Betty Whitaker Jackson

Oh, how we need a sabbath rest today.

MY PSALM 305   SABBATH

With rejoicing we come, Dear Lord,

To Your Sabbath, a day set aside to worship

And to rest in Your Presence.

For at Your creation of the world

You accomplished magnificence and order,

And pronounced it good and rested on the seventh day.

We honor and bless Your Holy Name.

As Your people come together to worship,

Let us put aside all that would distract or detract,

Let…..

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Lent is a time of reflection, and although we may not like to admit it, we sin daily, even moment by moment whenever we put ourselves and our self-interests before the advice: “Love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” We all miss the mark. Even the innocent baby which is totally self-absorbed and dependent.

So, this is My Psalm 309: Repentance

MY PSALM 309    REPENTANCE

Dear Heavenly…..

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Sometimes in our sophistication, we think we have to wear masks. No, thankfully, not COVID ones, but masks to hide our true feelings, our childhood fears we never quite overcame, our insecurities in a world where we’re supposed to “know everything,” or be able to find whatever we need in the latest app or tech aid.

The Bible tells us that in our faith walk, we should come “as a little child.” That means, we need to throw our independent,…..

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Whenever a Christian friend goes to be with the Lord, we have a mixed reaction, don’t we? We grieve for the loss of a friend, colleague, family member, or in general, as in the Ukraine conflict, for the seemingly senseless death in war. But, the other side of our hearts rejoices for what we believe comes next: an eternity with our Lord, with generational saints, and a time with no tears, no grief, no pain, no concerns except finally being…..

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The book of Proverbs in the Bible exhorts us to seek knowledge and seek wisdom. It seems the writer, some attach Solomon to this advice, values  wisdom among the highest assets of man. As a career teacher, I suppose I espoused this as well, seeking to educate a generation or more, to acquire wisdom and base life-choices on its merits.

Then I read Ecclesiastes and discover that all is vanity, even wisdom. So, I suppose the “wisest” advice is that…..

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After COVID, retreat from society, changing buying habits, deaths of loved ones, yearning for past times of calm, and now seeing senseless war and the inflation and worry attached to suffering, one cold become depressed. It’s only natural. People feel pain, physical or emotional, and our defense mechanism is to withdraw to a dark place unless we make a decision to stay away from that dark place.

How do we escape its tentacles?

I propose these truths. One, we are…..

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Our souls long for restoration when we grieve, either for our sins (when we pray for redemption), for succor and strength in times of disaster such as the Ukraine invasion, (when we pray for strength and understanding in the loss of a homeland), or for comfort when a loved one dies (when our knees are weak and our tears flow).

It helps me to understand that God is sovereign, that He sees the entire panoply of history, that the death…..

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This is the next Lenten Psalm from my book: “Restore My Soul: A Lenten Journal”:

MY PSALM 302   DISCOURAGEMENT

Almighty Father, You who created me, You know me all too well. When I am discouraged, Bound by emotions which drain my energy And sap my strength, I pray deliverance.

When life’s struggles become burdensome, When I see the dark skies and feel overwhelmed, When death and disasters are clouds on my mind And the pain of sin overtakes my…..

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When I was writing this book, the Parkland School shooting had just occurred. This is My Psalm 301:

MY PSALM 301   TRAGEDY

Note: The tragic Parkland, FL school shooting, claiming seventeen lives, occurred the first day of Lent, 2018.

Heavenly Father, Creator of all things,

Abba, Father,

Praised be Your Name in the heavens and on earth,

For You have heard my cry; I can feel Your Presence Because Jesus brings me to Your loving arms When I cry…..

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Lent has traditionally been a time of reflection, a time leading up to Easter when we celebrate Jesus’ conquering of death and salvation from our sins if we repent of them and follow His teachings. I will take the reader through my book of restoration psalms to remind us of our daily walk to victory. My Psalm 300 is named: “Keep Me Close.” May it bless your day.

MY PSALM 300:   KEEP ME CLOSE

Dear Heavenly Father, I come into…..

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