'BEHOLD, I STAND AT THE DOOR AND KNOCK.'

The Lord’s Invitation 2/23/15

Psalm 120: 1  I call on the Lord in my distress and He answers me.

Psalm     Seek ye the Lord while He may be found.  Call upon Him while He is near.

The Holy Spirit’s infilling in us makes all the difference!  Christ’s Gift, the Comforter, God's Holy Spirit, leads and guides, protects and strengthens us for the day’s journey. He directs our words of devotion and praise and leads us in  our ministry ~ in prayers of healing, salvation and restoration.  He leads us in our writing, in our speaking.  He ordains our words with His anointing, thus blessing those we touch through our testimony.

JESUS SAYS:

Revelations 3: 20  Behold, I stand at the door and knock.  He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him and he with me.

The Lord does not pressure us to meet with Him:  he gives us a choice…no stress.  He merely extends His hand…and waits for our answer.

This is what the Bible refers to as ‘the mystery’, that God loved us while we were yet, sinners.

Colassians 1: 26, 27  The mystery that has been hidden from ages and from generations but now has been revealed to His saints.  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles:  which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colassians 3: 16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Ephesians 2: 8  For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves:  It is the gift of God.

Ephesians: 13  But now in Christ Jesus you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of Jesus.

1st Peter 2: 9  Declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

There is a song, WE ARE SO BLESSED; the lyrics are as follows:

LYRICS

Chorus

When we're empty

You fill us 'til we overflow

When we're hungry

You feed us and cause us to know

We are so blessed

Take what we have to bring

Take it all ev'rything

Lord we love You so much

Verse 1

We are so blessed

By the gifts from Your hand

I just can't understand

Why You've loved us so much

We are so blessed

We just can't find a way

Or the words that can say

Thank You Lord for Your touch

Verse 2

We are so blessed

By the things You have done

The vict'ries we've won

And what You've brought us through

We are so blessed

Take what we have to bring

Take it all ev'rything

Lord we bring it to You

1982 William J. Gaither, Inc. ARR UBP of Gaither Copyright Management

River Oaks Music Company (a div. of EMI Christian Music Publishing

Writers: Gloria Gaither, Greg Nelson, William J. Gaither

I asked- He answered
I asked, He answered
I sought, I found
I knocked and the door
Opened wide for me
I asked, He answered
I sought, I found
His mercy is limitless
His faithfulness ever abounds
©10/2013 Carol Castagna
Lamentations 31:3
…great is thy faithfulness…

When I was a child of 5 years, I learned a song, 'One Door and Only One' - Author unknown
'One door and only one
And yet it's sides are two
I'm on the inside
On which side are you?'

Such a simple,  message ~ such profound implications!
.......................................
The Lord desires to bless you.  He cannot bless if the door to your heart remains locked.
Only you can unlock the door and welcome Him in.  He waits at the door of your heart.

© 2/23/15 Carol Castagna

PRAYERS part i 2/6/15

Isaiah 49: 16 And I have written your name on the palms of my hands.

Isaiah 4 0: 11  He will gather the lambs with His arms and carry them close to His heart.

Psalm 42: 1  As the dear panteth for the water, so my soul searcheth after Thee, oh, Lord.   My soul thirsts

for the living God.

Psalm 116: 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as

long as I live.

PRAYER FOR GOD'S PRESENCE IN OUR LIVES: 

We come to you with open hearts waiting, to receive Your abundant blessing.   Fill us with Your awesome presence...let us know that You have come to us, where we are, in our brokenness, in our loneliness.   Let us feel You near. Make us whole and joyful in Your presence.  Inhabit Your people.  Truly, Dear Lord, we are Your people and we love You for loving us, for welcoming us as Your sons and daughters, for knowing us intimately, the very number of hairs on our heads, for forming us in our mother’s womb, for preparing a place for us in heaven with You.  Thank You for the blessed assurance of Your sweet presence by the whisper of Your name.   Thank You for giving us Your Holy Spirit to comfort us in times of despair.  Be our voice when we are without words...Be our Everything for we are lost without You.   Thank You that You are but a prayer away.  We praise You for Your love and grace and faithfulness.

In Jesus's holy name, we pray, Amen.

Romans 8: 4

…the Spirit also helps our infirmities:  for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:  but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

PRAYER IN THANKS FOR GOD'S SACRIFICE OF HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST:

You, Lord, are omniscient, omnipresent, all-knowing and all-powerful.  You are majestic in all your ways.  You formed the world- the sea and earth and minute forms of life.  You formed our bodies, soul and spirit.  You, dear Father, know our hearts, our thoughts.  You are always near.  Who is like You, Lord?  No one is like You…and so, we stand in awe of You, our Creator and Redeemer, the Beginning and the End!  We love You for loving us enough to send Your only begotten Son to save this lost world from sin and death – on the cross, dying and from the tomb, resurrected!  We cannot comprehend such love, Lord but we praise You for Your gift to us!  Thank You for Your greatness, Your faithfulness and compassion toward us in these, the last days of this world as we know it.  Thank You for Your gracious love to me and all those who open their hearts to You. We wait for Your glorious return.   In Jesus’ name, Amen.

PRAYER FOR GOD'S PROTECTION:

Again, we come before You, Lord, in our humble way, realizing that You are mighty to protect us and to shield us from harm.  We praise You for Your love and mercy toward us, for the peace You give, that passes all understanding ~ and all You ask is for us to step forward into Your presence, to come before You in prayer, to say, 'Yes, Lord, You are great  and I am Your child:  thank You for drawing me to Yourself.'  We love You, Lord and we thank You for Your great power and for Your loving-kindness.      In Jesus' name, Amen.  DEAR FATHER, THANK YOU FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL PROMISE OF PROTECTION AND NEARNESS.  YOU ARE ALWAYS WITH US AND WE THANK YOU FOR THE REALITY OF YOUR PRESENCE.  WE PRAY THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE TO ENABLE US TO SENSE YOUR PRESENCE DAILY IN WHATEVER CIRCUMSTANCES WE MAY FIND OURSELVES, FOR 'IN YOUR PRESENCE IN FULLNESS OF JOY.'  SHOWER US WITH THE BLESSED ASSURANCE OF YOUR SWEET PRESENCE ON A DAILY BASIS AND THANK YOU FOR THIS BLESSING.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

PRAYER of THANKSGIVING FOR GOD'S LOVE TOWARD US:

We thank you for another day, Lord…for watching over us through the night.  Thank you that your mercies are from everlasting to everlasting.  Thank you for waiting for us to realize that your love is timeless.   Bring us to a point where we worship before you, confessing our shortcomings and asking for your mercy and compassion that is so freely given, for the asking.  Bring us to that place where we can speak with you freely and eagerly wait for your response.  How comforting to know You are with us and will always be with us… In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hebrews 4: 15 “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all point tempted as we are without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace in the time of need.”

PRAYER  IN THANKS FOR ALL THINGS:  

Thank You for creating the heavens and earth.  Thank You for creating us in Your image.   The wisdom of Your ways is perfect, dear Father and we thank You for leading us in Your path of righteousness.  We praise You for thinking of us and caring for us and loving us.  Thank you for Your mercy, kindness and grace.  You are all we need!  You are our Awesome God!   In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Hosea 6:2   'As surely as the sun rises, He will appear.'  He will come to us.'

Bible verses from the NKJ version

© September, 2014 Carol Castagna

PRAYERS part ii ~ 2/6/15

When we are faced with the unthinkable and feel that our current situation is impossible to bear, that the Lord has allowed far more than we can tolerate, let us remember  the countless times He has brought us out of the mire of life.  He did it before He will do it again...call on His name , and rest in Him.  He was able to lead us then.  He will lead us again –into His light.  Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

The more we bow in prayer before Him, the more like Him we become.  The reason?  His Holy Spirit reaches out to our spirit.  It is in our communion with our God that He surrounds us with His holy presence, His Holy Spirit.  What a hope He gives!  What a promise is ours!  He offers to share His holiness with us. The moment we kneel toward His presence, the moment we close our eyes to worship Him, He comes closer to us.  He is always here with us…He wants to come closer. He made us for Himself.  And when we move toward His presence in prayer, with hearts opened and eyes closed, even if we cannot kneel, He sees our heart’s desire.  He is there with us and we are not alone.  We are created in His image.  He welcomes us into His presence, into His holiness, into His rest from our cares.

Psalm 17:15  As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness.  I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.

A Word About the Elements of Prayer:

There are two elements of prayer:
...where we speak to God
...where God speaks to us
We may feel that the most important aspect of prayer is letting God know what we need (the 'speaking part' of prayer).  He already knows.  He still wants us to ask:  asking demonstrates to Him that we love and trust Him to direct our way.  Listening for the still, small voice of God is exquisitely important.  It is the 'listening part' of prayer that offers the soul nourishment:  it is where God's Holy Spirit hovers over us and fills us with God's presence and peace.  It is there, in those quiet moments with the Lord that He draws us nearer to Himself and His embrace

HOW SWEET IS THE SONG OF HIS NAME! 

How sweet is the song of His name!  The name of Jesus is our song.  The person and Spirit of Jesus comes to us as a song on a rainy, gray day as His melody flows to our soul and lifts us up, refreshes and renews.  He is our great God!

I feel that wherever I stand is a sanctuary, a holy place where I can sing to the Lord.

Psalm 6 : I will sing to the Lord for He has dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm 104: 33, 34:  I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.  I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.  May my meditation be sweet to Him.  

PSALMS 37: 7

‘Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him.’    Psalm: 37: 7

ISAIAH 40: 11

He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to His heart.

Isaiah 40: 11

PRAYER FOR HEALING:

Dear Father, we come to you in Jesus' name, believing that you hear our prayer.  We thank you for all the answered prayer that we recall and we trust that you are the God of all power. We pray that you will heal our land, heal our bodies, heal our minds from all that comes against us.  We pray that you will take our weakness and give us strength; take our confusion and give us resolve; take our anxiety and give us peace.   In Jesus' name, Amen.

PRAYER FOR COMFORT:  

We ask, Dear Father, for your comfort in times of uneasiness.  Calm our hearts and minds.  Ground us in your strength and power.  Let us know that you You walk each of our stepsbefore before we venture out.  Surround us with Your holy presence.  Take the pressures of this world and restore us to Your way  of clarity.  Comfort us in time of loss and want.  Be our guide for tomorrow.   In Jesus' name, we pray, Amen.

PRAYER FOR  QUIETNESS and PEACE:  Quiet our hearts, Lord.   Romans 5:1, 2   'Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ and rejoice in hope'   Isaiah 30: 15  'In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.'

PRAYER FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD:  The joy of the Lord is our strength...!  

Return to me, oh, Lord, the joy of thy salvation!  Life, itself, gets in the way of  experiencing Your joy, Dear Lord!  Remove the interference...and thank You for this intervention on our behalf.  In whatever circumstance we find ourselves, preserve our joy in You, Lord...not that we will joy in surrounding sadness but that our joy in Who You are to us and Whose we are in You -will remain solid and immovable at all times.  We pray, believing, in Jesus' name, Amen.

PRAYER FOR UNRESOLVED SITUATIONS:  Dear Father, You know each one of us.  You know each sadness; You know each road taken; You know who we are and where we are in this journey called life.  We pray for each unresolved situation, for each unsettled heart.  Please, answer in Your time.  Please give us patience to wait...because we know that Your way is best.  Thank you for the calm assurance that You are in control of all that surrounds us, today.

 PRAYER FOR SALVATION:   We love You for loving us enough to send Your only begotten Son to save this lost world from sin and death – on the cross, dying and from the tomb, resurrected!  We cannot comprehend such love, Lord but we praise You for Your loving gift to us!   We ask you to forgive us for our sins, no matter what that sin is.   Make us spotless in Your eyes.   Cleanse  us with the blood of Jesus that takes away the sin of the world.  Thank You that our sins are as far from You as the east is from the west, as You say in Your Word.  Help us to turn away from the 'sin that does  so easily beset us,' Lord and we thank You for Your mighty power to fulfill our request.  Thank You for the power in the blood of the Lamb of God, to forgive us from sin...Thank you for Your love that brought you to the cross.  Thank you that You live and reign in heaven above.   We thank You for clear minds and forgiven hearts.  We praise You, in Jesus' name,  Amen.

PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT:

Dear Father, we come to you in Jesus' name, believing that you hear our prayer.  We pray that Your Holy Spirit will live in us, comfort us, speak through us.  We pray that this Comforter that You promised us will work through us to accomplish that which You have designed to be accomplished.  We magnify Your name, Lord for gifting us as You have!   In Jesus' name, Amen.

                             

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING FOR ALL YOU ARE TO US, HEAVENLY FATHER:

Thank You for creating the heavens and earth.  Thank You for creating us in Your image.   The wisdom of Your ways is perfect, dear Father and we thank You for leading us in Your path of righteousness.  We praise You for thinking of us and caring for us and loving us.  Thank you for Your mercy, kindness and grace.  You are all we need!  You are our Awesome God!   In Jesus’ name, Amen.

2 Samuel 2, 3, 4

'The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; the God of my strength, in whom I will trust;

My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior...I will call upon the

Lord who is worthy to be praised...'

Bible verses from NKJ version

© September, 2014 Carol Castaga  Word content

The Apple of His Eye    1/29/15

                            No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus
                                           Carol Lawrence   (u tube)

                                One of my mom’s favorite songs.

PROMISES OF GOD TO US:

Deuteronomy 35: 10

In a desert land he found him in a barren and howling waste.  He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of His eye.

Do you ever feel that the Lord is directly protecting you ?  You are the apple of His eye!

Psalm 66 :4  All the earth shall worship You and sing praises to You; they shall sing praises to Your name.

Nehemiah 1: 5 …’I pray, Lord God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy

with those who love you and observe Your commandments, please let Your ear be attentive and Your

eyes open, that You may hear the prayer of Your servant, which I pray before You, now…’

Deuteronomy 7 :21   You shall not be terrified of them; for the Lord your God, the great and awesome God, is among you.

'Who Is This Man Who Commands the Wind?' 1/8/15

Matt.8:23-27

A quick rebuke is spoken - and for a dozen men, the world changes. Their world is a rowboat. Their immediate universe is the Sea of Galilee; and a storm is at its peak. Most of these men are seasoned fishermen and we are told that the severity of the storm was such that they were afraid of drowning.  I can just imagine the boat pitching and rolling with the waves as they bent their backs against the oars, rowing with all their might to reach the shore without success.

All the while, Jesus was sound asleep. In desperation they wake Him up and shout above the howling wind, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!!" As Matthew tells it, Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith (trust) and tells the storm to stop.  And it stopped. Their world is immediately transformed from chaos to order. And they wondered... 'Who is this man who commands the winds?'

When we approach the throne of God, in sweet, sincere abandon and make our requests known unto Him who loves us, a miraculous change occurs: the winds are stilled, the turmoil ceases, the storm stops. The Lord bids us trust Him. Our Gentle Shepherd, Jesus, embraces us and teaches us to wait patiently for His direction. There is a change in our hearts and lives because Jesus is living in us. Old things are passed and new life in Christ begins.

The believer finds a new and sure way of living, a genuine communion with God through Christ: he finds forgiveness and peace, a peace he has never known before. God's Holy Spirit now resides in him and he is given the assurance that no life storm will drown him. What a quiet miracle to bow before Him and sense His love without saying a word! The love of God shatters the dark of night, whatever that darkness may be. Fear and anxiety dissipate and He leads us into the calm and light of His life. What a gift ~ what a treasure is ours!

© October, 2012 Carol Castagna

I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD    John 10: 1

THE LORD, OUR HIDING PLACE 1/5/15

     The Lord tells us in Psalm 32:7 that He is our hiding place.  The Psalmist, David, says, "You are  my hiding place.  You shall preserve me from trouble.  You shall surround me with songs of deliverance"...Psalm 32:8:  I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go.  I will guide you with My eye.  Psalm 32: 10:  Mercy shall surround the one who trusts in the Lord.

     What is a hiding place?  A hiding place is a place of refuge, a place where harm cannot enter.  Psalm 9: 9 and 10:  The Lord will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble, a refuge for those who ask.  He is always with us, waiting for us to approach Him.  He waits with opened arms to embrace us and give us rest from the weary day's occurrences. When we move in His direction, He sees our steps, our desire to believe and our sincerity of heart.   And those who know Your name will put their trust in You...for You, Lord have not forsaken those who seek You.

     What a comfort!  What great joy!  What hope we have in Him who loves us!  He will be our Hiding place ~ with songs in the background, 'songs of deliverance' for those who move toward Him in prayer, for those who know His name.

 © 10/2012 Carol Castagna

                                                                  

I Love You, Lord a poem

 

I LOVE YOU, LORD

A Prayer Requesting Strength

© October, 2012 Carol Castagna

 

I love You, Lord, for You have loved me with the greatest Love of all

An everlasting love that lifts me up and helps me stand

Be not far from me, Lord

When my way is unclear

One day, we shall see things as they are

That day when we shall see You Face to face

I bless You, Lord, for Your constant abiding in me

For Your hand on my life

Let me continue to rest in Thee

For only then will I have strength

To run the race set before me

Thank you for your love that draws me

Closer to you.

PSALM 23 and JOHN 10: 14, 15, 16

Psalm 23 and John 10: 14, 15, 16

January 5, 2015

PSALM 23

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD; I SHALL NOT WANT.

HE MAKES ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES;

HE LEADS ME BESIDE STILL WATERS;

HE RESTORES MY SOUL;

HE LEADS ME IN THE PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE.

YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE

SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL FEAR NO EVIL; FOR YOU ARE

WITH ME; YOUR ROD AND YOUR STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME.

YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY

ENEMIES; YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL.  MY CUP RUNS OVER.

SURELY, GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS

OF MY LIFE AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, FOREVER.

JOHN: 10: 14, 15, 16

I  AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD; AND I KNOW MY SHEEP AND AM KNOWN BY MY OWN.  AS THE

FATHER KNOWS ME, EVEN SO I KNOW THE FATHER; AND I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR THE SHEEP...

AND OTHER SHEEP I HAVE WHICH ARE NOT OF THIS FOLD; THEM ALSO I MUST BRING, AND THEY

WILL HEAR MY VOICE; AND THERE WILL BE ONE FLOCK AND ONE SHEPHERD.

                           VOICE AND PIANO

BIRDS OF THE FIELD 1/2/15

BIRDS OF THE BIBLE  ~ BIRDS WE KNOW AND LOVE

BABY BIRDS

SWEETIE-PIE  AKA MOZART

     I awakened this morning to a sweet serenade of baby birds singing and thought:  'Heaven's symphony must sound something like this!!'  It was soft and serene...peaceful and melodious...The mother had built her nest against our home.

     Above, on his cage, is our cockatiel, Sweetie Pie, seventeen years old, a speaker of words and a whistler of songs:  I now happily add to his introduction:  a composer of music!  He composes his own sweet melodies and we call him Mozart. He can whistle 'The Teddy Bears' Picnic'  and 'Carousel.'  It is amazing what these little birds can learn!  He is absolutely a part of our little family!

     Mozart sings his soft sounds as we listen in astonishment!  He seems to think he's quite the entertainer, stretching his little neck and looking up to the ceiling as he sings.  He appears to wear a look of accomplishment as he whistles and turns from me to my husband!  We think he is rather grand!

     Once, many years ago, when I worked the 3-11 shift on the Addiction Unit at a hospital on the Northeastern coast,  I returned home at around 1:30a.m.  There had been several emergencies and I stayed till things were resolved.  While climbing the stairs, needless to say, I was exhausted and discouraged.  The night had been fraught with near tragedies and people experiencing life-pain.  Suddenly, from the living room, I heard:  ‘JEsus loves YOU; JEsus loves YOU!’  with the exact emphasis and intonations that I verbalized to him.  I must have heard him repeat this a dozen times and his sweet little voice brought tears to my eyes.  Something that I had taught my little bird to say served to comfort me at one of the saddest moments of my life!  And I said:  ‘Thank you, Lord',  as I petted my little bird’s soft head and he just kind of rested lower in my hand, making himself at home in my palm.  I’ll always remember this.

     The Lord mentions birds in the Bible several times.

Mathew 6: 26 "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?

Psalm 104: 10 and 12, 24 25, 27, 
He sends the springs into the valleys.  They flow among the hills...By them, the birds of the heavens have their home; they sing among the branches...The earth is full of Your possessions...living things both small and great.  These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season.  What You give them, they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.
Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles.  They shall run and not be weary.  They shall walk and not faint.
Exodus 19:4 ...'and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to Myself.'

PRAYER:

Thank you, dear Father, for Your provision, for us and for the creatures of the field and of the air. Thank You for the beauty and joy and oft times comfort that animals bring to us.  Please continue to watch over us as we appreciate your wonderful creations.  In Jesus’ name,  Amen.      © carol castagna 1/2/15

Good Morning, Lord, and Thank You for Another Day...January 1, 2015

It's a brand New Year ~ a new opportunity to unfold a new way to live ~

    Resting in Jesus' love

    Walking in Jesus' light

            Trusting in the power of Jesus' Word... © 1/1/15  carol castagna

  

John 10: 10 "I am come that they might have life ~ and that they might have it more abundantly."

MORNING-SONG PRAISE

This morning, I saw tree branches

With lush leaves

Sweep skyward

‘Till it seemed as though

All in unison had been lifted

By the wind

In praise to Thee

Thank you, Lord

For the peace and quiet

Of  Your gentle Spirit

For the vastness of your love

And for the joy of Your sweet presence

Thank You for Your voice that whispers,

 “Come unto Me.”

carol castagna ©   10/2012