[reprinted from January 2010]
– Henry Neufeld
The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. Â Â Â Â Psalm 145:13-16 (NIV)
‘Satisfy’. Now there is a word that may have come to mind as you pushed away from the table recently. Or ‘un – satisfy’ may have come to mind as you picked up the mountain of discarded paper and ribbons around noon on Christmas Day.
The Psalms must be THE book in the Bible that offers almost unlimited encouragement to our spirit: God is faithful to ALL His promises! He is loving to ALL He has made! God will hold me up when I fall and can’t stand again! God lifts me when I walk humbly with Him! God provides everything that I need to not only sustain me but cause me to grow at just the time I need it! In God’s hand is the answer to every desire that I have! WOW! Those 3 verses – I want them to run through my head all day – maybe even for several days – so that they take root and become a part of what I think and how I act and make decisions!
When my children and grandchildren come for a visit it seems like a holiday no matter what time of the year. I believe in God’s promises and His faithfulness. When family arrive, it seems like Christmas to me. I’m not talking about just a holiday – I am talking about ‘home’. Home is where those I love reside. With my family spread (literally) across the U.S. – I’m pretty fluid about where my home is located. There is a peace at home. There is faith at home. There is a strength at home. There is a place where I am satisfied. God is in each one that is coming – and so we are home. In the same location, we are aware of the tangible expression of ‘home’. When we are apart – we hold on to what we know is true – and STILL feel that sense of home.
Did I just suddenly wake up one morning and find myself filled with satisfaction? NO! I am human and so I LEAK! I MUST refill and refill and refill each day! I leak from the arrows of hurtful people and events in my life. I leak from poor choices I have made. I leak because of what I pour out as I reach out to others with the grace and mercy that God has given me. And so – I must refill!
Read Psalm 145 today. Let God lead you to another one tomorrow. Maybe write down 1 or 2 verses and put it in your pocket and pull it out today to remind you about God and how you are home and there is satisfaction in being home with your Father. This might be better than any New Year resolution you have tried!
Great is Thy Faithfulness written by Thomas O Chisholm & William M Runyan (1923) sung by Chris Rice
