Held and Upheld

I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; therefore My own arm brought salvation for Me. Isaiah 63:3,5 (New King James Version)

As I read these words, spoken by God, there were phrases that jumped out at me with a fresh awareness that I need never speak them. “No one was with Me, no one to help, no one to uphold.” On a human level, some might experience such isolation and loneliness, but not in relationship to God. Isaiah 41:10 brings all three concepts to light as God says to each of us who are in Christ, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you. Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Those are promises of companionship, assistance, and strength.

I use to think of upholding as simply carrying. I found it interesting to see it means to make strong, restore to strength, give strength, strengthen, sustain, encourage, make bold, make firm, make rigid, and make hard. No wonder any believer can voice the words of Paul and say, “I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me!” He literally infuses us with the strength necessary for any task, circumstance, situation, or experience.

To go one step further, it is dawning on me that even when we are not aware of God helping and upholding us, He is doing it. I can look back at difficult challenges in my life and now see that THAT is exactly what He was doing. In the midst of my fears, frustrations, and tears, He never left me to manage on my own. Even when I didn’t relax in His arms, they still held, helped, and upheld me. His grip never loosened. His eye never wondered, His attention never wavered, and His supply never ceased.

Tonight I am reflecting on His moments of upholding and helping me and I am seeing them with clearer vision and insight. No wonder He repeatedly tells us to review and remember. Our past experiences with Him are meant to encourage us in the present as well as the future. What He has done for us and been to us will continue.

So what is it you are needing to be reminded of this evening? God’s presence? God’s help? God’s enabling and strengthening? It may be a situation that has just come upon you or one that you have faced daily for years. It may be in the physical, emotional, or spiritual realm. Whatever it is, take the promises of Isaiah 41:10 as your banner of truth!

Father, You have always been there for me and will continue to be. I rest in Your arms and am renewed, refreshed, and restored. Amen.

Held - Natalie Grant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2m1HZekCcc

Inner Healing

From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it, but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment. Isaiah 1:6 (King James Version)

Philip Yancey wrote a book called, Where Is God When It Hurts? In it he describes the horrid details of a person with leprosy. Unable to feel pain because the pain sensors are dead, injuries result in infections and the loss of fingers, toes, etc... Imagine putting your hand on a hot burner and never feeling the pain! Nothing would cause you to quickly remove your hand. The injury would be incredible. The point is to realize that pain serves a purpose. It tells us something is wrong and encourages us to attend to the problem.

So often we will recognize physical pain and seek help. But pain of the mind, spirit, or emotions often times is ignored or buried. Words spoken in anger, looks of disapproval, unmet needs all wound and bruise us on the inside. We fail to acknowledge them or bring them to God for His touch of cleansing and healing. He sees the wounds, the bruises, the putrefying sores. Although we may think they are not worth attending to God knows differently. He knows the infection will grow worse.

Until recently I did not realize the extent of my own inner wounds. As God has begun to reveal them to me He has allowed me to see where certain mindsets have been in place. He has let me know there are reasons I have walked in shame, expected rejection, and felt like a burden to friends.

He took me in His arms and said, "You've been wounded. Some wounding was intentional and some was not." Then He gently proceeded to let me know I would not be free from the effects until I allowed Him to identify where I had been wounded, press out the infection, pour His oil into them, and bandage them. Healing begins within. It is a process. Slow and painful at times but necessary and well worth it.

May I allow the candle of His Spirit to illuminate the very places in me that are still hurting. God will never force the process. I must voluntarily come to Him, place myself under His care, and trust Him to do His healing work in me.

Father, You have made the pain productive because it lead me to You. I know You will continue to show me the wounds that await Your touch, oil, and healing. Amen.

The Power Of Your Love MV
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xdgJN0quK4&feature=related

Ears To Hear

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Luke 15:1

Jesus was approached by different people for different reasons. Some came for healing and miracles, some came to witness the healings and miracles, some came to criticize, some came to worship, and some (like in today’s verse) came to listen. They knew His words were capable of changing their life. They may have sat under other teachers for years, but Jesus was different. He spoke with authority but also with love. To them, His words were reassuring and comforting, not harsh, judgmental, and condemning. They were drawn toward Him and hungered for what He had to offer. He welcomed them and received them as they came.

Have you ever been in the presence of someone who really cared about you? They were concerned for you or interested in the deeper things of your life. You felt safe to confide in them and took their advice to heart. You wanted to learn all you could from them. That is how people felt around Jesus. That is how God wants you and me to feel around Him! He is still showing me what concepts and ideas I have that hinder me from richer fellowship with Himself.

The verse just before this one says, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” It is more than just taking in sound. It is digesting what is heard in such a way that it changes the way I think, act, and speak. If I remain unchanged, I have not really listened. One evening, God surprised me with some self revelation I had struggled with for years. I could not grasp the reasons for a certain mindset that had always been in place from a very young age. Once I listened and received what He was telling me there was an internal shifting that took place. Throughout the night and even the next morning I woke still wanting to drink in the truth of His words. If I allowed them full access they would forever change this area of my life and I would walk in a freedom I had not yet realized. I found it interesting that although I wasn’t necessarily asking to be shown this, God knew my spirit was searching out the matter. He spoke, I listened, and life has not be the same!

Father, You have so much more to tell me on a personal level. Give me listening ears, a receptive heart, and a continued thirst for Your words to me. Amen

Word of God Speak ~ Mercy Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JK_6osCH74&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Desolate for a Reason

So that I might make them desolate, in order that they might know that I am the LORD. Ezekiel 20:26 (New American Standard Bible)

Many times in Scripture, God’s actions are followed by the phrase, “That they might know that I am the LORD.” So intent is God on revealing Himself to us that He will go to any length to help us see who He really is and what He is really like. He knows our limitations and weaknesses as well as our bent toward sin and skewed thinking of Him. For the children of Israel, God revealed Himself through discipline, provision, protection, deliverance, and consequences of behavior. Many were the times they “missed” the God ordained revelations but precious were the moments they saw!

As I read today’s verse, the word “desolate” stood out to me so I decided to find its full meaning in the dictionary. What I read was a description of my own life in recent years. It was not only explicit, it was an accurate portrayal. According to Webster, desolate means, to abandon, make alone, deserted, joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful through separation from a loved one; showing the effects of abandonment and neglect, barren, lifeless, devoid of warmth, comfort, or hope, laid waste, forsaken, a barren wasteland. I can tell you with all seriousness and sincerity, it is not a fun way to live the Christian life. I felt frozen emotionally as if suspended in a capsule of pain and grief. If that were the end of the story, I would have little to say. Praise God the end of the story is rich!

God says to me what He said to Israel, “It was done in order that you might know that I am the LORD.” In other words, that I might know Him. Not just know about Him but KNOW Him. Although I still have moments of sadness, I can finally say the worst is over and there is now more light than darkness in my soul. I now know God in a way that I didn’t know Him before I entered my personal valley of sorrow. The two things He used the most to draw me out of my place of desolation, were His Word and an individual who was willing to walk with me on an emotional and spiritual level.

You see, God never wastes a thing in our life. He never brings or allows pain or disappointment just for the sake of discomfort. His process and purposes are well thought out and carried out. As I have learned to cooperate with Him and trust Him, I have seen Him move in ways I never thought possible. I marvel over Him and delight in Him!

Father, I am seeing the first glimpses of inner peace that can only be found in You. You saw my sadness and distrust and yet that did not stop You from leading me to and through the valley. What a faithful God You are!

What A Faithful God - Robert Critchley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLEgyKpzyUw&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

When Someone is Running

The LORD hurled a great wind on the sea and there was a great storm on the sea so that the ship was about to break up. Jonah 1:4 (New American Standard Bible)

There are times when God will go to great measures to come against our places of comfort, security, or escape. Jonah was in such a place and God’s intervention was evident. In some ways, he reminds me of the prodigal son from the book of Luke. While the father let him go and waited for life to become uncomfortable enough to bring him back home, God was still at work in the background to bring about that change of direction.

Maybe there is someone reading this devotional right now and you have a loved one who is living the life of a Jonah. They are running as fast and as far as they can from what God wants for them. You may be praying for their salvation or you may be praying for their return. As hard as it may be to watch what they are doing to themselves (and possibly to others in their life) be aware God can still control the situations of their life. God is still in the business of bringing about personal famines or storms to redirect their thinking, their steps, and their lives.

So what does a person do in the case of someone they know who is running? First of all, if they are an adult, let them go. Teens and children are still under our care and responsibility. But for an adult, let them go. It will be in the midst of their wandering that God will be able to begin His work. Secondly, pray for God’s intervention in their life. God may use health, He may use finances, He may use discomfort, He may use loss, or any number of other methods that bring about effective change. If someone keeps stepping in and rescuing them, the process gets interrupted and prolonged. God knows what to use to get their attention. The control they think they possess over their life will be challenged by the One who really is in control. Consequences for personal choices really are beneficial. Thirdly, use this time to reevaluate your own life. What are the areas God wishes to redirect in you? God can multi-task very well. As He shows you areas to change, cooperate with Him. And finally, wait! Things may happen quickly or it may take years. Trust that whatever God is doing it is out of a heart of love for you as well as for your loved one.

Father, many hearts this morning ache over the choices loved ones are making. May they know that Your heart aches as well. Give them wisdom to trust You to intervene for their ‘Jonah.’ Amen.

God Will Make a Way - Don Moen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hOjYR8UZT8&NR=1

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Superabounding Grace

But where sin increased and abounded, grace (God’s unmerited favor) has surpassed it and increased the more and superabounded. Romans 5:20b (Amplified Bible)

I have within myself the capacity to sin because I possess a sin nature. We all do! I may not give in to every urge but the ability to sink to the lowest depths of depravity is present in me as it is in you. Yet as a believer I also have God’s divine influence on my heart….His grace. While sin may increase and abound, the influence of God superabounds! The comparison is encouraging because God’s help far exceeds my weaknesses. His advantages for me far outweigh my disadvantages.

I feel led to do some comparisons this morning and the results will be astounding! Keep in mind that each time I use the word “grace” I am referring to God’s divine influence, favor, and help that is present and available in me. Proportionately speaking God’s grace exceeds every ungracious thing in me. Grace exceeds my strongholds. Grace exceeds my addictions. Grace exceeds my weaknesses. Grace exceeds my mindsets. Grace exceeds my wrong choices. Grace exceeds my failures. Grace exceeds my misperceptions. Grace exceeds my depraved words, actions, and thoughts. No matter what I place on the scale of comparisons, God’s grace outweighs, out shines, out lasts, and out powers it. In other words the potential for victory is greater than the potential for defeat.

The question now becomes, will I walk in that grace and allow it to be reflected in my life? By His grace I can! Once again I am reminded that living the Christian life is not a matter of self made virtues. It is a matter of allowing God to do His work in me. It is looking to Him to give me the desire and ability to follow Him, cooperate with Him, and obey Him. I want transformation and change. I want to continually NOT be the person I was a year ago, month ago, week ago, or even day ago!

As I go through my day and come up against any temptation, test, or sinful desire, I want to realize I have MORE grace than that! There is also more grace than grief, sorrow, loss, or pain. It is like comparing an ant hill to a mountain, a pond to an ocean, or a twig to a forest. Superabounding, super abundant, super accessible is God’s grace. As the hymn so eloquently states, “Grace, grace, God’s grace! Grace will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, Grace, God’s grace! Grace is greater than ALL my sin.” Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Grace indeed!

Father, keep me aware of Your grace in me. The excessiveness of it all astounds me! Amen.

Amazing Grace ( My Chains are Gone) - Chris Tomlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyFxArMeRDI&feature=related

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.

Remembering Them

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7 (New American Standard Bible)

Last night, I met with a friend whom I had not seen for several years. We did some catching up and sharing of present happenings with our children. Then the conversation turned to a time of review. What an experience to look back over four and a half years and list the many things God has done! I felt compelled to tell her of my journey out of legalism and the many changes that came about because of it. As I spoke, it became evident to me that God had used an individual in profound ways to start me on my journey. The impact she made on my life was huge and were it not for God crossing my path with her, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to come out of my life style of performance and fear or IF I would have come out of it.

This morning as I read today’s verse, this individual once again came to mind. She led me, taught me God’s word, was an example to me, and left me with a pattern of faith to imitate. Her spiritual influence and fingerprints are evident in my life to this day. Although she is no longer a part of my journey I rejoice in the season of time God allowed her to be! I can say with joy that I am NOT the same person I was when she first entered my life. I am not even the same person I was when she was led to release me to walk without her. Truly, God’s ways have been higher than my own!

I think back over my Christian life of 35 years and I can recall numerous individuals who led me, spoke God’s word to me, and lived lives that were worth imitating. They were each used of God to instilled valuable things into my life. They came along side me, walked with me for a while, and left profound marks on my life. What I am today has a direct correlation to who they were for me in the past. With any one of them I would have chosen to remain. Without God’s insistence I would have been content to continue under their teaching and influence. But then I realize if that had been the case, there would have been many relationships I would have missed out on and many things I would have not learned. The result would have been a stunting of my growth.

Just as God called the children of Israel out of Egypt, God has had many “calling out of” moments in my life. I am learning to treasure that aspect because of the good that comes from it. While there are times I look back and long for those places of delight, I know He still has much in store for me and so I journey on.

Father, thank you for the individuals You hand picked to be in my life. They have been treasured gifts to me. Amen.

Painting Pictures of Egypt - Sara Groves
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcIA4Cnj6j4

I welcome your questions and comments to any devotional thoughts. I am honored and delighted to share my journey with you and privileged to hear of yours.