What Tools Are You Trying to Use?

One of my friends has been sharing a lot about His walk with the Lord during a very trying time. Just recently he shared about trying to get to church one Sunday when things started falling apart. They raise chickens and there were problems in the chicken house he had to take care of. He realized he wasn’t going to make it to church and got really frustrated. Just as he thought he might blow a gasket he looked at the wrench in his hand and realized it was his daddy’s. After that he relaxed and began to enjoy every twist of the tool.

That really spoke to my heart. Each of us have gone through, are going through or will go through tough times. Often the phrase says tough times don’t last, but honestly sometimes those tough times are long and winding and rough. We get desperate in the midst of it all. As if the hard time wasn’t enough, things just seem to fall apart all around us. We try to get it all back together and we try to move on to better things. But it’s hard. It’s hard to believe God, it’s hard to believe the sun will shine and it’s hard to see where we are in the big scheme of things. We work though, hard sometimes, fighting the feelings, trying to restore order and all the time we’re hoping that things will start working again and we can move on. Frustration, anxiety and even self-pity try to come help us, but they’re useless. They’re not fit tools to use in the hands of a believer.

Just about time we think we’re going to boil over with outrage at it all we look up to the heavens and cry out! And then we see. Our Father God is with us. But He hasn’t left us to our own human devises to get through it all. He’s not just absently looking down from heaven. No, He’s with us. And He has given us tools to get things working again in our faith. He’s given us every Word, breathed out for us, straight from the throne room. We have every tool we’ll ever need and we can use them as often as we need to. They’re unbreakable, unbendable and undeniably perfect.

Oh beloved, are you sitting there this morning looking at the broken things? Maybe you’re wondering how you got to this place? You’ve tried every trick in the book and it’s all a mess anyway. Rejoice! Looking at the things our Father gives us helps us get through the rough times. He’s given you everything you need to get through. Repairs needed? Every tool imaginable is there for you. Grace, favor, joy, peace, and more. Prayer, worship and fellowship with God are our grandest tools. No matter how you feel, no matter what is happening, God Himself is here to give you everything you need for this time. He hasn’t left you, He won’t forsake you and He gives you all you need from the storehouse of His Word to get through.

Rejoice in the Word of God! Look up to the heavens and cry thank you! Then reach for the tools your Father God has given you. Every promise is full of strength for you. They won’t break and they won’t disappear when you need them. You are blessed, you are forgiven, you are walking in the light of God’s Word. You have access to the Lord of heaven and earth and as you pray, as you worship Him right where you are, His presence will be so overwhelming that you will know your life is blessed. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s why you can trust His Word to get you through, fix you up and get it all running for His glory and your good.

Proverbs 30:5 Every word of God is tried and purified; He is a shield to those who trust and take refuge in Him.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. NLT

Psalm 88:13 But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help, And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

Psalm 22:2-4 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence. I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and He saved me from my enemies.

Psalm 9:9 The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;

A Life Wrapped Up in Jesus

There are a lot of gift exchanges going on. From office parties to church events, everyone is scrambling to find just the right thing for their occasion.  Even the dirty Santa get-togethers require bringing a good gift, because seeing it swapped around the room lets you know you succeeded.

For years I made homemade bows and turned them into butterflies and angels and such. I’ll admit the last few  years has made me rethink spending so much time on that. Now I just try to find big bows and quickly slap them on the package. I have already gotten a couple of gifts and one was wrapped extra nice. It just looked great and because it had a store tag on it, I knew it would be good.

Upon opening the package I found that the contents were broken. It was sitting there so pretty in the beautifully wrapped package I had just opened, but as I slipped my hand in to lift the gift out, only a piece of it lifted up. No problem. The giver did a really good job and I loved my present. It didn’t take long to make things right and the replacement was perfectly together.

Our lives are often like the beautifully wrapped presents under the tree. We’re done just right. Everything in order. Beautiful paper, perfectly formed bow, just the right tag and our life is perfectly presentable. No one knows what the contents are, but the cover is par excellence.  Our exterior is put together in all the right ways. But open the package and peer beneath the veneer and some are terribly broken. Quickly we want to recover the package and make it look good, but inside it’s just broken.  The beautiful covering can’t change what’s inside.

Oh beloved, God sees beneath the wrapping. He knows you. He’s well aware that inside you are suffering with a broken heart. It may be the loss of a loved one to death. It may be the loss of love due to another’s change of heart. It could be that your insides are full of regrets, fears, worries, troubles and agony.  You’ve done a good job of keeping up appearances for appearance’s sake but Jesus wants to get inside. He wants to probe all the brokenness. You want to hide it all. You haven’t dared tell anyone just how broken things really are, but God already knows. And Christ came on that beautiful starlit night to fix you. He is the Repairer of broken things. And He wants to repair your heart and mind and then display you for all the world to see His wonderful workmanship.

If you will let Him He will not just repair it all, but He will make it all new. I know it’s hard to believe right now, when you’re hurting and weary and wondering what you will do. But He promises. He says He loves you and that’s why He’s willing to mend your broken heart, heal your hurting mind and redeem your soul.  He’s for you and that’s why you can trust Him with the deepest contents of your heart.  Even the hardest of times, the broken moments, will show His glory as you are His most beloved child.  He will never leave you with a broken heart, no more than a parent would leave their child with a broken present. Then He will wrap you up in Him and guard your heart and mind forever.

A life wrapped up in Jesus is the most beautiful life you’ll ever live and that’s all that really matters as you let Him make your life just right inside and out.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 34:18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Jeremiah 33:6 Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.

Matthew 6:30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

Jeremiah 17:4 Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise.

Malachi 4:2 But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in His wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.

Turn From the Mess and Look to the Lord!

As I came over the hill that’s just before the turnoff to our house, I saw a devastating sight. Someone must have had an accident.  My son in law’s truck was parked on the side of the road and their 4-wheeler was in the ditch. There were muddy tracks all over the road. I whispered Jesus’ name as I slowed down and came around the truck.  I just knew they’d wrecked the 4 wheeler and I just couldn't bear the thought that one of my kids or grandkids was riding when it happened.

As I drove slowly around the truck and I peered into the front seat, my daughter was driving. She turned and smiled at me. With a few words exchanged it turned out to be not nearly the devastation that it appeared to be.  They had actually just ridden through the ditch and got stuck! Relief flooded through my heart and mind as I drove on to the house.

There are times when we suddenly find ourselves in a tough situation. It looks bad. Everything was fine just moments before, but abruptly the whole scene of our life changes.  What we see with our eyes convinces us that there’s been devastation, disaster or worse.  Our hearts beat wildly and tears escape as we try to calm ourselves.  When we find that it’s not what it appears, we let out a sigh of relief.

It’s true that the 4 wheeler was messed up. They had to pull it out of the muddy ditch where it had buried up to its axles  They had to make a mess to get the thing unstuck. It was hard work and it took time. But it was not the terrible scene I had just witnessed with my own eyes.

Maybe you’re going through a rough spot right now. It looks awful. It caught you by surprise. You’ve tried blinking your eyes to make it go away. You’ve tried holding your breath. You’ve whispered a prayer and tried to talk yourself down, but it looks bad. You don’t know if it’s a little trouble or a total disaster because you’re right in the middle of it. It’s a mess and you’re trying to hold on for dear life. You weren’t expecting it, but it’s happened. You didn’t ask for it or deserve it, but here you are in the muddy ditch of life and you don’t know how it’s going turn out.  You came upon your circumstances with no warning and you’re reeling. It could be the messiness of rejection, dejection or abandonment.  The very person you thought would stick with you has left. The job you felt so secure in has played out. The fellowship that was so sweet is over.

Whatever your circumstances, there is One Who will walk with you through it. He will pick up the pieces. He will clean up the mess. He will dust you off, bandage your wounds and set you securely on the road again. He will hold you until the storm cloud passes, He will watch over you as you survey the circumstances. As you whisper His name, He is already with you.

Oh beloved, do you hear that still small voice? He speaks words of love and encouragement. He says I AM with you. He says you are never alone. He shields you from total devastation as He holds you securely in His loving arms. I AM always going to get you through everything you face. I AM the one who can make the greatest disaster turn out to be a momentary light affliction. If you will hold onto Me, I AM going to take you beyond the present situation you see with your eyes and provide new vision for the road ahead.

Listen to the Father’s heart. He will always always always love you. He will always always always be with you. He will forever make what looks bad, turn out for your good and His glory. For you are His and He is yours. For you are more than the sum of your mistakes, you are more than the disasters seen with your naked eye. You are bought with a price, redeemed with love and set for glory in eternity. Trust Him today, right in the middle of your mess. Together, as you hold tightly onto God’s hand and look away from the situation and focus on His Word, the disaster will fade into peace. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s what will always get you through.

Psalm 94:18-19 I cried out, "I am slipping!" but Your unfailing love, O LORD, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, Your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.

Psalm 69:13-14 But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, at an acceptable time; O God, in the greatness of Your lovingkindness, Answer me with Your saving truth. Deliver me from the mire and do not let me sink.

Micah 7:7 As for me, I look to the Lord for help.  I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

Where Does Our Help Come From?

As we walked into the ER, she was talking to the nurse, “I just can’t do this without my husband. I want him to be here with me.” Married for 43 years, she knew that anything she might forget He would remember for her. She felt lost, dazed and confused. But she felt that if he was just there, things would somehow be alright or at least better. The trauma of the day had her longing for the presence of her husband who after all those years knew her every need, meds, history, fears, etc. Yes, once he got there, once she was safe in his presence, things would indeed seem much better.




I can relate. As I stood in the room, seeing her so helpless, I too was wanting my husband’s presence. All those years of marriage makes for such an intimate relationship that one truly winces when the other feels pain. You just know each other. You trust one another. Familiarity in this case does not breed contempt, but rather it breeds the need for more togetherness. Two indeed become one.



Oh beloved, are there traumas, trials or troubles in your life today? Are you feeling alone in the ER of life, wondering when comfort, joy and peace will return? Have you been trying to fix your situation only to find that it’s not possible to do it on your own? Are you wishing for someone who could come into your life and make things better, make things right?



There is One Who will be there for you always! He’s Ever Present, All Knowing, and Always watching over you. We don’t have to wait for Him to arrive on the scene because He is with us always! We don’t have to hope He cares for His Name is Faithful and True. We’re never alone, no matter what our situation. The longer we know Him, the more we can call upon Him and the more intimate our relationship is with Him. Run to the One Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all you could ask or think! He is with you, He is working things out for your good and His glory! Regardless of what you’re going through now He will see you through. You don’t have to be strong enough for He is your strength! Get out your Marriage Certificate today and read: All who call upon Him will be safe! He is your fortress and your God! He loves you, He’s with you and that’s all that really matters.



I Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.



Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth!



Psalm 3:4 I cried out to the Lord, and He answered me from His holy mountain.



Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.



Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.