I love the LORD because he hears my voice
and my prayer for mercy.
Because he bends down to listen,
I will pray as long as I have breath!
Psalm 116:1-2
Blessings of Continually Seeking
…rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
Search for the LORD and for his strength;
continually seek him.
Remember the wonders he has performed…
Psalm 105:3-5
(Window in the mill shop, Nazareth Village, Nazareth, Israel)
Blessings of Variety
O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!
In wisdom you have made them all.
The earth is full of your creatures.
Psalm 104:24
Sea Glass Reminders
I didn’t intentionally skip holy communion on the beach at Caesarea Maritima; but as my hiking boots crunched through tiny shells and stone pebbles, I saw a small glistening piece of green glass…glowing from the western sun’s reflection off the azure blue Mediterranean.
I first thought it was trash and almost didn’t stop; but when I leaned down and peered more closely, I smiled. Sea glass! A small treasure trove of glass jewels…sea foam green, pale aqua blue, amber-yellow, grey-brown and one large orb of etched white…all tucked in among ordinary wet brown polished rocks.
Pieces of what used to be ordinary objects…glass bottles and jars…shattered by who-knows-what life events…and then rough tumbled around in the sea bottom’s currants for years. Finally washed up to rest on the beach…an etched-smooth and jewelry-worthy unique orb of color. Repurposed for a new and different life.
I knelt and gathered, while the waves roared and the sea breeze whipped my hair across my face; and thanked the Lord for capping my last day in Israel with such a tangible joy-bringing blessing reminder:
…that the very Creator of the universe, whose Spirit is sealed within me, desires to renew and re-purpose my broken pieces.
Old to new…one day soon…
(Photo by Joy Floyd)
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,
for the old heaven and the old earth had
disappeared.
And the sea was also gone.
And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem,
coming down from God out of heaven
like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying,
“Look, God’s home is now among his people!
He will live with them, and they will be his people.
God himself will be with them.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there will be no more death or sorrow
or crying or pain.
All these things are gone forever.”
And the one sitting on the throne said,
“Look, I am making everything new!”
Revelation 21:1-5
(Photo by Joy Floyd)
Blessings of the Wind Rider
…O LORD my God, how great you are!
You are robed with honor and majesty.
You are dressed in a robe of light.
You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens;
you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.
You make the clouds your chariot;
you ride upon the wings of the wind.
Psalm 104:1-3
Blessings of Remembrance
…he knows how weak we are;
he remembers we are only dust.
Our days on earth are like grass;
like wildflowers, we bloom and die.
The wind blows, and we are gone—
as though we had never been here.
But the love of the LORD remains forever
with those who fear him.
Psalm 103:14-17
(wildflower along the path at Caesarea Maritima, Israel)
Blessings of Infinity
…his unfailing love toward those who fear him
is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth.
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:11-12
(Rose of Sharon, Caesarea Maritima, Israel)
Blessings of the Unchanging
Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth
and made the heavens with your hands.
They will perish, but you remain forever;
they will wear out like old clothing.
You will change them like a garment
and discard them.
But you are always the same;
you will live forever.
Psalm 102:25-27
(Mt. Arbel, on the Galilee, Israel)
Blessings of Rebuilding
…your people love every stone in her walls
and cherish even the dust in her streets.
Then the nations will tremble before the LORD.
The kings of the earth will tremble before his glory.
For the LORD will rebuild Jerusalem.
He will appear in his glory.
Psalm 102: 15-17
(Western Wall excavated tunnel—Temple Mount retaining wall—ashlar stones)
Blessings of Acknowledgement
Acknowledge that the LORD is God!
He made us, and we are his.
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
Psalm 100:3-4
(Nazareth Village, Nazareth, Israel)