Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday Meditation~The Bell Tolls for You!

"The Lord is near."  Philippians 4:5b (NIV)


Last week as I had my quiet time, a devotion by Sarah Young in Jesus Calling resonated in my soul.  As she wrote of words that Jesus would speak to us, she said, "I am with you. I am with you. I am with you. Heaven's bells continually peal with that promise of My presence....When you step back into the mainstream of life, strain to hear those glorious bells; I am with you. I am with you. I am with you."

This really struck a chord with me. We live in a neighborhood with a clock tower that chimes the hour...and the quarter hour...and the half hour...and the three quarter hour. What before were just bells chiming the time of day, now have become constant reminders that God is with us. God is with us. God is with us. Ah, what a sweet sound!

No matter what time of day or night, whether life flows like a tranquil stream or blows like the winds of a hurricane, remember the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 and the fulfillment revealed to Joseph in Matthew 1:23 that says, "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel-which means, 'God with us.'"

Yes, God is with us. God is with us. God is with us.

Wrap your heart around that promise today and embrace His presence.

His Word reminds us, "Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart."  Jeremiah 29:12-13

Listen. Do you hear it? The bell tolls for you.

7 comments:

quietspirit said...

This makes me pause and consider the phrase,"I am with you" more reverently than I have before. Thank you.

Hester's Heart said...

Kristi,

I love your connection to the bell tower. :) We must be reading the same Sarah Young devotional - her thoughts are a blessing to me too.

God bless you, Hester ;)

Susan said...

THANK YOU for hooking me on Jesus Calling! And do you know what I love about this post:
That you chose to see the chimes as a reminder of God's faithfulness.
A lot of people would've been irritated by it, but not you! I can't wait to get together again. I need a Kristi-fix :)

Gloria Minor said...

Well, I needed that today. I have a clock in my new office and I can hear the second hand ticking and today it was starting to annoy me somewhat. I can't wait to hear that clock tick tomorrow as a reminder of God's presence even when I might not feel it. Love you!

Kristi Butler said...

Cecelia, Hester, Susan, and Gloria, what a blessing that God unites hearts no matter how many miles are between!

So thankful that He is with us...and one day we'll all be together...forever!!!

Jeannette Duwe said...

Love this, Kristi! What a beautiful message to intertwine with the bells!
I love that book...got off track last month. Your post reminded me I need to get back with the program! :-)

Kristi Butler said...

Thanks, Jeannette! You are so sweet! Yes, that devotional book is definitely one of my favorites!