by Delia Latham
Psalm 91:11 – For he shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
That’s good. Or is it?
An old saying suggests that with familiarity comes contempt…or disregard. For example, consider the items hanging on your walls, or the scenery outside your home. Chances are, they’re so much a part of your life that they’ve become invisible. If asked to do so, you could describe them right down to the last detail. But when you walk through the rooms in your house, how often do you actually see what’s on the walls? Someone recently asked me if I still owned a certain picture that has hung in my home for years. “Yes,” I replied. “It’s hanging in my—” At this point, I stopped, because I couldn’t remember. I hadn’t noticed it in a long time.
I closed my eyes, deliberately pictured my home, room to room and wall to wall, and finally located that picture. In my living room, where I see it every day. Or rather, where I don’t see it every day.
Unfortunately, I fear that’s what happens to us in regard to God’s Word, as well. Take that verse of scripture from Psalms 91:11...
In Destiny’s Dream, Book One of my upcoming Solomon’s Gate series, Destiny May’s mother kind of “bequeaths” this scripture to her daughter just before she dies. While my heroine is touched by the gesture, she doesn’t give her mother’s dying words serious thought. The verse is so familiar that she doesn’t really see what it promises her.
Until angels start showing up in her life.
Before long Destiny is forced to take a deeper look, and she finally gets it. She sees beyond the familiar to the fullness of this very personal promise: God had given His angels charge over her, to keep her in ALL her ways.
The word “all” covers a tremendous amount of territory. Job. Family. Friends. Home. Bills. Hobbies. Relationships. The little things and the big things, the important ones and the trivial.
Now look beyond the word “all” to WHO is keeping you in all your ways. Angels.
They’re out there. God’s Word isn’t a fairy tale. Every word is a fact. Including the word “angels,” and the promise that they are with us.
Sometimes they’re not visible to our human vision. Sometimes, I firmly believe they are, but our pitiful human minds refuse to connect the dots. Consider Hebrews 13:2, with its unapologetic directive: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Who’s to say the homeless man on the corner, the one who waves to you each day as you pass by, is not one of your angels? And what about the quiet woman who always seems to be at the next table in your favorite local café? Remember the stranger who chased you down with your purse when you left it behind in the busy mall?
Is it possible? Yes. It is.
God’s special messengers, His angels, have charge over you. They’re with you every step you take, every decision you make. When you think you’re alone…you’re not. The things you fear, you shouldn’t, because angels have your back. Even when we don’t feel them, when we don’t see them, when we forget their existence…they are there. Guarding, protecting, guiding and teaching.
Keeping. Keeping us in all our ways.
Isn’t that just like God? Using His heavenly creatures to take care of us, His earthly children.
That’s a promise to cherish. All of it. Every word.
Precious Father, I thank You for being so concerned with my well-being that You would assign your holy angels to light my path and guide my steps, to keep me in every way. Help me to look beyond the familiar, to the fullness of all that You’ve promised me. Open my eyes to see the possibilities in every person that I come in contact with. Above all, create in me a clean heart and a right spirit, so when someone looks at me, they see a reflection of You. I ask these things in Your precious, holy name. Amen.
~*~
Is a little respect too much to ask at a parent’s funeral?
Apparently it is for Destiny May. Clay Gallagher is built like a small mountain and far more vocal than is fitting when he shows up late to her mother’s “going away party.” When it turns out he’s not even at the right funeral, Destiny demands retribution in the form of an escape from the day’s dreary proceedings. Spending time with a handsome stranger who makes her laugh is more therapeutic than fighting with her overbearing family.
Clay finds Destiny beautiful, charming...and intelligent. So why is she stubbornly determined to open a Christian dating service? Clay has little respect for such a frivolous profession, and doesn’t think the small, conservative town of Castle Creek will welcome such a progressive business. But when Destiny is threatened by an anonymous caller who deeply resents her and what she does for a living, Clay makes it his business to keep the saucy redhead out of harm’s way.
Trouble is, spending time in her company weakens his defenses, and Destiny may be the one thing Clay can’t escape...if he even wants to.
~*~
In lieu of individual giveaways from blog to blog, and as part of my promotional efforts for Destiny’s Dream, I’m conducting an exciting two-part contest, ongoing from Dec. 15 through Jan. 31. I encourage you to take part in this fun event! The prizes are a couple of stunningly beautiful decorative bottles, and anointing oil to go in them. The wonderfully aromatic oil is called “Daughter of Destiny.” God couldn’t have worked it out better!
Check out the details!
Destiny’s Dream is available directly through White Rose Publishing, or through Amazon.com.
http://www.delialatham.net/
http://my-book-bag.blogspot.com/
http://bookshelfnewsletter.blogspot.com/
Join the Destiny's Dream blog tour:
Dec. 20 Cathy West http://catherinewestblog.blogspot.com/
Dec. 27 Jennifer Slattery http://reflectionsinhindsight.wordpress.com/
Dec. 27 JoAnne Troppello http://joannetroppello.weebly.com/blog.html
Jan. 4 Carol Erhardt http://carolannerhardt.blogspot.com/
Jan. 5 Carol Erhardt http://carolannerhardt.blogspot.com/
Jan. 8 Pamela Thibodeaux http://pamswildroseblog.blogspot.com/
Jan. 10 Lauralee Bliss http://www.blissfulwritingthoughts.blogspot.com/
Jan. 12 Myra Johnson http://myra.typepad.com/
Jan. 12 Cindy K. Green http://cindykgreen.blogspot.com/
Jan. 15 Marianne Evans http://marianneevans.blogspot.com/
Jan. 15-21 Shirley Kiger Connolly http://apenforyourthoughts.blogspot.com/
Jan. 17 K. Dawn Byrd http://kdawnbyrd.blogspot.com/
Jan. 18 Sandy Ardoin http://sandraardoin.wordpress.com/wordslinger-blog/
Jan. 20 JoAnn Carter http://home.comcast.net/~jo.glenncarter/site/
Jan. 20 Tanya Stowe http://www.creativewritingforces.blogspot.com/
Jan. 24 Susan Hollaway http://susanhollaway.blogspot.com/
Jan. 31 Michelle Sutton http://edgyinspirationalauthor.blogspot.com/
Gina, thank you so much for hosting me here on your beautiful blog! :) I hope your readers enjoy today's devotion.
ReplyDeleteHi Delia,
ReplyDeletewelcome to Inkwell Inspirations and I'm so pleased you were able to make a tour stop here with us today. Your post fit beautifuly into our Sunday Devotional.
Do you recall that episode of Little House where Ernest Borgnine played an angel who took care of Laura when she was lost (or had she run away?) Of course I haven't seen it in a very long time so I could be way off. But I loved it.
Thank you for the reminder of just one of the ways God takes care of us. Congratulations on this book. The cover is great and the story sounds quite interesting!
Oh Delia, thank you for this lovely and timely post! This time of the year can get so crazy and out of hand (for me) and this was the perfect reminder to enjoy God's love and grace... I mean if He cares enough to let us have a glimpse of angels, how amazing is that?
ReplyDeleteI'm going to relax a bit and ponder His wonders.
Thanks for hanging with us at the Inkwell, Delia. The concept for your story is so original. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, ladies! I hope you were truly blessed by today's devotion. And Debra...yes! I do remember that episode of Little House - now that you've nudged my memory a bit. What a beautiful episode. I loved that show anyway. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks also for the opportunity to hang out at Inkwell today.
Delia, I was definitely blessed by your devotion. Thank you so much. I love this, and I love the book idea. I am definitely going to order it. I can't wait to read it.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I remember that episode, too. I loved that show so much. For some reason, even now all these years later, if I watch a rerun of it...I inevitably end up with tears in my eyes at some point.
I think Pa cried in most of them as well... I still love Little House, and I'm glad I'm not the only one who remembered that episode.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to put this one on my wish list--your book that is!
Delia, thanks so much for visiting us at the Inkwell today! Your book sounds lovely and I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post -- how true that familiarity breeds disregard. I forget too often so many of God's gifts, including angels. I appreciate the gentle reminder to pay more attention to Him and the blessings He's given me!
How peaceful I am feeling now after reading Delia's interview and all the facts she brought straight from the Bible about angels. I've always believed angels are guardians of the human race. Delia's book seems to be a wonderful well written story and I'm anxious to read it. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win Delia's book. I hope I do win!
ReplyDeleteBlessings of joy,
Barb Shelton
barbjan10 at tx dot rr dot com
Suzie, I'm thrilled that you enjoyed the devotion! I pray that you enjoy the book every bit as much.
ReplyDeleteDebra, I loved Michael Landon as Pa. I can't think of another male actor who cries quite so well. LOL
Susanne, I'm sure one of the reasons we entertain angels unaware is because we don't pay attention. And then, of course, there's always that testing thing...our Father checking out our response to others in various situations.
Barb, thank you so much for dropping by! I'm glad you were blessed. Good luck with the drawing!