A Very Present Help

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God's grace.

 Ephesians 1:3-7

What does crisis do to your faith? Does it shake it to the core, or does it reveal to you how big your God is? If God is who He says He is, then He’s the same in crisis or in calm.

Our level of security plays a big part in how we manage our faith in difficult times. If we are secure in God and his promises, we will stand firm in the midst of the storm. When we know who hold our lives in balance, we need not run scared from a battle.

When we are insecure about who we are in God, our relationship with Him won’t be deep enough to learn to trust Him above anything else. The Bible tells us that we are loved, chosen, redeemed and blessed. He has adopted us by his choice and takes his parenthood seriously—but do we?

When a child is secure in knowing his daddy will protect him, feed him, forgive and prefer him, there is strength to take on the world. The bond that trusting brings to a relationship is a valuable thing, and God gives us every opportunity to share in that trust. Our daddy is faithful and gracious in good times and crisis. That’s enough to rest in for a lifetime.

Lord, I am grateful for the chance to be your child. Thank you for choosing me.

Cast Your Cares

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will take care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34


I’ve really never been much of a worrier. At least not in the sense of wringing my hands and pacing the floors over something. But I do tend to have periods of feeling defeated. It’s the “what’s the use” attitude I struggle with. I like to see a purpose for everything laid out in front of me, all nice an orderly.

But both conditions come from a lack of faith. Do I trust God with my food, clothing and shelter? Yes. But the fact that I need to know the future with regard to outcome of a given task or talent is a sign of inadequate trust on my part.

I am learning to just do what I know to do…use what God has given me. The outcome is by His design, and after reviewing everything He has already done for and through me, I should know the best will be done with whatever I commit to Him.

Worry comes in many forms. It sneaks into our lives like a vapor, and is more powerful than we are willing to admit. We may think that a little worrying never hurt anyone. But the Bible tells us differently. Worry has its roots in something bigger, and a daily cleaning will keep it from growing like an unwanted vine in our minds. Take care to cast your cares upon the One who supplies all our needs.

Father, thank you for caring for me. Forgive me for not trusting You with the big and little things in my life.

Trust in His Purpose

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways says the Lord.”

Isaiah 55:8

Craig Lauterbach in his book The Father Revealed, says this:

“Yes, the Father has a plan and He has ordained that every blood-washed believer in Christ be a part of His magnificent purpose. It is important to understand the Father’s position and purpose in our lives, or we will be distorted in our view of who He is and what motivates His heart. When we see the Father more clearly, our disappointments and problems become steps on the path toward a closer relationship with Him.”

I have to ask myself if I really trust the plan of the Father even when I don’t understand it. Do I fully embrace the light of his plan, or do I prefer to sit in the darkness—afraid of the unknown?  I know in my heart that whatever He has in mind for me is for my good, but trusting Him to guide me out of my comfort zone is a true test of my faith.

He may require us to walk through difficult times and unpleasant circumstances. He may ask us to go in a direction that is foreign to us. He might stretch us beyond what we thought we could bare to be stretched. So we seek his wisdom, rest in his comfort, release to Him our will, and keep pressing forward to the end of the race.

We must learn not to interrupt God’s plan for us with doubts, fears or self-serving agendas. The road is long and hard enough without getting ourselves off track with foolish distractions. Thank God, He is faithful to wave us back on the right road!

Dear Lord, help me to keep my focus on your plan for me. Give me light to dispel the darkness of uncertainty.

The Plan, The Victory, and The Praise

“He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”  2 Chronicles 20:15

King Jehoshaphat was pretty shook up when he was told there was a great army on their way to make war on him and his kingdom. He gathered all the people he could in Jerusalem to fast and pray for guidance from God. Things looked grim until the Spirit of God fell upon one of the men there. His message was clear—fear not, this is My battle.

What seemed impossible to the people was already in the hands of their God. When they obeyed Him and went into battle with song and shouting praise to God, the enemy was defeated before the battle even began. God had a plan—therefore the battle did not belong to Jehoshaphat’s kingdom. It belonged to the One with the plan. God gave instruction for the plan and the people believed and followed.

God received the glory for the victory because He shared his plan with the army. If they had gone their own way and either froze in fear or marched in at the wrong time, they surely would have been defeated by the enemy.

Do you want your battles to be won? Do you want God to have the glory for your victories? Then follow his plan. You need not fear if you will listen for his voice of command. He will go before you, and as you praise Him and stand your ground, He will provide a miracle for you. The children of God from the Old Testament were familiar with God’s voice, and had already seen his hand upon his people. They had practiced trusting Him for generations. They knew when God was speaking.

Listen, praise, stand, trust, obey and rest in the spoils of your victory won by God. The battle is really not yours. Give it to the One with the plan.

So I Fall

“So brace up your minds, and, as men who know what they are doing, rest the full weight of your hopes on the grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ reveals himself.”
I Peter 1:13 The J.B. Phillips Bible

This verse reminds me of the exercise you might see at a group therapy session, or at a youth retreat. One person stands with their back to a group of their peers or friends. He puts his trust in them, that they will catch him as he falls backward into their arms. It can be a scary experience, especially if you don’t know the other people well. The exercise of trust is putting your full weight into another’s hands.

What is your full weight? It’s your life – all of you. Whose hands are they? Jesus’ hands.

We live our lives, pressing through each day, with an assurance that we can trust Him for grace, happiness and eternal life. I can’t wait for the day when Jesus will reveal himself totally. I will stand before him, weeping and jumping for joy. In Him lies all that is worth hoping for. He deserves all our worship, yet he came to serve us in this way. He points us to the Father with his love.

The pain of this world will disappear when we see the gates of our new home opened by the lover of our souls. We are to consider soberly what God has done for us in his great mercy. Even when we feel despair, anguish or fear, He is standing behind us, waiting for us to fall into his arms.

Will you trust Him to catch you?