Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper reverence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

Drop Thy still dews of quietness
Till all our strivings cease.
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

John Greenleaf Whittier

A Little Place

A Little Place.

Where should I work today, dear Lord, 
and my love flowed warm and free.
He answered and said, “See that little place? 
Tend that place for me.”
I answered and I said, 
“Oh no, not there! No one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done. Not that place for me.”
His voice, when He spoke, was soft and kind. 
He answered me tenderly,
“Little one, search thy heart of thine. 
Are you working for them or me?
Nazareth was a little place and so was Galilee.”



"Aren’t we glad that the King of the universe, the Creator of the world, left Heaven and said, 'I’ll step into that little place. I’ll serve. I’ll lay down My life, so they can have life.'

When you serve in your home, you’re following in the steps of the Savior, and there’s no bigger, grander place you could be!"  ( Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss is an outreach of Life Action Ministries.)

Proverb 31 is

"the description of a virtuous woman, an excellent woman, a woman of moral strength and godly character. The kind of woman that, if you are a [female] child of God, you are going to be someday.

God is committed to making you and me as women into this kind of woman. So how much better to cooperate with Him in the process than to fight and resist and kick and scream or ignore His standard altogether and then one day find that we really did miss the mark. This is God’s commitment to us—to make us into these kinds of women.

So what does this kind of heart look like in everyday life? What does a woman with this kind of heart act like? How does it affect her schedule, her priorities, her activities, her day? How does a woman who is loyal to her husband, as we read about in the last session, how does she spend her time? How does she live out that commitment?"  (Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Proverb 31, A Godly Woman's Work, Feb. 20, 2007).

God is Working!

God moves in a mysterious way  
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea  
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines  
Of never failing skill;  
He treasures up His bright designs  
And works His sovereign will. 

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;  
The clouds ye so much dread  
Are big with mercy and shall break  
In blessings on your head. 

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,  
But trust Him for His grace;  
Behind a frowning providence  
He hides a smiling face. 

His purposes will ripen fast,  
Unfolding every hour;  
The bud may have a bitter taste, 
 But sweet will be the flower. 

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain. 

(William Cowper, "God Moves in a Mysterious Way")

18th-century English poet and hymn writer,

friend to John Newton

"God is always at work in every era, in every circumstance, in every season, in every situation of life. God is doing a work in our day.  God is always at work. Even when it appears that He is silent, that He is passive, that He is absent. Even when we cannot see what He is doing. Even when we do not know what He is doing, God is at work.  Whether you can see it or not, God is at work.  Take heart. Have faith. Be encouraged. God is at work."  Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Habakkuk 1:5  "Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded.  For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told." (ESV)

John 5:17  “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”  (ESV)

Isaiah 50:10 "Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His servant?  Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the Name of the LORD and rely on his God."  (ESV)

"God is saying to His servants—Habakkuk and His other people—“Broaden your perspective. Look among the nations and see.” God is saying, “Your vision is not big enough. You’ve been too centered in on your own specific circumstances and situation. You need to look among the nations. Your view is too narrow.”

You see, so often we can only see our little piece of the whole picture. We see our health, our issues, our family, our church, our country, our circumstances; and we get totally engrossed in what is happening to us. You know why? Because we live as if it’s all about me. That’s our perspective. We have this self-centered, myopic perspective on life. It’s all about what’s happening to me. It’s all about how it affects me.

But God is saying, “Lift your eyes up and see the bigger picture. Don’t be so consumed with your own personal situation.”  (Nancy Leigh DeMoss)

To read more of Nancy's wisdom on this matter, go to her teaching on Habakkuk at www.reviveourhearts.com.  The information above comes specifically from her October 7th teaching.