By Donna Churchill
“My times are in your hand;” Psalm 31:15a I have a love/hate relationship with October. Like a famous author once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” My husband was born in October. We met in October. My husband died in October. Can you see what I mean now? Growing up, my favorite month was always October. I loved the foliage, the crispness in the air, the cool nights, football games, school days with my friends. I loved everything about it. I used to think I was born for October! Fast forward, I met my future husband on October 1st. He became one of God’s greatest gifts to me. We shared 34 very happy years together (okay, well, mostly happy), raising our children and serving the Lord. His birthday was October 30th. On October 2nd, 2004, he fell asleep in the arms of the Lord. For so many years of my life, I looked forward to the month of October. After October of 2004, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to again. But I learned by experience that God comes through in all seasons and circumstances in our lives. Even though my husband’s death was a surprise to me, it wasn’t to God. The Lord ministered deeply to me during my season of grief through the words of an old hymn - Be Still, My Soul: Be still my soul, the Lord is on your side Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain Leave to thy God to order and provide In every change, He faithful will remain Be still my soul, your best, your heavenly Friend Through stormy ways leads to a joyful end. Through the words of this song and the Words I read in Scripture, I became convinced that God knows the end from the beginning of our stories. (Isaiah 46:10 - “…declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’”) He knew when Phil would be born and when he would die (Revelation 1:18). He knew when I would be born and when I would die. He knew that I would meet and marry Phil and He also knew that Phil would die before me and leave me alone to navigate this world without him. Because I knew and believed He knew all this, I could also know that He had already made provision for me. I was not and never have been left alone (Hebrews 13:5b – “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”). Just as the hymn says, we are to leave to God to order and provide because He remains faithful through every change (Lamentations 3:21-24 - But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in him.’”). God is sovereign over all. Knowing and believing in His sovereignty is what enables me to trust Him completely. He knows every minute detail of my life. He goes before me and He is my rear guard. (Isaiah 52:12) He is my provider in and through every need I have. He is my provision! (Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will supply every needs of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”) His Word has sustained me and strengthened me time and time again. He is my portion, no matter the circumstance. Even though some circumstances of my life are not good, He is always good. He can be trusted. My life’s verse says it best: “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:25, 26 I may not look forward to October as I once did in my youth, but I no longer dread it either. God has and I know He will continue to walk with me through all the “Octobers” of my life. By Rebecca Vickery
Saturday night I was talking to God about my apprehensions regarding going to Church. Again. The previous Sunday, I spent about ten minutes of the service crying in the restroom. And an additional 10 minutes crying outside of the restroom. I don’t like be a mushy vulnerable mess. Panic attacks in public places are a new thing for me. My medications make my own behavior and mobility unpredictable to me. I had all the excuses. I had already written to the Thursday night Bible study leader informing them that I was withdrawing from the study. I felt myself pulling back from the few life lines I had left, even withdrawing from the Celebrate Recovery chats. I felt invisible in some ways, too visible in others. So I told God, “I don’t want to not want to go, but I don’t want to go.” I expressed my feelings to my husband, and he tried to convince me I should go again anyway. This was becoming a familiar dance for us. At one point, I started weeping, and my husband fell asleep. “Well,” I asked the Lord, “Now what?” My desire not to go hadn’t gone away. And then I got the gentle nudge from the Lord. The devil, your enemy is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. I was allowing the enemy to drive me further from the fellowship I desperately needed. I was reminded of a conversation I had with the Lord earlier in the week. Still wrestling with the lonely, I was lamenting to Him. “Why did I have to be perpetually alone?” God reminded me of Elijah. Elijah had fled from Jezebel who with her cohorts was hunting down and killing the prophets. Elijah cried out to God. “I have been zealous for you, and they have killed all the prophets. I and I alone am left.” I picture Elijah here so human and vulnerable. Elijah felt desperate and alone. Boy could I relate. Yet, God didn’t say, Elijah, don’t be an idiot. Instead, the Lord meets Elijah where he’s at. A great mighty wind comes and shatters the cliffs, but it says God was not in the wind. And there was an earthquake and a fire. But God was not in those either. After this, Elijah hears the still small voice, a whisper. God asks Elijah what is wrong. He listens to His reply. There is such patience and tenderness demonstrated in this exchange. He tells Elijah what he needs to hear. God Himself had preserved a remnant. Elijah was NOT alone. Even in this, God showed tenderness to me in my frailty. He gently reminded me of His character. He restored my resolution to go to Church where I might cry. Where I might have panic attacks. Where I might be so obviously broken and messy. He would be there with me. He would be yet again reminding me that I was not alone. My Bible Study leader approached me almost as soon as I entered the doors. She hugged me and asked me to consider trying again. Because of the Lord’s reminder to me I agreed. I cried, and it was ok for me to do so. The Lord met me in the prayers of His people (as He had done the week before, even when I just wanted to disappear.) He met me in warm embraces. He met me in the kitchen when a panic attack required swift retreat (all the while being aware of how ridiculous it felt to seek solitude when the rest of the time it was solitude I dreaded most). But two of God’s people were there. They were not be content to let me have my panic attack in “peace.” They were patient and loving, encouraging me to let them walk with me in the midst of it. They were the hands and feet of Jesus. They even walked me in and partway up the aisle when I was ready to try again. Dear friends, it is so easy to believe the lie that we are alone. Sometimes we miss the ways that God does communicate His love to and for us. Sometimes the lies of the enemy feel so loud that it is like surround sound speakers playing terrible cacophonies of the refrain “You’re alone, you wretched, wretched human. And why shouldn’t you be? Just look at you.” That’s a lot of refrain, but you get the idea. Alone we are vulnerable. Weak. We need others to remind us to fix our broken gaze so that we are no longer looking at all the obstacles, or the snares and entrapments, but looking to the One who can take us by the hand and lift us up when we stumble to present us blameless before Him at the end of this age. Our momentary suffering does not always feel momentary. When we are in the thick of things, it can appear to be the ONLY thing there is. Suffering. Sorrow. But Jesus said we would have trouble. He also promised to be with us in the midst of it. Sometimes, we are called to walk forward in faith to be reminded that in spite of what the devil would like us to think, we are most profoundly NOT alone.
He is With Me Still As I sit and wait for the morning sun I’m given time to contemplate God speaks in the midst of a world in complete turmoil I’m challenged by what I hear I walk on the paths through our woods I listen to a song that asks the most important question Is He Worthy? Walking in confidence that Jesus is there for me Looking through the trees that beckon me I hear the music in my heart The water flowing over the stones of life Whispering and shouting the symphony God is creating just for me I smile, as the sun peaks through the leafless trees. My shadow is before me as I walk with the sun at my back I see new life starting to burst forth before me So many shades of green, so many flowers coming up out of the ground Filled with colors impossible to duplicate Because they are designed by God himself For me to enjoy Even the stones in the path glow with joyful glitter As I continue to walk along the path of life No matter what was behind me, no matter the losses I can see God pulling me forth, gently, yet ever so sweetly, And with sincere determination, all I want is to know God To know His worthiness, to know my smallness, to seek His great plan Our world crumbles around us, yet God still IS! He never leaves us, He is always watching, always caring, always there I deserve not one moment of His time, yet He is there As I continue to walk, with a song in my heart, mind and body Every step of the way, the intensity of the song pounds in my heart I want it to never end, I want it to drown out the unwanted noise outside Every moment of every day and night, He is there with me The frustrations of life pound at my door But even still, He is there to He made me! And He grows me! And He loves me! What more do I need? I long to share His great love with those around me Some respond, some resist, some in despair, some in disrepair How can I tell them that God is here for them just as much as He is here for me? Will they listen? Each night I pray that God will be the Lord of my dreams Somehow, they threaten my joy, But when I reach out to God, the fears float away Each new day, I pray for God to lead my steps As I ponder a new day of hope and promise I know I cannot do this on my own Even though the troubles hit me in my face Illness, death, sorrows, uncertainty, unplanned dismay “It’s only your temporary home!” says He who made me I have a choice! Do I hang onto fear or do I move forward with hope and joy? Getting back to the song, Is He Worthy? Yes, my heart shouts, “He is most certainly worthy!” He alone holds the key to my safety Truth be told, when we seek to follow in the path He has laid before us Whatever happens, He is walking with me on this path. For I am never alone! He’s with me still By Mary Spence
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NIV September is recovery month. Those in recovery know that recovery happens one day at a time! Your lifelong hurts, hang-ups, and habits need to be worked on in twenty-four-hour increments. In our celebrate recovery we sometimes refer to ourselves as onions. While we are working on what we think he has us there for, before you know it you peel back that layer and behold there is the next hurt habit or hang up. Some days I think I'm going to be a lifer in recovery. But with each layer I work through God brings me closer to him and uses me in a new way. And I know that no matter where I am, He has a plan and I can rest in His promises. Each one of us is dealing with something. A “hurt” is any life experience that may have damaged your heart, some offense against you that effected your ability to deal with the world in a healthy way. It could be anything that twisted your view of yourself, God or others. Some common hurts include abandonment, abuse as a child, or by a spouse, employer, or the church, betrayal, unforgiveness or hardening of our heart. Sometimes it's a dysfunctional family ravaged by divorce, alcoholism, or controlling behavior. “Habits” are unhealthy patterns of behavior that serve a purpose to protect or comfort in your life, but end up turning into a chronic bad behavior or addiction. Habits are the repeat, default scripts you run to when the going gets tough and continually lead to trouble in your life. Some common habits are abusive behavior, drug or alcohol use, bitterness, disordered eating, isolation or spending problems. And lastly, “hang-ups” are those roadblocks that keep you from progressing further in God’s plan for your life. They are often shaped by some bent thinking you may have received as a child, or some unhealthy attitude you may have adopted as a means of coping with life’s challenges. Anxiety, anger, codependency, fear, guilt, pride and depression are all examples of hangups. Every one of us can find ourselves somewhere in these lists So how do we move through our hurt habit or hang up to leave it behind? Work. Hard work. But the first step is to give it to God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. So we could be in a relationship with God. Give it to God. And leave it there with him. There are going to be rainy days. Even downpours. And an occasional thunderstorm. But hardship is an opportunity to trust Him. There will be days that you will just wish for today to be over. In reality that's the easy way. To shut down, pull away, retreat. Numb the pain somehow, anyhow. But the way to walk through those days is to grip onto his hand tightly. To stay close to Him. Because He will carry your burdens with you. You are not alone. The same God is the God of the mountains and the God of the valleys. He is not just there on sunny days. Pray for Him to show you the love He has surrounded you with. The sun streaming through the clouds, the birds singing outside your window waking up in the morning. God can use those hard times to work in us, to grow us. This world can be hard, it can be difficult to see light in the darkness but God can awaken your heart. We need only lift our eyes from the darkness that surrounds us to the light. Prayer: Father, Help us remember we are not alone. Please open our eyes to the wondrous love we are surrounded by. When we are overwhelmed by the loss and the suffering, help us to look to you. Show us your presence as you walk with us through the valleys. Surround us with your peace, a peace that doesn't make sense to those around us because it is there despite our situations and surroundings. A peace when our ship is being tossed by the waves in life's sea. A peace from the knowledge that You are here. That we are not alone. Walk with us through our hurts habits and hang ups to recovery. Amen By Rebecca Vickery After decades of chasing symptoms and putting out fires, I received the diagnoses that I fought so hard to achieve and started the treatment. All the things I pushed through to keep the family running, all the tasks I was so hard on myself for not completing, scraping through the last bits of my energy with a prayer to DO. But now, medications, supplements and the nitty gritty not so pretty grind of treatment aggressively demanding my attention right now, my body has finally gotten the memo to rest.
As unpleasant and awful as things are, God has prepared me my whole life for this battle. I am well acquainted with long suffering. He has trained me in endurance. Physical pain is my marathon. But whatever I have learned along the way, nothing is as valuable as this; I know that my redeemer lives. More than that, I know that He is always with me. I have spent countless hours speaking to God. He has been with me in the greatest moments of my life. He was with me through all my speech robbing migraines. He was with me when the doctor told me I might never carry a child. He was with me when I was bent over crippled from pain at 20. He sat with me in my grief when I had miscarriage after miscarriage, never saying the wrong thing as He ministered to my sorrow wrecked heart. He has helped me recover through heartaches and victories untold, true to His word, never leaving me, nor abandoning me. Along the journey I have come to know that He is faithful, and His Word is true. I have had the privilege of knowing without a doubt, that He is always there. Anything else might come into question, but my access to the the Father was paid for by the Son. Since my treatment began, pain can be so severe, the fight so brutal that my body will entirely shut down. I could be frozen, locked in by migraine-like symptoms. No speech. Little to no motor skills. Sometimes locked there until the pain would subside. I cried out to the Lord in my distress. “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10 In my mind, I pictured a cave at the mouth of a waterfall. A shelter amidst the torrent. I had no one else capable of climbing up into that pain with me. No one else could manufacture the rest that I needed. But God did. He stayed with me in the middle of the dark places. He continues to stay with me. Sometimes, I need to remind myself to go to Him. I am easily distracted and set off course. Pain is a VERY good (bad?) distractor. But He reminds me of His faithfulness. And sometimes I testify to my own heart. I am an extrovert living forced introversion to the point of not even being able to type, write or speak. It is a great temptation to despair at my forced solitude. I cannot even always sing His praise out loud in this season. No energy for instruments. So I rest in Him. And I sing deep in my soul when my heart wants to praise but my lips cannot. He never doesn’t understand me. My external words may be unintelligible, but He knows what I mean to say. With Him I do not have to worry about my frizzy hair that stands on its own, my swollen puffiness, my metal breath, my complete inability to do or be anything resembling productive. He isn’t undone by my telling Him I’m not alright. He knows exactly what I’m going through. He has faithfully fought for me to get this far. Even if treatment doesn’t fix everything that is wrong with me, I have this hope. He is there with us in our fiercest battles. He is our Champion. He provides us a resting place where we can go and hide in Him. He renews our strength. In the meantime, even minute by minute when necessary, I can seek Him for refuge. I can let me heart be still and know that He is God. By Mary Spence
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. - John 15:1-8 NIV I love this time of year! The plentiful harvest. The beautiful sunflowers, and round brightly colored pumpkins. The picking, preparing, canning and freezing to prepare for the coming winter. I am a gardener, so by September my friends and neighbors run when they see me coming because I'm giving everyone I know zucchini squash and tomatoes. Yesterday I was thinking about how similar gardening is to our spiritual growth... How planting the seed of his word is like gardening.We first till the soil (prepare our mind) making it fresh and new to receive the seed. We turn it and fertilize it and make sure it's ready. Next you plant the seed (His word) carefully covering it with soil. Then it needs sun, water and TIME to sprout. And just like our growth in the Lord, the more devotion we give to it the better it grows. Sometimes we have to get in there and remove the weeds that are encroaching on what we are trying to grow... threatening to choke off our beautiful fruit. Sometimes the weeds are the world, our business, our desire to chase things that are not what God desires for us. Sometimes it's my own stinkin' thinkin'. Hurts habits and hangups. JOHN 15 1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. Then it's time to prune! Ouch! To cut back the branches that are not fruitful. This will give our plant more energy for the parts that will produce fruit. Sometimes it hurts when he prunes us but it's always for a better plan or purpose. When our pride gets in our way and we need to be humbled. When I let fear stand between me and His plan for me. It's always about breaking our heart for the next better thing He has for us or to prepare us for our next journey or growth. But in the season.. ow! John 15 goes on to say: You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. Then finally the harvest! The sweet product of our hours of labor, broken nails, dirty knees and aching back. We become fruitful in Him! Ready to give to others and share the knowledge(our fruit). Not the zucchini though. In that day— “Sing about a fruitful vineyard: I, the Lord, watch over it; I water it continually. I guard it day and night so that no one may harm it. I am not angry. If only there were briers and thorns confronting me! I would march against them in battle; I would set them all on fire. Or else let them come to me for refuge; let them make peace with me, yes, let them make peace with me.” In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. - Isaiah 27:2-6 That's our harvest. When we can go out and be used for His will. So go ask! Prayer: Heavenly Father, Please open up my heart to the growth and change you wish to make in my life. I pray that you would grow the gifts and talents in me that you intend to use for your good and fruitful plans for my life. Give me the strength to prune in the areas that are not producing fruit and where my will is in conflict with your will help me to submit and be still. Waiting is the hardest part, Lord, so help me to be patient when it's quiet. So that your plan for my life can blossom. Amen By Joyce Pelletier
Hebrews 5:7-9 ‘During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission. Son though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered and once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.’ Wait a minute now! Did you ever stop to think that Jesus “had” to learn obedience. Well, what am I saying? In this reading, it says “Son, though He was, He learned obedience from what He suffered.” This reading really helped me to see that… He is without sin, He is perfect, and He created all things. Let’s look at the definition of the word - Obedience – compliance with an order, request or law of submission to another’s authority. In this time of 2023 – does this word exist anymore? We live in a time of do your own thing, do what is good for you, to thine own self be true, and so on. It is difficult to wrap yourself around this nine-letter word. Obedience seems like we are slaves, yet being obedient to where God calls us to be, is one of the most important responses we can make to God. When I think of this concept, I know beyond anything, that I’m the one needing to learn obedience, not Jesus. I pondered what it really means. I am far from perfection, thus a better candidate to learn about Obedient Submission. He was born of a virgin. Fathered by God himself. If you consider, ‘He was made perfect.’ You just wonder why did He have to learn obedience? I’m thinking that He did this to be like us in all ways so that He could relate to His creation. When He was twelve, He went to be with the elders, the leaders of the church in His Father’s House. He longed to hear for himself what they believed. His parents, headed for home. Along the way they realized Jesus wasn’t with them on the return trip home. They went back to find them. His mother said to him in Luke 2:47-50 “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your Father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” “Why were you searching for me?” He asked. “Didn‘t you know I had to be in my Father’s house? But they did not understand what He was saying to them. When our son was about 6 or 7 years old, we had friends visiting us for supper one night. Joe left the table, got on his rickety bike and took off. He had a pillowcase in his hand. His intent was to run away. I saw him leave and thought he’d be back in 15 minutes. A while later a neighbor found him several miles from home and picked him up and brought him home. She called to see if we knew where he was. You see, we were preparing to talk with a priest in our parish about putting on a Marriage Encounter. We thought he went back home after we left. Maurice went to get him at our neighbor’s and brought him home to where the sitter was, then came to get me. It was a frightening time. We had just started with a new relationship with Jesus and we got so involved with way too many things. Our experience with accepting Jesus as Lord of our lives, caught on a ship of a new exciting live and we lost focus on being with our kids. We were so fortunate that our story didn’t turn out in a horrible manner. God knew we were trying to serve Him, but He also knew we weren’t prepared for the overinvolvement parents can do and how it effects our kids. It was a new chance to refocus. Obedience to God is the most important thing. Asking Him what He desires is far more vital than just doing whatever anyone asks of us. It’s really ok to say no sometimes. Learning how to weigh the effects of so many activities is a means of discipline that is the most crucial. The over activity could have turned out pretty ugly, but God is merciful. I saw him leave, but didn’t think he’d go far. This gave us a chance to regroup and grow from these challenges of over involvement. I’m not promoting no involvement, just asking that you take the time to see what is better for your family situation. If it’s too much, don’t be afraid to admit it. We have our children under our wings such a short time, then they grow up and we become empty-nesters and that’s the time to get involved. This discipline was a major lesson for us. We learned to not be afraid to take time to evaluate what God wanted from us. We learned how to be a family again. We also learned how to say “no” in some cases. Think – are there things in your life that put so much demand on you that you are more stressed than you should be? How is it bouncing off our kids? Is there something God might want our attention regarding our activities? We were very fortunate in our situation, and God’s mercy spared us deep heartache, had it turned out differently. By Peggie Potter
In the of the new nation of Israel, though the people were not faithful & repeatedly sinned against God, He maintained His faithfulness & covenant to them. When they finally cried out to Him to deliver them from their Philistine oppressors, God sent word by His angel to a barren woman & her husband Manoah that she would bear a son. Manoah refused to believe until he saw the angel ascend with the fire back to God, & then panicked thinking he & his wife would die because they beheld God's Glory. His wife assured him that if God made this promise, then he would bring it to fruition. So, Samson was born & grew to deliver Israel from their oppressors. From Genesis 3:15, we have the promise of our ultimate deliverer Savior. In His time God sent His promised Son, the Seed of the woman & the crusher of the serpent’s head. Despite our own tendency to sinfulness, weakness, & imperfection, God is there, lovingly keeping His covenants with humankind & doing it in ways that would seem impossible, but possible only through Him ! His promises throughout history have always been yes & Amen! by Doug Merchant
Recently my family was hit with a HUGE emotional hurt. We got a call at 2:30, letting us know that the 2 babies that we have been fostering since before Halloween, were being given back to their bio-mother, and we had to meet her at 5 to give the babies back to her. Long story short, we knew that there was a hearing that day, but did not expect that the judge would award custody to the mother in this case, and especially not in such an abrupt manner. This is NOT how foster care is supposed to go. As you can imagine, this has devastated our family emotionally, as we were not ready to let go of these beautiful little girls that God had allowed us to care for, at least for a season. There have been many tears shed since then and emotional roller coasters.... with only 1 hour or so to pack what the girls needed to take, you can imagine how much of their things are still at the house. So when I opened the fridge, and broke into tears over a cookie, that was a sign of the wounding that came from this. I thought that this morning, it was interesting to see how God spoke to both Judy and I through our devotions. We are reading completely different devotional plans, that don't tie together as a whole, yet we both ended up reading Acts 16 this morning- 16 As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most-High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” 18 And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour. 19 But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the rulers. 20 And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men are Jews, and they are disturbing our city. 21 They advocate customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to accept or practice.” 22 The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, 26 and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas . 30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe I the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the Word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 The he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. For me, there were 3 points that I felt like God was reminding me of while reading this: 1. God can use us, when we are annoyed, and being annoyed is OK. The fact that the Bible lets us know that Paul cast the spirit out of the girl because he was annoyed is not stated as a negative. It was OK that he was annoyed at her then. It is OK for us to be annoyed at the court system making what we feel is a bad choice, and two of the people that were at court that we had very little, or no contact with making decisions on what was best for the girls. 2. We can still praise God, even when circumstances are NOT what we want. Paul and Silas managed to sing, and praise God even in prison. If they could praise God then, it gives perspective that we can praise God now. Praising God is not easy, when you don't see how he can use a negative experience like this for his glory, but we are trying to do so. 3. God is STILL in control, even when Paul was in prison, and even when we are fighting to see his plan right now. Seeing that God used the praise of Paul and Silas to save the jailer, shows that God may have some way to use this time in our life to help someone else, and to grow our faith. There is a song that I heard again recently, that keeps coming back to me as an encouragement. I will close out with the lyrics of that song. Life is easy, when you're up on the mountain And you've got peace of mind, like you've never known But things change, when you're down in the valley Don't lose faith, for you're never alone For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He'll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night You talk of faith, when you're up on the mountain But talk comes so easy, when life's at it's best Now it's down in the valleys, of trials and temptations That's where your faith, is really put to the test For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He'll make them right And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times The God of the day, is still God in the night By Rebecca Vickery
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25 I didn’t want to go to Church today. My joints were stiff and painful. Sitting in a hard chair was the opposite of appealing. Besides, what would I say if someone asked how I was? I was not alright. And sharing as much would likely be met with tears. Would they want to know? Too little sleep. Too much pain. The obstacles felt bigger than the solutions, and I couldn’t see past them. I planned to stay in and my husband tried to convince me that I would be better off going. I created a list I couldn’t see past and wept at my bedside. I love our Church. But even moreso, God was worthy of my worship, even though I was in pain. I went in spite of my obstacles. It was not easy. Yet, I was greeted so beautifully by one, then another, then another. I did end up crying. More than once. But something interesting happened. My husband set up a chair for me in the back. A beautiful friend of mine who happens to also struggle with pain and mobility hobbled over to where I was. “You’re not doing so great,” she said, not asked. My tears were confirmation, she held me tight and said, “I look forward to the day when both of us are pain free.” I knew from that moment that I had made the right choice to go. From the sermons, to the worship music, to the fellowship, I felt my focus being reestablished. Had I stayed home, I would have missed out on many wonderful blessings that the Lord gave me through all the people of Daybreak. I would have also missed out on a great reminder. Our lives are designed to be spent in relationship with our Creator. My biggest reason for going to Church had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with Him. My pain doesn’t diminish His faithfulness, but it sure does a good job to distract me from my relationship with Him. That is exactly why we need others around us to point us back to God. Walking alongside others puts us in a position to point them back to their relationship with God, but it puts us in a position to be encouraged by others as well. We are not always going to be the encourager, nor will we always need the encouragement. As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17 And let us consider how we might spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 Singing has a way of reminding our hearts of what our heads sometimes forget. “All creation groans as we await - What our eyes have longed to see Every pain and evil we've long endured - Will be crushed by Christ our King” All Glory Be Forever (Sovereign Grace Music) Pain is not the final outcome. Even constant, it is not forever. In the end of the book of Revelation, it says that there will come a day that He will wipe away every tear from our eyes. There will be no more grief or pain. Worship song lyrics should point us to the promises of God. They should, in the same way as the Word of God, incline our hearts back to our Creator. We are prone to wander in the best of circumstances. We are driven easily to distraction. Growing in community sometimes forces us to lower the façade and allows us to be vulnerable. We don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes we just need to show up and let God move through His people. |
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