Slippery and Uncertain

 

If I should say, “My foot has slipped,”

Your faithfulness, Lord, will support me.

When my anxious thoughts are many

Your comfort delights my soul.

Psalm 94:18-19 NASB

Have you ever lived in a place where winter storms would cover your world with ice and snow?  Sometimes our lives are like that - slippery and uncertain, like trying to navigate a long icy sidewalk or find your way out of the forest. 

Do you feel like the world you used to understand and accept no longer gives you a firm, sure place to stand or to walk?

This Psalm writer knows what to do when life is a slippery sidewalk.  He reaches out and holds on to the one - the only one - who can and will support him. 

He writes about how God will steady him, not just once, but always.  The writer speaks of God’s faithfulness - God, who is always faithful, trustworthy, and never failing,

God can and will support us always.

God is always at our side.  He is El Roi – “the God who sees me.”  He sees you when things are going well, and He catches you when the ice storm comes. 

But how can I know that He will hold me up?

God's Spirit tells us. (That’s where the second part of this verse comes in.)  “When my anxious thoughts are many, Your comfort delights my soul.” 

I’m not sure that “delights” is a word I would use, but the writer of this Psalm knew what he personally felt.  My words might be that God’s comfort “stills” my soul.  The feelings I have when I’m anxious really need the soothing touch of God’s care to calm and hold me. My anxious heart needs the comforting Spirit's touch.

God’s faithfulness does support us if we call out to Him, if we hold on to Him, and, I know we can trust Him when our world slips out from under us.

Isn’t it amazing how God’s people continue to speak to our hearts with words from the scriptures?  God is so good.

He has promised!

Have you ever thought about all the ways God has said He would walk this life with us?  The Bible speaks of God’s promises and His care for His children.

 Let’s take a walk in our minds. I picture this.

We walk on a mountain path, or our neighborhood, or any place we’re familiar with – a place we love – sometimes we’re alone or maybe strolling with a dear friend. The scent of the flowers and the song of our beautiful world welcomes us. We bask in the sunshine and walk that path feeling healthy and strong.  It’s a wonderful world!

I believe that most of us have taken walks, or hikes that have begun beautifully like that, but didn’t turn out to be at all like my picture. Yes, most of us have found walks through life that, instead of joy, bring disappointment and pain. 

The stroll down the path of our life may end up taking a wrong turn.  We may become lost in an area or a situation that we don’t know how to get out of, or even understand.  It could happen that our friends desert us. Silence greets us when we call for help – there is no one to listen.  We’re left totally alone. 

Or we may start out in the beautiful sunshine and end up in the middle of a thunderstorm with lightning searing the world around us. We find ourselves in the middle of a crisis that we were not ready for.  

Or we’ve always been healthy and feeling just fine, but on that road, something attacks our lives and we become weak and faint.  We can’t go on.  We are helpless. 

What then - when we’re alone, lost, helpless and unprepared? 

Listen to God’s encouraging reply. 

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.  Deuteronomy 31:8 

He said, I’m going before you, checking the path, and then I’m going to be there, right along-side of you – with you.  I’ll always be there with you, I’ll never, never leave you.  Oh my child, don’t be afraid, don’t be discouraged with your life, your walk, your path.  I’m here.  Can’t you hear me?  I’m here! 

Again He replies. 

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. Jeremiah 29:12 

He said, I hear you!  Not just that, I’m listening when you talk to me.  I watch your face.  I see your tears.  I feel the heaving of your sobs.  When you cry out to me, I hear your voice, I hear your heart, your hurt and your troubles.  I hear you!                     

God tells us. 

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.  Isaiah 41:10 

He said, I am strong enough for both of us.  I know you don’t have the strength to go on, but I do, and I will impart my strength to you.  I will help you.  You know you need my help.  I won’t just pick you up, I will hold you up. 

He will hold us, strengthen us, walk with us, and love us.  We have no reason to spend our lives in fear.

Love, Diane

Just Sing

 

Thoughts from Psalm 84 - I wanted to make sure to put these thoughts down before some other thoughts climbed into my brain and covered it over.

Years ago, our church had a group of men who would entertain at some of the care centers around our town, and several of us would go along as “support”.   I was singing as well part of the time, so it was suggested that I sing one of the favorites.  After the song ended, one of the residents motioned me over to her chair, she whispered loudly in my ear, “Honey, next time you’d better just let the men sing.”

I’m sure you’ll understand how good that was for me to hear.  Truly, as I remember, I was a little hurt about it, but not for long.  God may have been giving me a good dose of humility medicine that day.  

But today, I need to relax and live in the truth that the God of the universe wants to hear from me.  That He actually listens to me.  Even when my words are just thoughts?  And amazingly He wants to hear my song - this voice, my voice!  

The psalm is telling of Israel’s desire to be in God’s house, His temple.  But not just to be there – to be there with one’s whole self.  As we all know, there are times when we only “listen with one ear.”  We don’t always concentrate on what is going on around us, but the word says, with my heart and flesh, my whole being cries out to God.  

"With my whole being, 

            I sing for joy to the living God."  Ps 84:2 (GNT).          

I love that – my whole being – So I will sing!

Today I will continue to sing of my Father’s love, His power, and presence (and patience.)  And just as importantly, I plan to listen to the voice of His Spirit as He whispers and shares from the Bible, the words I need to hear (with both ears.)

With my voice I will sing of your love

With my heart I will feel every word.

With my head bowed in reverence

I will kneel in your presence

In your presence my song will be heard.

I praise you my Father, God, and King.

Diane

If God is God at all

 

I’ve been spending a little time in the Psalms lately – specifically the beautiful songs of ascents.   Yesterday Psalm 123 took me to God’s throne. 

The people of Israel sang this song as they looked up to the heavens, as they sang of the majesty of God.  The words of that song shouted to the world that God is the one who sits on the throne.  He is the one who is the “Lord.”  “Lord!  Master! Ruler! King!”

He is the ALL.

I asked myself, “do I truly believe that God - the God of the Bible – is the ALL. 

I ask myself – “Do I ask for mercy when I have trials and struggles, or do I demand an answer?”  That brings me to a question about my relationship with the Almighty God.  Who is God, and who am I?

Recently Ron and I have been reading Eugene Peterson’s book, “A long obedience in the same direction.”

He talks about going to God in prayer, and how God understands our needs.  Something that was so impactive to me were Peterson’s statements containing these words.  

“If God is God at all, He must know more about our needs than we do.   If God is God at all, He must be more in touch with the reality of our thoughts, our emotions, and our bodies than we are, if God is God at all, He must have a more comprehensive grasp of the interrelations in our families, and communities, and
nations than we do.”

That statement included most of the things that we worry about.  We worry about our needs, our emotions, our health, and our relationships.  We cry out for God’s help and for His mercy.

But if God is God, He knows, and is rich in mercy for us.

John 14:27 (NASB)  Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you.

Eph 3: 30-21 (NIV)  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,  to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Do not let your hearts be troubled, God IS God.

Who are you?

  

 I'm told in the scriptures that we will know you by the works of your hand - by creation.  So as I look around I ask -

Are you like the mountains 

beguiling my eye? 

With silver-clad peaks piercing the sky? 

Are you like those mountains - untouchably high?

 

Are you like the valleys 

catching the snow

            the keepers of water for life down below?

 

Are you like the valleys - with life giving flow?

 

Are you like the river which grows in its quest 

seaward and downward 

from east and from west?

Are you like the river - never at rest?

 

Are you like the flower, the grass and the tree,

green growing home for the bird and the bee?

Are you like them all - a haven for me?

 

Oh God of the mountain, the river and glade

Oh God of the raindrops, the sunshine and shade

Oh God of the flowers, the springtime and fall

Oh God of creation - are you like them all?

 

Too high to reach

Too deep to feel

Too grand to know if you are real.

 

But the scripture says,
Romans 1:20 (NIV) “ For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
 
So I know and I believe.

 
 

Catch me

Picture an old fashioned carousel.   See the horses spinning in a circle - endlessly.

Hear the music galloping along with a vengeance.  See the mirror in the middle of the carousel reflecting back the chaos of the ride.  A carousel isn't always fun, and this cry came from my heart.

"Catch me God,” I cry.

"Stop this carousel I’m on." 

The days and the seasons, stampeding, go by.

Dark pains and dark pleasures around me, they fly,

 

and I cry,

“Catch me please God – before I die.”

 

“Catch me God,” I cry,

as the black in my heart edges in.

My life and my actions increasingly gray -

the good and the perfect are further away,

 

and I cry

“Catch me please God – before I die.”

 

“Catch me God,” I cry.

The carousel mirror shows truth to me.

It shows me a life full of sin beyond measure -

a self-centered life hurting those I should treasure

 

Oh how I cry,

“Catch me please God – before I die.”

 

And then, the carousel is still.

My world has crashed.

I’ve lost the will

to run,

and running, then to hide,

since the mirror has shown me what’s inside.

When I saw and confessed the guilt 

to my Lord, 

He softened the pain, 

and I heard Him explain

that 

playing the game of catch-if-you-can

is something that He would not do.

I had to stop playing,

reach out,  

take God’s hand.

and follow His heart - then I knew.

 

He was there all the time seeing my plight. 

He answered each time I prayed in the night.

He hurt when I hurt and He said when I cried,

 

“I caught you my child, --

on the day my Son died.”

Dear friend, if you are playing that game - please know that life can get better.  It did for me, many years ago when I surrendered my heart to my Father, the God of the universe.