Round-the-Clock Vigil

Greetings,

A week ago yesterday my daughter's child, a dog named Blue,  had her beautiful puppies, and we are all crazy about them. I have been visiting her more than usual  -  I assure you my son-in-law enjoys my company  - and later today I will be puppy sitting.  Even so, their first week of life was exhausting.  It was a round-the-clock vigil making sure mom and babies were fed, hydrated, warm, and comfortable. Rachel and her husband, Emilio, have been true warriors barely sleeping more than a couple hours at night.  As she puts it, "When any puppy whimpers, no matter how quietly, I hear it, and I get up."  

God understands this profoundly.  And today, as we pray right out of the Bible from Psalm 121, let's be grateful,  that unlike Rachel, Emilio, and the rest of us, God has perfect execution. He keeps a round-the-clock vigil over our lives, but He never takes a break.  

 "My helps comes from You, Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. You will not let me fall, and You, my Guardian, will not fall asleep. Indeed, You never rest or sleep. You are my shade, and the sun will not beat down on me during the day nor will the moon at night. You guard me from every evil.  You guard my life.  You guard me as I come and go, now and forever." AMEN. 

Click on this link for a little video: https://youtu.be/y5J0qexme5o

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You~

Good morning,

My family just keeps growing!  This past year we have added Tucker, Trooper, Hershey, and just this past weekend, Blue.  An Australian Cattle dog from the Blue Heeler category, and she is a cutie! Thank you, God, for blessing our lives with furry friends.  And while we are on the subject of things we give thanks for, I want to take a moment to talk about my kids.

When they were little I was CONSTANTLY reminding them to say, “Thank you.” I wanted to make sure they were appreciative of gifts they had received or compliments they were given.  And then one day something magical happened! Before I could get the words out of my mouth, Miss five-year-old Rayray said it on her own in response to something my mother-in-law gave her.  I knew at this point that my work was done.  And I was right; I have not had to remind her again, and I am pleased to report that both she and her brother are grateful kids who even thank Jorge and me for any and every parental gesture.

Being thankful is key if we want to have a happy life.  Studies have shown that grateful people are happier in general and have a more positive outlook in life.  And I think the best way to prove this is to look at the opposite of thankfulness, which thesaurus.com provides over 50 words for.  Words like, demanding, faultfinding, grumbling, selfish, ingrate, dissatisfied…

Try spending even 20 minutes with someone who is always finding fault, grumbling and complaining, and tell me if it’s not completely exhausting.  If this kind of attitude drains the joy and sucks the life out of us, can you imagine what it does to the actual ingrate? 

GOD provides a powerful antidote – Psalm 136. No matter what is happening or has happened or will happen, there is always something to be thankful for.

This Psalm, gives us one powerful reason: God’s love never quits!

Here are a few verses…

Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits.
Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits.

Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits.
The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits.
The God who filled the skies with light, His love never quits.
The sun to watch over the day, His love never quits.
Moon and stars as guardians of the night, His love never quits.
God remembered us when we were down, His love never quits.
Rescued us from the trampling boot, His love never quits.
Takes care of everyone in time of need. His love never quits.
Thank God, who did it all! His love never quits!

The same God who works miracles, formed the earth, and remembers us when we are down, loves us with an unstoppable love.  Let’s allow that, and not all the problems we face, be our focus, then we can’t help but be thankful.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You never give up on us, and Your persistent and powerful love never quits.  Thank You that we can always count on You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Blue~

Every Single Itty Bitty Detail...

Thursday greetings~

I have lost track of the number of times someone has told me, “God is too busy to deal with silly requests.”  Or, “He has better things to do, like ending wars and world hunger, than to listen to little ole me.”

The problem with that statement is that it is simply not true.  Do you think that the same God Who assures us in Luke 12:6-7 that “The very hairs on your head are numbered,” doesn’t care about every single thing about you and me?

I regularly pray for all you DEVO readers and your families, but darlings, I honestly do not need to know how many hairs are on your big heads.  Yet this is God’s way of saying He loves us so completely that NOTHING ABOUT US GOES UNNOTICED.  Therefore, there is no prayer too small, too insignificant, too anything.  The same God Who holds the universe in His hands can handle the MEGA to the MINOR.

Case in point…

I am a finally a grandmother!  Now before everyone gets excited, I will quickly tell you that it’s to a pooch named Tucker Dingo and not a human baby. (Hopefully, that will happen soon!).  Rayray and Emilio welcomed a beautiful Aussie Cattle Dog a few weeks ago, and we have all been in love ever since.  I have cooked for him, allowed him to sit at the dinner table, purchased a comfy bed so he has a warm place to nap when he visits, and well, I am smitten.

He dropped by on Sunday, and while Rayray and I were on the computer and Jorge and Emilio were watching TV, Tucker went outside to do his business.  After a few moments we all realized he had left the yard.

Jorge took off down the street in the car to look for him. Rayray ran on foot in the other direction, Emilio searched the yard, and I went into panic mode.  It’s amazing how much love one can feel for a dog.  In between yelling at Emilio to, “Activate the chip!”, I also, may He forgive me, yelled at GOD in a desperate prayer, “Find Tucker!”

Over and over again I yelled this.  My heart was racing, and I was trying hard not to lose control, and that’s when I saw Rayray coming down the block holding Tucker.  My knees almost gave out, and you better believe I thanked Jesus repeatedly and enthusiastically. 

When I was telling this story to someone on Monday they said, “God doesn’t care about a dog.”  I beg to differ.

I believe the Bible, and that is why the verse above is powerful.  None of us should ever back down from talking to the Lord about anything—anything at all—that matters to us.  He is an Answerer!  

PRAYER: Dear Lord, Thank You for inviting us to be open with You about anything and everything.  Nothing is prohibited, and while we may at times struggle with whether or not You really care, the Bible assures us that You absolutely concern Yourself with every single itty bitty detail of our lives, right down to the hairs on our heads!   Glory to Your name, AMEN!