You Are NEVER Alone!

Happy Friday girls (and guys too, heck why not!)!

This last Sunday as we were singing a song in church I had a most wonderful "lightbulb moment".  Some of you may know the words... 

I look ahead, believing you are able, I will look back and see that you are faithful...

I had a picture in my mind of my God walking before me, clearing a path for me, making sure there is nothing for me to stumble on, defeating my enemies before I ever reach them.  I also looked back and there he was, bringing up the rear, making sure nothing could surprise me from behind.  I thought about where I would want to be if I was walking through something unknown and possibly scary… I wouldn't want to be in the front of the pack or the back of the pack - too vulnerable!  I'd want to be right in the middle of the pack, the safest and most secure spot.  This is how I walk through life when I have the Lord!  

Maybe you've heard this song…

I know who goes before me, I know who stands behind, the God of angel armies is always by my side. (Amen, hallelujah) 

I began searching for scriptures to support this idea.  Do you know what I found?!  He also walks beside me, spreads his wings over top of me and bears up under me!  He surrounds every part of me as I make my way through this life of unknowns.  Wow!  What wonders this does for my confidence and security.  Take a look at what the Bible says about this:

He goes before me:

Deuteronomy 31:8 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.

Psalm 18:30 As for God his way is perfect; the word of God is proven; he is a shield to all who trust in him.

He bears up under me:

Psalm 54:4 Surely God is my help, the Lord is the one who sustains (bears up under) me.

Deuteronomy 33:12 Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure on him for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders.

He covers us with his wings:

Psalm 36:7 How precious is your loving kindness oh God!  Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 57:1 Be merciful to me, o God, be merciful to me!  For my soul trusts in you; and in the shadow of your wings I will make my refuge until these calamities have passed by.

The Lord stands by our side:

Psalm 121:4-8 Indeed he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps.  the Lord himself watches over you!  The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.  the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night.  The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life.  The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go both now and forever.

He is all around me!

Job 1:10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has?

Psalm 139:5, 7-10 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me… 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.

Friends are you grabbing onto this?  He surrounds us with his presence and NEVER sleeps.  Ahhhhh… I can rest and let him fight for me.  My challenge to you is to take at least one of these verses, if not all, and post it somewhere where you will see it.  Next to your bed would be perfect if you tend to worry instead of sleep!  On the bathroom mirror, refrigerator, car, wherever, just make sure that you meditate on the truth that your God goes before you, stands behind you, walks beside you and covers you from above and below.  You are never alone!

He Will Sustain You

Happy Friday friends!

 I won't keep you long but just wanted to share a quick little bit of what's been on my mind with you.

Over the past two weeks I have walked through something very difficult for myself and my family, counseled a close loved one through some difficult emotions and found out just today that another dear and precious family member is struggling through something difficult as well.  There is one verse that has been ringing loud and clear in my head:

Psalm 55:22 

Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.  

He will never let the righteous fall.

When I came across this in a study a few weeks ago I looked up the definition for the word Sustain.  I have a general knowledge of the meaning but I wanted to know more.  Here's what I found...

Sustain: To give support or relief to, to supply with necessities or nourishment,  to support the weight of, to bear up under, to encourage, to support the spirits.

Each of these has such profound meaning to me as I sit and take in the reality that my God does ALL of these things for me.  My big, powerful, capable, loving God!  I'm especially struck by this, "to bear up under."  I literally see the Lord scooping me up in His huge hands and holding me up when I am suffering.  Will you allow the Lord to sustain you through your difficult times?

No More Shame

"Anytime We feel diminished or accused of being unworthy, those are Satan's words.  Jesus said in Revelation 12:10 that Satan is the 'accuser of our brothers.'  We can recognize his creepy voice anytime we feel accused.  The Holy Spirit woos us, loves us, and moves us to a place of understanding.  He never undermines us, his children, with derogatory messages that make us feel worthless.  We are worth the price of Jesus on the cross, which makes us acceptable to a holy god just as we are."  

-Marilyn Meberg

Rest in the Lord

Happy Friday girls of God's heart!

We are now about a week and a half away from Christmas... the birthday that we anticipate all year as believers in Christ.

This is my most favorite time of the year!  I however, will admit that it is a struggle for me to not become overly busy during this month.  Do you struggle with feelings of chaos and stress around the holidays?  Do you have the added emotional turmoil of dealing with difficult family or grieving the absence of a loved one?  I know that the holidays can bring many unwanted thoughts and feelings for some of us as well.

I recently read something that really impacted me.  It's a quote by a woman named Hannah Whitall Smith, who lived in the mid 1800's to early 1900's.  Read what she has to say and see if you can take something away from it to soothe your soul...

"Do you recollect the delicious sense of rest with which you have sometimes gone to 

bed at night, after a day of great exertion and weariness?  How delightful was the 

sensation of relaxing every muscle, and letting your body go in a perfect abandonment 

of ease and comfort.  The strain of the day had ceased for a few hours at least, and the work 

for the day had been thrown off.  You no longer had to hold up an aching head or a weary 

back.  You trusted yourself to the bed in an absolute confidence, and it held you up, without 

effort, or strain, or even thought on your part.  You rested.  Let this analogy teach you what

 it means to rest on the Lord.  Let your souls lie down upon His sweet will, as your bodies 

lie down in your beds at night,  Relax every strain and lay off every burden.  Let yourselves 

go in perfect abandonment of ease and comfort, sure that when He holds you up you are 

perfectly safe."

pic source

Psalm 116:7-9

Psalm 19:14