Stevemidkiff's Blog

“At an old English parsonage down by the sea,
there came in the twilight a message to me.
Its quaint Saxon legend deeply engraven that,
as it seems to me, teaching from heaven.

And all through the hours the quiet words ring,
like a low inspiration, ‘Do the next thing.’
Many a questioning, many a fear,
many a doubt hath its quieting here.

Moment by moment, let down from heaven,
time, opportunity, guidance are given.
Fear not tomorrow, child of the King,
trust that with Jesus, do the next thing.

Do it immediately, do it with prayer,
do it reliantly, casting all care.
Do it with reverence, tracing His hand,
who placed it before thee with earnest command.

Stayed on omnipotence, safe ‘neath His wing,
leave all resultings, do the next thing.
Looking to Jesus, ever serener,
working or suffering be thy demeanor,
in His dear presence, the rest of His calm,
the light of His countenance, be thy psalm.
Do the next thing.”

Anonymous

When God does a great work, we should speak about it. We speak of God’s greatness in His achievements, one of the great things He’s doing is the restoration of Israel.

Yes there’s opposition. God in His time will deal with that

I’ve posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem.
Day and night they keep at it, praying, calling out, reminding God to remember.

They are to give God no peace until he does what he said, until He makes Jerusalem famous as the City of Praise.
Isaiah 62:6-7

It’s an amazing concept, that in praying, God is telling us to demand of Him His promises to us.

Their is a poverty of praise for God in our world today but with Israel’s restoration there will be a prosperity of praise for God.

Hard rain pounds down but rains blessing.

Under that beating rain spring spiritual flowers full of fragrance and beauty.

We see the rain. But do you see the flowers?

We are pained by the testings.

But flowers of faith spring in our life through our trials.

We shrink from the suffering.

But tender compassion for other sufferers is finding birth in our soul.

Our heart winces under sore bereavement.

But deepening and enriching is what sorrow has brought us.

It isn’t raining afflictions for us.

It is raining tenderness, love, compassion, patience & a thousand other flowers & fruits of the Spirit, bringing in our life a spiritual enrichment.
—J. M. McC.

SONGS ACROSS THE STORM

“A harp stood in the moveless air,

Where showers of sunshine washed a thousand fragrant blooms;

A traveler bowed with loads of care

Essayed from morning till the dusk of evening glooms

To thrum sweet sounds from the songless strings;

The pilgrim strives in vain with each unanswering chord,

Until the tempest’s thunder sings,

And, moving on the storm, the fingers of the Lord

A wondrous melody awakes;

And though the battling winds their soldier deeds perform,

Their trumpet-sound brave music makes

While God’s assuring voice sings love across the storm”

Selected

Fear is always the enemy of faith;

We’re fighting always in the battle of our daily experiences.

We grow and triumph as His faith overcomes our fears

The fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.

Faith is our handle on what we can’t see.

The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors

Living by faith sets us above the mob.

By faith, we see the world was created

Through faith the world continues to exist by God’s word,

It was what he believed, that made the difference.

Faith is what God notices and approves as righteous.

It’s impossible to please God apart from faith.

When we approach God we believe He exists

When we talk to Him we believe He cares

As we put everything in His hands He responds to our trust in Him

Hebrews 11:1-6 paraphrased

God is the source of true Wisdom,

You Lord gives us sanity through Your Word;

God You’re the architect of real Knowledge & Discretion.

When we respect You GOD & are in awe of You
We will hate Evil,
We will despise perverse passions
We will avoid pride & arrogance
We’ll be aggravated by crooked talk

Good counsel & common sense are the characteristics of God lovers;

God You’re the originator & source of all insight & sincere Virtue

It is through Gods wisdom, that true leaders rule,

It is through Gods wisdom, that lawmakers legislate fairly;

It is through Gods wisdom, that governors govern,

It is through Gods wisdom, that all legitimate authority can
arrive at right solution.

God is the spring of all true counsel and perfect comfort

Through His Word we gain Understanding

Through His Word we gain Comprehension

Through His Word we gain strength

There are phony leaders
There are wicked lawmakers
There are disgusting governors
There are illegitimate authorities

Foolishness is their trademark
Evil is their lover
Satan is their inspiration

God loves those who love Him;

The Lord blesses all who look to Him to find His wise solutions.

God is our only source of real Wealth & true Glory

God’s wisdom gives Honor & a Good Name.

Hearing God speak His wisdom through His Word
will give us benefits beyond all riches of earthly wealth

True Riches & honour come from Wisdom in God’s Word

His fruit is better than gold, even superior to fine gold & choice silver.

God’s wisdom leads us to righteousness,

God’s Word inspires us to correct Decisions

By loving & living God’s Word we inherit beauty;
and we will be filled with valuable treasures.

Proverbs 8:12-20 paraphrased

Oh Lord, this morning as I listen to the praises of birds

I have to embrace You & confess; I’m in love with You

Your layout of the earth is intriguingly beautiful

You are amazing in Your fathomless creativity

The deeper our knowledge into Your amazing wisdom

The more gorgeous Your creation becomes

This is the sharpest & shrillest note, the boldest & bravest challenge
that rings in the ears of death. . . .

Death is here out-braved, called craven to its face & bidden,

“Do your worst!”

John Trapp

O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?

O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?

The perishable has been clothed with the imperishable

The mortal with immortality,

Death is swallowed up in victory

Through Jesus resurrection life everything that had a pull date

All the perishable stuff is taken off the shelves

Everything is replaced by Him the imperishable one,

Our mortality is replaced by His immortality.

Death is swallowed by triumphant Life!

Life has the last word & Death Is silenced

1 Cor. 15

When Christ lives in the home of our heart by faith

we will be rooted & grounded in His love

We will be like a tree planted with deep roots of delight in God

A resent article noted that

It’s helpful to notice the kinds of things we don’t pray about?

The things we neglect to pray about are the things we believe we can handle on our own.

The things we don’t pray about are the things we don’t think we need God’s wisdom, perspective, or intervention in.

We may never say or even think these grotesque thoughts.

But doesn’t our lack of prayer prove our independence from God?

Aren’t we saying that we don’t need God?

So what are those things we don’t pray about?

Some folks get agitated when we talk or write about that Word of God. They say they feel we’re forcing our viewpoints down their throats.

They may not be ready to receive it.

But are we wrong to plant some seeds?

So the seeds don’t take root.

Maybe there’s no soil to receive the seeds.

Maybe there’s weeds that choke the possibilities of growth out

If we’re not free to share we’re always free to pray.

But maybe we need to be gripped with the reality that we can’t handle anything on our own.

So we need to take this opportunity of freedom to pray to pray more

When we react to circumstances that appear senseless.

Our self-pity rages at God.

We embrace our most comforting lies.
Is there a way back from bitterness?

Seeing through our lies isn’t enough.

The only way back is to look again at Jesus.

We despised him. We rejected him as he suffered.

But he was bearing our griefs and carrying our sorrows.

The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all.

But he didn’t open his mouth against us or against God.

In fact, he makes blasphemers to be accounted righteous.

Looking again at him can calm our shrieking hatred & restore us to sanity.

In A Grief Observed, C. S. Lewis mourned the loss of his wife with these words:

Her palate for all the joys of sense and intellect and spirit was fresh and unspoiled.

Nothing would have been wasted on her.

She liked more things and liked them more than anyone I have known.

A noble hunger, long unsatisfied, met at last its proper food, and almost instantly the food was snatched away.

Fate (or whatever it is) delights to produce a great capacity and then frustrate it.

Beethoven went deaf. By our standards a mean joke; the monkey trick of a spiteful imbecile.

An Unknown soldier wrote:

I asked for strength that I might achieve;

I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.

I asked for health that I might do greater things;

I was given infirmity that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy;

I was given poverty that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;

I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;

I was given life that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I had asked for, but eveything that I had hoped for.

Remember

God is with us.

God will bless us.

God will give rest.

God will not fail us.

God will strengthen us.

God will answer us.

God will provide for us.

God is for us.

God loves us.

God will guide us.

Jesus! what a Friend for sinners!
Jesus! lover of my soul;
friends may fail me, foes assail me,
he, my Savior, makes me whole.

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Hallelujah, what a Friend!
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
he is with me to the end.

Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in him;
tempted, tried & sometimes failing,
he, my strength, my vict’ry wins.

Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
While the billows o’er me roll,
even when my heart is breaking,
he, my comfort, helps my soul.

Jesus! what a guide & keeper!
While the tempest still is high,
storms about me, night o’ertakes me,
he, my pilot, hears my cry.

Jesus! I do now receive him,
more than all in him I find;
he hath granted me forgiveness,
I am his, and he is mine.