Life can be hard with its twists and turns. Yet even in our struggles and brokenness, God is near.
Lord Jesus, You don’t need a clock, a watch or a calendar. You are the Time Keeper. You always were and always will be. Remind us again that You are God and in control. Free us from anxiety that causes us to hurry. Take away the regret of time lost. You can make up for lost time. Help us to wait on You and trust Your timing. Thank You, Great God for being Our Time Keeper.
Have you ever asked God questions like: “Why is this happening? I don’t understand.” “Why wait? This is taking too long.” “Why the pain? It hurts.” The Lord is teaching me in times of no clear answers, the next best step is to bow in reverence to our Holy God. To bow is like saying I choose to look beyond my circumstances and trust God. There is a sense of well-being when we respectfully bow before our Loving God. We can trust Him because He is all-knowing, loves unconditionally and understands our questioning.
Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5
Has this ever happened to you? You need to make a decision. You’ve thought about it, talked about it and prayed about it. You’re getting closer and closer to making a decision. But you’re on the edge and still no final decision. It’s difficult when we can’t see the next step. The picture above makes me smile. For me the picture captures the feeling right before making an important decision. Deciding to move was a big decision for us. We didn’t know where we would live, how much our new place would cost or how long it would take to sell our house. Even though there were lots of things we didn’t know, God’s Word reassured us that HE KNOWS. Are you on the edge of making a decision? If so, the truth is that GOD KNOWS all things and wants the very best for you. You can trust Him and rest in His plan for you, because He said so.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer. 29:11
As a little girl growing up on a farm I remember the big pond and thinking how much fun it would be to swim. But Mother warned us never to go near the pond. She was scared we would drown and rightly so. One summer day my imagination about swimming got the best of me. I was playing in the old one-story coal shed. I decided to go to the open window and place my belly on the window sill. I began kicking my legs and moving my arms as if I were swimming; all the while yelling to my sister, “Look I’m swimming!” I bet you can guess what happened next. With all that kicking and waving my arms I lost my balance on the window sill and down to the ground I went. I knocked myself out! I’ve been told my poor twin sister went to get Mother screaming, “Judy’s dead!” The next thing I remember I was lying in bed with Mother standing over me checking me out. I’ve been told as Mother carried me into the house our pet lamb Josephine followed flinging little round brown balls behind her. With all the excitement no one knew how the lamb managed to get into the house. We thanked God I had no major injuries…just shook up from the knock out. I do believe God protected me. I bet you too can think of a time in your life when God was like a protective shield around you.
But you are a shield around me, O LORD. Psalm 3:3
Have you ever wished the fear you face would disappear and never return? I have. When my husband had a stroke I was so frightened. I literally had a deep physical aching in my chest. I tried to calm down and relax but the ache continued. I was so afraid I was going to have a heart attack. I even got to the point of wondering if we would end up in the same hospital room. I kept trying not to be afraid but it wasn’t working. Until…a friend of mine reminded me that true peace comes from knowing God is in control. I needed to be reminded that God’s got it and I can trust Him even when things are falling apart. So much of the Christian walk is about trusting God. Day by day, little by little, over time the aching in my chest went away. Are you facing a fear you wish would disappear and never return? Like me, you may need to be reminded that God is in control and way bigger than any fear you may be facing. We can lay our fears at the feet of Jesus and say to Him…
I cannot look at this picture without laughing. Even when I don’t feel like laughing the picture makes me laugh. I believe God created in us the ability to laugh because it’s good for us. Laughter makes us feel better, relieves tension and helps us put things in proper perspective. One summer afternoon my husband and I got caught in a major downpour of rain with no umbrella and no hoodies on. My husband walks slower now because of his stroke so there was no running to the car. As we slowly walked arm and arm, I looked at him and said, “I believe we’re soaked to our underwear!’ He started to laugh and before we knew it we were both laughing. Laughter helped us put things in proper perspective…we were soaked for sure, but safe and sound.
“Praising God for loving us ALL enough to provide The Solution to the problem we created, but are incapable of fixing ourselves.” quote by Austin Elmer
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:8-11
When I was a little girl we lived in a house with a great big front living room with hardwood flooring. Our huge Christmas tree was in that room. I was so excited to get my very own roller skates for Christmas. I decided to try them out in that big front living room. I found out quickly that skating on hardwood floors was like skating on ice. I got going too fast and fell right into the Christmas tree! As I laid on the floor with the Christmas tree on top of me I remember thinking…I’m in BIG trouble. With the sound of breaking ornaments, the smell of pine, and lights all around me, I heard my sister yelling…”Mother! Judy fell in the Christmas tree!” The story goes that Mother came so quickly that she stepped right over the coffee table in front of where she was sitting. With one big sweep of my Mother’s hand she grab that tree and sat it upright. After Mother checked my pine needle scrapes and saw the fear on my face she extended grace. I thought for sure I would be punished or fussed at, but instead, grace was given. Mother was not mad and seemed to understand my excitement over my brand new skates. This childhood experience reminds me of how gracious God is toward all of us.
Christmas time can be not so merry for those, who for good reasons feel weak and lonely. I felt weak the Christmas before Mother passed away. We all knew her health was declining fast. Yet, for that Christmas she made 4 quilts, one for each of her 4 children. Mother passed away that following June in 1990. I still have that quilt right now on my bed. The quilt is worn and torn in spots. But her Christmas gifts reminds me of how much she loved us. As I prepare my heart to celebrate the birth of Jesus I’m reminded of God’s great love for us. He willingly gave us Jesus, the Greatest Gift of all to come save us in a broken world. If you’re feeling weak and lonely this Christmas season, be encouraged. God will never leave you. His presence is a promise. Every second God is with you.
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him, Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” Matt. 1:23
I will long remember the first time my husband cut the grass after his stroke. Our riding lawn mower was in our shed. The shed was packed with all kinds of stuff so he didn’t have much room getting on and off the lawn mower. I was nervous about him doing this because the stroke affected his right leg and right hand. I watched him the entire time. To make a long story short he fell getting off the riding lawn mower while in the shed. As I saw him falling I tried to help him. But instead of helping him, I fell right on top of him! I got up as quickly as I could yelling, “Are you okay?” There was no answer! So, I yelled even louder, “ARE YOU OKAY?!” Then I heard this faint voice say, “I think so.” His answer scared me even more. I thought I’d cracked his ribs. Come to find out when I fell on top of him I knocked the wind right out of him! Needless to say I quickly learned if he starts to fall, get out of the way. His grass cutting days ended. I’m still thanking God that my husband was not seriously hurt.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. Psalm 30:12