Feeding a Thirsty Soul

We are WELCOMING Tami Van Hoy to the Cafe! She's serving up the devo today!

Psalm 143:6 ~

I spread out my hands to You; my soul thirsts for You like a parched land.
Psalm 42: 1-2 ~

As the deer pants for the water so pants my soul for You, o God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

When I think about a parched land, I envision hardened ground crisscrossed with wide cracks. And then I think about how hard and cracked I get at times before I realize how thirsty my soul is for the living word of God.

Why is that?


I mean, when my body is thirsty, I don’t hesitate to drink something. Anything. Wait…that’s it! How many times does my soul cry out and I drink something other than the living word of God?


How many times does our attitude reflect a hard, cracked, thirsty soul?


And what do we seek to quench that thirst?


My mind goes to things like chocolate when I am grumpy, or shopping when I am stressed. It’s like my habit of drinking coke when I am thirsty. It’s good going down, but my body soon shows the stressed signs of dehydration because the ‘coke’ did not have the water my body needed.





As a mother, I learned to recognize the stressed signs of dehydration the first time my youngest came dangerously close to being hospitalized while battling the flu. After that, I learned the ‘tricks’ to get water into those little bodies at the first sign of dehydration.


This is our lesson today;


Learn to pay attention to the early signs of dehydration of our souls and know what we must do to douse it with doses of the living water of God. What are your signs of dehydration? Do you know them and can you recognize them early, before your soul is hard and cracked?


For me, the image of a hard and cracked soul brings to mind angry responses, defensive attitudes, bitter thoughts and hateful words. Self pity and depression can be indications as well. What about you? What does your hard and cracked soul look like in the flesh?

Just as I learned to respond quickly to the signs of dehydration in my children, I’ve learned to quickly respond to signs of a parched soul as well. I take a clue from David in our featured Psalm today:

“I spread out my hands to You”

Have you ever tried it?

I highly recommend it. It’s like a child who runs out into the rain, lifts her hands, looks up with mouth wide open and catches the drops that fall from the sky. She finds such joy in this and begins to spin and laugh, all the while catching more of the falling drops. Now I am quiet, reserved and introvert by nature, so I first tried this when I was all alone. It was a day when my parched soul had made me weak and the world around me was pressing in. The Lord led me to this particular Psalm and my heart connected so completely with David’s words. And so I spread out my hands, lifting them up to the Lord as I cried out for Him rain down on me. The tears came as I felt the joy of each drop fall from my Father onto my parched soul. Go ahead try it. If you like, turn on some praise music and sing out to God.


Our recipe today is to Feed Our Thirsty Soul.

The ingredients are from Psalm 143:6 and 42: 1-2. And the directions are to learn to recognize the signs of your parched soul and to lift up your hands to the Lord for His living water.

PRAYER:


Father, hear my cries and rain down Your word on me. I come to You parched and needing a long drink from Your living word. Teach me to recognize the things I turn to when my soul is thirsty; things that fill the place Your word belongs. Give me a desire to turn to You first, Lord. I spread my hands out to You and I find great joy in receiving Your living word into my life today.

Amen

In Him,

Tami

Tami can be found daily serving up inspiration daily at Around the Table with Tami and Food for the Soul, where she shares healthy recipes gleaned from Scripture.

He Restores My Soul

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Psalm 23:2-3

Driving up the steep, curvy, gravel road, I asked the Lord to meet me on the mountain. After a season of intense trial, I needed some time alone with the Lord. I needed the peace and comfort and restoration that only come through Him.

After breaking my right foot in early spring, I’d been unable to walk or drive for ten weeks. As my world shrunk to four walls, the days crawled by. Satan didn’t waste this opportunity, this time of weakness and discouragement, to attack. Life delivered another blow that threatened to break my very spirit - my soul.

As I returned to the doctor for check-ups and x-rays, the news was the same time after time. The bones haven’t healed. The bones haven’t healed. “Why aren’t your bones healing?” the doctor finally asked.

The news from my spirit was the same. The heart hasn’t healed. The heart hasn’t healed. “Why isn’t my heart healing?” I cried out to the Lord.

I felt so helpless. I felt so alone. I felt so wounded. The words that usually poured from my heart onto the page ceased. This had never happened to me before. Yet, that’s exactly what Satan wanted.

Ten weeks after the fall that broke my foot, I returned to the doctor for yet another x-ray. With the report in hand and a smile on his face, he walked into the room and delivered the wonderful news - your bones have healed. Even though my foot was tender and painful to walk on, I enjoyed every step I made. I enjoyed getting into my car and driving once again. My foot had been restored.

But my heart - my spirit - that was another story. Desperately needing to get away, I made a reservation for a few days at Pilot Knob Inn. Arriving at the tobacco barn cabin, I unpacked my bag and laid down for a nap. As I closed my eyes, sleep didn’t come – prayers did. Lying on the bed, I began to feel God’s mighty presence as I poured out my heart to Him.

The room was dark because the view from the small window was obscured by trees. Suddenly, an intense light from the sun shone between the leaves and forced my eyes open. I hadn’t seen even a tiny opening in those leaves but God allowed the sun to break through and flood not only my face but my heart. As I shielded my face from the bright light, I felt that I, like Moses, had seen the goodness of the Lord pass by me.

Throughout the weekend, each time I tried to nap, my nap time turned into prayer time. I was drawn to God’s Word and read Scripture that I’d highlighted while going through previous trials. I read all the verses I could find pertaining to healing.

Thinking my broken spirit couldn’t be repaired in one short weekend, I merely hoped to find peace and a little restoration. Packing my car to return home, I realized how little faith I have in our big God.

I’d asked the Lord to meet me on the mountain and He had met me on the mountain. I asked him for a little peace and restoration. God gave me His peace that passes understanding and He healed my broken spirit. I returned home to the same problems I’d left behind only now, by His grace I knew I could handle them. The Lord restored my soul.

Are you at a place in your life where you need to be restored?

Do you need a healing touch from God?

Pour out your heart to the Lord and He will heal your broken spirit.

Father, thank you that you are able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine. Thank you for being the Lord who heals us.

I'd love to have you visit at http://www.inspirationfrommayberry

Generic for a Weak Supply

“Is the generic okay?”

The pharmacist’s voice jolts me out of a waking sleep.

“Um, sure. I guess,” I tell her not knowing enough to voice an opinion. Usually, price is the bottom line in choosing generic versus brand name prescriptions. Generic is much cheaper. But is it as effective?

My close friend’s son has epilepsy. In his case, generic is not the same. That I do know. I know that the FDA allows up to a 20% variation in the active ingredient of generic drugs. For those living with epilepsy, it’s not a variance they can live with. It may be the difference in keeping seizures under control or allowing the seizures to control them.

When I’m buying sour cream, orange juice, or even margarine, I’m fine with the “off-brand.” It’s usually much cheaper. But there are other items for which I’m not willing to accept the substitute. Don’t mess with my Diet Coke, Nilla Wafers, or Doritos.

In life, there is always a substitution for the real thing – including God. Some trade God for tarot cards and crystals, others for money and fame. But some of us substitute our time with the Heavenly Father for church and religion. This perhaps is the most dangerous of all substitutions.

Unfortunately, it’s easy to fall into this exchange. We are too busy going to church, delivering items to the food pantry, singing in the choir, and mailing cards to the shut-ins to actually stop and spend time with Almighty God. On the outside we look like we’ve got it together, but in actuality, we are struggling. Do you know why? Because we accepted a substitute for our personal relationship with Christ, and it left us weak.

The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Isaiah 29:13 NIV

I sat in a parking lot one day when I saw the sign above; God spoke to my heart. He impressed on me “Generics for a Weak Supply” and questioned whether or not I was filling myself with the real thing. I thought about how tired I felt and knew the answer. Would you be willing to live your life with 20% less God?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NIV

How about you? Have you been trying to get by with a substitution for your time with Christ? Don’t settle for anything less. Remember accepting generic leaves you with a weak supply.

Visit Carol at sheep to the right!

The Women with the Issue of Blood

The Internet Cafe Devotions is thrilled to welcome Paulette Harper today!
Paulette is filling in for Chelsey Hall, who we are THRILLED to announce has safely delivered her 6th baby!!
CONGRATULATIONS CHELSEY!

Mark 5: 25-34 AMPAnd there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had endured much suffering under [the hands of] many physicians and had spent all that she had, and was no better but instead grew worse. She had heard the reports concerning Jesus, and she came up behind Him in the throng and touched His garment, For she kept saying, If I only touch His garments, I shall be restored to health.


And immediately her flow of blood was dried up at the source, and [suddenly] she felt in her body that she was healed of her [distressing] ailment. And Jesus, recognizing in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around immediately in the crowd and said, Who touched My clothes? And the disciples kept saying to Him, You see the crowd pressing hard around You from all sides, and You ask, Who touched Me?


Still He kept looking around to see her who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had been done for her, though alarmed and frightened and trembling, fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. And He said to her, Daughter, your faith (your trust and confidence in Me, springing from faith in God) has restored you to health. Go in (into) peace and be continually healed and freed from your [distressing bodily] disease.


What a great story of determination, fortitude and tenacity.


This woman had several issues. These particular issues kept her from enjoying the benefits of living a prosperous and full life. The scriptures notes that she endured must suffering at the hands of many physicians and the scriptures goes on to tell us of her lack of finances. She has many things going against her; first the Jewish custom forbids this woman to intertwine or mingle in society when she has been bleeding outside her customary period of seven days. She is considered an outcast and unclean. Second she has exhausted all her resources. Not only did the doctors abuse her but her finances dried up.


No doubt she is at the end of her road. One of the reasons I love this store is because I can see exactly where I fit into the story. Here we have a woman that has some medical issues in which she hoped that the doctors can heal; she at one time had the resources to seek out for a remedy for her condition but only grew worse; she is not wanted by society, so she is alone. But she hears that Jesus is coming and she brushes off and lays aside the customary laws, she did not look at her condition as if it was too big for Jesus; she believes Jesus could heal her and she seeks for her issues to be removed by Christ.


I found myself like the woman with the issue of blood, faced with several of my own personal issues, overwhelmed with feeling of no self worth, feeling abandoned and alone, faced with an uncertain future and finding that my life was crumbling right before my eyes. I pressed my way through the crowds of the naysayers, haters and even the enemy of my mind. Breaking though all the hurt, pain and disappointments that was a constant reminder of my failed relationship, yet moving ahead to the only one who could make me whole.


Just like this woman with the issue of blood approaching Jesus without any question to His ability to heal, restore and deliver I walked each day with the assurance that my life some how was going to be better. Once realizing that my true source of hope, joy and recovery was only in Christ, I bravely accepted the lot that was given to me and today I can boldly say I stand strong, vibrant and full of purpose because of Christ the one who felt me touch the hem of His garment.
Have you touched the Master’s garment?



Just like the woman with the issue of blood, Christ is standing and waiting on you to approach Him with complete confidence in His power, ability to heal and make you whole.



In Him,


Paulette

Paulette Harper is the Author of “That Was Then, This Is Now, This Broken Vessel Restored”. A
heart-wrenching account of one woman’s true story of determination, loss and triumph. In her book, she outlines how a heart attitude of surrender allows God to use a broken vessel for His
A native of Pittsburg, Ca, Paulette travels as an inspirational speaker teaching people how to
overcome life’s unexpected experiences by delivering a strong message of hope.Her passion is to lead people to a clear and precise understanding of how life challenges can become one’s ultimate source of victory by sharing solid, biblical principles that will enable people to find a way out of every trial so they can reach their God given potential. She has been featured on Comcast Channel 26, Gospel Search TV, San Francisco Radio Station KPOO, Artistfirst Radio Station, Access TV Channel 29 San Francisco, Grace and Mercy Magazine and on aakulturezone.com and WOW magazine.

For more information about “That Was Then, This Is Now visit www.bvministry.org.

Paulette can be reached at: paulet_harper@yahoo.com

My Old Dealbreaker

"You take one of my babies and the deal's off!"

A few years ago I stood in my shower and through my weeping, I threatened God, or at least I thought I did, that if anything happened to one of my kids I would walk away. Done. Over.

I literally thought that if the worst of my fears actually came true, I would blame Him and never talk to Him again. I was that afraid. I lived in fear; fear that He would take one of my children and if He did, so help me God... because no one else would be able to.

I had the same experience with Him a few years earlier when it came to my husband. I figured that one way for me to be "forced" into getting closer to God and having the "real me" exposed would be if I faced my worst fears. I cried and cried (again in the shower, I figure it's safe there) and said that I didn't want to get any closer to Him if it meant I would lose someone. The results I heard that come from suffering were not ones I was willing to suffer for.

All in all, it was a twisted pattern that stemmed from my grandparents being ripped from our family in a deadly plane crash when I was thirteen. Somehow, those emotions were capitalized on and the Enemy had a hay day with my thought life. Fear set in like cement and put a rock solid belief system in me that took the sledge hammer of truth to set me free.

However, just recently I was on the porch. I had my head leaned back and I was looking up at the clouds rolling by. It was a moment, just between me and Him. That day in the shower came back to mind and I realized at that moment, I didn't think that way anymore. I smiled and realized that I could actually play out my worst fear without being gripped by it. Now, He is my first thought. I think of Him as a refuge and know now that He is the one who would see me through such a terrible thing.

I'll have it no other way.

I've been set free from fear. I can now say that if the worst happened, I believe, in the end, He would still be my God and I would still be His beloved. There is no fear in love. There may be pain, but there is no fear.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear. James 4:18

Natalie.

Join Natalie at her personal blog:

and her online Bible Study:

Not the Why... But the Who

Katy, my older cat, loves to sleep next to me. I lie on my side and hold the blanket up and she curls up next to my tummy as I let the blankets gently cover her. Often, I can't hear her purr, but as I rub her belly I can feel the vibrations, the contentment. It's a soothing ritual the two of us have developed.


Often times I have difficulty finding that kind of contentment. I think it is because I am driven to know the why of things. I like to know why it works and why you don't do it this other way. I like to know why things need to be this way rather than that way. I don't know that I actually pestered my parents so much with the questions. (I would have gotten immediate consequences if I had not had immediate obedience.) But, to the extent I was able, there was a quest for "Why?"

Even today, "why" still comes into play. Please don't tell me to do something without explaining the reason behind it. In my mind, comprehension is everything.

I don't think I'm that far off from a lot of people. I may do it more than most in day to day interactions, but when the really big things happen, we all find ourselves asking "Why?"

November 2006 I started dating Bill. After the first date, we pretty much saw each other every day. We hit a rough patch the end of March, but I anticipated getting back together. I didn't think it was a forever break. I thought we both needed to get our bearings. After all, we had been moving pretty fast over the last several months -- to the point that we had spoken of marriage. Bill had vowed, "I'd marry you tomorrow if you'd let me."

The middle of April Bill suffered an aortic aneurysm. His gentle heart split open. They managed to do surgery and he lingered a few days, but he never truly came around. I got to talk to him and pray with him in a one-sided kind of way, but we never had the final conversation that I longed for.

When it first happened I went to a grief support group for a time. Eventually, I needed it less and less. Sometimes I go back to reorient myself. The two year anniversary just passed.

Anniversaries can be tricky to navigate.

One time when I went, lots of people in the room had much more recent losses than mine -- November, December, January. And several expressed "why" questions. "Why so quickly?" "Why with all the medical advances?" "Why wasn't I there at the very end? I only left for a moment."

A number of years ago, I coauthored a book called Faith on the Edge with five other InterVarsity Christian Fellowship staff. One of the chapters that Robbie Castleman dealt with tragedy. She shared the following perspective:

God may not have intervened, may not have stepped in to undo what broke our hearts . . . . We may not understand why God intervened for Peter and not for James. Why some and not all? Why then and not now? All that disciples know is a point in history that gives us hope in tragedy, a point of divine intervention that spans all time: God raised Jesus from the dead.

"Why" questions have their merits, but the better question is "Who?"

• Who walked this earth and is intimately acquainted with our grief? (Isaiah 53:3)
• Who wept when His friend died? (John 11:35)
• Who comforts those who walk through the valley of the shadow of death? (Psalm 23)
• Who prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies? (Psalm 23)
• Who has compassion on the heavy laden? (Matthew 11:28)
• Who rejoices over us with singing? (Zephaniah 3:17)

Knowing the "why" pales in comparison of knowing the WHO in the midst of any tragedy. Jesus has welcomed our loved ones home and stands with arms open wide to comfort us in our grief. He cheers us on when we face circumstances that make us feel as if we cannot go on. He has run the race before us. As we wrestle with all the "why" in life, He invites us to do so in His intimate presence. Just as Katy snuggles in close to me, we can snuggle into Jesus.

What can you do today to focus on who rather than why? How will that change your perspective?

God's Work In Progress,

This year I'm focusing on hope. I'd love for you to visit my personal blog:

Healing the Brokenhearted

I grew up in the era of black and white westerns. As battles ensued, arrows flew through the air occasionally lodging into a cowboy’s body. Grabbing the arrow and breaking it off, he would continue fighting with the arrowhead lodged inside. After the battle, he would have the arrowhead cut out. As I watched, I had no idea I was being given a picture of what happens in life.

There is a story of God written on our lives. We bear in our bodies the image of the living God. The enemy fears God’s image and wants to destroy it, so he sets traps to steal, kill and destroy.

Things happen in life. We get hurt. Arrows carrying messages of rejection, abandonment, failure, etc., implant into our minds. As the arrowhead pierces through, the message embeds. Like the cowboys we break it off and keep pressing on. The problem is the distorted message remains inside and we don’t even know it.

When things happen to us as children we reason through a child’s mind. We don’t see things as they really are, we see them as perceived. Things get mixed up and It’s hard as a child to know what’s truth.

Most of my life I lived thinking there was something wrong with me. I was told the story of how I got my name. My parents were expecting a boy so they didn’t have a name picked out. From that point on I believed that I wasn’t what they wanted. I wasn’t what was planned. On top of that I was more active than all my siblings, therefore I wasn’t like anyone else. For 40 + years of my life I didn’t know that what I perceived was not true. All I knew is that I didn’t feel acceptable. As hurt people do, I built a wall of self-protection. I became a hardworking, efficient, striving woman. Everyone loves a good worker.

Jesus said He came to heal the brokenhearted and to set the captives free. Our emotions are like the lights on the dashboard of our cars lighting up to tell us that something is not right under the hood. It’s an invitation to look and see what’s really going on. Anger is a strong indicator of unhealed hurt. So often I don’t know why I am angry, I’m just angry. If I take my anger or other emotions, to God and ask the questions, often a distorted message is revealed. That is what He’s coming for. He wants to expose those old beliefs in order to redeem them with His truth.

I’ve learned that journaling is a great way to process what’s going on inside me. “Why am I so angry?” “What am I feeling?” “What am I hearing?” “What am I believing?” The goal is to expose those distorted messages that have been planted inside me and renew my mind with His truth. In order to do that sometimes I have to go back to that painful memory. When He wants me to go there, He brings the memory up. In remembering He is able to give me His eyes to see what really happened. He exposes what I believed about myself and compares it to what He says about me. He loves replacing the lies with His truth. It sets my captive heart free and heals my broken heart.

The enemy has tried throughout your life to mar your image of God. You have an identity all your own, a unique shadow of Him. Jesus came to restore you to your true identity. Who does He say you are?

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for the prisoners. Isaiah 61:1

Are you aware of the broken places in you?

What are the messages you hear over and over?

What lies have you embraced as true?

Papa God,
thank you that you sent Jesus to heal our broken hearts and set us free from the enemy’s traps and lies. Thank you that you see us as we really are. Give us eyes to see what you see. We love you.

Julie can be found daily at her blogspot, Jewelz Sightings

Don't Say That!!

"Hey, girl! How are you?" she asked with a soft, concerned voice.

Choking back tears, I replied to her, "I'm great! Life is wonderful! How about you?"

Then she just looked at me as though she had seen a ghost. She said, "You don't have to pretend. I understand what you're going through. I want to be here for you."

Her words cut like a knife. She was the first one to call my bluff. I thought I had hidden it so well. Instantly I began to feel guilt; guilt for lying, guilt for not hiding it well enough, and guilt for not letting a friend in when I needed one most.

It was after all the worst year of my life. My marriage was ending, my brother was in Iraq, the ministry I worked for was closing its doors and I had no idea where to go or what to do. But no one would have ever known because I wouldn't say anything. You see, I was taught not to. She knew because she knew me and I thank God that she did.

For years I was taught from the pulpit to watch what I say in regards to the current condition of my life. For example, when my middle son was spending most of his first year of life in and out of hospitals, I was taught to tell people that he was healed and was doing fine... even if he really wasn't. I was taught that this was a mandate from Romans 4:17.

"(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;"

What is typically quoted is, "Call those things that be not, as though they were." As you can see, this is only a fraction of the scripture and only a small part of a complete thought. It has not been used in context concerning this teaching.

I was taught that when I was having a rough day that I should put a smile on my face and a bounce in my step and tell everyone that I was wonderful. Why? Because then it would come to pass. This is not what that scripture means nor is this method biblical.

For starters, we are lying if we do this. The bible clearly states this in Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 19:18, Psalm 27:12, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 12:17, and many more that we are not to bear false witness or give false testimonies. If you don't acknowledge facts then you can't be delivered. If you convince yourself that they never existed then you can't believe God intervened to make it better. If you don't tell the truth about your situation then God can never get the GLORY for its end result!

When you acknowledge facts about your current situation it does not mean that you have no faith.... it means that you do! How much faith does it take to believe God changed something that you believe never existed? That's denial.

Think about that for a second and let it sink in.

"But what about speaking positively, Amy? Shouldn't we be practicing the message of speaking 'life'?"

I'm so glad that you asked! God tells us about choosing life over death and blessings over curses in Deuteronomy 30:19.

"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live."

We should acknowledge fact but speak "life." That way God gets the glory. Consider what happened in John 11. Jesus specifically told Mary and Martha that the death of their brother Lazurus was to bring glory to Him. Think of how differently it would have been if they had just buried him, put a smile on their face, and pretended everything was grand.

Look at how my conversation from 4 years ago could have gone better:

"Hey, girl! How are you?" she asked with a soft, concerned voice.

I replied to her, "I'm not as good as I could be and I need your prayers. I know that I could be encouraged if we could talk and have coffee one day soon. I just have many things going on right now but I know God's hand is in the midst of it and He will use it all for good. He always comes through for us. How about you?"

In that scenario I would have acknowledged that God's hand was required to bring peace to my life. I didn't put on a show, pretending everything was hunky dorey, and then just dismiss my friend as though she didn't know any better. I gave her an opportunity to serve as Jesus would have and I gave God the opportunity to be glorified through my situation. Now if only it had actually happened that way. Thank God for mercy and forgiveness. I'm glad He is faithful to us even when we aren't faithful to Him.

I can't think of one instance in the bible where someone claimed to be fine, but really wasn't, all in the name of Jesus. Why should we?

Talk about being tested when God gives us revelation and we begin to write about it and share it with others. I wrote this post on Sunday in preparation for today. Well, I found out on Monday that my son's vision (20/800) cannot be restored to his left eye (his vision has slowly deteriorated since birth). He also has developed learning problems as a result of the condition. He will have to wear protective glasses for the rest of his life to protect his good eye from accidents. I am acknowledging the fact that my son cannot see in that eye and that he has learning difficulties but I am also thanking God for the miracle that he is going to give to our family. He restored vision to many others in the bible and he is no respecter of persons. My God is a BIG God. I know He will do this and more for Gevan but I seek your prayer and I ask you to agree with me that Gevan will be healed for the glory of God in the name of His precious son, Jesus.

Thank you.


I'd love for you to visit me at my personal blog: In Pursuit of Proverbs 31

His Throne is Still Intact

“…And, yet God, You’re still sovereign, Your throne intact and eternal.”
Lamentations 5:20b


Have you ever had those moments when you just really felt like everything was going wrong, times when life just seems to be spinning out of control? Perhaps it is a health issue with you or a family member. Maybe it’s the loss of a job or just the stress of too many responsibilities. Whether it’s from our own poor choices, decisions made by those around us, or just circumstances beyond our control, we’ve all had times when we just felt like the bottom was falling out from underneath us.

That is exactly where we find the children of Israel in Lamentations chapter five. In this case, they were being disciplined by God, their loving Heavenly Father, for their sins. They had chosen to “buy into the pagan system” of their day (boy, does that sound familiar) and God was grieved and angry. The bottom had fallen out of their lives. They were dealing with famine, war, violence, and complete despair. The writer of Lamentations is drawing the desperate picture for us, and right in the middle of all the discouraging details, he penned these words in verse twenty. “…and yet God, You’re still sovereign, Your throne intact and eternal.” No matter how bad things were, he recognized Who was still in control.

This isn’t always easy, but this is an amazing truth that is often times our only hope. No matter how difficult life may get, God is still sovereign and His throne is still intact and eternal. We can trust Him with our health concerns. We can rest in His sufficiency, knowing that no matter how hard the storm rages, His Anchor holds. Corrie ten Boone said it so eloquently, when she said, “There is no pit too deep, that He is not deeper still”. We are never so far that His arm cannot save us. Our life is never so dark, that He cannot see exactly where we are.

When life seems to be spinning out of control, hang on, my friend, because God, the Creator and Sustainer of this universe, is still in complete control. He is still on His throne, where He will remain for all eternity, and He is working all things (the good, the bad, and the ugly) together for our good and for His glory!


Lord, thank you that you are God and you are in total control. Thank you that your reign is eternal and there is nothing, or no one, that can overthrow you. Thank you that you are, right now, working everything together for our good and we can trust you. Help us to remember when life is hard, whether it’s due to our own sin or circumstances out of our control, that nothing surprises You and nothing is too big for You.

In Him ~
Tammy…

You can read more from Tammy by visiting her personal blog at Steps In Our Journey

Recognizing Our Traveling Companion

One week ago today, I pulled myself away from my 18 year-old son and left him “all alone” to begin his new life at college. Heart-wrenching!

I hardly had time to process my grief because two very beloved cousins whom I had not seen in years spontaneously flew in to visit. Joy! Twenty-four hours later, they zipped off with no assurance or plan for our ever being together again. Sorrow!

Note the events in one week: Sad separation, ecstatic reunion, sad separation. Picture water faucets being twisted one way full-force, then jerked back the other way, then the other way. The water works flowed.

But God is good. He had led me to re-read Luke 24 several times lately, and now I think I know why. Separations and reunions were about to happen all around me, and my loving Lord would prepare me, if I would recognize his voice, to receive his peace.

Luke 24:17 tell us that on the road to Emmaus, the two disciples’ faces were “downcast,” probably revealing confusion, fear of the future, disillusionment. Often the disciples forgot/didn’t understand Jesus’ mission, even though he told them exactly what to expect, and even though the angel at the tomb reminded them, “Remember how he told you ….” Still, I have compassion for these guys. It’s hard to be clear-headed when you’re grieving.

But--there was a reunion at dinnertime: as soon as Jesus broke bread with them, they recognized him with spiritual eyes and in their hearts. Immediately, they went back to their friends with renewed hope, vigor and joy!

This account shows that Jesus cares when our hearts are heavy. If we will recognize him in the midst of our pain, he will renew us, too.

John Piper notes that Jesus’ ascension is called the "Ascent of Joy."

He adds, “Ordinarily when our best beloved departs on a long journey we do not rejoice. We cry. In order for that crying to be turned into rejoicing we have to be deeply assured of two things.”

The first criterion is that we believe the separation is not final. The Lord gave us many promises about being reunited with him, but John 16:22 is very pointed: “You are now very sad. But later I will see you, and you will be so happy that no one will be able to change the way you feel.” He promised us, “There are many rooms in my Father's house. I wouldn't tell you this, unless it was true. I am going there to prepare a place for each of you. After I have done this, I will come back and take you with me. Then we will be together” (John14:2-3).

The second criterion is that “we must be assured that the separation is best for us and best for our beloved.”

And here, of course, is the line that brought all of this together for me: “It has to be more like sending your nine-year-old off to camp or your 18-year-old off to college. And so it was. The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven at God's right hand was an ‘ascent of joy’ because it meant that the greatest possible blessing would come to Jesus and to his people.”

The Son was returning to his glory with his Father, and we became the beneficiaries of eternal mediation between God and man, provided by the Spotless Lamb. He returned to his rightful place, and we received a blessing we had no right to receive.

This week, my Comforter met me on my own Emmaus walk. Now I’m ready to square my shoulders, turn around and carry on what I was about before, renewed and reminded of his faithfulness.

If you feel as though you’re walking alone today, look up, and recognize your traveling companion. “… For He [God] Himself has said, ‘I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake, nor let you down or relax my hold on you! Assuredly not!’” (Hebrews 13:5b, Amplified)



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More Than Meets The Eye

Yesterday I was mopping my kitchen, wondering what I would write for today. The topics were swirling around in my head, like the bubbles in the mop bucket. Some ideas would come to the top, shine for a moment, then become replaced by new ones. Swishing and slopping. Thinking and mopping.

Then it came to me. And it started with the reason I was mopping in the first place.

You see, I had needed to mop all week. No, make that for a couple of weeks. We've been busy, in and out with summer activities and a weekend trip to the lake, so the last thing on my mind was mopping the floor. Since our schedule has been packed away with our school books, the chore list on the back of the laundry room door has been all but forgotten, so whichever child had "mop the kitchen" on their list for the week had gotten a break. As I was lingering over my coffee enjoying a rainy Saturday morning chatting with my husband, I noticed the floor. But, I wasn't motivated to mop. Morning turned into afternoon and I was buzzing around the house doing other Saturday chores, but still not mopping. Not yet. Not motivated yet.

Amid flitting from task to task, I was in the kitchen putting away some groceries, and it happened. A jar of pizza sauce went crashing to the floor. It was officially The Great Pizza Sauce-splosion of 2007. (We name the events at our house. There was The Milk-splosion of '04, The Cheeto-splosion of '05, The Egg-splosion of '06, and now, well, we have '07 covered. In pizza sauce, apparently.) Suddenly I was motivated to mop.

As I was mopping, I was thinking about the blind man whom Jesus healed in John 9. There are so many things to learn from this story, but one thing that has always stuck with me is- Jesus gave a command and a big motivation to obey it.

John 9:6-7 tells us that "... He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 'Go,' He told him, 'wash in the Pool of Siloam'... So the man went and washed, and came home seeing."

Have you ever had a grain of sand in your eye? For that moment, whatever you are doing is put on hold, you close your eye and run to the nearest sink or mirror because your new goal in life is- Get. This. Out. Of. My. Eye. And that's just one grain! Can you imagine not just one eye, but both eyes, being covered in dirt and someone else's spit? I can imagine that the man was quite motivated to do as Christ commanded Him! Oh, go wash? Okay! Of course, Jesus could've healed his blindness with a simple touch, as He did for the man in Mark 8:25, or as in Bartimaeus' case, with a word (Mark 10:52.) Who knows why He did it as He did in this instance, perhaps to show that the power lay with Him, not with spit or sand (common items) but one thing I glean from it is... He used an irritant.

Are there some irritants in your life that perhaps God could be using to motivate obedience or facilitate spiritual healing in a certain area? Perhaps He may be using someone you're around everyday to help you learn patience. Physical symptoms related to anxiety could point to a need to trust Him more in certain areas (as I've been learning personally). Sometimes He uses an untenable job situation to force a much-needed job change. Financial difficulties can point to a need to change spending habits or simplify.

If He's allowing (or applying) certain irritants, we can be assured that it's accompanied by His loving, healing touch. And like the believing blind man, upon yielding to His plan we can come out of the situation seeing things with new eyes.



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The Power of Life

I tiptoed my way toward the teddy bear crib hoping to steal one last look before going to sleep. Crumpled up in his bed like a kitten slept the little man who was placed in my care. This baby, though only a few months old had already been through the valley of the shadow of death, but by the grace of God he lives—by the stripes of our Savior he’s healed. With such a marvelous glory before me I couldn’t help but to brush his cheek with my hand before leaving.

Standing outside in the hall, I looked down at the palm of my hand, still feeling his warmth. This hand was a familiar one that I had seen somewhere before—adorned with a simple wedding band, marked with a touch of arthritis, and clothed with lines and creases liken to roads of years traveled—what I recognized were the hands of a mother.

A vintage suitcase marked with stamps collected through journeys, my hands have traveled to far away places. Now bursting with riches they can hardly contain, these hands hold a treasure of memories locked deep inside.

They held my own mother’s arms that pulled up my trousers, while I felt the warmth of her breath on my neck. They curiously turned the handle to peer at my father while he undressed for the shower—yes, the same hand that stifled a giggle as I ran from his voice. They held their first cup of milk careful to not spill a drop, and later their first glass of Coke as the bubbles jumped from the cup.

My hands have waved high in the air, hoping that one would be seen and be heard. They’ve held the hands of fair maidens in the kingdom of friendship. They held the hand of new love, and took another in marriage. They’ve placed coins in the hands of the poor, and received coin when times have been rough. They’ve felt the coldness of death and the warmth of a newborn’s first grasp. They’ve reached out in the dark to give and get love.

They’ve pushed the back of a swing that soared through the air, and tied the laces on skates making sure that each leg was tight. They’ve learned to hold on and let go.

Then I see a different pair of hands, but unlike mine, they’ve been scarred from the journey. These hands have held his mothers arms as he felt the warmth of her breath on his neck. They’ve been used to stifle a giggle and place coins in the hand of the poor. They’ve held hands of royal princes in the kingdom of God. They’ve reached out in the dark to give love, and bring life. They felt the coldness of death and the power of life. These hands are familiar ones that I can only imagine to see—the hands of a Savior—my Jesus.

My little man, Graham is seven years old now. Living and breathing against all the odds. I have seen him so near to death that a team of doctors rushed to his crib late at night, and the same child so near to the glory of God that his face reflected the light.

Herein lies the power of life—the hands of a savior—my Jesus.

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5

Options...

I sensed that something wasn’t right by the tone in her voice, the way she turned the monitor away from my view, and the discomfort she expressed before excusing herself from the room. Something was terribly wrong—again.

A solemn look washed over the doctor’s face as he walked into the room. “There seems to be a problem, …” he said as he began to explain the severity of what they were viewing on the monitor.

I was sent for fetal assessment where they could survey the situation in detail. It was all too familiar a place, since I had been a regular there in the past. The same doctor who urged me to consider “my options” was there, as well as the nurse who made it abundantly clear that I “still had time to abort.” The smile on my face, and the calm reply to their horrifying news gave them only one conclusion—she doesn’t get it. Perhaps that’s why they called my husband at work, and rang me at home several times--to make sure that we did.

We sat in the same office again looking at a new little being, marvelously and wonderfully made. Being only six inches long, his kidney was already enlarged to about an inch. “This one is a case far worse than the last. He will have severe kidney problems if he even makes it to term. You have options…”

The only option I had was that of prayer. And we did pray, fervently and in faith before God.

Lying in bed one night alone in the dark, I felt the gentle voice of God whisper, “Nathaniel,” in my ear. Nathaniel? I wondered, Why Nathaniel? It hadn’t been a name that had ever crossed my mind.

I jumped out of bed, clicked on the lamp, and flipped through the pages of my reference Bible till my finger rested on the words… Nathaniel: Gift from God.

I turned that name around in my thoughts the next day wondering why. Why “gift from God?” why not John or Mark, Luke, or Ichabod—why? Until the answer came to us, clearly and directly as though God was speaking Himself.

Sitting in my living room that very night a woman prayed, “Every day that this child lives is a gift from you, Lord.” We knew from that very second that his name would be Nathaniel.

I went back to fetal assessment for what would be the fourth look at the little man that God was forming inside me. The child who gave me only one option, and that option was to pray--and pray fervently before God. The little man who, one day, would be my living, breathing, giggling, praying, cart-wheeling, hand-holding gift from God--my Nathaniel.

After looking at the screen, the nurse excused herself from the room.

I sensed that something was right by the tone in her voice, the way she turned the monitor away from my view, and the confusion she expressed before excusing herself from the room. Something was very right.

An astonished look washed over the doctor’s face as he walked into the room. “There seems to be a mistake, …” he said as he began to explain the miracle of what they were viewing on the monitor.

The confused look on his face, and their inability to explain this miracle gave me only one conclusion--they didn’t get it. Perhaps that’s why God called me to their office several times--to make sure that they did.

Martin Luther said, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." In Nathaniel’s case, as with most of my children that’s true in the literal sense.

When pain rips through your life taking down everything you’ve tried so hard to hold on to--perhaps even life itself, your left with only one option and that option is to pray--and pray fervently before God.

Iris is hosting "In 'Other' Words" this week. Head over to Sting My Heart to read her take on the quote and meet other participants.