Friday's Faith - "Listen to the Music" to Solve the Mystery

Friday's Faith

"Listen to the Music" to Solve the Mystery

It was Sunday morning, 6:24 a.m., and I was just finishing up another wonderful novel since I couldn't sleep... I was lying there in my bed, talking to my God, thanking Him for the amazing work I am watching some of my clients do in their very difficult healing work over the past weeks and months.

The thought crossed my mind,

"Angie, if you can see God's hand enabling these precious souls to do THE most difficult psychological work known to man, then can you trust that your same God can also help you to solve some of the most entangled situations you are facing financially?"

(In working for ourselves, we can spend a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how we can continue to make a living when clients and/or insurance companies are not cooperating. We can sometimes outwit ourselves by trying to figure things out that can't always be solved by forethought.)

So I asked myself,

"If God can work such miraculous progress in persons who have been harmed in many of the worst ways imaginable, then why do I doubt that He can work out the details of our lives (as well as our livelihoods) as well, without my always understanding exactly how that may happen?"

It's like the quote I just read as I was finishing my mystery novel this week… These words were spoken to the main character Tess, who, as a detective in the novel, is trying to solve a complicated murder through her own ability to be clever… She was being rebuked by a wise friend,

"In opera, if you don't know the language, you have to listen to the music. You have to leave words and cleverness behind. Cleverness is the last refuge for smart people. That's your problem, Tess. You're too clever. You're listening to the words instead of the music."

~from Baltimore Blues, by Laura Lippman

Lord, may I learn that You are the Shepherd; I am the sheep. I am designed to follow You. Help me to lay aside my need to be clever, often out-smarting myself when You stand by, ready to show me the way…!

Now, it is the end of the week, and my Lord has already dissolved the mystery that had me so stumped earlier in the week. And NEVER could I have predicted how well it would play out! May I learn to put my trust and faith in the proper Source for my life, which is in my Lord, not in my lofty imaginings. May I learn to listen for His music…

Picture, thanks to Google Images

Wednesday's Woe - Severed Heart ~Edmund Kuznicki

Wednesday's Woe

Severed Heart

~Edmund Kuznicki

You are the silent destroyer inside

You cannot be seen but I feel your sharp knife

When you took our children you also took our lives

They say we’ll pick up the pieces in time, in time

I hope it’s before I completely lose my mind

I once was told to believe and you shall see

I tried that devoutly but have been left for blind

The pain I feel could bring kings and queens to their knees

Every minute, every hour, every day, it reminds

The suffering will bring no closure, no resolution

The rest of our lives looking up from the bottom of this well

I know those who lose their children go straight to heaven

As we have done our penance, this brutal time in hell

The torture will continue, the questions, why, why, why?

What could I have done to stop it, I cry, I cry

Maybe there’s something more as I felt your pain that day

Same time, unusual it was displayed that way

My heart races for no reason but I must overcome and win

I will continue, I will miss you, forever I will love you

My soul shakes and shakes it just cannot be true

I pray one day I can smile again

~Used by gracious permission from the poem's author

Story of Edward Kuznicki's daughter Shanna's death: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/78547677.html

Tuesday’s Faith - Flaming Arrows Amidst Pervasive and All-encompassing Grief

Tuesday’s Faith

…Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.

~Ephesians 6:16 NIV

Flaming Arrows Amidst

Pervasive and All-encompassing Grief

12/24/09

Pervasive and all-encompassing is

Grief, reaching through head, heart, soul, with no relief,

throwing to the ground to pound and pound.

When (I’m) pounded flat, Satan steps in to ground,

ground his lies into my head, heart, and soul,

waiting till they dig a deep-enough hole…

that he can bury me in as if dead…

But Resurrection Father lifts me instead,

then places me under His protective wing,

pours life and hope and health until I can sing

and lift my heart—

“To Him all glory bring!”

Like my child, He frees (me) from Satan!

“Let Freedom Ring!”

******

Run the race set before you with perseverance.

~Hebrews 12:2

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

~Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV (highlights and some capitalizations mine) (See Eph. 6:14-18 for the weapons of your armor...)

God is strong, and He wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use

...So you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way.

This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own.

Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.

Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words.

Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life.

God's Word is an indispensable weapon.

In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long.

Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out...

~Ephesians 6:10-18 The Message

{To be continued in tomorrow's Wednesday's Woe...}

I do not know Rod Coronado, but I do like his depiction of “Flaming arrows” http://littleblackcart.com/images/flaming_arrows.jpg

Poem - Flaming Arrows Amidst Pervasive and All-Encompassing Grief - Angie Bennett Prince - 12/24/09