Sealeth

Temporarily confined to bed after some minor surgery, I had no choice but to flip through the channels.  I finished reading my novel, skimmed through all of my magazines, and harassed everyone I knew through texts.  My hub and the squirts were at the local water park, so I was hoping I'd score and find Lidia's Italy on PBS, one of my favorites.

Instead, what I found was an older gentleman wearing a Touring Cap speaking in front of an audience.  The sign behind him had the word "Wishes" on it, but I couldn't make out the rest.

By the time I tuned in, he was talking about the fifth and most important "wish" on his list, and he used Job 33:15-18 KJV to reinforce his point:

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon [wo]men, in slumberings upon the bed;  Then he openeth the ears of [wo]men, and sealeth their instruction, That he may withdraw [wo]man, from his purpose, and hide pride from [wo]man.  He keepeth back . . . [her] soul from the pit, and . . . [her] life from perishing by the sword.

The man explained how to use that transition time between wakefulness and sleep in our favor.  Instead of focusing on the hurts of the day, the troubles of the world, or negative body imagery, for example, we should, instead, focus on where we want to be as long as it feels natural . . .  "I am content.  I am healthy.  I am blessed," so that God may "sealeth . . . [our] instruction."

This concept is not a novel idea.  Years ago after having read, Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach, at the author's encouragement, I logged a journal each night of five blessings of the day for which I was thankful.  Ann VosKamp's 1000 Gifts, in the same manner, urges readers to log throughout the day until a minimal goal of 1000 is eventually reached with the end result being a habit formed so that the reader will continue recording without limits.

What was interesting to me was that I had never read this verse from Job in the King James Version;  the versions I keep handy are the Good News and the New International Version.  A self-described logophile, I was taken by "sealeth."  Instead of encapsulating negativity into my subconscious, why not go for the gold in terms of positive thinking?  So, tonight while I'm adjusting my CPAP mask and allowing my melatonin VitaMelts to dissolve in my mouth, I will attempt to do just that . . . 

Courtney Winkler

Good News

 

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."

Submitted by Beth Miramonti

Thanksgiving Prayer

This Thanksgiving, we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing on our families, our friends, our feasts of food and faith. We lift up Troy and travel and Truth and trucks headed for hurricane relief. As the days draw shorter, we pray for longer patience, thinner waists, wider smiles, higher incomes, and lower gas prices. Come, ye thankful people, come, raise the song of harvest home, and the tunes of the nine o’clock Praise Band, and the melodies of the hand bell choir, and the voices of the chancel choir. Let’s give thanks for new babies, new potatoes, new shoes, and Good News; for post offices, post-it notes, Army posts, and post-op progress; for Black Friday, the Red Cross, the Green Hornet, and Blue Nun. In the shadow of Veteran’s Day, we pause to pray for soldiers and sailors, colonels and corporals, commanders and our Commander-in-Chief. Oh Lord Our God, when we in awesome wonder consider all the worlds thy hands have made, we offer thanks for our EMTs, our PTOs, our DVDs, our MRIs, and our OB-GYNs. What would we do without diapers, deodorant, dentures and donuts, or strollers, straighteners, string cheese, and stretch pants, or white chocolate, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and hot chocolate? Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, to include email, iPhones, t-bones, and J. Crewe; L.L. Bean, u-turns, Z. Z. Top, and you tube. All of us creatures here below are grateful for grandchildren, grand pianos, the Grand Canyon, and grand slams. We praise Him above for Christmas cards, the Cards, and Cardinal Glennon, for the Rams, honey hams, and Sam’s. For Starbucks, eight-point bucks, and birthday bucks, we praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. We double down that praise for our homes, our heat, our hand-held games, and our hoops; for microwaves, micro-financing, microscopes and Microsoft. Hallelujah for lap tops, Swiffer mops, Corn Pops, and small town cops; for food drives, faithful husbands and wives, and rich and full lives. Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, for dentists and doctors, and teachers and techies, and pastors and pilots; for four score and seven years ago, ten little monkeys, and tea for two. This is my Father’s world, O le me ne’er forget, the battle is not done, ‘til earth and Heaven be one. We bow in humble gratitude for Your sovereignty, Your sacrifice, and the gift of Salvation through You. In the precious name of Jesus, the people said, Amen! 

Sue Busler