Category Archives: Faith & Hope

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November 2, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Peace of God, Temptation & Sin, Trusting God, Worry

SEEING THE SUNRISE

Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. [Isaiah 41:10 (NLT)]

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. [Romans 8:38 (NLT)]

morning dawn Since it was hot and rain had been promised later in the day, I went out walking in the wee small hours of the morning. The few street lights and full moon illuminated my way as God and I had our morning chat. My mind, however, wandered from comforting prayer to worrisome thoughts. We just had our annual physicals and, as often happens with people our age, something suspicious was found. Another test was done, the results are in and a specialist needs to be seen. In all likelihood, it is just a minor health issue, but my mind kept wandering into the area of “what if?” and the various dark scenarios that went along with the question.

Having just completed a couple of devotions on worry and fear for future postings, my own words convicted me of lack of faith. In spite of my well-meaning sincere writing, I allowed worry and fear to creep into my thoughts that morning. There are many ways the enemy tempts us—and it often has nothing to do with the obvious sins of greed, pride, lust, or envy. He subtly sneaks into our thoughts when we’re more concerned about tomorrow than trusting God to get us through today. Living in the land of “what if?” makes us vulnerable to his attacks of doubt, fear and worry.

Whether a minor medical issue (which it quite likely is) or a major medical problem, worry and fear won’t change it. I can’t alter the past nor can I influence the future diagnosis. I remembered that when God brought his people to the Red Sea, He provided them with a way to get across it; He will continue to do so for us today. If He doesn’t part the waters, He’ll provide a boat, give us the material for a bridge, or teach us to swim. Moreover, what we fear could be the sea just as easily can be a shallow puddle through which we can easily walk.

I looked up at the full moon as it was dipping to the west; at the same time, the morning light from the east began to paint the sky pink. For a brief moment, I could see both yesterday’s moon and tomorrow’s rising sun. While I can’t change yesterday and have no control over tomorrow, I do have control over my thoughts of this day. Seeing last night depart in the west and a new morning rise from the east, I chose to trust and have faith for today.

Worry and reasoning are two of Satan’s most successful tools. He’ll get us started with one negative thought and then sit back and watch us finish ourselves off. [Joyce Meyer]

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! [Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)]

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October 22, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Word: The Bible, Nature, Obedience, Peace of God, Today: Make it Count, Trusting God, Worry

TUMBLEWEEDS

Russian thistle (tumbleweed)-Kodachrome Basin State Park,UT 009-cropwebThe Lord says: Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mortal man and turns his heart away from God. He is like a stunted shrub in the desert, with no hope for the future; he lives on the salt-encrusted plains in the barren wilderness; good times pass him by forever. But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit. [Jeremiah 17:5-8 (TLB)]

The stunted shrub about which Jeremiah speaks is much like the tumbleweed. If you haven’t seen it in real life, you’ve probably seen it blowing across the desert in movies. The tumbleweed is actually the Russian thistle, a common western weed, and has a pretty little flower. Once mature and dry, however, the entire plant separates from the root; shaped like a ball, it looks like the dead shrub’s skeleton. In the western states, you can see tumbleweeds as small as soccer balls or as large as a Smart Car in ditches or tumbling along the desolate landscape.

On the other hand, cottonwoods are hardy trees. Much like the ones mentioned in Jeremiah, they put their roots down near rivers, lakes, and irrigation ditches throughout the southwest. Large trees, they have been known to grow up to eighty feet tall with trunks over five feet wide. Because they grow on the water’s edge, they typically survive prairie fires and can live over one hundred years. The hardy Rio Grande cottonwood even flourishes in New Mexico’s White Sands National Monument, an environment too harsh for most plants. In an area of scorching heat, scant rainfall, relentless winds, poor soil and blowing sand, the cottonwood survives because its roots are planted firmly down into the life-giving water hidden beneath the sand.

Do we want to live as a tumbleweed, dry and rootless in a barren land, with no hope for the future? That is what it will be like if we put our trust in our own strength or that of other people. Or do we want to be like the cottonwood, with deep roots, able to withstand fire, heat, wind and drought? If we put our trust in the Lord, we will never be alone and we’ll be able to survive, perhaps even thrive, in the most stressful of situations.

They shall neither hunger nor thirst; the searing sun and scorching desert winds will not reach them anymore. For the Lord in his mercy will lead them beside the cool waters. [Isaiah 49:10 (TLB)]

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. [Colossians 2:6-7 (TLB)]
cottonwoods (NM) -cropaweb

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October 14, 2015

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Faith & Hope, Family, Friends & Fellowship, God's Word: The Bible, Knowing Him, Temptation & Sin, Wisdom & Guidance

THE LIFE PRESERVER

And you must think constantly about these commandments I am giving you today. You must teach them to your children and talk about them when you are at home or out for a walk; at bedtime and the first thing in the morning. Tie them on your finger, wear them on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house! [Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (TLB)]

Teach a child to choose the right path, and when he is older, he will remain upon it. [Proverbs 22:6 (TLB)]

Kids don't float - FL3686WEBWhile walking on the beach last week, I saw a rack of life-vests. It was one of eleven such racks in our county’s free-of-charge loaner program: “Kid’s Don’t Float; Life Jackets Do!” Looking at those jackets made me think of a tragedy that occurred just a few days earlier on a beach in another county north of us, one that doesn’t have such a program. A nine-year old boy was playing in shallow water with his siblings when the wind gusted and what was described as a “freak” wave surged and knocked him over. The boy, who couldn’t swim, disappeared beneath the water and was swept away from shore. Nearly two days later his body was finally recovered.

Would a life vest program like our county’s have prevented this tragedy? Even if life jackets had been available, would he have worn one? We can only speculate as to whether knowing how to swim would have saved his life. The water was extremely choppy and even a strong swimmer would have had difficulty. Witnesses say the children were being properly supervised but that was not enough to protect this little boy. It was just a heart-breaking accident.

My sympathy and prayers go out to his family. Their tragedy, however, got me thinking about how easy it is for us all to think that children are safe or that we can protect them when really they’re not and we can’t. We lecture and supervise them and try to shield them from harm, poor choices, and the evil in our world but, short of keeping them in a bubble, it’s impossible. We have to let children make their way, not just at the beach, but in the treacherous waters they encounter every day in our troubled world. While we may not be able to prevent the rough seas, rip tides and undertows of life, we can do our best to equip youngsters to survive those hazards. Even more important than teaching them how to swim or insisting on a life vest, we must teach our children (and all the young people in our lives) God’s Word and raise them to know and love Jesus. We need to offer them more than a jacket made of nylon and foam to keep them from sinking under the schemes of the enemy. We need to show them how to use the best life preserver of all—the armor of God.

Last of all I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord’s mighty power within you. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand safe against all strategies and tricks of Satan. … So use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy whenever he attacks, and when it is all over, you will still be standing up. But to do this, you will need the strong belt of truth and the breastplate of God’s approval. Wear shoes that are able to speed you on as you preach the Good News of peace with God. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. And you will need the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit—which is the Word of God. [Ephesians 6:10-11,13-17 (TLB)]

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September 11, 2015

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Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Knowing Him, Peace of God, Sorrow, Grief & Regrets, Trusting God

ON A NEED TO KNOW BASIS

I also saw something else here on earth: The fastest runner does not always win the race, the strongest soldier does not always win the battle, the wisest does not always have food, the smartest does not always become wealthy, and the talented one does not always receive praise. Time and chance happen to everyone. [Ecclesiastes 9:11 (NCV)]

purple coneflower - MHSP087webSometimes, in the hope of protecting the integrity of secret or sensitive information, access to information is limited to a “need to know” basis. Of course, WikiLeaks and a variety of journalists have proven that there’s little that is ever truly confidential. The HIPA Act and all of those forms we sign when visiting a doctor are supposed to keep our medical information private and on a “need to know” basis. Having just learned that my medical insurance records have been hacked, it seems that a “need to know” status isn’t much of a safeguard to one’s privacy. In spite of all sorts of precautions, hackers, whistle blowers, and informants manage to access and leak information whether we need to know it or not!

There are times we think God is keeping certain information from us that we have a need to know. We want to know the answers to “Why?” Why did he get Alzheimer’s? Why did she go into a coma? Why did this child get leukemia? Why does my child have Down’s syndrome? Why the tornado? Why didn’t the driver stop? Why can’t I have children? Why was he at the wrong place at the wrong time? Why is her child in the gifted class when mine struggles to keep up? Why didn’t she listen? Why did he kill himself? Why is there so much hate and hurt? Why did so many die in such a senseless act of terrorism? Why couldn’t you save them? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why?

I freely admit that any sermons I’ve heard that tried to answer those questions failed miserably; they left me dissatisfied and empty. The short answer, of course, is readily available in Genesis: bad things happen because man sinned. That answer, however, is anything but satisfactory. The only sermons that ever made sense were the ones conceding that, while we’re in this world, there never will be an acceptable explanation for why bad things happen.

The answers to the cries of “Why?” are on a “need to know” basis. We’ll only know the facts we need to know at the time we need to know them. If we truly needed to know, God would tell us; but we don’t, so He won’t. It’s in God’s job description to know the answers to those questions; it’s not in ours. Our job description simply requires us to trust in Him and in His plan. It appears that the angels are all rather content with their positions so we shouldn’t count on them leaking any privileged information our way. We just have to accept that when, and if, we ever need to know why, God will supply a satisfactory answer. We don’t need to know why; we just need to know Him!

You are only human, and human beings have no right to question God. An object should not ask the person who made it, “Why did you make me like this?” The potter can make anything he wants to make. He can use the same clay to make one thing for special use and another thing for daily use. [Romans 9:20-21 (NCV)]

We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. [Romans 8:28a (NCV)]

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August 27, 2015

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Attitudes & Behavior, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, Prayer, Trusting God, Worry

PACK UP YOUR TROUBLES

Can any of you add a single hour to your life by worrying? [Matthew 6:27 (GW)]

7-30-15DSC01881_edited-1aweb
Eight years ago, we “downsized” which meant selling our home and cleaning out forty years’ worth of “stuff.” I could not believe the amount of knick-knacks, doo-dads, collectibles and seasonal décor I’d amassed over the years. At first, it was difficult to toss out or give away those items, but I soon found I liked the result. I’d spent way too much time cleaning, arranging, and taking care of all of it. Purging our home of those extras was incredibly freeing because it meant I was no longer at their mercy. Of course, there was less to dust and polish but, more important, once rid of so much that had filled our home’s shelves, walls, table tops and closets, it was easier to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of that which remained.

Worries are a little like those items we gradually accumulate that can eventually fill our houses (and storage units). If we could just pack them up in a box and toss them away, we’d certainly have more time. We wouldn’t be spending hours obsessing over our problems; perhaps we’d even find time to solve them! Once the worries were gone, we’d have space for positive thoughts and be better able to see the joy and beauty that exists in our lives right now. Granted, discarding the worry won’t make our problems disappear but, then again, worry won’t either! Worry, like so many of the things displayed in our homes or stored in our attics or basement closets, accomplishes nothing. Worse, worry can manage to take over our lives and even keep us from a right relationship with God.

Once we moved, I was tempted to start accumulating a fresh collection of superfluous items for the new house. So far, I’ve managed to resist, perhaps because I simply don’t have the space for additional things. It’s equally tempting to replace old worries with new ones; in fact, there are some who look for reasons to be anxious or worried the way others search for collectibles in garage sales or antique stores. As for me, I don’t want to spend my time fretting any more than I want to spend it dusting or polishing. Worries, like useless doo-dads, serve no purpose except to rob us of today’s joy and peace. If we keep our minds filled with God’s promises, there won’t be space left for anxiety and worry.

Is there something that is troubling you? Pack it up and give it to God. He’ll know what to do with it.

What’s the use of worrying It never was worth while
So, pack up your troubles in your old kit bag
And smile, smile, smile. [Lyrics by George Asaf]

The seed planted among thornbushes is another person who hears the word. But the worries of life and the deceitful pleasures of riches choke the word so that it can’t produce anything. [Matthew 13:22 (GW)]

Never worry about anything. But in every situation let God know what you need in prayers and requests while giving thanks. Then God’s peace, which goes beyond anything we can imagine, will guard your thoughts and emotions through Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6-7 (GW)]

 

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August 17, 2015

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Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, Fear & Doubt, God's Plan, Patience & Perseverance, Peace of God

FINISHING THE RACE

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. [Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)]

turtle (western box) - NM1764awebRecently, my son ran a half-marathon on a blistering hot and humid Chicago day. A seasoned runner, he said it felt like the longest 13.1 miles he’d ever run. Fortunately, the water stations kept him well hydrated and then, just when he thought he’d “hit the wall,” he came to a spray station that cooled runners as they ran through the water. My son simply paused for a bit under the mist, feeling the cool water on his skin, until he felt ready to run again. He scaled back on his goal of a personal best—time no longer mattered; he just wanted to finish the race.

Although I’m not a runner, I am a writer trying to run the race God has set before me. I examined myself to see what extra weight could be shed and found the burdens of doubt and fear—doubt that I am up to the task and fear that I will run out of words and ideas. Moreover, it won’t be a private defeat—it will be in front of a crowd of witnesses—my readers. I knew I had to shed my negative thoughts and lighten my load, but how?

I thought about my son’s half-marathon and the water stations and cooling spray that had refreshed him during the grueling race. Rather than water and mist, perhaps I needed another kind of refreshment—prayer and meditation. I sat quietly with my Bible, prayed and read, and felt refreshed instead of burdened. Reading God’s word and sitting quietly in prayer was like a hydration station for the soul—it filled and refreshed me with living water. Instead of hurrying on to my tasks, I followed my son’s example and spent a good long time under God’s shower of peace. I stripped off the doubt and fear—they’ll only hold me back—and replaced them with faith and confidence.

God signed me up for this race. Even though I didn’t get a t-shirt or water bottle, it is a race that has given me tremendous joy and one I want to continue. Instead of sore muscles, there have been a few headaches but, without a doubt, I want to see it all the way to the finish line, whenever that may be. That pause to refresh, however, reminded me that God didn’t say I had to do a marathon—that was my decision. Perhaps, at my age, I’m more a 10K girl. Knowing I need to accept my own limitations, I’m going to run a shorter course of five messages a week and take extra time each day to be refreshed by that living water.

Slow but sure wins the race! [The Tortoise’s comment to the Hare in Aesop’s fable]

Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” [John 7:37-38 (NLT)]

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. [Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)]