Ch. 182 - Revel in the Revelation

Oh goodness. I love the book of Revelation.


This week's memory verse:

' "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created." '
[Revelation 4:11, NASB]

Ch. 173 - He Surrounds Us

Today was simply lovely.
Beautiful.
Perfect.

Have you ever started to walk outside and suddenly stopped in your tracks because you are sincerely and utterly amazed at how wonderful a day it is? Today was one of those days here in Moberly, Missouri.

It was like I could feel God enveloping me in His arms and I was just breathing Him in.
'Every breath I take I breathe in You.'
But sometimes I forget that.
Not today.
Thank you, God.


' "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." '
[Revelation 4:11]

Ch. 167 - Falling in Love

Today I went on a walk. I went behind the soccer field on a dusty, gravel path. It led to a road, beyond which there was a neighborhood. I crossed the street and walked on a sidewalk away from the neighborhood, east. Before I had gone very far I noticed a small trail leading into a grove of trees between the backyards of the neighborhood and an open field. I decided to check it out, seeing how I love woodsy trails.

I started along and soon saw a large tree off to the side of the path. Some of its branches have grown out and downward from the trunk, creating an archway over the path. It was like a grand, welcoming entryway and I took my precious time crossing under.

Before long I came to a wooden bridge. There's no stream or creek running below it, and there are certainly no trolls living underneath. But it's there. And I've decided that I love it for simply being there.

I kept walking. Up ahead the trail splits. To the left, the trail goes farther into the grove. To the right, there is a wooden platform and a few rows of benches in front of the platform. Beyond the benches there is an open field of grass. I decided to turn to my right. I walked a few steps, jumped onto the platform and looked out across the field.

My breath caught in my throat and I found myself saying, "Thank you, God."

Some people may not find the field particularly beautiful. There are no wildflowers growing. There aren't even any clover patches like there are in the grassy areas of Central. Ever since I was a little girl I have loved clover patches. Who cares if clover is technically a weed? But it was love at first sight. There's something about the field that made me so grateful for God's creation. Just this past year I finally realized that there is truly beauty in all things, all situations and all people. It may simply take some time to see that beauty.

For some reason, I was able to see the beauty in this field instantly.
And I praise God for this.


'May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works - he who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord.'
[Psalm 104:31-34]

Ch. 165 - A New Light

Last night there was a bonfire for the new students. Now, when I think ‘bonfire’ I think of large, roaring flames dancing toward the sky. So imagine my disappointment when I reach said bonfire with one of my roommates, Leez, and see a somewhat pathetic, little pit of fire. Okay, so it honestly wasn’t that pathetic. I’m just making a big deal out of nothing. But as people stood around this fire, there was a sense of community that made the fire seem bigger, brighter and warmer than any other bonfire I've experienced.

Someone had brought a guitar and we started to sing some worship songs. Everybody sang. Nobody was too cool to sing. Nobody was too shy to sing. Nobody was too embarrassed to sing. Every single student was lifting their voices in praise to God. Beautiful. His presence was felt by, I'm sure, many of the students. I was so glad that I had made my way over to the fire and was there for that time of praise. It was a perfect way to end the evening, as well as a perfect way to start the week.


' "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." '
[Matthew 18:20]

Ch. 145 - Fear

I hope this isn't taken as a prideful or boastful thing to say... but today I realized that I truly don't have any fears. Do you know how comforting that is to know about yourself? That may sound strange, but honestly, it's true. And what good does it do to fear things of this world? To fear thought or knowledge, beast or man?

I suppose that's what I mean by 'I truly don't have any fears.' That I'm not afraid of anything. I think the only 'fear' I have is that of fearing God. But I'm not afraid of Him. To fear God is to fear the judgment of God. I think to fear God is to have reverence and awe for Him... I think that's in a psalm somewhere...

Anyway.

This is my story. And at least in this chapter, I'm the most fearless person there is. Oh goodness. I can't skip around it anymore. If that's not pride talking, I don't know what is! Forgive me. Perhaps I'm at the point where I could say 'I have nothing to fear but fear itself.'


'Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.'
[Psalm 33:8]

'The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?'
[Psalm 118:6]

Ch. 137 - Pulled Up By God

OUR GOD IS GOOD. ALL THE TIME.

This morning I got what I've been praying for.
I love the irony of it all.
On the verge of being quite upset about the whole situation, I decided to post about it yesterday. And here I am today, posting that I received what I've been praying for. Waiting for. Here's the best part: the sermon in church today was about waiting in patient hope. Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.


'Out of the depths I cry to you,
O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the
morning,
more than watchmen wait for the
morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.'
[Psalm 130]

My psalms reading for the evening were psalms 120 to 130. I almost lost it as I read Psalm 130. It was perfect. Is perfect.

Ch. 134 - The Thanksgiving

I worked outside in the yard for a long time today. It was a very pleasant day. A bit on the humid side - but I love warm, humid weather, so I was quite content. The sun was shining in a perfect, cerulean sky, a slight breeze blew across my face every so often... and for most of the day I had a cardinal singing to me while I worked. Truly, a beautiful day.

Now, once you've got a set task in mind and decide to start and you're up to your elbows in dirt, yard work doesn't require a lot of thinking. Just doing. So I had a lot of space for thought - and a lot of time to think. Thus, I did just that. I thought about all kinds of things. Of 'shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings'. Alright, so maybe I didn't think of said things. But I certainly could have! No, instead I thought about things along the lines of family and friends, future times and God. Surprise, surprise, eh? I must say, though, that sometimes I don't know what will come up next as I let my mind wander on random thoughts. So yes, at times my own thoughts surprise me. Or more like the way I get to thinking about something surprises me. For example, at the end of it all I'll think, 'How did I get from thinking about strawberries to my pillow, and then from my pillow to God? Honestly, Natalie.' [True thought, by the way.]

Anyway. Before I knew it, I was thinking about God. Same ol', same ol', really. How cool He is. How big and small He is. How loving He is. And before I knew it, I found myself thanking God for basically everything I could think of. And I mean everything. It was really a nice time to do so. I was living in a perfect day. In the presence of a perfect God. How could I not be thankful for, in fact, everything?

I've said before that I need to give thanks to God more often. If I am to truly worship Him every minute of every day by living my life for Him, it should take up more of my time than it presently does. I feel a mid-year resolution coming on...


'Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
[Ephesians 5:19-20]

......

Ch. 134, Part Two:

This week's memory verse:
'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.'
[1 John 1:9]

Ch. 118 - The Name Game

I've had a great fascination with names for the past year or so. Name meanings, origins, etc. I used to not like my [first] name. I didn't care about what it meant, even if other people (namely my parents) thought it was interesting. I was always mad that it didn't mean something cool - as a descriptive meaning, that is. Like, 'sweet' or 'adventurous' or something. I liked names that people could 'live up to', if that makes sense. So obviously, if your name did indeed mean 'adventurous', you could grow up to be adventurous and everything that goes with it. Daring. Bold. Courageous.

But me? That doesn't really work. Natalie comes from the Latin phrase 'natale domini', which means 'day of our Lord' or 'day of the Christ' - so basically 'Christmas'. Now that I've been born again and really have a true appreciation for being saved by Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him, it means more to me. But I can specifically recall one point in time thinking, "What kind of a name is Natalie anyway? Christmas is just a holiday for greed and gluttony. I wish I was named something else." I wouldn't change my name for anything, now. I love it.

Honestly, my name actually gives me comfort and strength when I'm not feeling too great. It may seem weird, but when I simply say or think my name and what it means, it helps me think of my Savior and the God who sent Him to us. And how great He is. I find it interesting to think how my own name can bring me such comfort and happiness by thinking about its meaning. Our God is so, so good.


'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.'
[Psalm 139:14]

Ch. 112 - A Storm For Me

Tonight there were a lot of storms in east central Iowa, including Cedar Rapids. The thunderstorm lasted quite some time and I enjoyed every minute of it. I simply love storms. The lightning was so bright that it lit up our entire yard. The thunder was so tremendous that it shook the walls of our house. The storm was topped off with a round of hail.

For some reason I was really thankful for this storm. Even though Iowa's had so much rain this past month - and at one point I definitely would have given anything for a full day of sunshine - hearing the rain pour down outside made me incredibly happy.

I think it's partly because it simply gave me a good reminder of how powerful our God is. In a way I kind of needed that.

Man oh man, our God is good.


'But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you.'
[Psalm 33:18-22]

Ch. 106 - All the Time

God is good.
All the time.

It may be difficult to see or realize some of the time.
But it's always true, regardless of how apparent it is.

You can turn away all you want.

He is always going to be there.
He is so real.
His love is always going to be there.
His love is so real.


'Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!'
[Philippians 4:4]

Ch. 73 - Revelation

Where to begin, where to begin?

Actually, what I have to say isn't that complicated.
I simply like to say, "Where to begin, where to begin?"

A couple weeks ago I had an interesting dream. Basically, I dreamed the book of Revelation. Start to finish - from John being on the island of Patmos to the multitude in white robes worshiping God... from the sounding of the seven trumpets to the fall of Babylon. It was incredibly vivid. Very surreal. Having read the book of Revelation enough times before, and then having read it a couple times after, I saw that my dream was very, very accurate to the book.

You know, I love the book of Revelation. It is, quite possibly, my favorite book of the Bible. I've been doing a lot of study on it recently; it's positively fascinating. Every time I read it I 'see' something new. Something different stands out.

One part of my dream that really stood out was the immense amount of death. And suffering. And pain. And loss. It was horrible, really. I don't really like to think about it, but I know that it has to happen.

Just so you can wrap your minds around it, I'll give you some numbers.

The earth's population is approximately 6.7 billion. When the fourth seal is opened, a quarter of the earth's population will be killed. When the sixth trumpet is sounded, a third of the earth's population will be killed. Here are the first set of numbers:

.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
.33 x 6.7 billion = 2.23 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 2.23 billion = 3.905 billion deaths

I looked up some populations on earth, and 3.905 billion happens to be the approximate population of Asia. So imagine - all of Asia - gone. Wiped off the face of the earth.

Now, when I was calculating these numbers, I didn't think about the fact that the third of the population that would be killed would be of the 'new' population once the quarter of the original population had been killed. So here's what the real numbers would be:

.25 x 6.7 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
6.7 billion - 1.675 billion = 5.025 billion
.33 x 5.025 billion = 1.675 billion deaths
1.675 billion + 1.675 billion = 3.35 billion deaths

3.35 billion deaths. Amazing. 3.35 billion is half of the original population, 6.7 billion. Half of the people of this earth - gone. It's interesting that Asia holds more than half the earth's population. Fun fact: Did you know that India will soon take over China's rank as the most populous country? Well, I mean, 'soon' means in thirty-two years. I thought that was interesting, too.

It's just a reminder of how powerful our Almighty God is and that He can do whatever He wants. He doesn't have to be just. He doesn't have to be kind. He doesn't have to be merciful. He is. But He doesn't have to be. We are blessed to be so loved.


'The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.'
[2 Thessalonians 2:9-10]

Ch. 37 - Touched

I've lost count of how many times God has touched my heart these past few months. I say only these past few months because never before them had I felt anything... from Him. As much as I don't like to admit it now, God simply was not in my life until the midpoint of last term. Why exactly then everything changed, I don't know. I don't care. Things started to happen, I started to become a different person. God was now a part of my life. And I couldn't be happier about it. Sure, I was raised in a Christian home with God-loving parents. I went to service. I taught Sunday school. I went on mission trips. I sang in the choir - well, when I felt like it, at least - and rang in the handbell choir (which I miss more than you can imagine). Wasn't very much interested in youth group at times, but still made appearances every now and then. My church in Iowa has a very large congregation. But I was known. I was liked. Loved. And I loved right back.

The only problem was, I was only following the second greatest commandment - not the first.

That's changed now. Praise God, that's changed.


'Jesus replied:" 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment." '
[Matthew 22:37]