Hope Harbor

You, O LORD, I have taken refuge; Let me never be ashamed; In Your righteousness deliver me.” Psalms   31:1 “Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.” Psalms   31:24   NASB  When I read Psalm 31 today I was reminded that God is our refuge. He is a shelter in the storms of life. It also prompted me to think about why I named my blog Hope Harbor.  I always want to remember that I can have hope because God provides shelter and safety.  We may encounter difficult and even potentially dangerous situations but we can trust that our Lord will provide protection.  He is always worthy of praise.  https://youtu.be/vCpP0mFD9F0 https://youtu.be/RwD_Z9kFKhg

Psalm 30:1-3 “I will extol You, O LORD, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. O LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.” There are times in life when we experience difficulties and suffering. At those times, we have many questions and are in need of God’s grace and help   I have personal experience of knowing God‘s faithfulness in the midst of rough times.   When life is hard, we are prone to ask why?. I’d like to propose there are better questions such as: who is God in the midst of this? Who am I? What can I learn about myself? How can I respond? Below is a link to slides used in a presentation I made on the topic of suffering. Scripture verses are included and an inspiring song. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pb9SufXnwCYvLbryBzPp9sMjWDaWaUVZrAp_SmaLchk

Behold , God is my helper, The Lord is the sustainer of my soul. Psalms 54:4 (NASB) This verse is an encouragement to me. God will help me and keep me. What an amazing comforting truth that the God of the universe is my helper. He often will use people to serve to meet needs I have but I can trust and be grateful that God does indeed provide. I am also comforted by the promise that  God will sustain me. God will sustain me. I am reminded of a hymn that worships and proclaims the prayer of a longing heart. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing Chris Rice Come, Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace Streams of mercy, never ceasing Call for songs of loudest praise Teach me some melodious sonnet Sung by flaming tongues above Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it Mount of Thy redeeming love Here I raise my Ebenezer Here there by Thy great help I've come And I hope, by Thy good pleasure Safely to arrive at home Jesus sought me whe...

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalms 19:7 NASB  God’s word is perfect. It is complete and has no errors. God can use his word to restore us and to give us the wisdom we need.   I am intrigued and touched by the concept of restoration of our souls. What comes to mind is a valuable piece of well loved and much used furniture... with the passage of time and perhaps some rough handling,this skillfully crafted and elegantly  designed item has become worn, damaged and lacking the beauty lustre and perhaps even not functioning as originally intended.    Rather than discarding the valuable piece of handiwork, the master craftsman gently sets to restoring the loved creation so it will shine and be free of kniicks and once again be useful.  With great skill and great care he uses tools to accomplish his noble task. Sometimes sandpaper is needed with its abrasive ...

 In the Bible study for individuals impacted by disability, the group I had gone through a series regarding what God can use to transform us from having a hole in our soul to being whole. . Below is a link to the slides on the topic of Worship. I hope you are inspired to give praise to our glorious God by the uplifting music and encouraging verses. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bqEV2urN9qUKPCoFzQcHM9Euw-TU4bs5UFXxS8NkmJo

Our new series “From Hole to Whole”.   We will consider factors beginning with W that God can use to transform us on our journey to wholeness. Topics we will address together include: Worship Word of God Words-what we say to ourselves and others Work-a sense of purpose Wellness-taking care of ourselves Women-fellowship and support Worry free Welcome-hospitality Wit-humor and cheerfulness Woundedness -The hole. An outline of the points covered during the Woundedness session is as follows: What is it? An empty space; a separation or fissure. Why is it there? It could be caused by a deep puncture or repeated friction. It can be made worse if not repaired. How can this be a metaphor for wounded hearts? Who has a hole? Everyone! It is a whole world wide problem. Some reasons were presented why people with disabilities may be more vulnerable to woundedness. These included: We also discussed lies that contribute to the hole, and the Truth found in God’s word that can...