Found

I'm not sure when it happened. I had set up a miniature nativity scene on my kitchen table; it was complete with a little stable, sheep, a donkey, wise men, Joseph, Mary, and of course the baby in the manger. But somehow, in my hurry and flurry, when I was cleaning I must have thrown the baby out! I couldn't find him anywhere! So what good is a nativity scene without the baby?

I rearranged the scene and instead of the having the characters looking down at the Prince of Peace I positioned them so that they were all looking anxiously around the table for the lost baby. Looking at the chaos on my table I was reminded of the prophecy in Isaiah, "See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Emmanuel, which is translated, "God is with us."

As I thought about what this means I was reminded of something that had happened earlier this year. I was confronted by a situation that overwhelmed me. I saw no solution. I felt afraid. As I began to pray I heard in my spirit the words from Isaiah, "Do not fear, for I am with you." I turned my thoughts away from the situation that brought me anxiety and focused instead on Emmanuel.

In the intimacy of prayer I heard His voice, "Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." I felt my weakness exchanged for His strength, my fear was replaced by His peace.

Sometimes I have a level of anxiety that comes with the Christmas season. It's a feeling of being incomplete, not enough. The missing baby in the manger caused me to pause and reflect on what it means to have an ever present God. A God who was, who is, and who is coming again. It caused me to think about the Almighty God who is the Prince of Peace who came as a shepherd to find me. I was the one lost, not Him. As I meditate on this truth I hear deep in my spirit, "Do not be afraid, I am with you."

The Rest of the Story

I opened the sliding glass door into the night coolness and was greeted by the smell of "good cigars." The fire was blazing and the conversation was animated. I have a very large family with very large personalities. The topic was politics, even though it had been decided ahead of time by the host that that topic was off limits. However, since he was the one holding forth I figured he must have changed his mind. Everyone was friendly even though they didn't agree with each other.

I listened a while in the darkness, but because of my ever encroaching deafness I found it difficult to follow what was being said. I could hear the hum of their voices rising and falling, but my attention was drawn to the starlit sky and I let my mind move in that direction.

"Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like fiery flame, and on His head were many crowns, He had a name written that no one knows except Himself. He wore a robe stained with blood, and His name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed Him on white horses,wearing pure white linen. From His mouth came a sharp sword, so that with it He might strike the nations. He will shepherd them with an iron scepter. He will also trample the wine-press of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Revelation 19:11-16).

As I drove home I was aware that the Christmas season was in full swing. I was beginning to see mangers everywhere. I thought with wonder about Jesus who is, "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation; because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominion or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:15-16). What a picture of incredible grace! That this same Jesus would humble Himself to be born into poverty--such a picture of love that stoops down and offers salvation to those who hung Him on the cross.

I thought about this picture of grace, but then I could almost hear a shout from heaven and I thought about His glory. "Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pieced Him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over him. This is certain. Amen" (Revelation 1:7). My mind, my heart, my soul, my spirit are filled with wonder as I meditate on His grace and glory.

I first started thinking about this thirst for life and meaning when I read an article about a brain surgery. It was beautifully written. Although it was a different brain surgery than the one I had had I could still identify with some of the things described. Towards the end of the article the author asked the surgeon if he believed in God, in life beyond the dead. He responded by simply shaking his head and replying, "This is it."

The rest of the article seemed colored by this interchange. Without a belief in God even though the surgeon was seemingly able to rule over life and death in the end he described life as meaningless. As I read this I remembered the words of Ecclesiastes 2:11, "When I considered all that I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun." Life lived under the sun believing that there is nothing beyond death is as empty as chasing the wind.

I spent last week visiting my daughter Abigail in the hospital because she is on bed rest with her pregnancy. One day I received two calls; each call was telling me of the death of a friend. The next day I was told that another friend who had spent two weeks with me at Christmas had been given only a month to lives. With all this going on I woke up at 4 am thinking about this thirst that we all have for life and purpose.

A Battle to Believe

Even though it happened over thirty years ago the memory is still fresh.

I woke up as if someone had just dumped a bucket of ice water on my head. In my dream I had seen someone abducting my daughter. The nightmare was so real that I could see her face staring at me from the rear window of the car as it drove away. My heart pounded in my chest as I stood on the gravel road, helplessly watching my daughter being taken away from me. My eyes shot open and I ran to my little girl's room only to find her sleeping peacefully in her bed. It had been a dream, only a dream. However, it awoke a battle of doubt inside me.

I was now wide awake and facing my fears because I now had to confront the reality that, even though my child was sleeping safe in her bed, there were other children who were not safe. There were grieving parents whose children had been taken from them. I began to pace the floor tormented with these thoughts. "Lord!" I prayed, "I want to trust you, but I don't know how!"

I prayed and paced for most of the night. It was an honest battle with doubt. I now believe that true faith isn't an absence of fear or doubt, but instead it's when you humbly bring these struggles to the throne of grace. That night I prayed and cried until I received mercy. The core of my fear came from the ancient doubt presented by the flickering tongue of the serpent. "Is God really good? Can you really trust Him?"

That night I kept going into my daughter's room. Part of my pleading with God was this, "Lord, I trust you as long as I can see that my child is safe. But I know that faith is being sure of what you hope for and confident about what you don't see. I want to have this kind of faith, but tonight I don't!" My struggle wasn't only with my doubt but with my desire to have faith. Finally, I felt the peace of God and I heard His voice in answer to my cry, "Sarah, I will give you the grace to trust me tonight, and I will give the grace to face anything I allow to come into your life."

This happened over thirty years ago. I have found God's promise fulfilled over and over as He has met me with both mercy and grace to face many trails and heartaches. I am grateful that I do not have to pretend that I am strong when I am really weak, but instead I am invited to bring my weakness, my doubts and my fears before the throne of grace and there I find mercy and grace to help in my time of need. He is faithful. He is good. He is worthy of my trust.

"Come up here"

"Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"

 "Absolute futility! Everything is futile!"

 "Absolutely pointless, everything is pointless!"

All of these are different translations to what Ecclesiastes describes as life simply lived, "under the sun." As I read these words I can almost hear the words to a song in Les Miserables  playing in my mind.

"Turning, turning, turning through the years
Minutes into hours and hours into years
Nothing changes, nothing ever can
Round and round the roundabout
and back where you began!
Round and round and back where you began!

How very depressing it would be if this was the only way to look at life lived here on earth, from birth to death. But there is another way. I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Two years ago today I had brain surgery. The last two years have been very hard and life-altering. However, I have found that the more difficult my life has become, the more I need to focus my attention on life "beyond the sun."

This Summer while recovering from my sixth surgery I decided to use my time studying the book of Revelation. I was only on the third verse of the first chapter when I came to these words, "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." This word for blessed means "possessing the favor of God, that state of being marked by fullness from God."*

In this book that unveils God's eternal plan there is an invitation, "After this I looked, and there in heaven was an open door. The first voice that I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this" (Revelation 4:1). This invitation comes with a blessing to see beyond the sun all the way to the throne of God.

This Summer as I read and reread the words of this prophecy I felt the full circle of God's love. In the beginning God had come in the cool of the evening seeking fellowship with His creation, but the fellowship was broken by sin and rebellion. Death, sorrow and grief became part of the human experience.

In the book of Revelation there is the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. God at last will dwell with His people. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will exist no longer, grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous  things have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, "Look I am making everything new" (Revelation 4:5).

Life is not meaningless. Life is not futile. Life is not pointless. Look carefully; read the book of Revelation and you might just find an open door that will reveal a picture of what is above the sun.

* Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament

My Life is Like This

I was running late. The van was packed with grand-kids. There were two teenage boys in the back, two car-seats in the middle and my granddaughter in the seat beside me. That's when I saw it. A car was turned on its side in the ditch. As I whisked past I thought I might have seen someone in the driver's seat.

"Mimi! You're not just going to keep on going are you!?" Here, my dear readers, I will confess my heart to you. I was running late. The van was packed with grand-kids. Not only that, but as I whisked past I thought the woman in the driver's seat might have had a phone in her hand. I had more to do than I had time to do it in. Nevertheless, I did turn the van around and go back to check and see if I could be of help.

As I slipped into my bed that night I was exhausted. In my mind I began to review the events of the day. I was supposed to teach a class, but found out instead I had a doctor's appointment so I had to cancel my class. I had planned to do several things around the house, but by the time I got home from town there was no time left. In fact, a great deal of what I had planned to do ended up needing to be changed.

I closed my eyes and smiled as I remembered the verse I wrote across my to-do list. "Man makes his plans, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9.) I blanketed my mind with peace as I humbled myself and surrendered  to the Lordship of my God. It was then that the words from Jeremiah came to me. "I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown" (Jeremiah 2:2). "Ah, Sovereign Lord!' I prayed, 'this is how I want to live, totally surrendering my will to yours!"

As the sweetness of sleep came I heard yet another verse I had been memorizing whisper to my spirit. "What is this coming up from the wilderness like columns of smoke, scented with myrrh and frankincense from every fragrant powder of the merchant?" (Song of Songs 3:6). Yes, yes, I thought as I drifted off to sleep; life is very much like a wilderness to me. But, oh, how sweet to be led by columns of smoke and the fragrant presence of my Lord.

A Complicated Story

His name isn't given, simply his title: "a man of God." But he is called "a man of God" seventeen times in one chapter! And to be honest, it's a rather unusual story.

According to Wikipedia, "man of God is a biblical title of respect applied to prophets and beloved religious leaders." This nameless man was a prophet. He was sent to Bethel by a revelation from the Lord. He boldly called a curse against the altar that King Jeroboam had built and was in the process of burning his sacrifice on. When Jeroboam reached out his hand to have the man of God arrested, his hand withered.

Upon request the man of God restored the king's hand, but refused his invitation to go home with the king and be refreshed and receive a reward. This man had been commanded by the word of the Lord that he was not to eat bread or drink water or go back the way he came. In obedience to the word of the Lord, the man of God turned down the king's invitation and went another way home.

This is where the story gets confusing. There was an old prophet that was living in Bethel, and his sons had witnessed what the man of God had done. As soon he heard about it he instructed his sons to saddle his donkey and he went in pursuit of the man of God. When he found him he invited the man of God to go home with him to eat some bread. The man of God repeated to the old prophet the same thing he'd told the king. However, the old prophet responded by saying that he was a prophet like the man of God. He told him that an angel had spoken to him by the word of the Lord and that he had been given instruction to bring the man of God back with him so that he might eat bread and drink water. He deceived the man of God. But he really was a prophet. And when he went back with him to his house to eat bread and drink water, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet and he cried out that because the man of the God had rebelled against the commandment of the Lord his corpse would never reach the grave of his fathers.

When the man of God has finished eating the bread and drinking the water the old prophet saddled  a donkey and sent the man of God on his way. But he never reached his destination because a lion met him along the way and killed him. Then the lion just stood there and so did the donkey! The old man went and retrieved both the donkey and the man of God.

Are you confused? Maybe just a little? I have not been able to get this story out of my head all Summer. It's like a riddle I'm trying to solve. And somewhere in the riddle I think there is a message. I think the story is confusing because some truths are hard to understand.

The first tangle I want to untie is the part that says that the old prophet deceived the man of God, but that the man of God's life was cut short because he rebelled against God's commandment. In trying to sort this out I thought about when Satan tempted Eve to disobey God's commandment. First there was the temptation. Then, once Satan got Eve to look at what was forbidden, she was deceived. She was deceived because she chose a believe what Satan said instead of what God said. Next came rebellion and then death entered the world.

I've been thinking about this pattern, and the more I've thought about it the more I've begun to recognize it repeated again and again and again. The book of James says,"No one undergoing a trial should say, 'I am being tempted by God.' For God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself doesn't tempt anyone. But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desires. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is fully grown, it gives birth to death" (James 1:13-15).

Back to the story of the man of God and the old prophet. The old prophet takes the corpse of the man of God and buries it in his own grave. He grieves over this man of God and instructs his sons to bury him in the grave where the man of God is buried and to lay his bones beside the bones of the man of God.

This is not the last time the man of God is mentioned. Three hundred and forty years later his prophecy was fulfilled. Josiah, who had been mentioned by the man of God, asked about a monument that had been constructed beside the altar. When he is told about the man of God he declares,"Let him rest. Don't disturb his bones." There is no question that, though his life was cut short, he was a man of God.

There is no question that this story is about a man of God, but what happened to him and why did it happen? Just as Eve was deceived and consequently chose to rebel against God by eating the forbidden fruit, the man of God was deceived and rebelled against God by drinking water and eating bread. One rebellion took place in a garden, the other took place in enemy territory. Both resulted in death.

I have been thinking about this story all Summer. I have looked at it from all different angles. Day after day, then week after week, and finally month after month, I have considered this man of God. I have wondered how to share all I have learned, but to be honest I'm not sure how. If you live long enough you begin to grasp that life is very complex and there are often no simple answers. I believe that this story illustrates that reality. This story also reminds me that "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

*1 Kings 13, 2 Kings 23:17,18

Healing the Bruised Soul

Growing up in the South I spent most of the Summer barefooted. This also meant that often my foot would strike a hard object and I would end up with something called a stone bruise. I would go limping and crying to my mother and beg her to do something to make the pain go away. Her answer was always the same, "Some things simply take time to heal."

The last couple of years has been really hard, and the other day I realized that I had a soul bruise. I realized this while I was listening to the radio. The man on the radio was talking about the money he had lost when there was a stock market crash. He told his financial adviser that he considered the money God's money and God could do whatever He chose with His money. I thought about all the ways my life has changed in the last couple of years and I prayed, "Lord, the same is true with my life. It belongs to You and You can do with me whatever You like." Then I cried.

My prayer was simple and honest, but why did I cry? I cried because when my life hit hard places my soul was bruised. There are hurts that are real, there are adjustments that I'm struggling with, there are times I just want to turn back the clock. But I can't. So I take a deep breath and pray, "Lord, my life belongs to You and You can do with it what You will. I choose to trust You."

My prayer of surrender to God is not a magic formula that takes away the pain. One of my goals as a Christian is not to pretend that I am stronger than I am, or that I am immune to the sufferings that comes from living in a broken world. I want to be honest. I want to be humble. And so just like I did as a child with a stone bruise by going to my mother for comfort, I go to my Heavenly Father and pour out my pain and confusion. Then I wait.

I wait, still hurting, still feeling the tender bruise in my soul. There are times when I feel a deep sense of confusion and I can't understand the why. This is when the who is more important than the why. I gave my life to Jesus and I believe with all my heart that what He allows He will redeem. Sometimes it just takes time. So I wait. I wait with expectation. I wait with expectation because I have tasted the sweet water produced by desert streams. I have rejoiced in the azure blue sky that is hidden at times by the clouds. And I know that my redeemer lives.

My Secret Shout

When I was reading the Bible last week something stood out to me.

When You Don't Know What to Do

The situation caught me by surprise. It took my breath away. I could taste the cold, metallic taste of fear. I felt small and vulnerable. All reason fled from my mind leaving me with only one thought. I. Don't. Know. What. To. Do!

My eyes were wide with fear but I could see nothing. My heart was racing. I was barely able to breathe. Again my mind screamed, "I don't know what to do!" Suddenly there was a knock at the door. When I reached to open the door I found that the handles of the bolt were dripping with myrrh. I breathed in the dark rich aroma as the smell of the perfume filled my senses. My breathing and the beat of my heart began to slow. My panic was replaced by peace. That is when I saw him.

The situation that I faced was overwhelming. The reality was that I truly didn't know what to do. But when he knocked I opened the door. I breathed in the fragrance of his presence and looked deeply into his eyes and heard him ask, "May I come in?" I was no longer alone. The weight that had almost crushed me was lifted from my shoulders. The taste of fear was replaced by the taste of bread and the taste of wine.

When he entered through the door I had opened, he invited me to have communion with him. Time seemed to stand still. I still didn't know what to do, but my eyes were fixed on him. I accepted his invitation and found before me a banqueting table.  Above my seat was a banner of love.

These were thoughts that I had as I woke this morning. I lay in bed letting these truths bathe my mind. The truth is that there are times in life when the battles that I face overwhelm me. There have been many times when I have cried out in desperation, "I don't know what to do!" But these times have been followed by a simple prayer, "My eyes are on you." I have opened the door of faith so that I can look into the eyes of Jesus. I breathe in the fragrance of the Prince of Peace and I know that the battle belongs to the Lord. In sweet communion with him I taste and see that the Lord is good.

.https://youtu.be/czxd5oa-gi0

A Lamp Not A Candle

Though they both give light there is a difference between a candle and a lamp.

From the instant a candle is lit it begins to consume itself. The darkness is expelled, yes; the light is given, yes; but it is only a matter of time before the candle wax begins to drip and the candle becomes less and less. As long as there is candle to burn there will be light. But the time will come when the candle is consumed. When that time comes there will be one last flicker, one last gasp of light, and then darkness will reign.

When a lamp is lit the light it produces does not come from the lamp itself, but from the oil that it is filled with. As long as the lamp is being filled with oil the lamp will give light. The lamp is not consumed by the flame, because the purpose of the lamp is to hold the oil.

As a Christian I am called to be a light in a dark world. I have tried to produce that light in my own strength. In my desire to reach out to hurting people I have known what is like to be a candle. I wanted to give light, and for a time I was successful. But after a while my strength was spent. The light was gone, and both I and the one I wanted to help were plunged into darkness.

However, I have also known what is like to be a lamp. When I humble myself and recognize that I am not the source of the light but simply the vessel that contains the oil, then the light comes. The light that comes from the lamp truly illuminates the darkness. This light takes you beyond what mortal eyes can see. The light shine as long as the lamp is filled with oil. The One who provides the oil is always willing to fill the lamp.

                                                          He Giveth More Grace

He giveth more grace when the burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength when the labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials, His multiplied peace.

When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father's full giving is only begun.

Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.

His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.

Annie J. Flint

https://youtu.be/93D1S0BztJ8

Mental Health

When I saw him fear rose up in me and it was as if the light of the sun had been blotted out by a dark cloud. Suddenly a fearful storm was raging all around me. I found it difficult to breathe, much less think. Standing before me was someone I loved almost as much as I loved life itself, but he was so altered, so changed, that if had I seen him in a crowd I doubt I would have known him.

My first thought was, "Dear Jesus! He looks like the Gadarene demoniac!" That was when I began to let grace, mercy and peace wash away the paralyzing anxiety that had thrust me into darkness. I took a deep cleansing breath and repeated, "He looks like the Gadarene demoniac." I prayerfully put on the helmet of salvation.

I thought about how Jesus had told His disciples that they needed to cross over to the other side of the lake. Why? Why did they need to cross to the other side of the lake? It was because someone was waiting for them; someone who was living hopelessly among the tombs. A man bent on self-destruction who no human could tame. So, Jesus needed to get to where the demon-possessed man was because He had come into the world to seek and to save the lost.  

I recognize that there are times when I find myself suddenly facing a raging storm and my gut feeling is that I'm going to drown. Isn't it interesting that when Jesus told His disciples that they needed to cross the lake He was sleeping in the boat when the terrifying storm hit? When they woke Him with the question,"Don't you care that we're going to die?" He responded by rebuking the wind and the sea, "Silence! Be still!" That was all it took for the wind to cease and the great calm to come. Then He turned to His disciples and said, "Why are you fearful? Do you still have no faith?"

I would be lying if I said that I am not afraid when I find myself in an unexpected storm. I often find myself terrified when I see those I love living among the tombs, crying out and hurting themselves. I, like the disciples in the boat, would perish in the storm if I put my faith in myself alone. And I and those I love would live haunted lives among the tombs if Jesus had not come to seek and save the lost. But He did come. And so I put my trust in Him. By faith I take the helmet of salvation and place it on my head. I choose to take every thought captive. I choose to exchange my fear for faith. In doing this I choose mental health.

Show Up!

The sermon was the regular length for a sermon, however, I can only remember two words of it, "Show up." I think these two words spoke so loudly to me because of an illustration that preacher didn't verbalize.

I didn't have my brain surgery in my home town, so in order to come to the hospital to see me it meant a two hour drive. The day after my surgery, Tom May, my pastor, showed up. I confess I was pretty sick and unable to communicate. But the fact that he had taken the time to show up at the hospital communicated to me that he cared. I felt valued.

My great aunt came to my high school graduation. She didn't speak to me before or after the ceremony. You might wonder how I knew that she showed up. Well, I'll tell you. Aunt Sit always wore a hat. In fact, I think she always wore the same hat because as I sit here writing this I can see it in my mind's eye. I remember that when I walked into the auditorium and saw my great Aunt Sit's hat, the only person wearing a hat in the auditorium, I felt honored. I felt like I had value. My Aunt Sit cared enough to show up.

Now I know without a doubt that I have opened up a wound for some who are reading this. I have awakened the memory or when you were alone in the hospital and no one showed up. I have touched a memory from your childhood when your eyes searched for a familiar face in the audience but found none. The memory is a wound. In time the wound becomes a scar, a hard place in your heart where life cannot flow.

I understand. I have those wounds too. But what I have found is that I can take them to the God who did show up. I can stand in His presence with my wounded heart exposed and I ask Him to touch those hard, cold, lifeless places. He not only heals the hurt but He also redeems the pain by giving me the assignment to relay to others that they have value and that I care enough to show up.

I Wish We'd All Been Ready

"The days grew dark, the sun grew cold. A piece of bread could buy a bag of gold. I wish we'd all been ready." I hear in my mind the haunting echo of this song as I open the eyes of my spirit and gaze into the Revelation. "The revelation of Jesus Christ that God gave him to show his slaves what must quickly take place" (Revelation 1:1).

"Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, including those who pierced him. And all the families of the earth will mourn over him. This is certain. Amen" (Revelation 1:7). I lift my eyes to the clouds and my heart skips a beat. It will be soon, I know this. But why does He delay?

Even as I ask the question I know the reason. I know that it is God's kindness that is intended to lead us to repentance. It was God's kindness, His love, that caused Him to send His son. He didn't come with condemnation but instead Jesus came with an invitation to all who believe. An invitation to have eternal life, an invitation to enter the kingdom of God, an invitation to repent.

Jesus didn't come into the world to condemn the world, but there will be judgment and He is the judge. He is the light that came into the world exposing the deeds of darkness. He is the truth that came into the world revealing the lie. He is the way, the only way, that leads to life. But there is both judgment and condemnation to those who love the darkness, reject the way, and embrace the lie.

Soon the prophetic words of Jesus will be fulfilled, "The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not shed its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the celestial powers will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other" (Matthew 24:29,30).

He is coming. "The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). I think of all those I love and I hope we will all be ready.

A Celestial Vision

"If they sin against you--for there is no one who does not sin--and you are angry with them and give them to an enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the land of the enemy, far off or near, yet they turn their heart in the land to which they have been carried captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors, saying, 'We have sinned and have acted perversely and wickedly,' if they repent with all their mind and with all their heart in the land of their enemies, who carried them captive. and pray to you toward their land, which you gave to their fathers, the city that you have chosen, and the house that I have built for your name, then hear in heaven your dwelling place their prayer and their plea, and maintain their cause and forgive your people who have sinned against you, and all their transgressions that they have committed against you, and grant them compassion in the sight of those who carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them ... Let your eyes be open to the plea of your servant ..." (1 Kings 8:46-53).

God's people did sin and they were carried away captive to the land of the enemy. But there was a man who, in the land of his captors, repented and pleaded with God. Even after a document had been signed that condemned anyone who prayed to anyone but the king he still went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber opened toward Jerusalem, got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God. He knelt facing Jerusalem but his prayers were directed to the Ancient of Days who is seated in the heavens.

Even before Daniel's faith was challenged by the lion's den God had rewarded his faithfulness by giving him a celestial vision. In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel saw the Ancient of Days take his seat in the heavens. "His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousands stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened" (Daniel 7:9,10). Daniel had been shown that there was to be a day of judgment. He had no fear of earthly kingdoms; he lived his life with an eternal perspective.

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13,14).

Today I hear the nations raging. My heart is broken by the captivity of sin that I see all around me and so I bend my knees and open the windows of heaven and pray. Three times a day I open the eyes of my spirit and I see Him. He is seated on the throne. He is beautiful with the appearance of precious jewels, and around the throne is a rainbow. From the throne comes flashes of lightning, and rumbles and peals of thunder. Yet, as I listen my heart and soul are filled with peace. Three times a day to behold His glory: three times a day to bathe my mind, spirit and soul with the celestial vision. Three times a day to bring my petitions before the throne of my Father. Three times a day to rise from my knees filled with gratitude and heavenly peace.

Letting Go and Taking Hold

Gratitude opens my fist so that instead of clutching what was, I am free to take hold of what is.

Tomorrow I will go to Vanderbilt to receive twenty shots in my face. One of the after effects of my brain surgery was that the nerves in my face rewired. This causes my facial muscles to misfire. For instance, when I close my right eye the muscle in my chin contracts. This also means that if I am too expressive I will get a painful charlie horse. Before my surgery I made great use of facial expression but that is no longer true.

This is hard. I recognize that I have a choice. I can either be grateful for the doctors and procedures that help to lessen the effects of my rewired face, or I can grumble and complain. This is not an easy choice. Every time I open my mouth to speak I feel the misfiring muscles. This is not a one time choice, it is a process of letting go of what used to be and accepting what is.

Not long ago I was at a family gathering and someone told me how a group had been discussing my face. She wanted to encourage me by pointing out how much better I looked. I realized I could be grateful for the improvement in the way I looked, or simply hold on to the grief I still feel.

I look around me and see others who have gone through life-altering changes. On the outside they appear to be the same, but deep inside they feel as if their soul has been bruised. What they once took for granted is gone. Sometimes it feels like being a prisoner of the past.

Healing comes slowly. I don't choose to pretend there isn't loss and grief, but I do choose to recognize the blessings that surround me. There is something holy that takes place when I pursue gratitude. I am reminded that we get the word Eucharist from the Greek word eucharisteo, which means to give thanks.

God of the Macro and the Micro

The corridor is dark. The way is unknown. Or perhaps it would be more correct to say that the way is unknown to me. However, the one who does know the way has offered me a light that shines in the darkness.

For the last several months I have immersed myself in the book of Daniel. Having read his words and having looked through his eyes at the visions given to him, I feel like I know him. He was a man, an alien. He was fulfilling God's purposes in his generation. The prophecies God gave him were like a light that shined down the corridor of time. Daniel didn't fully understand all God showed him, but what he did understand was that God was in control.

For the past three weeks I have been studying the last section of Daniel. Daniel is now an old man and his assumptions of what was to take place and what was actually happening didn't match. He was mourning. He humbled himself before the Most High God. When God sent His messenger to Daniel the curtains of heaven were pulled back. Man was given an understanding of the spiritual realm.

What Daniel was told he could not understand. He was a man whom God esteemed highly, a man dearly loved. Amos 3:7 tells us that, "Indeed, the Lord God does nothing without revealing His counsel to His servants the prophets." There are one hundred and thirty five prophecies that have already been fulfilled from the eleventh chapter of Daniel. What these fulfilled prophecies point to is a sovereign God. The Ancient of Days is seated in the heavens and He holds the scepter in His hands.

I believe that the God who is God of the macro is also God of the micro. The Lord of Hosts who rules over angel armies, the Most High God who is sovereign over kingdoms and nations, principalities and powers, is also Lord over my life. I am invited to humble myself just as Daniel did and bring my prayers before the throne of the Almighty. I rest in the truth that, although the corridor may seem dark and the path I should take is unknown to me, it is known to Him.

Not Easy but Good

I remember thinking as we drove over the mountain on my way to have brain surgery that perhaps it was a bad idea to let someone drill a hole in your skull. As soon as that thought come into my head I felt like a scaly hand grabbed me by the ankle and was pulling me beneath the water and I would drown. That's when I asked my husband if he would mind listening to a song with me.

The song was Oceans  by Hillsong, and it had become my theme song. I bathed my mind and soul with the words of the song and fear lost its grip on me. "You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail. And there I find you in the mystery, in oceans deep my faith will stand." I confess I do not understand the path my God has chosen for my life, and sometimes my feet fail and I find myself slipping beneath the water. However, I have chosen to worship Him by not only accepting my weakness but also by entrusting myself to His love. And so when my strength fails I rest in His embrace.

When I was a teenager I was told that God loved me and had a wonderful plan for my life. That sounded really good to me and I had a preconceived idea of what good would look like. But I was wrong. What I have found is very much like the words I find in the song. God's grace abounds in deepest waters and His  sovereign hand has been my guide. Sometimes while facing life's challenges my feet have failed and fears have surrounded me. But in the midst of the struggles of life God has never failed me. Grapes are good, but sometimes it's the crushed grapes that gladden the heart.

The good that God has chosen for me sometimes includes tears and sleepless nights. Times when I feel that I've come to the end of my strength. These difficult times have taught me to accept humility as a gift. Acknowledging my weakness allows me to call upon His name. By faith I keep my eyes above the waves. The waters rise, my strength fails, but I have chosen to rest in His embrace and once more I find the comfort that I am His and He is mine.

I have not found life to be easy, but I have found it to be good. I believe that I am guided by a hand I cannot see but by one that I trust. And so my love song continues to be, "Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever you would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander, and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior."

Glorifying God Through Brokenness

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since our last conversation.

The sky was painted with the colors of dusk. All of nature seemed to be wearing the delicate hues of Springtime on that April evening five years ago. We sat together in companionable silence as we so often did while watching the sun slowly sink behind the mountains.

His wife of over sixty years had died earlier that week. Both of our hearts had been made tender by grief, so when we finally spoke it was not about the temporal things but about the eternal. That night I asked him the question that I often asked him. It was something his mother had taught him when he was a young boy. I asked him about the true meaning and purpose of life.

His ninety one years seemed to fade and I heard a sweetness in his voice that must have been an echo of what his mother heard when she first planted this truth in his soul. His eyes were bright with the light of eternity as he said, "The chief end of man is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever."

Papa was a farmer, a man of the earth. One of the most humble men I have every known. He knew that God used broken things. Broken clouds to give rain. Broken soil to plant grain. Broken grain to give bread. Broken bread to give strength. As we sat there that night reflecting on the meaning of life there was a sense of being grounded. That night there was the humble understanding that glorifying God is sometimes done when we bring our broken hearts to Him, simply believing that He can make sense out of what we ourselves do not understand.

Looking back I can still feel the joy we shared that night. Joy is a strange byproduct of grief that is mixed with faith. As we sat in the twilight looking beyond the horizon we both believed that what we were experiencing was simply a chapter of a bigger story being told. Peace blanketed our aching hearts as we thought about what it meant to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I didn't know then that that would be my last conversation with Papa. Forever began for him the next morning when he stepped into eternity.


I used to think that we brought glory to God by the big things we did for Him. But now I understand that we glorify Him when we bring Him our brokenness and find it redeemed.

The Art of Waiting

It was 43 years ago that my husband asked me to marry him. We were only engaged for six weeks, but I can still remember what it was like to wait, and while waiting prepare, for my wedding day. Every day was filled with preparations and every night I would put Steve's picture under my pillow. It was the longest six weeks of my life!

I was thinking about what it is like for a bride to wait for her wedding day because I was teaching this week about Jesus' second coming. The Jewish wedding ceremony began with the young man making a covenant with the bride. He would then drink a cup of wine with her to seal the contract. Finally, he would pay a bride-price to the father of the bride. At this point, the waiting would begin, because now he would leave and go to his father's house to prepare a bridal chamber for her.

Jesus used the very phase that the groom would use when leaving his bride when He said, "I go to prepare a place for you." I was only engaged for six weeks, but the Jewish bride who was waiting for her groom didn't know how long she would have to wait. During this time she was to be preparing herself for her wedding. She would wear a veil whenever she went out among other men because she was set apart. She was one for whom a price had been paid.

As the days became weeks and the weeks became months the anticipation would grow. The tradition was that his coming would be a surprise. Perhaps he might even come at midnight. The bride would gather her bridesmaids, her sisters, anyone whom she had chosen to be part of the wedding party, and they would begin to wait with her. Of course they would have oil in their lamps just in case he chose to come at the midnight hour. When the time finally came, the groom would gather his friends and begin the journey to his bride's home. When he was close enough for his bride to hear, he would let out a shout. That was her signal that she was about be caught up by the one for whom she's been waiting.

When I turn to the last chapter of the Bible I read again and again and again these words of Jesus, "Look! I am coming quickly!" I want to be like the princess described in the Royal Wedding Song of Psalm 45. "In her chamber, the royal daughter is all glorious, her clothing embroidered with gold." When did she do the embroidery? She did it while she was waiting and preparing herself for the return of her groom. So, I am waiting with the anticipation of a bride, hoping that my embroidery will be completed by the time I hear the shout.

Consider the Clouds

I smiled when I saw that yesterday was Consider the Clouds Day. It was also the day that I was to teach about the prophecy of One like a son a man coming in the clouds. He came before the Ancient of Days and was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom. Yesterday when I considered the clouds I also considered the One who would be coming with the clouds of heaven.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. He brought form from the formless and gave light where once there had only been darkness. The crown of His creation was man, created in His own image. And to him he gave dominion and the right to rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth. God saw all that He had created, and the man made in His image ruling, and He declared it very good.

Dominion was forfeited and Paradise was lost when sin entered the garden. The temptation to doubt the goodness of God was offered through the mouth of a serpent. The knowledge of good and evil brought with it a curse. Not only was man cursed, but all of creation was cursed as well. Now labor would be painful and the ground would produce thorns. When sin entered the garden, death became a reality, an enemy all would encounter. All would have been lost--but a promise was given that one day the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent.

The second Adam came just as the Creator had promised. The first temptation to rebel against God had been presented to the first Adam in a garden where all his needs were met. Though he was full, he wanted more; though he'd been given the privilege to rule all of creation, he wanted more; and in the process he had worshiped at the wrong altar. The second Adam was tempted in every way the first Adam was, except he was tempted in a wilderness not a garden. He was hungry not full. The devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and offered them to him if he would fall down and worship him. The second Adam didn't challenge the devil's right to rule, but he refused him the right to be worshiped.

When Jesus, the second Adam, came, his followers believed that he had come to reclaim what had been lost in the garden. He spoke of a kingdom, and the title he used for himself was The Son of Man. The prophet Daniel had seen One like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. This One came before the Ancient of Days and was given authority to rule, and glory, and a kingdom. His dominion was not to be like that given to Adam in the garden because His dominion would not pass away, and His kingdom would not be destroyed. Those who followed him thought he had come to restore dominion. They didn't realize that he had come first to break the curse of sin and death. He took the thorns of the curse and wore them as a crown. And when he died, he laid death in its grave.*

How confused Jesus' followers must have been watching him die, seeing him resurrected, only to see him taken up as they were watching. They watched as a cloud received him out of their sight. They were still gazing up into heaven when suddenly two men in white clothes stood before them and told them that this same Jesus whom they had seen taken up into heaven in the clouds would return in the same way.

Jesus had come first to break the curse, but the promise was given to his followers, just as the prophecy was given to Daniel, that one day he would return in the clouds. On his return he would be given authority to rule, dominion that would not pass away, and a kingdom that would never be destroyed. So, for today, I consider the clouds and wait for the promise of his return.

*John Mark McMillian "Death in His Grave"

Joy in His Presence

"You hide them in the protection of Your presence" (Psalm 31:20).

I know I've read these words many times, but at the same time I feel like I've never seen them before. This morning the idea of being hidden in the protection of God's presence filled my heart and my mind with a holy sense of wonder. I held the thought in my mind until peace penetrated my soul, and my spirit and heart filled with joy.

I believe that you can read the Bible dutifully and find it to simply be words that lie flat on the page. That is why before I open God's word I ask the Spirit of Truth to reveal Himself to me. This morning I felt like I was drinking living water. When I meditated on hiding myself in the protection of God's presence, I felt like I was having Holy Communion and eating the bread of life.

Next, I opened a book I am reading by Charles Spurgeon on Joy and Redemption and found these words. "Amid a stream of troubled thoughts, there stands an island of rescue and redemption which supplies standing room for wonder and worship, while the music of the words sounds sweetly in our ears like the murmuring of a river. Read the entire psalm carefully and it will arouse your sympathy (Psalm 89), for the author was bearing bitter reproach and was almost broken-hearted by the grievous calamities of his nation. Yet his faith was strong in the faithfulness of God. So he sang in that night of his sorrow. Greatly does it glorify God for us to sing His high praises in storms of adversity and on beds of affliction. It magnifies His mercy if we can bless and adore Him when he takes as well as when He gives. It is good that out of the very mouth of the burning fiery furnace there should come a more burning note of grateful praise."

Something beautiful happens when you find your protection in the presence of God. When you hide yourself beneath the shadow of the wing of the Almighty you find more than security. When you find your resting place close to the heart of God, even if the circumstance of your life remain the same, you are changed. All who anchor themselves in the Lord become strong and courageous.

Not only do I find protection in the presence of God, I find redemption. There is a great exchange. The heavy garments of sorrow are exchanged for the festive garments of praise and joy.

A Memory Awakened by a Song

I wrapped myself in a warm blanket and sat on the porch waiting for the Sun to rise. As I sat waiting for the Light, my spirit was lifted up in praise through the words of a song.

You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep my faith will stand

The music awoke a memory that was so fresh is was as if I were reliving it. In my memory it was dusk and I was once more in the car on my way the hospital to have brain surgery. All the way there I listened to the same song over and over.

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Your and You are mine

I saw again in my memory the small bed on which I lay surrounded by doctors. I felt so small and vulnerable, yet in my heart I heard the song.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand will be my guide
Where feet my fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

After the surgery my face became paralyzed. For three months I was unable to close my eye without taping it closed. The eye doctor told me I had two weeks before I would lose the vision in my eye. So I found myself going back to the hospital this time to have surgery on my eyes. Again I lifted my broken spirit with the words of the song.

So I will call upon Your Name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

They didn't put me to sleep for the eye surgery but instead they told me that they could play music for me to take my mind off of what they were doing. Once more I let the words of the song become my prayer.

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without boundaries
Let me walk upon the waters 
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wonder
And faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior

The next morning I went out while it was still dark. I wrapped myself in a warm wool blanket and I waited for the dawn. Today these memories were reawaken, and once more I felt the joy of having my soul rest in my Savior's embrace.

Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong

   

What Kind of Love is This?

Every year it happens. I'm reading through the Bible and I get to Leviticus and find two chapters talking about leprosy. I have to admit it's hard to read about this skin disease. The word pictures of an infection that appears deeper than the skin is a hard one to look at. And so, this is where a lot of people who thought they would read through the Bible decide that maybe there is a better use of their time.

Why is so much space given to how to deal with this dread disease? I believe it is because when we look closer we realize that this disease that begins by attacking the joints and bones before it is ever seen in the skin is a picture of sin. Just like leprosy, sin has a deforming effect on man who was made in the image of God.

In time leprosy takes away the ability to feel pain. You might think this is a good thing, but without being able to feel pain someone with leprosy can't feel when what they are holding is burning their hand. Sin has the same effect: it silences the conscious. Because leprosy is so contagious it eventually brings isolation. Sin is also contagious; spreading like an untreated infection it destroys it's victim and eventually isolates them from friends and families.

In Biblical times there was no cure for leprosy unless God intervened. This year while reading Leviticus I began to weep. I saw Jesus more clearly than I'd ever seen Him before. I saw that He who knew no sin had become sin so that I might become the righteousness of God in Him. I think for the first time I understood the words of Isaiah a little more clearly.

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; He was despised and we didn't value Him. Yet He Himself bore our sicknesses, and He carried our pains; but we in turn regarded Him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. But He was pierced because of our transgression, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds. We all went astray like sheep; we have all turned to our own way; and the Lord has punished Him for the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53).

What kind of love is this that would cause the perfect, holy Son of God to leave His place in heaven and come to earth to touch a leprous sinner?! How could the Father bear to give His only son to bear the shame and bring the cure for those deformed by sin?! Why! would He lavished His love on us and wash us with the blood of His own son so that we could become His children?! What kind of love is this?

I'll walk you home

"Sarah, this is Debbie." It had been a long time since I had seen my friend and I was so happy to hear her voice. She asked about my family and how I was doing. And then she said, "Sarah, the doctors have told me that my cancer is terminal. I want to come see you and say goodbye."

I hung up the phone and sat in stunned silence while memories of my friend flooded my mind. I had only been married a month when we first met. However, she had only been married two week, so I shared with her all my wisdom. Thinking back over that memory I couldn't help but blush. Debbie had suffered for years with infertility when she decided to adopt. She named her daughter Sarah in my honor. She then gave me the privilege of being at the airport when Sarah arrived from Korea. I was there when she held her daughter in her arms for the first time. Debbie called me when she had received the impossible news that she was pregnant. She told me that she called me because it wasn't until she heard my reaction that she could dare to believe that it could be true. I didn't disappoint her. I reacted!

Debbie came. Our visit was bitter sweet. We had lived in different states and had each been busy raising our children so it had been several years since we'd seen each other. We spent the first day catching up, sharing stories. It was as if we were each opening a window to our souls to let someone else come in. We shared our joys and our sorrows.

At one point Debbie asked why the pain of one of my memories seemed so fresh. I told her it was because I had found an old journal in the attic and had read through it recently. She looked at me for a long time and then said, "Sarah, burn it. Life is to short to hold onto sorrow."

Before Debbie left I promised her that I would walk her home. I called her every day for the few months that she had left. I had no answers to the questions my dying friend asked. I couldn't understand the pain. Often my response was simply to weep with her. I was reminded of the children of Israel in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. I walked with Debbie in the wilderness; we shared our faith we spoke daily about the hope that is an anchor for our soul. However, the time came when it was time for Debbie to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. I could go with her no farther. It was here that I was aware that Joshua (Jesus) had come to part the flooded muddy waters of the Jordan and take my friend the rest of the way home.

https://youtu.be/5BSLQnXcLPM

Celebrate Me Home - The Perrys

The Safe House

The grass had not yet begun to grow on my granddaughter's grave and the memory of my daughter crushing the rose and letting the petals gently fall onto the tiny coffin was fresh on my mind when I got the call. "Mom, will you go with me to the courthouse?" There was a baby that needed to be placed in a Safe House and she wanted to volunteer her home. My first reaction was that I wanted to protect my child from any more heartache than she had already experienced.

We were sitting together in the courthouse corridor when the baby arrived. I will never forget the look of love and joy on my daughter's face when she saw him. When we went before the the judge he asked if anyone had come on behalf of the child. There was no one there except for the two of us. The judge accepted my daughter's offer of her home as a Safe House.

I raised my children in a designated Safe House with the Georgia Department of Family and Children Services that wasn't always safe. My maternal instincts were always to protect my children and to create a happy home for them, but I also had the desire to open my doors to a hurting world and share with others the love of Jesus. I found early on that hurting people will often hurt people, so I tried to teach my children how to live in a broken world with broken people. The truth that I wanted my children to understand was that we never reach down to others, because we are all broken. Instead, we reach across as equals to share the love of the only one who can truly save us, Jesus.

I have a confession to make. Opening my doors was hard.  As a mother, I wanted to put a wing of protection around my children and to keep them safe from the hurtful things I saw around me. I also found that only way I could help anyone was to cry out to the God whose ear is not deaf, and reach out to the God whose arm is not short so that He cannot save. I discovered that I could not protect my children from harm, but that I could teach them to seek shelter beneath the wing of a faithful God.

I was often plagued with the thought that I might have hurt my own children in my desire to share my home with others. This was the theme of many of my prayers as my children were growing up. Now my children have grown. I see now how God answered my prayer when I observe the compassion my children have for the hurting world around them. The decision my husband and I made to open our doors was like a stone cast into the water. I am watching now as ripples of mercy flow from the choices my children make to open their hearts and make a safe place for others.

Cure for a Trembling Heart

It was waiting for me when I woke up, like a fowler ready to cast its snare. As soon as my eyes opened I felt my heart entangled by the net of fear. I woke thinking about the situations over which I had no control. The "what if's" and "maybes" were like a plague stalking me in the darkness of the early morning. I had to find relief; so I cried out for help and heard, "Don't be afraid, for I am with you."

The problems were real. The situations I was facing were daunting. I felt my weakness as I walked haltingly into the new day. I eased myself down to sit in my chair, but my spirit lifted as I heard the voice of my Heavenly Father say, "Do not be discouraged, for I am your God." And courage came as I opened my heart to think about my God. He is a loving and tender father to whom I can go for comfort. He is a good shepherd, who restores my soul and leads me in the path that I should go. He is almighty, all powerful. the Sovereign Lord of the Universe. And He comes to me when I am overwhelmed by life and whispers gently to my trembling heart, "Do not be discouraged, for I am your God."

I thought about my responsibilities and my inadequacies. I thought about all those I love and how I wanted to protect them and guard them against the pestilence that seems ready to ravage them. When I looked at my own reflection in the mirror my heart sank. But again I heard the voice of my God saying, "I will strengthen you and help you." Once again I was reminded that I am not alone. I am not called on to deal with life in my own strength. I choose today to walk in the truth of His promise that when I call out Him He will answer me. He will be with me in trouble.

Like a young child who seeks the comfort of holding her father's hand when walking on an unfamiliar path, I reach out my hand to my Heavenly Father when I hear Him say, "I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Now the Sun has risen and all the dark shadows have fled. Held by the strong and gentle hand of my Father I know that, though I may stumble, I will not fall. In His presence I have no fear. Because He is my God I have the courage to face my anxiety. Holding His hand I find rest for my soul and strength for the day.

I chose to claim Isaiah 41:10. Therefore, through the power of the Holy Spirit I hear God's word speaking to my soul, setting my spirit free, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Do not be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand."