First of all…

Are y’all?

The Summer heat and humidity are full on these days down here in the Delta.  In fact, I took this picture the other day – I was finally comfortable {as in, not burning up} in my shorts and tee shirt while our ceiling fan was on high speed, and I looked over at Abigail, and this is what she looked like:

She was in long thick sweat pants and a heavy hoodie drawn over her face.  Crazy.  I guess I can’t blame it all on summer heat.  It may be more like this:

So… maybe this cookbook could come in handy???

On another note, during the summers, if you ever feel the need to slap someone, this might come in handy… I’m just sayin’    ;-)

The biggest thing that makes me smile on this hot summer day is that my sister and her children are down South (from Colorado) for 6 weeks!  Most people go to the cooler weather during the summer… but not them ~ they came into the heat to be with us.  As much as possible, I’ll be zipping over to Batesville to spend time with them, soaking up as much sweet fellowship and laughter as I can.

Hope you have a wonderful week, my friends.

To James, my husband, for whom I am grateful beyond words for your Christ-like love and care over your children and me…

To my Daddy, who joyfully sacrificed his own desires on the altar of service to God, family, and fellow men…

And to my Heavenly Abba, Who lovingly carries our lives in the palm of His hands…

I honor the three of you especially on this Father’s Day. You have changed me, molded me, saved me, and shown me the meaning of true love. I pray that you are honored and blessed because of what you have invested in me ~ Happy Father’s Day! I love you.

This is a re-post of what the Lord has given me concerning Father’s Day.  It used to be a sad day for us… but God, our Father, has restored our joy.   If you are missing the man in your life, especially if this is your first Father’s Day without him, I am praying for you as I re-read and re-affirm my trust in our Heavenly Daddy, who doesn’t make mistakes.  May He be ever so close to you, and may He reveal Himself to you this weekend in a special Abba-type way.

(from June 2012)

With deep gratitude I say this: I had one of the best fathers in the world. He died 15 ½ years ago and we miss him terribly… Especially on special days like Father’s Day.

If I’m not careful, Father’s Day can be a sad day for me.  I so very much wish my dad was still around to enjoy his intimate friendship with my mom; fishing, football, basketball, and baseball with his grandchildren; and retirement escapades with his friends.  But our Wise God had other plans for Daddy, and he is now enjoying face-to-face fellowship with our Lord.  I am happy for Daddy.  But sad for us.  Especially on days like Father’s Day.

But over the past 15 Father’s Days without my dad, the Lord has done the sweetest thing for me.  Most every morning of the year I study a “Name of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit.”  I have a long list with hundreds of names, and I just work my way down the list one by one.  It’s like opening a gift from God every day as I discover WHO He will be to me for the day.  Somehow, every Father’s Day weekend, I just “happen” to be at a name of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit that reminds me that I DO still have a Daddy here… and He is everything I need a Daddy to be.
Names like:

Abba – Romans 8:15
Father – Isaiah 9:6
Father of Compassion – 2 Corinthians 1:3
Father of Our Spirits – Hebrews 12:9
Father of the Heavenly Lights – James 1:17
Father to the Fatherless – Psalm 68:5
God of all Comfort – 2 Corinthians 1:3
God of the Living – Matthew 22:32
God our Father – Colossians 1:2
Helper of the Fatherless – Psalm 10:14
Holy Father – John 17:11
Keeper – Isaiah 27:3
My Benefactor – Psalm 71:6
My Support – 2 Samuel 22:19
Righteous Father – John 17:25
The Glorious Father – Ephesians 1:17
My Intercessor – Hebrews 7:25
Shield – Psalm 28:7
Source of Life – Acts 3:15
Wonderful Counselor – Isaiah 9:6
The One Who Speaks – Hebrews 12:25
Spirit of Sonship (Adoption) – Romans 8:15

It’s such a gift to be reminded of this.  What a wonderful Abba we all have! I love Him so!!!

Because my dad was such a wise, unselfish, patient, and loving father, it has been easy for me to believe that God the Father is wise, unselfish, patient, and loving.  But I realize that many didn’t have a dad like mine, which makes intimacy with and trust in our Heavenly Father a little more difficult to accept.  Whether we had the best or the worst earthly dad, or whether our dads are present or not, we all have a Father we can celebrate this weekend. Our Heavenly Daddy. He loves us, provides for us, walks with us, laughs and cries with us, rejoices over us, carries our burdens for us, and He even laid down His life for ours.

He keeps His promises, and He will NEVER leave us… no matter what! He is the Father to the fatherless. He is the Daddy we all dream of having.

As great as our earthly dads are, they are still human. None of them are perfect. But God the Father is.  And friends, we need to release God from being bound in our minds and hearts by the faults and failures of our earthly dads.  God is NOT like man.  Man will fail us.  God will not.  His Word promises:

“You are the helper of the fatherless.” Psalm 10:14 (NIV)

“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.” Psalm 27:10 (NLT)

“Father of orphans, champion of widows, is God in his holy house.”  Psalm 68:5 (Msg)

You, LORD, are our Father. We are nothing but clay, but you are the potter who molded us. Isaiah 64:8 (CEV)
If this is a sad weekend for you or someone you love, may the Father, our Abba Daddy, remind you of who you have in Him.  So when you awake on Father’s Day morning, whether you get to say it to anyone else in your life, you can open your eyes with a smile and tell your Perfect Daddy – the One who will never leave nor forsake you, “Happy Father’s Day!” 

That’s just what we have here in the Walker household. A precious 10 week old puppy that we named Zoe Isabelle.

Anyone who personally knows me knows that I’m not what anyone would call an “animal lover.” In fact, I’ve only loved one animal in my entire life until last week. Now, I find myself head over heels with this sweet little puppy!

Zoe is an answer to almost 5 years of prayer. In looking toward the future, I began to ask the Lord for a little white fluffy lap content, non-shedding, sweet dog to love on as my nest became empty. With both children so close in age and grade, our child rearing years will have been relatively short when compared to friends who have more than two children, or whose children are spaced further apart. I knew that all too soon my arms and home would be empty… So000… I started praying for an “empty nest dog.”

I did the same thing back in 1991-92. I was living by myself in a one-room apartment outside of Memphis and craved sharing my days with another. So I prayed for either a dog, a roommate, or a husband. And in a string of little unexpected miracles, God provided all three within a year. I met and married my husband (full story here) within a little over 7 months (husband, roommate) and on our 1st year anniversary, we adopted a beautiful white fluffy Maltese named Prissy (dog). She wore bows in her hair that matched my daily outfits. She was my first child. Never before or since have I loved an animal like I loved Prissy… until now.

I wasn’t expecting such an addition to our family for two more years… but my sweet husband and the Lord had other plans. James is on the e-mail list of different animal adoption sites, and over the past year we applied (and were turned down for) eight different dogs. I poured my heart out on those applications, explaining how loved and cared for the animal would be… and every time we were rejected! Apparently because we don’t have a fully fenced in back yard, we never qualified. Never mind that I don’t ever plan on leaving the dog outside and unattended – that’s how they get dirty and start to smell like a dog!  haha.

Anyway… Last week, James handed me a piece of paper with the most precious picture on it and said, “Happy Early Birthday!”

He had personally called the contact of one of the adoption agencies (East Mississippi Animal Rescue) and explained our desire for a dog and the problems we’ve had in adopting one… and she approved our application! Within four days, we had this 10 week old Beatzu (a Shih Tzu and Beagle mix) cutie-pie in our arms!

 Our first picture with Zoe, thanks to East Mississippi Animal Rescue‘s FB page.

These are her brothers and sister.  Zoe is the one with her tongue out.  She keeps it this way a lot.

Aren’t they adorable???

Abigail and I looked through all kinds of names websites to find something that was meaningful and fitting to Zoe’s personality, and together we finally settled on Zoe Isabelle. Zoe means “life” and Isabelle is a derivative of Elizabeth, which means “God’s promise.” So Zoe Isabelle has come to mean “God’s promise of life” in a house that will soon be empty.

Zoe has been the sweetest dog and God has blessed us so much already with her presence in our home. She is doing wonderfully with her crate-training and is catching on to many other things quickly.

I can’t help but wonder if someone is thinking, “If you’ve got that much love to give, why not adopt a child instead of a dog?!?” I’ll confess that James and I would agree with that question. But God has not called us to adopt a child at this time… just a dog. And we give Him the glory for this new addition to our family, and pray that God will use Zoe for His purposes and joy… which He will… because that’s one of those requests along the lines of God’s Word (Rom. 8:28).

So… Zoe is God’s promise of life in our home, and has been the most precious gift. I can’t get enough of her. However, my sister begged me not to start “quoting” the dog on facebook! haha. I promise to do my best to restrain myself from that.

It’s puppy love at the Walker home, and we thank God for this sweet little blessing. Thanks for letting me share her with you.

This is SO true… at least it is for me. My mom forwarded this on to me from some friends of hers, and it is the story of my life! How about you?

KNOW THE SYMPTOMS……PLEASE READ! Thank goodness there’s a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better even though I have it!! Recently, I was diagnosed with A..A.A.D.D. - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder. This is how it manifests: I decide to water my garden. As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing. As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier. I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.. I lay my car keys on the table, Put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, And notice that the can is full. So, I decide to put the bills back On the table and take out the garbage first.. But then I think, Since I’m going to be near the mailbox When I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first. I take my check book off the table, And see that there is only one check left. My extra checks are in my desk in the study, So I go inside the house to my desk where I find the can of Pepsi I’d been drinking. I’m going to look for my checks, But first I need to push the Pepsi aside So that I don’t accidentally knock it over. The Pepsi is getting warm, And I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold. As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi, A vase of flowers on the counter Catches my eye — they need water. I put the Pepsi on the counter and Discover my reading glasses that I’ve been searching for all morning. I decide I better put them back on my desk, But first I’m going to water the flowers. I set the glasses back down on the counter, Fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table. I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I’ll be looking for the remote, But I won’t remember that it’s on the kitchen table, So I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, But first I’ll water the flowers. I pour some water in the flowers, But quite a bit of it spills on the floor.. So, I set the remote back on the table, Get some towels and wipe up the spill. Then, I head down the hall trying to Remember what I was planning to do. At the end of the day: The car isn’t washed The bills aren’t paid There is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter The flowers don’t have enough water, There is still only 1 check in my check book, I can’t find the remote, I can’t find my glasses, And I don’t remember what I did with the car keys. Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I’m really baffled because I know I was busy all day, And I’m really tired. I realize this is a serious problem, And I’ll try to get some help for it, But first I’ll check my e-mail….

The same day that my mom sent the above, my sister sent this next pic to me… saying it made her think of me. They know me WAY too well!

Hope you are off to a beginning of a wonderful week! More than anything, this truth always makes me smile:

Fear is a struggle for so many vibrantly beautiful Christian men and women…  Just as the children are learning in VBS this year, we can have victory in this battle, and I’m living proof of that!  God has helped me in the last several years put an end to this dibilitating stronghold of fear.  Just as I can’t keep a good recipe to myself, I can’t keep quiet about what I know to be true from God’s Word.  I’m praying that 2 Timothy 1:7 will be a victorious reality in each of our lives:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”   2 Timothy 1:7 (Amp)

This is a re-post of something God gave me in 2009… and I continue to need it and use it year after year.  Maybe we adults need to join the VBS kids this year in learning to Face Fear and Trust God!  Praying for us all~
Jennifer

Do you ever feel a sudden onslaught of panic and fear? I admit that I do, and praise God that He is teaching me some keys toward victory in this area. What the Lord gave me through my QT a few years ago was powerful, and has worked so well for me, I couldn’t keep it to myself.

I was in the middle of studying a daily lesson in Beth Moore’s Esther when a paragraph caused me to detour for the day… And what a powerful Word from the Lord He gave me! I typed out my notes, burned these truths in my mind, and have put them into practice. Panic-savers Lifesavers, I tell you! If you need a few panic-saving life-saving keys, here they are.

“The enemy is trying to get back at God by attacking us. Because Satan has a limited leash where believers are concerned, his most powerful tactics are psychological. Though he can’t possess our minds, he profoundly and destructively influences our thoughts.” Beth Moore, Esther, week 3, day 3.

I have found this to be very true for me. At that point, more than any other stage of my life, I consistently fought the battle between faith and sight, hope and fear. (Some days I won, and some days I lost.)

As the calendar ticked by and we remained without employment (and had no inkling of an idea of where or what our future would hold) faith fought sight, and hope fought fear. As I watched our children grow and mature, and I began that process of thinking about releasing them, faith fought sight and hope fought fear. Sometimes, I would be doing nothing but driving or riding down the road and notice another vehicle, and faith fought sight and hope fought fear.

If I’m not careful, my mind will still work up any number of disastrous scenarios that will be so life-like, I’ll end up actually crying just thinking about it. This SHOULD NOT BE! I don’t have to be this way. None of us do.

After years of being locked up by fear, God has freed me through His Word, and through a simple question Beth Moore posed in her 4th video session of the Esther study:

“If ________________ happens, then God ______________. And if ____________________, then God ______________________. And if ____________________, then God ____________________….. then what?”

In my mind, I had already planned out those terrible scenarios, but I never completed them. The “If ______________” wasn’t the problem. The fear trap was that I never completed the sentences and scenarios with “then God _____________.”

I learned that it is not enough to trust God to never let that which I fear the most happen. I must face that fear, and trust that IF it does happen, My God will take care of me – of them – or of it! Psalm 37:23-25… My God will be faithful!

“Fear not” is the most frequent command in the Bible. In fact, that command is repeated over 365 times – more than one for each day.  Can you imagine living without fear? Without the nagging sense that everything is about to go horribly wrong? Without the occurring assumption that making it through the week with no incident was a happy surprise or happy accident?

Praise the Lord! I can now!!!!! It was on March 29, 2009 that the Lord and I conquered this fear and I broke free from a yoke that had tied me down since toddlerhood!

The Lord has shown me that He has given us the keys to release the handcuffs and chains of sight and fear so that we can fully live in faith and hope. And I’d like to pass those keys along to you.

Romans 1:21 (Amp) says:

Our enemy would have us focus on fear, vain imaginations, foolish reasonings, and stupid speculations – which he knows will tie us up in knots and entrap us.

But our Lord, Savior, Lover, Strengthener, our Mighty God says in Hebrews 12:1-2 to

From these verses, we can find the keys to unlock the entanglement of our minds and win the battle of fear:

1. Honor and Glorify God – make an immediate choice to honor Him with your thoughts. Start calling out names of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. If you can’t think of any of those at the moment, just simply say “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus…” until His beautiful name and presence starts to overpower the thoughts of sight and fear.

2. Give God thanks – start thanking God for His love, His protection, His provision, His promises, His Word… for how He will take care of you and the situation…

3. Throw aside the weight of those sensless thoughts – those vain imaginations, foolish reasonings and stupid speculations. This requires some action and choice on your part. Absolutely REFUSE to let them darken your mind. Literally move your hands as if you are throwing them out! Watch them land and crash on the ground!

4. Look to Jesus – Then don’t look at them anymore! Turn your head and put your eyes back on Jesus. Determine to keep your mind and thoughts focused on Him. When you do this, Hebrews 12:2 tells us that He will actually finish and complete FOR YOU the faith you lack in the battle of your minds and thoughts.

Abraham is a beautiful example to me of hope and faith. Romans 4:18-21 tells us how he kept faith and hope in God all of those years…especially when the promise of God became physically, humanly impossible to fulfill. I want this to be my testimony, too!

We can be empowered by faith as we give praise and glory to God, throw aside the dark thoughts of sight and fear, and look to Jesus – who is fully ABLE and MIGHTY to keep His Word and do what He has promised.

That’s what I want to do. How about you? I’m holding on to the keys that will release me from the next lock-up the enemy has planned. In fact, in my mind, they are on a beautiful silver Brighton Key ring. Who says that spiritual power and a little “bling” can’t go together?

“And let us rejoice and exalt in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God.” Romans 5:2b

“O Lord of Hosts, blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts in You [leaning on and believing on You, committing all and confidently looking to You, and that without fear or misgiving.]” Psalm 84:12 (Amp)

It’s VBS Colossal Coaster World around here, and Day 2 is off to a super start!  We had over 200 people involved in VBS yesterday, and if this VBS week follows the same pattern as the previous years, our numbers of children will grow by the day.  It’s not the number of children that we are concerned with gathering… it’s the number of hearts – of both children and adults – open to the change and power of Jesus Christ.

Didn’t our workers do a fabulous job of creating a theme park feel?  Roller coasters made out of swim tubes and painted paint sticks… popcorn made out of balloons, a “live” candy apple, tenting made from plastic table cloths, candy and giant pretzels, photo booths, etc…  It’s a fun place to be this week!

But more important than creative decor and fun-filled atmosphere is the theme for the week, based on Paul’s words of encouragement and instruction to his young disciple, Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:7: ” For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment”

I love how the Amplified Bible, states it:

 ^”For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm andwell-balanced mind anddiscipline and self-control.”  2 Timothy 1:7, Amp

Learning to face fear and trust God is a life skill that all of us need.  If these little ones can learn to do this at an early age… oh how blessed they will be. I’m still learning that lesson myself.  ;-)  (In fact, I think that tomorrow I’ll re-post what the Lord gave me 4 years ago when I finally – at the age of 41 – won my first big battle with fear.  It’s a keeper truth, and one I’ve noticed lately that I need to re-read and re-absorb.)

But for now, I’ll close with the words penned by Paul, and purposed by God for not only Timothy, but for all of us.  Please continue to PRAY with us for VBS, and have a part in all God is doing in the hearts and lives of children across our nation.

⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.¹¹ And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. ¹² That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.

¹³ What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.¹⁴ Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.

2 Timothy 1:6-14, NIV

… and blessed we are because of it.

It’s almost VBS week around FBC Cleveland (and probably about a gazillion other churches in the country).  These next few weeks when a majority of the churches (of all denominations) will host VBS are some of the most important corporate days in the area of children’s ministry.   Through VBS, thousands of children and their parents – many of whom never come to traditional church – will hear The Gospel of Salvation and be loved on by the body of Christ.  If you are involved in your church’s VBS, yay for you!  If you aren’t involved in VBS this year, I’m offering you a personal invitation to have an important part in this vital mission.

How?

I’m so glad you asked.    The answer is simple, and it’s something you can do as you go about your busy days:
You can PRAY.

If you would take one letter each day during the months of June and July, and keep these requests rotating before the Throne of Grace,  you will have a beautiful part in the changing of countless lives.   What God does through the individuals serving in each particular VBS, He will also be doing through you AS. YOU. PRAY.

P – People.  First of all, please pray for the workers and church staff.  It is a fun, but exhausting week for adults and youth volunteers.  Pray for the patience and love of the Lord Jesus to flow through each servant so that they will see the children {especially the difficult ones} through the eyes of God.  Then pray for the little ones – For those feet that run down the halls, the hands smeared with paint and markers, the heads sweaty from outdoor recreation, the mouths turned blue from koolaid, the minds offered truth from God’s Word, the eyes watching to see what love looks like, and the ears hearing how vastly God loves them.

R – Routines/Schedules/Rotations.  Pray for smoothness and ease of routines, rotations, and transitions.  Pray that the time allotted for each activity will be “enough,” and that the “bumps” along the way will be quickly smoothed.  Thank the Lord for going before each day, knowing every moment that will be in each day, and thank God for already having a plan to work it all into something good and glorious.

A – Activities.  Pray that in each activity – in each Bible story, mission lesson, arts & crafts project, recreation time,review time, and snack – God will make His message of love and redemption clear.  Ask the Lord to shine and bring to pass the purposes behind these activities – which is to glorify Himself in the lives of the leaders and the learners.  Through play-dough and piano, cookies and commotion, may God’s truth root deeper in each tender heart.

Y – Yielded Hearts and Lives.  Most importantly, pray that the Plan of Salvation, God’s costly and redemptive gift to mankind, will be understood and received – by both children and adults.  Ask God to soften hard hearts, mend broken hearts, and make brittle hearts pliable to His Word and Ways.  A heart yielded to God, at any age is a beautiful gift to Him.

We have the invitation to join God in what He is doing all over this country and around the Lord as we commit to pray for VBS’s everywhere.  God esteems your prayers, and He will be faithful to answer them.   Jesus promises in John 14:13-14, “From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do. “

So… Will you pray for VBS this week?  Will you pray for VBS all summer?

To help us remember to pray for VBS, God gave me this little jingle… to be sung with the gusto of a pre-schooler to the chorus of “Jingle Bells”.  (And when in “Jingle Bells” we say “Hey!” – in this song we’ll yell “Pray!”)   If the diddy gets stuck in your head like it’s stuck in mine, then just sing it loud and sing it proud and let it be a reminder to P.R.A.Y. for VBS this summer.  Precious souls will spend eternity in Heaven because of the ministry of VBS.  How awesome to get to have a part in life-change through prayer and VBS!

Jingle VBS
by Jennifer Crawford Walker, May 2012

VBS, VBS, It’s that time of year

When church doors are opened wide

To Children, far and near… PRAY!

VBS, VBS, you can have a part

Of all God does in girls and boys

So pray with all your heart… PRAY!

  Have a super week in the Lord, my friends~

Do you ever have seasons where it seems like almost everyone around you is grieving a loss? I feel that way right now. Loss of a job. Loss of a loved one. Loss of a sense of security. Between the major losses we see in the news and the losses we experience on a personal level, it’s easy for hearts to become overwhelmed with despair.

Our church family has experienced the loss of some long-time and well-loved members lately. And just over this weekend, we have grieved for two different sets of loved ones grieving over the home-going of their close family members. James and I will attend at least two funerals this week. My heart hurts for my grieving family and friends.

With that in mind, I was scrolling through some old blog posts because I’ve been in seasons like this before and I knew that God had given me a sustaining word for my grieving soul. He is always so faithful to feed any who open wide their mouths. I found this post from December 2011 and felt led to share it again. If you are heavy with grief over any kind of loss today, I pray that the Lord will use His Words to strengthen and soothe your heart.

I am praying for you ~

December 2011. God Blesses Those Who Mourn

My heart is heavy this morning for so many who are missing loved ones this month… My own precious Daddy died two days after Christmas (fifteen years ago, and we still miss his presence in our lives). Our blogging friend, Bella Mella – Melanie Dorsey and her family are grieving the loss of their 12 year old son, Andrew, who moved to Heaven two years ago on the 15th. The news is full of tragedy, made especially difficult during this season where love and family and memories are so cherished. I’m praying for many who are mourning this month.

As I drank my coffee and opened God’s Word this morning to see what He had to say from my study through Matthew, as God often does, He had a beautiful Word about those who mourn. I knew immediately that He gave it to me, as well as to many of you… to any of you who mourn.

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (NIV)

That’s the verse most of us know. The second of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. But read it in these other translations and versions:

“You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.” (The Message)

“Blessed and enviably happy [with a happiness produced by the experience of God's favor and especially conditioned by the revelation of His matchless grace] are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted!” (Amplified)

“God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (New Living Translation)

I’m using the New Living Translation as I study verse by verse through Matthew, and the different wording of a familiar verse was a blessing to my heart. Between the NLT and the Amp, this is what I wrote in my journal this morning, and what I want to pass along to you:

“God blesses those who mourn with His comfort and matchless grace. Thank you, O Lord! You bless each need with a deeper revelation of yourself. In that way, we are blessed with the happiness only produced by the experience of Your favor conditioned by the revelation of your Matchless Grace.

Conditioned = restored, nourished, hydrated, refreshed. When we look back on the loss we are mourning, we will see what you have done for, in, and through us as we walk each step with You and in Your strength alone. Your grace conditions, restores, nourishes, hydrates, and refreshes each dry and weary heart. In this… In you… is the blessing… when we are in the midst of deep sorrow and grief.

Thank you, O Lord, for the blessing of Your Strength, Your Help, Your Carriage, Your Nourishing, Your Conditioning, Your Mercy, Your Love, and Your Presence as we walk the days of mourning. Thank you that weeping will last but a night, and that joy WILL come in the ‘mourning‘.”

My sweet friends, if you are mourning – especially during this supposedly “festive” month, I am praying for you. Rest assured of this: God knows. God understands. God will not leave you nor will He forsake you, Assuredly not! (Heb. 13:5)

Jennifer