My heart is thankful, grateful for the faithfulness of God and all He has done for us in this past season.
Life has been busy, just. plain. busy. as I adjust to a new life with a newly retired husband. I have heard it said that retirement is kind of like being a teenager with money and not having to ask your parents stuff and not worrying about how late you get home. We have not been coming home late from anywhere, but I will tell you it is so nice that we don’t have to set the alarm to 5:15 am anymore. It is good to see my husband relax after the emotional toll of the past few years and sometimes we are not up until 8:00 am. Rest of body and soul is beginning to merge. Usually, we have our coffee downstairs in our blue rocker recliners in front of the fireplace. We are beginning now to use that time for prayer and Bible reading; it is a good time and place because our hearts are thankful as we appreciate the peace and blessing of our surroundings. His goodness is not lost on us.Lift up Your Eyes
One morning a few weeks back, I switched coffee places up so I could sit and watch the squirrels playing in the grass and a fresh revelation struck my heart that when our eyes are downcast, all we see is the ground before us. Our focus stays at the level of the grass that fades and withers when God wants us to look up and be like the tall oaks, regal and strong.
The Scripture came to mind from Psalm 121:1
I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from God maker of heaven and earth.
Gazing at the green grass, still wet with dew and then raising my eyes and head higher to take in the sight of the glorious tall trees a definite attitude change was tangible and the Holy Spirit began whispering truth to my soul.
When our soul is downcast and our eyes focus on that which is lower, we walk with a downtrodden attitude. When we do lift our eyes, and see the hills and mountains before us, we think of them only as path blockers creating difficulty in our walk. As the children of God, He wants to be the lifter of our heads so we are able to persevere and press on in our faith and not despair when times get hard.
I have seen so many pictures of mountains with “Psalm 121:1 I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from God, maker of heaven and earth”; as if to indicate that from somewhere in the mountains, the help of God comes.
I had the intense understanding the Lord was saying that when we see the mountains and hills as we journey with Him, instead of allowing depression, despair and fear rule us, we make the choice to declare that our help comes from God, not some mystical mountaintop.
Our help comes from God, the Maker of Majestic Mountains and He will stop at nothing to help us in our times of need. Do you believe that? Will you dare to believe and trust on a completely new level?
He is Your Very Present Help He wants to be your glory and the Lifter of your head and raise you up to look at Him. He needs no time to reach you for He is always with you. Your help does not come from some place amongst the mountains; He is your very present help in time of need. I Am is your Great Tower of Refuge and He longs for you to keep your gaze focused on Him. Lift up your eyes and behold that which is beyond. On another note, just after those thoughts came to me, Shadow was hip checked by Sasha as they chased squirrels and he fell into the pool landing on the pool liner. I flew out of the house, was there in seconds, and pulled the liner over to the side of the pool and Shadow climbed out, shook himself off and wagged his tail. I gathered him up, wrapped him in a dry towel and cuddled him in a cozy blanket for quite a long time.The Lord whispered again, ‘you thought you were close and quick to rescue Shadow but I am closer still. Trust Me with all of your heart and soul and be confident in my ability to lift you out of deep waters.’
Dear one, will you join me in trusting our God more and more in these days to come? Will you let your heart rest in the unfailing, unchanging love He has for you? You are secure and loved and He has called you out of shade and darkness, set His love upon you and calls you His beloved. You are His.
Jeannie
Happy once again to be linking up with some great writers and will be adding more as week goes on.
What a wonderful post, Jeannie! It’s full of sweet, heart-felt encouragement and I just love that. Thanks so much for sharing, Love! GOD bless you, beautiful friend!
Thanks so much Tai. It felt so good to write again and I pray I will learn how to carve out the time as I adjust to our new lifestyle. God bless you too. And thanks so much for your comment.
So encouraging, Jeannie! I’ve been keeping my eyes at grass level lately and your words reminded me to lift my eyes to God and to trust Him. The valleys and the mountains exist to draw us closer to Him.
Wow! Retirement age is something to look forward to! I’m glad you and your husband feel rested now than before.
OH, JEANNIE…it is a delight to my heart to read this post and to visualise you sitting in your rocker watching the squirrels Jays and dogs out the window.
I am glad you are HOME in your heart now as well as physically.
i just loved reading this post.
My school Psalm was this one you have quoted from and is dear to me because there are many beautiful hills in my area and every time I look at them I am reminded of these words.
Eyes UP~!
with love,
Mary xx
What a beautiful reminder Jeannie, that mountains are not road-blocks but are the source of our help!
Good to have you back sharing your faith Jeannie. Yes, God is uplifting and eager to help His faithful followers. Thanks for sharing your love for God and spreading His news with some wonderful scripture. I’m glad to hear the settling into your new home has brought you peace with His awesome creations. GBY my friend.
Thank you so much for this touching reminder!
Again, I find God placing these common themes in the hearts of His servants. Recently it seemed the focus was on prayer, and now I see this theme of Trust becoming pervasive through many Christian blogs. I was always told that when God said something multiple times in the Bible it was very important. I think these unified messages are important for us to pay attention to as well. He is grooming us for His coming. I love your illustrations as always, as we look from the depths up to His grace and majesty above. Yes, I will join you in lifting my eyes, arms and thoughts to the One who is Greater. Beautiful post. <3
Packed with rich gems… beauty. I read some sentences more than once, just for sheer pleasure. Thanks for sharing your lovely heart.
“I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from God maker of heaven and earth.” A wonderful reminder to keep our eyes UPlifted and trusting in HIM.
This retirement idea sounds good; I may try it soon. Just worried I go to pieces without work to go to; but the Lord will help in that too!
I certainly can empathized with you both in regards to retirement. Everyday becomes a Saturday & Sunday. That said, there are times of the mundane; not boredom, but just the “same old, same old” stuff that can get in the way of who we are and what our purpose is.
PSALM 96 begins with “O SING to the LORD a NEW SONG…” , not the “same old songs” but a NEW SONG!
Love to read your thoughts once again!
Completely agree. If we will just trust God and thereby give Him the opportunity He will work wonders in our lives.