I Feel a Gentle Nudge

I slip my faux-fur coat on, falling in to the usual morning routine of getting the kids to school.  The thermometer reads 19 degrees F.  The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon. It is winter in Wisconsin. 

Grabbing my purse and coffee, I head out the door.

“Mom!  Don’t forget me!” the littlest dear yells from the other room, gathering her own things and thoughts together.

“I won’t” I respond, reassuringly, I think.

I climb in to the car, start the engine and back out of the garage.  I shiver. The seat sits cold under my legs.  The steering squeaks as I slowly back the car out of the garage.  Plumes of smoke hover and then dissipate on this frigid day.

My desire is to warm the car for the sake of my children.  I care for them.  

I scurry out of the car and head back in to the house.

Simultaneously the littlest one rushes out the door, back pack flung over her shoulder, coat half on.  Anxiety casts a shadow across her hurried face.

“Mom! I thought you left without me!” she fears.

“No dear, I was just warming up the car for you.  I am right here.  You’re fine. No need to hurry or worry.”

I walk back in to the house to double check all systems before take off.

I feel a gentle nudge.

It is from the Lord.

“Remember, Andrea.  When I go before you to prepare a way for you, it does not mean I’ve left you behind, either.  I’m right here.”

I need to hear this, because I am prone to forgetting.

I know better, but I wander near the woods of doubting His presence.

I pause, aware of Him now, and choose to believe that He goes before me and at the same time, walks alongside of me.

I turn out the lights and grab my gloves, making my way outside to the car, thinking of the things I have to face in this day, thinking of Him, thanking Him.

The little one rests, now reassured in the warmth of the car. 

I rest, too, in the warmth of His love.

“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.

Like Birds on a Wire

Being naturally curious and prone to thinking about random things (especially while driving the car), I find myself frequently noticing and pondering this, “Why do birds on a wire sit so far apart from each other?”

I researched the question and various “non-experts” seem to agree that the electricity in the wire keeps them warm, so that is why they sit on the wire. No one comments on why they do not sit close together. I’ve done some observational research, while driving from pillar to post, attempting to answer this question and others that crop up. Isn’t it cold and windy up there in the winter, even if their little feet are warm? Why don’t they choose to sit in a tree where they are protected? Why are they not sitting closer together? Do they not like one another? Are they afraid that if they get too close they may catch some bird disease? Did they have a bad experience with another bird almost knocking them off the wire and thus are hesitant to trust other birds? How do they keep their balance? Do they sleep up there or are they awake? Are they afraid?

Regrettably, I have no answers for any of the above questions.

However, it led me to thinking about how we sometimes (may I be so bold to say, often times) are like birds on a wire. Instead of seeking safe shelter, we put ourselves out in the elements without protection. We find precarious places to sit or stand that feel warmer, clinging on for dear life, when really there are safer places for us to rest and a safer One to cling to. We sit alone. We have been hurt by others. We are afraid of getting too close. We don’t trust others, because – well, because experience shows us that getting too friendly means that we’ll get hurt, somehow, someway, someday.

And yet the irony is that we, in an attempt to “play it safe” and not huddle together, we run the risk of being more prone to predators – doubts, fears, temptations.

As lovers of the Lord Jesus, we are to gather together. We are to warm each other with His Words and His truths. We are all going to go through “chilly” seasons when we may feel as if we are alone and we lose sight of what is right and true. We need each other. We need to care for one another, hold one another accountable and love one another with a Christ-like love. We need to seek safe shelter in the Lord, together, encouraging one another day in and day out (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

Dear reader, are you feeling like a lone bird on the wire? I do sometimes. First of all, draw near to the Lord (Hebrews 10:22). Spend time with Him, resting in the shadow of His protective wing (Psalm 91:4). And then ask Him to show you who “safe” people are – people you can trust, people who love the Lord and people who will not allow you to wander or grow faint. People who will stand by you.

Or perhaps today you are not the bird on the wire, but you see little lone birds around you. Ask the Lord to show you people whom you can minister to. Listen to their heart. Reach out to them and allow them to share their pain. Keep it confidential. Speak truth in love. Share your life with them and help bring balance to their lives. Pray for them and lead them to the place of perfect shelter, Jesus.

Caulking the Cracks

“What’s the mouse count today?” I kidded with my elderly friend.

“Three,” she said. “I’m hoping we got them all. The neighbor caulked around the stone outside where there are some cracks, so hopefully they won’t get in. I think I’m at peace again.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but from time to time, some pesty vermin start scurrying around inside of me. When I develop cracks in my foundation, they sneak right in and try to make themselves at home. Little critters (and sometimes not so little ones) like fears, doubts and worries, make their way through openings in my heart. The cracks are usually a loss of my confidence in the Lord and His love for me, especially when my foundation is shaken by crisis and trial. When I hear the pitter-patter of their little feet, I need to caulk up the cracks with the firm filling of God’s truths.

I wish that the cracks would never come, but they do. However, knowing that we have the perfect caulk helps, as long as we remember to use it and apply it properly. God’s Word is a great healer and a great barrier to unwanted “vermin” in our lives. The more time we spend with the Lord in prayer and in His Word, the less we have to worry about these cracks forming or getting big enough to let in these unwanted visitors, but when they do – God and His truths are present and able to take care of the cracks and give us peace, again.

The One Who Never Changes

“I hate the uncertainty of life,” I murmured out loud to myself and to God. “ I really do prefer predictability, Lord.” I suppose a surprise here and there is fun, but if I had it my way, I want to know what is around each corner before I get there. Sometimes I even think, “If I only knew than I could be prepared to handle it better!” My knowing what would happen next, of course, would be my source of security – which really isn’t secure at all.

One of the things about God that I am realizing more and more is that I just can’t predict what He is going to do. Sometimes I think it looks as if things are going to go one way, and then they seem to turn on a dime and go another. I get confused, and sometimes I begin to fear or worry or wonder.

Then I need to back up the cart and remember that although God’s ways may be unpredictable to me, His ways are not unpredictable to Him. Furthermore, and above all, His character is always predictable.

He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is faithful to those who love Him. He is in control. He sees all that is happening and He is orchestrating it for our good and His glory. He is compassionate and merciful. We see only a part of the picture; He sees the whole. He is not only loving and kind, He is just. He is good. He is everything we need.

The more time goes on, I realize (despite my frequent forgetting), that I actually do know Someone Who is around each corner, and that is my beloved Jesus. Sure I may not know the details of the next hour or day or year, but I do know Him today and believe that He is the same tomorrow. This gives me great comfort. He is always present - holding out His nail scarred hand – ready to hold mine and to walk with me through any valley or over any mountain slope that He plans for me. He is faithful. He is strong. He is mine, and He is yours, too.

When times are tough, as they often are dear reader, and you are caught “off guard” and feeling the wave of uncertainty wash over you, trust in the only One who never changes. Trusting in Him, resting in Him, is the most secure place you can be. No matter what you may face today or tomorrow, He is the same and He loves you very, very much. Turn your face towards Him and He will show you more and more of Who He is as you journey through this life together.

Jesus' Tender and Merciful Hand

"Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. 'You of little of faith,'" he said, 'why did you doubt?'" (Matthew 14:31).

Jesus sent His disciples to the other side of the lake, while He stayed back to pray. While the disciples were out on the open water, a storm blew up and the disciples were likely confused, if not scared. Jesus met them in the storm, by walking on the water. When they saw Him, they were frightened, and Jesus tried to reassure them of Who He was. Peter, in his boldness, asked Jesus to show Himself to be truly Himself, by having Peter walk out on the water. Jesus replied, "Come," and Peter stepped out of the boat and walked on water.

But when Peter saw his surroundings, he became afraid, began to sink and cried out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!"

Jesus, tenderly and mercifully, reached out His hand, caught Peter and said to Him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

I do not hear condemnation from Jesus, but gentleness, from a Saviour Who wants to reassure and comfort. It is such a personal touch on Jesus part. He could have just put Himself and Peter back in the boat at that instant, but instead, He grabs hold of His hand and catches him.

Storms occur in life, dear reader, don't they? Sometimes they are quick to pass, and other times they seem to last and last. You may see Jesus in your storm, and your desire may be to step out in obedience and walk closer towards Him. At first, you are amazed at what you are able to walk on or through. It almost defies understanding. Oftentimes, though, fear stirs up and we take our eyes off of Jesus and focus on our circumstances.

In the storm Jesus is there and He invites us to "Come." If you are walking out in obedience to Jesus in a difficult situation, trust Him to support and sustain you in the most unimaginable way, as you keep your eyes focused on Him and not on your circumstances.

Sometimes, in the midst of walking out in obedience, though, our faith can be tossed about and washed with worry. We may become fearful and cry out, like Peter, "Lord, save me!" We may feel as if we are sinking, but it is here that Jesus reaches out and grabs our hand, catches us and reassures us of His love. I received this small picture in the mail this past week from a sweet friend. I am reminded that when life gets hard and I feel as if I am beginning to lose my footing, that Jesus immediately is present to catch me and hold my hand. And I am confident, too, that He is faithful to deliver and calm the storm, some day, in His way.

Standing on His Promises

"Well, I guess I'll just keep on riding the wave," I said to a friend on the phone, rather flippantly and fatalistically. She asked how I was doing in regards to holding up under the pressures and sorrow of my current situation. "The problem with that," I groaned "is that I seem to keep feeling as if I'm either crashing against the shore or getting sucked out to sea."

Later, the misery of my moaning gnawed away at me. What sort of truth was I embracing? What thoughts was I allowing to creep in to my heart and soul to believe that I was just being tossed around with out a purpose or being part of a plan?

I needed to re-group. Within a few days, another friend of mine shared with me that she was really working on internalizing the truth of "standing on the promises," and I realized that I needed to take that to heart, as well, and remember what I knew to be true and who God had been and was in my life. He was in control and I could stand firm on the truth of God's faithfulness and the precious promises that He has for us.

The second verse of the old hymn, Standing on the Promises by R. Kelso Carter says,

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,

When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,

By the living Word of God I shall prevail,

Standing on the promises of God.

Here is where we stand, on the promises of God, revealed to us through life and His Holy Word. We are not floating out at sea, being tossed about by the wind and waves, without purpose or care.

Hebrews 10:23 says, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess, for He who promised is faithful." Dear reader, let us take hold of our Jesus who will steady us and help us to stand firm on the promises of God. We need not be tossed by the waves of fear and doubt, but can trust in the Lord and believe that He has a perfect plan for each one of us. What promises are you standing on today? Search God's Word for the wonderful words that He has for you.

When in Doubt, Remember God's Faithfulness

The thing about times of trouble and suffering is that there appears to be so many unknowns. We are barraged by troubles from the outside and from inside, and when uncertainty prevails, it is not unusual for us to doubt.

We doubt ourselves and we doubt God. We wonder, perhaps not whether He really exists, but more whether He really is at work in our current situation. Sometimes He reveals Himself immediately, and other times He seems to be at work behind the scenes. It's hard for me when I am not getting quite a clear picture, or perhaps even more so, when the picture that is coming in to view is not quite what I thought.

In the last couple of days I have been thinking (and trying to believe myself) that the solution to doubt and worry is to remember. To remember what the Lord has done in the past, and to remember that He is a faithful God who cares for the ones He loves and who love Him. The Lord brought me to Psalm 77 tonite.

Perhaps these questions are at the tip of your tongue or the forefront of your heart, too.

"Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Psalm 77:7-9

But, let us say along with the Psalmist.

"Then I thought,'To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High.'
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds."
Psalm 77:10-12

Yes, I am trying to do this, too. I am remembering what God has done in the past. I look at the stories of truth in the bible and I see that He is a God who saves. And then I look at my own life and I choose to remember that God has been faithful to me in the past, and I will trust that He will remain faithful to me in this trial, as well. God comforts me when I call out to Him and remember His faithfulness of the past. I will choose to trust in Him.