devotional

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Today a dear friend and sister in Christ is here to share a devotional from her book, Morning Rendezvous.

Blessings from the Top of the Tree by Delia Latham

Pro. 10:6a (KJV)
Blessings are upon the head of the just;

It was a humdinger of a windstorm—unusually rough for California, where we lived at the time. Not anything approaching tornado severity, but enough to knock down a few trees, tear off a bunch of roof tiles and stir up some pretty nasty allergies.

Given my husband’s severe lung problems, high winds have become something to dread. They often blow in a ton of allergens, bringing on a week or so of severe discomfort. Needless to say, we were more than a bit unhappy about the storm.

A couple of days later, Aunt Vera dropped by our place, her arms piled high with three plastic grocery bags. All of them were stuffed full of pecans from her trees.

“They were all over my yard, after that wind the other night,” she announced. “I had to do something with them, and I know how Johnny loves pecan pies.”

All of the nuts within her reach had been harvested prior to the storm. These nuts came from the upper branches, the ones she couldn’t get to. “I guess they would have stayed up there until they rotted without that storm,” she said, with a wry little shake of her head.

After our sweet visitor left, I looked at those three bags of snacking nuts—three bags stuffed full of potential pies and other delectable desserts—and I saw them differently. They were the fruits of the storm—blessings from the top of the tree. Good things beyond our reach.

And God has a way of shaking them loose and raining them down all around us!

Since then, I try to remember to look at the storms of life through less jaded eyes, as well. During the blizzard, it’s hard to see anything but toppled trees and destruction to property. It’s difficult to look past the blowing garbage and allergic reactions.

While the wind blows, it’s almost impossible to remember that after the storm, God always sends a rainbow. After the winds, we reap the sweet-smelling, clean air and sunshine.

After He tries us, He showers us with good things…things previously out of our grasp.

We must learn to hold tight to God and just survive the storm. Because when it’s over, we get the blessings from the top of the tree!

Oh, God, how many times have You blessed me, and I failed to recognize the blessing? Please forgive my blindness and open my eyes to Your wondrous gifts. I want to see You…not only in the blessings that come after, but in the storm itself. Open my spiritual eyes to the things I should see. And Lord, thank You for all those good things You rain down on me from the top of the tree! Amen

 Morning Rendezvous is not strictly a book of devotion. It’s devotions and random inspirational thoughts and musings. It’s made up of my devotions and inspirational posts that are scattered all over the internet. I gathered up my favorites and put them into book format because I know so many people who never touch a computer, but I hope they’d be blessed by some of the thoughts God blessed me with.~Delia
 

Delia was born and raised in a place called Weedpatch, Delia Latham moved from California to Oklahoma in 2008, making her a self-proclaimed California Okie. She loves to read and write in her simple country home, and gets a kick out of watching her husband play Farmer John. The author enjoys multiple roles as Christian wife, mother, grandmother, sister and friend, but especially loves being a princess daughter to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. She loves to hear from her readers. You can contact her through her website or send an e-mail to delia AT delialatham DOT net.

Find out more about this author at www.delialatham.net.

Blog:  www.my-book-bag.blogspot.com

Newsletter:  www.bookshelfnewsletter.blogspot.com

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This article was first posted on The Write Conversation on Sunday, August 22. It is a great reminder to stay in God’s pocket without trying to forge ahead on our own. I’d heard a sermon about this once, and the pastor asked: “Are you asking God to show you His plan, or are you marching ahead, asking for God’s blessings?” I believe blessings come from obedience and total surrender. But enough babble. Here’s Edie’s devo. And remember, if you think this is one that should make the top three of 2010, leave a comment, fb share it, like it, or tweet it, and I’ll tally all the tweets, shares, likes and comments at the end. (And don’t forget to support Edie by visiting her blog.)

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Ps 37:7 (NIV)


I don’t know about you, but waiting patiently isn’t in my top ten of favorite things to do—it’s actually closer to somewhere in the bottom ten. I hate being patient, whatever it is—I want it, and I want it now. I would like to think I’m a product of my times and environment. After all, we live in a world of the instant now. How nice it would be to put the blame somewhere other than my immaturity.

But God has shown me that’s all impatience is, immaturity with a mask. This has been particularly true with my writing life So many times, if God had given me the answer the moment I asked, I would have missed out on so much. I would have missed the sweet prayer time, the fellowship with others who shared in my journey, and the ultimate joy of something anticipated and achieved. I would have also missed out on being used by God to teach and comfort others as they saw Him work in my life.

Most important, God has shown me that had I rushed His timing, I’d have traded an immediate good for an ultimate best. For years I’ve enjoyed success in my freelance writing, but an idea that led to a published book proved elusive. I watched my contemporaries and even some of those I’ve mentored land contracts with no success of my own. I cried out to God, asked why and received no satisfactory answer. Then, this very month, the magic happened. I now have joined the ranks of those contracted authors. Even better is the book God chose for my first.

My first book will be a devotional for those with loved ones serving in the military. I wish I could share the gift this book is to me. Our oldest son served in the Marine Corps. He went straight from high school to boot camp to Iraq. I truly believe this book is one of the many ways God is redeeming that time of struggle in our family’s life. So yes, I had to wait, but it was worth it!

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Edie Melson is a freelance writer and editor with a passion for life’s stories. She loves to share her 16+ years experience in the field of writing through mentoring and teaching others. She’s a member of several professional writing organizations, including The Christian Pen, The Christian Writer’s View I and ACFW, where she serves as the Editor for the Southeast Zone Newsletter and staff reviewer for Afictionado Magazine. You can visit Edie on her popular writing blog, The Write Conversation. Married 29 years to husband, Kirk, they have raised three sons.