How Big are “The Wings of the Dawn”?
Last Summer a few members of my family joined some friends of ours to spend 4th of July weekend at their “farm”.
This generous couple had invited me, Mike and our daughter Julianna, along with another couple and their son, to come and spend a few days in what she called her “little slice of heaven” located in the North Georgia Mountains. After my friend told me the EXACT location of her little country paradise a few planets in my world collided and I KNEW the visit would be life changing for our family. Little did I know just how BIG of a life changing weekend it would be.
The timing worked out for all of us and before we knew it we were a caravan winding up the rolling hills of north Georgia and back down into a little valley surrounded by what I can only describe as a “Georgia Garden of Eden”. The rolling hills, mountain streams, grazing horses, summer wildflowers and never ending sky gulped our hearts up from the moment we set our eyes upon it.
On our first morning there, I woke up very early, grabbed my steaming cup of coffee, journal and Bible and curled up on a swing on my friends wrap around porch.
My study on that day was in some of the very scriptures of Psalms that you and I are in today. I dragged my old journal out of safe keeping this morning to remember my exact entry. I can’t share ALL that I wrote on those pages quite yet but I hope to over the next few weeks. 🙂 It’s a pretty cool story!!
Here is part of what my journal entry was on Saturday morning June 30, 2012:
“I am sitting on a swing in paradise Lord. I know this is Holy Ground. What you have made happen here is something ONLY a sovereign, mighty God–ALL KNOWING; ALL SEEING–could have done. You amaze me Lord, you know every heart, you know every moment of every day before it comes to be. Thank you My Jesus for blessing me, you are so good to me, MORE THAN ENOUGH for me, always more than I can hope or imagine”
As I sat in that swing that day I can remember thinking, “I wonder if my friend, who LIVES here, is actually AWARE of the awesome beauty that surrounds her every day? I wonder, when you LIVE in such splendor, do you begin to take it for granted? Do you even notice the glory of the hills and the flock of baby deer who trot across the back lot while you are doing your morning Bible study?”
Today, I am sitting smack in the middle of some details that, if it is God’s plan and all comes together, may result in me having my very own porch and swing looking out at that very same mountain range every morning.
Oh my.
What I am thinking right now, is just what I was thinking that day almost a year ago—I want us to be very sure that we don’t let these words of Psalm 139 roll in and out of our focus. I don’t want to get so familiar with God’s Word that it looses is splendor.
I want to remember verse Psalm 139:6–Understanding God’s love and personal attention to us should always be “too wonderful, to lofty to grasp”.
I want us to LAND on each promise and feel Gods breath on our cheek as He speaks His promise into our ear. I want us to truly see it fresh and new. I want to see these words with a fresh heart; fresh eyes; fresh experience. My journal entry is one year old. God’s Word is ageless; timeless; eternal and VERY PERSONAL.
He delights in stirring HIS WORDS up in us.
Please, find some time this week–early morning, midnight hour, to sit in a sweet spot on the grass under a shade tree; sink your lawn chair into the sand or roll back and forth in a rocker and LISTEN to God utter the words of Psalm 139 into your heart.
Here is some journal help from Born to Bloom, Psalm 139:9
1) What is going on in your life today that you need God to help you with?
Do you need peace? provision? direction?
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED!! Record it! You may just come back one year later like I am doing right now, and seeing God say YES!! No matter what answer you come back to, this much I know, if you have hooked onto His heart, you will see his hand!
2) What is your favorite place ot enjoy God’s presence?
Talk to God about where you love to SEE Him!
Where is YOUR “Wings of the Dawn” today?
1 Oh Lord, you have searched me and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise. You perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all of my ways.
4 Before a words is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.
5 You hem me in behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go to the heavens you are there; If I make my bed in the depths you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of th dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say “surely the darkness will hide and the light become night around me”,
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
If your Born to Bloom Summer Sizzle timing has followed my mine, we have focused on 4 verses each week for the past 2 weeks and starting today with week 3 (verses 9-12). If you are marching to your own drummer and on a whole different timeline–YEAH!! I am just blessed to have you in our same scripture home today!
I would love to hear how you are liking your little book!!
Yes, the answer is, yes, I do take my beautiful mountains for granted sometimes. Are you coming to be my neighbor here in these mountains?
Oh sweet Leah, I will be CLOSER for sure but not in your same city. We should definitely be able to “do lunch” 🙂 or maybe some ministry together!!!
I tried to call you last time I was in your neck of the mountains, maybe next trip!
big hugs,
pat
I got my book and started this morning! This is very timely for me! I love the simplicity of it. I am coming out of my daughter’s wedding at my house and two back-to-back STS studies and while they were wonderful experiences, I’m finding myself feeling tired and overwhelmed! I am going to slow down and focus on the words of this beautiful Psalm! I am looking forward to it!
Yeah Kaye. Yes, simple and sweet was the idea! We are so often overwhelmed, I want the Born to Bloom series to be a breath of fresh air time in God’s Word!
So blessed to have you with us!
p
I am loving my “little book” in a very Big way! 🙂
Reading your words written while at the mountain “retreat” I was reminded to look at what beauty I am surrounded by today! I look out my window and literally am hemmed in, surrounded on all sides with beauty. Beautiful trees, a flowing river below, and I am now aware of birds singing. Not only HIs beautiful creation, but God HImself is all around me and glory upon glory, HE has placed His hand upon me! How easily I can overlook beauty. How easily I am deafened to creation shouting His glory!!! Thinking of this amazing, lofty, ‘more than I can understand’ truth, causes me to look up. And of course what’s the next bit of scripture , ‘If I go up to the heavens, You are there.’
Reminder that there is no place that God is not! Comfort of comforts! He is all I need! And gazing high up at the beautiful TEXAS sky , I’m reminded that He is perceiving my every thought from AFAR. HE knows my words before they exit my tongue! I thank Him that He has blocked the exit of a few !! I ask Him to continue to ‘set a guard over my mouth, and keep watch over the door of my lips!’ Ps 141:3 And I smile a smile of trust and know that I do not want anything to hide me from God. And I never want to stop loving His Word! He smiles back and calls me HIS!
Yes, I am loving this “little book” in a very Big way as today I am reminded and grateful that He knows me full well and loves me full well. 🙂
Tricia—YOU are a beautiful writer and a beautiful heart friend!!
Thank you for your precious words!!
xoxo
p
Our last week of school (which was last week) had me all caught-up and overwhelmed as well and I missed posting about what God had been speaking into my heart – But with my little book in hand and my prayer journal, I am starting anew!
I have enjoyed thinking about the wonder that surrounds us all – in all the different corners of the country. I am enjoying the everyday beauty and being in the Pac NW it means appreciating the rain. Last night it rained hard…which doesn’t happen very often – I woke early to it. I appreciate the delicate ‘washing’ and the ‘hard scrubbing’ that rain/water can do – and ultimately how Christ’s love has washed my soul clean. This concept is too lofty at times! Today I will simply think about the rain…. as a gentle, daily reminder of the cleansing that takes place in my heart. And I think I’ll be singing today….”Jesus paid it all/All to Him I owe/Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
Jenn, I LOVE your gift for words!! I literally got chill bumps thinking about that old song!
So honored to have you here with us,
p
Thisisjust overwelming to me !! I need to get some books to take to Ga. with me. and I need some for my church friends..I’ll remember the money if you remember to bring the books home this weekend . Love you !!Mama
No worries about the $$ Mom, I have your sweet little books all ready to go!
Love you back!!!
P1
Good Morning!! You will be waking up again today with a view of Pigeon Mountain for your landscape and having an opportunity to experience God’s presence in the beautiful hills of North Georgia!!! I am so happy for you and for your family!! Something brought me to your sight this morning and I read your post ~ not realizing that it had been 1 year since you and the family were first at the farm! I am so excited for you all to be back and I am praying that God paves the way to make this area a permanent peaceful spot for you!
As for recognizing the surrounding beauty ~ I think it must be impossible to not experience God in Mountain Cove! His creation cries out! and His presence is undeniable!! I can’t go there without stopping to take it in! Sad how we let our “life” often times steal our JOY!
I was just reading Psalm 104 & Isaiah 40 ~ Great verses for today!
Have a wonderful time with your beautiful family!! I wish I were there to enjoy it with you!!!
You, my very special friend, I adore and LOVE!!! God blessed my life with your friendship such a short time ago, for such a time as this!! I can’t wait to see what all He has in mind for us to do and embrace together on this freedom journey.
xoxoo
p