God is with you

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. Isaiah 43:2

As you walk this life’s journey God is with you. As you exodus the world’s view and enter the joy of God’s view you may encounter a wind storm or a season of drought. Even then, God is with you.

You come to the red sea of doubt and fear and you decide to take a chance and trust in God. The moment before hope is shattered, the unexpected occurs, a miracle occurs, a way appears that was never there before. A door of opportunity opens that was closed. A gift is given you from a complete stranger. God is for you.

Time goes by and then trials and tests that you could never imagine take hold of your life. You feel as if you are bound up and thrown into the hottest furnace of the day. You are meet with disaster, with failure, with depression, with misunderstanding, and with distrust. The fire continues and after a while it does not burn as hot. You’ve learned that the opinions of others is really not all that important. You learn to stand alone, on principle, on integrity, for God is with you.

God is with you today and everyday. You may experience the greatest joy or the deepest sorrow and yet He is with you. Your feelings tell you otherwise, but feelings lie. Feelings are like a milkshake, it comes to you quickly and is gone just as quickly. Yet faith and hope will endure and see you through the journey’s of this life.

Joy come with the morning

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

How different I often feel about God compared to this scripture. When I mess up and sin, which is way too frequent, then I feel as if He’s so very, very angry with me. Maybe my condemnation comes from another source…

How wonderful it is to have the favor of the Father! Just think, His favor is not a momentary thing but a lifetime endeavor. It is much the same with our children; we don’t just love them when they are good or when they do everything that we ask, to perfection. No, we love them, cherish them, and regard them with favor regardless. A parent has to… our love for our children dictates this. Is it not the same with our Heavenly Father?

His love is regardless. He certainly delights when we follow his direction but when we get bull-headed or just plain stupid don’t you know that his love is just as prevalent. His love is larger than we can truly understand, comprehend, or possibly experience while covered as we are. There are simply some things that we will experience to the fullest on the other side of glory.

Sometimes life hits us broadside and we are reeling, we are tossed about, and we begin to take on water. With all the stress, all the mess, and all the heartache, sometimes all the joy just gets washed out of our hearts. In times like these one of the best things we can do is… cry. Sometimes we need to weep. We need to cry or weep completely alone. When alone, when beat-down by all the ugliness of this life we find and learn our greatest lesson. We learn of our need. We learn that we need help. We learn to turn to God.

Like a sweeping rain that makes a mess of our pretty lawn and dirties-up our pristine driveway with dead leaves and slimy mud, so are we. When storms come into our lives it can get pretty nasty. We can become the house grouch or the workplace bully or that boss that gets bypassed.

Yet, in time… the sun comes out. Birds fill the air. They chirp and limb-dance and the wind dies down to a whispering breeze. Your heartache heals, your stress subsides, and you look up and see heavens glory. The sun is warm again.

God’s not forgotten you. God’s not angry with you. You are not alone, you never were. You endured the trials and tribulations of this life. They hurt, they always hurt, yet over time… in the morning… God reveals more of himself. In the morning… there will be more to praise, more to be thankful for and more to give and share with others in their time of need.

And helping others returns us to a joy beyond our selves. A joy given to us by God. A joy that carries us through the clean-up, the soggy feeling of failure, the frequent mistakes, or the sometimes overriding condemnation. God does not condemn, we bring that on ourselves. Christ came not to condemn but to forgive.

News that is Newsworthy

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalm 31:24

I don’t know about you but I enjoy watching the news. Especially when news stories are news-worthy, accurate, and without an agenda. Every day this seems like a lost art. Now, it seems, news is written with an agenda. An agenda to cause fear, to cause doubt, and to dishearten us all. We are told to worry about this or to be concerned about that but little is actually really reported.

This is the day that we live in. Days of uncertainty, despair, and often fear. Fear that is generated and created to move our hearts away from hope, away from faith. Yet, in times of such bad news don’t we need hope and faith even more?

In times such as these my heart moves towards and longs for the hope found in Christ. My heart longs for the ‘Good News’ of Jesus Christ. In the pages of the Bible I read the news reports of the Gospels, the accounts of Paul, and the sweet writings of John. I’m encouraged through the Prophets and the psalmist who pen stories of hope and encouragement.

I learn through them both sides of the story. The mistakes of mankind and the restoration love of Christ who came to save us, restore us, and daily walk with us. As I turn the pages I’m reminded that I’m never really alone, that Christ is only a prayer away, a thought away, a continual wellspring of hope that rises in my heart and displays the silver lining found in every day life.

In this I’m encouraged, in this my hope is strengthened and restored. I read or listen to the Bible now more than ever because in its very pages I find more truth than any news program that’s on display or agenda that’s spouted forth.

True, I miss out on everything that is happening in the world. I miss out on all the sadness, all the crime, and all the misery but sometimes I just need a break. There’s only so much that any of us can take and I would much rather take shelter in the Rock of my Salvation, and find there words of encouragement and hope and peace in days needing peace and hope and love.

Giving in this season

O LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, For You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. Isaiah 25:1

In this season of singing, this season of praise it is so good to recall the wonderful things God has done. We are blessed beyond our understanding. Our comprehension cannot take hold of his loving kindness, his goodness, and his great mercy. Is it no wonder that we raise our voice, our hands, and our hearts in praise and honor and glory to him who is all deserving.

The world dismisses him, they will not nor can not praise him. They do not know him, they do not understand him, they are lost, they are captive, they are helpless.

In this season of giving, this season of thanksgiving, this season of celebration may our hearts remember the captive, the hurting, the oppressed, the poor, the widow, the lonely. May we extend a thank you, a greeting, a kindness, a prayer, a helping hand…

For who else will? Who else will care as much, give as much, and pray for those in need, those helpless, those captive, those lost?

In our receiving so much should we not give as much in return?