Believe

With things still spinning outside my window (pandemic, politics etc.), I’ve been calling out to God and asking Him what I should do.

I mean, really. We all have a part. We all have a purpose. (Are you asking Him what you should do?)

For me, it all goes back to the word He gave me for this year:  Believe.

At first I thought the word was just for the Christmas story I wrote last month. But the more I travel into January, I know it’s for this year. (He gave me another word, but I believe that’s something He’s going to do and is already doing. But that’s for another post.)

But the believing, well, that’s up to you and me.

We believe God parted the Red Sea, and Jesus calmed the storm. We believe Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. We believe the countless times when Jesus showed up people were healed, changed, challenged, and redeemed.

Don’t let the storms, the cresting waves of this world threaten you, scare you, or send you running for cover, my friends.

Believe in God. Believe in His power and His promises. Believe in His faithfulness and His love. Believe that He never leaves you. Believe that He has good plans for your life. Believe that in all things He is working things out for the good of those who love Him. Believe that Jesus rose from the grave and is seated at the right hand of the Father right now, interceding for us. Believe the Holy Spirit is on planet Earth, inhabiting the spirits of the willing vessels who surrender and call out to Him, inviting Him to guide, counsel, comfort, and direct. We don’t have to wander around aimlessly and hopeless.

We don’t have to lower our heads as discouragement tries to weigh us down.

We lift our eyes to the hills, where our help comes from, and we praise our God because we KNOW He is faithful! He always has been and always will be. And nothing is impossible for Him or too hard for Him.

When we believe in God, we are turning our eyes (see, that’s our part) to focus on God instead of the noisy waves crashing all around.

Do you remember what happened when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus while he, Peter, was walking on water?

Peter began to sink. He cried out to Jesus, and immediately Jesus saved him.

Wherever you are today, my friends, don’t take your eyes off of Jesus. Stay focused on Him. And if you give into your flesh and you look away, don’t give into the sinking. Don’t give up. Call out to Jesus. Immediately, He will be there to lift you up.

Don’t doubt. Believe.

“‘But if you [Jesus] can do anything, take pity on us and help us. ‘If you can’? said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:22b-24 NIV.)

Stuck in the Mud

When I was a little girl, my mom and I went for a walk through the trees and trails on our property. I wore boots, so I wasn’t too worried about all the mud from a recent rain.

I was making my way through the thick sludge, putting one foot in front of the other and realizing my boots were starting to get pretty heavy.  Finally they wouldn’t budge at all.

I tugged and pulled with everything I had, feeling different muscles in my feet and legs screaming at the absurd torture. But my boots wouldn’t even wiggle. It’s as if they suddenly developed an attitude, stubbornly refusing to move and laughing because now they were stronger than me, and I wasn’t going to tell them what to do anymore, thank you very much.

It got me thinking this morning…

How often do we feel stuck? Stuck in debt or an illness? Stuck waiting for an answer so we can move forward, knowing then which way to go?

Maybe our “mud” is in the form of anxiety or fear or even bitterness and we don’t know how to escape the muck. (Read more on that here.)

The day I got stuck in the mud, I called my mom and she came to my rescue, pulling my feet out of my boots and then wiggling those stubborn beasts free as they let out a loud slurping roar. (We had a good laugh as I stood there in my socks!)

When you and I get stuck in our lives we can call out to God, and He will come to our rescue.

I’ve learned He sometimes allows us to wait for the rescue for a number of reasons:

He wants us to know the rescue, the glory belong to Him; we can’t get unstuck by ourselves.

He may want to stop us to protect us from what’s up ahead.

He may be preparing a blessing up ahead, and it’s not ready. Or we’re not ready.

He may be teaching us this path is not for us.

And sometimes this may be the only way He can slow some of us down so we will spend time with Him. (Any other caffeinated gung-ho-ers out there?)

The point is if you feel stuck, the moment you cry out to God He hears you. The answer and the rescue will come. Just sit tight (or stand if you can’t get those boots off!) and wait for Him. He will never let you down.

“In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears…He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.” (Psalm 18:6, 16 NIV.) *

*If you’re really struggling, needing God’s rescue, try reading all of Psalm 18 out loud…so powerful!

(Photo from Pexels.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s Got You

A little Spark. 

Hey, it’s going to be okay.

You’ve got this

because God’s got you.

 

When a Blessing Hurts

Has someone ever blessed you with a slow cooker full of food when you were in need? Or maybe you received an envelope with your name scribbled on it, the handwriting unrecognizable and a little money tucked inside?

Perhaps the man behind you in line at the store paid for some of your groceries, those you were embarrassed to admit exceeded the amount of money in your checking account. Or maybe someone offered to babysit your child when you needed a moment to catch your breath or give you a ride when your car was on the fritz.

What did you do with that blessing? Were you thankful?

Or did you cringe at the idea of accepting their gift? Did it settle in your stomach like a bunch of rocks? You didn’t want to take it. You just couldn’t accept it, but…

You’d been crying out to God for help, and there it was. Perhaps it wasn’t the way you expected Him to help. And overall, you felt terrible and wondered how a gift, a blessing could actually hurt.

Blessings hurt when they don’t fit our standards of what we’re comfortable receiving. When Pride shows up on the scene demanding he’s in charge.

Think of it this way: Someone gives you a beautiful painting, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece. Pride walks in with a scowl on his face, picks up a can of orange paint, and splatters it across the painting. Then he reaches for another can…

If you let him, Pride will ruin the blessing.

And a blessing like that is a gift. It has nothing to do with your worth. It’s a gift to you from your Heavenly Father (and the lovely vessel He chose to use). It wasn’t something you earned. It wasn’t something you had to repay. It wasn’t something to hurry up and get rid of like a hot potato in your hand because Pride was as comfortable as wearing a sweater in the middle of a hot summer day. (Did I mention the sweater was one from grade school?)

Let Pride squirm in his tight and itchy sweater. Let him sulk, get mad, and try to make you feel guilty.

Elbow Pride out of your way and don’t waste your time trying to argue with him. His older brother, Stubborn, has taught him a thing or two, and he won’t give up so easily. Save your breath.

Besides, you’ve got more important things to do. You can start by thanking the person God used to bless you (perhaps you saw a glimpse of your Father in that person’s eyes – a double blessing for you!).

You can praise God for His hand in your life, for the way He chose to help you. (It was a surprise, wasn’t it?)

And then you can start praying God will bless that person in ways you never could, in ways you can’t even imagine.

You can also pray He will use you like that someday.  What an honor, a humbling experience to be used by God Almighty to shine His light on someone who’s been crying out to Him.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 NIV.)

“And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT.)

When God is Quiet During Your Brokenness

Things can leave us broken with the pieces of our messy and shattered lives washing ashore. The things we counted on crumble like sand in our hands. People let us down. We feel forgotten or discarded. Or a great rescue we’ve been hoping and praying for doesn’t come.

It hurts. You lie awake at night, tears soaking your face and landing on your pillow. You talk to God. You plead for an answer. You ask Him what you’re doing wrong or what you should do to fix it all. You find yourself dropping to your knees and begging, crying out to Him for help.

But He’s quiet.

You wonder what’s going on and why He’s allowing this storm to rage, one that’s been thrashing against your heart for a long, long time.

Maybe you only see the pieces of what’s survived the storm and wonder what good can come from it. What can God possibly do with this mess?

He can do more than you can even imagine.

He can build something new out of your brokenness, make a new way, or lead you on a new journey. He isn’t limited by time or money or any of the resources you and I fix our eyes on, watching as it all dwindles and worrying if it will be enough.

He stretched oil for a widow and fed thousands from a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread. He can make ends meet. He can provide all you need.

He is, after all, Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide.

He won’t leave you alone to deal with your brokenness. He’s there with you. He’s always been there.

Perhaps He is quiet because He wants you to take a good long look at the mess that’s been swept up on the shore, to remember all the ways you tried to fix everything and how you came to the end of yourself; when you ran out of ideas and you couldn’t see how any good was going to come from such a terrible storm that left you utterly broken.

Yes, take a walk and remember what the dreadful mess looks like and how painful this walk is, so when the rescue comes (and it will come), you’ll experience more joy than you’ve ever known.

And you’ll know it was God who restored you and rescued you from the storm raging within.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121: 1-2 NIV.)