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Category Archives: Books of the Bible

Find Characteristics of God in your favorite chapter in the Bible

My God is…the protector of widows Psalm 68:4-5

17 Jun

Psalm 68:4-5 – 

Sing to God, sing praises to his name; a-grandma-looking-at-ocean
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds
his name is the Lord –
be exultant before him.

Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.

I have a 50/50 chance

I have a 50/50 chance of becoming a widow. Actually it’s probably more than that, because my husband is 7 1/2 years my elder (any statisticians out there want to give me my odds?). With the probability being relatively high that I may one day become a widow, this verse means a lot to me.

Who loves me more than my husband?

I can’t think of anyone who would be quicker than my husband to come to my rescue. If I were in danger, if I were in pain, if my car broke down, my husband would be there (or make a true effort at least). He would be concerned about me. When you’re in a good strong marriage, you can rest assured that someone’s got your back. You and your spouse are a unit. You work together for your common good (in a perfect world). So what happens when your spouse isn’t able to help you?

If my husband had been there

When I had my initial MS attack, my husband was in the Middle East. It was a very scary time for me, but my husband wasn’t able to be the guy I lean on. So who did I lean on (besides my friend Kara)? I leaned on God. Not right away though. First I yelled at Him for being so inconsiderate as giving me a disease that can debilitate a person. I was frustrated and scared. But then I had a sort of “coming to Jesus moment”. I was crying in my kitchen over my newly diagnosed condition, and I prayed to God. I prayed something like, why did you do this to me? At first my prayer was gilded with anger, then acceptance, “Lord if I’m going to have this, make me strong so I can be a witness. If I need a walker, it’s going to be the most blinged out walker, a cheerful walker.” Then my prayer turned to peace. I felt as if God said to me directly, don’t worry about your earthly body. It’s temporary. One day you’ll be with me in heaven, and none of this will matter. Now of course I didn’t hear His voice, but I felt His answer. If my husband had been around, I may have relied on him instead of God, and I never would have experienced the peace I felt that day.

She’s got to have a man in her life

My grandma was an amazing woman of faith. She loved the Lord above all else. Her husband died when he was about 70. She was around 62. She died when she was 96. Sadly my grandma didn’t feel good as a widow. She always felt better if she had a man in her life. Someone to lean on. She craved the companionship a relationship brings. I don’t know if it was the era in which she was raised or the family in which she was raised, but I believe she felt her calling was to be a wife, a partner…a companion. I’m a lot like her. Since my dating years, I have not been out of a relationship for long. I often found approval through relationships.  I’m grateful I have the best husband now, but I pray that if one day I become a widow, that I will crave companionship with the Lord more than that of men. That I won’t feel that I need them, when I know who protects me.

Father of orphans and protector of widows

God protects those who can’t protect themselves. He protects the vulnerable. He looks out for the little guy. So whether you’re a widow or orphan right now, or someone who is emotionally or physically vulnerable, the Lord is your protector. Turn to Him. Trust Him. He loves you and will fill the gaps that you feel in your life. Read scripture and hear his words for you. Know that you have a Father in heaven who has your best interest at heart. Cling to His promises (like I cling to the promise of eternal life when I think about the debilitation that could come from MS). Know that in the end you will be with Him in heaven. He has your back, and will see you through to the end. Trust in Him.

Are you an orphan or a widow?

 
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Posted by on June 17, 2013 in My God is the protector of the widows, Psalm

 

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My God is…Preparing a place for me

12 Jun

John 14:1-7 – “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house therereserved are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.” Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

“I’ve got to clean the house, my parents are coming into town.”

These are the words I have often said just before a visit from my parents. I want everything to be just right for them when they come to my house. I want them to feel at home or better yet comfortable. My house is their house. I want them to want to spend time with me in my home.

I go and prepare a place for you

Jesus too wants us to come to where He is. He doesn’t want us to come and visit, He wants us to move in. He’s making sure everything is ready for us and is preparing a place specifically for you and I. What kinds of things do you do to get the house ready for someone to stay with you? Maybe you clean, dust, change the sheets, clean up the bathrooms, clean up the yard, maybe even spruce things up with a new coat of paint. We want to pay attention to the details. What makes you comfortable when you go to spend time with people? Maybe it’s the extra soft towels, the bottles of water in your room, the toiletries in the bathroom or something else. Often those things aren’t even necessary, because spending time with the people you came to see is the most important. Jesus knows that too. He wants to have us where He is, because He wants to be in relationship with Him.

I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

“Let us catch a cab from the airport.” I don’t like it when I hear someone say that to me. I love to pick people up from the airport. I love the exciting drive home getting to chat with one another and rekindle our friendships in just a few minutes. I want to go pick them up myself, so that I can spend as much time with them as possible. When Jesus returns, it’s the same thing. He is coming back to get us, so that where He is, we will be. He doesn’t want to waste a single second of that time we could have together. He’s preparing a place for us, and He wants to personally escort us there. He has so many blessings for us waiting in Heaven, but the biggest blessing that will outshine them all is being fully in God’s presence, and knowing fully with our hearts and mind that Jesus cares for us and is honoring our relationship with Him. Not because of anything we’ve done, mind you, but because of who He is.

A place is being prepared for you!

 
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Posted by on June 12, 2013 in John, My God is preparing a place for me

 

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My God is…Multiplying his wondrous deeds Psalm 40:5

10 Jun

Psalm 40:5 – You have multiplied, O Lord my God, glass-of-water-sky
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us

Sometimes people tell me that they haven’t really had anything bad happen to them in their lives. They haven’t suffered a tragedy, loss of a loved one or loss of a job. Some might say their lives are truly blessed, but I always think “watch out”!!!! Why? Because I think that as we go through life, the Lord allows us to have troubles and trials so that we might grow in Him. The verse above was written by David after a victory in battle. I find that when I have come through something that looks insurmountable, I have feelings very similar to what David is expressing here. If I have just had a problem resolved or heard about one resolved for a friend, I might say, “God is good.” God is good all the time, but when we’ve been going through something, we see more clearly how much we rely on Him and His Goodness.

Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
    they would be more than can be counted.

Have you ever been dehydrated? Have you ever felt like you were just going to die if you didn’t get something to drink soon. I think that’s how it sometimes feels while we’re going through trials. We may not feel like the Lord is around, or that we’re in dire need of a drink of the Lord. We’re dehydrated in our faith. We’ve got nothing left to give. But God does. He’s got what you need to be nourished and sustain you. He’s got the refreshing life-giving water that will rejuvenate you. Then when you get that dose of the Holy Spirit (through scripture, worship, praise music, revelation, prayer etc) you’re amazed at how good it tastes. How good the Lord is. You had momentarily forgotten, but now you must sing His praises at every turn. He is more real to you now than ever before. Like an ice-cold glass of water when you’re feeling dehydrated. You are soothed, comforted and amazed. You’re sure someone has given you special water. It tastes better than any other drink you’ve ever had. When we come out of a trial we are also often more aware of the blessings we had all along. The goodness and mercy of our Lord. His favor for His children. We are blessed beyond compare.

Are you dehydrated?

 
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Posted by on June 10, 2013 in My God is multiplying his wondrous deeds, Psalm

 

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My God is…Blessing Psalm 24:4-6

07 Jun

Psalm 24:4-6 – Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, blessing
who do not lift up their souls to what is false,
and do not swear deceitfully.
They will receive blessing from the Lord,
and vindication from the God of their salvation.
Such is the company of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob.

Definition of BLESS

1: to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
2: to hallow with the sign of the cross
3: to invoke divine care for <bless your heart> —used in the phrase bless you to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed
4 a : praise, glorify <bless his holy name>
   b : to speak well of : approve
5: to confer prosperity or happiness upon
6 archaic : protect, preserve
7: endow, favor <blessed with athletic ability>

Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.

Ok, let’s clarify something from the get go, this is an Old Testament verse. Since it is from the Old Testament it may seem a bit heavy on law. You’ll see that it is telling us what seems like a list of things we must do to get salvation. It is not for our salvation, but rather because of our salvation through Jesus Christ that we can have clean hands, a pure heart, are not distracted by other gods and idols, and do not swear deceitfully. I think we can all agree these are good things to work towards doing (or not doing).

They will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of their salvation

This verse is Old Testament, but speaks of the grace we find in Jesus Christ, the God of our salvation. I want you to take a look at the definitions of bless above.

1: to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word
2: to hallow with the sign of the cross

When God blesses us, it is a call to live like the first part of the word. He is setting us apart for holy work. Not Holy with a capital “H”, but holy that means we do everything in our life with God in mind. God wants to be at the center of our life, with our eyes focused on Him. He doesn’t want us to turn our minds toward someone or something else to bring us our happiness. When we were baptized, the pastor makes a cross across your forehead and your heart. He is blessing you, marking you as part of God’s family.

3: to invoke divine care for <bless your heart> —used in the phrase bless you to wish good health especially to one who has just sneezed

We are also blessed by God that He cares for our needs. In Matthew 6:25-34 we read about the Lord’s provision for us, and a reminder that because we are set apart and blessed, we don’t need to worry.
Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?“

5: to confer prosperity or happiness upon

6 archaic : protect, preserve
7: endow, favor <blessed with athletic ability>

God can also bless us in our earthly lives. Beyond supplying us with our needs, He works good things in our lives. He even takes situations that look like they have no hope, and give us hope. He promises to work all things for our good in Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” We are blessed by being set apart as His family. We are blessed to be set apart to do His work here on earth. We are blessed that in all things God is working for our best interests. We are blessed that though we are sinful, we have a God who provided a way out of death through His Son Jesus Christ. We are blessed to know we will spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

Do you feel blessed?
 
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Posted by on June 7, 2013 in Matthew, My God is blessing, Psalm

 

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My God is…My keeper Psalm 121

03 Jun

Psalm 121 – 

I lift up my eyes to the hills—security
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

Definition of KEEPER

1: one that keeps: as
    a : protector
    b : gamekeeper
    c : warden
    d : custodian
    e chiefly British : curator
2: any of various devices for keeping something in position
3  a : one suitable for or worth keeping: as (1) : a fruit or vegetable that keeps well (2) : a fish large enough to be legally caught and kept (3) : one having genuine or lasting merit <their new album is a keeper>
    b : a domestic animal considered with respect to how easy it is to care for <an easy keeper>
5: an offensive football play in which the quarterback runs with the ball

No sleeping on the job

Looking at the definition of keeper, you quickly see the list of jobs that are considered keepers. Keepers are people who protect something important. There is something of value which someone else would want to take away. If you’re a good keeper you don’t go to sleep on the job. Often in movies we see security guards who are hired to be keepers of a building, safe, or anything else of importance falling asleep on the job. I pray it’s not as common as it is shown in movies, but I fear it probably is true. As humans it’s hard for us to be vigilant all the time. For God though, we are assured in this Psalm that “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.” God is not going to be falling asleep on the job. He’s vigilant on your behalf.

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.

It’s like the Lord is our Secret Service. He’s aware of everything that is going on around us. He’s protecting us from the evil one at all times. Like the secret service, He can see threats we can’t see. He knows that the seemingly innocent drink with the interesting stranger might not be what it seems. He knows that those who act like your friends aren’t always true friends. The devil is constantly working to lead us off course. God is constantly working to keep us. He never sleeps. If the devil and God were the only two involved, God would always win, but sadly we’re part of the equation. We often think we know better than God. We think that drinks with the handsome man from work is fine, because he’s only a friend. But the Lord knows our heart. He knows if you’re truly tempted by that person (or if they are with you). We put ourselves in situations that can get us into trouble.

You’re a keeper

You are super important to God. If it weren’t so, why would He be your keeper? By definition, the one keeping something is highly valuing the thing they’re keeping. God wants to protect you from the devil. In this sinful world, the devil still has some power, and he can throw a wrench into things. He stirs up trouble. Most of which we could avoid. When a president is being kept by the secret service, the president is briefed about how they’re all going to behave at certain events. The secret service has briefed the president on the safest way to behave. Sometimes a president will go rogue. He’ll decide he knows better than the secret service. He’ll go into a crowd where it is harder to protect him. The president might turn a different direction where there isn’t any proper protection. We’re the same way. God has shown us the way, through His Son Jesus, in scripture. Many of us know it well. Scripture tells us all sorts of things, for example the ten commandments, that would help us to remain safe. God wants us to be safe, and the closer we are to Him, the safer we are. Ultimately God is not as concerned with our physical safety as our spiritual safety. In fact sometimes He uses an injury or an ailment (that one might see as God not protecting us) as His way of ensuring our faith and securing our relationship with Him.

The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.

The Lord is protecting your life, your eternal life. He has done everything necessary for your eternal life. He has prepared you. He has paid the price with His own son’s blood on the cross to make sure that you would be able to live forever with Him. Don’t go into a crowd where you are taken away from safety. Don’t ignore the calls of your Lord to stay close to Him. When we ignore the call He has placed on our lives to be believers, we are putting ourselves in danger of losing our eternal lives with Him. He will never stop protecting us, but if we ignore His truth, His keeping, we put our very souls at risk.

God keeps you, therefore you are of value. You are a keeper.

 

 
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Posted by on June 3, 2013 in Psalm, Uncategorized

 

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My God is…supporting you 1 Peter 5:10

27 May

1 Peter 5:10 – And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his mother-comforting-sonseternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.

And after you have suffered for a little while

No one likes to suffer. Suffering stinks. It’s not fun, it can be frustrating, and it can even challenge our faith. When believers (and unbelievers too) go through really hard things, you’ll often hear them saying things like, “If there was a God, why would He let this happen to me?”. It’s not a bad question to ask really. Why would He? Maybe to give you pause as to what you’re doing in life. To turn you away from a destructive path you’re on. To point you in a direction you never would have taken without a major life change. Maybe so that you would come to rely on Him fully instead of trusting in your own ways. There are so many things that can change out of tragedy. Sometimes they heal families, sometimes they free us from oppression of our families. Sometimes struggles help us to see God’s hand in things so that we may trust Him more fully. Sometimes it helps us to let go of trying to be in charge of things we cannot actually control. We don’t always understand, but that doesn’t mean that the Lord won’t use it for our good. I also want to remind you that not all suffering comes from God. Some are a result of sin and the devil. The devil wants nothing more than to make you question the Lord and His love for you. That’s the devil’s goal, to separate you from the love of God.

The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ

So the devil’s goal is to separate you from the love of God, but God’s goal is spelled out in this verse. He, the God of all grace, has called you to His eternal glory in Christ. He wants you to spend eternity with Him, and provided His only Son as the way to make that possible. That we might forever give Him the glory. We might always point back to Him in our thoughts and actions. One of the things I love about this verse is that it says “you”. He has called you, not us. You are His focus. Yes, He cares about the rest of us, but if it was only you, He would still feel the same way. You are important to Him. He has called you.

The God of all grace will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you

God isn’t going to abandon you when you’re going through those hard times of suffering. Instead the God of all grace (what a great title) is going to restore you. He’s not going to destroy you, He’s going to build you back up. He’s going to support you. Like a mother on the sidelines of a game, He’s going to be there cheering you on, providing you with snacks and encouragement to keep your spirit and your strength up. He’s going to give you the strength you need to carry on and continue to point to Him in all you do, bringing Him the glory at all turns. Showing a reflection of Jesus to all who you meet. He’s going to establish you. He’s going to set you up. Not to make you rich necessarily, but to make you a man or woman after His own heart. Establishing your place in Heaven for all eternity. He wants only good for you.

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. Jeremiah 29:11-12

Who can you count on to support you?

 

 

 
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Posted by on May 27, 2013 in 1 Peter, My God is supporting you

 

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My God is…not despising a broken and contrite heart Psalm 51:16-18

24 May

Psalm 51:16-18 – For you have no delight in sacrifice;horse-rearing
if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit

A broken spirit? Why would the Lord appreciate and deem acceptable a broken spirit. Does He want us to be miserable? I don’t believe so, or He would not give us the hope of eternal life with Him. But maybe there are some advantages for us as Christians to have a broken spirit. Lets look a little bit at the concept of a broken spirit. First let’s look at the definition of broken.

Definition of BROKEN

1: violently separated into parts : shattered
2: damaged or altered by breaking: as
   a : having undergone or been subjected to fracture <a broken leg>
   b of land surfaces : being irregular, interrupted, or full of obstacles
   c : violated by transgression <a broken promise>
   e : disrupted by change
   f of a tulip flower : having an irregular, streaked, or blotched pattern especially from virus infection
3 a : made weak or infirm

  b : subdued completely : crushed, sorrowful <a brokenheart> <a broken spirit>

  c : bankrupt
  d : reduced in rank
4 a : cut off : disconnected
   b : imperfectly spoken or written <broken English>
5: not complete or full <a broken bale of hay>
6: disunited by divorce, separation, or desertion of one parent<children from broken homes> <a broken family>
There are so many definitions of broken. In the different Bible studies I have been a part of over the years, I have met people who have gone through or experienced almost each type of brokenness listed here. Sometimes we feel we’re shattered by life and everything feels disconnected and we don’t know how we’ll ever put the pieces back together again. Or maybe you’ve been injured, and you can no longer perform on your dance team. Maybe everywhere you turn there is a new obstacle, something else making your life harder than you expected it to be. Maybe someone lied to you, cheated on your or stole from you. Maybe your life was interrupted by a storm, damage or illness. Maybe you’ve just gotten married and it’s hard to deal with all the changes happening at once. Maybe you’re feeling week, like you just can’t go on. Maybe you’ve gone bankrupt, and there’s nothing left for anything. Maybe you misspoke and now someone isn’t speaking to you. Maybe there is an emptiness that you can’t understand, but you’re trying to fill with food, alcohol or drugs. Maybe you’ve gone through a divorce. Maybe you’ve been separated from your children.
A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise
When you’re broken, you may feel like God despises you, but that’s not the case (as we see in our scripture today). Our brokenness is like that off a horse being broken. Before a horse is broken, it can be wild and out of control. It can’t be useful, because it’s not able to submit to its masters control. The horse must be broken to become useful for work and for riding. We too must be broken so that we can learn to submit to God’s plans. As humans it is unnatural to think that we shouldn’t be in control, but God’s ways are not of this world. He needs to be in control of our lives so that we might get all the blessings and benefits He has planned for us. He loves us and knows that when we have a broken and contrite heart, our ability to turn over control to Him increases. Not only does that mean we will allow Him to work in our lives, but when we stop fighting Him, our true strong relationship with Him can begin to develop. We can end up with a life that is way more fulfilling than we ever dreamed possible.
Have you been broken?
 
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Posted by on May 24, 2013 in My God is not despising a broken heart, Psalm

 

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My God is…Holding my hand Isaiah 41:13

22 May

Isaiah 41:13 – 

For I, the Lord your God,holding-hands
hold your right hand;
it is I who say to you, “Do not fear,
I will help you.”

I wanna hold your hand

Holding hands is a pretty intimate thing. Who do you hold hands with? Your spouse? Your boyfriend? Your friend? Your child? We don’t walk up to complete strangers and just start holding their hand. That would be creepy and awkward. Holding someone’s hand is something you do because those people mean something to you.

I saw you holding hands with a high school boy!

When I was teaching school in Idaho, where my husband and I first met, one of my students said to me, “I saw you holding hands with a high school boy yesterday.” I couldn’t think what she was talking about, but then realized I had been out walking with my boyfriend, now husband. He’s actually 7 1/2 years older than me, but he did look pretty young. That little girl knew that holding hands meant something was going on. I was in some sort of relationship with that young man. She was right.

I hold your right hand

In our verse for this week, God says He holds our right hand. He also says, “Do not fear, I will help you.” That is the kind of hand holding we find ourselves needing when we’re feeling insecure, frustrated or pushed to the side. God is there for us. He takes up our hand and leads us through the troubles. But He doesn’t let go. He keeps holding on in the good times as well. It’s not awkward when God holds our hand, because we know Him, and He knows us. We have a relationship with Him.

Holding your child’s hand

Many of us hold the hands of our children (my boys are pretty grown up now, so I don’t get to do this as often.). We may take their hand when they’re crossing the street. We want to make sure they are safe. God takes our hand and makes sure we’re safe as well. Safely in our relationship with Him, that saving relationship of faith in Jesus as our redeemer. We also take our child’s hand when we want to help them feel secure. And best of all we take our child’s hand to show them that we love them. It doesn’t really matter what they’ve done, we still love them. Sometimes we even take our child’s hand in discipline. We pull them back from the bad behavior in which they’re engaging. But we do this, like God does with us, because we have a relationship with our children. A close relationship. We wouldn’t want someone who doesn’t know them well taking them by the hand. It makes us uncomfortable. The better we know God, the more comfortable we are when He’s got our hand leading us through life.

Holding your boyfriend’s hand

I remember the butterflies I had when a boy I liked finally made the move to hold my hand. It assured me that he had feelings for me, more than being a friend. He wanted to get to know me better. I was special. I was His. God too holds our hand this way. He claims us as His. We’re with Him. We’re with God.

Holding hands in prayer

When I was growing up we didn’t hold hands while we prayed. As an adult Christian, many of the people I know hold hands during the blessing around a table. Some also hold hands as they pray among two or three friends. Sometimes even larger groups will join hands in prayer. Why do we do that? I think it is to create a feeling of unity. Even if we don’t know the person well that we’re standing next too, we know that they’re holding hands with the Savior too, and we’re all unified at that moment.

Holding hands in comfort

Sometimes we don’t know what to say. Sometimes holding hands may be the only way we know how to convey our care for someone. I remember visiting my grandmother in the hospital a few months before she died. She was really unwell and very old. She wasn’t 100% clear on who I was. There wasn’t a lot I could say to her that she would be able to respond to correctly. So for much of the visit I held her hand. That was so wonderful to me, because in holding my hand, I could feel her loving squeeze. Holding my hand said what she couldn’t get the words to say anymore. (Was I comforting her, or was she comforting me? Hard to tell).

God’s holding your hand

No matter how God is holding your hand, the point is, He’s holding it. We don’t have to be afraid. God’s with us. He’s got our back and is going to see us through the good times and the bad. God, I wanna hold your hand!

Whose hand are you holding?

 
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Posted by on May 22, 2013 in Isaiah, My God is holding my hand

 

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My God is…making my paths straight Proverbs 3:5-8

17 May

Proverbs 3:5-8 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart,Pug dog handout isolated on white
and do not rely on your own insight.
 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
 It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
    and do not rely on your own insight.

Easier said than done, eh? I know that each day this is a struggle for me. I start most days planning to trust the Lord, then I get out of bed. Each thing I do, I try to do my own way. I focus on my solutions without approaching God for guidance. I know that some of my unbelieving but loving friends would question whether I’m supposed to go to God in everything. They would wonder why I shouldn’t make decisions all on my own or with my own goals in mind. The problem is, I cannot be trusted. Maybe by the world’s standards I can, but not by what God asks of us. He wants us to put Him first in all things, and to be honest, I don’t do that very well. I think about myself more than anyone else. That’s a little embarrassing to say (or write) out loud, but it’s the truth. Most things I do in a day are to make me happy. They’re done with little regard for anyone else, let alone God. It probably doesn’t seem that bad to the outside observer. I’m not hurting people on purpose, I’m not overly rude, and I’m not interfering with other peoples’ day just for fun. But I’m also not thinking about how to help others, what I can do to bring glory to God or make someone’s day a little brighter. I wonder how things would change if I truly trusted the Lord in all things, putting Him first and consulting with Him more.

 In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

When you want to lead an animal someplace, what do you do? You use a leash or a coaxing mechanism like food to get them to follow you along the paths. When you do that (and I say you, because I try to have as little to do with animals as possible – no hate mail, please), you’re trying to get the animal to focus on you so you can get them where they need to be. You’re counting on the fact that they’re not going to be able to take their eyes off that morsel of food you’re using to tempt them. A lot of times it works too, because animals think of only themselves. Humans aren’t far behind, but if we keep our focus on Jesus, we know that He will make our paths straight. He will be leading us. Like the animals trust you, we too can follow our master and be assured that He’s got something good for us at the end of the path.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

But we get distracted. If someone comes up while you’re trying to lead your animal a certain direction and offers them something else that they want, they can become distracted. They may not know which way to turn. Now, depending on your relationship with that animal, how well they know you and trust you, they may not turn away for long. But that doesn’t mean the untrustworthy stranger will give up. We kind of work the same way. We start out following God, but then the devil distracts us with a whole myriad of distractions. They may not even be bad things all on their own, but that’s not the devil’s point. The devil isn’t really worried about how bad the things are that you do, he’s more interested in where your focus is, or to what you’re giving your focus. He wants to keep us looking towards anything that distracts us from keeping our focus on the Lord. Big events to small problems, the devil uses them all, but each of these events is an opportunity to turn towards the one who does have our best interest at heart – Jesus Christ.

 It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.

The devil doesn’t want anything good for us, but God does. His path ultimately leads us to perfect healing and refreshment. When we follow the Lord, knowing that it is only through Jesus that we escape our terrible doom, putting our faith in our savior Jesus, we will end up in heaven. There we will no longer experience the pain, sorrow and hurts of this world. We will find refreshment and healing!

Do you need refreshing?

 
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Posted by on May 17, 2013 in My God is making my paths straight, Proverbs

 

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My God is…ransoming my soul Psalm 49:13-15

15 May

Psalm 49:13-15 – Such is the fate of the foolhardy,ransom-note
the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
Death shall be their shepherd;
straight to the grave they descend, 
and their form shall waste away;
Sheol shall be their home. 
 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me.

Such is the fate of the foolhardy

What happens to those who choose not to believe in Christ as their Savior? They have the fate of the foolhardy. The act foolishly, and are bold and adventurous. They ignore what they hear about the Lord, because they do not want to live by what the Lord says. They don’t want to have to change their ways. They use every excuse to ignore the tug and pull of the Holy Spirit on their hearts. Those who are content and pleased with how life is going without God are in the worst position. Those who have much often figure out that no matter how much they get they are not satisfied. It is those who have just enough that are really doomed. They don’t think they need the Lord. They think that they’re doing fine on their own and that even if it’s true (the whole God thing), they don’t need Him. But this is foolishness.

Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away

Their future is bleak. They are doomed to death. There is no hope for a future for them. Sheol is their future. The place of the dead. Their bodies will decay. Some say that’s just the natural order of things. There is nothing beyond death, and because they believe that, for them there is truth in that statement. But for those of us who do believe, we have hope. We have the joy in knowing there is more to life after death.

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will receive me

I am not doomed for a life in the place of the dead. I am going to the land of the living where my God will be waiting to receive me. How am I getting there? How do I rate such an upgrade? Not because of anything I did, but because Jesus Christ ransomed me from my doom. He paid the ultimate sacrifice to make sure that I could one day live with Him in heaven. That I would not spend eternity apart from Him, but that He would receive me. That He would meet me at the gate and treat me like one of His own. I have a hope and a future, beyond tomorrow, but forever.

Do you have hope?

 
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Posted by on May 15, 2013 in Psalm, Uncategorized

 

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