Category: Worry

Joy Comes in the Morning

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Do you ever feel a little sad when the sunset gives way to dusk, and dusk turns to darkness? Perhaps we feel sadness because we know it will be hours before we see daylight again.

It is hard to see in the darkness; our eyes strain to see.  It is harder to walk in the darkness than in the daylight. It is easy to become disoriented and lose our way. Finding our way in the darkness is easier if we have someone walking with us.

When we travel through the valleys of life, it can seem like we are in darkness. We may be feeling the lowest we have ever felt.  We may be walking in the valley because of the death of a loved one.  The valley could also be caused by a divorce, or the loss of a job. At some point in our life, we will all have to wall through the valley of grief, hurt, or disappointment.

When we feel all alone in the valley of  darkness, God is there, walking beside us. We may feel distant from him, but he doesn’t leave us alone. He is there, waiting for us.  Holding tight to our Father’s hand can give us the strength and courage to continue.

In Psalms 119:105, David wrote “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”. If we stay close to Him, He will light our way, and lead us out of the darkness. We will once again see that first glimmer of daylight and understand that “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning”. Psalms 30:5

 

 

Where is God?

I published this post last summer, and feel led to share it again. I pray it provides some comfort and encouragement.

The last couple of weeks have been discouraging, at least as far as world events are concerned.  I don’t intend to discuss politics. I do wish to discuss the evil and violence we are seeing each day. There has been quite a bit going on and watching it over and over again on television or social media, can begin to take it’s toll on our emotions. It may leave some of use wondering where is God in all of this.

Where is God?  He hasn’t moved. We have. We have become so saturated with 24 hour news channels, and social media, that some of us have taken our eyes off of God. We really need to be careful, and not be so overcome with gloom and doom, that we forget about God’s love for us.

When God created mankind, he gave him free-will. Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden, had free-will, and they chose to disobey God, and brought evil and sin into the world.

Every person on earth has the free-will to choose to obey or disobey God. Unfortunately, there are many who are choosing to disobey God, and are unleashing evil and violence on the world. They think they are in control, but they are not. God is still in control. God could remove evil from the world by taking away our free-will, but God didn’t want us to be robots. He gave us the free-will to sin, but he also gave us the free-will to obey and love Him. He wants us to freely choose to obey and love him.

So, where is God? He is where he has always been. He is answering prayers and wrapping His loving arms around victims of terrorism.  He is comforting the families of police officers, who were slain while protecting us. He is working in the hearts of those who are seeking healing for our nation, that appears to be coming apart at the seams.

God is waiting for us to turn our eyes back to Him. He is waiting for us to pray and ask for peace for our troubled hearts. He can give us peace and hope for our troubled world. We won’t find this in politics or government. Our hope comes from the maker of Heaven and Earth.

Jesus promised this peace to us in John 14:27.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

In the midst of the turmoil we are seeing on a daily basis, let us all remember this promise.

God,Jesus,Free-will,Peace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abba, Father

 

In our previous post, we discussed the death and resurrection of Jesus. God loves us so much, that He sent His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins. God’s love for us can not be measured. It is truly a love that comes only from a Heavenly Father.

God knows everything about us, even the number of hairs on our head. (Matthew 10:30). He created our innermost being, and knit us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalms 139:13). Before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely. (Psalms 139: 4).

God is always with us. “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalms 139:7-10).

God knows what we need before we ask him. (Matthew 6:8). This doesn’t mean he will answer our prayers immediately. He will answer in His own way and in His own time.  He knows what is best for us. Jeremiah 29:11 tell us “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

God provides for those who believe. “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sew or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:25-26).

God will never leave us or forsake us. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you, he will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”(Deuteronomy 31:8).

I just can’t imagine trying to live in this world without God loving me and  guiding my way. If left to myself, I hate to think of the mess I would make! God’s love is there when things are going great. God’s love is there to comfort me when things are going wrong. He never promised the road would always be easy; however, he did promise that he would walk with us. God’s love is there for all of us, if we pray, ask for it, and accept it.

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creations, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39).

 

 

Worry Much?

Worry is one of those emotions that can often make us feel overwhelmed. It can be one of the most difficult emotions. We are facing a problem, and worrying may be our first instinct for handling the problem.

For some of us, worry can be an everyday occurrence.  Like when you are exhausted from work and don’t feel like cooking. You really just want to zip through a “fast” food lane and go home. However, the electric bill is due soon, and you have been trying to stay within a budget and not spend any extra money. You have solved the food problem, but there is still that electric bill.

It could be you are facing some important life decisions, such as whether to change jobs, whether to buy a new house or car, whether to go back to college, or when to retire. Life decisions can certainly cause more than their share of worry.

There are times in our life when we are faced with some very difficult situations, and worrying can kick into overdrive. Maybe you or a loved one is facing a serious illness.  Maybe you have lost part, or all, of your income.  Maybe your teenager or young adult is making some choices that can lead down a dead-end path. Maybe you have some difficult decisions to make about an aging parent or spouse.

It doesn’t matter if our worries are small, or the life threatening kind that can send a cold chill down our spine. We have a Father who loves us and who wants us to trust Him with those worries.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells us just how important we are to him and why we shouldn’t become overwhelmed with worry. Matthew 6:25-27 tells us “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more than food, and the body not more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

So, in the midst of our worrying, our Heavenly Father want us to remember that He loves us and will take care of us. We can pray and leave our worries with Him.  Even the small worries, and especially the super-sized worries.

 

worry,anxious,emotion,prayer,Jesus,Heavenly Father