The Story: OK, so I’ve been struggling to keep up with the pages for the Story. It’s in chronological order and was written to be read in that order. This has been bothering me greatly. So after much discussion with Sean we decided to do something a little different with the Story. Sean’s going to have a blog of his own, I’ll link to it as soon as it’s up. He is planning on writing through the Story when we get that up and going.
“Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion, he ordered that Paul be taken to the fortress.” Acts 21:34
Have you ever played Dizzy Lizzy? It’s a really fun game with two teams running a relay race. You start with a bat, one end touching the ground and the other end touching your forehead. Then you have to spin around the bat ten times before running down to the end of the field and back tagging the next teammate so that they can do the very same thing. It’s one of the most hilarious things to watch in the world! When it’s your turn, when your teammates yell out, “ten” and you stand up straight, it’s no longer you that’s spinning, but your entire world is. And you’re trying to stumble around in order to make some movement toward the end of the field, but you really don’t get very far because, well, because you’re dizzy from the spinning and you can’t really see straight. Your balance is usually off and it takes a few seconds for everything to straighten back up again so that you can really RUN.
That’s how I have felt this last week. With so many changes that have hit all at once, mainly the kids being home for summer vacation, it feels like I’ve been thrown into a Dizzy Lizzy game. June 1st hit and my team shouted, “ten”, and I went to run and instead I felt like I just stumbled through this entire last week. I’ve always done my reading and usually my writing in the morning because it’s calmer in the mornings. But last week I found that it was very difficult to do. With work and taking care of the kids and getting them on track it was very difficult to get the reading done let alone any real writing. I was having trouble putting two thoughts together let alone sentences that made sense! There were some days I didn’t finish until 10pm or later! So yesterday during the quiet of my Sabbath I took the time to pray and to PLAN. I looked at my schedule and realized that there was really only one way that this was going to work, get up REALLY early and do it while everyone was asleep.
So here I am at five in the morning, reading and tapping away on my little computer, storing up the Truth for the day. (And PRAYING for a nice nap later in the day, I run on SLEEP not caffeine.) And when I got to the end of today’s Word of the Day, this verse hit me like a ton of bricks. “Since he couldn’t find out the truth in all the uproar and confusion”. It’s so much more difficult to find out the Truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth when everything around you is dizzy and chaotic. If you’re world is spinning from change or trauma it’s kinda hard to focus in on the Truth your seeking when you’re simply trying to figure out which direction you’re going. And that’s what hit me; Satan is the Author of Chaos! He is the Father of Lies and the Thief of Truth and if he could keep me spinning, then he could keep me from finding new Truths. And oh! If he could keep me from finding new Truths then he could keep me from telling them to you so that you would know them too.
But God is good and gracious and is an ever present strength in times of trouble. He is the Author of Order, the Father of Truth and the Giver of Revelation. And most of all, He LOVES us. He wants us to know His Truth, to seek it like a buried treasure, hidden from those who would scorn it. But like the great Father playing hide and seek with His two year old, He doesn’t hide it where it’s truly hard to find if you’re actually looking for it. Often it’s right out there in the open you just have to have the eyes to see it and the ears to hear it, which He gives you readily when you ask.
Which brings me to realize; I haven’t shared my Morning Prayer with you in a VERY long time!!! I’m so sorry! This prayer was given to me straight from Holy Spirit on the day after my pilgrimage on the Emmaus Road. (The Walk to Emmaus, click here for more life changing information on this amazing weekend with Jesus!) He then began adding to it throughout the weeks and months that followed. I’ll be giving you the core of the prayer, but I’ll tell you that, for me, every morning it comes out a little differently.
Lately, I’ve been focusing on opening my heart to FULLY receive His love for me today. I’ve been spending a lot more time praying about the receiving of love lately; that I would receive and see and feel and appreciate His love for me more and that I would then translate that love to my husband and my children and my friends more. Love conquers all! These three remain, faith, hope and love the greatest of these is love! If faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, what can love do??? THAT’S what I want to find out. THAT’S the secret hidden treasure I search for every morning. If His love for us is the greatest treasure in all the land, then that’s the treasure I’m seeking. That’s the treasure I want to find. That’s the treasure that can do more than move mountains, it can heal wounds inflicted so deeply and so badly that there seems to be no human hope of healing them. But Jesus’ Love can!
Jesus’ Love can move more than mountains, it moves Heaven and Earth to find a single lost little lamb. And then brings it lofted upon shoulders back into the flock where there is such rejoicing in Heaven, the likes of which has never been seen.
Today is Sunday, and that means it’s Sunday SHMILY day! Sadly, I don’t really have that many pictures to share with you this week; though God gave me hundreds of hearts and smiles. But they were all so quick there was no way for me to photograph them. However, on Friday I was able to get this beauty on “film”!
And in our first watermelon of the season too! He is so sweet!
Have a fantastic day ya’ll! I love you!!!!!
Tamar Knochel 
Pingback: Fortress | Tamar Knochel