Apr25

Go to Him hurt

Posted on by
Standard

I was hurt. All the invitations to the party were given out and I wasn’t included.

Maybe I had done something to hurt her. I remember racking my brain, replaying those last few weeks, and came up with nothing.

Maybe it was simply an oversight. I mentioned something in conversation that would have easily segued into party talk, but got nothing.

I kept hoping that I would get that phone call, up to and including on party day, asking where I was, signaling a simple oversight that we could laugh at later. As the night went on, the phone call didn’t come, but the tears did.

Being hurt is hard, but especially hard when it is by someone you consider a close friend. And it was pretty easy for me to avoid my friend for a few days. I didn’t want to pick things right back up where they were. I was still hurt.

In John chapter 11, we can read about a couple of people who felt hurt by none other than Jesus.

Mary and Martha, dear friends of Jesus, sent a message to let him know their brother, his buddy, was sick. When Jesus got the message, He said this:

“This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” (v. 4)

But instead of rushing to be with Lazarus, or even healing him from where He was (as He had done for others before), He stayed where he was for two more days.

I wonder how Mary and Martha must have felt, pacing back and forth from Lazarus’ side during his final hours to the window and doorway to see if Jesus was almost there. Then afterward, feeling the pain of losing a brother, but also the hurt of someone you love not being there for you.

Of course, Jesus had a plan. Something we are still talking about to this day. But Mary and Martha didn’t know it yet.

And after Lazarus had been dead and buried for four days, Jesus showed up.

Martha ran out to meet Jesus when she heard he was finally coming.

“But Mary stayed at home.”(v. 20)

Mary might have had a superb excuse for staying home. She had other people there trying to comfort her. She might have stayed out of duty to them. Or maybe she didn’t know Martha had left. Or could it be that the hurt just might have overshadowed her natural desire to rush to see Him?

While this is just speculation on my part, I have to wonder if the hurt might have played a role. Mary clearly loved Jesus. She spent her time at His feet as He taught, soaking up His every word (Luke 10:39). She poured perfume on Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair (John 11:2). She loved Him.

The more we love someone, the deeper the hurt is felt.

Jesus had every right to be late; after all, He is the Lord. 　He didn’t have to come at all. But instead of putting her in her place, and reminding her of who He is and of the ministry He was out and about doing, He asked for her.

Martha went home to get Mary and told her He was asking for her. Mary hit the ground running to see Him. When she got there, she didn’t keep silent, or hold a grudge, but fell at His feet, and poured out her heart.

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”(John 11:32)

Again, Jesus could have given her a speech or a parable or a lesson, but that’s not what He chose for her.As He watched her weep, His heart broke.

Jesus then went to the place Lazarus was buried and spoke words of life into his dead body – His plan all along. 　Jesus was right – Lazarus’ sickness did not end in death. It ended in a beautiful, powerful resurrection.

Do you have some hurt in your heart? Whether it is from another human, or because God isn’t doing things in the time frame or circumstances you prefer,go to Him. Don’t stay home, far away from Him. Healing doesn’t happen there; it happens when we run to Him.Go to Him hurt.

“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
Psalm 34:18

“Those that in a day of peace place themselves at Christ’s feet, to receive instructions from him, may with comfort and confidence in a day of trouble cast themselves at his feet with hope to find favour with him.” – Matthew Henry

Apr19

63 Miles

Posted on by
Standard

map-40-01

I am not a work-from-home kind of person. I always thought I would be, until I did it. I had a job as a transcriptionist for nearly a year, when summertime came and I asked about working from home to be with my son. I got the permission, and a pile of tapes to start working on, and every few days, I stopped by the office to pick up a new batch.

The problem was that the pile never got smaller. In fact it multiplied.

I thought typing at home would allow me to spend lots of time with Noah, lots of time with my husband, tons of time keeping the house tidy and organized, home-cooked meals, friendships, library story hours, park time, workouts, church, and typing the transcription tapes in my spare time.(How many hours did I really think I had in a day?)

Needless to say… read the rest of this blog post here…

Apr19

Kudzu and Quicksand

Posted on by
Standard

Kudzu and Quicksand

Kudzu and Quicksand were a couple of the scariest things I knew of as a child.

I remember car rides as a family, and there were two things Dad would always point out along the way – places he had surveyed and kudzu sightings.
Kudzu is a vine that kind of takes over everything in its path. It kills plants, and can even uproot trees. Even now, as an adult, I cringe when I drive past a hillside that has been overtaken by this creepy monster.

I’m sure it has its good points. I think God made everything with a purpose, but I sure don’t know what it is.  It is frightening.

Quicksand is another scary situation. While I’ve never seen it in real life, and have no idea where it actually exists, I have seen many a TV show where it nearly takes out the character who accidentally steps in it and tries to fight their way out, to no avail.

There is something about a situation… read the rest of this blog here…

Apr19

Do what they did…

Posted on by
Standard

This along with a container of applesauce and a bottle of water are seriously the only unprocessed things in my refrigerator. I have so much work to d0 . . . my vegetables even look sad for me.

No sugar, no wheat, no corn. Stay away from processed things. Follow the Bible’s food plan. These were a few guidelines given to me by an inspirational friend when I asked for her advice. She had lost 40 pounds and her “brain fog” and I needed her help to lose those things myself.

While it sounds overwhelming, and it will be a slow process to make the switch, I know it worked for her, and I really want it to work for me.
I need to do what she did to get her results.

This smart line of thinking is what King Josiah…Read the rest of this blog here…

Apr18

A God we can count on

Posted on by
Standard

2 Samuel  24 :10  “David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.”

Four months. After a simple basketball injury, tearing his ACL and his meniscus, my in-great-shape husband underwent a seemingly simple surgery that we thought would be followed by a seemingly simple recovery. I thought a couple of weeks would be the maximum recovery time needed, but his physical therapist thought otherwise.

He said there is a real possibility that it could be four months before my husband is able to return to work.

I won’t lie, it was tempting to freak out. While his job is great and a definite blessing from God, it provides nearly no “sick days” and what little they do give disappears at the end of the year. So he had two weeks of vacation leave he could use, and after that, we were on our own.

So I started counting. In my mind, I remembered our savings account (thank you, Dave Ramsey, and my dear husband who doesn’t like to waste money), not to mention the gazillion church friends and family since then who have insisted on helping financially, and with dinner and in other random ways – (we LOVE each of you!). I was able to remain calm, knowing we were going to be okay.

Counting it all up made me feel secure.

David tried something a little similar in 2 Samuel 24. He chose to comfort himself by counting all the military guys he had at his disposal.

He was even advised that this was a bad plan by his wise friend, Joab. Joab knew that regardless of the number of men, God could provide whatever military force they needed.

But David didn’t listen. He had all the men who were fit for fighting tallied up, and between Israel and Judah combined, there were 1.3 million able-bodied men.

Then David’s conscience got to him. He saw what he had done as sin.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I had never thought of counting as being sinful in any circumstance.

David says to God, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.” (v.10)

Counting wasn’t sinful, but not trusting God was. By counting his guys, David was ultimately trusting in his own power. He was trying to be self-sufficient, and he knew that God prefers quite the opposite.

God wants us to trust Him. He has shown us over and over again how trustworthy He is, both to others in biblical accounts and to ourselves in the past.

David knew how God had already provided for him, from the very beginning – saving David from a lion and a bear, winning the fight against Goliath, and blessing David’s reign as king. And somehow he lost sight of that for a minute, and became immersed in figuring out his own capabilities.

He forgot to trust in God.

Thankfully as soon as he realized what he had done, he quickly turned to God and repented for not trusting. David was a man after God’s own heart.

My first inclination in most circumstances is to see if it is something I can handle on my own. It’s easy not to worry when I can see I’ve got the resources to take care of it.

But if I don’t, that’s a different story. Worry creeps in and gets comfy, making itself at home.

I have a lot to learn from David.

While I have already counted our own resources and I can’t really un-count them, I have decided not to worry regardless of how things go. If every appliance we own stops working all at once, and if Shawn is told it will be twice the time off, I will know that I can still trust God to take care of us one way or another.No matter what.

God has proven himself trustworthy to David, to me, and to you. Thank you, Lord!

Take a couple of minutes to make a note (mentally, in the comments section, on the back of a receipt, or otherwise) of some of the ways God has already proven himself faithful and trustworthy to you. I’d love to hear about it!

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

Apr10

What can we do? Times are different

Posted on by
Standard

download

This was the second time I had heard about some majorly inappropriate songs being played by a DJ at a school dance, and consequently, it was the second trip to the school’s office to explain my frustrations, highlighted song lyrics in tow.

While the man I talked to said he would talk to the DJ before the next dance, and that he understood my concerns, the overall tone of the meeting was kind of, “Well, I don’t like the lyrics either, but what can we do? Times are different now.”

And it made me sad.

Schools are spending so much time encouraging the kids to say no to drugs, to value themselves and each other, and to be responsible with sex. But sell enough candy bars, 8th graders, and we will give you an hour of music that says drugs and drinking are pretty awesome, and sex is all a woman is good for. (By the way, if any of you other middle school parents want to know the songs that had me worked up, I can let ya know). We’re contradicting what we are teaching them.

*In fairness, some of the obscenities were silenced or changed to other words, but the overall tone and message of the songs, and some of the language, is still there.

I get it that the kids were probably more focused on the fun dancing than on the lyrics. And it’s likely that this is not the first time many of the students heard these songs. I get it.

I had a Motley Crue tape (that’s right – tape) that I am ashamed to say I ever owned.

But I can tell you that it wasn’t played by my teachers or parents as a reward for me, and when my parent saw it, they took it away. (Good job, Mom and Dad).

Kids need to know that better is expected of them.

What can we do? Times are different now.

Of course there are things we can do. We can start with songs that are fun, yet not encouraging behavior that we would punish our kids for. As a principal and as teachers, we can choose not to promote anything – movies, music, conversations – at our schools that will make a student think less of themselves or each other.

As a DJ, or anyone else involved with kids, even without kids of our own, we can see the 8th graders as our own nieces and nephews, and ask ourselves if we would want the things said in those songs to be said to those we love.

As parents, we need to look at what we watch and listen to. If we are listening to music that says women are only good for being naked, even if it has a nice beat to it, turn it off. We have to explain to our daughter that she is better than that. Explain to our son that girls are worth more than that.

If we are watching reality TV where women are competing for the “love” of one man basically by making out with him, we have to stop. Our girls need to know that there is more to a relationship than sex. They need to know that they deserve more than fighting-tooth-and-nail for a man’s attention. They deserve better. And our boys need to know the things that matter in a relationship aren’t decided in a 60-minute television show.

If we are reading books that promote sex without marriage and love, we must put it down. It’s not worth it. Our kids need to know that there is more to sex than physical stuff. They need to know love is more than sex.

What we say matters. What we do matters. What we watch matters.

Another thing this man said was how times aren’t like they were when we were growing up. It’s different now.

Good.

I want it to be different.

I remember being in 8th grade and feeling like all boys cared about was physical attraction to girls. I wish so much that I could go back and tell my 8th-grade-self that not all guys were thinking this way. I would tell myself that it is important to expect respect.

It can be different. Our kids can see us respecting each other and them and learn that this is what is expected. Our girls can know that they are loved and that their value isn’t based on what television, the radio, or another human thinks. Our boys can know that a relationship based on more than physical attraction can be a deep, meaningful, beautiful thing.

Love on the girls in your life today, and remind them how precious they are. Love on your boys and remind them of what a gift they can give to a girl when they can give her respect. And make sure the decisions we make ourselves reflect those truths.

Train up a child in the way he should go;
    even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Apr4

Three times

Posted on by
Standard

Image result for 3

I like for things to be even. Maybe I’m weird. If I walk on a sidewalk, I like to have the same number of footsteps in each square. When I eat cereal, I like to chew the same number of fruit loops on each side of my mouth.

If someone pays for my food when we are eating out, I like to schedule another breakfast date soon so I can get the bill that time.

So it struck me a while back when I was reading in John, what a great gift Jesus gave to Peter.

Peter was with Jesus that Thursday night, as Jesus was giving his disciples a little glimpse into what was about to happen. He told them that that very evening they would all leave Him. Peter said that even if everyone else deserted Jesus, he never would. Jesus got a little more specific with Peter. (Matthew 26)

Not only would he desert Jesus, Peter would deny he even knew Him. And not just once, but three times, all before the roosters crowed in the morning. Peter assured Jesus that would not happen.

It happened. Three times.

Shortly after this conversation, Jesus took them to a garden so He could pray. He wanted to pour His heart out to the Father, and gather the strength He would need for what was coming. When He was finished praying, He got up and told His disciples it was time. He went to the place He knew Judas would be.

Judas, one of His own disciples, had sold Jesus out for money, showing those who wanted Him dead exactly where He would be. He kissed His cheek to let the guards know for sure it was Him.

Jesus let them take Him, and He was put on trial. He was questioned. He was beaten. He was sentenced. Death by crucifixion.

During this time, a girl pointed Peter out as one of Jesus’ followers. He denied it.

A little later, another girl said she was sure he was with Jesus. He denied it.

Some time after that, a group of people said they were positive he was “one of them.” He denied it. The third time. Then the rooster crowed and Peter remembered. Then “he went outside and wept bitterly.”  (Matthew 26:75)

Jesus was crucified. Nailed to a cross – not because they finally caught Him, but because the time had come. Jesus willingly gave himself over to death as a payment for our sin. I hope I never get over this. What love.

Then he was buried. Sadness for days as his followers thought they had lost Him forever. The pain and grief must have settled so deeply in the room where they were.

Then came Sunday.

The tomb where Jesus was is now open and empty. Jesus shows up to His disciples multiple times and has some messages for them. One of them specifically for Peter.  (John 21)

Jesus asked Peter if he loved Him more than these. Peter said yes.

Jesus asked again if he truly loved Him? Peter said yes, a second time.

Jesus, a third time, asked Peter if he loved Him. Peter said he did, a third time.

Three times, Peter was able to say, directly to the face of his precious Lord, his friend, his redeemer, that he loved Him.

While there may be people much wiser and more knowledgeable than I am, who might have a grand theological explanation for this passage, I see it as a way Jesus let Peter make it up to Him. He denied Him three times, then he was able to confess his love for Jesus directly to Him, three times. He knew what Peter needed.

Our sin is why Jesus went through what He did, and He still cares about us individually – giving us what we need when we need it.

I can only imagine that this conversation replayed over and over again in Peter’s mind after Jesus had said goodbye to them and went to Heaven. What a moment for him to have.

In the same way, God loves us each that much. We have denied Him, we have forgotten Him, and still He looks for what we need.

Take a few moments to think about the ways God has been there for you, gently leading you back when you’ve lost your way and got off track. I sure know He has done it for me, and I’m going to thank Him for that right now. ❤

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me…” John 10:14

Mar25

Follow the Leader

Posted on by
Standard

005

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
Joshua 5:13-14

Being the parent of one child, I had like zero knowledge of how to grow another person in a way that makes them easily manageable; there was no older sibling of his that I had already practiced on. I did have a monthly subscription to Parents magazine that I stored under my bed (I’m not kidding – each issue for many years. I always thought, what if I need to know what is in that magazine for how to deal with a 7 year-old, and I didn’t read it because Noah was 3 when I got it? Best to save it for the next four years under my bed just in case. I am SO THANKFUL for how the internet has changed my world).

When we were shopping, after he was too big to happily sit in the shopping cart, basically I was holding his hand all around the store, going where he led me, looking at the things he stopped at, and sneaking in my things as we went from one of his places to the next. This was especially true if it was something my husband was shopping for and Noah and I were just along for the fun.

I’m not proud of this. At all. Even as I type this it sounds ridiculous. Even ducks at the park have figured out how to do this right. The mama duck just goes along her way, with 9 babies all trailing behind – in a neat line, no less. They follow her.

I didn’t see it then, but I was doing it all backwards.

I wasn’t supposed to be following him. My child was supposed to be following me.

I think we get a little mixed up this way with Jesus too, sometimes.

Rather than following Jesus and His plan for our lives, we ask Him to tag along behind with our plans, asking Him to pick up all the things we drop along the way – things we weren’t supposed to be carrying in the first place.

He isn’t supposed to be following us. We are supposed to be following Him.

Joshua was reminded of this in the Old Testament.

New to the job, he had just led the Israelites out of the desert, across the Jordan River, through Gilgal and was nearing Jericho. Scripture says he saw a man (spoiler alert – it is actually either God in human form, Christ, or an angel) standing in front of him with a sword drawn.

“Are you for us or our enemies?” Joshua asked him.

I love his answer.

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

Joshua got it. He immediately fell down in reverence.

The notes in my Bible tell me this : “Joshua and Israel must know their place – it is not that God is on their side; rather they must fight God’s battles.”

Jesus isn’t following us. We are followers of His.

So many times I pray for God to be with me as I do this thing, or to work that other thing out for me. I make my plans and expect God to be right behind me in case I need help with whatever the next thing is that I am doing, when it should be the other way around.  I should be following God, seeing what He is doing and how I can play a part in it.

Daily, I need to be looking for God’s direction, and I sometimes forget this important detail.

Join me in beginning our days, asking God what He wants from us, being open and willing for whatever He has in store. His plans are always so much better than ours are anyway.

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

Mar13

Ignore the squirrel

Posted on by
Standard
022

Shawn doing his exercises to help speed up the healing process

In the middle of our Warrior Wives prayer group, I got a text from my son. He said his Dad got hurt playing basketball. After a few texts back and forth, I realized it might be a bigger problem than I originally thought and made it home just after them. The next morning I took Shawn to the doctor to get his knee checked out. An x-ray showed no broken bones, but he was told if the pain didn’t get better after some time, he needed to see his regular doctor in case he had torn his ACL.

Fast-forward a couple of months, an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon determined he had torn either his ACL or his meniscus. Turns out it was both, and he had surgery Friday.

The surgery went very well – no problems, Thank You Lord. And he was his usual, charming, sarcastic self before and after the surgery.

(Here are a couple of examples of how this played out: A. The nurse started to shave Shawn’s knee, and he joked, “You haven’t shaved this winter?” And Shawn’s quick reply as he points to me: “I’ll start when she starts.” B. A different nurse came in to ask about his medical history. She’s looking at the chart and said, “You have a really healthy medical history. That’s great! Any family problems?” And Shawn’s response, again pointing to me: “Yeah, she’s mouthy, and he won’t listen.”)

The recovery is not going nearly as quickly as he had hoped (he had wanted to be back at work by Monday… It’s Thursday and there is no real return-time in sight). And I think it must be a little frustrating for him to need help occasionally. He never needs help, and is usually the one giving help. To be the one on the receiving end is a big change.

If I’m being honest though, I am enjoying getting to do things for him. It’s good to be needed. He needs me to fix his breakfast, he needs me to carry things for him, and he needs me to reach things he can’t. He needs me to stand behind him as he climbs our steps to get on the porch so he doesn’t fall over, or do a dance across our yard in an attempt to balance himself like he may or may not have done yesterday, and I may or may not have laughed hysterically (though he won’t admit that he needs me for this).  He also needs me to drive him to his physical therapy appointment.

Those are things I can do, and I love doing for him. This is how I am supporting him through this. But there are some things I can’t do. I can’t fix his leg muscles – his surgeon and his physical therapist have that responsibility. But I can do my part.

I was reading a couple of verses in Galations chapter 6 today, and verse 2 jumped out at me.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  

Similar to how I was helping Shawn, Paul is telling the church to support each other. It’s kind of a no-brainer that we are to be there, helping people as they need it. When people are down, we are to encourage them. When they are sick, we bring them a meal or send a card.Though there are times I have great intentions for about 3 minutes, and then I’m all “Squirrel” and forget to follow through until the opportunity has been missed. My intentions are right in line with Jesus, it’s my follow-through that needs serious work.

But there are other times it is harder even to have the good intentions. Like when the problems are complicated, and we don’t know how to respond. If someone is getting a divorce, or has a child with cancer, or a dying parent, or a relapse in drug abuse. How do we help them? Surely someone else is better equipped and qualified to do that job. So we step back and wait for them while we offer a genuine, “If you need anything at all, let us know.” But people don’t usually let me know. They need me to just do it.

And there is always something we can do. We might not be able to save someone else’s marriage, but we can leave a cup of coffee and muffin for her just to let her know someone is thinking about her and praying for her. We might not be able to heal a child from cancer or even offer life-changing words to the parents, but we can bring a toy to the hospital. We can offer to bring dinner to the mom and dad. For a friend with a dying parent, we can’t save them, but we can ask them to share a favorite story about their parent, or see if they need their pets fed while they are spending days in the hospital with their loved one. We can’t cure someone’s drug addiction, but we can spend time with them, showing them the love of Jesus.

We can’t do all the things, but there are things we can do. We can’t let insecurities birth excuses and keep us from showing the love of Christ and carrying each other’s burdens. We may not be qualified to fix the whole problem, but we can be the support. If I look at a situation like that, I am sure to find something that I can offer.

I can’t fix Shawn’s leg, but I can take him to the one who can. I can’t fix everyone’s problems and change them myself, but I can support them and point them to the One who can. And it’s my job – Paul said so. So today when you see a situation that someone needs help with, look at it with fresh eyes, and ask yourself, “What is the part that I can do?” Then lets do it. Oh, and Ignore the squirrel.

Mar8

What’s in your bag?

Posted on by
Standard

050

Anytime I go on a trip, I’m so afraid I will forget to pack something extremely important, like underwear or pants or my hairbrush or 7 books. My way to prevent this is by making a list and taping it to the inside of my front door, adding as I think of things, and crossing off as they are packed.

But it’s inevitable that I will forget something. When I went to Ecuador this summer for a mission trip, I forgot all socks, other than the pair I was wearing and a spare pair in my carry-on – not enough for our 2-week trip. Thankful it wasn’t the pants.

The reason we pack these things is because we will need them. Situations will come up and the things in our bags will serve us well.

We will have bad breath and be able to use our toothbrushes. We will get our clothes dirty and need new pants. We will sleep and need a hairbrush to get rid of our bedhead.

In the same way, it’s necessary for us to keep our life experiences at the top of our metaphorical bag so we can whip them out when the situation calls for it.

Sometimes those things are good, and we’re as happy as Pharrell Williams to get those experiences back out and use them. Happily married? We can use that to encourage other couples. Graduated from college? We can use that to serve our purpose God has given us and to inspire others to pursue their own education. Living without credit cards? We can motivate friends by showing them it is possible to live within their means.

But we’ve all got some ugly stuff in our experience bags too. And I most often prefer to leave those way down in the bottom of my bag where no one will notice them.

But there’s a purpose for even those things.

Sickness or disease, still waiting for healing – God can use that.

Painful divorce that you wish you could forget – He won’t waste it.

Past abuse – He can make good come even from that.

Sins you caused yourself – God can make beautiful things out of every part of our story. I have experienced it first-hand.

Our stories can be an inspiration to somebody. Our stories can offer guidance, either in a “See how I did it? You can do that too!” Or a “Please don’t do what I did… Take my advice. Learn from my mistakes.”

Like Jason Gray says, “In the hands of our Redeemer, nothing is wasted.” Thank You, Lord, for that!

Can God really use all my junk and make something good from it? I believe He can.

But the tricky part sometimes is being willing to get these stories out of our bags as others need them. It’s so much easier to leave them be, hidden and forgotten. But God really doesn’t waste anything, and if He has a purpose for my story, then I don’t want to stand in the way of that.

Think about your story today. Write it down if you have a few minutes. The really good parts, and the really hard parts – both can be used for great things in the hand of our Redeemer. Spend a few minutes with God today offering all the parts of your story back to Him.

“Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story…” Psalm 107:2a