Month: April 2024

He is everything

Posted on by Grace Day

He is the lifter of my head.

“But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” (Psalm 3:3)

He is the holder of my hand.

“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand.” (Isaiah 42:6)

He is the bearer of my burdens.

“Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.” (Psalm 68:19)

He is the collector, the counter and the keeper of all my tears.

“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in Your bottle. You have recorded each one in Your book.” (Psalm 56:8 NLT)

He is the watcher of my ways.

“the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:8)

He is the fixer of my feast.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” (Psalm 23:5)

He is my light in the darkness of this world.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalm 18:28)

He is the forgiver of my sins and my healer.

“If we (I) confess our (my) sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us (me) our (my) sins and purify us (me) from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

“Praise the Lord, O my soul, . . . who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,” (Psalm 103:2-3)

He is the ordainer of my days.

“All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:16)

He is my shelter in the storm.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. . . . He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:1 & 4)

He is my rescuer in times of trouble.

“”I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.” (Psalm 40:1-2)

He is my provider.

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time. You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:15-16)

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)

He is my protector.

“You hem me in – behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5)

“You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7)

He sings me to sleep at night.

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

He leads me in the right direction.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)

“He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:2-3)

He comforts me in my sorrow.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)

He is my one constant in this ever changing world.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

He is the One who loves me no matter what.

“I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

“for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

My Heavenly Father is all these things to me and so much more – He truly is everything to me.

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

sincerely, Grace Day

a curious connection

Posted on by Grace Day

Do you ever find yourself thinking random thoughts that don’t appear to be connected in any way and then later these thoughts connect themselves in curious ways that make perfect sense? – well at least to you, if not to anyone else. Such is often the case with me. Actually most of my thoughts are very random and unrelated, so when they connect themselves into something that reveals a new insight or a larger truth, it is always an exciting moment on my otherwise mundane journey of everyday random thoughts.

Such was the revelation my random thoughts revealed concerning the connection between the thief on the cross and the workers in the vineyard parable. You don’t see it? Well, I never did either, until now. You remember the workers in the vineyard parable, right? This was a story that never made sense to me. Actually, the outcome seemed obviously wrong because it appeared to me to be unfair to some of the workers involved. Let me explain or better yet, let Jesus tell you the story, just as He told it to His disciples –

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius.” (Matthew 20:1-9)

Well, the story continues with all the workers getting paid a denarius, including those who were hired first and had worked a full day in the hot sun. Naturally they grumbled against the owner, because they felt this was unfair. The owner’s response?

“Friend I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” (Matthew 20:13-15)

So what does this have to do with the thief on the cross? You know, the one that was crucified on the cross right next to the one on which Jesus hung. Well, actually there were two men being crucified for their crimes that day along with Jesus, one on either side of Him. Their conversation in those final moments reveals everything about the condition of their hearts. Luke records for us that very eye-opening conversation which went as follows,

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at Him: (Jesus) ‘Aren’t You the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.’ ” (Luke 23:39-42)

This is surely a surprising, even apparently non-sensical request for the criminal to make, considering that Jesus’s situation doesn’t appear to be any better than his own. They are both suffering the exact same fate at the moment, being crucified on crude wooden crosses while an angry and curious crowd of spectators watch and wait. Both are headed for identical outcomes of death, it would seem. And yet, this criminal dares to ask the impossible of Jesus, who at present, is hanging on a cross next to him. We can safely assume that this man has done more bad deeds than good ones in his life, but despite this, he cries out to Jesus with his last breath.

There can be only one reason why he would dare to do this, to make such a preposterous request. Unlike the criminal hanging on the other side of Jesus, who mocked and taunted Jesus with his last words, this thief believed Jesus to be exactly who He claimed to be. The only thing more unexpected and surprising than the criminal’s audacious death bed ask, is Jesus’s death bed answer to him.

“Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’ ” (Luke 23:43)

Jesus’s answer is surprising on every level. First of all, Jesus states that He will be in paradise. How is that possible? And then to promise this criminal that he also will get to go to paradise after the life of crime that he has apparently lived? This is unbelievable. This is preposterous even! But it is also true! Jesus is who He has always claimed to be – the Word become flesh to dwell among us – the promised Messiah – the Christ – the Son of the Living God – the Savior of the world – the Lamb of God and Lord of all.

Because Jesus is exactly who He said He was, He is able to do the impossible, which is exactly what the criminal on the cross beside Jesus asked of Him that day – to do the impossible, the unbelievable; to grant him the unmerited, the undeserved – forgiveness, redemption and eternal life. That’s a really big ask. Especially when it is directed at someone who appears to be in no position to grant such a request at the moment. BUT things are not always as they appear to be. The thief on the cross next to Jesus had faith. He believed Jesus was who He claimed to be and that Jesus could and would grant his request.

Fortunately for the thief on the cross, not only is Jesus able but that day, Jesus chose to show him mercy and grant his request. Jesus’s answer to him makes that clear. So what does the criminal on the cross have in common with the vineyard workers? – especially those hired on at the eleventh hour? It seems to me, they all had nothing to offer but everything to gain.

The criminal on the cross offered Jesus nothing in exchange for what he was asking of Jesus, but Jesus granted his request anyway. The criminal received what he did not deserve and could not earn. Those late hire vineyard workers received wages they hadn’t earned also. The owner extended them an invitation that was unlikely and unexpected at that late hour of the day when little time to work was left, but they accepted and went to his vineyard anyway, with little to offer the owner. But the owner rewarded them as if they had worked all day, from the very first hour. They had little to give but their gain was great.

I feel my own connection to the vineyard workers and to the criminal on the cross. I have nothing to offer Jesus but everything to gain when I accept His invitation to come work in His kingdom or I boldly request of Him what no one else has the power to give. Even though I have nothing to offer Him, Jesus stands ready to give me everything. Why would I not cry out – “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”?

Like the vineyard workers and the criminal on the cross, I am thankful that this is true of God –

“He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10)

There is hope! Even in the most seemingly hopeless situation there is hope. The workers who had waited all day in vain to be hired ended up with a full day’s wages after receiving and accepting an unlikely, last minute invitation. The criminal hanging on the cross had the audacity to take Jesus at His word and to ask Jesus for what he did not deserve but longed to receive. Because he humbled himself and acknowledged the truth of who Jesus is, Jesus granted his impossible request.

The accounts of these people give me so much hope. I can always cry out to my Heavenly Father, even though I have nothing to offer Him but my need and my brokenness. He has everything to offer me and stands ready to do the impossible so that I might receive it. Indeed, in Isaiah I am told –

“Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion.” (Isaiah 30:18)

Like the criminal on the cross, I can believe despite what appears to be happening in this world at the moment, that the Christ on the cross will indeed “remember me when He comes into His kingdom.” I will have the faith to believe and to make my impossible request of Jesus. I have nothing to give to Him. He has everything to give to me. The criminal on the cross understood this even though he had never heard these words spoken by Jesus to His disciples –

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3)

Jesus remembers me, He will remember you too, dear readers – ask Him!

sincerely, Grace Day

in totality’s path

Posted on by Grace Day

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4)

This certainly was the case just a few days ago here in my state. The heavens were indeed declaring the glory of God and it seemed as if all of humanity was turning out to witness this declaration, which took the form of a total solar eclipse. Yes, we were in the “path of totality” along with several other states, so we had free front row seats to this heavenly extravaganza, called an eclipse, without having to travel as so many others had to do. (my son traveled here all the way from California so that he could witness this eclipse in person from the “path of totality’s” perspective) All I needed to do was to walk outside and to look up. Which made me wonder, how often do I fail to witness God’s glory simply because I don’t take the time to look up?

However, on April 8th we were all looking up, gazing heavenward, with great anticipation and expectation. We were in the “path of totality” and because of this we had been forewarned of this epic event to occur overhead, right down to the month, day, hour and minute – so we were fully prepared to look up at the appointed time. And look up we did! We gathered together in our backyards, our front yards, our streets or in special venues around the city, such as the Motor Speedway or the state fairgrounds. We even had special glasses for just such a purpose as this – being able to look up and to behold this heavenly light show, this total solar eclipse.

I don’t know about other states in the desired path of totality, but we had perfect weather for our eclipse day. It was clear, sunny, warm and wonderful. No clouds were present to block our view of this rare magic moment. It was as if the weather knew people were pouring into our state from all over to witness this epic eclipse, so it did its part to welcome in the spectators by not blocking our view of the moon covering the sun for those four, glorious, mysterious, much anticipated minutes.

I know I just used the word “rare” to describe this eclipse event, but in doing some research I discovered there are actually anywhere from two to five total solar eclipses per year. Why had I never witnessed such an eclipse prior to this, if that is the case? Well, the most obvious reason is because these eclipses occur at various locations all over the globe. There was an eclipse in 2017 in the US, but my state was not in the “path of totality” for that one, so it didn’t get as much attention where I live. And full disclosure, I do now remember watching that one, which for us was a partial eclipse, from the same neighbor’s driveway, with many of the same people with whom I shared this week’s total eclipse experience.

There will be a total solar eclipse in October of this year in South America. We have the opportunity to send our eclipse viewing glasses to people there so they can safely watch the eclipse. A total solar eclipse in 2026 will pass over Iceland, Greenland, Portugal and northern Spain and one in 2027 will pass over northern Africa, but it will be 2044 before another total solar eclipse will occur with a “path of totality” that passes over any part of the US again and that path will only include three states, my state not being one of them. In 2045 another total solar eclipse will be visible from the US. Its path of totality will include fifteen different states, but again my state will not be among them.

Even though total solar eclipses are happening every year (at least two of them), because they occur in a multitude of different locations around the world, I am not able to witness them unless I purposely travel to a site where they are taking place. (some people do just this, eclipse chasers, like storm chasers, travel the world as they follow the “paths of totality” of various solar eclipses)

So while total solar eclipses are taking place with regularity and with predictability around the world, for me, this particular total solar eclipse of April 8th, 2024, was rare and special. It was an exciting opportunity that came to my state, to my city, to my neighborhood, to my street – one that came literally to my own front yard/backyard. All I had to do was to walk outside my own front door and to look up – to take the time to notice what God was doing in the heavens. (He’s always doing something – “day after day they (the heavens) pour forth speech” – I’m just not always looking or listening)

I’m glad I experienced the gift of this opportunity to watch firsthand with friends the wonder of this eclipse, because the next total solar eclipse that will come to me, that is, that will come to my state, will be in 2099. And actually, that eclipse’s “path of totality” does not even include my city, as it will only include the very northeastern most part of my state. It will not be until 2153 that another total solar eclipse will come to my state. The good news is, this one will have a “path of totality” that includes my city! That’s only a wait of 129 years! I say “only” because on average, for a total solar eclipse to come again to the same spot or location on the earth, it takes 375 years.

Since humans don’t live 375 years and not even 129 years usually, viewing this total solar eclipse from the front row seat of my own yard, truly is a once in a lifetime experience. And it will remain that way unless I decide to become an eclipse chaser, traveling to where the total solar eclipses are happening each year, spending my days perpetually pursuing the “path of totality” for each new eclipse. But this time the eclipse came to me. I was already in its chosen “path of totality.”

This eclipse had so many in my state, as in the other states that were “in totality’s path”, looking up to the heavens in anticipation of what was to come. And we were not disappointed in the least. I wonder how many of us truly felt God’s sovereign majesty and power as we witnessed this event in the skies? The skies clearly were proclaiming “the work of His hands” beautifully displayed for all of us to see. And the thing is, the works of God are always on display, indeed they surround you and me all day long, from sunrise to sunset. Then the wonders of the nighttime sky appear in spectacular display, remaining until the sun rises once again. It has been this way from the beginning of creation –

“And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark the seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.’ And it was so. God made two great lights – the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:14-18)

The heavens surely do declare the presence and the glory of God twenty-four/seven. All I need to do, is to look up in order to behold the beauty of His creation. No matter where I am, I am always in the “path of totality” when it comes to being in God’s presence. I don’t have to travel across continents or across oceans, chasing the chance to catch a glimpse of God. No matter where I am, I am witness to all the wonders that occur in the presence of my Heavenly Father. It’s like the psalmist, King David said –

“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,’ even the darkness will not be dark to You; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” (Psalm 139:7-12)

God is indeed omnipresent. Therefore, I don’t have to worry that I will miss Him, like an eclipse, if I am not at the right place at the exact right time. I am always in my Heavenly Father’s “path of totality”, and so are you, dear readers. His word makes this clear.

” ‘Can anyone hide in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the Lord. ‘Do not I fill heaven and earth?’ declares the Lord ” (Jeremiah 23:24)

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

“The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:5)

Even if I don’t have my eyes on Him, my Heavenly Father always has His eyes on me.

“The Lord watches over you – the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” (Psalm 121:5-8)

I am grateful to live always “in totality’s path” – in the presence of my Heavenly Father, Savior and Lord

“For in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)

sincerely, Grace Day