“Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.”
– Be Still, My Soul, hymn lyrics by Ka­tha­ri­na von Schle­gel

My dearest Lord and Savior, how often I sadly forget You are on my side… allowing the enemy footholds He does not deserve. How mercifully You help me to bear patiently any cross of grief or pain You ask of me. How faithful You are to order and provide, even when I forget I have left everything to You in trust, or carelessly fail to do so. Yet faithful You absolutely remain in every change. You are my soul’s best Friend, my heavenly Friend. You only lead me through thorny ways to lead me to a joyful end that will have Your unmistakable name written all over it… and signed with Love From Above. ❤

You have done this for me in another ladies Bible study
with Keitha and Sarah! 🙂 On June 21st of last month, You allowed me the blessing of being with my two dear friends in sharing and studying You again! This time it will be a 3 night event, one for each 3rd Thursday evening of the 2018 summer. Our first night was Soaking Up the Summer, Son, and Shade. We are blessed to be book free, homework free, and free to enjoy You together… fitting the theme just perfectly, as You so designed! Breathers!

Of course we did not leave out YOUR book…. The Holy Bible.
The verse we each found in our place at the table
was from Psalm 23:2-3.How often You have comforted my soul with this very passage!
The thought of being with You beside beautiful peaceful waters,
restores my soul with love only You can give! ❤
We found this verse along with the cutest little bucket…
As well as the the cutest little shovel, rake, and scoop
inside the bucket…And the tiniest little beach ball I have ever seen.
I can’t believe I actually had the lungs to blow it up,
but I did as soon as I got home! 🙂 We had cute napkins that had a beach scene,
and said just the word we needed on both sides… Relax!

We had door prizes… and I won one!! 🙂
And Sarah did too!! 🙂
PTL! Thank You, Heavenly Father! ❤
A large bucket with goodies inside! Mine was blue! 😉
The goodies inside were bubbles to blow and play with,
sun tan lotion, Goldfish crackers, Swedish Fish gummy worm like candy,
and a Cranberry drink.

I was blessed with fellowship, awesome dessert and pretzel snacks, Keitha hugs, Sarah hugs, conversations, and of course a video from the lady who put Breathers together, but I am ashamed to say I forget her name. I know she spoke on being so busy on what we are doing for Christ that we lose our joy for it, and forget to be thankful for who and what He has given us.

She also shared a video by Kari Jobe called Be Still, My Soul.

**Gasp** My dear Savior! You and You alone know how to give us just what we need when we don’t even know we need it because we don’t even know it exists! But You! You know… and give! ❤ Thank You for allowing my soul to be reminded in being active… determined… vocal… in being still… trusting the very command to be faithful to do that very thing. How desperately my raging fear needed the eviction to allow You to be the God of my Spirit that You are. The flesh may wage a war, but Your Spirit is faithful to battle for us! Even when all we can do is voice the words… maybe even only allow the song to play first… to build the strength we need to voice the command ourselves.Tomorrow night will be night 2 of 3… In the Cool of the Evening. And while I find hope in thinking on Keitha hugs and Sarah hugs, and the fellowship with my precious sisters in Christ, my soul longs to meet with You again… and see what new things You have for us. Whatever it is, I know You are already there. Before our day has even arrived, You have designed a couple of hours set aside just for each one of us… individually and as a group.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth 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 thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
 – Psalm 23 KJV

I finish with one last thank You, a prayer for each lady and the night itself, and the song You gave us… but in the full hymn for all of my friends who love hymns (me included, Lord! 😉 ). Every word has comforted my soul… and does each time I read it. ❤

Be Still, My Soul (The Lord Is On Thy Side)
– hymn lyrics by Ka­tha­ri­na von Schle­gel

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
So shall He view thee with a well pleased eye.
Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.

If you would like to read the other nights, they are here below:

Breathers: 7.19.18, Night 2 of 3 In the Cool of the Evening

Breathers: 7.19.18, Night 2 of 3 Extra

Breathers: 8.16.18, Night 3 of 3 Gathering on the Back Porch