"Ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
Matthew 7:7
"Faith is born and sustained by the word of God, and out of faith grows the flower of joy."
John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist
Psalm 19:1-4 NIV
Psalm 147:3
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
John 16:33
So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
John 16:22
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthian 1:3
Isaiah 41:10
Jeremiah 31:3
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- Not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
2 Timothy 1:9
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
Psalms 8:3-5 NKJV
He made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to go down. You bring darkness, it becomes night , and all the beasts of the forest prowl. The lions roar for their prey and seek their food from God. The sun rises, and they steal away, they return and lie down in their dens. How many are your works, Lord! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number--living things both large and small.
~Psalm 104:19-26 NIV
The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent. and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.
`Psalm 104:2-5
~Jeremiah 31:35
Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
~Proverbs 11:29 ESV
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
~Acts 2:1-4 ESV
~Mark 4:39 ESV
"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the spirit."
~John 3:8 ESV
Matthew 6:28-30 NIV
See! The Winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land.
~Song of Songs 2:11-12 NIV
"Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these."
~Luke 12:27
But the rich should take pride in their humiliations - since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossoms falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business. Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
~James 1:10-12
A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever."
~Isaiah 40:6-8 NIV
~Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
These pictures are from Garden of the Gods, a silhouette of the canyons stretching across the horizon. The healing touch of nature is what I seek when I need calmness and serenity in my life. Jesus stretches out his hand to give a handling touch for those who seek him. When our daughter died, I couldn't sleep or rest without tears falling. I was in anguish, my heart was broken and the tears fell endlessly. It was my husband holding me in his arms until I finally went to sleep each night that helped to calm and comfort me. Through my husband actions, I experience God's presence in those moments of anguish and sorrow.
Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ~Mark 1:41 NRSV
Sometimes it is the last stone to be lifted from the grieving heart--the inability to accept forgiveness. It's a mountain for me to climb. Not being there during my daughter's last weeks and days of her short live. She was in Anguilla far from home. I ask myself a thousands times why didn't I do this or that to persuade her to come home. I know if she knew how serious her health had deteriorated, she would have seek help. None of us knew but I allow weeks to go by without talking to her. Pancreatic encephalopathy is associated with symptoms like confusion, hallucinations, agitation and apathy. She had all those symptoms. She was volatile so our relationship was strained. I didn't know how to help her and she was very angry. Her pancreas had stopped functioning properly and her blood sugar was out of control. Her body was starving and she was not taking her medication for depression. How could things get so out of control? I pray for God to help me with this mountain of guilt. I miss my girl so much. There were people in her life who took serious advantage of her addictions. Addiction is an illness and those who supply drugs and alcohol are destroying so many young people's lives. I have not been able to forgive those individuals. Forgiving myself is hard enough but to forgive those who harmed her is even more difficult. I need to unload this weight of guilt and to forgive. Pray for me.
Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
~Isaiah 40:31 NRSV
I can find renewed strength as I wait for the Lord.
The Lord proclaims: Stop at the crossroads and look around; ask for the ancient paths. Where is the good way? Then walk in it and find a resting place for yourselves.
~Jeremiah 6:16 CEB
Though God's paths are ancient, they are also timeless.
