Food for thought

"...if you pour out that with which you

 sustain your own life for the hungry and

 satisfy the need of the afflicted, 

then shall your light rise in darkness, 

and your obscurity and gloom become 

like the noonday.

^"And the Lord shall guide you continually

 and satisfy you in drought and

 in dry places and make strong your bones. 

And you shall be like a watered garden 

and like a spring of water 

whose waters fail not."  

Isaiah 58: 9-10

Who would have believed four months ago that the world would, for an indefinite period, virtually close down?  Our neighbours have set up a ‘What’s App Group’ to help anyone in need.  As I am over 70, I asked the Lord what could I do for the common good.  I grinned when I felt the Lord ask, “What’s that in your hand?”  I could have answered, “A toilet roll!” But realised He was asking on a deeper level.  Ps.45 came to mind, ‘…My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.’  Next to that verse years ago I’d written Ps 49.  I turned to it and saw I’d highlighted a verse. ‘My mouth shall speak wisdom, and the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.’  I prefer writing to talking, so what should I write?  Isaiah 58 came to mind, as above. Beside that verse years ago I’d written in 'blog'! which began my writing one from January 2007 until September 2018 = 1,684 posts about my daily adventures with the Lord.  

Was He calling me to write a new one?  That night the news featured lonely, anxious, fearful people.  My novels aim to reveal the Lord’s love and peace, could I write a blog with a daily, short, on-going story?  Inspiration began to flow.  God promises His Word won't return void I could put a relevant scripture at the end of each episode. While chatting to the Lord He reminded me of a picture shared at a recent prayer meeting. A white tablecloth being placed over a table, with the words ‘His banner over me is love’.  For days I had an urge to lay it.  I found the above picture, set up the blog and from that came the title ‘Food for Thought’. It needed an introduction, “What’s on the menu?" jumped into my mind. 

Now I had to start.  I asked the Lord for manna from heaven.  It comes each day 20+ episodes are now written, and is as much a journey for me as for those who read it.  FYI the link.  http://emanuel-publishing.com/food-for-thought/   I believe the Lord longs to touch people's lives. Feel free to pass on this link Facebook, neighbours, etc. as an alternative to the daily gloom and doom of the news.  

Seven days into the project I picked up a small book I haven't read in years, ‘7 Days Behind the Veil’ by John Paul Jackson. It really encouraged me and I hope this extract does you. “Creativity is simultaneously humbling and creative. It is profound and yet so simple. It leaves us with a feeling of peace, the knowledge that all is well, and at the same time, we are still anxious, and wonder what others will think of our masterpiece we have just created.  All of this is worship.  All of this adds to the fact that God is so much more than we could ever imagine.  Please don’t ever believe that true worship includes only certain procedures – sitting, standing, raising your hands, singing etc.  Worship includes these responses and yet is so much more at the same time.  True worship is creative and every aspect of life is hidden in its folds.”