Psalm 20:1b

Psalm 20

1b the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.

May the darts of the "enemy" have no way to reach you today as you RUN into the NAME..JEHOVAH-RAPHA!

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." (Prov. 18:10)

Yes, may the NAME of the God of Jacob-JEHOVAH-RAPHA defend thee, my ill friend! I'll share another diary excerpt here that I wrote in Sept. 1999 that I pray will bring thee HOPE!

Psalm 130:6

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

You know how many times I've sung this Psalm with all my heart, Lord, and especially these last two verses. I well remember the freezing cold morning of Feb. 10, 1988 and my trip at dawn to the little cemetary where our precious little one was laid to rest not quite a year before. My heart was filled with great anticipation and hope- for my fifth labor had just begun, and I longed for Timothy, too, to know that he would soon have a little brother or sister. What emotion You shared with me that morning as I burst forth in song when the
eastern sky broke forth in dazzling pinks and oranges. The sun broke forth above the hills as I WAITED for our little one's arrival, and I sang:

Psalm 130: 5-6

I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

As I have walked up and down the dry creekbed recently through the fallen leaves , I have sung these same words. And as I look out my dreary window this morning at the seeming endless drizzle, I sing this song as I wait for the sun to show forth again in brightness. Yes, I WAIT...I WAIT.. I WAIT for You, Lord, more than they that watch for the morning! It is "NIGHT"....My illness is "heavy" upon me...and things seem very DRIZZLY and DARK! I WAIT...I WAIT... I WAIT for You, O Lord, to bring the "sunshine" again into my life! And while I WAIT, I remember another song, a song which cheered my heart and gave me HOPE in the "NIGHTTIME" of my life after my little toddler died of spinal meningitis-

`Psalm 42:8

Yet the LORD will command his lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night his SONG shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life.

In the "NIGHT" Your SONG WAS with me! And the promise is to me again! Thank-You, Lord!

Yes, I am now in the "NIGHT" again, a "long night of sickness" that really began around the time that Timothy died. Although the "night" seems to be growing darker and darker, Your song, Psalm 130, brings hope to my heart again today. Your song is WITH ME!

Lamentations 2: 24-26

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope IN HIM. The LORD is good unto them that WAIT FOR HIM, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both HOPE and QUIETLY WAIT for the salvation of the LORD.

May God BLESS You!

Love in Christ,