With the Lord beside us, we are never alone

There are times in our lives where we feel completely overwhelmed and to the point of shutting down. We may have everyday life pressures plus other circumstances that add extra stress or takes us completely out of our comfort zone. Added all together, the burden on our shoulders gets so heavy we can’t move under the weight.
I found myself there recently. I just wanted to crawl back into bed and hide under the covers. Instead I picked up my Bible and retreated to my chair in the backyard. After some time in prayer, reading the Word and quiet reflection I realized something. I don’t have to carry the weight on my shoulders myself.
Matthew 11:28 says, “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”
Even when we feel most alone, we are not. Sometimes I wish there was someone right beside me telling what to do and how to do it. Yes, I have my family and they are always there for me, but there are some things we have to do for ourselves. Even then, though, we are not really alone. God is always there to help us through every trial, big or small.
Hebrews 13:6 says, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
You may think, “But I need someone right here, who I can see and talk to.” OK, so maybe you can’t see God in a physical, human form. You can see Him in everything around you though, if you just open you eyes and look. Maybe you aren’t going to have a back and forth conversation with Him as you would another person, but you can definitely talk to and hear back from Him.
There are so many ways the Lord has of speaking to us. The Bible is his living word and we can always turn to it for guidance.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.”
I find that if I spend time talking to God in prayer, he will often lead me to a particular passage or verse in the Bible as His answer, or response.
Another way the Lord speaks to us is through other people. He may use the words of others to speak what we need to hear.
I had some things weighing heavily on my heart recently that I had been praying about. At church, the Pastor had us separate into groups and pray together.
The prayer of one of our group members spoke directly to my heart on the issues I had been praying about. I felt the weight being lifted from my shoulders and a peace settle over me.
God was speaking to me through this person. I have had the same happen through song lyrics or just a simple conversation.
What we have to remember is when we get to the point of feeling overwhelmed, we need to know that we are never alone. What better helper can we have beside us than our Father? His power and love is so awesome that with Him beside us nothing can ever defeat us.
Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Trials bring growth, strength where needed most

When new believers turn their life over to the Lord, many of them expect their lives to suddenly become charmed, magical almost. The thinking is that God is going to put an invisible bubble around you that keeps evil and hard times away.
Well, that isn’t the case. If everything in your life was perfect, if you had no trials, after a while you would think you no longer needed God. That He isn’t necessary. That thinking is so wrong.
I think that when you start becoming stronger in your walk with God it is almost like an alarm goes off that alerts Satan and sets him out to try his hardest to tempt you away from God. Suddenly things start going wrong, life gets hard, then you have a decision to make.
You know that image you see in movies or cartoons where the devil is on one shoulder and an angel on the other? We have times in our lives that are really like that.
We have to make the decision to take the road through our trials that will lead to our ultimate victory even though it may be a rough ride at times, or we turn away from God and go with whatever is easiest or “more fun.”
Some of the trials we have are to strengthen us in areas we most need work – for me that seems to be patience and obedience. Obviously I am a slow learner otherwise I would be the most patient person in the world by now. Children, jobs, relationships, family and every day life are all trials of patience.
Obedience is a hard one. Instead of listening and doing things God’s way I have a really bad habit of wanting to do them my way. I have become an expert at rationalizing why I should or shouldn’t do something.
My internal dialogue may go something like this, “That can’t be what He really wants, maybe what I am really supposed to do is this.” Just so you know, that doesn’t usually go so well for me. I look back and realize if I had listened in the first place, things would have turned out much differently.
In being obedient to the Lord we are to hear His word and do his will.
James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
In some cases that is easy. I have no intention or desire to ever commit murder, adultery or steal.
In some cases it is not so easy, such as when God commands you to do something you can’t see how, in your worldly mind, will be possible. It’s a good thing the world’s way isn’t God’s way. He can do things and make things happen in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.
What if we didn’t listen to God and decided to go our own way instead? That happens and will happen again. As a consequence we will go through hard times we wouldn’t have faced otherwise or miss out on a blessing that was planned for us. But all is not lost.
Because we have been given the gift of forgiveness we have the chance to confess our disobedience to the Lord and receive his mercy and complete forgiveness. Then we can make the right decision, the decision to do things God’s way.
Romans 11:30-31 says, “Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.”

God’s love can be felt in even the worst of times

As the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States approaches, communities across the country are planning ways to honor those who died on that day.
I think most of us can remember where we were or what we were doing when the first plane crashed into the Twin Towers.
I had just dropped my two older boys off at school and was watching TV with my youngest who hadn’t yet started school. I remember watching in disbelief as news stations showed footage of the first plane hitting and even more shock as the second hit. I held my four-year-old tightly as I watched the attacks continue to unfold before my eyes.
The death, destruction and terror was more than can be imagined, but something we will never forget.
In the midst of the horror, something else was demonstrated – something powerful and moving. Men and women immediately began to rush to the aid of others. Some of these were firefighters, EMTs and police officers, others were citizens on the street.
Prejudices disappeared as true concern and love for others emerged. Race, economic status, religion were all melded into one, all were working for the same purpose.
God’s love just poured out of all involved.
For months after, many churches saw their attendance soar. People turned to God for help in their time of need or to thank Him for those who survived.
There have been other times when we have seen this happen, usually during disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and floods.
During these times, God’s power and love is so evident it is hard to imagine how so many people miss it.
But many people do. As soon as their “need” for God passes they go on with their lives as before, making God a backseat passenger instead of the driver in their lives. As long as things are going well, they are content. But as soon as they “crash” into another obstacle suddenly they want God to take control again.
Yes, we should always turn to God in our times of need.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.”
But what about other times? What about when things are just sailing along smoothly and all is right with our world?
Those are the times when we should be turning to God with thanksgiving and on behalf of others. It is when we should be studying his word and building a relationship with Him.
How much easier is it to turn to someone you know and love for help than to a stranger? We should learn to be in constant communication with our Lord. Turning to Him for decisions in our lives should become so ingrained in us that going to him for even the smallest trials in our lives is the first option, not an act of desperation.
So let us not forget those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11 attacks, let us remember their families, let us remember those that risked their lives, and let us keep them in our prayers. Most of all remember to keep praying and keep growing in your faith.
God is good, He is always there. He reaches down and lifts us up out of our despair – every time.

Silence can be a reminder to listen for God’s voice

I usually have my column written early on Tuesday morning but today I am sitting here staring at an empty Word document as deadline approaches. I also have noticed that my entries on my blog have been scarce over the last few weeks.
My columns and blog entries always come from some word the Lord opens my ears to during the week, sometimes in church, sometimes from the Bible, or in something I read or hear or even from a song on the radio.
Pondering why I haven’t received that word this week, I have come upon a revelation. It isn’t that I haven’t received the word, it is that I haven’t heard the word.
There is a big difference between the two. The Lord is always speaking to us, we just have to be attentive to hear what He says.
Lately I have let worldly worries and cares disrupt the openness necessary to receive the word.
Sometimes we get so busy with the day-to-day responsibilities and activities, we forget to stay always in a prayerful mode that allows us continuous communication with our Father.
With the boys starting a new school this year and all of the usual preparations for a new year, a recent move that I am still unpacking from, work and everyday activities it is easy to get caught up in my life.
When we are turning to the Lord asking, “Father, help me with this,” I think He is sometimes saying, “I am trying if you would just be still and listen you would know I am there.”
If we just be still and listen, we will know when God speaks to us and we will hear his voice. He has many ways of speaking to us. We just have to keep our minds open so we don’t miss what He says.
When the Lord is within a person he is communicating constantly with that person’s heart, conscience, soul and spirit.
He is carrying on a two way conversation with us 24 hours a day.
John 10: 27-28 says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
God never leaves us, but sometimes I think the silence is a way to get our attention back on Him and off of the cares of the world. I know it has gotten my attention this week.
it is time to give my cares and worries over to Him and my thoughts back where they belong.