Tag Archives: Psalm 121:1-2

What the Drought Revealed

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dinosaur track Did you hear the recent news about what the drought revealed here in Texas? More dinosaur footprints at the Dinosaur Valley State Park. These new tracks are from around 113 million years ago.

When Pilot and I visited the Dinosaur Valley State Park years ago, we were able to see the prints on the dry areas of the Paluxy River as well as beneath the water. Very cool.

Those things, as you can image, are huge. You can see how small my feet are in comparison in the photo above.

Due to the excessive drought conditions we’ve had this summer, the river dried up completely in most locations.  This allowed more tracks to be uncovered.

Under normal river conditions, these newer tracks would still be underwater, filled in with sediment, and buried.

Some of the tracks at the park are from adult dinosaurs that stood about 15 feet tall and weighed close to seven tons. Others are from adults which stood about 60 feet tall and weighed about 44 tons.

Since this recent discovery, Texas has fortunately received much needed rain.

Unfortunately, that rain is expected to cover the tracks and fill them with sediment again. Which really is a good thing, because it helps protect the tracks from weathering and erosion.

So is there a spiritual aspect to all this? I think there is.

In our lives, we often have tracks hidden beneath the surface, don’t we?

Things which over the years have filled with sediment. Things which aren’t visible, but are there nonetheless.

Sometimes we don’t think about the deep footprints of past pain until there is a personal drought in our lives.

Our drought can remove everything that kept the tracks covered. Our drought can manifest itself in any number of ways. Physical. Mental. Spiritual. Financial. Emotional. Relational.

A lot of times, the tracks are painful to remember. Maybe they are reminders of things we wish never happened in the first place. Things we wished we’d done differently. Or things we wish had a different outcome.

Perhaps these tracks feel as if they were made my a 44 ton dinosaur that smashed our dreams, our hopes, our future. Leaving behind nothing but huge holes as evidence of where it passed by.

Those dinosaur tracks along the Paluxy River in north Texas will once again fill with sediment. They will be removed from sight, but not from existence.

For those of us who put our hope and trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we can have confidence that when we hand our hidden dinosaur tracks over to the one who can heal all our buried hurts and brokenness, he won’t just cover them up with sediment, he’ll remove them through the power of his love.

And that’s a good thing, isn’t it?

Do you have any dinosaur tracks a drought has revealed which you need to bring to Jesus?

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.  

I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord,who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 GNT

You can find my August Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

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At Such A Time As This

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Dear Friends.

At such a time as this, though the mountains should crumble and fall into the sea, God remains in control and on his throne. He is our refuge and our strength, a tested help in times of trouble. (Psalm 40:1)

The LORD is still in his holy temple. He still rules from heaven. He closely watches everything that happens here on earth. (Psalm 11:4-5)

I look to the hills. Where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD. The Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2)

When we go out to fight our enemies, and face an army greater than our own, the LORD our God goes with us. He will fight for us. (Deuteronomy 20:1-4)

Some nations boast of armies and weaponry, but Father, our boast is in you alone. (Psalm 20:7)

Father, we need your peace. Peace only you can give. You, O LORD, will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you. All whose thoughts are fixed on you. (Isaiah 26:3)

We cry out to you our Jehovah Nissi. The One who fights for us. We cry out, and you hear from your Temple. You watch over us we pray. Although ten thousand enemies surround us on every side, help us not to be afraid. (Psalm 3:4-6)

O, Father, we praise you because we know you hear us and act on our behalf. You alone are our strength, our shield, our mighty fortress. With joy and thanksgiving, we praise you for what you have done, what you are doing, and what you will do on our behalf. (Psalm 28:6-7)

Father, help us be strong and courageous. Keep us from being afraid or frightened because of them. For you, LORD, go with us. You will never leave or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid. John 14:27 (GNT)

You can find my February Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I wish you well.

Sandy

 

The Flying Fortress

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In honor of Memorial Day here in the states, I am shining a spotlight on the B-17 Flying Fortress of World War II.

Over the years Pilot and I have visited museums and air shows with static displays of these magnificent airplanes. Several years ago, however, we had the amazingly cool experience of flying in a B-17 Flying Fortress.

Let me tell you, walking on the ground looking up at a B-17 is nothing like flying in one.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was an Army Air Corps heavy-duty bomber. Armed with .50 caliber machine guns and five thousand pounds of bombs, these four-engine aircraft flew strategic bombing missions over Europe. 13,000 B-17s were produced over the course of the war. Only 13 airworthy B-17s remain today.

The first B-17s saw combat in 1941 when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor.

In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the Japanese who dubbed them “four-engine fighters”. The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking heavy artillery attacks. These planes sometimes limped back to their bases with large chunks of the fuselage shot off. If you saw movies like Memphis Belle, you get the idea of what these planes went through.

Sitting inside that bomber and flying over south Texas, gave me a greater appreciation for what the men who flew those birds dealt with in a very small way. While it was totally impressive to sit in the bombardier seat at the nose of the plane and watch the ground sail passed, I was not facing enemy fire. I flew in an uncluttered sky with no threat of artillery fire heading my way.

I truly cannot imagine what it was like to be in that plane during wartime. I especially cannot imagine what it was like to fight from the ball turret. My hat is off to all the brave men who flew their missions, and to the support crews who kept them flying.

So, I’m thinking…is there any spiritual application to all this B-17 business? Yep.

Just as the Flying Fortress was heavily armed, fought many a battle, was often beat up by the enemy, and limped back to base, life can be the same with us.

Every day we go out to battle the Enemy. We face flak and ack-ack from all sides. We take some costly hits, and end up with chunks taken out of us. Exhausted, we limp back home.

Our plane is patched up, and we live to fight another day. We get back inside our plane and go back at it until the day Christ returns, our enemy is thrown into darkness, and the Great War is over.

The only way we are able to win the battle is if God goes before us. God is not our co-pilot. He is the pilot in command. He is our Strength. He is our Shield. He is our Rock of Salvation. God alone is our Mighty Fortress.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I look to the mountains;where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2 (GNT)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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You can find my May Inspire a Fire post here. Please stop by and read it.

I Lift My Eyes

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by Sandy Kirby Quandt

If you’ve read my recent posts, you may have sensed a theme. As I re-read them, I realized a  theme I wasn’t even aware of. Fear.

Don’t Let Satan Steal Your Joy

The Chicken Little Effect

Who am I?

My brother-in-law, Chief, has gone through some pretty rough health issues recently. There were a lot of unknowns during that time. A lot of room for fear. Guess that’s what prompted my posts.

Fortunately, the unknowns became knowns and were dealt with without becoming worse case scenarios. Thank you, Jesus.

The unknown is a hard place to be and I don’t particularly care for it.

Not one bit.

While the unknown can be frightening, the known facts that God is sovereign, he is in control, his ways are not our ways, he is a refuge in the time of storm, his plans are for our good, not harm, give comfort.

If we let them.

But that does not mean we have to like it when we are thrown into the unknown. It means we need to turn those unknowns over to God.

Easier said than done sometimes, don’t you agree?

Here are some things I am learning to do when I find myself in the unknown.

  • Keep our eyes on Jesus.
  • Pray and clung to the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
  • Lift our eyes to the mountains and cry out to the maker of heaven and earth. The Almighty One who sits on his throne in heaven.
  • Rest in the arms of the One who can calm all fears, answer our prayers, comfort and restore our peace as only he can.

While I wish Chief did not go through what he went through, you know what I am grateful for?

I am grateful we have a loving, kind Savior who sympathizes with us because he loves us more than we could ever imagine. We have a Father who invites us to bring our requests to him, step back, and watch him work.

In a tough place right now? Facing unknowns that threaten to drown you? Let’s lift our eyes together to the One who will never leave or forsake us. The One who loves us with an everlasting love. The One who can do immeasurably more than we could ever ask … and does.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Leave a comment below. If you think others would appreciate reading this please share it through the social media buttons.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1 (NIV)

I wish you well.

Sandy

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Sunday Scriptures — You’re Our Only Hope

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By Sandy Kirby Quandt

If you remember, in the first Star Wars movie Princess Leia sent her robot, R2D2, to Obi- Wan Kenobi. Her message was simple. Help me, Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope.

Many a time I’ve uttered…cried…pleaded…the same words to God. HELP! You’re my only hope. There is no other. You alone are able. Help me, Jesus.

While David was running around the country hiding from crazy Saul, he wondered where he should look for help. Should he look to other armies to come riding over the mountains? Should he look to his own cunning and cleverness? What about the safety of the caves?

Although David did align himself with other armies, was very clever and feigned insanity, and hid in caves, he knew all that was useless unless God…the LORD God Jehovah…Sovereign over all…was with David.

We can look to other things as our hope but our true, lasting help will only come from God. He is our help in times of trouble. He is the author of our eternal salvation. He is our present help who will never leave or forsake us.

Who needs Obi-Wan when they have Christ?

Leave your comments below to share your thoughts on the subject. If you think others would appreciate reading this, please share it through the social media buttons.

I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!                      Psalm 121:1-2

I wish you well.

Sandy

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B-17 Flying Fortress

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Recently, Pilot and I had the waaay cool experience of flying in a B-17 Flying Fortress.

The B-17 Flying Fortress was an Army Air Corps heavy-duty bomber from World War II. These four-engine aircraft flew strategic bombing missions over Europe, armed with .50 caliber machine guns and five thousand pounds of bombs. 13,000 B-17s were produced over the course of the war. Only 13 airworthy B-17s remain today.

The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor.

In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the Japanese, who dubbed them “four-engine fighters”. The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking heavy artillery attacks. These planes sometimes limped back to their bases with large chunks of the fuselage shot off.

If you have watched movies such as Memphis Belle, you get the idea. Being in that bomber gave me a greater appreciation for what the men who flew those birds dealt with, in a very small way. I truly cannot imagine what it would have been like to be in that plane during wartime. I especially cannot imagine what it would have been like to have fought from the ball turret. While it was totally impressive to sit in the bombardier seat at the nose of the plane, and watch the ground sail passed, I was not facing enemy fire.

My hat is off to all the brave men who flew their missions, and the support crews who kept them flying.

Thank you.

So, I’m thinking…is there any spiritual application to all this? Yep.

Just as the Flying Fortress was heavily armed, fought many a battle, was often beat up by the enemy, and limped back to base, life can be the same with us. We go out to battle the Enemy, only to face flak and ack-ack from all sides. Exhausted, we limp back home. We live to fight another day, until the Great War is over.

The only way we are able to win the battle is if God goes before us. He is our Strength. He is our Shield. He is our Rock of Salvation. God alone, is our Mighty Fortress.

I look up to the hills, but where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

I wish you well.

Sandy

PS

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