Hope!

By Pat

A friend of mine is currently going through a very difficult time in his life. His burdens are heavy, his responsibilites are great, and his once strong faith has faded. His joy is gone. He is finding himself in a place where each of us at some point has been. He is in a spiritual drought. He is presently "going through the motions."

What do we do at these times? Giving up on God would be the easy thing-but God never said life would be easy, did He? In fact, if you look at the Biblical heroes, you see that each of them became mightier in God's kingdom through trial and adversity.

Psalm 100:2 tells us to "worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs," and verse 4 says to "enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name." But how do we worship with gladness and sing joyfully when our hearts feel so full of darkness, worry and despair? That's when we feel ourselves going through the motions. We praise, we worship, but our hearts aren't really in it. It's at those times we need to cling desperately to our life-preserver, Jesus, and His promise of hope.

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No Excuses

By Pat

Many times in my life I have allowed the actions of others to dictate my actions. Have you? For instance, when I was yelled at, I yelled back. ("But you yelled first!") When someone was angry at me, I became angry with them. ("Well, I wasn't angry until you got angry!") When someone has been argumentative, I have argued back. ("You started it!")

It's difficult sometimes to swallow pride, zip lips and walk away. We want to be right, so we blame the other person for making us behave in a way unacceptable to God. We justify our bad behavior by pointing out that WE didn't start it. But that doesn't make us right, does it? The bad actions of others is never justification for our own bad actions. We are called to show others what God looks like, but we can't do that unless we rise above the temptation to return fire. We can never show the world what God looks like unless we allow Him complete control of our thoughts, words and deeds...especially when we are provoked, hurt or wronged. It is NOT okay for us to retaliate. Proverbs 16:32 says, "Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city." And Proverbs 21:23 advises, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity."

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Comfort From God

By Pat

"Whenever the spririt from God came upon Saul, David would take up his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better and the evil spirit would leave him." (1 Samuel 16:23)

Do you ever feel the need for a comforting word from God? I know I do. In this scripture passage from 1st Samuel, Saul was being tormented by an evil spirit. But God provided comfort and relief for Saul in the form of David playing his harp.

What harps does God send us? My harps have shown up in various forms; a call from a friend, a timely song, the right passage of scripture, a word of encouragement (sometimes from a person I would not expect to hear it from). My harps have been the sound of a child's laughter to chase away the blues, or the soulful eyes of my beautiful dog. Whenever it's needed, God finds just the right thing to send my way at just the right time.

We all receive our own little personal, comforting touches from God. The question is do we recognize them as God's personal message to us? We must always seek God's touch, and strive to recognize it when it arrives. God sometimes uses very unconventional means to reach us. He knows exactly what to do! We must also allow God to use us to be a "harp" for someone else, and to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit to reach out to others with a smile, a hug, a random act of kindness. Who knows? It could be just the personal touch from God, just the harp song that's needed! God always finds a way to reach us when we need to feel His touch.

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion for the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me." (Isaiah 49:15-16)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Why Worry?

By Pat

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (Matthew 6:34)

Worrying is one of the most difficult things we Christians wrestle with, usually on a daily basis if we're honest about it. Some days have few, but on other days we are overcome with situations that cause us to feel overwhelmed, burdened and far from God. Finances, health, jobs, families, children, and direction in our lives...these are just a few of the issues that we worry about and deal with. We do worry about tomorrow; the fear of the unknown. We try not to, but it's hard!

And so, I remind myself that no matter what tomorrow holds, God is already there. I am thankful for God's promises. I have given my cares to God, and no one can handle them better than He can. I praise God for blessings yet to come, strength that will be provided, wisdom which will be given when needed, and peace that is there for the taking. I praise God for His promise that I never walk alone. I praise God for darkness that will become light and rain that will change over to bright sunshine. I thank God for His wonderful gift of salvation, love that never fails, and the peace that passes all understanding. Indeed, why should I worry?

"You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall." (Psalm 18:28-29)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Learning To Wait

By Pat

I have often wondered what my life would look like today if I had been more attentive, careful and steadfast in listening for God's instructions. Would I be where I am right now, doing what I'm doing, or would God have me in a completely different place?

I am not always the most patient person in the world, especially when it comes to waiting. I am very diligent about giving my cares to the Lord, but not so great at deciphering what God is telling me. Therefore, many times I have taken matters into my own hands, thinking that God is taking too long to answer me and give me the guidance I need. Or worse...maybe decided that my solution is a little better than God's. That's a hard thing to admit! I'm sure more than once I have been disobedient to God by not waiting for Him.

In 1 Samuel 8, Samuel, by God's authority, told Saul, "Go ahead of me to Gilgal. I will surely come down to you to sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, but you must wait seven days until I come to you and tell you what you are to do." Saul, now anointed king of Israel, assembled his men and went to Gilgal as Samuel instructed. But as we read on we find that Saul took matters into his own hands..."He waited seven days, the time set by Samual; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul's men began to scatter. So he said, "Bring me the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings." And Saul offered up the burnt offering. Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. "What have you done?" asked Samuel. Saul replied, "When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the Lord's favor.' So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offerings."

Saul's impatience cost him favor with God, and under pressure Saul's lack of faith was revealed, as mine has been many times. When we stay in God's will and wait for His answers in His perfect timing, we will be blessed so that we can be a blessing to God. Hang in there...He's worth the wait!

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.