A soft answer

...turneth away wrath. Proverbs 16:7 is one of the first verses I memorized after becoming a Christian at nearly 20 years of age. All of these years later, in the winter of my life I still find it difficult to respond to someone else's anger with a quiet and gentle spirit. I am still tempted to retaliate, explain and defend myself. It has been helpful to learn to stay out of volatile relationships that are inevitable in any institution. ....including families. The Lord still presses me into counselling and I obey, but I have learned to say "no" without guilt when I catch a whiff of a spirit of abuse that will be turned on me. For many years, especially in the pastorates fear drove me to accept every phone call as being from the Lord:  fear that I would displease people and Ted would be blamed and we would lose our job. The Lord was teaching me to trust Him alone, no matter what others said or did.   Having been the only little one in a family of five adults, early on I became a pleaser, in order to avoid the tempers of four of those adults. I have told you about my grandmother who had a "gentle and quiet" spirit. When she left for Heaven when I was fourteen her "gentle and quiet spirit" went with her.

I wonder if Sarah always had a "gentle and quiet spirit" that Peter speaks about or did she learn to be "gentle and quiet" through all the disappointments in herself for her lack of faith, and in Abraham? There is much going on between the lines of scripture that we will not know about until we are in Heaven.  Both had to learn to trust God completely and "lean not to their own understanding".

This is a hard lesson to learn, isn't it, my dear friends? This rocky path to deep faith in Christ alone is hard.  We need each other in the Body to remind one another that these "temptations are common to man, but God is faithful, Who will not tempt us beyond what we are able,  but will with the temptation,  make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it.".

                                          TEACH ME TO PRAY

Teach me to pray, Lord; teach me to pray.
This is my heartcry, day unto day.
I long to know Thy will and Thy way
Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray.

Power in prayer, Lord; power in prayer.
Here mid earth's sin and sorrow and care.
Men lost in dying, souls in despair.
Oh give me power, power in prayer!

My weakened will, Lord, Thou canst renew!
My sinful nature, Thou canst subdue.
Fill me just now with power anew
Power to pray and power to do!

Teach me to pray, Lord, teach me to pray'
Thou art my Potter, day unto day.
Thou art my Surety, now and for aye;
Teach me to pray, Lord,  teach me to pray.

LIVING IN THEE, LORD, AND THOU IN ME.
CONSTANT ABIDING, THIS IS MY PLEA.
GRANT ME THY POWER, BOUNDLESS AND FREE.
POWER WITH MEN AND POWER WITH THEE.

Love,  Jo