God loves us

January Hope Whispers

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This is the front flap of a card from years ago that I found recently and now use for a bookmark. We certainly need a lot of reminders that God is still in control these days, don’t we?

But GOD…
Nothing Is Too Difficult for Him!

“My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the rock and strength
of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 73:26

“Oh, Lord God! Behold, You Yourself
have made the heavens and the earth
by Your great power and
by Your outstretched arm! 
Nothing is too difficult for You.”
Jeremiah 32:17

Take This Out of My Hands, Lord!

“…So, when it feels like all of this pain is never gonna end
Brought to my knees by all of these things
I don’t understand, don’t understand
I will let the weight of my fear fall like sand
Out of my hands and into Yours
Out of my hands and into Yours

Take this out of my hands
Take this out of my hands
Take this out of my hands
It’s out of my hands

There ain’t nothing that You can’t handle
God, You are strong enough
Only You can take this out of my hands, out of my hands
You’re greater than all my sorrows
Worthy of all my trust
Thank You, Lord, that this is out of my hands, out of my hands…”

Nature Is a Retreat of Hope

“I love to think of nature
as an unlimited broadcasting station
through which God speaks to us every hour
if we will only tune in.”
George Washington Carver

Thank you to my brother John
for these stunning photos.
🙂 Please respect copyright laws. 🙂

White Crested Sparrows
Redhead Male Duck
Great Egret
Northern Pintail Male Ducks
Agua Caliente, Arizona
Huerfano Butte, Arizona
Do you see the holes in the rock? They were made by the Hohokam people who lived there probably around 1000 years ago. They made the holes over a long period of time to grind mesquite beans for flour.

Reflections and Comfort In the Midst of a Crisis and St. Patrick Quotes

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

We’re in the midst of a crisis in our nation and in the world that is causing devastating effects in so many areas of life and for so many people. All because of a virus that is causing sickness and death throughout the world and seems to be unstoppable.

It’s surely a wake-up call, isn’t it? Does God have the first place in our hearts? Do we trust Him as the King who has control, even when fear and troubles threaten to drown us?

Sometimes we may wonder why God doesn’t stop these things. Does God really care about us? Yes, He does! If He didn’t, He wouldn’t have created us or sacrificed His own life for us.

Following Jesus will never keep us from getting sick or dying. But He has promised He will be with us no matter what happens. And through trials, He teaches us to depend more on Him, lean into Him, and allow Him to be first in our hearts and lives.

As the coronavirus spreads quickly, may we not lose heart…

“I have told you all this
so that you may have peace in Me.
Here on earth you will have
many trials and sorrows.
But take heart, because
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33 NLT

♥ ♥ ♥

Jesus replied,
“You do not realize now
what I am doing, but
later you will understand.”
John 13:7

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. Parades and activities have been cancelled, but I don’t think St. Patrick would have minded. He didn’t strive for “man’s empty praise.” (Hymn – Be Thou My Vision) By God’s grace, His Treasure was in Christ Jesus, and his life pointed not to himself but to Christ and the hope and salvation we can find in Him.

St. Patrick Quotes

“I have a Creator who knew all things,
even before they were made –
even me, his poor little child.”
“I arise today through
God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me afar and anear,
alone or in a multitude.”
“Christ with me,
Christ before me,
Christ behind me,
Christ in me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ on my right,
Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down,
Christ when I sit down,
Christ when I arise,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.”

Amretasgraphics – Homemade with Love and a Happy Heart

Be Thou My Vision
Irish Hymn Sung by 4Him

“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light
Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one
Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art
High King of Heaven, my victory won
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heav’n’s Sun
Heart of my own heart, whate’er befall
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all”

God Hears Our Cries and Yearns For Us To Open Our Eyes to His Bottomless Well of Love

Trudy Den Hoed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Do you feel alone, rejected, and misunderstood?  With nowhere to turn? Like even God has left you?

When Abraham sent away Hagar and Ishmael, they wandered in the desert. Aimlessly. With a canteen of water and some food that soon ran out. Now what?

As their bodies dehydrated, they became weak and lethargic. Hagar couldn’t bear seeing her son die, so she hid him under one of the bushes and distanced herself. She sat down and sobbed. Doesn’t anyone care?

Then an angel called to Hagar, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.”

Hagar was physically weak from lack of water and spiritually devastated of hope. But God graciously reminded her that He hears. And He lifted her head and opened her eyes to see a well, and hope surged through her soul. She got up, filled her water skin, and gave her son a drink.

While man-made wells can and do run dry, the well of Jesus’ love is bottomless and will never, ever run dry. It’s available to each of us, waiting for us to drink freely from it. It’s full to overflowing of:

Yearning love that “longs to be gracious” to us.

Selfless, sacrificial, and redeeming love that came down to become “an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Unconditional, nonjudgmental, and freeing love that holds “no condemnation” for those who believe in Him.

Replenishing, restoring love that says to those whose hope has dried up, “I will put breath in you, and you will come to life.”

Healing love that heals our broken hearts and binds up our wounds.

Compassionate, understanding love that “empathizes with our weaknesses.”

Never-abandoning love that says, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Unfailing love that reaches to the heavens and is priceless.

Sometimes our grief-blinded eyes and our pain-crushed hearts can focus only on the pit of our misery rather than the hope God places right in front of us. The hope that He sees and hears us always. The hope that His love is faithful and will never reject us.

If you are having a difficult time, may Jesus hold you up and strengthen you. May He lift you and carry you when you can’t go any further. May He each morning not only open our eyes to His never-emptying well of love, but also empower us to drink from it.

“But whoever drinks of the water
that I will give him shall never thirst;
but the water that I will give him
will become in him a well of water
springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:14

God Loves You
by Jaci Velasquez

“In the quiet, love is reaching.
It`s yours to hold,
Be still and know that
Even when you`re lost and lonely,
And hope is gone, you`re not alone.
Far beyond the understanding,
There`s a hand that leads,
If you believe.
Through the darkness, see the light.
Remember God loves you.”