A Prayer of Holy Rest

Yesterday, as I read Luke 11, the words "certain and ceased" grabbed my attention. Luke 11:1 is the introduction to the Lord's Prayer.
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Cast Your Cares

© 2014 Debbie Turner Chavers

I am sure John taught his disciples well, but humanity and fleshy endeavors do not equal rest.
He ceased is what grabbed my attention. There are certain places..situations where I prayed and ceased. When I should have "seized" the prayer of faith and confessed the Lord's Prayer of provision and thanksgiving.
There is a holy rest in the Lord's prayer. A humbling of heart that confesses not me and my ability, but His provision for all things concerning me. All things concerning you.

His will, not mine. My total dependence daily upon my Creator for my physical and spiritual bread.
An acknowledgement of my dependence upon Him to forgive, as well as to be forgiven.
A holy rest that meets my need to have my footsteps ordered and led by the LORD so that I may avoid evil. To be granted the blessing of holy focus that although the path may widen yet my feet may stay within the Way.

Prayerfully resting in His Love
~Debbie





Luke 11:2-4 And he said unto them,
When you pray, say Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Psalm 37:23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD and he delighteth in his way.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.




** If you click on the art parable painting title you will be redirected to its website for more information about the painting.
All writing, poetry, posts, art, and photography, copyright © 2016 Debbie Turner Chavers. Protected by US and International copyright laws. All Rights Reserved. Scripture references taken from the King James bible which can be accessed online http://biblegateway.com Click on these links http://artparables.com or http://debbieturnerchavers.com

Ruffled Feathers

A Cup of Blessing

© 2005 Debbie Turner Chavers

Have you ever had a day where one thing after another seemed to rub you the wrong way?
I had that kind of day last week. One thing after another gave me an opportunity to react in a not so patient way!
I found myself....puffing up. Typing this is starting to make me laugh.

I can just see my frustrated self in my minds eye.

I probably didn't look all that different on the outside....but on the inside....I was ruffled!
I tried to put a smile on my face and keep walking, one foot in front of the other.
But no. Not working.

Still smarting from the aggravation of my day, I heard the still small voice of the Lord tell me to separate myself from the group I was with and take a break for a few minutes alone.
Explaining that I needed to go sit on a bench outside for a few, I left the group, to gather my thoughts and reclaim a better attitude.

I found a bench and sat down, still puffed up and ruffled inside.
Within seconds of my obedience to separate myself and get a grip on my attitude...I saw them.

Under the eaves of the overhang of the building where I sat, were three birds.
One bird was flying in and out attending to its nest, hidden in the eave.
The other two were busy twittering and preening. As I silently watched, I noticed they would quit flapping about and would start to preen. Their feathers were puffed out!

What causes a bird to preen...is ruffled feathers!

They pull their feathers one by one through their beak and cause the small barbs on their feathers to lie down. It is hard to fly when your feathers are ruffled.

To tend to preening...you need to be still.

Thus my call to sit for a while and allow the Holy Spirit to smooth my ruffled feathers.
I needed to be still.
Not deny there was a problem, but allow the Lord to realign my feathers.

Preening peacefully,
~Debbie





Psalm 91:4He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.





*Repost from this blog from 2010

** If you click on the art parable painting title you will be redirected to its website for more information about the painting.

 All writing, poetry, posts, art, and photography, copyright © 2016 Debbie Turner Chavers. Protected by US and International copyright laws. All Rights Reserved. Scripture references taken from the King James bible which can be accessed online http://biblegateway.com Click on these links http://artparables.com or http://debbieturnerchavers.com