Known

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BhTAJ49MQ0&list=RDdH0PmaKxOtA&index=4

Nothing Else ~ Cody Carnes

The Lord is good, A strength and stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows [He recognizes, cares for, and understands fully] those who take refuge and trust in Him.

Nahum 1:7 AMP

Three days ago, we learned that our downstairs neighbor, who’d lived alone the full 3 ½ years we’ve known him, chose to live and die alone. I use the term “known” loosely, because there was very little we knew about him, including that he had family nearby, who clearly loved him.

What is a life that’s known? What does it take to love and be loved by others? I think it starts with courage and choice. Jesus demonstrated that for us by His sacrifice. His desire to know and be known by us, that not one of us would be lost to Him, compelled Christ to the Cross. Knowing that He desired to know and be known by you, when did you choose Him? When did you ask Jesus to be your Savior, that you’d get to know Him?

Like everyone our age, I remember where I was and what I was doing 20 years ago, today. Today was life-changing for so many. While there are hundreds of thousands of stories, I pray that this one touches your heart:

He got up, got dressed for work, kissed his girlfriend good-bye and headed out the door.  Today was the day it would all change for him.  He was starting a new job, a new way of life.  After orientation, his boss showed him to an office and asked him to file while she was in a meeting.  A while later, he began to hear a commotion.  People were yelling and running.  He stuck his head out of the office and saw the burning twin towers on TV and the reporter talking about the concerns for the President.  Then someone in the office shouted, “Air Force One is across the street!  Should we evacuate the building?” No one answered. All eyes were locked on the TV in horror. He moved back into the office and closed the door, his mind whirling.

 

Standing in that office, leaning against the door, he was afraid.  “What if I die today?  What if they take out the President’s plane and this office with it?  What if my girlfriend was right about Jesus and I miss it?”  He began to remember what his friends had said one night after work, so many years ago.  They had talked about a Savior. Not a mean God, but One who loved him and who would accept him.  Sliding down to the floor, he said, “God I give you my heart.  From this day forward, I’m Yours.”

 

In Psalm 23, David called the Lord his “Shepherd”, someone who knew David: his needs, desires, wounds, and even joys. David has been called a man after God’s heart, not because he lived a perfect life, but because he chose to live a known life--known to and by his Savior, the way we all long to be known.

I don’t know your story, or how you were affected by that terrible, dark day.  I do know that while so many lives were lost that day, at least one soul was saved, because he chose to be known by his Savior. Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was the day my husband gave his life to Christ! 

Friends, my prayer is that you will choose to not live this life alone, but will be courageous enough to choose a known life--both by your Savior and by those around you.

©Heather Potts 2021

Of His Pasture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHq3trv0cdI

My God ~ (feat. Amanda Cook) Caves

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His pasture,
And the sheep of His hand…

~ Psalm 95:6-7 NKJV

Has it been a long, full, and/or crazy week? It has been for us. Not bad, just long, full, and a bit crazy. Today felt a little overwhelming. Again, not bad, but cumulatively, it left me feeling heavy. Many afternoons, I find things to "do." But today, I purposed to "do" nothing, except be in my Father's presence. Why is it that purposing to spend time with Him changes everything?

The Psalms have the answer. Psalm 23 says, "Jehovah is my shepherd, I shall not want." Psalms 95 says we are His people and under His care. Psalm 100 says He made us, and we are His. Like an author knows her book and an artist knows his design, the Lord designed and created us, and therefore, knows exactly what we need.

Dear child of God, if you are in need, run to your Father; He is all you need. Jehovah-Jireh is your provider. Jehovah-Rophe is the God who heals you. Jehovah-Shalom is your peace. Jehovah-Rohi is your shepherd, tending to your needs. There is not a circumstance or problem He did not foresee or that took Him by surprise. If you are in need, run to the One who holds you in the palms of His hands. There, will He care for and cover you.

Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

~ Isaiah 46:4 NKJV

©Heather Potts 2020

I am His Sheep

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUT4trsrBCw&index=15&list=RDN8WK9HmF53w

Different ~ Micah Tyler

The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still and quiet waters. He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. ~ PSALM 23:1-3 AMP

Having been in the valley for over a year, I can attest to how much I have felt like a sheep. There were many times I wanted to go my own way, to stay a “stay-at-home” mom. But my Shepherd helped to steer me on His path. During these last four weeks of watching my grandpa slip away, having more job-doors close on us, and suddenly losing my father-in-law, my Shepherd saw that I was becoming worn down and weary. That’s when He led me along paths that were filled with time to rest and plenty of nourishment. He’s also been bringing refreshment to my soul by bringing family and friends, whom I don’t often see, to town. He does it not only because He can, but because He wants to do it.

For my God—my Shepherd—it wasn’t enough to heal and hold me. His desire is to open my eyes to the beauty He’s making of our lives, encouraging us to keep following Him. It was for His purposes that He brought us 1500 miles away to Wisconsin, where we’d get to meet and reconnect with friends and family who used to be 1500 miles away. Yes, 81 job-doors have been closed on us (on Brad), but we only needed to find the right ONE to open. That one wasn’t at all what we expected, but part of following our Shepherd is experiencing unexpected blessings and changes He uncovers in us along the way.

If you are walking through a valley of your own, I know how overwhelming it can feel. Now’s the time to run to your Shepherd so that He can heal and hold you, but also so that He can open your eyes to the experiences—the blessings and changes—of following Him.

©Heather Potts 2018

#sitdownandwatchthebuffalo

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.

~ Psalm 23:5 NKJV

Have you ever been in a season or circumstance where stress or anxiety caused you to say some crazy things? I know we have, and somehow, Brad always hears them and then says, “We should put that on a t-shirt.” The most recent of which I said on Tuesday night and decided it would make the most hilarious t-shirt or hashtag, #sitdownandwatchthebuffalo. Obviously, if you were in the room, it would still sound funny, but I think it’s funnier without the back story.

The back story…

Have you noticed that when reading the Bible, we so easily disregard the back story and then miss out on some of the meat of what God’s trying to teach us?  Growing up, my mom always had Psalm 23 hanging on a wall outside my bedroom door. I’ve read the words so many times; they are a sweet melody to me. But it wasn’t until the past few years that I was hungry to know more—WHY did God say that, WHAT did He mean when He said it, etc. It wasn’t until I really started digging in and uncovering the back story that I realized the beauty and depth of the scripture—any scripture. But like my hashtag, if we don’t sit down and breathe in the sweet aroma of the back story, the deeper meaning, and the deeper layer of truth, then we run the risk of missing the deeper beauty that God was trying to communicate.

Today, I have two challenges for you. 1) Ask God to take your favorite scripture and unpackage it for you. Ask Holy Spirit to open up your understanding. Ask for the back story. 2) Send me your funny out-of-context statement. What would be your hashtag?

©Heather Potts 2017