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;

If You Can't Fly, Just Rest in Him

It’s cooling down in our “neck of the woods”. That means I can once again leave window blinds open. It always feels cooler in the hot weather when it’s a little darker inside.  I love looking out on the back yard through the patio doors. Wildlife abounds in our neighborhood and the animals are stirring more as the temperature is becoming more tolerable. Birds are singing a little more and squirrels are scampering again.

One of the hard things about leaving the blinds open on the patio doors is that birds try to come into the house!  They don’t notice the glass, just the clear path they are traveling.  They’re oblivious to the danger ahead as they fly through the air.

Upon hearing a thud, we run to the door.  Sure enough there on the deck we see a bird laying there.  It appears totally lifeless, on its back, with its feet up in the air. Dead as a doorknob is the saying.  Not breathing, not moving, curled up, done for. Sometimes there are even feathers on the glass, a sure sign that the creature hit the glass way too hard.

It always amazes me. Most of the time if you watch long enough the bird will begin to right itself.  Sometimes it has to sit there for a good while.  Sometimes it rocks a little with its head lying back on its wing. Sometimes we dare to step out and see if it is truly going to be alright. We want to step in and make it right. We want to help. We’re met with the surprise of the little feathered friend taking flight and escaping to the rest of its life.

God speaks. How we are like that little bird. We fly through life, taking things in, enjoying the bounty of God’s goodness, having fun, doing all the things we were meant to do.  We rarely see the obstacle ahead. We fly instead headlong into it.  We are thrown to the ground.  We are flat on our backs. We are unable to speak, we can barely breathe. It has hurt! It was unexpected! We are undone.  Someone may have pulled the glass closed in front of us and we don’t think we are going to make it.

Except that God is with us. He didn’t come running to the glass when we hit – He was with us!  He is with us on the floor of our hurts, pain and rejection.  He is standing with us in our agony, in our suffering, in our mourning. He is gently hovering over us breathing His life renewing spirit into us. His hands are gently setting us aright. His heart is for us, His heart is with us and eventually His heart will renew us.

I know the hurts that can be experienced when life knocks the wind out of you. I’ve had it happen to me as well.  I know those hurts. But more importantly God knows them - each and every one of them.  He knew them before the foundation of the world.  He knew when you’d be knocked flat, He knew when you’d have a hard time breathing, He knew when you wouldn’t be able to stand on your own. He also knew, before the foundation of the world that you would fly again, soar with the eagles, sing with the warblers and live a full and wonderful life. 

Oh beloved, if you can’t fly, then just rest in Him. Lay your wearied head on His shoulder.  Ask Him to refresh your mind with His Word. He will bring you just the right Word at just the right time. You don’t even have to make it to Him – for He bends down to listen. If He knows the number of hairs on your head and He knows that not one sparrow falls to the ground without His knowledge, then He can surely revive you, redeem you, remold you and restore you. He is the God of Redemption, He is the Great I AM, and He is the Fixer of broken things, broken ministries, broken hearts and broken spirits.

This time of restoration is not wasted. No time spent in God’s presence is ever wasted. You may want to fly on to more ministry, other duties, different callings, but restoration time spent with Him is imperative to your revival. You may feel that you must be busy, doing and going, but God says rest in MY presence. For it is in MY presence that you will be restored and it will be to new heights, greater ministry and better fellowship with ME.

Oh how God loves you!  Oh how God cares for you! Rejoice today and begin to sing His praises right where you are! You are destined to live for His glory and that’s all that matters as you fly with Him all the way to heaven.

Lamentations 5:21 Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored; Renew our days as of old…

Psalm 71:19-21 Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the highest heavens.  You have done such wonderful things.  Who can compare with You, O God?  You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but You will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.   You will restore me to even greater honor and comfort me once again.

Psalm 91:1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 71:23 I will shout for joy and sing Your praises, for You have ransomed me.

Psalm 103:1,4,5 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

 

 

 

Feasting on the Manna is So Fulfilling

Danny and I don’t cook like we used to. When we had children at home, fresh meals daily were on the table for their benefit as well as ours. As part time jobs and band and ballgames and dates took over their lives, it was more quick meals and carry outs.

I laugh as I look into my cupboard to see all the “instant” food available. From cocoa to soup, from potatoes to coffee everything we might need is available. Sometimes though, I want a “real meal” so we cook!  You just can’t instantly have a pot of pinto beans or a roast.

We have become the victims of instant everything. From our “smart” phones to our computers and televisions, it’s instant on, instant search and instant information.  We find ourselves frustrated if one of them doesn’t respond as quickly as we want.  Funny that the very things we were told would make our life better have given us more frustration and annoyance.

For our spiritual life, it’s pretty much become the same. A snippet of a good speaker on the television, a little Christian music on the way to work, looking up a verse on our phones or searching the internet for answers to our heart problems has become the norm.  We have overvalued the quick pick me ups and undervalued steady preparation. 

The Lord will give us instant help, constant strength and eternal hope. But to live in the light of His Word, we will always have to take His yoke upon us and learn. Learning takes time. Preparing to be all God wants for us takes time. Ask the ones you know who are strong Christians. They will tell you. Years of learning, years of studying, years of living in the light of the One Who loves us beyond all imagination.

Oh beloved, God knows your busy life. He sees you running here and there, helping your family, doing your job and all that is expected of you.  He sees the burdens, the weariness, the sorrow. He knows you’ve worked hard to get where you are and yet there are times that you wonder if it was worth it. He knows your heart longs to feel the peace that only His presence can give. He says to your heart this morning, beloved, slow down and feast on My Manna so richly provided for you because I love you. It’s free. It’s nourishing. It’s always available just on time. I love you, He says to your precious heart, I Am for you, He says to your wounded soul. I have this, He speaks to your hard situation.  I AM the One Who gives you enough time in those times you don’t think there’s a way.  Rest in Me and I will give you all that you need and more, for I AM a More Than God!

Run to His Word and lay your face on His shoulder for He is love and He is provision and He is there for you always…you will find what you really need nowhere else, ever…

Matthew 6:32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Acts 17:25 and human hands can’t serve His needs—for He has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need.

2 Peter 3:18 Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to Him, both now and forever! Amen.

2 Peter 1:3 By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.

Psalm 25:5 Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.

Feeling Sluggish in Faith? Ask for a System Restore!

I left work Friday a little frustrated with technology.  It’s hard to imagine that one small change in a network could wreak such havoc on everyone, but it can.  One computer “died” so I replaced it with another one we had.  Suddenly neither of the network printers could be used by anyone. It was as though they’d never been there.  By Monday evening, we finally had the host computer and one other networked computer able to use the printers. In the meantime I had gone to a website looking for the recliner Danny wanted for Christmas and found a lovely present – a lovely fake anti virus malware infection! I turned my computer off and went home.

This morning as I turned on my computer I was expecting more trouble. Then I remembered one of the state office computer techs saying that if one could get to system restore, then that virus malware could be defeated. I tried it before my computer finished booting up and yes, thankfully I was able to restore the computer to last Saturday and my crisis was nipped in the bud!

System restore is a greatly needed item for humankind as well.  Even those of us who have given our lives to Christ can get malware running in the background.  The Word says it best - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life – these things can overtake us. As they do, we find our spirit life running slower and slower, bogged down by earthly things that tend to catch us and hold us captive.  We still may attend church, may join, and may get very involved, but all the time that “stuff” is running in the background.  We find that we must go to our Manufacturer for a full system restore, daily, to keep the virus of our flesh at bay. 

Oh beloved, maybe you have been feeling a little sluggish lately. Everything seems fine, but you just don’t seem to feel the thrill of faith anymore. Or you’ve let your mind wander to things that aren’t of faith.  Run to God’s Word, the Ultimate Technology and let Him give you a system restore! He loves you so much that the Holy Spirit will do this for you without fussing or fuming or lecturing you! He’ll just take you in His arms and revive your spirit. In turn, you will begin to feel revived in your body and mind as well! Oh thank Him this morning that His Restoration is instant and His promises are all True! He is your Maker, so He is your Guide and your Sustainer all the days of your life! Hallelujah! What a Savior!

I John 2:16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

Psalm 13:3 Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You.

Lamentations 3:23 Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.