Troubled? You've Got a Friend!

Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water:
and they ceased, and there was a calm.

And he said unto them, Where is your faith? Lk 8:24-25 in part

One morning, a week or so ago, I was driving to the bank and fretting over our financial state and the state of our nation.

"Stop worrying!" I told myself. "Remember the promises God has made in His Word and trust Him." I decided to take a deep breath and turn on the car radio thinking how wonderful it would be if perhaps the Spirit of the Lord would bless me by having an uplifting tune play.

Immediately I heard the familiar voice of James Taylor singing...

When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand
and nothing, whoa, nothing is going right.
Close your eyes and think of me and soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there, yeah, yeah,
you've got a friend.

If the sky above you should turn dark and full of clouds
and that old north wind should begin to blow,
keep your head together and call my name out loud.
Soon I will be knocking upon your door.
You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call and I'll be there.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend? People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you. Well, they'll take your soul if you let them,
oh yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name, and you know where ever I am
I'll come running to see you again.
Winter, spring, summer, or fall, all you have to do is call, Lord, I'll be there, yeah, yeah,
you've got a friend. You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend. Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.
Oh, yeah, yeah, you've got a friend.

By the end of the song tears of relief streaked my face and I thanked Him. "Thank you for loving me, Lord, and that you have not forgotten me but do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask or even think." Only my Heavenly Father could know how much those lyrics would minister to me.

Yeah, yeah,
Have WE got a FRIEND~

There's No Place Like Home

...Consider the lilies of the field... Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith?Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?... - Matthew 6:28-31 in part KJV

This is one of those nights when I just don't sleep well. I'm not always certain whether it is the Spirit of the Lord waking me or simply the result of 'getting to that age'.

I look around my room and see a picture we never hung and I know there's another one in the finished basement. We don't hang up all our pictures, I think, because we don't feel at home. I don't think I have ever felt at home anywhere on earth. Ever.

This world is not my home

I'm just a passin' through

as the song goes. Oh, Father God, how I long to go Home.

I wait--will He speak comfort to me?

I charge you to go forward, Daughter, fearing nothing. For truly I have a plan for you and truly My word does not fail. The days are dark and will be darker. But I would not have you to fear for I AM is with you. I AM is for you and goes before you. So fear not.

Do I not take care of the lilies of the field and the birds of the air? How much more do I care for you, Daughter! How much more do I care for you!

...But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. - Matthew 6:33 KJV

Amazing Grace

While in prayer this morning, I was inspired to go to the book shelf to find William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation. The example of the Pilgrims as recorded in this book is very inspiring to me, and with it being our season of Thanksgiving I wanted to read again of them.

I was in wonder at how the healthy ones served those who were close to death:

...There was but six or seven sound persons who to their great commendations, be it spoken, spared no pains night nor day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their own health, fetched them wood, made them fires, dressed them meat, made their beds, washed their loathsome clothes, clothed and unclothed them. In a word, did all the homely and necessary offices for them which dainty and queasy stomachs cannot endure to hear named; and all this willingly and cheerfully, without any gruding in the least, showing herein their true love unto their friends and brethren; a rare example and worthy to be remembered. (p. 77)

A footnote on page 132 mentions that the Pilgrims never had a regular fall Thanksgiving Day. However, a law written on November 1, 1636, allowed the Governor and Assistants "to command solemn days of humiliation by fasting, etc., and also for thanksgiving as occasion shall be offered."

One of these particularly solemn days is recorded in a section entitled "More Semi-Starvation".
It records their pains to put in a great crop of corn only to see it wither in drought:

Yet at length it began to languish sore, and some of the drier grounds were parched like withered hay, part whereof was never recovered. Upon which they set apart a solemn day of humiliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervent prayer, in this great distress. And He was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer...It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in that abundance as that the earth was thoroughly wet and soaked...which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corn and other fruits, as was wonderful to see, and made the Indians astonished to behold.

And afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing. For which mercy, in time convenient, they also set apart a day of thanksgiving. (pp. 131-132)


Oh God! How amazing is Your grace! That You heard the humble prayers of our forefathers and sent the rain. Without You we are nothing!

Open Thy Mouth Wide

For years now I have been keeping a chronicle of my reflections while in the secret place. I have stacks of journals of all sizes and colors where I recorded these sacred moments. I spent almost an hour today trying to find a particular journal so as to recount the details of something fantastic Father God did for me and my family. Although I did not find it, I believe I can remember most of that day in 1999.

Now a month or so prior to this wonderful day, one of our old friends shared how the Lord had given her gold fillings. I had noticed that the amalgam in my aging fillings had turned black and that soon I would have to have them all replaced—something I truly dreaded. So I decided that I would pray and ask the Lord to do for me what He had done for her. Whenever I thought of it, I prayed for this miracle and reminded my Heavenly Father that He was no respecter of persons.

During the week of Pentecost, we invited some friends to come and worship with us and have a picnic. Later that week, I saw Tom off to work; and, as my manner was, went to the little room we used as a library/guest room and sought the Lord. Soon I heard the familiar small still voice within my spirit. “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.”

I did not understand why He was telling me to open my mouth; but I did as He commanded, not wanting to miss out on any good thing. I opened my mouth wide and as I breathed in deeply, I saw a brilliant gold throne high above me. I saw it in the spirit realm even though my physical eyes were open. A great golden ray emanated from the throne towards me. I knew something had happened, but what?

I found and read Psalm 81:10 KJV~I am the LORD thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide and I will fill it. Then I heard in my spirit, “Go to the mirror and look at your teeth.”

As I ran to the bathroom, I grabbed a flashlight because I was finally realizing what had happened. I shone the light on my bottom teeth and the fillings were no longer black but were shimmering with new fillings. They weren’t the yellow gold but were silvery gold!

I started to scream with joy and jump up and down. I had to tell somebody about it! I ran upstairs and pounced on my sleeping daughter Rachel. "Look at my teeth--what do you notice?!" I shrilled into her droopy face. "They'r-r-re shiny?" she sleepily answered for she was barely awake. "I have to call your father and tell him!" While I was downstairs on the phone, Rachel thought within herself, "It would be cool to have a gold filling.”

When Tom came home, the first thing he did was shine the flashlight into my mouth and rejoice with me. Rachel greeted her Dad and then reported to us that her one little filling had also changed to gold! “Well, I want gold fillings, too,” Tom said to himself.

After taking a much-needed nap, Tom came to me in the kitchen where I was preparing dinner. “Guess what, Honey?” he grinned. “YOU TOO?!” I squealed. Sure enough, the glorious Hand of the Lord had touched each one of us that day!

What caused me to recall this special time in our lives, was an email I received recently from Kathie Walters (kathiewaltersministry.com). She wanted to share what happened while ministering at a seminar recently:

Several people in the last couple of weeks have written to me or spoken to me about TURKEY. They smelled turkey cooking, or had a dream about roast turkey or a vision or felt they had the taste of turkey in their mouth.


I know Thanksgiving is coming but it's not entirely to do with that holiday. On Saturday I had a need in our ministry and I had a vision of myself and I was holding up an empty plate to the Lord and asking Him to give me something. Now the plate I had was an English blue and white china plate - it was pretty ( I have those plates) but it was small like a tea plate. The Lord said to me " That's a small plate" and right away I had a bigger dinner sized plate I was holding up to him. Next minute the plate was filled with a turkey ( roasty potatoes, carrots etc). Then the Lord filled the turkey with this wonderful smelling stuffing.

God said this to me: "If you keep a spirit of Thanksgiving in your mouth I will fill the turkey." So of course I started praising the Lord and thanking Him for everything I could think of, including all my wonderful friends He has put in my life.

During the break in the Saturday seminar a friend came up and said the Lord had told her to give me a chunk of $$ to help meet this need we had. We still have some needs but I am going to keep thanking Him. We have so much to be grateful for don't we? We just sometimes forget all His benefits. But thanksgiving is a key to release God's blessings in your life.
~~~

Let us all open our mouths wide! Not with worry, fear, and complaining, but WITH PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING trusting that He is the God who supplies all our needs and does exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think!


Phl 4:19 KJV - But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Eph 3:20-21 KJV - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him [be] glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.