Tag Archives: Rescue

Jun5

Heavenly Help

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God is within her,

She will not fall;

God will help her

At the break of day.

Psalm 46:5

 

As the sun rises today, do you find yourself desperately in need of God’s help? Perhaps you are in turmoil over financial worries, or possibly you are navigating though a tumultuous period with a rebellious teen. Your struggle could be due to the heartache of marital distress, or you might be exhausted from battling a ravaging disease or illness. Maybe you are at a crossroad in your life, and you are struggling over a major decision. No matter what type of battle you are facing, if you are a child of God, He is ready and willing to help you. In Isaiah 41: 13 He reminds us, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, ‘Do not fear; I will help you.'” Take hold of your Heavenly Father’s outstretched hand. Accept the help He wants to provide.

 

Let go of your cares and worries and relax in the arms of your Savior. Receive His peace. Stop trying to fight life’s battles on your own. Allow Him to take the lead. Rest in the assurance that He will help you, and His promises are true. “He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth.” (Psalm 46:9), and
He is BIG enough to handle your personal “war.”

 

In the midst of your turmoil He says to you, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) At this moment, be still before your Heavenly Father. Accept His peace…and His help. Feel His divine presence within you. Right now, take hold of His hand…He will not let you fall.

Feb19

Lessons from Unanswered Questions

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“…As you know we consider blessed those who have persevered.

You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen

What the Lord finally brought about.”

James 5: 10, 11 (NIV 2005)

We live in an age of “instant” everything. With microwaves and drive-through windows, we can place a meal on our tables within minutes. Cable news networks and satellites allow us to view up-to-the-minute reports on stories happening around the world. Laptops and smartphones allow us to have the internet at our fingertips almost anywhere we travel, so the answers to most questions can be found with a quick query of our favorite search engine. GPS devices allow us to find directions instantaneously. Emails and Texts allow us send messages instantly. Weather conditions can be determined by a quick search of a “Weather Radar Ap.” Medicine provides prompt relief to pain, indigestion, cold symptoms, fever, sleeplessness, etc… Even common medical problems can sometimes be “diagnosed” quickly by entering symptoms into web based medical sites.

Because of all these technetronic advances, we have become conditioned to receiving almost anything we need in an instant. As a result, we have also lost the ability to wait. Above all else, we expect an immediate cure or solution for anything that causes us pain or discomfort ~ from toothaches to heartbreaks and everything in between. However, there are some things in life that don’t have instant answers. Despite all the tremendous advances in science, technology and medicine, we still live in a world where many people suffer.

Job was a wealthy landowner and successful businessman who had a wonderful family and home. He was a man of faith and was known for his generosity and care for others. The Bible describes him as “blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” He was living a very happy and fulfilling life when tragedy struck. In an instant, his ten children were swept away by a windstorm, in an instant his land, crops, livestock and servants were destroyed by raiding bandits and a lightning storm, and in an instant he lost everything he had through no fault of his own. To make matters even worse, Job was struck with painful sores all over his body.

Job experienced both extreme physical pain and gut-wrenching grief over the loss of his family and possessions. He was at a crossroads in his walk of faith. He could blame God, curse Him and give up, or he could choose to trust God for strength to carry on. Job was forced to return to the basics of his faith in God. Throughout his story a common theme emerges: Job acknowledged the sovereign authority of God, but he wanted to understand the why behind his suffering. For a period of time, he allowed his desire to understand why he was suffering to overwhelm him and make him question God. 

Job didn’t expect an instant cure for his pain and suffering, but he did become frustrated over not knowing why he was suffering, expecially when he was sure he had done nothing to deserve this sort of punishment.  He wanted to know the answer to the age-old question, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Even though God didn’t answer his question instantly, Job did perservere in his faith.  When God, who knows everything, finally spoke to Job, He did not provide him with the answer.  Instead He pointed out an important lesson:  It is better to know our Heavenly Father than to know the answers to all our questions.

 

Sometimes suffering is shaping us for service to others. Often we face consequences of bad decisions, and we suffer through correction or discipline. And, yes, there are times when we won’t know why we are suffering.  We may never know why bad things happen to good people or why innocent children have to suffer, but no matter what the reason for our pain, instead of getting caught up in wanting an instant answer to the question of “why” we are suffering, we should respond by digging our roots deeper into God. By doing so, we can weather any type of storm we may face. God is not caught off guard by any of our problems, and He can help us withstand any trial we face in life.

 Trust in God and not in your circumstances and remember the important lesson from Job’s life:  Knowing God is superior to knowing all the answers.

 

Feb8

Strength from God

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LORD, be gracious to us;
   we long for you.
Be our strength every morning,
   our salvation in time of distress.

Isaiah 33:2 (New International Version, ©2010)

 

 God is gracious, merciful, kind, and compassionate. His love for us is tender and eternal. In times of distress we feel drained of our energy and stamina. We are weak and lack stability. God’s omnipotent power is limitless, and His strength is boundless. No matter what distress
you are facing, ask Him to be your strength when you feel like you have none left. He will faithfully come to your rescue. Let the beauty of the sunrise each morning remind you that nothing is impossible for Him. Allow Him to strengthen you each day.

Feb5

Broken Pottery…

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Broken Pottery…


“…I have become like broken pottery.”

Psalm 31:12 (NIV)

Giant tears welled in my eyes and spilled onto the crisp pages of my Bible as I read the verse above in my early morning quiet time. Those six words resonated deep within my soul and flooded my broken heart as I envisioned myself like a broken clay vessel, shattered and useless for its intended purpose. The psalmist is describing himself in a time of extreme anguish and despair, the same way I was feeling at the moment I read those powerful words.

How did I “become” like broken pottery? Financial crisis, marital strife, parenting issues, illness, and the death of my beloved father-in-law brought me to the point where I felt as though I had been dropped from the edge of a cliff and shattered on jagged rocks below. You see I can’t point my finger to any one of those major difficulties as being the final blow to my clay vessel. However, all combined, they had taken a toll on my life and its usefulness to my heavenly Father.

We all feel a sense of brokenness at different times in our lives. During a period of illness or disease, we experience a form of physical brokenness. When my body is not functioning at 100% capacity, I feel frustrated and worthless. I normally go full speed ahead, managing my marriage, my three sons, our home, and my part-time job with ease. But when I’m debilitated due to sickness, I become discouraged, feeling defeated and nonproductive. I become discouraged that I’m unable to keep our lives and calendars running smoothly. In essence, I’m rendered ineffective in my daily walk of ministry in my home to my husband and sons.

Brokenness also occurs during a season of heartache and anguish. This can occur during a period of sadness over the loss of a loved one. Mourning can be debilitating and consume us to the point that we can only focus on our loss, leaving room for nothing more. Struggles or failures in a relationship or marriage can also lead to a feeling of heart break, leaving us emotionally wounded and dysfunctional. At times we are heartbroken for our children. Perhaps they have strayed off the path, and we are sad and bewildered about their misguided direction. Or perhaps they are being bullied, harassed or ostracized by their peers, and we feel angst over their torment. While there are many different sources for heartbreak in our lives, they all produce the same type of outcome, causing us to become broken and limited in our usefulness and productivity.

We feel a sense of mental brokenness during times of extreme stress. Financial worries or job security can burden us to the point that we shut down. The loss of a job or the downturn of the economy can bring us to a point where we don’t know where to turn for our next paycheck. Debt can be overwhelming and worrying about paying the stack of bills on your kitchen counter can bring your life to a halt. When every trip to the mailbox or every ring of the phone brings a sense of dread, our thoughts are consumed with one focus…what we don’t have in our bank account. We are useless in all other areas of our lives.

Thankfully, we know a Savior who can take the broken pieces of our lives and transform them into malleable clay, reshaping us into useful vessels once again, with His grand and glorious purpose in mind. He can shine the grace of His warm, healing presence into our being and mend the broken areas of our heart, mind, body and soul. He alone can transform, renew and refresh us. In reality, we are more receptive to our Lord when we are in a state of brokenness because He can mold us in areas where we might have been resistant before. At those times we let go of the pride that falsely binds our lives together, and we realize that we can’t repair our broken lives on our own. We must look to God for His merciful healing.

Cry out to your Heavenly Father, asking Him to pick up the shattered pieces of your life and place all your cares in the palms of the Master Craftsman. Allow the compassionate hands of the Almighty Potter to heal your brokenness and shape your life into a beautiful vessel, useful and glorifying to Him.

Isaiah 64:8 (New International Version)

8 Yet, O LORD, you are our Father.
       We are the clay, you are the potter;
       we are all the work of your hand.

Dear Heavenly Father, Yes, I am the work of your hands. Heal the broken areas of my vessel, and transform me into a beautiful form of pottery, effective and useful for your purposes. May the ministry of my life bring glory to you always.

In the precious name of Jesus (your Son who was broken for me) I pray, Amen.

Feb2

Anchor for your Soul

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“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…” Hebrews 6:19

 

Do you ever feel as though life’s circumstances are engulfing you like a powerful rip tide, pulling you into a tumultuous sea of despair? You are powerless to the force of the current, and the more you fight against the flow of events, the weaker you become. When life is seemingly out of your control or when events take a sharp, unexpected turn, remember that by placing your hope in our Heavenly Father, He will be the immovable anchor for your soul. His promises are unchanging and true. His love is unfailing. His strength is limitless. Regardless of what you are going through, you will be secure in His grasp. Just as a ship anchor holds firmly to the seabed, our hope is firm and secure when our souls are anchored in God.

Jan18

God carries His children

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“In His love and mercy, He redeemed them; 

He lifted them up and carried them

all the days of old.” 

Isaiah 63:9b

God is faithful to keep His promises.  His love is unfailing.  In our weakness, He is our strength. 

When you don’t have the energy to put one foot in front of the other,

or when you don’t know the next step you should take,

believe that God will carry you through any “desert” or “valley” in life.

Rest in His loving arms.  Feel the peace of His presence in your life and know that He is holding you

…and carrying you through the toughest times.

Sep26

Refuge from the Storm

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“Rogers Bridge Over Chattahoochee River”

By cBrown.Cooksey

 

The scene above shows the Chattahoochee River on a peaceful summer day. In the past week, however, the rivers and streams in our area of Georgia have become inundated with record rainfall, causing historic, catastrophic flooding. Creeks and rivers have overflowed their banks, causing massive destruction to anything in their downstream paths. Roads and bridges have been washed away. Homes, businesses, churches, schools and other personal property have been destroyed. Lives have forever been changed. Even at this very moment, more rain is pelting our roof and flashflood warnings blare on the television. Through all of this, I know that I must trust firmly and completely in God.

 

At times our lives can seem as though we are consumed by floodwaters in other ways. We can be overwhelmed with financial strain or relational struggles.  A longterm illness can drain our strength and sink our hope. The death of a loved one can engulf our hearts and take us to the miry depths of grief. Regardless of the crisis in our lives, there is One whom we can call upon to save us. He is our Solid Rock and our Firm Foundation. He is our Refuge from the Storms of Life. Call out to God in your distress…He is listening! “Save me, O God…Answer me out of the goodness of Your love; in Your great mercy, turn to me. Come near and rescue me!”  Let this be your prayer…

 

Psalm 69

1 Save me, O God,
       for the waters have come up to my neck.

2 I sink in the miry depths,
       where there is no foothold.
       I have come into the deep waters;
       the floods engulf me.

14 Rescue me from the mire;
       do not let me sink;
     

15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me
       or the depths swallow me up …
 16 Answer me, O LORD, out of the goodness of your love;
       in your great mercy turn to me.

18 Come near and rescue me;