It's Time to Rise and Shine!

“Rise and Shine” is a phrase I heard often as a child. My dad would wake me up every morning singing reveille and saying those words.  As a little girl, I was delighted to be woken up that way. As I grew into my teen years I admit it bugged me. What I wouldn’t give to hear my daddy say those things to me again.  After I married and had children, it’s a song my kids learned in Sunday School. “Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory!”   It was peppy and fun with gestures to go along with it.

After reading a friend’s post about the frustrations of working on a new computer that would not cooperate, I realized that it’s a rough world out there and we don’t even have to leave the house! Life can be so frustrating. The world says it’s walking in “freedom” yet chaos is everywhere. There’s very little commitment, hardly any standards and what used to be normal is viewed as weird. Life has indeed gotten topsy turvy, in a state of utter disorder and confusion. Often it’s hard to get up in the morning and to turn on the tv means hearing news about wars, murders, disasters and more. Rarely do we wake up to hear anything that will bring joy or peace or comfort.

So how do we do it? How do we live in the light when all around us is falling apart? How do we present the Truth in light of such wrong thinking? Where do we go to find peace in a world in such uproar? Can we find joy in the midst of darkness? Can we make ends meet in a world that wants more and more and more from us? What about our rights? What about our future? Who cares if we’re going off  a fiscal cliff or a spiritual cliff? Can we hang on, can we survive, can we overcome?

Oh beloved, it’s time to “Rise and shine and give God the glory!”  It’s time to wake up in the morning and praise the One Who gave you everything for life and godliness, in spite of the sorrow that hits you square in the face, the gloom and concern that wakes you up, in spite of the hurts and regrets and unfulfilled dreams. For God’s Word is your only source of hope, not just in bad times, but in good times as well. God knows you and He has promised many things to you. And His promises are not left at the altar, but rather His promises walk you down the aisle, carry you throughout your life and stay with you all the way to heaven! When the world is tearing you down, God promises to lift you above it. When people are walking away, God has promised to stay the course with you. When sorrows hit, God has promised to give you joy unspeakable and full of glory.  

I know. When you’re in the midst of the troubles, it’s hard to believe, but God loves you. I know it’s difficult some days to get out of bed, but God is the One Who wakes you up each day.  And, if God Himself is waking you up, then that’s a sure sign that He has a plan for the day, regardless of the headlines, the hurts, the fears or the concerns.   Just follow Him.  Just live by His Word. Just trust in the Only One Who loves you unconditionally and will never leave you or forsake you.

If you follow the Lord, live in the light of His Word and seek His face, everything else will work out. It might be messy along the way, but His will for your life will be completed. Hangeth thou in there, beloved!

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. NAS

Psalm 43:3 Send out Your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live.

John 15:11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God Will Loosen Your Heart from Your Troubles

Danny and I went to a friend’s funeral yesterday afternoon. It was a great tribute to a man who was known and loved by many. It ended up that we were after dark getting home. Since we had a houseful of family there, we couldn’t wait to get home.  Driving along at a pretty good pace, suddenly we realized that the interstate traffic was shutting down.  I was concerned about the trouble up ahead. But I was also frustrated that we were stopped less than a mile from our exit. Everything was fine and we were within reach of our destination when it all changed.  Road rage won’t work and sports cars can’t race when the road is ground to a halt. No matter who is in the vehicle, all have to stop. Inching our way along with sports cars, SUV’s and semi’s we finally made it to our exit. As we crossed the Interstate we noticed the traffic was stopped all the way to Caddo Valley, blue lights telling the tale of an accident up ahead.

We are a people in a hurry. We love the Interstate travel in life. Get on the road, get your speed up and sail on through.  Most of the time it’s an easy road, because all travel is going the same direction in your lanes. Occasionally, without warning, things happen. We have no control over those things, so we get frustrated and concerned. We wonder if we are going to make it through to clear sailing again.  Sometimes problems are cleared up quickly, other times we’re bogged down with them for quite some time. We feel that if we just had more power or leverage, we could get ourselves out of the situation. But regardless of who we are, when problems come, we all grind to a halt.

Are you wondering this morning why you have to be in such a mess? Are you concerned that you won’t make it home? Do you feel that you’re running out of time and you don’t know how you’ll ever get out of this trouble, this problem, this wreck in your life? Maybe you’re in a rage because you can’t control the situation.  You may feel abandoned, left in the dark, stopped dead in your tracks. You may not have caused it, but you’re certainly stuck in the middle of it. Is there no way out? Will help ever come?

Oh beloved God is with you! Let Him soothe you’re troubled heart. Let Him lift you above your circumstances. He speaks so gently and loving.  Even in the midst of troubles, He wants to speak Truth into your heart, your life, your situation. He says to you this morning, I AM with you. I AM fully aware of the situation and I’ve got it all under control.  Look to Me instead of your circumstances. As long as you concentrate on the circumstances and the feelings they bring, you can’t see Me clearly. Even when you can’t see Me, I AM with you. Let Me loosen your heart from the trouble ahead and adjust  your thinking. Rage won’t change a thing, speed won’t make up for lost time – for both are dangerous to your life and Our relationship.  Because I AM with you, I AM the One who will make a way for you to arrive safely at your destination! Lean on Me and let Me take the wheel of your life and together we will get through this and on to better days and smoother roads. I AM always going to say I love you, I AM always going to be with you. So you can Trust Me as I lead you. And as I lead you, you will find rage and malice, anger, dread, fear and frustration melt away to be replaced by My peace.

Trust God! Let Him take you beyond your circumstances. For He loves you enough to stick with you and He’s for you enough that He’ll get you through it. Rest in His promises for that’s all that really matters.

Psalm 34:19  The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.

Psalm 119:50  Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.

Psalm 138:7  Though I am surrounded by troubles, You will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of Your right hand saves me.

Psalm 120:1 I took my troubles to the LORD; I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer.

2 Corinthians 1:4  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.

2 Corinthians 4:18  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.

2 Samuel 22:31 God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

You Are Truly A Work of Art!

“You’re a piece of work!” comes to mind this morning. I’ve heard it on TV. I’ve heard fathers say it their kids. I’m pretty sure Archie Bunker said it to Edith at least once. Exasperated people use phrases such as this to vent their frustrations. I cringe as I remembered my own occasional irritability when mine were young. I didn’t talk to them that way, but there were times I would get tired of the chaos, clutter and cacophony of daily life at home with three young children.  We spent a lot of time outdoors, working in the yard, picking up sticks (I offered a penny a stick as reward!) and riding bicycles, chasing puppies, feeding chickens.  The outdoors made for smoother days as my kiddos worked off their enormous energy stores.

Perhaps you grew up in a home with an unfulfilled mother or an annoyed father or both.  Their anger and bitterness with themselves might have accidentally poured out on you.  Their words linger in the air, long after you are grown, still feeling the hurt and pain. Just as I remember hearing the phrase from long ago, you too may be recalling unintentional or intentional hurts from yesteryear.  Maybe you are the frustrated one and you are having issues as you try to live a life worth living.

Listen to the Lord’s love song to you this morning as He speaks affection into your life. God never gets frustrated with you, ever! He never throws up His hands and says, “done”. He never says you’re hopeless and He will never walk away.  He is the One Who will come and scoop you up when you’ve fallen. He kisses the hurts away with His tender words of care. 

Oh beloved!  You are not a piece of work to Him ever, but rather you are truly a work of art in His sight! You may have looked like a blank canvas when you were born but He is the painter and He gently guided the Colors of Love, Hope, Peace and Comfort onto your canvas as He created you to dwell in beauty and joy! Not only did He create you, He is continuing the canvas of your life!  He will continue His Artwork until you are home and even then you will continue to be a beautiful masterpiece in His Mansion, which is your heavenly home!

Rejoice as you learn to let Him sing love into your life and speak hope into your heart, because He loves you and He’s for you and that makes you priceless!

Ephesians 2:10  For we are God’s masterpiece…

Isaiah 29:16 How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and He is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the One who made it, “He didn’t make me”? Does a jar ever say, “The Potter who made me is stupid”?

Isaiah 43:7 Bring all who claim Me as their God, for I have made them for My glory. It was I who created them.

Job 10:10 You guided my conception and formed me in the womb.

Psalm 139:14 Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

Frustrations? Run to the Lord Who Can Handle it For You.

Not long ago I found myself fuming about something. I can honestly say I don’t remember what it was, but I remember the outcome. It was a week that had been unusually tiring. By Friday, that tiredness was turning into frustration. I really didn’t think I could “get it all done”. I went out to the garage to move something.  And it didn’t want to move. So I moved some other things around. All the time I was talking to myself about my frustration. There was one more small object to move out of the way before I could move the bigger object and get to what I was after. I picked it up and tossed it out of the way. I didn’t become the Hulk, really! But everyone in my family knows that it’s quite dangerous when I throw!  My aim and my pitch never go in the same direction. So this small object hit a box and bounced back. Onto Danny’s motorcycle.  At this point I realized I was being ridiculous and I picked the small object up to move it, not throw it.

That is when I spied it. The tiny nick of paint on the fender of Danny’s motorcycle.

And then I heard the voice of my Lord say,

“Anger always causes damage”.

I know what you’re saying. “What, we’re never supposed to be angry?”  The problem with anger is not that we get angry, but what we do with that anger.  I talked to myself about it instead of the Lord.  I found an object to vent my anger on instead of asking God to remove it from me.  It was my focus that got me into trouble. Rather than focusing on God’s redeeming abilities, I focused on my frustrated weariness. But God in His beautiful loving ways, spoke oh so gently to me. God did not return anger, righteous indignation or punishment on me.  He just walked around the day with me watching over me, hoping to get a moment with me and then at just the right time, He taught me. In love.

Oh beloved! I know for some of you there are things going on in your life that seem insurmountable. You’ve hoped they would go away, but they’re still staring you square in the eye. You’re getting tired and you’re ready to do something about it – in your own strength. But there is One Who has promised to follow you all of your days. He wants to speak the loving truth into your life so that whatever comes you can lean on Him for His strength, His wisdom and His courage to do the right thing no matter what. He says to you, I love you. I’ve got this. I know you can’t handle anymore, so just give it to me. Let me take your frustrations and your fears and turn them into jewels of the faith for you. My exchange system will never cause damage and never bring regrets. But you’ll have to Trust Me. You can, you know, for My Name is Faithful and True. Lean on Me for your support and together we’ll go into the situation and I’ll make things beautiful in their time.

Hallelujah! What a Savior! Who takes our infirmities and heals our wounds and renews our spirits. All in love, because He promises to love us forever and be with us always. And that’s all that really matters.

Hebrews 10:35-36 So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you!  Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that He has promised.

Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry (fret or fume) about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.

Psalm 86:11  Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honor you.