Stay Put...

-

Birthday celebrating in my animal slippers because of a foot injury. Didn't phase this group.

"Stay" you command your dog. "Stay put" you instruct  your toddler. Maybe the directive is given with encouragement to a co-worker enduring a testy job situation.  There are times in life the command "Stay put and pray" just works.

We'd rather hear, "Go!" 

God gave that welcome command in Exodus 33:3 "Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey." And in Joshua 6:4, "Go" march around Jericho seven times and blow those trumpets! 

Yet, God told Israel to "stay put" while they were captives in Babylon.  An angel told Joseph to "stay put" in his engagement to Mary and go ahead and take her as his wife even though she was pregnant. An amazing Moses moment came in Exodus 14:13-15..."Don't be afraid.  Just "stand still" and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again.  The Lord himself will fight for you; you need only be still."

When counseling a distraught spouse who is ready to run from a marriage, because it is not worth the work, the "stay put and pray" counsel is a worthy course to recommend when abuse is not involved.  With February being "heart" month I will try to focus on heart issues, marriage matters and the love of God.

My husband and I have the opportunity to counsel couples in various stages of marital discord and from various locations. Not necessarily in our church. Occasionally this month, I will post a response from a woman I counseled from a distance. She had bravely chosen to see her marraige as a treasure from God and battle for restoration to occur even though there had been a hurtful betrayal. My assignment for her was to ask the Lord to give her a verse to hold onto each week and a song to soothe her aching heart.  God worked in amazing ways and their marriage is stronger and their family intact.

When I post "Marriage Matters" it will usually be from what the Lord gave this young woman to hold onto.

One of my first emails to her held this quote and verse.

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away your ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."  Corrie ten Boom


Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9


The Song

“The God Who Stays” Matthew West

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPwd_TQpsHY



Popular posts from this blog

She Fought the Good Fight

-
Image
February 27 Bible Gateway's verse yesterday was: This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him . 1 John 4:9 A fitting verse for the day my everyday friend, soul sister, monster of the faith and mischievous partner in crime, Kaye, left this world behind and headed to her heavenly home. My husband was able to be by her bedside and said he knew she heard the words of our faith that he shared. Her sweet daughter held the phone up to her ear so I could say good-bye and the brightest single star you have ever seen shown through my bedroom window as she exited this earth! Yesterday, my heart literally ached so badly that I told the Lord, "Take me too!" Wouldn't she have been surprised if I had snuck up on her in heaven and said, "Thought you were going somewhere without me, did ya." When we received the call she was ready to go, I called out to the Lord for comfort and He led me to the Bible Gat
Read more

Marriage Matters #1

-
Image
One of life's deepest hurts is when the one you love is unfaithful. Forty years ago, I remember an older friend, whose wife had been unfaithful and left him for another man saying to me..."Boo, I hope you never experience having the person you love and are married to, living 8 blocks away loving someone else." Deep hurt. They divorced. The wife of another friend of ours was having an affair with a fellow church member and a neighbor of theirs who lived 5 blocks away. She moved in with this man and our friend said one evening he was walking by the house where they were living together and saw them sitting at a table having a candlelight dinner. Ugh. The torment. I've always said it would be aweful to find out the person you were married to and  loved deeply loved another.  Hmm. We are the bride of Christ.  Is He our first love? 2 Peter 2:14 says: They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed
Read more

Are You Sinking... Being Tossed About?

-
Image
  A text came in from our neighbor recently, on a cold blustery day, when I was home with a stomach bug and awful headache. He said, "My canoe blew off our dock and has floated over to your shore."  And I'm thinking..."And you want me to do what?" I explained my husband was at work, but could help in the afternoon. I went to the window and could see the boat being tossed back and forth along our shore line. One minute it was close to our main dock and the next the winds had shifted and it was 200 feet in the opposite direction.  What I then realized is it had been taking on water. A text came again that he was in his car and driving around to our property.  Climbing out of my night shirt, I put on warm ups, UGGS boots and a hooded coat and limped outside to see how I could help. When I arrived to the shore line, the neighbor had tossed a 3 prong hook tied to a rope into the boat and was pulling it to the shore with one hand.  He had recently had hand surgery and
Read more