{"id":2431,"date":"2013-10-18T13:32:28","date_gmt":"2013-10-18T13:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=2431"},"modified":"2013-10-18T13:32:28","modified_gmt":"2013-10-18T13:32:28","slug":"blanket-of-white","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/?p=2431","title":{"rendered":"Blanket of White"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wow! We received our first snow of the season in my area last night. As usual, that first blanketing of snow is lovely. It satisfies a longing for beauty. It protects the plants and bulbs under its warmth. It provides moisture to our dry land. It brings a purity with it that somehow seems to purify all that it touches or covers.<\/p>\n

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\"snow2\"<\/a>Yes, the snow that is covering our landscape is absolutely gorgeous!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I believe we receive some of these same benefits when we live a life that pleases God. Let\u2019s see what God\u2019s Word has to say about it.<\/p>\n

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God is Lovely<\/b><\/p>\n

When we are in God\u2019s presence, we dwell in loveliness. Psalm 84:1 (NIV) tells us of this place. \u201cHow lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"snow\"<\/a>David continues to speak of a yearning within to be in the presence of our lovely God. \u201cMy soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.\u201d<\/i> (Psalm 84:2 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

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I pray that you\u2019ve experienced this deep desire. That nothing else could possibly fulfill this desire to be with God.<\/p>\n

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God Satisfies<\/b><\/p>\n

David knew this as well. There are three passages in Psalm when David shared the ways that God satisfied. Let\u2019s see what he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In Psalm 103, David begins with praise to God. \u201cPraise the Lord, O my soul\u2026who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle\u2019s.\u201d<\/i> (Psalm 103:1a, 5 \u2013 NIV) God satisfies our desire with good things.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And in Psalm 107:9 (NIV) David said this about God. \u201cHe satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.\u201d <\/i>David urged Israel to thank God for all that He satisfied, including food and drink. We too must remember to thank God for all that He gives.<\/p>\n

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David shared another satisfaction in Psalm 147:14 (NIV). \u201cHe grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.\u201d <\/i>In this section, David talks of all sorts of weather. Through it all, God satisfied David\u2019s needs and desires. God wants to do the same for us.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

God Protects<\/b><\/p>\n

David was fully aware of God\u2019s protection. When David was being blamed for something he had no control over, God protected him. And in this protection, David found rest and peace.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.\u201d<\/i> (Psalm 4:8 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

As we place our problems in God\u2019s hands, we allow ourselves the benefits of rest, peace and protection. Why wouldn\u2019t we want to give all of the issues of our lives to Him?<\/p>\n

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God Provides<\/b><\/p>\n

David knew this very well and shared his thoughts on this topic in one line. \u201cAll my fountains are in you.\u201d <\/i>(Psalm 87:7b \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When we come to the understanding that there is nothing apart from God, then we too can make this statement without doubt. Everything we need. Everything we desire, God provides.<\/p>\n

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In our spiritual walk, we have the opportunity to walk with God and allow Him to fulfill our needs. God\u2019s spiritual provision is all we could possibly desire. Can you repeat David\u2019s words?<\/p>\n

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Perhaps you\u2019ve heard the current worship song containing this line. I pray that the next time you sing these words you\u2019ll have a better understanding of how God really does provide.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

God Purifies<\/b><\/p>\n

David\u2019s greatest desire after his adulterous affair with Bathsheba was to be purified. He asked for God\u2019s mercy. He asked to be cleansed. \u201cCleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.\u201d<\/i> (Psalm 51:7 \u2013 NIV)<\/p>\n

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In our repentance of sin, we too have the desire to be purified. What a blessing it is to know that God is willing to do just that. We have the opportunity to be washed clean. To be as white as the first snow of the season.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

God has so much to offer us. We need to remember all of them. If we jump back to Psalm 103:2 (NIV), David wanted to remember all that God had done for him, too. He didn\u2019t want to forget. \u201cPraise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.\u201d <\/i>Let\u2019s not forget. Let\u2019s remember all that God wants to give us. And then, accept them!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To be honest, this snow won\u2019t last long. The weather will warm up over the weekend and it will disappear. Also to be honest, I really don\u2019t like winter very much. At least I can say I don\u2019t like the cold. But I kind of like snow.<\/p>\n

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Snow brings a beauty with it that thrills the little girl in me. I pray that each snowfall will remind me of God\u2019s benefits. Maybe you will too.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Donna<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To leave a comment, please click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wow! We received our first snow of the season in my area last night. As usual, that first blanketing of snow is lovely. It satisfies a longing for beauty. It protects the plants and bulbs under its warmth. It provides moisture to our dry land. It brings a purity with it that somehow seems to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_s2mail":"yes","_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,296,25,27,19],"tags":[1220,1226,1223,1230,1224,1225,1227,1229,983,1228,1222,1221],"class_list":["post-2431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-discovering-god","category-experiencing-god","category-praising-god","category-remembering-god","category-thanking-god","tag-blanket-of-white","tag-protects","tag-psalm-1031-5","tag-psalm-1032","tag-psalm-1079","tag-psalm-14714","tag-psalm-48","tag-psalm-517","tag-psalm-877","tag-purifies","tag-satisfies","tag-snow"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2431"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2435,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions\/2435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fullmeasureofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}