Refreshing

.......so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

Recently we have had some much needed rain, albeit it came on a weekend we were away in the caravan for a fly-in. However, Paul and Dan and friends did managed to fly into the valley through the patchy showers and happily, the second day was fine.  This morning when Colin opened the blinds on a beautiful morning he commented that it was so nice to see the garden looking fresh and green instead of tired and dry. So it is.

It caused me to think about the times we run on empty in the busyness of life.  Too often I am guilty of this.  The tasks on my agenda cry out to me and I plunge into the day with a quick prayer and Bible reading which sadly, too often, is soon forgotten.

If we want real refreshing we have to be willing to change our method and give ourselves time in God's presence just soaking up his love, getting our tank filled.  We will need to do as Peter told his listeners "Repent and be converted" in other words, change the way we do things. Repent of our sin of rushing into our day without drawing near to Him who loves us unconditionally, the One who has our best interests always on His mind.  He wants to restore our soul, refresh and revitalise us so that we go out with joy in the confidence that we are loved, encouraged, strengthened and empowered for whatever the day may bring.  It doesn't have to be a long time but it must be quality time where we allow our heart to touch His heart.  He is like a lover waiting for his beloved to come into his arms.

Will you take time today in His presence, coming boldly to His throne of grace to find mercy and refreshing? Just let Him love on you, and love Him right back.  It will be worth it!  You will then go into your day all fuelled up and ready for the journey and the challenges that may come.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, Lover of my soul, please help me to give myself the gift of time in your presence at the start of each day so that refreshing may come to me. Amen

Finding Freedom

I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD!" So the Israelites camped there as they were told. Exodus 14:4

For some people (that would be me!), walking across a wobbly suspension bridge can be very unnerving.  I have only been on one a fraction of this length and that was enough.  Sometimes in life we find ourselves in 'wobbly' circumstances and some of them are orchestrated by God for the purpose of bringing us to a higher level of trust in Him, and to display His glory, goodness and faithfulness to us His people. Such times are generally uncomfortable and often we find ourselves floundering and faithless.  The Israelites are a good example of this.

Moses had delivered them from their captivity in Egypt; from a miserable life of bondage which had caused them to cry out to God for deliverance.  Now they were delivered but not completely.  They were in the wilderness camped beside the Red Sea - trapped really.  No way forward and the road behind led back into bondage.  They were in God's hands well and truly, and to be fair to them, sometimes that seems to be a very scary place.  But God had a plan for them and it was all good.  Their reaction though was to accuse, murmur and complain against their deliverer and want to turn and run back to the 'safe' place, the place that they were familiar with even though it was a place of misery and bondage. 

If we are to move into more freedom in our lives, we will have to go through times that stretch us and times that feel very uncomfortable for awhile.  We will have to change the old and familiar places in our hearts and minds, even in our behaviour, for the new places that feel strange and make us feel insecure for a time.  The wilderness is a time of transition from one place to another; this is our adjustment time, a time of testing through which we must pass to find a greater level of freedom and faith.  A time when, after we have passed through to the other side, we will have seen God's glory and maybe others will have seen it too.  Miracles don't happen unless we are in a place where we need one. 

If you find yourself in such a place right now will you look at it as a transition place from 'one degree of glory to another', a time for His purposes? This is not your final resting place! Remember that God allows us to come into difficult places, not to abandon us, but to show himself strong on behalf of those whose hearts are loyal to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9).  Will you acknowledge that He loves you and has a purpose for you (Jeremiah 29:11)?  Don't choose to run back to the old familiar place, choose to come out into greater freedom and faith than you've know before. It's scary but it's safe if you keep your eyes on Jesus.

Prayer:  Lord  Jesus, my Great Deliverer, I choose today to trust you in my uncomfortable place, knowing that you have allowed me to be here and that you will bring me out into a broad place in due time.  Thank you for your great love for me and your promises which are true and faithful.  Amen

Second Chance

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV

In cleaning house the other day I was in the process of changing attachments on the vacuum cleaner when behind me there was a crash.  Looking down I saw my favourite ornament, the dancing couple, lying in four pieces at my feet. It was broken in the leg area and both heads had departed their bodies.  To say I was sad would be an understatement. I picked up the pieces and looked at the breaks.  They seemed clean and there were no small pieces on the floor so I put them to one side in the hope that my clever husband would be able to mend it.  He did, as you can see from this picture.

To me this ornament symbolises the joy of marriage; yes, it can be quite a 'dance' sometimes, full of tricky and challenging steps. Sometimes we 'lose our heads' for awhile and at times some marriages literally fall apart.  For every married couple the challenge is to stay in step which, like dancing, is often easier said than done.

The main challenge of marriage is learning to live in harmony with another person who may have had a very different background, even a different culture from your own.  Added to that we bring our different personalities and our own values and ideas of how a marriage should work.  Then there are the challenges that children bring into a relationship. All these things can cause problems that can lead, sometimes slowly, other times like a bomb blast, to breaking point.

Sometimes things fall apart and even get very broken in the process but, with God in the equation it is possible to put things back together again.  It does take care and a willingness to work it all out.  One needs to look back to find where the weak areas were that may have caused the marriage to break so as not to fall into the same traps again.

With the right 'glue' of hope, love, forgiveness, humility and prayer a marriage can move from brokenness to wholeness again.  The weak places can become the strongest.  Joseph's words come to mind as I write, "What you (the enemy) meant for evil, God meant for good." (Genesis 50:20). It may be that God will use your experience to later help others in their own brokenness move from hopelessness to healing. He is so good at taking the things that seem like disasters and turning them to good use.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you that you can cause all things to work together for good.  Help me to keep my eyes on you in my most difficult situations and allow you to use them for good purposes; to bring hope and healing to others and glory to You.  Amen