STRESS!

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything. With thankful hearts offer up your prayers and requests to God. Then, because you belong to Christ Jesus, God will bless you with peace that no one can completely understand. And this peace will control the way you think and feel.     Philippians 4:6-7 CEV

Stress, anxiety, frustration all seem to be very common words used in our conversations to describe our lives. My parents grew up during the Depression years and if you read about that period in our history, I am sure these words would describe their lives also.

Our remedy today seems to involve self-help philosophies, psychotherapy and medication. Do not misunderstand my words or intent here. God has given us minds for reasoning and talents to help us find wise solutions for events and situations which bring stress into our lives. However, too often I follow the words on that bumper sticker: “God is my Co-pilot.” I come to God in prayer to help me after I exhaust my own ideas or increase my stress as I add more failed options to the situation. Since God is – well, God – wouldn’t it be a better for me to sit in the co-pilot’s seat in my life and invite God to be my pilot?!

If I make a habit to begin and end each day in prayer with God then I am learning to talk over the day before it even begins, give my worries to the One who is big enough to handle whatever is needed, and end the day with thanksgiving and/or an affirmation of trust for whatever is still unresolved.

To some who are reading this, it may seem simplistic. Although the concept isn’t advanced theology, it is a daily exercise of conscious choice to give to God all that I am and that includes stress. God does not promise a life without hardships and suffering. He does promise He will always respond when I call. It is the presence of His Spirit which brings peace beyond what I can understand as I continue to move through any given day.

These two verses from Paul’s letter speak directly to me today as I read them in context with the whole. Paul reminds me of how I am following in Jesus’ footsteps and shedding off more of my old ways and soaking in more of Him. Paul shares how he once had such confidence in his ancestry, his knowledge, his stature in the community but learned it meant nothing and achieved nothing of eternal value. Paul encourages me to keep my mind on what is good and pure and worthy of praise. What do I spend my time thinking about in any given day? Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 to “capture every thought and make it obedient to Jesus.” That is a good request to make each morning, I think.

So I am going to delete words like “stress” and “worry” from my internal as well as external vocabulary and fill that space in with “trust” and “hope” in my LORD. I am not naïve to think this will be easy every day, but it is going to be my goal with Jesus’ help. He is the Pilot of my life!

Be Thou My Vision written by Dallán Forgaill &sung by Alison Krause

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“I’m Just a Mess!”

Posted on May 19, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[reprinted from June 7, 2012]

“The God who made you is like your husband.
His name is the Lord All-Powerful.
The Holy One of Israel is the one who saves you.
He is called the God of all the earth.
You were like a woman whose husband left her, and you were very sad.
You were like a wife who married young and then her husband left her.
But the Lord called you to be his,” says your God.
God says, “I left you for a short time, but with great kindness I will bring you back again.
I became very angry and hid from you for a time,
but I will show you mercy with kindness forever,” says the Lord who saves you.

The Lord says, “This day is like the time of Noah to me.
I promised then that I would never flood the world again.
In the same way, I promise I will not be angry with you or punish you again.
The mountains may disappear, and the hills may come to an end,
but my love will never disappear; my promise of peace will not come to an end,” says the Lord who shows mercy to you.         Isaiah 54:5-10 (NCV)

I never said this much to the world in general. I mean, I pretty much walked out the door of my house and pulled it all together. But when the LORD and I would spend time together and just get real – I admitted to Him – that I am a mess! And the problem is that I thought, “I created the mess. It’s my job to deal with the consequences and clean it up!” And how was that working for me? Not so well.

I think I forgot that God is my Creator. There is nothing about me He doesn’t know. He knows my weaknesses. He knows my stubbornness. There is nothing I can hide behind or ‘fake’ my way through to deceive God into thinking everything is alright with me – when it isn’t!

I also forgot that God is my Father. Now it took me some study time to read the Bible about who and what Father God was. It was an awesome journey that was such a revelation of new information to me! I found myself eager to read the Bible and eager to read how God was able to bring love and discipline to His children. And it is all about His great, extravagant love for me!

When I began to meet with Jesus on a regular, ongoing basis, I found I was following Jesus. I was learning about who I wanted to be. Jesus was cleaning up the mess that was me! Where I had been unable to make a change, Jesus was showing me how to take a step in a new direction, think in a different way, and choose to just mimic Him. What a concept!

And for all those out there who think you are a single parent – You aren’t! We are never alone, folks. We are never single parents. We always have Jesus with us, willing to lead and teach us. Willing to give us His wisdom, patience, joy, and peace. Peace in parenting? When I lean on Jesus, my stress falls. What a great concept!

If your life can be described as “a mess” or an aspect of your life is “messy,” go into your private place and call on Jesus. He is ready to roll up His sleeves and get to work. Go on – try it!

Call on Jesus by Nicole C. Mullen

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Choose – Every Day

Posted on May 16, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. 9 For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.

11 This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.12 The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living. 13 Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.14 Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.      Romans 13:8-14 (NLT)

Wake up! The apostle Paul ends his letter to the Romans with an exhortation for the Believers not to waste time grumbling and worrying about things they cannot change. He is like cheerleaders on the sidelines of a football game who are giving it all they have. Paul is speaking to the Army of God to throw off the darkness of their previous lives and embrace the Light of Jesus Christ. Make a Choice! Sin that may satisfy your flesh for a moment or day – or the Way of Christ that brings eternal life. Which will I choose today?

My friends, every day when I get up, I have a choice. Will I begin the day with thanksgiving knowing that whatever the day brings, Jesus will be with me every step? Will I continue my day with “breath prayers,” asking God for His wisdom when decisions must be made and no answer seems good. Or will I ask my Father for more patience and grace as I meet people who challenge my spiritual bank of grace? With tears in my eyes, will I find those moments of privacy and ask God for His mercy and healing for someone I love who is so very ill, maybe even dying? And at the end of the day will I lay my head upon my pillow and drop the heavy backpack of burdens I have collected throughout the day at the feet of my Father, trusting Him for the night and all the tomorrows?

The alternative choice is to keep a tight handhold on my plans for my burdens because I know I must do what needs to be done. But – how has that been working for me?

The life of a child of God is not without troubles. God never promised me an abundant life in this world. He promised He would never leave me (Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:5). He promised He would never tire or be caught by surprise (Isaiah 65:24) but would watch over me 24/7 (Isaiah 40:28). And no one and nothing can take me from the security of His hand (John 10:28-29).

It is for me to make a choice each day to connect myself in thought, word and deed to my LORD. It is a conscious choice to spend time with Him and learn the sound and character of His voice. Like a child who knows his mother’s/father’s voice over the babble of many others, I know my Father’s voice and trust Him with my life.

10,000 Reasons written & sung by Matt Redman

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A Firm Decision

Posted on May 14, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Among them were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah from the children of Judah. 7And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names. He named Daniel Belteshazzar; Hananiah he named Shadrach; Mishael, Meshach; and Azariah, Abed-nego. But Daniel made a firm decision that he would not pollute himself with the king’s best food or wine, so he asked the chief of the eunuchs for permission not to pollute himself.

9 God gave Daniel kindness and compassion from the chief of the eunuchs. . . .
18 At the end of the time that the king had set aside before bringing them into his presence, the chief of the eunuchs took them before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king talked with them; and none were found among them like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so they served before the king. 20 And the king found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers in all his empire in every area of wisdom and understanding he asked them about. 21 And Daniel lived up to the first year of king Cyrus. Daniel 1:6-9, 18-21 (HN, my emphasis)

– Henry Neufeld

I recommend reading all of Daniel Chapter 1 to get the whole story.

Daniel is generally considered someone favored by God. He has been held up as an example of faith. Most of us probably think it would be nice to receive God’s favor in the way that Daniel did.

But let’s look at Daniel’s life and try to see the bigger picture. He was a young man, probably in the upper class of Judea. He and his friends are taken from their homes and have to travel months to live in a foreign capital. The culture of Babylon was very different from the culture of Judea. The religion was completely foreign and largely consisted of beliefs and activities that were forbidden to Jewish young men. At the point when he went into exile, Daniel probably didn’t feel terribly “favored.” He might even have had some moments went he felt unfairly singled out for misfortune.

But God saw that Daniel was in the center of the enemy’s activity, and God saw something he could use. What was it?

Daniel made a firm decision that he would not pollute himself.

“A firm decision.” What a powerful thing that is! And look at the place where Daniel made that decision. There was nothing to support him, to help him. There was no church, no small group (except perhaps his three friends, but we don’t see them together with Daniel very much), and no 1st amendment to protect his religious freedom. He just made “a firm decision.”

After that firm decision he was found to be the best of the students in Babylonian; the best of the advisers. He remained in power through a change of dynasty, and then an invasion by a foreign power. He withstood giving bad news to that power, in telling Nebuchadnezzar that he would be insane for seven years. He was threatened with death, but was spectacularly preserved by God. All of this resulted from a “firm decision not to pollute himself.”

Today it’s often hard to tell Christians from the rest of our culture. That’s because we often behave pretty much like everyone else. We treat the outcasts, poor, and sinners much like everyone else does. We treat our families in the same way. We are about as trustworthy at work as the next guy. And then we wonder why we don’t see more signs of God’s favor in our lives.

God’s favor follows “a firm decision” to be God’s person in whatever circumstances.

Have you made a firm decision not to pollute yourself today?

I Have Decided written and sung by Amy Grant

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Forgiveness

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

As Stephen was being stoned to death, he called out, “Lord Jesus, please welcome me!” 60 He knelt down and shouted, “Lord, don’t blame them for what they have done.” Then he died.     Acts 7:59-60 (CEV)

Forgiveness, as one of the tenets of my faith, is surely simple but not easy. In that dramatic moment as He was nailed to the cross, Jesus taught me about the power of forgiveness. And here, in one of this week’s lectionary passages, Stephen follows Christ’s example and forgives. Will I also follow Jesus even on a difficult path?

One of the most important parts of my daily time with Jesus is when I ask the Holy Spirit to bring to my mind sins I may have forgotten or maybe I am trying to ignore. It isn’t always easy but when I acknowledge these sins and ask Jesus to forgive – the weight and burden of those sins are lifted from me. Oh how wonderful is our LORD! But Jesus wants me to have more. He wants me to forgive and receive the tremendous blessings He gives.

Forgiving someone breaks bitterness and hatred which wants to make a permanent home in my heart. It’s like an infection in some part of my body that, when left alone, becomes a system wide infection. When a patient becomes septic (systemic infection), death is not far behind. In the physical world, the infection often begins from a tiny, untreated wound. “No big deal.” But left untreated, the small wound becomes lethal. Unforgiveness toward someone festers and infects my whole life.

Love my neighbor as myself. I can speak of loving everyone – except …. There are no exceptions in Jesus’ teaching.

Love the LORD with all that I am. Does the “all” of me include the part I am holding back in unforgiveness? That part will be a wall which not only separates me and the one I cannot forgive but it also separates God and me. I might be able to convince all the people around me that I am a “super Christian” but God knows the truth. I know the truth.

The details of reconciling I believe are something the Holy Spirit will reveal. It may involve speaking forgiveness to the person. It may be kneeling at Jesus’ knee and confessing what is in my heart and releasing my unforgiveness. There is no doubt in my mind and spirit when the unforgiveness is broken and God’s reconciliation is achieved.

Take time with Jesus today. Allow His Spirit to “scan” your heart and spirit and receive the LORD’s true reconciliation in all aspects of your life. It may not be painless but it does bring a cure to a part of you which could be ailing. God is the Great Physician and can be trusted. No matter the circumstances, God knows and is big enough to take the burden you carry. The circumstances surrounding unforgiveness may be horrendous and something you cannot imagine speaking aloud. Jesus knows your story already. His arms are strong enough to hold and comfort you as you spew the ugliness which has kept you bound. Cry out to God and see how He is there before the cry passes your lips. Receive God’s healing which never fails. You are His child and He wants you well and strong.

Cry Out to Jesus written and sung by Third Day

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Jesus’ Way

Posted on May 12, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

“I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Jesus answered. “Without me, no one can go to the Father. 7 If you had known me, you would have known the Father. But from now on, you do know him, and you have seen him.”      John 14:6-7 (CEV)

For many months after I committed my life to Jesus, I absorbed Scripture. Seriously, I read the Bible 2-3-4 hours/day. But I was always reading, even the Old Testament, as it pointed to Jesus. I didn’t really think I could understand about the Father and didn’t really want to understand! I knew I could not meet God’s standards and so I saw the Father as God who was just waiting for an opportunity to smack me down for messing up! I was hiding behind Jesus.

Here is Jesus telling His disciples, “If you know me, then you know the Father.” Wait. I know the Father? But I don’t feel condemned. I feel loved!

Rev. Chris Surber said in his book, The Sacred Journey, “Jesus ate with sinners as a way of loving them into the Kingdom of God. He did not make picket signs against their sin.” (p. 80) The Father and Jesus are one. The Father loves me just as Jesus does. Jesus is God in the flesh, sent to show me the Father and to show me the way to come closer to the Father. The way is all about love. The Father’s love for me and how His love draws me into His Kingdom.

The Father’s love does not mean He condones sin nor does He say, “It’s OK, Jody. It was just a ‘little’ sin!” God will convict me with His Spirit. God will help me to know my sin so that I can turn away, repent from sin which keeps me apart from Him.

[Jesus said,] “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 (HCSB)

Jesus wants to save people. Jesus forgave me as He hung on the cross. I have broken every Commandment. Every one of them. And Jesus forgave my sin that put Him – GOD – on the cross! Is there any sin that is too big for Jesus to forgive? No. Jesus’ Blood covers in atonement for every one of my sins and puts me right with God.

Rev. Surber calls Jesus’ love ‘radical.’ It is. When radical surgery is necessary, it is usually massive and life-changing. And that is what happened when I came in contact with the Living God. How about you? I am not the person I was before 1995. Jesus’ love healed and changed me. I want to share with others who are hurting and desperate. Jesus is what they need.

Let’s be Jesus’ disciples and give Jesus to those who are struggling and hurting. Jesus is the way. He is the Father God in the flesh who loves, loves His children. So many are beaten down and hurting. Jesus is the refuge, the Physician, the friend.

“Hi. Having a hard day? Come in. I’ll fix us a cup of tea and a sandwich. Tell me what’s going on? I know Someone who has helped me…”

Healing Rain written & sung by Michael W Smith

Posted in John, Luke | Comments Off on Jesus’ Way

Mother’s Day – Jesus’ Point of View

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

Jesus told him:
You can be sure that anyone who gives up home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or land for me and for the good news will be rewarded. In this world they will be given a hundred times as many houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and pieces of land, though they will also be mistreated. And in the world to come, they will have eternal life. But many who are now first will be last, and many who are now last will be first.          Mark 10:29-31 (CEV)

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Most preachers play it safe (in my opinion) and use Proverbs 31 as their Scripture for their sermon. I have to admit when I hear the passage read, I know what’s coming next and I usually tune out and instead think of past Mother’s Days and the interesting gifts and lunches I have had!

So I gave the gospels a fairly thorough search to see what the gospel writers recorded about mothers. Jesus’ mother, Mary, and John the Baptist’s mom, Elizabeth are certainly the only ones mentioned by name. Their lives were not easy. Both of their sons were executed for speaking God’s truth to government and church leaders who didn’t want to hear it. The glory of all of their lives was of the eternal variety, not the immediate world success.

Which brings up a question in my mind: What do I pray for in my own children’s lives? What kind of seeds have I sowed in their lives? What harvest will God see in their lives?

Jesus does not change His message when He speaks of family. Jesus came with a ministry of servanthood. The Son of God came to serve and taught us, His disciples, to do the same. Glory comes to those who:

  • pray in a prayer closet, not where others notice (Matthew 6)
  • carry a cross (pain, struggle, & more) and follow Jesus to Calvary (Matthew 10)
  • wash the feet of friends and betrayers (John 13)
  • love God and His mission for me more than my mother, father, siblings, even my children (Mark 10)

I hope you will take time to read those four chapters this weekend. They aren’t the “feel good” chapters except as I read those chapters and consider the difficulty of what Jesus is saying, I also know He has walked what He has taught! Jesus will show me the way and the Holy Spirit will give me the wisdom and strength to follow Christ’s steps.

A mother’s life is a life of sacrifice. It is making decisions for what is best for your child/children over what is easier, more expedient, even more comfortable for yourself. (Those of you who are dads – stay tune for the June 13th devotion.)

Luke 2:51 says Mary treasured things in her heart that she saw and heard in her son. I suspect most of us have “Kodak moments” or snapshots which we treasure in our hearts. As each child grows and leaves home, snapshot moments are treasures we recall. For those of us who have had a child die, those memories are the bridge which keeps our child close until the day comes when we join them in heaven.

Let us rejoice on this Mother’s Day for the mother who taught us about Jesus and how to follow Him. Let us rejoice for the children who remind us to love Jesus with our whole hearts and follow Him with complete trust.

You & Me Against the World written by Paul Williams & sung by Helen Reddy

Posted in Mark | 1 Comment

Let God Speak

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man who had been blind since birth. Jesus’ disciples asked, “Teacher, why was this man born blind? Was it because he or his parents sinned?”     John 9:1-2 (CEV)

Recently someone remarked on this story commenting on the scientific ignorance of the people of Jesus’ time. Many today still believe that misfortune, disease, even “untimely” death occurs because of the sins of the person or their loved ones. Fear can make us say and do many things.

There are several people I know who are going through a very difficult season in their lives. When someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness or, as many here along the Gulf Coast are now experiencing, must weather the destruction of a home or loss of a job, I want to reach out and do something or say something that can make a difference.

Timothy, you are like a dear child to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Christ Jesus will be kind and merciful to you and will bless you with peace!
Night and day I mention you in my prayers. I am always grateful for you, as I pray to the God my ancestors and I have served with a clear conscience. I remember how you cried, and I want to see you, because that will make me truly happy.     2 Timothy 1:2-4 (CEV)

When I tell someone who is hurting that I will remember them in my prayers, it may feel like an apology “it’s all I can do.” The truth is – it is the best and first thing I should do! Taking someone to God and asking for His presence in their life is an expression of my love and heartfelt concern for what they are going through. Paul, the mentor, tells Timothy that he prays 24/7 and Timothy has a place in those continuous prayers. While other supportive actions may be helpful in a situation, prayer is certainly the best action to begin and end with whatever else I may do.

However, when it comes to talking, I believe prayer is where I should do the most talking. In the privacy of my prayers I can say what I think and God will correct me. God will answer my prayers better than I can pray them! The disciples learn from Jesus that God did not drop punishment on His unsuspecting children but was in their lives in a very real and tangible way (John 9:3-5). Jesus followed His words with a “muddy miracle.”

I believe God is in our lives, both in joy and sorrow. God has become very real to me and I see Him chuckling with me as He watches my grandchildren play. He is also with me in the dark of the night as I weep remembering my youngest son and missing him so very much. But here is the point we must all remember: The “why” of the circumstances and the “how” of God in those circumstances is personal and specific to each person. God is a good father and knows the needs of each of His children. He will speak and show Himself to meet those needs. And that comes back around to how I can help my friends, as I pray they will have ears to hear and an open heart to receive God’s love, strength and healing.

Let us have confidence and trust God’s Holy Spirit to speak and touch those we love in whatever their life circumstances. May we not impose our questions and fears on others but instead pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and listen as God speaks to us.

I Am Praying for You written & sung by Scott Brown

Posted in 2 Timothy, John | Comments Off on Let God Speak

Missed the Blessing

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

[Jesus said,] “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”         Luke 10:30-32 (NIV)

Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan is familiar as it opened my eyes and taught me who is my neighbor. I am so grateful God has not stopped teaching me. There is always something new to learn.

The priest, the Levite, both refused, for whatever reason, not to give aid to the man. Maybe they were afraid. Maybe they had an appointment they believed to be more important than spending time taking care of someone they did not know. Jesus makes it clear that the Samaritan who did stop and tend to the injured man was the one who fulfilled God’s call in this situation and so gained God’s blessing.

Have you ever done something which was not in your original plan for the day and found yourself meeting someone or doing something that was accompanied by knowing you had stepped right into the middle of God’s plan for you? You felt a sense of tremendous joy and knew your Father was very pleased with you!

Too often I am frustrated by events which circumvent my plan. I remember one afternoon I was attempting to deliver my two oldest children to gymnastics and baseball practice at the opposite end of the county and seemed to hit every red light in every intersection. I’m sure I was pounding on the steering wheel! My daughter suggested the red lights might be “Holy Spirit Red Lights” which were preventing us from an accident. Not what I wanted to hear at the time but it did check my frustration and give me a “reboot” of how I looked at the circumstances.

The slowest line in a checkout, construction on an interstate, a phone call from a friend or family member who needs transportation or just needs to talk may take an hour out of a day that I am sure I will never recover in my busy schedule. But many of these often irritating detours may contain hidden blessings and opportunities to serve God. And I didn’t even take ten seconds to ask God and listen to His reply.

We are Christ’s ambassadors…      2 Corinthians 5:30 (NIV)

We are God’s Plan A in communicating His salvation and His never-ending love to His children. Given my natural tendency to rush through this life with my usual self-centered thoughts, God is faith itself as He does not give up on teaching me. Today this parable of the Good Samaritan went a step further and reminded me that to rush by an opportunity to serve someone in need results in a missed blessing. The missed blessing might have been an encouragement I sorely needed or it could have been an intersection in my life which brought a crucial life change.

Tomorrow is another day and maybe another opportunity.

We Are One in the Spirit written by Father Peter Scholtes & sung by Jars of Clay

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Luke | Comments Off on Missed the Blessing

On Call 24/7

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Jody Neufeld

I love the Lord because He has heard my appeal for mercy.
2 Because He has turned His ear to me,
I will call out to Him as long as I live.
3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,
and the torments of Sheol overcame me;
I encountered trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called on the name of Yahweh: “Yahweh, save me!”
5 The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is compassionate.
6 The Lord guards the inexperienced;
I was helpless, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.      Psalm 116:1-7 (HCSB)

There was a time in my nursing career when I had to be on call every night for a week. After putting in a full day’s work, it wasn’t easy to be awakened at 2-3 a.m. and respond to a patient and family’s needs in a coherent and cheery manner. And about the 5th or 6th day of this on-call week, I was becoming somewhat sleep deprived. It was a time in my life where my youth was a definite asset.

God is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. God never gets tired or weary (Isaiah 40:28). Do you ever wake up at night with a worry? Call on God in the middle of the night. Give Him the worry. Has a doctor’s office ever called you and asked you to come in to discuss some test results? The fear that grabs you can be overwhelming. Call on God. He is never taken off-guard or by surprise.

If this seems simplistic, it is. Remember that Jesus said that we should have faith like that of a child (Matthew 18:3). What does a child do when they get their head caught in the stairway bannister? What does a child do when they can’t get a door open? “Mom, help me!” “Dad, open the door for me!”

Does God gives us everything we ask for? Do you give your children everything? No, of course not. You do not want to give your child too much candy or allow them to play wherever they want and with anyone and anything they believe is safe. You have a larger perspective than they do and see potential dangers they cannot see with their limited view. God is a better parent than I am. God answers my request in the best way – always. I may not understand and see from God’s view. But when I spend time with God and learn more about Him, my faith, my love for Him grows and I trust Him even when I cannot see.

If you are struggling with a question before God and do not understand the “why” of His answer or maybe you are not even sure He has given you an answer, don’t stop talking to Him. Don’t stop asking Him to listen and speak to you. And maybe that is a good point – stop and be quiet. Listen. Read His Word (like Psalm 116) and listen some more. God isn’t going to give up on you. Don’t give up calling on Him – and listening.

Hear Us From Heaven written by Jared Anderson & sung by Kari Jobe

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