strength to strength

Ps 84:5-7
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.

There's living water, there's refreshing for those who trust in you, who continue to seek you. They don't stay in places and situations of difficulties and challenges and sorrow. They move on, AFTER having made it a refreshing even for themselves, even for others... praying and believing in a visitation of the Lord, an encounter with Him. Even in such times, they grow in strength!

restoration

i was prompted to do a word study on the word 'restore' in the bible, and discovered there were so many things God restored:

Old Testament
שׁוּב
Hebrew - shûb (read as shoob)
= to turn back, deliver (again), recall, recompense, recover, refresh, relieve, render (again), repent, requite, rescue, restore, retrieve, (cause to, make to) return, reverse, reward...

• health: flesh, hand,
  
• property in terms of crops, homes, lands
  
• cities and towns
• rule/leadership/kingdom/dominion
• life
• altar/temple of the Lord
  
• soul
• the joy of our salvation
• relationship with God; to be in His presence
  
• the nation
• comfort
• devastated places
• sanity
  
• family
• finances
• social status
• righteous state
• restore twice (Zechariah 9:12)

New Testament
ἀποκαθίστημι
Greek - apokathistēmi (read as ap-ok-ath-is'-tay-mee)
= to reconstitute (in health, home or organization): - restore (again).

• sight to the blind - Matthew 9:30. Mark 8:25
  
• withered hand became whole - Matthew 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10
  

καταρτίζω
Greek - katartizō (read as kat-ar-tid'-zo)
= to complete thoroughly, that is, repair (literally or figuratively) or adjust: - fit, frame, mend, (make) perfect (-ly join together), prepare, restore.

• restore from sin - Galatians 6:1

στηρίζω
Greek - stērizō (read as stay-rid'-zo)
= to set fast, that is, (literally) to turn resolutely in a certain direction, or (figuratively) to confirm: - fix, (e-) stablish, stedfastly set, strengthen.

• restore to strength in the midst of suffering - 1 Peter 5:10
• 
  

The Lord gives everyone such hope in life. No matter what we have gone through, He loves so much, He is willing to restore us...that we may be whole again in every way - spirit, soul, body!

peace and joy from within

Hubby and I were spending some time in prayer before my bedtime last night. i sleep a good couple of hours before he does. :D

Sometimes we pray for a good 30-40 minutes or more, but yesterday, after about 10-12 minutes, there was a sense of such peace in His presence, so we kept quiet for a while and just enjoyed His presence. Joy just bubbled forth from my spirit. We turned to each other and hugged, and just then a half-remembered chorus rose up from my spirit:

And i will run to You
To Your Word of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the Spirit of God

These words brought such comfort to me. His Word of truth is full of wisdom and life and spirit. The Word of God is my homing device - a mechanism in a guided missile (that is me - i'm guided by the Holy Spirit) which guides the missile, to my objective or target, either by signals or an internal homing device. How apt a metaphor. Signs from the word of God or my spirit in communion with the Holy Spirit.

I then tried to sleep, humming the portion i remembered, but soon i was out of bed and onto the internet searching for the words of the whole song. There's a you tube video - 7:55 - of Darlene Zschech leading worship with this song which i worshiped along...

Then i lay down to sleep, but again, i was too excited. i was soon up as there was such a yearning to read Isaiah - part of my daily reading. I was at Chapter 8. As my eyes searched for the place to start reading, they landed on Isaiah 8:17 (AMP)

And I will wait for the Lord... and I will look for and hope in Him.

followed by Isaiah 12:4-6 (AMP)

⁴And in that day you will say, Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name and by means of His name [in solemn entreaty]; declare and make known His deeds among the peoples of the earth, proclaim that His name is exalted! ⁵Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done excellent things [gloriously]; let this be made known to all the earth. ⁶Cry aloud and shout joyfully, you women and inhabitants of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Finally, I read Isaiah 55:12-13 (NKJV)

“ For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace;
The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

And it shall be to the LORD for a name,
For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

Joy, peace and fruitfulness are promised when we obey the Lord and follow His plan, and our obedience will bring lasting glory and witness to His Name.


I slept, satisfied, contented.