Home Sweet Home

Just sit right back And you’ll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful trip, That started from this little town, Aboard this big black truck.

We left home ten days ago for our camping vacation in the mountains. It was a beautiful morning. We waited late enough to avoid the morning work traffic and headed up the hill. At the bottom of Salt River Canyon we made a potty stop and on up the hill.

We were so excited when we got to Show Low. We were right on schedule. We were only about an hour from the campground and check in was at two. We brought the truck to a stop at a light and heard a terrible grinding, rattle. We felt badly for the vehicle next to us because it sounded as if his truck was falling apart. On through the light we went only to be caught in road construction where we had to slow down again. It was then we realized the grinding and rattle were coming from our truck.

Oh No!!

Dave checked all the gauges and everything was good; nothing running high or low but the noise…Thinking we may have run over something, and it was dragging from the undercarriage or had gotten stuck somehow, we found a wide spot to pull over and thoroughly check things out.

Nothing.

Dave checked under the hood. Everything was fine there too. We kept going, thinking positive and knowing that when we got to the campground we (he) could check things out more. And then there was the squeal or whine…no, this needed attention now so Dave turned around and headed back to a Auto/Diesel shop we had just passed.

The owner came out to help us; he and Dave did a few diagnostics and the mechanic determined he didn’t know what it was and told us about a transmission shop in Show Low. Six miles back in to town.

Before Dave called them we grabbed hands and prayed. We needed to go to the right place and we needed wisdom on what to do. Cancel the vacation? Stay in a hotel? What? Dave made the call and “Tyler” told us where they were located, to bring the truck in and if it died, they had a tow truck.

In those six miles we decided we would call a rental car place to see if they had a van or something that would get us and our camping gear to the campground while the truck was getting fixed.

Yep! That’s what we would do. Thank you Lord!

Now I will tell you, this is going to be a two-day blog.

We got to Tyler and the transmission shop. They were swamped but he heard our tail – from out-of-town, saw all the camping equipment loaded in the truck, knew we had reservations at the campground for the week and he put the truck on the lift to see what was happening.

Transfer case! There was a hole in the transfer case. He could have a new one and it could be replaced by end of day Friday. Thank you Lord! We knew it would be costly but at least we had a plan.

Enterprise Rentals had a truck we could rent but not everything would fit in the bed. No problem, we have a bigger truck. Yes! And they also had a Veteran’s discount that they applied to the rental. Thank you Lord!

It was now four o’clock and we drove back to the transmission shop and unloaded all the camping gear from our black truck and put it in the white truck. Oh my! And off to the campground we went. Needed to have camp set up before dark.

Thanking the Lord for getting us up the hill safely. Not being “broke down” on the road out in the middle of nowhere, having someone who was honest and diagnosed our problem, having a rental truck that would hold all our gear and getting through it all without becoming overly stressed and not letting it ruin our vacation! These were all big things to be thankful for.

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.” James 1:2-5 NLT

We got to the campground and were set up completely within an hour and fifteen minutes. Another big thank you. As we sat outside that night, we reminded ourselves that although all this had caught us by surprise God was not surprised in the slightest.

He had a plan and if we continued to keep our hearts right and seek Him, He would get us through it all. We fell asleep that night knowing that we were giving Him control and He would direct our steps.

“Turn to the Lord for help in everything you do, and you will be successful.” Proverbs 16:3 ERV

Day 1: Trust God!

The tale of our vacation isn’t over yet. I’ll finish it up tomorrow.

Not sure what has taken you by surprise in the last few days but I do know that you too can trust God. He’s got the answer for every situation.

Leftovers

After a long weekend of family and friends my refrigerator is always filled with leftovers. I have this issue of preparing too much food. I never want anyone to go hungry when they are at our house. This last weekend was no different – we have leftovers!

Do you realize we have a whole industry based on leftovers. Restaurants have “to go” boxes; Rubbermaid, Tupperware, ziplocks, Pyrex all make containers to put your leftovers in. Really, so how important are they?

They were important to Jesus.

“Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up toward heaven and blessed the food. Then he broke the bread and fish and handed them to his disciples to give to the people. 17 Everyone ate all they wanted. What was left over filled twelve baskets.” Luke 9:16-17 CEV

What the Father blesses and Jesus uses to meet a need is not insignificant! It’s valuable.

The Bible teaches us that God’s word is like a seed and when it’s planted in our lives it will bring a harvest, sometimes thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much. Now that harvest may come in the form of joy, peace, wisdom, health, finances, possessions, and yes, spiritual harvest too.

Elijah asked a widowed woman to give (plant) her little bit of oil and flour to make him a cake during a time of famine. She did! The result was she never ran out of oil and flour until the famine was over.

We should always be aware that we aren’t being wasteful but we shouldn’t be miserly either.

We should be grateful for the blessings that God has given us. Make sure we aren’t taking them for granted; accept the blessing, use it but continue to value it so that you can be a blessing to others.

We can give our time, our encouragement, our knowledge of God’s word, finances, food, clothing, hospitality – all of these are blessings from the Lord.

We’re not told what happened to the twelve baskets of leftovers in the story but I’m sure that Jesus had his disciples continue to share the blessing.

Be a blessing sharer today.

Don’t Forget

We have had a great weekend, the house has been filled with family. This morning I am re-cycling a teaching I wrote a couple years back. I hope it will encourage you as much now as it did then.

How soon we forget the wonderful things the Lord has done for us in the past when we focus on the problems of the present! It’s like spiritual amnesia.

In Exodus 14, Moses was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. The angel of the Lord had passed over the land and all the first born in the homes of the Egyptian households were killed. After this tenth plague Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go. When he realized they had really gone, he took 600 chariots and pursued them.

How quickly he had forgotten the plagues and the way God had delivered the Israelites. He had forgotten the frogs, the locusts, the hail, the water turning to blood, the darkness – he had forgotten it all and in his anger he pursued them.

Now when the Israelites saw that Pharaoh was hot on their trail, they forgot too. They forgot all God did for them. They forgot how they were spared from the death angel that “Passovered” their homes.

“When the Israelites saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them, they were very frightened and cried to the LORD for help. 11 They said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did you bring us out here in the desert to die? We could have died peacefully in Egypt; there were plenty of graves in Egypt. 12 We told you this would happen! In Egypt we said, ‘Please don’t bother us. Let us stay and serve the Egyptians.’ It would have been better for us to stay and be slaves than to come out here and die in the desert.” 13 But Moses answered, “Don’t be afraid! Don’t run away! Stand where you are and watch the LORD save you today. You will never see these Egyptians again. 14 You will not have to do anything but stay calm. The LORD will do the fighting for you.” Exodus 14:10-14

They forgot that God was defending and protecting them. But God didn’t forget. He told Moses to have them continue forward. Moses was to stretch out his rod and the Red Sea would part so they could walk across on dry ground. And…the rest is history!

For a number of years I worked in an animal hospital and each year we would see the same dogs come in over and over again for porcupine quill removal. The first year I saw it and assisted with the quill removal I was amazed at how the dog’s chest, mouth, muzzle was so filled with quills. Some cases were so severe that we would have to sedate the dog to remove them all. Then Doc said an interesting thing, “we’ll see this dog back again next year for the same thing”, and sure enough we did. You see there was a partial memory loss – the dogs remembered the porcupine and the need to chase and conquer it but forgot the horrible experience of the quills.

Pharaoh quickly forgot the pain of the plagues and only saw that his work force of slaves were fleeing. The Israelites forgot their 400 years of slavery and God’s deliverance and could only see the trouble of the pursuing Egyptians.

BUT Moses remembered GOD!

Today I encourage you to forget all the problems and remember God’s promises.

“So they would all trust in God, never forgetting what he had done and always obeying his commands.” Psalm 78:7

Tell Me Bout the Good Old Days

We have friends visiting with us for the weekend. They have served the Lord for many years as pastors, missionaries, Bible study leaders and Mom and Dad.

Yesterday, we spent a good portion of the afternoon and evening talking about God’s faithfulness. They shared stories with us of times that things seemed hopeless and desperate. And we shared similar times with them. Each and every time we were able to share with each other had the Lord had moved miraculously and how He provided for all our needs.

God is faithful!

There were stories of the Lord providing financially, others where He brought physical healings and some where the Lord filled our lives with peace and direction. How great is our God!!

We were able to agree that God’s word was always a source of comfort and direction. It brought us strength when we had felt weak and searching for answers. We have seen the Lord provide for us from His goodness and also seen His hand reaching out to our children and our grandchildren.

The stories were testimony to God’s goodness and His love! It’s so important that we look back and recall how it used to be – the good and the bad – because in this we can see God’s faithfulness and His provision. Moses told the children of Israel to retell the stories of how God provided for them from the deliverance out of Egypt to arriving at the Promised Land.

“Listen, Israel! The Lord our God is the only true God! So love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. Memorize his laws and tell them to your children over and over again. Talk about them all the time, whether you’re at home or walking along the road or going to bed at night, or getting up in the morning.” Deuteronomy 6:6-8 CEV

We need to be storytellers of God’s goodness.

“My friends, be glad, even if you have a lot of trouble. You know that you learn to endure by having your faith tested. But you must learn to endure everything, so that you will be completely mature and not lacking in anything.If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking. ” James 1:2-5 CEV

Last night we had joy as we recalled the wonderful things the Lord had done and continues to do. The things we faced as mountains were removed when we trusted God and His word. It’s important that we retell these stories so that others will know of God’s faithfulness.

I had the words of a country song come to mind this morning as I was thinking on last night’s conversation.

“Grandpa (Grandma), tell me bout the good old days
Sometimes it feels like
This world’s gone crazy
Grandpa, take me back to yesterday
When the line between right and wrong
Didn’t seem so hazy

Did lovers really fall in love to stay
And stand beside each other, come what may?
Was a promise really something people kept
Not just something they would say?
Did families really bow their heads to pray?
Did daddies really never go away?
Oh, Grandpa, tell me ’bout the good old days” The Judds

Let’s take the time to tell our grandkids ’bout the good ol days and the faithfulness of our God!

Beautiful Gifts

I was reading this morning of Solomon and his dedication of the Temple. King David, Solomon’s father, had gathered the treasury necessary for building the Temple but the Lord gave the task of construction to Solomon.

When the Temple was finished and the people were gathered for the dedication, Solomon prayed a prayer of thanksgiving honoring the Lord for His faithfulness and for His promise to “dwell” with His people.  And then Solomon prayed over the people of Israel. Look at what he says.

“When Solomon prayed this prayer to the Lord, he was on his knees in front of the Lord’s altar and his arms were raised toward heaven. When he finished praying, he stood up. 55 Then, in a loud voice, he asked God to bless all the people of Israel. Solomon said,

56 ‘Praise the Lord! He promised to give rest to his people, Israel. And he has given us rest! He used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And he has kept every one of them! 57 I pray that the Lord our God will be with us, as he was with our ancestors. I pray that he will never leave us. 58 I pray that we will turn to him and follow him. Then we will obey all the laws, decisions, and commands that he gave our ancestors. 59 I pray that the Lord our God will always remember this prayer and what I have asked. I pray that he will do these things for his servant, the king, and for his people, Israel. I pray that he will do this every day. 60 If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the Lord is the only true God. 61 You people must be loyal and true to the Lord our God. You must always follow and obey all of his laws and commands. You must continue to obey in the future as you do now.” I Kings 8: 54-61 CEV

Here was Solomon’s reminder to the people. “He (God) used his servant Moses and made many good promises to the people of Israel. And He has kept every one of them!”  God keeps His word. He kept it to Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon and the Israelites and He keeps His word to us today.

And here is the key – it isn’t so we can walk around bragging arrogantly about how much the Lord has blessed us but the blessings (gifts) we receive are so the world can know God.

“If he will do these things, all the people of the world will know that the Lord is the only true God.” vs 60

God gives and keeps His word so that all the world will know that the Lord is the only true God! So much in this world changes – you’ve heard it said “everything is relative”. That may apply to man’s plans and programs but not to God.

The word of the Lord stands forever. In our Father, there is no variableness or shadow of turning. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.  God’s love, his truth, his mercy and his grace will endure. What greater gifts can we receive from the Lord than His grace, mercy and peace?

“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from his Son, Jesus Christ, as we live in truth and love.” II John 1:3 ERV

“Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.” II Peter 1:3-4 ERV

John and Peter are telling us the same thing that Solomon told the Israelites at the Temple dedication. God promises to do wonderful things in our life, we are the beneficiaries of His blessings. However, the blessings (gifts) are two-fold. They strengthen and encourage our lives but they also serve as a sign to the world of God’s goodness.

God’s gifts are His promises!

Thank you Father! Heaven and earth may pass away but Your word, your promises, will remain forever!

Is That All There Is?

The last few days I seem to be emphasizing the importance of knowing God’s plan. I haven’t intentionally set out to make that my theme but when the words begin to roll out of my heart and on to the screen they share the common thread of God’s plan for us.

We’ve almost completed the first half of 2019. I know we have one more month until we are really half way through but it’s about this time that folks begin to readjust their schedules and make new plans. School is coming to an end, graduation day has come, the New Year’s resolutions we made are almost forgotten and we begin to plan for summer vacations.

It’s important that we keep God in the planning process.

God has designed us to have a purpose, a plan, a destiny that is so much greater than anything we can imagine! He sees in us a Christ-like quality and desires to use His power to accomplish great things. If we’re living a life that is comfortable to us and one in which “We” can accomplish what we set out to do, we’re settling for less than what God wants to do through us.

“With God’s power working in us, he can do much, much more than anything we can ask or think of.” Ephesians 3:20 ERV

Let me encourage you to dream bigger and trust God to direct you to impact your world with what He’s calling you to do – God will use you where you are if you trust Him. Our lives have a design and calling to do great things. We have direction; our purpose is greater than the lyrics from Peggy Lee’s song “Is that all there is?

“The plans of the mind and orderly thinking belong to man, but from the Lord comes the [wise] answer of the tongue. 2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits (the thoughts and intents of the heart). 3 Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed.” Proverbs 16:1-3 AMP

Yesterday I heard a pastor talk about verse three above. (It’s one of my favorite verses) He said that the original intention of the verse meant to “roll off a load”. The example he used was one of a camel who was carrying a heavy burden. The way to get the pack off a camel is for it to get down on its knees and then roll to the side so the burden can be removed.

Making plans without the Lord’s guidance can be a heavy load, one we need to roll off and let Him carry. When we trust Him, He will carry the burden and show us how to succeed. Our lives will take on meaning, direction, purpose and there will be no need to ask “is that all there is” because life will be full and abundant.

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came to give life—life that is full and good.” John 10:10 ERV

Going the Right Direction

This morning I find myself sitting in a log cabin, in the White Mountains in northern Arizona. I visited this area as a small girl. It was my favorite place to come for summer vacations; we camped on the banks of the White River, fished all day in the steam and played games with our new friends in the evenings.

As I sit here this morning in the glow of my computer screen, trying to be quiet so I don’t wake Dave, I am imagining the wonderful times we will have with our grandchildren. The memories we will make and the joy we will share.

And then my thoughts are interrupted.

I hear it…the morning song of the mountain birds. No matter where we are God reminds me of his loving care through the song of the birds. Each morning starts the same way. It starts with a chorus of those winged creatures who lift their voices in song and praise their creator for the countless ways He provides for them.

Our lives have dramatically changed since I came here as a girl. There are been some real rough patches, things I choose not to relive and there have been some great joys. As I look back I can always see the Father’s faithfulness. It’s not something I was quick to recognize in the moment but He was always there, He always provided.

Years ago when we were young in faith and learning to listen to the Lord’s voice we had a cowboy preacher, a dear friend, tell us this; If God says go South, He will provide; If you go North you’ll think you died! Now that’s not scripture but it is scriptural.

“Trust the LORD completely, and don’t depend on your own knowledge. 6 With every step you take, think about what he wants, and he will help you go the right way. 7 Don’t trust in your own wisdom, but fear and respect the LORD and stay aay from evil. 8 If you do this, it will be like a refreshing drink and medicine for your body.” Proverb 3:5-8 ERV

And then this one:
“Turn to the LORD for help in everything you do, and you will be successful. 4 The LORD has a plan for everything.” Proverbs 16:3-4a ERV

God has a plan for each day – it doesn’t really matter what the activities are in the day; He has a plan! Some days His plan is to change our plan but He has a plan.

When we listen, He speaks and when we follow His leading we are blessed! “Today I am giving you a choice. You may choose the blessing or the curse. 27 You will get the blessing if you listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God that I have told you today. 28 But you will get the curse if you refuse to listen and obey the commands of the LORD your God. So don’t stop living the way I command you today, and don’t follow other gods that you don’t know.” Deuteronomy 11:26-28 ERV

We have a choice – it would be silly, even disastrous at times, to think our own plan is better. Following Him is the right way to go and His wisdom is perfect. His way will keep us from being lost and give us something to sing about each morning.

“I say this because I know the plans that I have for you.” This message is from the LORD. “I have good plans for you. I don’t plan to hurt you. I plan to give you hope and a good future. 12 Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 ERV

Trust the Lord today. He loves us and His desire for us is good! He wants to make wonderful memories with us and He wants us to teach our children and grandchildren about His goodness and provision.

Go South today – He will provide!!!

Be Lion-Hearted

Do you remember a couple days ago when I told you that our daughter is teaching our grandson how to write his letters and words? There is a progression that comes with that learning. We start with small words, c-a-t, d-o-g, r-e-d, t-w-o. And then as we go through the years our vocabulary increases and so do the words we learn to spell. Basic education gives way to more intense learning.

The same holds true with our knowledge and growth in spiritual things. We start with the basics. God is good. Jesus loves me. Trust in the Lord.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory be to him, now and forever! Amen.” II Peter 3:18 ERV

Just like my little grandson is growing in his knowledge, we are to grow in our knowledge of Jesus, the Father and His word. A couple years back I shared with you some insight that the Lord gave me from I Samuel 24. This morning, as part of my systematic reading through the Bible I was reading in I Samuel 24 again and I found myself focusing on David’s reaction to adversity and those who were trying to kill him. I think we always need a reminder of how God wants us to react in stressful situations.

“The sinful run away when no one is trying to catch them, but those who are right with God have as much strength of heart as a lion.” Proverbs 28:1 NLV

Let me tell you about a man who had a good heart and knew that he is destined for greatness. He had been assigned a place of leadership, however, the current leader was still actiively fulfilling the role.

The current leader became jealous and did everything he could to destroy his successor. Constantly, he thought of ways to pursue and destroy this man. He enlisted the help of well-meaning by-standers.

The current leader’s pursuit was so relentless that this man with the good heart became exhausted by his efforts to avoid conflict. He let God be his defense and his strength! He didn’t retaliate or bad mouth his pursuer. He did all he could to remain humble and pure of heart.

I’ve been in situations that I know I’m where God called me and when opposition came I cannot say that I remained pure in heart and let God be my defense. I have tried to defend myself – get others to see that I’m right and have fought to prove my point.

I was wrong!

So where is all this coming from? I Samuel. I have been reading how David was anointed king while Saul was still ruling. Then Saul sought to kill David and pursued him relentlessly. David did the honorable thing and avoided capture. Even when David had opportunity to kill Saul, he did not touch him.

“The Lord put you within my grasp today in the cave, but I refused to kill you. I was merciful to you. I said, ‘I won’t hurt my master. Saul is the Lord’s chosen king.’ 11 Look at this piece of cloth in my hand. I cut off the corner of your robe. I could have killed you, but I didn’t. Now, I want you to understand this. I want you to know that I am not planning anything against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me and trying to kill me. 12 Let the Lord be the judge. I hope the Lord will punish you for the wrong you did to me, but I won’t fight you myself. 13 There is an old saying:

‘Bad things come from bad people.’ I haven’t done anything bad, and I won’t hurt you…

16 When David finished speaking, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” Then Saul lifted his voice and began to cry. 17 He said, “You are right, and I am wrong. You were good to me, even though I have been bad to you. 18 You yourself said it when you told me about the good things you did. The Lord put my life in your hands, but you did not kill me. 19 This shows that you are not my enemy. A man doesn’t catch his enemy, and then just let him go. He doesn’t do good things for his enemy. May the Lord reward you for being good to me today. 20 Now, I know that you will become the new king. You will rule the kingdom of Israel.” I Samuel 24:10-20 ERV

I don’t know who is pursuing you today – who is making it their personal vendeta to destroy you but you can trust the Lord to be your strength and your defender.

“Praise the Lord! He has heard my prayer for mercy. 7 The Lord is my strength and shield. I trusted him with all my heart. He helped me, so I am happy. I sing songs of praise to him. 8 The Lord protects his chosen one. He saves him and gives him strength.” Psalm 26:6-8 ERV

If you are going through a particularly tough time right now and feel like you are being harrassed and attacked I encourage you to read I Samuel 18-31. Read how the Lord protected David through all of Saul’s plottings. These words in the Psalms will have greater meaning when you realize the situations that surrounded them.

“I look to the hills! Where will I find help? 2 It will come from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth. 3 The Lord is your protector, and he won’t go to sleep or let you stumble.” Psalm 121:1-3 CEV

Stand strong and see the deliverance that comes from the Lord!

Not My Power

“I am the Lord All-Powerful. So don’t depend on your own power or strength, but on my Spirit.” Zechariah 4:6 CEV

When I woke up the words above were the ones that came to mind. Not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts. This is an all encompassing word of encouragement.

Right now, I have a friend who is facing a very serious heart surgery. One of my children is recovering from back surgery and another has a surgery scheduled next week. Our youngest daughter is pregnant and has had a rough time with morning sickness. We have friends who have been overwhelmed by business details and work situations.

As I was praying about these areas and many others the Lord kept reminding me of the verse above. Not my might, not my power but total dependence on the Lord. When I finished praying I found these words that I had written a couple years back…

What’s your focus when you wake up in the morning? Is it the project before you – the diagnosis you recently received from your doctor – the financial challenge that seems overwhelming? Maybe it’s physical pain in your body – a relationship that is factured and fragile – possibly physical danger and unrest?

If those things remain in the forefront of your mind, your day will wrap itself in worry, distress and then eventually lead to despair and depression.

However, if your focus is on God’s goodness and His provision you will find hope, joy and peace. That’s why I love starting my mornings in the Psalms – it is good to begin each day celebrating the faithfulness of the Lord.

“Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole world sing to the Lord! 2 Sing to the Lord and praise his name! Tell the good news every day about how he saves us. 3 Tell all the nations how wonderful he is! Tell people everywhere about the amazing things he does. 4 The Lord is great and worthy of praise. He is more awesome than any of the “gods.” 5 All the “gods” in other nations are nothing but statues, but the Lord made the heavens. 6 He lives in the presence of glory and honor. His Temple is a place of power and beauty. 7 Praise the Lord, all people of every nation; praise the Lord’s glory and power. 8 Give the Lord praise worthy of his glory! Come, bring your offerings into his courtyard. 9 Worship the Lord in all his holy beauty. Everyone on earth should tremble before him. 10 Tell the nations that the Lord is King! The world stands firm and cannot be moved. He will judge all people fairly. 11 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be happy! Let the sea and everything in it shout for joy! 12 Let the fields and everything in them be happy! Let the trees in the forest sing for joy 13 when they see the Lord coming! He is coming to rule the world. He will rule all the nations of the world with justice and fairness.” Psalm 96 ERV

Let the Lord rule over the circumstances in your life today and receive the peace that floods in when you let go and trust God. It’s not our might or power but HIs Spirit that brings the answers and defeats the enemy.

No Problem’s Too Big

I found myself praying this morning for different ones that I know are going through particularly hard times right now. That’s pretty normal for my morning prayer time. Recently I have been made aware of friends who are experiencing severe physical issues while others are facing career challenges and some are having their entire lives uprooted and their peace and joy on are the verge of destruction.

What do we do when our world seems to be falling apart?

Our God is waiting to handle each and everyone of these situations. God is able and I can hear Him saying, “Child, that’s not a problem for me. I can handle it. Trust me.”

“There is One Who can keep you from falling and can bring you before Himself free from all sin. He can give you great joy as you stand before Him in His shining-greatness. 25 He is the only God. He is the One Who saves from the punishment of sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. May He have shining-greatness and honor and power and the right to do all things. He had this before the world began, He has it now, and He will have this forever. Let it be so.” Jude 1:24-15 NLV

All through the Bible we have examples of God coming to the aid of His children. He brought them deliverance from the enemies, healing when they were sick, provision when they lacked, peace when they were in a place of fear and unrest and strength to be victorious in battle.

“My God will use his glorious riches to give you everything you need. He will do this through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 ERV

I’ve heard people make the statement, “I didn’t know what else to do so I prayed”. When they come to the end of their own strength, knowledge and resources that’s when many turn to God. I’ve been guilty of that too, however, the real time to trust God is when everything seems to be going right. Let Him take control then and He will keep us in a place of peace when the storms come.

I can hear some of you say, “Ya but you don’t know my situation”. No, but, God does!

There were three young Hebrew men who had committed their lives to follow God’s teachings and they were captured and taken as slaves to Babylon. They went through a time of training to serve in the king’s court. There was one thing they were commanded to do and they refused. They refused to worship the king as God. Their lives were threatened and here was there answer. They could give this answer because they had trusted God in the good times and they knew He would be faithful in the worst of times.

“King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. So he sent for the three young men and said, 14 “I hear that you refuse to worship my gods and the gold statue I have set up. 15 Now I am going to give you one more chance. If you bow down and worship the statue when you hear the music, everything will be all right. But if you don’t, you will at once be thrown into a flaming furnace. No god can save you from me.”

16 The three men replied, “Your Majesty, we don’t need to defend ourselves. 17 The God we worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we still won’t worship your gods and the gold statue you have set up.” Daniel 3:13-18 ERV

So let me ask you again. What problem is facing you today? Is it health, work, family relationships, financial problems? Whatever it is, it’s no problem to our great God!

“So whenever we are in need, we should come bravely before the throne of our merciful God. There we will be treated with undeserved kindness, and we will find help.” Hebrews 4:16 CEV

God is faithful!