God wants to help!

During the Sunday Service, we were once again reminded that God wants to help us!

Doesn´t it sound basic, straight forward and simple? Yes certainly! But is it not a hard and subsequent difficult action for us to actually count on God´s help for every situation? I know that it is for me! So often I shift back into "Sara mode" and off I go to start looking for a Hagar to get pregnant and get my problem solved and the show on the road!

Isaiah 41: 14 goes on to say:

Do not be afraid, O worm (hey...what kind of an adjective is that?) Jacob,

O little (hmm...what are we trying to say here????) Israel,

For I myself will help you.

Declares the Lord,

Your Redeemer,

the Holy One of Israel.

(oh my god is sooooo big...does anyone out there remember that children´s song???)


Is this not comfort and assurance enough? Why is it that we so quickly fall into doubt and despair? I really wish that I could get this once and for all... you know, like not go round the proverbial mulberry bush again and again because I don´t get it in my head!!

God not only "has" to help me.... he wants to help me and he backs it up with the full weight of His name, His character and His very existence!



It doesn´t take too many guesses to discover who would love me to forget God´s goodness. Who wants me to doubt His love at every turn. The bible teaches us:

Yet, even considering the reality of the spiritual battle that longs for me to deny God I am free and able to turn to God´s word and see for myself what the truth is and reach out for him. I know that God´s help is there for me today and in every and any situation. Whatever I am facing, I am not alone and God wants to help me.

Not according to my conditions, but rather according to His love and my wellbeing at heart conditions! They are always the best condtions!

If I look back over this past year, I can see how God has helped me. No it hasn´t always been void of pain and tears, but I have never been alone. God has ALWAYS been with me. In retrospect I can see that actually God made ways where I thought there were none.

1 Sam 7:12

"Thus far has the Lord helped us!"

Has God not indeed, helped us until now???? Can you not agree and look back with me and see that truly the Lord has helped you thus far????

God does not hand life to us on a silver platter. I don´t know where we get this idea that all things should slide like silk in our lives, it just isn´t biblical. God not only warns us of trials and tribulations he tells us not to be surprized when they come. He didn´t give the promised land to the Israelites without teaching them first to fight the giants! With God´s help they conquered numero battles that logically they should have lost just based on numbers!!! God doesn´t want wimps he wants warriors !!!

He promises to be our personal trainer and help us!

He trains us and purifies our characters, humbles and hunes us where we still think that somewhere along the road we know what we are doing or trust in our own strength and capacity.

Only in complete surrender are we strong and secure and only in trust and confidence do we rest in His everlasting arms.

Whatever your giant today.... remember that the Holy one of Israel will help you!

Am I lost?

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

When the road is long and the scenery doesn´t change,often one can become consumed by a sinking sensation that the road is not going anywhere.

If you have ever made a journey that took you hours across a monotonously, repetitive landscape, there comes a point in that journey where it´s easy to begin to doubt you are actually going anywhere... or that you will EVER arrive!

This usually happens after enduring miles upon miles of long road and unending fields. Along with the boredom you begin to wonder... you begin to doubt..... Is this really the right road? How long is this going to take?

I guess I feel like I´m at that point in my journey of this thing we call life. Things are starting to appear the same around me and I find myself on an interminable, straight stretch in the same direction and doubt if I am actually going anywhere at all.

Doubt is healthy. It tests one's convictions.

In an article entitled "The Long Straight Stretch," written by Joni Ereckson Tada, she says the following:

"Someone once said that the challenge of living is to develope a long obedience in the same direction. When it's demanded, we can rise on occasion and be patient... as long as there are limits. But we balk when patience is required over a long haul. We don´t much like endurance.

Right now you may be in the middle of a long stretch of the same old routine. There are miles behind you and miles to go. You don´t hear any cheers or applause. The days run together-so do the weeks. Your commitment to keep putting one foot in front of the other is starting to falter.

Take a moment and look at the fruit:

Perseverance.
Determination.
Fortitude.
Patience.

Your life is not a boring stretch of highway. It´s a straight line to heaven. And just look at the fields ripening along the way. Look at the tenacity and endurance. Look a the grains of righteousness. You´ll have quite a crop at harvest... so don´t give up!"



These words encouraged me so much this morning on my long and winding road. Even though it feels like I´m getting nowhere... God is doing something, producing something in me. Hey, whoever likes to learn patience? I don´t see anyone ever standing in the "patience" cue, eagerly waiting their lessons!! Let alone the perseverance cue......

Our "instant" society doesn´t place much value on these things does it? Why am I all to eager to bypass these lessons ? Even though I am struggling right now with a feeling of being lost on my long road, I want to believe that God is putting some valuable treasure inside my clay pot!

"Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time
we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up."
Gal 6:9