Greater Still...and Exciting 'Dave-Update'

 Deuteronomy 31:8
"The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; 

He will be with you. 

He will not fail you or forsake you. 

Do not fear or be dismayed."

So great the prayer-pleas

We lift to God’s throne

Sickness and sorrow

Faith for the Unknown

Strength for our labor

Provision for need

Love for our neighbor

No matter their creed

Safety for travel

Wherever we go

Around the corner

Or across the globe

Prayer for the hungry

The homeless, the poor

Suffering among us

Pray we love them more

For ears to hear

The Good News and receive

Salvation’s promise

To all who believe

In this world of warring

Lord, we pray for peace

Kind words and loving

Lest conflicts increase

For teacher and preacher

For father and mother

For citizens, leaders, the imprisoned,

Each other

For workers and warriors

For farmers and fields

For trust and not worry

For what harvest yields

So great the prayer-pleas

On this mortal sod

But oh, sweet, sweet mercies

Still much greater, God

© Janet Martin

 Today's exciting/a little scary update!

Hi everyone,

Well, today was an exciting and emotional day all in one. It began with my arriving at 8 and Dave sleeping. He didn't want to wake up this morning. He did wake up long enough to eat breakfast and then went back to sleep until the physiotherapist came to take him for a walk. ( I thought this was gonna be one of those down days) He went for a long walk, went to the end of the hall and when they came back he decided he wanted to go longer so they did and then he sat up in his chair until lunch came. He was too tired to eat lunch in his chair so he went back to bed. After lunch he decided to go for another walk. The physiotherapist said that Dave improved so much over the weekend that instead of transferring him to Rehab we will set up a Rehab program at home. Someone will come to our house and work with him there instead. We agreed to go with that.

About 2 hrs later, a lady came in and said she thinks she can get everything in place so that maybe he can come home tomorrow. Dave said the look on my face- my eyes almost popped out. I said right away I don’t think so. He hasn’t even taken a shower yet, or did stairs or anything. I was just so overwhelmed!! She said she will leave us to talk for a bit and then come back to see what we decided to do.
My parents were there and we talked things over for a while and decided to go ahead with the plan. When the lady come back we told her we are OK with it once I know he can do the personal thing and stairs. He is also to have an ultrasound on his right shoulder to find out why he can’t use it. So he is not able to go home until he has the results from the ultrasound which is booked for tomorrow. He also needs to be able to do the steps at our house. She said, maybe tomorrow, if not then closer to the end of the week.
The nurses and the physiotherapist were so impressed in the improvement from last Friday when they saw him last.
I am so excited to have him home again but so scared also-- at the hospital everything is at the right height and the nurses are there if help is needed. It will be so different the first few days at home- and probably some difficult situations when he comes home.
So please pray that they will not send him home before he is ready. Pray for the strength for me to be able to take care of him when he gets home.
Thank- you for all the prayers so far and I know they will continue when we get him home.

Pondering Principle

I had begun another train of thought for today's poem until a sobering conversation with Matt about 'planned parenthood' derailed it for now...

When you verbalize, word for word, the graphic acts that 'planned parenthood' entails it is as vicious an act, as the most heinous terrorist could claim, and its to babies!

Jesus replied, "You are mistaken because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Matt.22:29

No truly humble and obedient person will say

"I want my own way"

When we reject the principle of love’s matrix that God ordained

When we embrace depravity of human nature unrestrained

When we no longer bear in mind how humankind to God will bow

How can we think that God should wink at sin and still bless us somehow?

When we no longer love God first and then our neighbor as our  self

When His Word, truly wise and good is disregarded for world’s pelf

When minds are dark with what they do not even know they do not know

How can we still, dead to God’s will, shake fists at He who loves us so?

How, in a world so vile and churlish to humble obedience

Can we expect, (if we reject Jesus) mercy’s deliverance?

Then there can be no better days ahead if we have turned away

From He whose perfect Word abides and praise Him, has the final say

© Janet Martin

  

 Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; 

for some of you are ignorant of God.

 I say this to your shame.

1 Cor.15:34

"They bend their tongue like their bow; 

Lies and not truth prevail in the land; 

For they proceed from evil to evil, 

And they do not know Me," declares the LORD.

Jer.9:3

 

Then I Remember Who God IS...

 

When fear would rival to endear its coldness in my breast

Then I remember who God IS; He lays my fears to rest

  

For He who holds earth’s elements and unfolds heaven’s scrim

Can never be usurped; demons flee at the thought of Him

Oh God, our God, who clothes the heath; beneath Thy tender care

Though armies of rebellion seethe, yet we will not despair

You shake the lake with thunder and strake galaxies with stars

You wake a holy hunger as we wonder Who You are

Who tends un-uttered groaning; lavishes this blue-dot globe

And bends from darkness morning light with fragments of Your robe

Oh God, our God, You walk upon a scaffolding of air

Above, beneath, without, within, Your Presence, God, is there

Then, should fear rival to endear its nearness in my thought

What peace to know that You are here to intercede, oh God

© Janet Martin

 O Lord my God, You are very great:
You are clothed with honor and majesty,

Ps. 104:1 

(to be re-reminded of Who God is,
follow this link)

Aware of Who is Reading...Thursday Thoughts

Time splays its parchment, still as air

Beneath the plight of human need

The ink of heart and soul spills where

One, its Giver attends, to read

Our penmanship, not misconstrued

Spells to His gaze both hope and fear

As He, so oft misunderstood

Lays page on page beneath our tear

And while before mute, pagan gods

Its seems that multitudes amass

To veil with noise what man applauds

Yet Death, oh, Death will soon surpass

…and while it seems many forget

That what they write is read by He

Who Holy, Holy, Holy bled

Redemption once, at Calvary

…and while it seems the age of words

 Profits a man, if he can spell

Regardless of what under-girds

The hand that writes what tongue won’t tell

…still, He who places air on air

Is never far or undeterred

But sees the faithful few aware

Of Who is reading every word

© Janet Martin

***

The pen reflects Time

Spent in prayer.

The hand a mouth, 

The tongue, a lair

Pray we who write 

On Time a bit

Remember Who 

Is reading it 

***

Beyond the readers we see is One we cannot...

Nothing escapes Holy Love, not one jot

So, lest we think we write with no reader

We would be wise to reconsider

***

My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight, preserve sound judgment and discretion; Prov.3:21

(inspired by a middle-of-the-night conversation with my son)

While We Forget...

We pray with good intention to remember

Oh, but then,

While we forget

Our One True God does not,

Praise Him,

Amen

© Janet Martin

It hit me last night while focused on one prayer need, that others completely slipped my mind!

 "Thank-you God for interceding in our often inept pleading."

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  Romans 8:26