Tell Me the Stories of Jesus

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 18, 2010]

32God raised this Jesus, and we are all witnesses to it. 33He was elevated to the right hand of God and received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father. Now he is pouring it out as you both see and hear.   Acts 2:32-33 (HN)

– Henry Neufeld

Sometimes as I’m telling stories of my own life, part of my testimony, I pause and think about just how unlikely many of these stories are. There’s the time my father was miraculously healed. There are many answers to prayer in my own life.

Then consider the simple claim to salvation. “I’ve received Jesus as my Lord and Savior,” I say. “I’m not a friend of God. God is my dad!” What an unimaginable claim that is. I add to that the story that I’ve received the Holy Spirit into my life, I’ve been empowered by God, and through his Spirit he lives in me.

Then we go back in Christian history and we see these remarkable stories. Here is Peter, the fisherman, preaching to crowds after the crucifixion. The day before he was hiding out, hoping nobody would find him. The disciples had been pretty scarce even after they saw Jesus. They knew he’d been raised from the dead, but they also knew that he had died, and they were aware that they might die as well.

Yet on Pentecost they received the Holy Spirit and began to tell these weird and wonderful stories with boldness to large crowds. They quit worrying about dying and began to challenge the world with the gospel message. They quit trying to melt into the countryside, and began standing out as a challenge.

That was the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives. When the Holy Spirit gets hold of you, you do and say things you wouldn’t do otherwise. You step out of your comfort zone. You tell stories. You talk about hearing God speak to you. You tell people that Jesus is risen, and you know it because he lives within your heart, or perhaps you even say that you, yourself have seen him.

There are two important elements I would like us to think about here. First, the Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to challenge their world. They didn’t call for some little decision, such as going to church once a week, or attending a small group. They called on people to be transformed, and then to transform the world. Second, the power of the preaching involved both the Holy Spirit and the personal testimony of the disciples. They talked about what they knew and what they had witnessed.

If you’ve had life-transforming experiences with the Lord, are you letting people know? If you’re a Christian, and you can’t talk about something that is life-transforming, shouldn’t you check your relationship with God?

Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, and he has sent us the gift of his Spirit. But we have to go, live, and speak.

 

 

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My Expectations

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Lectionary texts: 2 Kings 5:1-14, Psalm 30, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Mark 1:40-45

So he turned and left in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.     2 Kings 5:12-14 (HCSB)

After Jesus strictly warned the man, he sent him on his way.He said, “Don’t tell anyone about this..”

The man talked about it so much and told so many people, that Jesus could no longer go openly into a town. He had to stay away from the towns, but people still came to him from everywhere.             Mark 1:43-45 (CEV)

The #1 obstacle to my prayer life is that I do not prioritize and make the time in my life. The #2 obstacle is that I limit God’s answers. And that is what He is speaking to me about in these Scriptures.

In the Old Testament passage, Naaman has leprosy. He was a commander in the army but he had a wasting, terminal disease. His servants suggest he go to a prophet in Israel, Elisha. And Elisha gives him a perscription from God – “go dip yourself in the Jordan seven times”. Elisha doesn’t deliver the message in person. He doesn’t put his hands on Naaman. He doesn’t pray over him, evoking the Lord’s name. Naaman is not happy. He expected some personal service that included a prayer and maybe some anointing oil! Not dipping in a little known river.

In the New Testament passage, Jesus heals a man who is also not sure about Jesus. He asks to be healed if Jesus is willing. Jesus’ response was immediate and the man was healed. But Jesus told the man not to tell anyone. The man did not obey. He told everyone. It was a great thing! It was something to celebrate! Why not tell everyone? Wouldn’t that be giving credit where it was due? Wouldn’t that be the expected response to God answering a prayer?

In both stories, expectations of the person did not match God’s response and plan. I am left wondering what was the point of bringing about a healing with river-dipping instead of prayer and anointing oil? Why keep God’s answered prayer of healing the second man? It’s possible, in the New Testament case, that Jesus might have been able to minister in some ways if He had been less popular. I don’t know.

Since God has a different view of my life and His ways are not my ways (Isaiah 55:5), there will be many times that I do not understand His answer to my prayers or His commands in my life. The question is: Will I obey? If the answer that I hear lines up with the character of God that I know through His Word and our relationship, then do I trust Him and obey when I cannot see? If I have doubts, do I continue to press in to Him and pray with trusted brothers and sisters?

LORD my God, I cried to You for help, and You healed me.
LORD, You brought me up from Sheol;
You spared me from among those going down to the Pit.

Sing to Yahweh, you His faithful ones, and praise His holy name.
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may spend the night, but there is joy in the morning.     Psalm 30:2-5 (HCSB)

Let us grow in our trust of God. In obedience we find extraordinary moments of intimacy and peace because no matter what may come, Jesus is here.

Posted in 2 Kings, Mark, Psalms | Leave a comment

Hope to Give

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun.Look at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them.      Ecclesiastes 4:1 (HCSB)

Do you know anyone who is oppressed? It means they are burdened or persecuted by someone who has some authority over them. Maybe it is a faceless group of people in the Sudan or Korea or a big city project. Maybe it is a neighbor who seems nice but alone and withdrawn. Maybe its someone you see at church every week but if you take the time to look, their smile is never in their eyes.

Jesus spent most of His ministry among the people. He rarely answered the questions that they asked but instead answered the question that they wanted to ask (even if they didn’t know it!). Jesus looked beyond what was in front of Him. He looked into the eyes which was the path into the spirit of those He met. He wants me to do the same.

Take the time. It’s a little thing to give someone a genuine smile. It’s a little thing to look someone in the eye and sincerely ask, “How are you doing?” and take the time to hear more than “Fine”. Know someone who is ill or, for whatever reason, unable to be out and about? Send them a card. Pick up the phone. Do you feel Jesus pointing someone out to you?

Listen. I heard a story this week about a teenage girl who, with her parents, went on a mission trip with her church to Haiti. She came home from that trip with a burden on her heart to help the orphans that she saw there. That was seven years ago. Her parents, following their daughter’s example, heard Jesus also speaking to them. They sold their home and moved to Haiti. They have opened two orphanages. Were they crazy? Maybe. But the orphanages are growing, the children are learning productive skills and about Jesus. And when the disaster came, the orphanages were a beacon of light for more displaced children. They listened and obeyed. It was a step of faith.

God may not call on me to do such a big step but He is wanting to use me to encourage His children. Am I willing to listen and obey. Am I willing to give my time, even go out of my way? Do I see opportunities to reach out through local soup kitchens, mission trips, and mission support of goods and financial support.

Prayer. I have several friends who are missionaries. Yes, they need many things and people but to a person the most important thing that they request is prayer. You do not even have to know them personally. If the LORD brings a missionary across your path and you feel the pull on your heart, put their name down and keep them before Him in prayer. My Savior and Protector who is with me is also with them. We are connected in a way that can not be hindered by miles.

The writer of Ecclesiastes seems to have lost his hope as he looks at a world that is oppressed. He had the promise of a Messiah but didn’t see Him. I have the promise of a Messiah fulfilled. I have this Hope that sets me free from anything that burdens, physically or spiritually. It is a free gift that is meant to be given away.

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O LORD, do not abandon those who search for you.                 Psalm 9:9-10 (NLT)

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Be There or…?

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from February 4, 2010]

And YHWH said to Moses, “Go up into the mountain and wait [literally 'be there'] . . . Exodus 24:12 (HN)

— Henry Neufeld

When I was in the Air Force we frequently heard the saying “Hurry up and wait.” You see, the powers that be, however little more power they had than I had, wanted people to be ready to receive commands. They weren’t too worried if you had to sit around and wait for them. The key thing was that they wouldn’t have to wait for you.

Today I took a scripture fragment that is smaller than I usually use for a devotional. As I read this passage today in the New Revised Standard Version, the word “wait” struck me. It’s literally “be there.” Moses was ordered into the mountain to “be there” for God. Down in the camp the people were ordered to wait.

After Moses waited, God came and spoke to him.

In our modern world we’re always in a hurry. We schedule everything. I’m as guilty of this as anyone else, or even more. I like things to start on time. I like them to end on time. When we’ve taken up the scheduled time, you’ll catch me glancing at the clock, thinking about what I’m going to do next.

But sometimes you have to spend time with God. Sometimes you have to wait. That’s not easy for us to do.

We’re not waiting because God doesn’t have time. He has all the time in the world-literally! So why doesn’t he just hurry up and bring stuff to us? Why doesn’t he answer my questions now? I’d certainly like that!

Unlike my Air Force superiors, God is not impatient. God doesn’t need you to be sitting there on a mountain somewhere so he doesn’t have to wait for you when he gets there. The fact is that no matter how much we like to avoid the issue waiting can be good for us.

So think about your life. Is there a time when you can go before the Lord, whether in your prayer closet, at your desk, on the beach, in the mountains, at your church, or anywhere God might call you to be, and just be there? Can you wait for God without a schedule? For many of us that’s hard, very hard, but we need to look for those times.

It’s likely you’re really waiting to be ready to hear what God says, and when you’re ready – there he’ll be, right where he was all the time. But if you’re watching the clock, instead of waiting for God, it will be very hard for you to be ready for Him.

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I’ve Got Something to Trade

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

“Those whose lives have had the deepest spiritual impact in the world are those who have suffered. In God’s mysterious providence, the Cross and the crown, suffering and glory, are linked.” – Elisabeth Elliot from The Path of Loneliness

Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.              2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (HCSB)

I don’t like reading the passages (and there are a bunch of them!) that tell me that there will be suffering and pain and sorrow in this world. I’d rather read that because I am God’s child – all will be good, no problems. The testimonies of the writers of the Bible tell me that it will be “good” in spite of the suffering of this world.

Out of suffering comes a refining that brings me holiness. There is comfort in the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering. There is salvation, strength, even endurance.

It is hard while in the middle of the trial to take a step back and see the opportunity to “give up” the trial, giving it to Jesus. Like “broken bread and poured out wine”, we become a message of hope and comfort to a lonely and suffering people. How?

In the trial, I allow God to infuse me, through His Holy Spirit, with words of truth. God is for me. It isn’t a maybe statement. God is for me. He didn’t used to be for me. It is now. Today. At this moment. I don’t have to wait in line and beg.

God is for me. From the moment that I say, “Yes, LORD, I need You!” He is in my life and lives there. He wants me to be better in all ways that are best for me. When I am suffering, He has the strength I need. The peace I need. The comfort I need. The wisdom I need. The shoulder I need, whenever I need it.

See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.        Isaiah 49:16 (NLT)

God has a tattoo on His hand and it is my name. It cannot be removed. He put it there. If I hear a voice tell me that I am all alone or that God doesn’t care and has left me – THAT IS A LIE! And it is not God speaking to me.

When the trials come, step closer to God. Lean forward and listen closer. Spend more time in worship. Spend more time reading or listening to God’s Word. Spend more time just talking to Him. Write it down in a journal. It’s a great way to go back and see what God has done in your life. Giving the future over to God may be a point of conflict for me because I want to be in control. But the future, like control, was never really mine. It has always belonged to God.

I’m Trading My Sorrows by Darrell Evans


 

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Kindness: All the Way to the End

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from 2/1/2010]

- Henry Neufeld

6As for me, I am already being poured out on the altar, and the time of my death has come upon me. 7I have completed the great race. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. 8The crown of righteousness is now waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me in that day, and not to me only, but to all who love (and value) his appearing. — 2 Timothy 4:6-8

It’s easy to read this passage with sadness, and a sense of melancholy. Paul has worked tirelessly and suffered as he worked for Jesus. He has helped so many people. Yet here he is almost alone at the end of his life waiting for the end that is coming soon. He has remained faithful to the end, finished what God called him to do, and now he awaits the crown. It’s easy to skip past that last point. While there is sorrow, there is also joy.

Those who know me may be surprised to know that I used to run fairly long distances. I never ran a marathon, but I would run between 10 and 20 miles in a week, sometimes 3 ½ miles, frequently 5, and even up to 10 miles on rare occasions. Now it will surprise nobody to know that I was never very fast. No speed records were in any danger. But what I could do was finish the course that I had set out for myself. There would be a time during any run that I might feel like turning back. I was too tired. Perhaps I should make today one of my 3 ½ mile days rather than the longer distance I had planned. In order to keep going I would give myself a certain distance to complete before I decided. Another half mile, I’d think, and then I’ll make the call.

As long as I resisted that temptation, things would settle in, and soon I would get into that groove where I was just running along and the particular distance didn’t matter so much. Toward the end I would need some particular will power again. Then I would tell myself that it would be silly to end a five mile run at 4.8 or 4.9 miles. If I intended five miles, I should complete it. Especially if it was one of those rare days, and I was going for 10 miles, I would be very anxious to truly complete every inch of those ten miles, and to make sure that my speed could still be distinguished from a walk!

There was joy and satisfaction in coming to the end of that course. Doing a little bit of running has helped me understand Paul here. Certainly there is sorrow in this passage that so few have stood by him. Yet at the same time there is that “final stretch” energy and joy that says, “I’m practically there.” Paul loved Christ’s appearing. He was anxious for it.

We all have a race of this life, and sometimes it seems long and difficult. But there are two things that can move us forward, and get us to the joy of finishing the race. First is the appearing of Jesus Christ our Savior. That is the final goal, and it is a joyful one. Second, we can remember to look for those moments of joy when we have completed a significant part of the race. “Lord, help me to keep looking up and keep moving forward until I complete my work of the day.” It may be days, weeks, or months at a time, or it may be minutes sometimes.

But in each case there is a goal that you can reach, and there is a reward that you can earn, and there is a Savior who will be right with you.

13Temptation has not grabbed you, except the common human kind. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above what you are able, but will make with the temptation a way out, so that you will be able to endure it. — 1 Corinthians 10:13

If you’re feeling that joy of the successful runner today, share it with someone else. Let them know who is with them in their race. If you’re having trouble yourself, look up and ask.

Posted in 1 Corinthians, 2 Timothy | Leave a comment

THAT is Why

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Lectionary texts: Isaiah 40:21-31, Psalm 147:1-11, 20, 1 Corinthians 9:16-23, Mark 1:29-39

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Later Simon and the others went out to find him. When they found him, they said, “Everyone is looking for you.”

But Jesus replied,“We must go on to other towns as well, and I will preach to them, too. That is why I came.” So he traveled throughout the region of Galilee, preaching in the synagogues and casting out demons.                        Mark 1:35-39 (NLT)

Jesus did not answer the questions put to Him. He did bow to peer pressure or pressure from the local church leadership. He did tell us what we really needed to know.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and save those who are lost.”             Luke 19:10 (NLT)

Here in Mark and Luke’s gospels I am told why Jesus, God Himself, would come and live 33 years in this sin-filled, corrupt world.

Jesus did not come to build big buildings to be His church (John 4:21-24). He did His ministry out in the streets, in homes, from early in the morning to the middle of the night. His plan was all about relationships since He came as the perfect sacrifice to atone for my sins so I could have a relationship with my Father.

Jesus did come to:

Seek. Jesus did not expect those who were lost to find their way into the synagogues. He went out and made Himself visible, lovingly visible, so people would be drawn in to Him. As His disciple that is the example that I am to follow. That means I have to put myself out there. Paul said in the 1 Corinthian passage that he became a slave in order to win as many as possible. Did that man have a “burn” for souls, or what?

Preach. I often hear this world said with negativity. Jesus did not “preach” with condemnation except to the Pharisees. Jesus preached with authority (Matthew 7:29) that brought conviction of sin so that there would be a turn, a change, in a life. The difference between condemnation and conviction – is love. When I hear Jesus’ words, whether through someone’s teaching or in God’s Word or through the Holy Spirit to my spirit, I feel remorse and then guilt and shame. It is at that moment that God’s love comes in and the guilt and shame is covered with His love.

Save. Jesus’ mission was always about saving us from eternal death. Without Jesus’ sacrifice, we as God’s children had no option to save ourselves. We could not work our way into the perfection required to have a relationship with our Father. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with the Father just like He has.

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)

Oh, the overwhelming love that came when I accepted that I was a sinner that needed a Savior, Jesus. And then before I could catch my breath, there was more. And there has been more every day since.

Posted in Isaiah, Luke, Mark | Leave a comment

God’s Warnings – Blessings

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

Now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us, on whom the ends of the ages have come.      1 Corinthians 10:11 (HCSB)

Have you received a warning from God lately? Those of us in the medical profession often remark with awe and gratitude how the human body sends out warning signals like pain, shortness of breath, and stomach upset that have brought people to an early diagnosis. With the technology that we have, blood tests can warn us of cancer, high sugar or cholesterol to name a few. If God is the Creator of this body, I praise Him for His mercy to build in an early warning system and the scientific knowledge to warn me that I need to make a change!

Paul is writing to the Corinthian church to encourage them to heed God’s spiritual warnings. He is not speaking just about prophecies but also how God frequently says, “If you do ‘this’, then ‘that’ is the consequence.” And He says it for both negative and positive consequences. If I humble myself and pray and turn away from my sins, God will hear and heal (2 Chronicles 7:14). Deuteronomy 28 is all about the blessings for obedience and the not-so blessings for disobedience.

Too often I look at “bad news” in my life as something that is to be greeted with mourning and wailing. Maybe I’ve just been ‘saved’ from a misstep on a really bad road! Remember that discussion yesterday about choices and crossroads? God maybe using a lifestyle change to keep me from walking a road that leads to severe health issues or company that He doesn’t want me to keep.

Like most children the strong warning and threats of dire consequences from my parents came when I attempted to make the driveway – well, ok, maybe it was actually a bit in the street – my playground. My brother, who was the obedient child in the family, got busted but good according to my mother when he went to play in the driveway and my father came close to putting the car in ‘reverse’ and running over him. I lived that moment the day my own child happily ran down the driveway toward the street as a neighborhood teenager drove down our little street at a rockin’ 50mph. I snatched him up, yelling and screaming, scaring him into screaming in fright at the crazy woman who had hold of him. To this day, I think it was only fair as my hair began turning grey and I wasn’t even 30. The parental warning at the danger that the child is in when playing in a street seems so obvious to those of us who know what happens in streets. But a child does not have that kind of experience. My children were obedient when we were around streets after that because they had learned that Mom would react negatively if they didn’t. Maybe God, too, is trying to make a point so we remember.

Like any great parent, God wants me to obey because I love Him and want to obey. But if I don’t learn through gentle love, He will use more strenuous warnings because He loves so strenuously.

Have you ever ran late for an appointment or took a route to work you did not normally use and found out later there was a horrific accident that you might have been a part? You ranted and raved because you were running late – only to find out it was a good thing. There are many stories that have been told regarding missed alarm clocks, stopping for donuts, a sick child and traffic jams that caused people to arrive late to the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 and so are alive to tell the story.

Join me in taking a deep breath the next time life takes an unexpected turn and ask God if there is something to learn in this situation. We may have to then take a step of faith and tell God “thank you” before we know of any reason for the thanks. But I know that I can also say “thank you” that whatever the turn means and wherever it takes me, Jesus will be there with me for every step. That’s a blessing.

Posted in 1 Corinthians | Leave a comment

The Road Not Taken

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

– Robert Frost (1916)

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

This is a poem that has played like a song in my mind many times in my life since I first read it when I was a sophomore in high school. I did not have the insight into the layers of meaning in this poem when I was 15. As Frost said in the last stanza “Somewhere in the future” I will see what my choices meant.

I think a great use of time on New Year’s Eve is to make an appointment with the Holy Spirit to review the previous year and get His wisdom for the year to come. Maybe that seems simplistic but then I asked myself, “How’s what you’ve been doing – flying by the seat of your pants – been working for you?” And God’s voice has become more clear and distinct since I asked for His wisdom in decisions, big and small.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I do not come to a crossroads with at least two viable options. I look or research both options and their consequences and still may not feel the sure feeling of which way to turn. But if I turn to Jesus and seek His example, ask the Holy Spirit for His wisdom, and look at the character of God and His words, then the road to take becomes more clear. The difficulty is that the road is often one that “no step had trodden” for Jesus says that the road that leads to life is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14) whereas the road to destruction is wide. And that is the biggest reason I need my LORD to help me down the road. I also need His companionship on this road. With Jesus by my side, I am never alone and when the path becomes too steep or rocky, it is then that He carries me.

Which road will you choose to travel this year? I know an excellent Guide!

Posted in Matthew | Leave a comment

Shelter in the Storms

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Jody Neufeld

The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. 
He lets me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.          Psalm 23:1-2 (HCSB)

Why does God allow thunderclouds and disasters in my life when I am wanting green pastures and quiet waters? It may be a waste of my time and effort to ask “Why?” – but there it is.

I have prayed The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) since I was a small child. It wasn’t until more recent years that I began to comprehend what it meant that God provided what I needed for today and tells me not to worry about tomorrow (Matthew 6:19-34). It is a principle of His way for me that began with the Israelites receiving manna for each day only (Exodus 16). God is teaching me about leaning or trusting in Him, not in my own strength.

Physical exercise builds physical stamina. Exercise is all about “resistance”, one force against another. Spiritual muscles are build much the same way. My spiritual stamina develops in conflict. It is not in pushing against the conflict but in grabbing on with both hands and humbly, even with great courage, submitting to the weight of the conflict and allowing God to have His way and bring me through. It is recognizing that this is part of the story of my life. That acceptance is the place where real peace is found. The peace that Jesus promised (John 16:33).

Behind those thunderclouds, the Father dwells in all His power and in all His glory. Behind the loud, impressive lightening is a day that has no night (Revelation 21:23) because that is where God lives. Behind the loud thunder that attempts to deafen me is the still voice that speaks comfort, encouragement, wisdom, and truth.

There are weather changes in my physical world that I must “adapt” to. When a rainstorm comes, I must close the windows and choose to stay under shelter. I have the same option when a storm comes up in my life. I choose to turn to my Father and bend to enter the shelter of His words of truth and comfort. When the blistering heat beats down on me, I seek the “coolness” of the Holy Spirit’s words of life and encouragement.

Your teachings are sweeter than honey.
They give me understanding and make me hate all lies.
Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.      Psalm 119:103-105 (CEV)

God’s view of my life is full and complete. I can see only a limited length of the road in front of me. God understands that my human limitations cause me to ask “Why?” stormy disasters happen but He desires to build a relationship with me that reassures me that He knows all and will never allow anything to dislodge me from His hand.

Help me to see that although I am in the wilderness
it is not all briars and barrenness.
I have – bread from heaven, streams from the rock, light by day, fire by night,
thy dwelling place and thy mercy seat.
I am sometimes discouraged by the way,
but though winding and trying,
it is safe and short. — Puritan Prayer from The Valley of Vision 
(ISBN#978-0851518213, Banner of Truth, 2003)

Posted in Psalms | Leave a comment