A bit of Daniel

"And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God Who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified."  Daniel 5:23b NKJB

This was a hard day.

With all the glorious monsoons (and one building today) all of my symptoms are kicked up a notch (or 2 or 3).  I awakened with my dreaded enemy, the headache, already well established.  So all of my muscles decided to declare mutiny and join my head.  I felt like I had a bad case of the flu and wanted to crawl under my covers and hibernate. I felt so befuddled it was hard to find words or the energy even for a shower.

But, alas, I had a doc appt , which, having already cancelled once, I had to go to today.  God bless my sil, she drove me as I would have been a menace on the road.  I downed some strong pain medication and an hour later was able to go.  My reaction when the meds kick in is always one of great relief.  They sometimes don't take the pain away, but they make it bearable.

On the way we saw the glorious monsoon clouds puffing and the winds starting to rise and the pouring collapse of a cloud over the mountains - a grey curtain of rain blotting out features in the landscape, gigantic bolts of lightning flashing through the black clouds.  It's one of my favorite things here - it's so enormous and wild with power it's awe-inspiring

After a long visit with my doc, a handful of new Rxs and orders for my yearly mammogram, I left - and while we were out we went to a local restaurant to eat.  We always say grace even when we are out - but today we forgot.

I wasn't able to do my quiet time or Bible reading this morning, so when we got home, I began to read - obviously I am now in the book of Daniel.  I prayed beforehand, asking Him to give me something to share with you - and instead He shared something with me.

I read the verse above and the Holy Spirit Spotlight hit me between the eyes.

I had spent my day praising the gods of wind and rain, the god of medicine and pain relief, even praising the food in the restaurant..

But I had not taken even a second to glorify the God Who holds my breath in His hands and owns all my ways.

So I stopped right then and glorified Him , repenting of giving the glory that belongs to Him to another, and meditating on how often I do it.

How many times have I listened to a song, or seen a movie, or read a book, or watched tv, or enjoyed a storm and never given Him a thought?  I think of all the kids, "good Christian kids" (among which are a cherished niece and nephew) who fall prey to secular music about the things forbidden to them by God - and they fill their minds and hearts with it. I see their standards corroding and satan's siren song wooing them inch by inch - the same way my heart is wooed.  And my heart breaks for them, for the needless sorrows and health problems and separation from the One Who holds their breath in His hands and owns all their ways.

And He owns my CI - one of those things included in the"all" as in "...owns all my ways".  And I ask myself, how often do I glorify Him in my CI, or bow before His ways in my life without that moment of whiny complaint :"My head hurts - groan- snivel -gripe"

I'm not advocating a cement-fortified upper lip here, I'm simply saying - mostly for myself - it's time to lay those hurts at His feet and thank Him for the medicine that helps, the storms that make the day glorious, the music or things that soothe and bring joy and laughter. Because He gives, along with the CI, ways to get through the day, small things to delight the soul, gigantic storms to revel "safely" in His magnificent power - a power so great the Word tell us we see but "the edges of His ways", the tiniest portion.  I think of the giant storms - the monsoons (tiny compared to the hurricanes now hitting the south - or the strength of a tornado) and it boggles the mind that this is His power carefully controlled - not yet unleashed in the inconceivable amounts judgement of this earth will require.

And that doesn't even begin the list of things that should drop me face down before Him each day - things like eyes that see, ears that hear, muscles and limbs that respond to my commands, the awesome envelope containing my flesh and blood I call "skin" - it would take all day to name them all.

To my shame, I rarely name any of them.

So, my Lord and King, I ask you to give me a heart so thankful that I glorify You every day.  Give me eyes that see each gift You slip into my days to give me joy - and a heart to see the Giver behind them.  Cause my ears to hear Your slightest whisper - and grant me a will that hastens to obey. Keep me close to You, Papa, don't let me slide away one inch at a time - give me a heart like Your servant Daniel's - faithful and true

Amen..