Increase My Appetite

     I know in today’s world of slim, abstinence of and self restraint living it may seem very counter productive to ask the Lord in your prayer time to “ increase my appetite”. But I find that is the prayer on my lips every morning and one that stared me in the face with a visual clarity as I watched my squirrel friends feasting at my windowsill today. You see, I have this old chicken feeding trough that my husband mounted under the window of my sunroom where I sit and have my quiet times and watch nature sitting down for breakfast every morning. The squirrels come and literally sit next to me as I sip my coffee and they stuff their bellies with the black sunflower seeds that are supplied. As I sat watching this morning I was reminded of my prayer to “increase my appetite” as I watched a squirrel shoving seed in as fast as he could and noticing his belly that had grown so fat that he could hardly sit in the trough. 

I’m sure he was taking full advantage of the plentiful seed as he fattened himself up for the impending days of winter and it’s meager food supply. But I was also reminded of my prayer and it revealed a picture of Gods provision and how in the harder days that I was to approach things. 

I was asking God to increase my appetite for Him and the knowledge of things in His Word that I would need to know for the difficult days that seemed to be looming on the horizon. 

But here’s the truth of the matter:  if the squirrels didn’t come down from the trees seeking to find the black seed in that trough then it may have been harder for them to have what they needed for the cold winters days. Oh they would probably have had enough to get by but what if it were an extra harsh winter. Well they may not survive as is the course of nature sometimes. But they did have more than enough right now so they ate veraciously at the trough of blessing. We have at our fingertips the greatest treasure that will forever satisfy our hungry appetites and “fatten” our spirits if you will for any impending days of hard times but we fall short of climbing down from our comfortable trees of contented living to eat hungrily like the squirrels. We can’t seem to see the value of it like they do when preparing for winter. So we sit on our limbs of comfort and look at our bibles gathering dust on the tables of our contentnent and think that we have enough. But do we have enough. Are we ready when plenty and provision comes to an end? Will we be ready when sickness or death knocks on the doors of our dwelling places? Will we know what to do when we are at a crossroads of critical decisions of life? What if the coffers of cash ran dry? What if our secure jobs ended and weren’t so secure after all? 

All of these things are never expected or anticipated but that doesn’t stop them from happening when we least expect them to.

Last week, my precious mother went to be with her Jesus in heaven. As there were many tears at her bedside I found myself oddly standing there in a place of peace and joy. I felt guilty for a brief moment because I wasn’t crying but having these good feelings. But as suddenly as the guilt came i was reminded by the Lord of my veracious appetite of prayer and feasting on his Word in the impending months before her death. My appetite for more of Him had been satisfied with peace and joy at the moment I needed it most. It was the answer to the situation. It was the provision for the difficulty to come. 

So, today as I watch my friend the squirrel I am reminded to keep praying the prayer that begs me to “ increase my appetite”. The table of provision and promise and needs met will only be satisfied when we feast on his Word which gives us EVERYTHING we need for days to come. I pray that you will as well seek to pray that prayer. Then, pull up a chair my friends because you won’t go away hungry!

Psalm 63:1-5

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly;

My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You,

In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Thus I have seen You in the sanctuary,

To see Your power and Your glory.

Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips will praise You.

So I will bless You as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Your name.

My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

ROOM TO ESCAPE

Have you ever found yourself with lots of “downtime” on your hands on cold and bleak winter days? Well I know that sure has been the case for me. One of the things that I have found myself passing those dreary hours with is a game that I play on occasion on my phone. The game is one that challenges me to escape from different situations in different rooms, I love a good challenge and gathering the clues and solving the puzzles in order to get the key that unlocks the door for my escape, well, it’s stimulating to say the least. There are word clues, number clues, color clues and the list goes on  but I’m sure you get the point. It’s all about the thrill of the hunt I suppose, the pushing myself to find the answers so that I can reach the goal. It causes me to think outside the normal thought processes to see what is really “hidden in plain sight”. When the key finally appears and I place it in the door and it opens I can almost hear the theme to “Rocky ” playing. 

What is it about a game that can challenge us from the comfort of our chairs causing us to play on so that we can win or get to our destination point? We can’t seem to put it down until we achieve that goal yet, when life throws us a challenge we find ourselves lost at times, crumpled up in a heap on the floor in tears or in a pit of depression ready to give up? Why? What’s makes the difference? I know life is real and it’s not a game but the challenges we face are just that, challenges! What would it look like in real life if we met our challenges with as much tenacity and vigor as we do with those games? What if we viewed each small victory as something that propels us forward instead of allowing it to cripple us with anxiety. What if each small “clue” or hurdle that was accomplished propelled us towards the next one with a desire to get to the freedom that awaits us when we arrive at our goals? And there is an end! There is freedom and it just waits on our proper responses. 

In Matthew chapter 5, Jesus was just about to enter into his challenge if you will. His cousin John the Baptist has just been arrested so he moved towards Galilee and set to gathering the ones who would help him along the way. He called Simon and Andrew and they followed him then James and John and they likewise came. From there he went over all of Galilee finding synagogues and places to teach and touching all that needed healing.  More and more people came to hear him, momentum gathered . Then here’s the part that jumped out at me. It said, “when Jesus saw his ministry drawing huge crowds, he climbed a hill.(obstacles/trials) Those who were apprenticed to him, the committed, (support team/small victories we are given) climbed with him”. Then the answers started pouring in. . . . He spoke:

-You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope, with less of you there is more of God and his rule in your life. 

-You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you, only then can you be embraced by the one most dear to you.

-You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat.

And the answers (clues) kept coming.

They were given the keys that day. Keys that would unlock doors to their freedom. They stayed, they listened, they heard what they must do and the key to their feeedom was handed to them. Who wouldn’t want the key! Isn’t that the goal? 

Then He wraps up the challenge in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”.

What a key! What a freedom when the door of those trials swing open to our victory! But, we must persist, we must be driven by his leadings in Matthew 5. He has made a way of escape if we follow through all the way to the end, never giving up but pushing through for your answers. He has provided! He will give help along the way. Please know that there is a key but you must persist! That door will open and you May very well hear the theme to “Rocky” as well! 

Matthew 24:13

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

”Peek A Boo” of the Father

Recently, on a trip to visit my elderly mom I was delighted when she gave me a large envelope that contained precious old photographs. There was one in the middle of the stack though that made me pause and then ultimately made me cry. You see, I lost my dad to COPD in 2004 and my world hasn't quite been the same since. He was that ”knight in shining armor” kind of dad that was always there when you needed him. He was a gentle giant if you will, who was somewhat content to stand a bit quietly in the background but was truly the mortar that kept all things secure. The photograph that opened the treasure box of emotions was one of my dad playing ” peek a boo” with me as a baby. When I saw that picture I somehow mentally ran through my life with him as if it were that whole ”life flashing before your eyes” moment. Everything about my time with him on this earth came flooding back to me in a few short seconds. Joy, laughter, dependency, love, security, trust, wisdom and faith. Among the myriad of memories one in particular was foremost to me. The term ’role model’ I recalled, best described my thoughts of dad. He wasn't perfect by any means but he always had his girls’ best interest at heart. He was a very good father and I was most blessed to learn and grow under his influence 

There was something else here as well that made its way into my thoughts. This picture of my dad and me was also a beautiful picture of my relationship with my heavenly father. Here's my thought. . . .  There are many times when I feel like my heavenly father is standing in the shadows of my life and he's there and then he's not. He's real but hiding some how, or at least it seems staying at a distance so I can't feel him or sense him. Much like my real dad playing peek a boo, darting back and forth .Now Im well aware that God’s always there but it feels sometimes like he's disappeared. I know instinctively though that he will pop back into my life and reveal himself. 

I read somewhere that the early developmental years of a child are super important. And strangely enough the simple game of peek a boo helps the child go from complete trust and dependency on the parent to trusting that they will come back after hiding. This part helps the child grow in the development of their independence. So, the game  of peek a boo is not just entertaining and fun but it's doing something important in the development of your childs personality. Who knew? 

So, keeping all that in mind, when we feel like God is hiding in the shadows with us, just playing peek a boo, remember that just like a loving parent, he hasn't gone anywhere. He lovingly stands back while we learn a very important lesson in our development. He stands back while we learn to trust Him more. He never leaves but watches and at the most crucial and divine moment he's there again. Sounds a bit crazy huh! But just remember this. . . . . It's meaningful and it's doing something in us. It's building trust, faith and probably wisdom and our heavenly father/role model knows exactly what we need.

Jeremiah 32:19

“great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.”

Isaiah 41:10 "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."