My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 42

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June 8th

Day 42

Therefore being justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,

and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also:

knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

and patience, experience;

and experience, hope;

and hope maketh not ashamed;

because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts

by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.

Romans 5:1-5

Life is a great mixture of happiness and tragic storm.

He who comes out of it rich in living,

is he who dares to accept it all,

face it all,

and let it blow its power, mystery and tragedy

into the inmost recesses of the soul.

A victory so won in this life will then be an eternal possession.

-Charles Lewis Stanley

Springs In The Valley

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world:

And this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

I John 5:4

Faith can change any situation.

No matter how dark it is,

no matter what the trouble may be,

a quick lifting of the heart to God in a moment of real, actual faith in Him,

will alter the situation in a moment.

God is still on His throne,

and He can turn defeat into victory in a second of time,

if we really trust Him.

-Streams In the Desert

Father God, I thank Thee for this day.

I thank You for the garden – for the opportunity to get my hands in the soil – to watch the plants grow and produce food for us to eat.

I thank You for the chickens – something to care for – a reason to get up and get on with the day.

I thank You for this job – it is from You – and it is what I need to make me leave the house and interact with people. When I’m reconciling a bank statement it takes all my concentration and I don’t think about my situation.

I thank You for friends and neighbors – people who care.

I thank You for this family that You gave me.

I am so blessed.

Yes – I hurt.

I opened myself up to the hurt when I chose to love.

It was worth it – for the good far outweighs the bad.

So I praise You, Lord!

Love is a risk I will take every time, for the rewards are great!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 41

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June 7th

Day 41

Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God:

for unto Thee will I pray.

My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O Lord;

in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.

Psalm 5:1-3

Thank You Lord, for the psalms. I am learning to appreciate them more and more every day.

But this I say,

He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;

and he which soweth bountifully shall also reap bountifully.

I Corinthians 9:6

Lord, I have certainly “reaped bountifully” with all the love and support that I have received – BEYOND MEASURE!

I thank You for Your blessings on me – for Your continued presence in my life – for Your guidance every day – for Your abundant provision.

You are my Shalom  – Shalvah!

But none saith,

Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

Job 35:10

Lord, I can testify – You give songs in the night!

Just what I need.

Just when I need it.

You bring it to my mind and I awake with a song on my heart.

All those hours sitting at that old upright piano, picking out the notes of all the old hymns in that Methodist Hymnal, planting the words deep in my soul, to have them rise to the occasion when they were sorely needed.

Thank You, God!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 40

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June 6th

Day 40

But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing,

that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years,

and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness;

but is long-suffering  to us-ward, not willing that any should perish,

but that all should come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;

in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,

and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,

the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved,

what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,

looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,

wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved,

and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Nevertheless we, according to His promise,

look for new heavens and a new earth,

wherein dwelleth righteousness.

II Peter 3:8-13

I look to the day of Your returning, O Lord!

It has been 40 days learning to live on my own. Something I’ve never had to experience before. I graduated high school and we were married the following Saturday. I moved from my parents house into our home so living alone is new to me. I thank God for Ms. Pepper. She is a faithful companion.

The garden and the chickens also require my attention so I am required to get up and get moving everyday.

God Is Good!

All The Time!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 39

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June 5th

Day 39

3 a.m. meltdown –

Lord, I fall apart at the strangest times.

I am weary with my groaning;

All the night I make my bed to swim;

I water my couch with my tears.

Psalm 6:6

I never know when it will come.

Something triggers a memory and I fall apart.

Thank You, O God, that You are with me.

I am not alone in my time of trouble.

My Song For This Day

I must tell Jesus all of my trials;

I cannot bear these burdens alone;

In my distress He kindly will help me;

He ever loves and cares for His own.

I must tell Jesus!

I must tell Jesus!

I cannot bear my burdens alone.

I must tell Jesus!

I must tell Jesus!

Jesus can help me, Jesus alone.

I must tell Jesus all of my troubles;

He is a kind, compassionate Friend;

If I but ask Him, He will deliver,

And in my griefs with me He will blend.

Tempted and tried I need a great Savior,

One who can help my burdens to bear;

I must tell Jesus, I must tell Jesus;

He all my cares and sorrows will share.

O how the word to evil allures me!

O how my heart is tempted to sin!

I must tell Jesus; He will enable

Over the world the victory to win.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 38

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June 4th

Day 38

Sow to yourselves in righteousness,

Reap in mercy;

Break up your fallow ground:

For it is time to seek the Lord,

Till He come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12

Now the parable is this:

The seed is the Word of God.

Those by the wayside are they that hear;

Then cometh the devil,

And taketh away the word out of their hearts,

Lest they should believe and be saved.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear,

Receive the word with joy;

And these have no root,

Which for a while believe,

And in times of temptation fall away.

And that which fell among the thorns are they,

Which, when they have heard, go forth,

And are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life,

And bring no fruit to perfection.

But that on the good ground are they,

Which in an honest and good heart,

Having heard the word, keep it,

And bring forth fruit with patience.

Luke 8:11-15

At any time, the receptiveness of your heart will determine your response to God’s Word.

-Experiencing God Day By Day

Lord, I thank You for Your Word.

I thank You for the faithful men and women who preach Your Word and who teach Your Word.

Bless each one who reads Your Word, who meditates on Your Word, who studies to understand and to put into practice Your Word.

May they bear fruit.

Thy testimonies are wonderful:

Therefore doth my soul keep them.

The entrance of Thy words giveth light;

It giveth understanding unto the simple.

I opened my mouth, and panted;

For I longed for Thy commandments.

Look Thou upon me, and be merciful unto me,

As Thou used to do unto those that love Thy name.

Order my steps in Thy Word:

And let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Deliver me from the oppression of man:

So will I keep Thy precepts.

Make Thy face to shine upon Thy servant;

And teach me Thy statutes.

Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,

Because they keep not Thy law.

Psalm 119:129-136

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 37

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Monday, June 3rd

Day 37

Out into this same old life you must go today as ever,

but down underneath you can be nourished by the everlasting streams of God.

-Springs In The Valley

Thank You Lord, for this new day.

Thank You for the rain showers overnight.

I won’t need to water the garden this morning.

Thank You for Dianne, and for this job opportunity.

Another step on this new path I am on.

I made fried chicken and potato salad for my Sunday dinner – not an easy task – this cooking for one – but I can learn.

Or else I can invite others to share my Sunday dinner!

Show me how to serve in this different role.

Lord, lead me through this dark valley.

I find myself bewildered, uncertain.

Do I continue with the plans we had made together or are You sending me in different direction?

I am trusting that You will guide me.

When we find ourselves deficient in wisdom,

it is not because the Word of God has pages missing,

but because we have not seen all there is on the pages we already have.

It is not another book we need,

but better attention to the book we have;

it is not more knowledge we require,

but better vision to see what is already been revealed in Jesus Christ.

-Eugene H. Petersen

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 36

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Sunday, June 2nd

Day 36

To whom then would ye liken Me, or shall I be equal?

Saith the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things,

that bringeth out their host be number:

He called them all by names by the greatness of His might,

for that He is strong in power;

not one faileth.

Isaiah 40:25-26

Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in His ways.

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house:

thy children like olive plants  round about thy table.

Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.

The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion:

and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life.

Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.

Psalm 128

The only way to learn strong faith is to endure great trials.

I have learned my faith by standing firm amid severe testing.

-George Mueller

The time to trust is when all else fails.

“Be not afraid, only believe.”

And if you are afraid, just look up and say,

“What time I am afraid I will trust in Thee.”

And you will yet thank God for the school of sorrow which was to you the school of faith.

-A.B. Simpson

-Streams In The Desert

GOD IS MY REFUGE

Near the Cross, a trembling soul,

Love and mercy found me;

There the Bright and Morning Star

Shed His beams around me.

Near the Cross! I’ll watch and wait,

Hoping, trusting ever,

Till I reach the golden strand,

Just beyond the river.

In the Cross, in the Cross,

Be my glory ever,

Till my raptured soul shall find

Rest beyond the river.

-Fanny J. Crosby









My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 35

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Saturday, June 1st

Day 35

I entreat you, give no place to despondency.

This is a dangerous temptation – a refined, not a gross temptation of the adversary.

Melancholy contracts and withers the heart, and renders it unfit to receive the impressions of grace.

It magnifies and gives a false coloring to objects, and thus renders your burdens too heavy to bear.

God’s designs regarding you, and His methods of bringing about these designs, are infinitely wise.

-Madam Guyon

-Streams In The Desert

Thank You Lord. For this new day.

Thank You for Your special touch yesterday.

You broke my heart for those who are lost.

Lord. Give me the words to share.

Show me my part in Your plan.

Use me as You choose.

I am willing to be made willing.

Does Olin know that they mowed the pasture on Memorial Day and baled the hay today?

Does he know that his strawberry plants produced an abundant harvest?

Does he know that his chickens are growing and so is his garden?

Lord, I do miss him so – but I am OK – You are with me.

However, I do cry at the dumbest things!

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 34

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May 31st

Day 34

Thank You Lord, for this new day.

Thank You for the robin who sings to me from my roof top when I go out in the morning to let the chickens out of their coop.

Thank You for the frogs making their home in my garden.

Thank You for my garden, for the opportunity to watch things grow, and for the privilege of feeding the family from the food produced.

Are things as I always thought that they would be?

No, but my soul is at peace this morning.

Will there still be those bad days?

Probably so, but I will get through them for You are with me.

My Journey Through The Dark Valley – Day 33

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Thursday, May 30th

Day 33

And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sin,

and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand,

having His Father’s name written in their foreheads.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder:

and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps;

and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders:

and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand,

which were redeemed from the earth. 

Revelation 14:1-3

Despise not the school of sorrow, O my soul;

it will give thee a unique part in the universal song.

-George Matheson

There are songs which can only be learned in the valley.

No art can teach them; no rules of voice can make them perfectly sung.

Their music is in the heart.

They are songs of memory, of personal experience.

They bring out their burden from the shadow of the past; they mount the wings of yesterday.

-Streams In The Desert

LORD, You are teaching me a new song.

Praising You in the midst of the pain provides for me, the healing experience.

Thank You, God!

Knowing that I am not standing alone brings me comfort.

Experiencing small touches of Your mercy and Your grace throughout my day reminds me – I am not forgotten.

This is not a part that I would have chosen for myself but when I surrendered my will it became Your choice for my life, and I accept that.

Teach me to sing this new part You have for me.

Use me as You choose.