I was reading in Jeremiah this morning and I thought of all of us on The Daily Lily.
“I knew you before I formed you in my mother’s womb. Before you were
born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”(NLT)
At the bottom of the page it reads (1:5) “” God knew you, as He knew
Jeremiah, long before you were born or even conceived. He thought about you
and planned for you. When you feel discouraged or inadequate, remember that
God has always thought of you as valuable and that he has a purpose in mind
for you. (1:6-8) “Often people struggle with new challenges because they
lack self-confidence, feeling that they have inadequate ability, training,
or experience. Jeremiah thought he was ‘too young’ and inexperienced to be
God’s prophet to the nations. But God promised to be with him. We should not
allow feelings of inadequacy to keep us from obeying God. He will always be
with us. If God gives you a job to do, he will provide all you need to do
it.”
As a mother of two little boys, this was encouraging to me,
because sometimes I do feel like Jeremiah, inadequate, but God promises to
be with me and to provide what I need to do this job! Thank you, God for
this scripture to encourage each of us today!
thedailylily.com 
for us to remember and re-remember. Many times we think if we just had a manuel or text book for our inadequaties. Even for child rearing and we do, His Holy Word. The Word says “You shall be Holy.” In Hebrews the word for holy is kedusha, meaning “life intensity.”
I think of this as being intensely dynamic in all areas of our life when we use Holy scriptures to encourage, enlighten and teach us we can and we will be able to meet the giants in our lives daily.
I hope I will choose to remember this blog on the days I feel disappointed and inadequate.
Needles as I read what you wrote above and thought about God knowing us before even being formed in the womb I had a mental picture of a large, stately oak tree. Now I have had the priviledge of being outdoors in the fields and woods these past couple of weeks with the horticulture students I teach studying forestry. We look at a lot of different trees and their unique characterists in order to learn to identify them. We look at the different bark patterns, branching structures and leaf forms. Sometimes the trees are so tall that we can hardly see the leaves from where we stand. So we look down on the ground beneath their majestic forms and study the seeds (often wrapped in fruit or husks)which always identify the tree. As I think about those 40-50 foot towering oaks and then reflect on the tiny acorns, fallen and helpless on the ground beneath them, I ponder that God ‘knew’ those acorns even before that now ancient oak was able to produce them. And He planned that the very life essence resident in that little seed nut would be the same as in that stately oak. Though so small, inadequate and insignificant, one day after rain, sun, wind and the mother leaves nurture it year after year,it too, will grow to become a valuable tree in His great forest. Oak trees are some of the most valuable timber there is, yet it all starts with that tiny acorn.
Isaiah 61:3 says…”that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Thank you for your inspirational words that painted such a picture for me.
The Psalmist gives us a clear picture how God made each of us as distinct individual physical beings. vs. 14 shows us just how to appreciate this, “I will praise You, for I am frearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works. And that my soul knows very well.”
When we feel inadequate for the job let us sing this verse and watch the fear go away.
Needles..When I read what was shared about people feeling they have inadequate ability,I thought of Moses in Exodus 4 When Moses was told to go and speak to Pharaoh,, he said in verse 10 “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue……Then in verse 14 God said to Moses “Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?….I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do.
Just like you wrote Needles, If God gives you a job to do, He will provide all you need to do it…..And I read in Luke 12:11-12..when Jesus was talking to His disciples He told them that “when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authoritites, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. “For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”
And I read in John14:16…”And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever,…and again in verse 26.”But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you..
God is so good to us He gives us help for everything…even when we cant pray…..Romans 8:26 says”Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intersession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered….
What a comfort, what a loving Father in God we have….dj
Our Blogs and scriptures when you Dorothy put your crochet needle to work brings about a beautiful work of art.
Here you have taken Needles, Rena and Little Lady’s blogs and chained together with pearls.
John 14:26 “…I will bring to remembrance all things that I said to you.” These words when given time to reflect and meditate upon helps us to realize how the things we have read in God’s word are so vital. But also gives rise to my heart how important it is for a friend that loves Jesus to be the voice that speaks to us when we need to hear the voice of The Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 3:13 “…Exhort one another daily…” We especially need this when doubt, fear, unbelief and the like set in our minds to deceive us and along comes the crochet “needle” or the “Needles” with medicine of His word to give us back our Faith to hold on to Truth.
Needles as I was re-reading your blog and thinking about how much God values each of us individually I was reminded of Matt 10:30 which tells us how much God takes notice of and cares for the sparrows. And that He numbers even the hairs of our head. And since we are told that the average person’s head has an average of 100,000 hair follicles, each able to produce 20 individual hairs in a person’s life…that’s a lot of counting and attending to each of us individually. What great concern He has towards us…even to the detail of watching over the hairs of our head. He really pays attention to us!
Debi I followed this scripture of Matt. 10:30…about the hairs of our head being numbered and how God cares even for the sparrows…well I found in Psalms 84 that those little sparrows really are smart…for in verse 3 of Ps. 84..it says “Yea, the sparrow hath found an house and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, a place near your alters my King and my God”….and then in verse 11. it says” For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing wil he withold from them that walk uprightly…vs. 12″ …blessed is the man who trusteth in thee..”….Those little birds know where to stay and be protected and nurtured and quided …close to Him…and so should we…….Close to The King of Kings…the Great Good Shepard….dj
school shootings. Today I have tried to re-read our blogs and pray and deal with the school shootings of the Amish children and the other schools within the last week.
I could only pray and try to hold on to these scriptures both for the victoms and their familes and the family of the shooters. The wife and Mother (Amish) said she was leading a prayer group and praying for school children as this was happeneing. Had no idea about her husband being in this condition and his coworkers did not either.
We know God knew and He knows now. I hope as we blog and help one another we will be able to pray more effectively and have compassion and hopefully be a help in our communities. Please also pray for our President as he brings a committee together to find ways to help.
I. too, join Sara in prayer for the young survivors and the families of ALL the victims of this senseless act that seems, according to reports on the airwaves, to have stemmed from a root of bitterness. As I observed our precious students coming into school today, then through a fire drill and a tornado drill, all in one day, I remembered the Amish children and I felt renewed tenderness toward our students and thanked GOD for them and that He would keep them safe. I pray the Scripture from Isaiah 54:13 for the children, our children, all children….”Your children shall be disciples, taught of the LORD and obedient to His Will and great shall be the peace, understanding and undisturbed composure of your children” (AMP)
I, too join Sara in prayer for the young survivors and all the victims of this senseless act which according to the airwaves stemmed from a root of bitterness. As I watched our students arriving at school today, then their going through a fire drill and tornado drill all in one day, I remembered the Amish chidren and my heart become even more tender toward our children and I thanked God for them and His keeping them safe under our care. This reminded me of a song that we are going to sing at our CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY CONCERT this December. Some of the LILIES may remember it done by the CARPENTERS.
BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN
FOR IN THIS WORLD THEY HAVE NO VOICE,
THEY HAVE NO CHOICE
BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN
FOR THE WORLD CAN NEVER BE, THE WORLD THEY SEE
GIVE THEM LIGHT WHEN THE DARKNESS SURROUNDS THEM
GIVE THEM LOVE, LET IT SHINE ALL AROUND THEM
BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN
GIVE THEM SHELTER FROM THE STORM
KEEPT THEM SAFE; KEEP THEM WARM
After I had introduced this song to the 6th graders as their concert piece last week, attempting to assert themselves, as 6th graders are apt to do…some asked a bit smugly, (putting me to the test)…”WHY DO WE HAVE TO BLESS THEM?” But my explanation of the vulnerability of young children and the animals and our responsibility for their protection and care was greatly overshadowed yesterday by the graphic protrayal in the news of the killing of the innocent children.
Yes…Lord…bless the beasts and especially THE CHIDREN OF OUR NATION for “Jesus loves all the little children of the world.”
With the tragedies of these events I pray that the families will be comforted for II Cor 1:3 reminds us …”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations….” May God’s peace and mercy be extended to them at this time.
While reading and praying for our President and this sad situation of the victims and families..I remembered a blog Sara wrote called A Reflection from the mountain top called Truth…we really dont know whats in anothers heart…and even in our own..we all should reread this particular blog espcially at this time…it may also help to read again the Gn I …..dj
….Our Father Who Art In Heaven Hallowed be Thy name..Thy Kingdom come…Thy will be done In earth as it is In Heaven….Mt 6:9
Thanks for the reminder Dorothy to go back and read Mountaintop of Truth. Sara said …”when we think we are “telling the truth”, we are just telling truth as we can see or hear and to the amount of love we have for truth and for others”. How can we know what’s really at the bottom of the heart if we only ‘see’ with a ‘measure’ of truth. God desires us to know truth however because he is Truth “I Am the Way the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). And the Psalmist states in Ps 51:6 “Behold You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.” If we really desire to know the truth we can pray with the psamlist: “Lead me in the way of truth and teach me…(Ps 25:5)
I was clicking around the Daily Lilys other sites this morning and I found under the news heading on the number 10 site the article titled Do unto Others…and this is the perfect example of what you wrote about Needles of feelings of inadequate ability, and then if God gives you a job to do, he will provide all you need to do it….this article “Do unto others also goes with the blog Rena wrote about the four men helpng their friend by lowing him through the roof to Jesus..This young man in the Do unto others article when he was helped he went and helped others….Thanks Sara for finding this article …dj
As a classroom teacher, each child I teach is so unique and different. Each has so much potential. Perhaps it is good that they don’t come with a human made manual when they are born. No human made manual could meet every aspect we have to deal with children as they grow up. Perhaps we learn along with our children. We learn that there is no way we can do this task without the help of God and godly people. We therefor draw closer and closer to God. You might say we are sometimes in his lap. In turn God shapes our children into the unique humans that He had in mind all along. May God bring you great joy with each step of your journey as Mom.
Sara’s blog on awareness. “I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.” Jeremiah 29
Thia sure can made one stand tall in the midst of our day. How awesome God is.
As I re-read your blog this am and thought on God’s promises to be with us and watch over us I was reminded of Zephaniah 3:16: “The Lord Your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”