I am still story weaving Part Two of “Lined with Songs of Praise”, so I thought we could sit a moment and ponder 1) BeSpoke Mantles with which God covers us, and 2) the effects of Praise in God’s Bespoke Mantles.

BeSpoke Mantles –  – custom-made by the original Couturière, the unrivaled Tailor, the only perfect Mantua Maker of My Soul, designing one-of-a-kind BeSpoke Mantles since the beginning of time. His reputation is Spotless! Incorruptible! Unblemished! Divine!

You do know everyone has one. . . every mother, every daughter, every grandmother, every aunt, everyone who has ever drawn breath. . . sometimes they just don’t realize 1) they have one, or if they do have one, they don’t 2) realize the power of it.

James Bond’s gadget guy Q had nothing on God’s tools to get His children out of tight spots and hard challenges.

BeSpoke Mantles God-designed for every occasion – for every joy, every challenge, every daily, every over-the-top celebration, every wound, every heart-break, every confusion, every throwing-your-hands-up moment.

“A Bespoke Mantle provides refuge:

He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”
~ Psalm 91:4

How?
“Through the praise of children and infants,
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.”
 ~ Psalms 8:2

A BeSpoke Mantle is like Joseph’s Coat of Many Colors – it boasts of our Father’s great love for you and for me: Highly Favored, Valued, Loved is part of our identity in Him!

“Keep me as the apple of your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings,”
~ Psalm 17:8

How?
“Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.
 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained,
 What is man that You are mindful of him,
And the son of man that You visit him?
 For You have made him a little lower than the angels,
And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;”
~ Psalm 8: 2-6

A BeSpoke Mantle becomes stronger, more durable, the more it is lined with praise for All that He is and All that He has done for us.

“After consulting the people,
Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord
and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness
as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
‘Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.’
As they began to sing and praise,
the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab.” 
~2 Chronicles 20:21-22

How?
“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

Does not the love you bear one another – your friends, your spouse, even your children – grow in depth and breadth the more you know them? Yeah, with all the people in our everyday ordinary, we might need brain restoration time (maybe even heart restoration time) – no matter how big we think our love is. Maybe it is only with God that the more time we spend with Him, that we love Him more, maybe even becoming less irritable in our relationship because we. know. Him. more – and it changes us. He becomes our Brain Restoration Moment. When you wear a Bespoke Mantle, you wear Joy, a soul-deep Joy born of that love.

“You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” 
~ Psalms 30:11-12

How?
“Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

A BeSpoke Mantle doesn’t become shabby, unbending, unforgiving, easily torn, easily worn through, constantly needing mending. Its soils and stains of Missing-It Seasons and Moments become clean again through Christ’s amazing Grace.

““To make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.” 
~ Ephesians 5:26

How?
“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
~ 1 John 1: 7-9

A BeSpoke Mantle means I won’t struggle – right? That eggs are over $8 for 18 won’t pinch my budget? That sky-rocketing rent prices or home prices won’t stress me out? That my kiddos won’t come down with The Great Retching Virus? Heart Valves won’t need replacing? Muscles & Tendons won’t need stretching? That Challenges won’t Come to My Door? Right. . . . Wrong! It means you are not alone in the challenge, that God will take you through to His “All is Well” plan, that He’ll hold you, stand with you, carry you. . .

“When he had fled from Saul into the cave.
Have mercy on me, my God,
have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge.
I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed.”
~ Psalm 57:1

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”
 ~ Habbakuk 3:17-19

How?
“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly,
as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom
through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit,
singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
~ Colossians 3:16

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
At once, all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” 
~ Acts 16:25-26

Whether you wear a Mantle of Encouragement, a Mantle of Organization, a Mantle of Giving, a Mantle of Prophecy/Insight, a Mantle of Instruction, a Mantle of Compassion, a Mantle of Serving, a Mantle of Hugging . . .line it with Praise. . . if not in song, speak your praise. The effects of Praise on your BeSpoke Mantle are the difference between an Elijah Mantle left to Elisha and the Rich Young Ruler who who couldn’t bring himself to part with his wealth, or maybe the difference between Ruth and Orpah.

If the Holy Spirit is embroidering Strength for Courage into your mantle, or Over-Coming, threading it with Joy, Stories of Redeemed Blessing from Impoverished Circumstances, Forgiveness regardless of Relationship Restoration, Willingness to Answer the Call to New Things to you that were Designed into Your Soul Before You were Born, . . . if not in song, line it with praise spoken. . . and one day, your speaking will turn into a song.

“Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.”
 ~ Psalms 100:2

Remember Me Monday: #124 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week! (Link opens Mondays at 6 a.m.)

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
 Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends