Reflections on the Good Shepherd and a Big Blessing!

 
This is a picture of how I've felt over the past year, Gail-Friends.  I hope you laugh -- I did when I saw it.  It's a perfect depiction of how confused and helpless I was.

 

This photo is a picture of my spirit right now.  The "Son" is coming up over a beautiful field of flowers.  That's how I feel  Haleluyah!  

 

 

 

The year 2020 and the last six months have been extremely difficult. Grief and loss have visited me  over and over.  Thankfully, the Good Shepherd has held my hand as we walked through the valley of the shadow of death together.  Thank you, dear Gail-Friends, for your prayers, kind words, and support you've shown.  

 

I confess to you, dear Gail-Friends, that I have failed to be vigilant in battle against the evil one.  There were times I grew weary.  I wanted to just stay at home and not go out.  I could not write.  But praise God, when I stumbled, He helped me up.  Psalm 23 has been my consistent meditation when tears flowed through the night. 

With God's help, I have reached the place that Psalm 23 speaks of:

•   He has prepared a table for me in the presence of my enemies.  Even though the evil one has   been attacking me steadily, I am experiencing God's joy again.
•   He has anointed my head with oil.  I once again feel His presence and comfort.  I know His favor is upon me, even though at times I felt like a female Job.  
•   My cup is running over.  Once again, God has taught me lessons as I walked through the dark valley  -- truths that no one can take away from me. 

One thing I learned is that I have to be extremely vigilant about my thought life.  The evil one was roaring and roaming like a lion.  I can't just complain that there's a lion in the street.  I have to get up and destroy him. (Proverbs 22:13).  

 

Here's what the Word says about that:  

 

  Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion

 looking for someone to devour. (I Peter 5:8 CJB)

 

 and

 

 Therefore, submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, 

and he will flee from you.(James 4:7 CJB)

I hope hope to share more about this lesson as well as some of other things I experienced and learned in the days and weeks ahead.  

 

And now for the BIG BLESSING!!

God has answered my prayers -- we have a new grandson!  

And here he is - Elijah Love.  Don't you love his name?  

 

Can you tell I am over the moon with JOY!!!?

 

 Have a great week, Gail-Friends, and a Good Shabbos.

Lord willing, I will post again next week.

P.S. - and very important:

Recently, the Feedburner team released a system update, that the email subscription service (up top on the right of this blog) will be discontinued in July 2021. After July 2021, the automated emails to my subscribers will no longer be supported. If you’d like to continue getting updates on my blog, please consider switching to Feedly, Blog Lovin, or some other system. In the meantime, I will see what options I can offer on my end. Thank you for understanding and subscribing! Love, Gail