Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

Be aware, be in prayer and be prepared… By one definition, to be aware is having knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists .  In this situation, there was awareness.  They were engaged in a good work.  But in the midst of doing the work, they heard about insults that were being hurled at them from their enemies. [1]   But it didn’t just stop at insults; threats were being made by their enemies to come to stir up trouble in order to disrupt the work. [2] By one definition, to be in prayer is to earnestly seek help. In this same situation, given their awareness of the potential problems their enemies could cause, they knew they would need help.  Rather than turn to other nations for help, as was typical for that day, they chose to seek help from the one source that could provide what they needed.  That one source was God and prayer was how that source was accessed.  So they prayed to God and sought His help. [3] By one d...

We live in a world that is comprised of three dimensions; height, width and depth.  However, our eyes can actually only show us two dimensions.  The depth that we all think we can see is merely a trick that our brains have learned.  Our perception of depth comes from our brain's ability to put together two 2D images (height and width) in such a way as to extrapolate depth. In the world of multi-media, computers and motion picture techniques are sometimes used to portray images that provide the perception of depth or thickness.  This is commonly referred to as 3D. There are some very interesting 3“Ds” in Psalm 37 for our spiritual eyes to see:   “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Ps 27:3-4)  In a unique way, there is an extrapolation of depth in these verses, but more on that later! The first of the 3”Ds” from Psalm 37 is dwell....

Alienated - I’m not sure I can think of a worse place to be! By definition, it is to experience feelings of isolation or estrangement.  It is also to make unfriendly, hostile, or indifferent especially where attachment formerly existed. I think lots of people are feeling very alienated these days.  I couldn’t even begin to list all the ways and I won’t even attempt to consider all the possible causes.  But I will say that it is not something new.  More importantly, I will say that there is one area where being alienated is a matter of life and death! “Beware sinful nation, the people weighed down by evil deeds. They are offspring who do wrong, children who do wicked things. They have abandoned the Lord , and rejected the Holy One of Israel. They are alienated from him.”  (Isa 1:4)   “ Look, the Lord ’s hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you.  But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have ...

“The churning inside me never stops; days of suffering confront me.”  (Job 30:27) (NIV) I think I first noticed that verse due to the word “churning”.  I don’t know about you, but I know that there are times when my gut starts to churn. In thinking about what it might mean to have this churning going on inside me, I looked at how some other versions of the Bible translated the verse.  I found some very interesting ways in which the word has been translated: “My inward parts are in turmoil and never still; days of affliction come to meet me.”  (ESV) “I am seething within and my heart is troubled and cannot rest; days of affliction come to meet me.”  (AMP) “My stomach is tied in knots; pain is my daily companion.”  (CEV) “I constantly feel upset. And my suffering has only just begun.”  (ERV) “I am torn apart by worry and pain; I have had day after day of suffering.”  (GNT) “My heart seethes and never stops; days of suffering confron...