Psalm 5 and 14 Days of Love Day 3

Hi Stamping Friends!

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up."

Psalm 5:1-3

THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS

Stamps:  Thoughts and Prayers

Paper:  Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Peach Parfait, Naturals White, Everyday Enchantment DSP (Sale-A-Bration)

Accessories:  Top Note Die, Fancy Favor Box Die, Beautiful Butterflies Die, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Stitched Poly Ribbon, Hemp Twine, Button (retired)

Today I chose to share the Psalm 5 passage in the King James version.  When I was in Jr. High and High School, we used to sing these verses as a song in youth group at church. I still remember the tune. For me, the easiest way to memorize scripture is to sing it. There are so many wonderful Christian songs that are scripture taken straight from the Bible. Love that!!

This week's online Psalms Bible study with Wendy Pope focused on prayer.  That is why I chose to use the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. It fit perfectly with what I had been meditating on. And I know exactly who I will send it to. I might have to make more cards with this set. There are quite a few people I know that would benefit from knowing that someone is thinking of them and lifting them up in prayer.

After reading through the Psalm 5 scripture passage a few times, I turned to my BibleWorks program which brought up Matthew Henry's Commentary on these verses.  Wow!  There is so much to think about in just these 3 little verses it is amazing.  I would love to share it all with you, but I don't want to bore you with my book reading. Here are some of my favorite thoughts from the commentary:

1. Give ear to my words, O Lord! Though God is in heaven, he has an ear open to his people's prayers, and it is not heavy, that he cannot hear. Men perhaps will not or cannot hear us; our enemies are so haughty that they will not, our friends at such a distance that they cannot; but God, though high, though in heaven, can, and will.

2. Unto thee will I pray. "Others live without prayer, but I will pray." The assurances God has given us of his readiness to hear prayer should confirm our resolution to live and die praying.

3. Morning prayer is our duty; we are the fittest for prayer when we are in the most fresh, and lively, and composed frame, got clear of the slumbers of the night, revived by them, and not yet filled with the business of the day. We have then most need of prayer, considering the dangers and temptations of the day to which we are exposed, and against which we are concerned; by faith and prayer, to fetch in fresh supplies of grace.

4. That he will patiently wait for an answer of peace: "I will look up, will look after my prayers, and hear what God the Lord will speak, that, if he grant what I asked, I may be thankful--if he deny, I may be patient--if he defer, I may continue to pray and wait and may not faint."

The area I struggle with the most is #3. I'm somewhat of a "night owl". I can't seem to get to bed before midnight each night. Night is the only time I am all alone. And I relish in it. (Being a homeschool mom, I'm not alone very often.) It is also the time I read my Bible and pray. But I'll be honest, I am quite tired by the time I get to the praying part and I've been know to doze off once in awhile. To wake up before anyone else in the house, seems like a daunting task to me. I would rather stay warm and cozy in my bed for another hour. But after reading about praying myself up and my family for the day ahead, I may have to try and turn a new leaf. Well, maybe when the weather warms up a bit. ;)

My Life Application Bible has some great thoughts on this passage as well:

"The secret of a close relationship with God is to pray to him earnestly each morning. In the morning, our minds are more free from problems and then we can commit the whole day to God. Regular communication helps any friendship and is certainly necessary for a strong relationship with God. We need to communicate with him daily. Do you have a regular time to pray and read God's Word?" 

Lots of things to think about and ponder.  :)

And now on to Day 3 of the 14 Days of Love!!

VALENTINE COLLAGE

Stamps:  Tiny Tags, Pretty Postage, Filled With Love (retired)

Paper:  Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Whisper White, Red Glimmer Paper, Silver Glimmer Paper, various retired designer series papers

Accessories:  Owl Punch, Tag Punch, Postage Stamp Punch, Bird Punch, Heart Punch, Heart to Heart Punch, Cupcake Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Circle Punches, Perfect Polka Dots EF, Basic Rhinestones, Baker's Twine, retired rub-ons

This is a CASE of a similar Valentine collage created by Nancy Riley at iStamp. I had to change mine up quite a bit since I did not have same stamps and punches as she did. But it was a great source of inspiration. 

I had a blast making this. I was excited to find the white frame at our local Big Lots. It is an odd size for a picture frame, but perfect for paper. It is an 8 1/2x11 size. Most portraits come as 8x10. Strange. But perfect for me!! Each square is 2x2. I used TONS of retired product on this collage. But all of it is from Stampin' Up! It was fun going through all my scrap DSP. It was like walking down memory lane! I love all the Glimmer paper. It makes everything so sparkly.

Here is a close-up of the collage:

I hope you've been blessed AND inspired! Come back tomorrow for more Valentine love!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!