Sunday Blessings -Hedged In

 Many  of  find  ourselves  in  confining  and  restricting circumstances,  like  I  do, due  to  illness,  physical  disability or  economic restraints  and  family responsibilities.
We  want  to  spread  our  wings  and  fly but  the  aviary nets hold  us  in.

Joni Eareckson Tada  is  a  cages  songbird whose music  is  close  to  my  heart. She 's  been  confined  to  her  wheelchair   for  several  decades now and  God  is  using  her  to   lift  people  out  of  their  bed  of  woes.

A  wide  range   of  authors   are  on  my  reading  list but  I  pay    closest  heed  to  those  who have   suffered pain,  hardship  and  loss .  Their 's  is   not  a  second  hand  knowledge or  counsel.

Jesus  endured temptation,  pain,  suffrering , povery, betrayal, injustice  and torture , even separation from His  Heavenly  Father. That  is  why  He  can  sympathize   with  us  in  our  weaknesses.
Hebrews 4:15
English Standard Version (ESV)BIBLE
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.


Hedges and Walls

Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in.
--Job 3:23

The four walls of a sick room can feel terribly confining, even if you are only

in bed a short time. When I was stuck in a hospital room for over a year, those

four walls felt like a jail. I resonated with the prophet who wrote, "He has walled

me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains" (Lamentations 3:7).

There's a lot of lament in that verse, and in today's.

There is also comfort. For it is God's hedge. Those are God's walls. It is God who

has confined you in. He is the one who has surrounded you with that high hedge.

It is only when we view our restricting circumstances as being placed there by God's

hand, that we find courage to face the wall and the hedge. Walls are cold and hard.

Hedges are unyielding and thorny. But the love of your God is supreme and matchless,

and he only confines you 'round for a wise and timely purpose. For those who believe

in the love and wisdom of a sovereign God, even a terrible confinement can be a

place of building trust.

* * * * * * * *

A high hedge cannot shut out our view of the skies nor can it prevent the soul from

looking up into the face of God. That's what happened to me in the hospital. During

the year within those four walls, I earnestly wrestled with God, pleading and praying

to him. Looking back, it was dreadfully difficult -- but it was a rich and deep

spiritual time which I wouldn't trade for anything. Because there is so little else

to see, the hedged-in Christian may possibly apprehend God more fully than the disciple

who moves about freely and unconfined.

Today, I need to remember that the 'four walls' of a difficult situation force me

to look up.

 Lord Jesus, please help me to see you in the confining situation.

The Hedge

Therefore I will block her path with thorn bushes; I will wall her in so that she
cannot find her way. She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will
look for them but not find them. Then she will say, 'I will go back to my husband
as at first, for then I was better off than now.'

--Hosea 2:6-7

When I was a little girl, my mother would take me to Grandmother's every Wednesday
morning. While she cleaned house, Mother gave me free range in the spacious back
yard which was lined with a tall thick hedge. I had plenty of room in which to
play. I didn't know what was on the other side of the hedge, but I wasn't about
to trespass beyond the watchful eye of Mom. Who knew what dangers lurked beyond
the safe, secure wall of thorny leaves that defined my family's property?


I often think of Grandmother's hedge when I look at my wheelchair. It may be a thorn
in my side, but it is God's barrier; otherwise, I would be reaching for and running
toward a lot of wrong things! I thank my wise God for placing this hedge in my life.
It may hurt and sometimes humiliate me, but it keeps me within the safe, secure
boundaries of God's protection and provision. It keeps me out of the worse kind
of danger: moral trouble.



Today's verse describes a rebellious, headstrong person who is ruled by desire,
a person who looks for ways to trespass God's boundaries of safety and borders of
protection. Don't invite the Lord to block your path with a taller, thornier hedge
Be content within the confines of his commands. The Bible's precepts give you room
enough in which to grow. What hedges has God placed in your life? How has "hedging
in" helped you?

Lord Jesus, I desire to trust and obey you with a willing and contented spirit.
I am thankful for the hedges you place in my life

Blessings,

Joni and Friends


Taken from Pearls of Great Price. Copyright © 2006 by Joni Eareckson Tada.

India 's longest Lunar Eclipse - June 2011

"The  moon  was  a  ghostly  galleon tossed  upon  cloudy  skies" those  words  by   Alfred Noyes came  to  mind as  I    beheld  the  fascinating  heavenly drama last  night.It  was  the  longest and darkest  moonlit  night when the  earth stood  between   the  sun and  moon . The  ellipse lasted 100  minutes starting  at  11.53 pm on June 15th,  most  of  it  happened after  midnight  on June  16th.

All  the news  channels  were  abuzz with  the  ellipse  story specially  the  Hindi  channels. In  India  the English  and Hindi  news  channels treat news  stories  differently. The  Hindi  ones   lean  towards  sensationalism   some  of  them  targeting a  semi literate ,  traditional audience ( at  least  that' s  what  I  think)  and  the  English  news  channels  are   for  more  sophisticated  and  Westernized viewers. I jump channels  whenever  I   find  an interesting  story. But  I  must    add some  Hindi channels feature  excellent  programs with India' s  top  journalists,  analysts  and  news reporters. I  don 't   want  to  appear  biased  against  them.

The  discussions  on TV  followed  2  streams  or  angles.
One  group  of  people  viewed  the  ellipse   as a natural  phenomenon and made  rational scientific  comments  about  it. They were scientists,  star gazers  astronomers and   lay folk  among  them.
The other group  consisted  of  Hindu  priests,  astrologers, horoscope readers and  suchlike  who  were  cautioning     viewers  against  the  calamities  that  might  befall  them  if  they  don 't   fulfill  certain religious   obligations    and  rituals. They were  bent  upon  invoking  fear and  apprehension. The  clash  of opinions  was very vociferous and  ear-splitting  on one  frequency.It  was  quite  amusing -  maybe  they  were staging  it  to  increase their  ratings. But  all  serious  and  responsible  news  anchors  were telling  people  not  to  be  fearful  of this  natural  occurrence and  fulfil  their  religious practises at  the  same  time. Sort  of  the  middle  path.
Many  people fasted, made offerings at  temples (whose  doors  were shut during  the  eclipse) and took
baths  in    holy  rivers in  order  to  appease  the  gods and  for  good luck.

My  heart  was  full  of  worship  and  wonder  for  the  living  God  ,  our  Creator. He  is  the  one  who  rules  us   and  not  the  network of  stars which  He  has  flung  out  in  space.

"The  heavens declare  the  glory  of  God and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handiwork" BIBLE Psalm 19:1

I  took   a  few  photos  with   my  Sony Cybershot at  various  stages  of   the  eclipse. I  like  the reddish bronze  glow  in  the  last  pictures.

"Space  is   the stature  of  God",  so  said  Joseph   Jourbert. How  right  he  was

(the  above  photo  is  from Google)

***********************

The Met  dept. has made  an  announcement

that  could make us  break out  in  sweat.

It  has  not  been hot  enough this  summer.

The  highest  temperatures  have

fluctuated  between 40 -43* C (low 100s F).

But  for  a  good  monsoon the

mercury should  have  risen up  to

47 * C or 110* F.

Well  dark  clouds  do roll along

from time  to  time  and we 've

had  a  light  shower  too.

Lets  see  what  happens.