Hurting? Help Is Here!

I can imagine that, with your world rocked by the loss that is grieving you deeply, you long for something that will bring you peace, comfort and stability. But, based upon Isaiah 9:6, God indicates that it’s not really SOMETHING you need. It’s SOMEONE. God’s Word is filled with reminders that HE KNOWS, HE UNDERSTANDS, HE CARES. That one verse in Isaiah alone, has four descriptive Names of God which are just what hurting hearts need:

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

WONDERFUL COUNSELOR: A counselor can be such a help when you are grieving. A wonderful, exceptional Counselor can help so much more. Even though this Counselor urges you to talk to Him, He already knows, before you utter a word, EXACTLY what’s on your mind. And, He’ll give you counsel unlike any other is able to give. This wonderful, exceptional Counselor can encourage you in four important ways:

1. He’s ALWAYS available – no appointment needed.

   “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3

2. He knows you intimately because He created you.

   Psalm 139:1-18 (Worth the read!)

3. He hurts for you deeply.

   “As for me, I shall call upon God, and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will complain and moan, and He will hear my voice. He will redeem my soul in peace from the battle which is against me…” Psalm 55:1-18

4. He loves you eternally.

   “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever. To Him who alone does great wonders, for His steadfast love endures forever.” Psalm 136:1-4

MIGHTY GOD: Grief saps your energy. God’s strength is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:8) Rely on Him to be able to help you do what you cannot do alone – whether the task is physical, emotional, mental, financial… “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13

EVERLASTING FATHER: Because of your loss, you already know how fragile, how uncertain and how temporary life is. But, God is FOREVER! You need, especially now, to know that there is something/SOMEONE permanent in your life. “And the LORD is the One Who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

PRINCE OF PEACE: Peace is so illusive when you are grieving. God doesn’t just make suggestions for how you can get peace. HE IS PEACE! “…the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7

God is all this and so much more that you need in your grief. I trust you have asked Jesus, the Messiah, to come into your heart and you are partaking of all the above, and so much more, He has to offer.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” Psalm 34:8

With You ALWAYS!

“…LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.” MATTHEW 28:20

Familiar words! Jesus’ words. He spoke them to His disciples just before He ascended into heaven.

The disciples had a history with Jesus: traveling with Him; witnessing His miracles; listening as He spoke God’s Truth to the masses; seeing His loving heart express empathy for the hurting people who flocked to Him; hoping against hope that He would deliver His people from the horrible, crushing rule of the Romans.

And then He died! He was gone. His death was a reality. They were left with disappointment, loneliness and fear for their very lives. After His crucifixion and before His resurrection, Jesus’ disciples retreated to an upper room, to discuss what they should do now! They had so many questions and few answers. All seemed lost - no Hope!

Then Jesus came. He came alive and He came to them. What a time of rejoicing there must have been in that room. Faith restored. Anxiety gone. The One they loved was with them again.

Before He died, He had promised that things would unfold this way; but, they basically missed it. Their finite minds had trouble understanding an infinite plan. And, so, they hurt. Oh, how they hurt.

Then, just as things seemed to be getting back to “normal” with their Friend - Who was now also their Savior - He was leaving them again; but with a promise on His lips: “…LO, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD.” MATTHEW 28:20

It’s a promise He makes to you and me.

Like the disciples, our own loss can produce loneliness, fear, doubt, anxiety, indescribable pain -  and SO many “why” questions: “What were You thinking, God?” “Why has this happened to me?” “How can I live with my loss?” “What do I do next?” He responds, “I am with you always…” He responds with empathy - not sympathy that simply says, “I’m sorry for you,” and goes its way. Empathy says, “I’m with you.” “I feel the loss, the pain with you.” He can understand like no other because He experienced loss - BIG TIME - at the cross. His own Father turned away from His Son, because Jesus’ body was so filthy with the sins of mankind, your sins and mine, on it, that God couldn’t look at Him. I can’t even imagine Jesus’ pain at being abandoned in this way.

This is all part of God’s amazing plan - for our salvation and for the Hope of Heaven; but, also for the help we need right now. “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” Psalm 103:13-14

He is SO with us - in understanding, in compassion, in His presence.

The disciples missed the plan. Especially, when we’re hurting, we can miss it too, and all the comfort that embracing He will be with you always can provide. That’s why I write this reminder to you - and to me!

What Do You Need When You Are Grieving?

“One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!’” Psalm 91:1-2

Three Names of God are listed in these two verses. Inherent in these Names are very helpful resources when loss and grief enter our lives.

• El Elyon (Most High) - There is no other God like our Most High God. He is the One and only true God. He is superior in every way. He is sovereign over all things. His strength is unmatched. HE, and He alone can give meaning to your loss. He alone can provide whatever you need in your heartache – even those things you aren’t even aware that you need!

• El Shaddai (Almighty) - God is the One who holds all power in His hand. That means all power - even over the loss that has come into your life. But, He is also the One who is going to walk with you, strengthen you, help you, and uphold you as you grieve this loss. Meditate on the One Who is with you in your heartache. 

• Yaweh (LORD) - The LORD never had a beginning and never has an end. He’s the same yesterday, today and forever. When you are grieving, life can feel like sinking sand. What a blessing the stable One, the constant One, the unchanging One, the independent One can be as you navigate loss and grief.

These verses from Psalm 91 add that the Most High, the Almighty, the LORD provides even more that our hurting hearts need: A Shelter - a home/a sanctuary; a Shadow - a hiding place; a Refuge - a place to get strong; a Fortress – safety from the battle that rages for our soul. All are so needed in troubled times.

Note, too, the first six words in verse 2: “I will say to the Lord…” God Most High, Almighty God, the LORD welcomes YOUR WORDS, YOUR LAMENT, YOUR CRIES for help. Even if you can’t utter a word aloud, He hears each word in your heart. Such intimate conversation, and through it, He offers His compassion and His loving embrace. Go to Him. Dwell in Him. Receive from Him all you need not just to survive your loss – but to thrive!!!

Welcome to 2024: A Year of Change, Concern, and Hope.

Potential for Change and Concern:          

• Economic stress

• The expansion of world-wide wars

• A Presidential election

• Individual and family health needs

• The grief of facing holidays, birth dates and other special occasions with loved ones missing.

HOPE: God is still…

… your refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

… the same yesterday, today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

… the One Whose love for you will never end. (Jeremiah 31:3)

… faithful – He Who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23)

… caring – you can cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (I Peter 5:7)

… able to accomplish all that concerns you. (Psalm 137:8)

… doing the impossible. (Matthew 19:26)

As you travel deeper and deeper into, and then throughout, this next year, take a deep breath every time change or concern threaten to discourage you; and remember this: HOPE in God is greater than any change or concern 2024 may bring your way.

I pray that you have a blessed year, by His grace and in His strength.

A Christmas Conundrum

This time of year produces a conundrum. JOY and SADNESS easily intermingle, especially when someone you love is no longer a part of your life because death has intervened – whether a while ago or recently. That loved one’s absence is even more keenly felt at Christmas than, perhaps, at other times of the year.

Christmas is many wonderful things. Family time is most certainly one of them. So many special activities that family members share together – shopping, making cookies, selecting and decorating the Christmas tree, singing Christmas carols... Before your loss, those things brought such great joy. Now, they are mingled with sadness.

My sister-in-law died six months ago. Her daughter chatted with my wife about the extreme pain she is feeling, six months later. She said, “I’m a mess and I don’t know why!” My wife explained that it could be because she’s facing the “Perfect Storm:” her mother’s extreme love of Christmas with all the family traditions they shared AND the fact that, generally speaking, six to nine months following the loss of a loved one produces the most intense time of grief. It’s a powerful combination that can create sadness you may have thought you’d already “conquered!”

Christmas is most certainly a time to be joyful. Jesus was born! We know well the everlasting HOPE His coming represents. But, how can you have ANY joy when your heart is broken? The answer is - through Scripture, my friend. Joy, comfort, hope, encouragement, the healing of your heart - everything you need is found in God’s Holy Word.

Psalm 51:12 reminds us, about the “joy of our salvation.” Nothing can rob the child of God of THAT joy. Not even the loss of the dearest on earth to you. The context of that plea for joy, in Psalm 51:12, is that David’s spirit was troubled because of his sin. Joy is definitely illusive when our hearts are separated from God because of unconfessed sin. But, joy is illusive in heartache, as well. Think of Joseph in Matthew 1:19-25. Joseph was in deep despair. The one he was about to marry was pregnant – but not with HIS child. Oh, the heartache and pain of such a situation! Yet, when the angel spoke these words to him, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Joseph, naturally, was puzzled, maybe still sorrowful, but, he chose to believe the words of God spoken through the angel. He chose to trust God for HIS plan.

In your heartache, God’s words can speak comfort and encouragement.

• I Peter 5:7 “…casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

• Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”

• Psalm 56:8 "Record my misery; list my tears on your scroll—are they not in your record?"

• Psalm 34:18 "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

• Psalm 145:14 “The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down."

• Revelation 21:4 “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

• Psalm 30:5 “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

As you wash your broken heart with God’s Word, you will still have questions, disappointment, maybe some confusion concerning your loss; but, even with all that, your sadness and sorrow can be turned to joy. After all, the One Who created you; Who knew, before you did, what would break your heart; Who is with you IN the heartache; and Who has plans for your good was born in a manger so you might have the joy of your salvation – and you might have joy every day of your life here on this earth, even if it’s mingled with sorrow.

THANKFUL!

The Apostle Paul was in a Roman prison “by the will of God.” (Colossians 1:1) Why in the world would it be God’s will for one of His children - a valuable preacher who was unashamed to share the Gospel no matter where he was, who impacted so many lives for Jesus Christ wherever he went – why would God have him confined to a dark, damp, dirty, tiny prison cell? God’s ways sometime baffle us, don’t they?!

And, another question: how is it that Paul could write in Ephesians 5:20, under such dire circumstances, “Always giving thanks for all things…”

And, one more question: How can you and I live out those same incredible words in OUR hurtful situations?

Think about this. Paul doesn’t end his statement with “Always giving thanks for all things…” He goes on to write, “…in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”

Friends, there is great help and hope as we look at the totality of the words in that verse that can enable us to give thanks no matter what we are facing in our lives. And, I am very aware that some things we face are unspeakably painful! Nevertheless, think on the following Names Paul lists in this verse:

LORD – The Bible states many times throughout its pages indications that HE is in charge of ALL THINGS! Nothing takes our Lord by surprise. GIVE THANKS FOR THAT.

JESUS CHRIST – Jesus, leading up to and on the cross went through absolute torture of mind, body and spirit. He faced physical and emotional pain unlike anything you and I will ever have to experience. He faced injustice and betrayal. We might face some of these things – but all of them – at once?! He also faced separation from His Heavenly Father. He did that – willingly - for you and for me. He understands us in our pain like no other is able to do. GIVE THANKS FOR THAT.

GOD – Your Creator! He formed you with purpose. He attached meaning to your pain long before the circumstance occurred that prompted that pain. He has given you gifts to be able to minister to others, even in your pain. He provides His love and grace to you as you surrender your loss and the feelings associated with it to Him. GIVE THANKS FOR THAT.

FATHER – I love the way Paul included this word, this Name in this verse. What an encouraging, meaningful tie the Father has given you with Him from His heart directly to yours. You are His child, by faith in His Son, and, as such, He is your Father. As your Father, He offers His loving embrace and welcomes you into His arms anytime, all the time. GIVE THANKS FOR THAT.

Even when your heart is sorrowful, it IS possible to GIVE THANKS! And, amazingly, in doing it, you will feel healing taking place for your hurt. Only God could provide something so contradictory to be so helpful.

Need Encouragement?

In these times, who does NOT need encouragement – and hope and joy and peace and truth!

I ENCOURAGE you to look with me at Romans 15:4-13 where we find all of the above addressed.

Verse 4: Paul writes, “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and ENCOURAGEMENT of the scriptures, we might have hope.”  There is overwhelming evidence that we can be ENCOURAGED through the Word of God, cover to cover!

Verses 4, 12, 13: HOPE is expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. It’s interesting that the word “HOPE” appears three times in just this passage, alone, assuring us that our desperate need for HOPE can also be met in the scriptures.

Verse 13: Gratefully, JOY is not dependent on our circumstances; but on trusting Him, our Creator, the Lover of our souls, the One Who is always trustworthy.

Verse 13: PEACE is available in the same One in Whom we have JOY. Notice in this verse that both JOY and PEACE are found only in - believing. Believing what – or whom? Believing in God – and God alone! JOY and PEACE can’t be manufactured in any other way than depending on God, His character, His love and what only He can produce in the heart and mind of His child.

Verse 8: TRUTH! Whose TRUTH? Yours? Mine? Those with whom you interact in the community or marketplace? That “truth” fluctuates! God’s TRUTH is everlasting. He doesn’t waiver with circumstances, situations, culture, feelings. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His promises never fail.

Be ENCOURAGED, my friend. Whatever is hurting your heart today – be ENCOURAGED, have HOPE, find JOY, PEACE and TRUTH – all in the precious Word of God.

The Greatest!

I Corinthians 13 is the well-known “love chapter” in the Bible. Those thirteen verses present a guide for living in a very unloving world. Paul ends the chapter using three key words: Faith, Hope and Love.

FAITH. Throughout Scripture we are invited to see the SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD. HE is in control. Nothing escapes His eye. He knows you and me intimately (Psalm 139). He is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler over all matters in our lives. Jesus’ words to His disciples just before His ascension were “ALL authority in heaven and on earth was given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) Trusting in His Sovereignty is very comforting and freeing.

Faith that He is Sovereign leads to HOPE. The hope is that He has a plan constantly at work in your behalf through whatever affliction He has allowed or directed to come into your life, and that plan is not meant for disaster but is intended “to give you a future and a hope!” Only the Sovereign God could bring something good out of the worst thing that could happen in your life!

FAITH believes that God is in control. If you can embrace that truth, it can relieve a lot of stress and heartache. HOPE provides encouragement when you see that He has a plan, even tho’ YOU might not be able to see it clearly. But, the third word is the clincher! LOVE. God’s love – His unconditional, incomprehensible, unchanging love undergirds all He does and all we experience. And, gratefully, NOTHING we experience can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:38-39) That’s why, in the Love Chapter Paul says, of the three words, “love is the greatest.”

May FAITH, HOPE and GOD’S LOVE provide you with all the confidence and courage you need to be able to navigate your grief journey.

WAITING

Do you have a hard time waiting for       

                a traffic light to turn to green from red?

a reply from a text you sent?

                the anticipated arrival of a special occasion or

                                a loved one’s visit?

Most especially, what about waiting for grief over the loss of your loved one to ease?

Take a look at the well-known Psalm 119, especially verses 81 and 82:

                “My soul languishes for Thy Salvation. I wait for Thy Word.           

                “My eyes fail with longing for Thy Word, while I say ‘When wilt Thou comfort us?’ ”

Perhaps you look at these words and say to yourself, “That’s ME!”

The Psalmist also had a hard time waiting. Let’s take a look at where he goes for an answer to his pressing question, “When wilt Thou comfort (me)?” Two times he expresses the pathway that leads to help. “I wait for Thy Word; and “My eyes fail with longing for Thy Word.”

In Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, coming in at 176 verses, only three verses do not include thoughts relating to God’s Word (verses 90, 122 and 132). God speaks “loud and clear” throughout His Word, including in this longest chapter in the Bible, to tell us that He cares and that there is a place of refuge to go in our anxious waiting. It’s to Himself, through reading the Words He spoke long ago, Words that can still touch the deepest wounds of our hearts at this immediate moment.

As hard as it is sometimes, when our hearts are broken, to read ANYthing, including God’s Word, the Bible is the place to find answers, hope, strength and comfort. While you wait for your grief to ease, don’t neglect this amazing gift from God. You’ll find yourself, in your waiting for relief, able to believe the words of Frank Graeff in his hymn, “Oh, yes, He cares; I know He cares, His heart is touched with my grief; When the days are weary, the long nights dreary, I know my Savior cares.”

Why Was It?

Satan is an unrelenting foe. He tried so hard to be disruptive throughout Jesus’ earthly life. Then, in final acts of desperation, this enemy moved in the hearts of:

            ten of his disciples to desert Him,

            another disciple to deny Him,

            and yet another to betray Him.

He manipulated

            leaders of the Jews to sneer and spit at Him,

            soldiers to mock and beat Him,

            those in Roman authority to convict and sentence Him to death on a cross,

            onlookers to gawk at Him,

            a criminal, dying by His side, to verbally abuse Him.

For more than three hours, the sinless Son of God, willingly, took upon Himself the sinfulness of all humanity, those whom HE actually created. And, then, a final ENORMOUS blow to the Savior: because of the sins of mankind that were laid on His body on the cross, His Holy Heavenly Father, not able to look upon sin, forsook His own and only Son, Jesus.

So…why was it? How could all this happen to Jesus?

The answer lies in the incredible, overwhelming, indescribable LOVE OF God. He was willing for His Son to experience horrible suffering while He lived on this sin-sick earth, and then to die in our place.

Dear Reader, your loss, grief, pain and despair is GENUINELY understood by Jesus. Because He experienced these things personally, He can offer to each hurting heart - peace, comfort and healing. I encourage you to read this very familiar Scripture text again, slowly and carefully. Let Him speak to your brokenness. Feel His warm embrace. As you contemplate how very much He loves you, offer Him your praise and thanksgiving. It just might make your Easter even more meaningful.

Isaiah 53:3-7a “He was despised and abandoned by men,
A man of great pain and familiar with sickness;
And like one from whom people hide their faces,
He was despised, and we had no regard for Him.

“However, it was our sicknesses that He Himself bore,
And our pains that He carried;
Yet we ourselves assumed that He had been afflicted,
Struck down by God, and humiliated.

“But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.

“All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him.

“He was oppressed and afflicted…”

How Did He Do It?

In Mark 4:36-39, we find Jesus and the disciples in a boat, crossing a lake, better known as The Sea of Galilee. It had been a busy teaching day for Jesus. He was exhausted. So, He went to the stern of the boat with a rower’s leather pelt for a pillow. He slept soundly.

A furious storm came up. It sent water crashing over that boat. Although many of the disciples had been fisherman and were quite used to boating and fishing on stormy waters, they panicked.

Jesus slept. The disciples panicked. What made the difference?

In verse 38, the disciples called Him “Teacher.” They knew that about Him but not too much more. Their understanding of Jesus was minimal. They knew enough to want to follow Him, but it wasn’t because they realized Who He was. They were drawn to His teaching and His miracles but their shallow understanding of Who Jesus was caused them to give way to fear and panic when the waters got rough. They hadn’t gone deep enough with Jesus to realize that it was Jesus and His Father Who had created and were in control of the very waters that now spilled into the rocking boat. Jesus could sleep because He had calm assurance that everything was under control. The disciples saw the storm – not their Savior – and they panicked.

Now, here we are – you and me! Perhaps, in the midst of the worst storm in our lives, be it physical, emotional, mental or spiritual, when fear and doubt wash over us, what can we do? We can look at the calm, serene Savior and remember Who He is and that HE IS IN CONTROL! Because we’re His, we can rest in His outstretched arms which offer us comfort, peace and security. The deeper we delve into Him and avail ourselves of His strength and grace, the more we exercise our trust of Him in our storms, the more quickly we will take our eyes off our rocking boat and avoid panic. We can rest.

Sail on, dear friend. Sail on in the confidence that your Heavenly Father is very much aware of your storms and will call out in the midst of them, “Be still (Be muzzled)!”

HOME!

John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you.”

A number of years ago I was on a mission’s trip in China. It had been a good trip. I have wonderful memories of seeing God at work through the training of Christian Believers, as well as opportunities to minister His precious Word to spiritually hungry individuals. The twelve day trip came to an end. Our team felt blessed but weary and ready for the trip home! Home – to the familiar, to loved ones, to security. Just one night before our departure, we were alarmed to learn that all flights out of the airport had been cancelled for at least the next two days! We learned that flights had been cancelled, worldwide, because of the attack on and in our country, an event we now refer to as “9/11!” Disappointment, wondering how my loved ones at home were faring, and questioning if I really would get on my way in a couple of days now added to the weariness. It was overwhelming! To make matters worse, all of my clothing, planned to last the twelve days of the trip, had now been well worn and was more than ready for the washing machine back at our house – back home! I opened my suitcase and selected two days of shirts and pants that could be wearable without knocking people out sitting next to me on the flight back to the States – back to my home! Two long days passed. I headed to the airport in Beijing where I joined the long security check lines. I wasn’t at all prepared for what came next! Because of stricter security measures, everyone had to open their suitcases so they could be inspected by hand. I felt sorry for the person who had to root through my suitcase filled with DIRTY clothing! Added to this embarrassment was a greater one. TV news cameras were present to document the process. A reporter and photographer leaned over MY open suitcase recording, for who-knows-how-many-people-to-see, my dirty outer wear – and underwear!!! Actually, the word “embarrassed” doesn’t adequately describe how I felt! Yet, even that couldn’t overshadow the excitement and relief that I was FINALLY on my way home!!!

When I arrived at the Philadelphia Airport and was greeted with hugs and kisses by my wife, the extra days of waiting to depart China, the embarrassment of having my “undies” publicly exposed and feeling badly for the person sitting next to me on the long flight in my sorely-needing-to-be-laundered-clothing melted away from the front of my mind. I was finally home. It was a reward well worth the wait!

Dear Friends, where you now live – your country, state, county, city or town, your house – you may call “home.” It’s where you feel safe and comfortable; but, it pales in comparison to the Home that awaits you, the one Jesus, Himself, is preparing for those who believe in Him. That Home is a dwelling place, yes; but more than that, it’s a place of reunion with those whose absence from this home here on earth we grieve. And, it’s a place where we’ll be gathered into the welcoming arms of Jesus, free from all the “dirty laundry” on this earth. He took care of that on the Cross!

I’m ready for the greatest transport ever. “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.” In the meantime, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.”

The LORD Is

Throughout the Psalms we are encouraged with the words, “THE LORD IS…” For instance:

Psalm 18:2 “THE LORD IS my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer.”

Psalm 23:1 “THE LORD IS my Shepherd.”

Psalm 27:1 “THE LORD IS my Light and my Salvation.”

Psalm 29:7 “THE LORD IS my Strength and my Shield.”

Psalm 34:18 “THE LORD IS near to the brokenhearted.”

Psalm 37:24 “THE LORD IS the One Who holds my hand.”

That takes us only through the first 37 chapters of 150 Psalms!

Take each word in “THE LORD IS” and see what each word tells you about Him:

“THE LORD IS” – He is the One and ONLY One. He is the One, True, Living God. There is no other like Him. He is the same today as He was when the Psalms were written. He will be the same forever. No one compares with Him. He is trustworthy in ALL His ways.

“The LORD Is” – He is the Sovereign, Almighty God. He is preeminent and in control of ALL things. Nothing happens that He doesn’t either direct or allow.

“The LORD IS” – Not “was!” Not “will be.” He “IS.” Omnipresent! Omniscient! Omnipotent! Because He is your Creator, He knows you intimately. He understands all that’s going on in your life and what those circumstances might to the insides! He loves you – yesterday, today and tomorrow and He cares for you out of His everlasting love.

As you read through the Psalms, look for those three “little” words that mean SO MUCH to appear often! See how, each time you read them, they apply to your life and circumstances. Take comfort in the fact that THE LORD IS everything you could ever need.

THE MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS – When Your Heart is Hurting!

Christmas is approaching. Some would say, “It’s approaching too fast!” Didn’t we just put away last year’s decorations?

Christmas is a time of great rejoicing! It’s the celebration of the birth of our Savior, Jesus, God’s greatest gift to mankind.

Christmas is marked by beautiful music and brightly decorated trees. It’s a time of giving and receiving gifts. It’s a time of laughter and delicious food. It’s a time of fortifying relationships by sending and receiving Christmas cards and letters and sharing hugs and endearing words.

But, when you leave the party or the dinner with family and friends, when you leave good company and a fun event, when you head out the door, the emptiness in your heart, because of the loss of someone dear to you, walks out with you. The pain of your loss strikes again!

What can you do? My suggestion is that you go directly to where your pain is fully known and felt. It’s the same place where you’ll find strength, peace and hope. It’s the place where Truth and Love reign. Read Psalm 139 allowing the following thoughts to penetrate your mind and heart:

1. You are loved by your Creator. Psalm 139: 5b-6; 17-18 “You place your hand of blessing on my head.  Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” “How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!  I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!”  

   God loves you with an everlasting love. He thinks about you In the way we would think - often – and good thoughts - about those we love.

2. Your Creator knows everything about you, everything you are going through, everything you feel. Psalm 139: 1-4 “O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.”

   Just when you think, “No one can fully understand my grief,” it is SUCH a blessing to remember that there is Someone who really does understand even the deepest part of your grief.

3. He is ALWAYS with you. Psalm 139: 5; 7-10 “You go before me and follow me.” “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”

   Grief is one of the loneliest feelings you can experience; but, these verses are a reminder that you are, truly, NEVER alone!

4. He feels your grief and hurts with you. Psalm 139: 11-12 “I could ask the darkness to hide me and the light around me to become night— but even in darkness I cannot hide from you. To you the night shines as bright as day. Darkness and light are the same to you.”

   When you are hurting, you often just want to stay in bed, pull up the covers and sink into the darkness of your pain. But, God is desirous to crawl right into the darkness with you, bringing HIS light to soften your pain.

Know His Name

David said this in Psalm 9:10, 11: “And those who know Thy Name will put their trust in Thee; For Thou, O Lord hast not forsaken those who seek Thee.”

It’s so easy in this “hurry up” world to gloss over passages we read in the Bible. However, there’s so much more to learn when we take time to MEDITATE on what God has spoken and man has written, including these two verses. For example, by KNOWING HIS NAME we can begin to know HIM.  And knowing Him leads to being able to trust Him in the situations He directs or permits to enter our lives.

The familiar Isaiah 9:6 provides just a start to knowing what HIS NAME holds for us. Speaking of the Lord Jesus, we read there that “His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Going then to the New Testament, we’re reminded in Acts 4:12 “There is no other Name…whereby we must be saved.” Revelation 19:16 says, “On His robe and on His thigh He has a Name written ‘King of kings’ and ‘Lord of lords.’” If what these three verses say about HIS NAME, it would be enough, enough to be able to trust Him. But, there is so much more to HIS NAME. Dear friends, especially in the times in which we are living, take the time to PRAYERFULLY read, ABSORB and LEARN more about what GOD’S NAME means and how what you learn pertains to your particular situation. I believe you’ll find His strength, wisdom and guidance and that will bring you the “…peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension…” Philippians 4:7  

A Personal Promise Just For You

David is called “a man after God’s own heart” in the book of Acts. His relationship with the Lord was deep and personal. Look at how David describes the way He sees God, as recorded in II Samuel 22:2-3.

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;

My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

My shield and the horn of my salvation.

My stronghold and my refuge;

My Savior, Thou dost save me from violence.” *

[*David was being pursued by Saul who wanted to take his life. God intervened.]

In this text, before every word that David writes to represent God, he writes this word: “MY!” To David, God was not some far off observer of all David was going through. God was real. God was personal. God was all that David needed. David’s testimony was simply, but powerfully, stated.

As the saying goes, sometimes “big things come in small packages.” Note the two-letter word found in the first line of David’s description of God: “IS!” David knew that the Lord IS and EVER WILL be all these things His servant would need.

All Believers can claim that David’s God is our God. The Cross makes this possible.

I encourage you to do something I have done over the years – something I’ve found to be so helpful, so valuable. Read these verses S L O W L Y. And, read them meaningfully, as a prayer from the depths of your heart, even a heart that’s been broken:

  God, “You are MY rock and MY fortress and MY deliverer.

  You are MY God, MY rock, in whom I take refuge;

  You are MY shield and the horn of MY salvation,

  You are MY stronghold and MY refuge,

  You are MY Savior. You save me from violence.” **

[**In the midst of the greatest loss you may ever know, God is able to intervene and see you through it.]

Read on through verse 7. It will make a difference in how you feel about your circumstances as you learn to exchange your pain – for His presence.

The RX for Fear and Despair

We live in a time when reasons to fear and despair abound. National and international concerns, to say nothing of personal challenges, can grab hold of us and leave us with little hope for the present and future. Two Psalm writers shared similar concerns in Psalm 121 and 23.

The unknown author of Psalm 121, was, perhaps, literally looking up at the mountains before him, the ones he would have to climb to get to Jerusalem to worship, the ones that had rough terrain, violent storms and robbers. He was AFRAID and wondered, “Who will help me make this trouble-filled journey?”

David, in Psalm 23, faced the most DESPAIRING of all circumstances – the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

If these writers kept their minds on the circumstances in their lives, it would be easy for them to remain in a state of fear or despair. But, they allowed their eyes to drift beyond their circumstances to find a Resource that could blunt the worst life had to offer them. These men, men just like us, knew where to turn.

Psalm 121 ends with, “My help cometh from the Lord Who made (those mountains and) heaven and earth.” The Psalmist allowed himself to focus on the truth that God’s POWER was greater than any challenge his mountains could present to Him. In Psalm 23, David remembered that God’s PRESENCE was available to him from first breath to final breath.  “…I will fear no evil for Thou art with me.”

Embracing that God’s POWER and PRESENCE are greater than anything we face can dispel any fear or despair that threaten to undo us. Our FEAR and DESPAIR can have the potential to become PRAISE and THANKSGIVING.

Our Plea – His Plan

Perhaps the two most misunderstood verses in the Bible are found in I John 5:14-15. “And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”

When we are in distress, we might read those verses and send up a prayer to God asking for answers in our situation. If you think about it, in doing that, we’re acting like we are the authority figure and God should be our servant. When the answer we’re seeking doesn’t come, or it’s one we don’t like, we can easily feel upset, angry or like God doesn’t care. “Can’t He be counted on to meet my need? I’m not asking for too much – just a logical, sensible understanding of the most profound hurt I’ve known.” We hurt, we grieve, we ask; but then we can easily end up going down a path that can be very destructive to our faith, and, thus, to not even coming CLOSE to meeting the need we have.

Let’s take another look at the passage. It’s easy to miss this piece of it: “…if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us…” (Emphasis mine.) We might think we know what His will includes. Our limited, hurting minds have it all worked out. Certain things are logical, after all. “If I were God, this is how I would handle it!”

But, wait a moment! Think back to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The Son of God pleaded with His Father as He contemplated the upcoming agony of the cross. He asked, “Father…remove this cup from me.” It was a reasonable request to avoid the physical and emotional agony He was about to face.  It’s something you and I would feel is a logical request for Jesus to make.

But, that wasn’t all He said. He added, “…yet not my will, but Thine be done.”

At that moment in time, the will of God partnered with the love of God – and, aren’t you glad for that? God’s perfect plan for the redemption of mankind would not, could not be diverted. God, the Father, wanted to redeem you and me from the punishment for our sins. And, He knew best how that would be accomplished.

And His Son? His Son was willing for what His Father’s best would be.

Dear one, the same God Who lovingly refused the plea of His own Son doesn’t always answer your pleas. He still knows best. His purpose in your pain is not always revealed at the moment we ask, if ever. However, that does not mean His love and care for you is diminished. He hurts with you and invites you to accept His will, by faith, just as Jesus did. You can lay your requests at His feet and exchange them, even unanswered, for His grace, strength and plan.

The cost is great. He knows that – just as He knew it about Jesus’ death.

Think About It With Me

This man, Jesus, was falsely accused, tried and sentenced to death by crucifixion after being betrayed by a man HE HAD CREATED who had been with Him for three years. Then there was another follower of His HE HAD CREATED who denied that he even knew Jesus. This, after he had seen all the miracles Jesus had performed right in front of his face. Jesus was spit upon, mocked, beaten and had a crown of thorns placed upon His head by soldiers HE HAD CREATED. Then, worn out from beatings, He was led down a road and placed on a cross made out of wood from a tree HE HAD CREATED. There, He died, not for crimes HE had committed; but, for the sins committed by people through the ages HE HAD CREATED, including you and me.

Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there; for after He died, He was buried in a tomb and three days later HE CAME BACK TO LIFE.

Sounds as tho’ it could be a story made for a TV program or big screen movie. But… it was reality! The very Son of God came to this earth to live among HIS CREATION, demonstrate the love of the Father and pay for the sins of humanity on that cross, AS ONLY HE COULD, because He was sinless.

What He did on the cross ensures our salvation and makes us part of His family when we accept it as being for our very own personal selves. The resurrection ensures that there is a reservation for us in heaven to live eternally with Him.

You may ask, “Is that for real?” In a world of untruths and uncertainties, this story isn’t Hollywood. It’s Heaven-sent. “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” I trust you have made the choice to accept the truth of what Jesus did for you on that cross. If not, why not make the choice right now? Then watch Him work in and through your life.

And, bask in the hope of it all, especially His power over death, and His resurrection. Inherent in these is the certainty of seeing your beloved child again!

Think about that with me, especially in your darkest moments of grief.

Got Fear? Anxiety?

We live in uncertain times. I not telling you anything you didn’t already know. Our hearts go out to the people in Ukraine whose lives have been turned upside down through no fault of their own. Fear and anxiety are reflected in the faces of those hurting people – but also in the faces of those close by us – maybe even in the face in your mirror! 

It’s not just today’s world that fills us with fear and anxiety. Because people in ages past struggled with these same emotions, when the Holy Spirit instructed the writers what to say in the Bible, He gave to us all Isaiah 41. God says, “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.”

Remember, when you need to free yourself of the fears and anxieties of life, there is a refuge:

• “I am with you…” As you and I scurry around, wringing our hands, searching for answers to life’s concerns, the Omnipresent One says we don’t have to face challenges alone. Our God, our Creator, the Lover of our souls, the Mighty One, the Wisdom of the ages, the very one Who is the Author of Peace is with us.

• “I will strengthen you…” Fear and anxiety drain and weaken us. They make us feel like there’s no way we can go on. WE may have no strength to continue – but – HE does and He promises that HIS strength is made perfect in our weakness!

• “I will help you…” Do you feel helpless? Powerless? Hopeless? Without resources you need? Lacking direction? Lacking answers? Are you crying out for HELP???!!! It’s there – in the Person of Jesus Christ Who subjected Himself willingly to being helpless, powerless, hopeless; to denying Himself resources as He hung on the cross with your sins and mine on His Perfect Body! Take your focus off your circumstances and cry out “HELP” to Him.

• “I will uphold you…” The Hand that holds all the power of the universe is able to and longs to uphold YOU, giving you all you need to face whatever comes your way. He can and will, graciously, sustain you.

The times in which we’re living, just as the times of people through the centuries, are filled with very real concerns. BUT – never doubt that they are under God’s control! Rest in His promises. I’ve only mentioned four of the 26,000 promises named in the Bible. He is faithful to keep every one of them!