The words of the Lord are timeless, as relevant today as they were thousands of years ago, and if we listen we will hear His voice. When it happens, may we all be like the young boy, Samuel:
And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” 1 Samuel 3:10
One day I heard the still small voice of the Spirit whispering truths as I journaled. As thrilling as that was, it was also very encouraging because each word that was spoken was a relection of familiar scriptures, and evidence to me that over the years I had hidden His words in my heart.
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. Psalm 119:11-16
The secret place, the secret place Treasures are hidden in the secret place
Follow my way, follow my way From darkness into day, from darkness into day
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Evil may think that it has you trapped The entrance caved in and the road isn’t mapped But a way has been opened, a way bright and clear And the angels cry out, “Never fear, never fear”
Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them,“Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:9-10
I am the way, the truth and the light As you focus on Me, I’ll increase your sight
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law. Psalm 119:18
Go steadily forward; in pain persevere You’ll soon be amazed as I wipe every tear
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
Stand faithful, stand faithful; the trial’s almost done And you’ll walk in the light, hand-in-hand with the Son
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Hebrews 11:1-3
Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Psalm 73:23-24
The Spirit’s voice continued, but the message changed from one of encouragement to one of end-times expectations, which I will share in my next post. We are there, folks! If ever there was a time in history to hide His words in our hearts so as to be prepared when trouble comes, it is now. In my next post, In the meantime:
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5
For nothing will be impossible with God. Luke 1:37
I was twenty-eight years old, and the biblical women with whom I could relate the most were Sarah, Rachel, Hannah and Elizabeth. Why? They were barren and could not conceive a child. I wanted a baby desperately, yet after much testing my doctors could find no reason why I couldn’t become pregnant. Full of sorrow over what might never be, I could no longer attend baby showers or watch new moms with their sweet babies without my heart breaking.
At the time, while working as a private duty RN, an assignment was given to care for a young woman who had just given birth. Along with the task came the warning that she was going to be very hard to handle; a poor little rich girl, spoiled rotten, separated from her husband and living with her mother, who was pretty loony in her own right. Not only did the patient not want her child but she refused to even see her; on top of that, she was driving the entire staff crazy with her complaints. Long story short, she lived up to all the hype and wins the prize for the most difficult patient I ever had throughout my nursing career. Day 1 was beyond awful, dealing with her hysterics as she refused the very treatments that would have helped her feel better; but day 2 was just as bad, or even worse. The dad came to visit and they decided to go see their child, escorted by yours truly. That baby girl was one of the prettiest little darlings I’d ever seen, and she stole their hearts (and mine!); after which they decided Mom would take her home where they would live with the the sex-crazed, drugged-out grandmother in her multi-million dollar Beverly Hills mansion. That broke my heart almost as much as the mom not wanting the baby because I knew there was little chance she would grow up to be a happy, well-adjusted adult; let alone the fact that short of a major miracle, there would be no godly influence in her life. I wonder to this day how her life turned out and if she has ever come to know Jesus.
After all of this, while walking to my car after work I could’nt keep the tears from flowing. Literally railing at God over the injustice of it all, I argued with Him all the way home; asking over and over, “Why God, why?” I felt convicted that I should read my Bible as soon as I arrived, but was so angry with Him that scriptures and prayer were the last thing I was interested in. All I wanted to do was yell and scream and pretty-much throw a fit! Finally, I gave in and told Him, “OK, I’ll only read the daily devotional, but that’s it unless You give me some answers.”
Backtracking a little, this was before the days of easy search engines where you can type in a few words of a Bible quote and immediately locate the chapter and verse. I had been searching for weeks for a particular scripture but couldn’t find it even though I’d checked printed commentaries and indexes, all to no avail; it seemed like those verses had disappeared from my Bible. Now, I entered my home and, with a rebellious, I’ll-show-You God attitude, picked up my devotional booklet. Wouldn’t you know it? The very passage I’d been searching for was the verse of the day:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6
Broken, I collapsed on the floor in tears; repenting for my fears, impatience, lack of trust and everything else I could think of. By the time I got up He had made all things new, the angst was gone. Shortly afterward, a friend from church was about to give birth and I hosted her baby shower. I remember so clearly sitting there in complete peace; but there was also a quiet sense that I was pregnant, though it was much too early to even suspect it. Sure enough, I was; and about nine months later our son was born. I still identified with those biblical women, but this time it was because I understood how each one felt when they gave birth – Sarah, the mother of Isaac; Rachel, the mother of Joseph; Hannah, the mother of Samuel; and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist:
He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord! Psalm 113:9
Why me? Why did I have to go through that? Certainly, I don’t have all of the answers; but I do know that the experience has enabled me to comfort other women over the years. I also understand that why-questions are not limited to infertitily and that whatever the issue, God is always faithful to His own. He’s proven it to me time and time again; through life-threatening illnesses, financial difficulties and family difficulties, just to name a few, He has proven His sufficiency:
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9
Clearly, we don’t have all the answers and often cannot understand, but the truth remains:
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30-31
But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. Psalm 13:5-6
For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in. Psalm 27:10
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. Timothy 2:11-13
Life is full of hardship! Seemingly, about the time we overcome one thing, somthing else comes along. My prayer is that each person reading this post will embrace the reality of His sufficency and experience His perfect peace in the midst of the storms. Whatever the problem, He cares and He will help!
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38
It was just after Christmas in 2009. We’d celebrated Christmas with our son’s family, which now included our first grandchild, a precious 1-month-old boy. Now, I was left in their home to dog-sit with our two granddogs while my husband, Jack, flew off to Alabama for a holiday visit; and our kids left for a few days to attend our daughter-in-law’s family reunion.
Aside from a bad cold, I was all set to enjoy myself with left-over Christmas goodies, the dogs, and a movie marathon. But then… Isn’t there always a but?
I journaled: “Jack’s computer charging cable didn’t get packed and he called, desperate, because he had no way to show the very-old super-8-to-DVD movies we’d made for his family. I located a nearby post office, went out with my cough and runny nose, and sent the cord via priority mail, hoping it would arrive before he had to fly home. But now (another but!) apparently my phone cord did make the trip to Alabama! I am so grateful that my connection with God can never be lost, stolen or broken.”
Our guaranteed God-connection does have one mandatory requirement – to receive Jesus Christ as Savior:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3:16
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13
Yet, sometimes it just seems like God is so far away and, like King David, we may begin to doubt:
Why, O Lord, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10:1
Or, perhaps we wonder if He’s even aware of our difficulties. Scripture is clear that He is:
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Psalm 139:1-5
For every concern there is a corresponding biblical truth, so let’s look at a few common questions. First, how can we know that He even hears our prayers, let alone listens and answers them?
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
“Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known. Jeremiah 33:2-3
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. John 9:31
How can I be sure God will not just give up on me and walk away?
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1 Corinthians 10:13
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:18
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
Is it even possible for me to ever become close to God?
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:11-14a
But I’m afraid. How can I trust Him?
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:41:10-13
I am a Christian, but I need to grow closer to God. I really want to have a secure connection with Him. How do I do that?
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
The Apostle Paul summed it up well in his letter to the Colossians:
If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:1-17
Falling asleep recently while praying something to the effect that my life would be pleasing to God, I seemed to hear the words, “Ode to Joy.” This was a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1795, and is best known as the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which was completed in 1824.
Ironically, Schiller, who died in 1805, wrote a letter in 1800 to a longtime friend and patron whose friendship had originally inspired him to write the ode. He said that he considered his poem to be, “detached from reality [and] of value maybe for us two, but not for the world, nor for the art of poetry”.
Like Schiller, I imagine we may often underestimate the legacy that both our words and actions have left behind. For example, I cherish enduring lessons from a teacher I had in eighth grade, a teacher with such a reputation for being ‘mean’ that I was really disappointed to find out I’d been assigned to her class. Yes, she was pretty old, kind of grumpy and yes, she was definitely strict; but she also turned out to be one of the best teachers I ever had. Mid-year, she became very ill and was never able to return, so we had a substitute. Interestingly, I can recall nothing about her except that she was younger and more easy-going. I wonder if Mrs. Light ever knew what an impact she made on students throughout her long teaching career. Probably not.
Consider just a few biblical figures with enduring legacies. Did Jonah have any idea that thousands of sermons would be preached in years to come about his story? Did the minor prophets such as Joel, Habbakkuk or any of the other minor prophets ever dream that the God-given words they recorded would touch millions of lives? Doubtful!
How many of the members of the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11) had any idea that their sacrificial faith would still inspire people thousands of years later, near the end of time? Not likely!
But our God sees the end from the beginning; he knows both what has been and what is yet to come:
“…remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose’…” Isaiah 46:9-10
We should also keep in mind that bad examples often live on in infamy. Whom among us would like to carry the reputation of the hard-hearted Pharoh or Judas Iscariot, Hitler or Musolini? Few, I hope. But what of the bad examples set by ordinary people: perhaps parents, teachers, pastors or polititions who’ve done irreperable harm to both individuals and large groups of people? For better or worse, righteous or unrighteous, things that we say or do may well be remembered far longer than we’d expect, perhaps touching people we may never even meet, but God sees it all:
For a man’s ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he ponders all his paths. Proverbs 5:1ESV
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 ESV
O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. Psalm 139: 1-6
We would all be wise to live as if everything that we say and do will endure long after we’re gone, and to focus on living for Christ Jesus:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world,but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discernwhat is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 ESV
May we, like the Apostle Paul, be able to declare:
For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. Galatians 1:10 ESV
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21 ESV
Standing in Faith Ministries 
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