Now is the time - To Rise Up

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or are hungry or cold or in danger or threatened with death?.... No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:35,37

One day while I was lining up a lovely picture of a kookaburra on a visit to the vineyards, a noisy mynah bird descended right into my picture as I snapped the shot. The result, as you can see, is a great action shot that I couldn’t have taken if I’d tried, but not the shot I was looking for.

Sometimes life can be like that. Suddenly something will happen that will totally change life as we know it. Trouble descends in many forms, sickness, adversity, redundancy, death, depression… there are any number of ways that life can deal its blows and we get totally thrown off track. The test for us comes in how we respond.

We must always bear in mind the truth of John 10:10 in which Jesus said, “The thief comes only to rob, kill and destroy, but I have come that you might have abundant life”. We should also keep in mind that, as with Job, sometimes God allows adversity to come. I want to share some thoughts that came to me while I was praying for someone who has taken a huge ‘hit’ from the enemy.

The first response for many of us when we get targeted by the enemy is not to get angry at the enemy, but to get depressed. (Not everyone is like me in this but I know that many will be.) Self pity is such a human response that can sometimes take us quite awhile to overcome. It is vital however that we do overcome otherwise it allows a foothold for the enemy to create more chaos for us. Self pity leads to depression, depression can lead to overeating, overeating can lead to self-condemnation or self-loathing which can bring isolation from people and even from God. In times of adversity we need God and we need people, which is why the enemy likes to isolate us by making us feel unacceptable, unworthy or hard done by.

It is imperative that we rise up when trouble descends. If trouble has come then the Lord knows about it and is with us in it. We are not separated from his love, neither are we separated from his help and strength to walk through it to victory. Our job is to grasp the experience with one hand and the word of God with the other and walk through this with praying friends. It is a privilege to stand alongside others in their distress and bring comfort and encouragement to them from the times that the Lord has comforted us (2 Corinthians 1:3-5).

Prayer: Dear God of all comfort, please strengthen me to rise up in the midst of every trial that comes my way by grasping the truth of your word. Amen

Now is the time... To Get Out of Your Puddle

He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Recently we were away for a night to celebrate our anniversary. The weather, being winter, was cool and showery and as we lunched near the marina we were fascinated to see this pigeon just sitting in a puddle. At one stage a child came and shooed it off, it flew off briefly but soon returned to the puddle. Remember, it’s winter and cool, (I can’t say cold or my North American friends laugh and say we don’t know what cold is!). Why on earth would this pigeon want to sit in such an uncomfortable place? I could at least understand it if it was summer. Perhaps one of you is going to shed light on my question.

However, as I pondered this I got to thinking about people who sit in their ‘puddles’. Puddles of self pity, puddles of misery, puddles of pride or poverty, unbelief, bitterness or I-can’t-ness. There are many puddles that we can find ourselves in and sometimes we get like this pigeon and just get comfortable in our discomfort. It becomes a place of familiarity with safety in its own funny way, but it is not a good place to be. The problem is that the longer we stay in our puddle, the harder it can be to get out of it, so we stay right where we are.

Sometimes we try to get others to join us in our puddle and we invite them to pity parties or faith-free forums in which we bemoan our situation and do no service to our poor listeners. Have you ever found yourself in such a puddle? Perhaps you know someone who is in a puddle right now and you are wondering how to help them to dry ground.

There is a way out and it is through faith in the word of God. Often in our ‘puddle times’ we neglect the word of God, but in it lies our strength. I don’t think we realise how much strength there is in the Word. Proverbs 4:21-22 says this, “Don’t lose sight of my words. Let them penetrate deep within your heart, for they bring life and radiant health to anyone who discovers their meaning.” There is strength in God’s Word and there is a word for every season and every situation, we just have to be a student of the Word.

Amazing things can happen when we take hold of God’s Word and begin to declare it over situations and over our life. Our thinking changes as the Word goes to work in our heart. Psalm 119:30 says “The entrance of Your words gives light.” The Word lights up the darkness that our puddle has brought around us, the darkness of unbelief that keeps us a prisoner of our problems.

The best way we can help someone else out of their puddle is to point them to God’s Word and help them find God’s truth for their trouble. The Word is living and powerful and comes with the grace of God to bring change as we activate it. God’s Word cannot fail because He is the Word. (John 1:1)

Prayer: Father, help me to receive your grace to leave my puddle. Amen

Now is the time..... To Worship

……Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. Psalm 29:2

Recently there has been a lot going on around me which has taken a toll on my emotions and left me feeling quite fragile. Although I seemed to be doing a lot of talking to the Lord, I wasn’t feeling strengthened and refreshed. One afternoon the thought came to me “Just worship”. So I put on my favourite worship music, lay face down and just worshipped the Lord. I just soaked in the presence of Jesus – my strength and my redeemer, my glory and the lifter of my head (Psalm 3:3). During that time my peace was restored, the feeling of fragility left and I came away strengthened and refreshed. There is great healing for our emotions in the presence of the Lord.

Tonight as I write I am sitting beside our dying friend. We think this may be his last night. He cannot really communicate any more but as I read verses from the psalms earlier on, he tried to communicate agreement over the greatness and faithfulness of God. When I stopped reading, thinking he may want a rest from my voice, he became agitated. He turned his head and looked at me through almost vacant eyes. I asked him if he wanted me to read some more and he managed what passed for a ‘yes’. I continued to read and I could tell that he was trying to agree with the truth of the scriptures. We were worshipping the Lord through reading His word and reminding ourselves of God’s goodness and wonderful ways.

There are many ways we can worship the Lord. Another is by walking in his ways, being guided by the wisdom he has given us in His word. This brings great peace and harmony to our life, not to mention the blessing of knowing He is pleased with us.

We were made to worship our God; the need to worship is part of our DNA and without it we lack something very significant in our lives, something that keeps us strengthened and refreshed. I am reminded tonight of the short span of time we have on this earth, not much time to worship our God and make His love and goodness known in the earth. Why not do yourself a favour today – find a way to worship the Lord our God who is worthy to be praised. You will reap a beautiful benefit and your Father in heaven will be pleased.

Prayer: Wonderful and loving God, I praise you and thank you for my life. I thank you that I have life and breath to praise and worship your name. Help me to daily draw my strength from you. Amen