because I am out of school now and working...

though your riches increase,

do not set your heart on them.

Psalm 62:10

On attention to detail

It hit me while I was washing dishes this evening that my kitchen sink is draining normally again.
Last week I prayed for provision. I am in-between jobs at the moment and July was looking to be tight and several things needed fixing. The drain was one and my car the other.
The car first. A couple of friends from church came to look at my car. They thought it was the starter that needed to be replaced, so they brought over a new part and took out the old one only to discover that the new one was the wrong size. They took both parts back to the shop where they bought the new one and when someone suggested testing the old part it turned out that it was actually working fine. So they put it back. However, in the process of taking the part out and replacing it something was jiggled enough that my car now starts again! Even if it is only a temporary fix, I really couldn't ask for more.
The drain was not really on my priority list, but it would have demanded attention at some point. It has been very slow for a couple weeks and although I knew it should be fixed before I move out, I figured I could live with it. So the drain is just gravy, really.
Also, I visited HR on Friday and we got enough paperwork finished that I will be getting a paycheck next week.
So here is an answered prayer. I know all these things must sound so trivial but somehow that just makes me more excited! How amazing it is that my God and Father cares enough to provide not only big things but small things as well!
I am continually blown away by His love in the details of life.

Promised deliverance

Thinking of this in the context of temptation. I found it very comforting.

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you make the Most High your dwelling-
even the LORD, who is my refuge-

10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it but because, by it, I see everything else.
~CS Lewis

prayer

Proverbs 22:3
A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge,
but the simple keep going and suffer for it.

Dear Father God, please grant me the wisdom to see trials and temptations before they are upon me that I may take refuge in you. Give me your strength to overcome, for my own is not adequate. Amen.

Ebenezer

1 Samuel 4-10
the temptation the Israelites fell to is the same one that still plagues us today - to put trust in a physical thing, whether it was the ark (ch4) or a king of their own (ch8).
The words they used struck me as ironic, "a king to lead us and go out before us in battle." (8:20) They are the same words used again and again to describe what the LORD had been doing for them all along! (Deut. 1:30, 3:22; Jos. 10:14, 23:10; and many other places)
Had they forgotten? They must have. I was reminded of Psalm 118:8-9
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
It is the same with me sometimes; it seems so easy to focus on my physical needs and I have to "work" to get my mind back on God, back on the unseen and eternal. Remembering and trusting seem hard to do.
I really like the idea of an Ebenezer. The people of the OT were always setting up a stone or an altar, renaming a well or planting a tree as a reminder of something great God had done for them. It was something physical - something that they could see and touch and walk past everyday - that made it easier for them to remember the spiritual. It would throw their minds back to God's power and goodness.
Ebenezer means 'stone of help' (7:12, "Thus far has the LORD helped us"). It is said well in the hymn:
Here I raise mine Ebenezer-
hither by Thy help I'm come;
and I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
What can I use to serve as an Ebenezer in my life?

first post

Well, I did it. I wasn't going to start a blog yet, but the temptation has proved to strong. I can't say how often I will actually post here. I am - at the moment - completely at the mercy of the school and public libraries for internet access. I also cannot say whether what I post will be worth reading. You will have to judge that for yourselves.