Psalm 116: 1 I love the Lord, because he hears me; he listens to my prayers. 2 He listens to me every time I call to him. 3 The danger of death was all around me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with fear and anxiety. 4 Then I called to the Lord, "I beg you, Lord, save me!" 5 The Lord is merciful and good; our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord protects the helpless; when I was in danger, he saved me. 7 Be confident, my heart, because the Lord has been good to me. 8 The Lord saved me from death; he stopped my tears and kept me from defeat. 9 And so I walk in the presence of the Lord in the world of the living.
10 I kept on believing, even when I said, "I am completely crushed," 11 even when I was afraid and said, "No one can be trusted." 12 What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will bring a wine offering to the Lord, to thank him for saving me. 14 In the assembly of all his people I will give him what I have promised. 15 How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies! 16 I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did. You have saved me from death. 17 I will give you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and offer my prayer to you. 18 In the assembly of all your people, in the sanctuary of your Temple in Jerusalem, I will give you what I have promised. Praise the Lord!
I’ve been reading The Hobbit a little bit everyday, and I am amazed at how much it is mirroring my life at this point. I feel like Bilbo on an impossible-seeming quest with the dwarves. We have journeyed through most of dark, stuffy Mirkwood for what feels like an eternity, and it appears that the woods go on forever. Spirits are low, and our food and water has run out. The only source of food we see disappears along with the torch and firelight every time we try to join the banquet. We have become scattered in total darkness in the hostile wood and are completely separated from one another with no hope of ever finding our way out. Faint with hunger and about to perish, I lie down for the night one last time. And awake in the morning to find a great spider trying to eat me for breakfast...
I speak allegorically of course. I have never been through such trying times as these in all my life, not for this long a period. Of this season there seems no end. I am quite miserable, and I long for my far-distant, cozy Hobbit-hole with its pantries bursting with plenty. But I will not complain, nor will I question God. I know You will help me and protect me. I will trust You! I would, of course, prefer not to go through such a time, but Lord, my life belongs to You. Father, mold and shape me into the person You want me to become. See that I accomplish all that You sent me to do. Be well pleased with me! Amen.
17 comments:
That's the spirit, Aslan!
HEY, you're like a hobbit? meaning you are short with furry feet? COOL!
lol ;)
Hope everything works out ok...
Thanks, Rob! :D
HAHAHAHAHA! Lol. Not exactly. ;)
I'm sure it will. I have to walk by faith and not by sight. God will surely do what He says He will! :)
lol rob, so corny.
awesome aslan :D
i loveeeeeee psalms!!
Hey Eowyn! Thanks. :)
Hi Lysha! The Psalmists sure did go through some similar things to what we endure, and despite it all they praised God and trusted in and relied upon Him anyway! :D
Hey, Eowyn! :) Hahaha, yeah it doesn't seem very honest either. I wish I could get my degree in two weeks, :P!
:)
Hey Blondie!
Thanks for the advice. Yeah, I have to "act" around the clock almost. I take time out to sleep at night, but that's about it. Pray that I have the strength to keep it up and the speed to get everything done!!! :)
Hahaha! :)
Bilbo's story ends happily, despite it all. I'm sure I'll be fine when all is said and done. God is amazing, and I'm sure he will give me the help I need! :D
Yup! I'm still alive and kickin'! Thanks to God's help. This is going to go down to the wire. In mid-August I should finally get a breather! ^_^
Yeah, The Hobbit is truly amazing! Thank God for Tolkien. :D
I love how God uses so many random things and people to speak to us. I hope he uses me in that way!
I'm sure He will! :)
Yeah, God is amazing! :D No matter what is going on in your life, God always finds a way to break through it all and communicate with you. He is so AWESOME!
The book is highly symbolic of what many of us Christians face. It has been a great comfort to me to read about Bilbo's tribulations as I go through my own. I'll have to blog about this as soon as I have time (in a couple of months).
heyy aslan. hmmm well i hope things are getting better... just keep on trusting, He will carry You through it all. and through all your trials he'll ultimately bring you closer to Him. :D always comforting.
mmmmmm i'm eating this chocolate bread that my mom made for me lol it's so good.
yeeep
the psalms are amazing... yea amazing. lol nothing more needs to be said lol they're just amazing.
well i must go hope things are well!
Janelle: Hey! Thanks. That's so try true. I must to try to remember that. Very comforting indeed! :)
Heehee. Chocolate bread! That sounds delicious. I guess you can put chocolate in just about anything. I must try this...
Yeah, the Psalms are incredible. I'm so glad God made sure they were in our Bible. Thanks again! They will be! :D
Krissy and Eowyn: Howdy! I'll probably post again in a couple of days. You're welcome! ^_^
Thank you, Muffy! ^_^
Hey, Aly! Thanks and you're welcome! Hehheh. The first time I read The Hobbit I didn't pick up on much of the symbolism or of the parallels with The Bible. Now that I've read a lot more of The Bible, suddenly The Hobbit has come alive to me in a new way. I see Biblical stuff everywhere in it, lol. Thank you! Heehee. :D
Hi, Eowyn, Thanks! I plan on posting tomorrow or Thursday. :)
Really, I too read somewhere that Tolkien said that he didn't write them as Christian allegory. Me thinks he was pulling our leg though! :D That's a ton of symbolism to accidentally put in one's books! Heehee.
But perhaps it is true, and maybe the Holy Spirit just wrote the books through him, inspiring him, so that while he was writing, he was unaware of the many dimensions these amazing stories were taking on.
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