The Lifter of My Head

“I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high”

Leviticus 26:13 NIV

 

I love going early to the garden. I love going midday to the garden and I love going to the garden in the evening. For me the garden is such a place of beauty. Today is no exception. The azaleas are especially pretty this time of year. Some of the azaleas bloom early in April and still others flaunt their beautiful bonnets on into May. They add striking bursts of color to the shaded garden. There is such a variety of color among the azaleas. Blooms of soft pastel pink graduate to a vibrant hot pink punctuating the garden landscape. Creamy peach blossoms and deep melon blooms welcome all who will pause to enjoy their beauty. Pure white, lavender, and deep purple accentuate this color palette with royal beauty. But my all-time favorite is a deep pink azalea that always makes me say, “Beautiful, just beautiful!” The garden is not only a place of beauty, it is also a place of amazing hope!

 

Even when we know the Lord, life has a way of pulling us down. It seems I often forget that I am a jar of clay, fragile and easily shattered. Joy can rule deep within my heart because of the constant love of Jesus. Yet, emotions are all up and down the chart when it comes to external happiness.

 

When those we care about suffer, we feel sad and helpless. When the weather is dull and drab for days we can become unmotivated and depressed. Overload at work sometimes makes us feel that we have been taken advantage of and dumped on. Prolonged physical problems leave us feeling weak and weary. Other times our plans must be changed and we feel disappointed.

 

Sometimes our emotions push us to an entirely different level. The words of another have wounded us. Negative comments and judgmental opinions of others directed toward us can crush our spirit and break our heart. At time we feel unappreciated and devalued. We long to hear words from another that let us know they love us, respect us, value us, cherish us, and support us. Unfortunately, in many cases those words never come.

 

Ever so often we walk into a situation that leaves us totally broken. It is a “yoke” of loss that is next to unbearable. But this too is a time when God wants to draw us near and lift our heads. We can depend on God to come through for us and heal our broken heart. “I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high” Leviticus 26:13 NIV

 

There is so much hope to be experienced when we go to the garden of our heart and sit at the feet of Jesus.  Second Corinthians 7:6 says, “But God, who comforts the downcast…” God is the lifter of my head. No matter what is going on in your life there is still hope. The very words “but God” is the precursor to hope. It is God who is able to bring comfort to my wounded emotions, my downcast spirit, and my broken heart. The Psalmist asks,” Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. “Psalm 42:5 NIV

 

There is absolutely no better remedy for raw emotions, hurt feelings, a downcast spirit, disturbing events in life, or a broken heart than to sit for a spell in the garden with the Lord. Enter the garden, look over the fence and lift up your eyes to the hills. Feasting on the mountains will work just as well and without a doubt you will find help, strength, comfort, healing, and peace. Allow the Lord to lavish his love upon you. He will take your face in his hands and lift your head. He will dry your tears and fill you with his joy. He will minister to you and give you both help and hope. “I Lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2 NIV

 

You will eventually leave the garden and go back to the same circumstance that sent you here in the first place, but now you will feel different because you are filled with hope. You can face today, tomorrow, and the days ahead because the Maker of heaven and earth will sustain you.

 

Circumstances seldom change but our outlook regarding those circumstances does change. Time spent in honest prayer before the Lord will always lift you higher. Jesus will whisper words into your thoughts and tell you where you need to change and what you must overlook. He will teach you about compassion and mercy and you will be able to graciously move on. I love so much that Jesus is the lifter of my head! What a verbal picture of what it is that my Lord is able to do for me.

 

Questions:

1. Are you currently walking around despondently looking at you toes?
2. Are you going through your day with your chin up but your spirit crushed?
3. Are you hiding behind a fake smile as you go about daily responsibilities, yet when you are alone you cry?
4. Are you one of those tough guys who never cries but yet you contemplate ways to escape the heaviness that sits on your spirit?
5. Are you in need of hope?
6. When was the last time you went alone to the garden so that Jesus Christ could lift your head?
7. Is there a better solution? I think not.

Prayer:

 

Dear Jesus,

 

How is it possible that my hope for eternal life is sure because I am your child and yet, not always, but sometimes I feel hopeless about the events surrounding my life? Forgive me when I allow people to bring me down. Forgive me when I forget to ask you to lift my head. I confess that most days are good, yet sometimes when I least expect it, Satan catches me off guard and tries to drag me into dark moments. But you Lord are the light of my life and my salvation. Who shall I fear? Who shall steal my joy? Your Word is a lamp into my feet and a light unto my path. You allow sadness but lace it with comfort. You allow others to speak hurtful words, but you redirect me to your Word. You take my overload and help me to set priorities and simplify my life. You show me the difference between what the world says is important and what you say is eternal. I thank you Lord for always standing near. How amazing that you are indeed only a prayer away. This day I choose you over discouragement, depression, despair, disgrace, and discontentment. With all my heart, I thank you Jesus that you are the lifter of my head.

 

It is in your name I pray. Amen

Red Flags

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.

For I have the desire to do what is good,

but I cannot carry it out.

For what I do is not the good I want to do;

no, the evil I do not want to do – this  I keep on doing.”

Romans 6:18-19 NIV

“For in my inner being I delight in God’s law;

 but I see another law at work in the members of my body,

waging war against the law of my mind and making me

a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.”

Romans 7:22-23 NIV

 

“What a wretched man I am!

Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Thanks be to God – through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Romans 6:24-25 NIV

The sun is up! That puts a smile on my face. The coffee is fresh and smells wonderful! I hurry to pull on my “Life is Good” tee-shirt and start my day. As the day progresses, things happen, my mood changes, interruptions frustrate me, people irritate me, and from afar I see ridiculous red flags popping up in my heart’s garden. The flags are flapping in the whirlwind of my life reminding me to be careful, slow down, and take a Jesus break! I am ignoring the flags and one by one more things happen to spoil my day! The spiral down from “life is good’ to “you’ve got to be kidding” is out of control and about to do me in.

 

In total frustration I head for the garden. At least I can get those bizarre, random red flags out of my garden. I am so self-absorbed that today the flowers along the path in the garden are just so-so! Not ugly, but neither are they beautiful. As I pass by the Master Gardener I give him an over the shoulder “hey, how ya doing?’ as I make tracks to remove the annoying red flags.

 

As is his practice, the Master Gardner sneaks up behind me and taps me on the shoulder and says, “Paula, what’s your hurry?” Clearly, I am in no mood for this. Again, he speaks, “What’s up with the aggressive flag removal?” So I turn quickly on my sassy heels and look him square in the eye and say, “I’ll tell you what’s up!”

 

And so it begins. I begin to recall my morning. First the sun came up and I enjoyed a cup of coffee. Then I burned my toast! After that I had a relational conflict with a family member. Next my computer was not cooperating. Then phone rang revealing yet another problem. Grabbing my keys I ran to the car ready to begin my errands. Of course, the gas was on next to empty and as I was driving to purchase gas to feed my starving car I realized I had made a huge mistake in my checkbook. Since the Master Gardner seemed to be so interested in my insane life, I now dared to express to him that my impulsive nature was begging for a quick fix for all of these matters. Surely he could see that I was getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

 

While I had his attention, I told him about an incident that had happened a few days ago when fear nearly got the best of me. I also recalled the week before. I had been unmotivated, lazy and daydreaming my time away. It had left me with a deep sense of regret and lack of accomplishment. Then Jesus asked me a question, “Didn’t you see any of the red flags?” My response, “what red flags?”

 

I then began to lecture him about my lack of time for his red flags! Lord, you know I am an independent person and I am more than capable of controlling all that bothers me. Then Jesus smiled and said, “How’s that working out for you?” Sometimes he can be so annoying!

 

I wanted to pour my heart out to him but my pride kicked in and I wouldn’t admit my defeat or need. Secretly, I knew I was an emotional mess and on the edge of a melt down. Truth be told, none of this was a secret or a surprise to him. I knew he was listening so I began to complain about the good fortune of others. My pity-party was in full swing! Once again, Jesus asks, “Didn’t you see the red flags?” My response was, “Well maybe a couple, but I just didn’t have the desire or time to investigate why they were there.”

 

Then Jesus taught me as only he can teach. “Paula, I am the one who places the red flags in your garden. When I look into your future and see that you are in danger of making a mistake, heading for emotional melt down, or facing fear. I know when you will face an opportunity for an outburst of anger, or when you will be in a situation that will position you for greed, control, self-pity and selfishness. I know when you will be facing conflict with another person, depression, and discontentment. I purposely wave a red flag and then I place that flag securely on your pathway to serve as a warning.”

 

“Lord, what do those red flags mean?” Jesus replies, “My child, they mean you are about to sin!” “Lord it seems that I either do not see the flag, I ignore the flag, or like today I simply want the flag out of my sight!”

 

Now that I think about it, some of the same flags continue to reappear over and over flagging my repeated sins. I really don’t like to call them sins; I am far more comfortable labeling those incidents as mistakes or personal failure. Today I am wondering why I can’t seem to learn from these flags. Lord, why don’t you give up and stop making opportunities for me to heed the red flag warnings in my life. Lord, I try but I’m pretty sure I will never change. I don’t think I will ever get it right.

 

The fact is Jesus loves me so much that he will stop at nothing in order to get me to recognize the sinful flaw in my spirit that is keeping me from personal spiritual victory regarding every sin. There is no limit to the opportunities he will allow me to experience regarding sinful behavior. I am beginning to understand that Jesus simply wants me to trust him with my failures and allow him to help me overcome all my repeated sinful behavior. But because of God’s great love the opportunity to succumb to Satan’s temptation will always come with a red flag of warning.

 

The purpose of red flags is to make us all stop and evaluate what we are thinking or about to say or do. Red flags are an opportunity for us to consider the consequences. Red flags slow us down so we can remember all that Jesus has done for us and then, out of love and gratitude to him, choose to heed the red flag warning and obey his law. We must all come to a point in our spirit when we choose to love God more than we love our sin. Red flags are meant to be retrieved, placed in the hand of Jesus and their warning must be embraced and obeyed. The Holy Spirit lives inside of us to assist us in our weakness. Wretched people that we are, it is only Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit that can rescue us in our time of need.

 

There is no future in repeated sin. It fractures relationships; it ruins marriages, creates addictions, piles on debt, fosters discontentment, ends in unwanted consequences, and pushes God further away.

 

God is not the enemy. He does not find pleasure in slapping our hands or shaking his finger in our face. He is the one who raises the red flag. It is not a yellow flag of caution; it is a red flag that demands we stop! His precious hands prod and pull, He lures and loves. He convicts but he does not condemn. His purpose is to take us higher and perfect our spirit in the amazing process of sanctification. God is both consistent and persistent in his work of perfection in our life.

 

Satan on the other hand is the deceiver. As I walk in the garden of life Satan is busy stuffing self-interest propaganda flyers by the handful into my pockets as I pass by! He applauds my impulsive nature as I shove God into the background and sprint ahead. He throws smoke bombs between me and my Savior so that he will be out of sight and out of mind. He is giving away free tickets to Pleasure Island, but when all is said and done, he laughs and says, “You are a pathetic failure.” and my spirit is crushed!

 

But Jesus says, “Come to me, I am the lifter of your head! I am the lover of your soul and a very present help in trouble. I am able to change you from glory into more glory! You are precious in my sight!”

 

Questions:

1. What sin is it that God continues to bring you back to over and over again?
2. Have you considered the fact that God alone is able to help you overcome repetitive sin in your life?
3. Are you amazed at the extent that God will go to allow you to continue to repeat sinful mistakes in your life until you are able to surrender that sin to his forgiveness and restoration?
4. Is there currently a red flag waving in your heart’s garden?
5. What will you do with that flag? Will you choose to ignore it or heed it?
6. Will you ask God to help you to overcome the repeated sinful habit of the flesh that wars with your spirit?

Prayer:

Dear Jesus,

 

Thank you for your amazing love. Thank you that your love will not let me go. I even want to thank you that you continue to bring me back again and again to my point of disobedience until I finally learn a lesson and choose to heed your red flag of warning. It stands to reason that I will never have victory over that sin in my life unless I hand you my sin and obey your laws. Father I know that there is no way out of this trap of sinful behavior apart from you because I am weak, but I know that you are strong. You are my rock, my fortress, and my constant help in times of need. Jesus I know that there will always be opportunities for me to fall backwards. Therefore Lord, help me to focus daily on you so that I will not miss your red flags and that I will desire to heed every warning you set before me so that the victory will be mine! With you Lord, I know that all things are possible.

 

It is in your name I pray. Amen.

Love At First Sight!

“I have loved you with and everlasting love;

I have drawn you with loving-kindness.

Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

 

Do you remember the first time you laid eyes on your child? I do. What a precious moment of falling in love forever. Even if you have never been privileged to be a parent there was a day many years ago that someone fell in love with you. Your mother took one look at you and asked, “How could I be so blessed to have been given this precious, adorable child?” If your father was present, he too was amazed at the miracle of birth and the perfection of his child. I have been told the same exact thing happens in adoption, there is unbelievable joy when you see your child for the first time! Regardless of the circumstance by which your child came to be your child, it is indeed love at first sight. However, there are some babies that come into the world that are unwanted and unloved. What a heart breaking tragedy.

 

Today it occurs to me that no matter how we come into this world, our Father in heaven is crazy in love with each of us. The first time he laid eyes on you deep inside your mother’s womb he fell deeply in love with you and has continued to love you with an everlasting love. Do you love him in return? Have you felt the way God has drawn you with loving-kindness or have you been so self-absorbed that you have never felt the joy of his love? Do you wonder if there is more to life than you have ever experienced? If so, that feeling is your Heavenly Father, sweetly calling your name and asking you to come to him and enjoy his everlasting love forever.

 

Children are a blessing from God. Someone has said that God couldn’t be everywhere so he created mothers. Of course, that is not true. God is everywhere. Yet, God partners with mothers and fathers to do his loving work as caregivers to his precious children.

 

Being a mother is not a job for the faint of heart! It is a job that never ends. Oh sure, your children may move out of your house but you never stop being concerned for their well being. So if you are a Christian mom – you pray. If you loose your focus – you begin to worry! If you purposefully redirect your thinking to Jesus – you embrace trust. You remember that God loves your precious child more than you do and that he has been crazy in love with them from the time he first laid eyes on them. His love is not fickle nor conditional, it is everlasting.

 

Mothers are needed to be caregivers, spiritual examples of God’s love and grace, and prayer warriors. Do not loose heart if you feel you do not do this perfectly. Remember you are a simple jar of clay. All of us have cracks, flaws, and most of us has experienced brokenness.  We must never forget that it is Christ in each one of us, who is able to give us all the needed strength to rise to this high calling. As moms, we get discouraged, we get tired, we get frustrated, and we wonder if we are invisible to our children. Still we love and we care for those we love. What a beautiful picture of God’s love for each and every one of us!

 

Dads also get discouraged. Dad’s have a huge responsibility. They are not only providers but they are also men of great influence in the lives of their children. Fathers remember, your child admires you and adores you. They want to be just like you. Ask God to give you the wisdom you need to lead your children down a path that will help them find and follow Jesus. When words fail, lead by example.

 

Many parents are doing double duty. They work outside of the home and at home as well. Some single parents never get any relief from responsibility and nerves are raw and bodies are tired. Truth be told, parents have a hard job and there is not a single one who will do this job perfectly. That is exactly why we all need Divine intervention from our God, the one who loves us all.

 

Jesus loved us at first sight and he continues to love us. However, at some point we must really see him. We must realize that we need our Father and choose to become his follower. If we are serious about having a relationship with Jesus Christ we will immediately begin a journey that will cause us to fall deeply in love with him. There are so many ways to do this. We all must discover ways that work the best for us and zero in on seeking to know him in a fresh and new way every single day! The deeper in love you fall with Jesus the greater influence you will be in your family. Life is busy and schedules are full but as you run the race of family life snatch and grab all of Jesus that you can get every day. It is worth it and the reward is great.

 

As parents and grandparents we can agree with the apostle Paul when he says in 2 John 1:4, there is no greater joy than to know my children walk in truth. Parents, it is a joy to be able to give good things to our children such as security, protection, education, opportunities, activities, gifts, and financial inheritance. But above all give them a legacy of your spiritual faithfulness. I know of no other effective, lasting way to do this other than personally falling deeper in love with Jesus and letting that love spill out naturally on our children in the form of godly influence. Your children and grandchildren are watching and they don’t miss a trick!

 

I must remember, even though I am an adult, God still loves me with an everlasting love. He will not let me go. Neither will he let you go. He continues to draw you every day in loving kindness. God is you helper in the job of parenting and grand parenting. If you are available to him he will use you in amazing ways in the lives of all your children and grandchildren. We need his guidance and he needs our obedience.

 

I have found this is true with my children and you will too. There is no greater joy than knowing your children walk in God’s truth!

 

Questions:

1. Are you filled with joy as you remember that God always loves you, his precious child, with an everlasting love?
2. Who are the children in your life that you can influence for Jesus?
3. If you are a parent, do you remember looking at each of your children for the first time? What did you see?
4. How did you feel? What were you thinking?
5. No matter what your children do, do you have an everlasting love for them?
6. Do you recall a time in your life that God gave you needed strength for the job of parenting?

 

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

 

Thank you for the privilege of being a parent. I pray that you will continue to help me rise to the task of pointing my children to you. Help me to guard my influence. I pray that I will guard my words and my attitudes. I pray that I will teach my children of your never ending love and faithfulness. Father, help me to above all else leave them with a legacy of faithfulness to you that they can draw upon even when I am no longer with them.

 

Father, bless all mothers whose arms are empty. If it be according to your will, give them a child. If they are to remain childless fill that void with other good things from your heavenly storehouse. Show them ways to influence other children that may be within their realm of influence.

 

In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

Does Knowing God Make A Difference?

“For I know the plans I have for you,"

declares the Lord,

"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.” 

 Jeremiah 29:11 NIV

 I was born into a Christian home but NOT into a personal faith. The fact is the opportunity to know God came to me at a very early age. I first prayed to accept Jesus Christ at age five. It did not end there. In fact, the influence of living in a Christian home made it almost impossible for me to see my life as being anything apart from what I learned from the influence of my parents. I grew up being a good girl. I kept the rules, I attended church, and I believed in God. I definitely did not want to go to hell so what other choice did I have? I had to be a Christian.

 

At age twelve, I began to make my faith more personal. I made a choice to be baptized and at that point I knew that I did not want to be anything other than a Christian. During my teenage years I often wanted to step out of the box of my parents faith. Some of the things  I had not been allowed to do became a little more alluring.

 

In my twenties I had a few ups and down in my faith. Nonetheless, I continued in my faith. It has been a wonderful journey of faith but at times I have had many questions. Sometimes it seemed that my mind became confused as I observed that bad things happen to good people. At times it seemed to me that people who had no faith at all seemed to have more and be happier. It was hard for me to determine if knowing God really made a difference.

 

I began to realize that lots of people knew about God but  didn't have a relationship with him. Others who called themselves Christians had accepted Jesus Christ but continue to live their life apart from him. They did not seek to follow his teachings, they did not trust God and they didn't seem to be interested in learning more about God . I also observed some Christians who had found forgiveness through Jesus and they were actually pursuing and following him.

 

I eventually learned that being a Believer does not make you a Follower of Christ. Somewhere around thirty years of age I actually became both a Believer and a Follower of Christ. That is to say, I now desired to know Jesus Christ in an intimate way that I had never known before. I desired to pattern my life after the truth that Jesus taught in his Word, the Bible. I wanted to find ways to serve Jesus Christ and I wanted my life to be lived in such a way that others would also want to find and follow Jesus.

 

Still again, there was that nagging question that begged for an answer. Does knowing God make a difference in a person’s life? How was I to really know? I had always been a morally good person. I soon discovered that if this question was to be answered, it was going to take more than a few trips to the garden to get the answers. Finding the answer was going to require me spending time with the Master Gardner so that I could hear his gentle whispers as he revealed his answers to me. It was going to be Jesus who would disclose to me why knowing him does makes a difference.

 

So to the garden I went as I endeavored to discover how my life might have turned out if I had not become a seeking Believer. There in the cool of the garden among the beautiful rhododendrons, God began revealing to me some very amazing details of my life that I might not have ever considered if I had not given my life to him. I began to think back to the very beginning of my life. What if I had decided to walk away from the faith I had learned at the knees of my parents? How would my value system have differed? Where would I have gone to college? Who would I have married? Who would have become my best friends if I had chosen a different path? What blessing would I have missed? Would I be at peace in my spirit? How would I respond to others? Would I be an angry, fearful woman? How would I have responded to the sorrow and pain that I have experienced? How would I feel about life after death? How would my life be different if I had traveled a different road? Would I have lived in different places, had different jobs? Would I attend church or would I have ever read God’s Holy Word? How different would my thoughts be? How would my words and actions be different? Would I be totally self-absorbed? Would I be searching for happiness in all the wrong places? What would my attitude be when faced with adversity? What would my view of God be?

 

As I pondered each of those questions the answer was crystal clear. The answer in my heart was a resounding “YES”. My life would have been completely different. Some of my friends have known Jesus Christ most of their life and their story is much the same as mine. Our faith has been such a constant that sometimes we have to think long and hard to imagine how our lives might have looked apart from Jesus Christ.

Others I know accepted Jesus Christ later in life after they had lived many years apart from him. It is not hard for them to imagine a life apart from Christ because it was not so long ago. Some of these people made mistakes and choices that caused heart breaking consequences. Still other first generation Christians came from good moral homes but their parents did not teach them to follow Jesus. They have their own story as to how they came to know Jesus Christ and the difference it has made in their life. But the truth of the matter is, apart from Jesus Christ all of our lives would have led us down a different road. A life without Jesus Christ may not be a bad road but it is not the best road.

 

God has a plan for each of our lives. It is a plan for our good not our harm. It is a plan to prosper us and give us a hope and a future. This is not a life void of trouble and pain, but it is a life that can experience peace in all circumstances when we learn to trust the One who holds us in the palm of his hand and loves us more than we can ever imagine. I know now that my decision to become a “Follower of Jesus” was the best decision I have ever made!

 

Today in the garden I am feeling nothing less than the abundant, lavish, love of my Heavenly Father. It is joy that is unspeakable and void of understanding to those who have not dared to follow Jesus. But for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus we can live daily with a deep settled peace in our soul. It is a peace that no one can take away. Someday I will exit the door of this life and step into eternal life. It will be a day of rejoicing! I will leave behind the problems of this life. I will enter into a new life that will be void of the pain and suffering that permeates this world because of sin. Does knowing God make a difference? Yes, both now and in eternity. God has a perfect plan for each of our lives. It is a life that will give us a hope and a future!

 

Questions:

1. Are you a Believer in God or are you a Follower of Christ?
2. What is the difference?
3. As a follower of Jesus Christ have you ever wondered if following him has made a difference in your life?
4. Can you name three differences that following Jesus has made in your life?

Prayer:

 

Dear Jesus,

 

I am so thankful for the road that you have taken me down. What a magnificent plan you have had for my life. It is a wonderful plan that I continue to enjoy everyday. Your plan has indeed given me a hope and a future. Your plan has been a plan for my good and not my harm. Dear Jesus, knowing about you is one thing, but being a Believer is quite different. Different still is being a Believer who longs to walk with you daily in a loving relationship. I want to walk with you in simple trust and obedience. Lord, I want to be recognized as one of your followers. To know you is to love and to follow you. Living the Christian life is not always easy. Many times following you is a road that is sad, painful, and perhaps even lonely. Still following you Lord is an amazing journey. I thank you Jesus for making such a wonderful difference in my life. It is a life that encompasses me with love and comfort, fills me with peace and joy even in times of trouble. It is a life that is full of hope because I know that when this life is over I have only begun to live forever. Yes, being a Christian makes an amazing difference! Lord thank you for guiding my steps, putting the right people in my life, and leading me to your truth.

 

In you name I pray. Amen

Do Not Fear The Shadows

“On my bed I remember you;

I think of you through the watches of the night,

Because you are my help,

I sing in the shadow of your wings.”

Psalm 63:6-7 NIV

 

Most of my days are happy! I am a joyful person because I love Jesus. My husband is considerate and loving, my children keep in touch, and my grandchildren can paint a smile on my face as quick as their dancing eyes can flash a mischievous twinkle. I have female friends that surround me with laughter and kindness. I love my home. I love my church. I feel good most of the time. I enjoy hobbies that provide inspiration, pleasure and relaxation for my creative heart. If all of this is true, why then do I find the shadows in life so disturbing?

 

Shadows hide light rays. Shadows limit clarity and keep us from seeing things clearly. Because I can only see a trace of an object I begin to doubt if what I am seeing is really true. Shadows can cast gloom and can be upsetting to me because I am only able to see faintly what I desperately hope to see clearly. Shadows cast darkness between today and the future. Shadows can conjure up fear of what I perceive might happen and fear is a powerful joy buster!

 

As a believer I am thrilled to tell you that not all shadows are bad. Life can throw us a curve but there is a shadow of safety for me when I trust my Lord. I may feel like I am in the valley of the shadow of death but the Psalmist reminds me in Psalm 23:4 that I am “passing through” this difficult time. I must remind myself that I will not remain in this situation forever.

 

One of my favorite visuals is found in Psalm 17:8b. David asks the Lord to, “…hide me in the shadow of your wings”. This is a visual of the Almighty God spreading his wings in such a fashion that protects us from the storm. I am very well aware that there have been many storms in my life, but I can’t help wondering how many storms God has totally protected me from in the past. I am sure that I am not aware of how merciful to me God has been in the past.  These were the storms that were not allowed to touch me because I was under his wings! Now that is a shadow I love! There is no fear in that shadow and I can do the dance of joy because I know beyond a shadow of doubt, God keeps an all seeing eye on me and all those I love. Psalm 36:7 says, “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings.”  I love that God is no respecter of persons, he offers refuge to both those in high and low positions. Isaiah 51:16 reminds me that the shadow of God’s almighty and protective hand also covers me.

 

Fear at times can be crippling. We so want to know what is ahead provided it is good! But God allows the shadows so that we might trust him. If I listen, I can also hear him say, "Do not be afraid, for I am with you". Today in the garden it is good to think about some of the shadows that are presently falling in my heart’s garden. Where is fear lurking in the shadows ready to steal my joy? Today I want to look up to Jesus and simply say, “Lord Jesus, I trust you with the shadows in my life”.  If I am to fear anything I will fear that I will not be willing to give you the shadows that have the potential to reach out and grab my heart in crippling fear, and that such fear would thrive and rob me of today’s joy and sunshine. I know that if I will but look around me I will find plenty of reason for gratitude. The truth is that gratitude always leads to joy. So this day I choose to look upward to the light of his love. I will refuse to focus on the shadows but rather I will I will choose to live joyously. I will bask in God’s love, his mercy and his grace. I will express to God my gratitude for all he so graciously provides me with. In this moment of divine truth my eyes focus of a patch of gorgeous golden lantana! It is indeed beautiful and without a doubt shouts for joy! Jesus taught that if a man refuses to praise him, no need to worry, because the stones will cry out in praise to him!

 

In a new wave of devotion for my Savior I realize that if I am to walk in any shadow in this life I want it to be the shadow of my Savior. He has been my help in days gone by, he is my help this very moment, and he will be my help in the future! I may not see his face because the shadow that falls between earth and heaven prevents me from seeing him clearly. Nevertheless, I am reminded of the truth that in this life I am seeing through a glass darkly, but someday soon it will all be made new. I will see clearly the face of Jesus and I will understand the “why” of all the shadows that surrounded my life on earth. Until that day I find there is refuge in the shadow of my Lord. This shadow must not be a place of fear but rather a place of trust and in the shadow of HIS wings I will choose to sing for joy!

 

Questions:

1. Are there shadows in your life?
2. Have these shadows left you with feelings of fear or joy?
3. Have you ever considered that there may have been many times when the shadow of God’s wing of protection has hidden you from the enemy?
4. How will you view the shadows of uncertainty in the future?

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

 

Thank you for all of the many times you have hidden me from my enemy, Satan and from disaster. Even though I may not realize those times until I am in heaven, I anticipate with great joy having those times revealed to me. God, I love both your seen and your unseen protection and your guidance. I am grateful for your comfort when I am surrounded by an unwanted shadow.  I love that the shadow of your hand covers me now and the shadow of your wing at times has protected me in the past. Because of these amazing shadows I can sing for joy! Forgive me Lord when I despise and fear the shadows. Go before me so that I may walk in your shadow of goodness. Father, help me to focus on your love as I walk with you. I know that someday the shadows of earth will pass away and I will experience the pure light of eternal joy.

 

In your Son’s name I pray. Amen.

The Hand Of God

“My times are in your hands;” Psalm 31:15a NIV

 

Many mornings I enter the garden from a chair in my great room. More often then not my hubby is in his recliner, across the room, entering his own garden. I like it quiet and he likes to share. He often gives me wonderful food for thought. This particular morning was one of those days. He mentioned how significant the hand of God is in our lives. Of course, that became the spring board for my thoughts for the next few days.

 

That same day I headed deeper into the garden with God’s Word in my hands. As I walked among the lilies, smelled the sweet sent of the roses, and found delight in the trumpet shaped petunias I saw anew the amazing hand of God, the creator. With each stroke of his creative fingers God adds magnificent color to his garden using hundreds of shades of heavenly paint. The hand of our creator is like no other hand.

 

Exodus 33:18-19, 21-23 Moses asked the Lord to show him his glory. God’s response to Moses was “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence.” (vs. 19) In (vs. 20) God said, “But, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.” (vs. 21-23) This is a beautiful example of God’s protection. As believers we so want to see his face, yet this life is not the time or the place. Yet, during difficult times we stand on Jesus our Rock and firm foundation. During trouble God places us in the cleft of a rock. This hard place in life is very real and we long again to see the face of God. In his grace, God covers us with his hand of protection. When all is safe, he removes his hand and we are blessed as we see his back as he passes by. We do not see his face but we see his glory in all its splendor.

 

I Chronicles 6:4 “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who with his hands has fulfilled what he promised with his mouth to my father David.” Solomon, David’s son had ordered that the Ark of the Covenant be brought to the temple in Jerusalem. David had wanted to build the temple but his son Solomon was the one God appointed to do so. Now as a final act of completion the Ark was to be brought into the temple and placed in the Holy Place. How wonderful it is to know that it is the hand of God that accomplishes his perfect will through imperfect people.

 

“My times are in your hands;” Psalm 31:15a NIV This scripture reminds me that God holds my time in his hand. He knows the number of my days and he has a plan for my life. God has a plan to give us all a hope and a future. There is no safer place to be.

 

Jesus told the disciples that if they had seen him they had seen the Father. For three short years the twelve were privileged to see the very hand of God at work. They were hands that healed. They were hands that fed the hungry multitudes. It was the hand of God that reached out to Peter when he was sinking into the sea. Jesus lifted his hands toward heaven and prayed. His hands touched children and gathered them into his arms. He used the fingers of his hand to write words of rebuke in the dust. His hands turned over the money changer’s tables in the temple as he drove out the merchants who were making the house of God a den of thieves. Jesus, the Son of God used his hands to wash feet, break bread, and pour wine.

 

It was the arms of Jesus Christ that was stretched out so that his hands could be nailed to the cross. It was his nail scared hands that purchased our freedom from the curse of sin. The Word of God tells us that those who belong to him have their names engraved upon his hands. “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” Isaiah 49:16 NIV

 

It was into the capable hands of the Father that Jesus committed his spirit in the final moment of his life. “Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46 It was after the resurrection; Jesus appeared to the disciples and used his hands to cook breakfast for them on the seashore. He later appeared to Thomas, who doubted that he had risen, still he allowed Thomas to see his nail scared hands. Jesus also offers us his hands to lift us up, pull us close to his heart, and help us in our times of fear, doubt, and even in our times of unbelief.

Because Jesus was obedient even to death on the cross, God the Father has given him a place of honor. Jesus now sits in heaven at the right hand of God and He is still using his hands on our behalf as he prepares a special place for us in heaven.

The hand of God is still outstretched to all humanity. It is not his will that any should perish but we must, like Peter, reach up and take hold of his saving hand of grace. It is not enough to believe that Jesus exists. We must go one step further and make it personal by grasping his hand. It is the hand of Jesus that offers us freedom from our sin. This is a free gift for all those who will believe that he lived, died, was resurrected, and is in heaven preparing an eternal home for those who love him.

It is important to understand that accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is not where it should end.  The sobering truth is that we are an extension of the hands of God. We not only reach out and take his hand we praise the works of his hand. We lift our hands in holy praise and we lay hands on those in the body that we love as we encourage them and pray for their needs and God’s blessing. We use our simple human hands to minister, to give, and to serve.

 

We have been led in the past, we are being led this very moment, and we will continue to be led by the hand of God all our days. When this life is over and it is all said and done, when we breathe our last breath, we too, like Jesus, will submit our spirit into the hands of God for all eternity. It seems that this morning in the garden I am overcome with the many facets of the hand of God. How precious is the hand of God? It is more precious than silver or gold, success and fame, or power and position. Precious, precious, simply precious!

 

Questions:

1. How is God’s hand leading you today?
2. Do you remember a specific time in your life when you experienced being under the hand of God’s protection?
3. Is God reaching his hand out to you asking you to follow him, obey him, or to trust him?
4. Are you allowing God to use your hands as an extension of his hands in this world today?

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

 

I stand amazed at all the works of your hand! Today I humbly reach up my hand to yours. Forgive me when I doubt that you are aware of my comings and goings. Forgive me when I doubt your love. Forgive me when I refuse to trust your loving capable hands. Forgive me when I forget to thank you for your hands that provide for me. How I praise you Father, that my name is engraved on your hands. I am so grateful that I am not just a simple string you have tied around your finger so that you can remember to take care of me.  It is comforting to realize that you know that a simple string could slip off a finger and be lost in the shuffle of life. No, your love and care is complete. Father I am in awe because you willingly outstretched hands on the cross for me. I am also blessed because you have branded my name upon your hands for all eternity. Lord, I am so grateful to experience this kind of boundless love. Without a doubt, I am in good hands!

 

It is in Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.