God’s Omnipresence in Counseling

By Wendy Wood

God is always fully present.  The whole of His being is always everywhere.

Heath Lambert says “God is always present everywhere with the fullness of who He is”

Hildebert of Lavardin  was a French theologian from 1055-1133, and A.W. Tozer quoted him in Knowledge of the Holy.  “God is over all things, under all things, outside all; within but not enclosed; without by not excluded; above but not raised up; below but not depressed; wholly above, presiding; wholly beneath, sustaining, wholly within, filling”

Stephen Charnock said, “God is not measured by time, so He is not limited by place… God, because infinite, fills all, yet so as not to be contained by them, as wine and water is to a vessel.  He is from the height of the heaven to the bottom of the deeps, in every point of the world, and in the whole circle of it, yet not limited by it, but beyond it”

Psalm 139:7-10 shows the comfort that comes from God’s presence.

Where shall I go from your Spirit?

    Or where shall I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there!

    If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!

If I take the wings of the morning

    and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

    and your right hand shall hold me.

This is meant to be a comfort and blessing.  We cannot take ourselves outside of God’s presence.  Even if we try to run away, God is there.  This is a comfort for the children of God, but a warning to others.  Life is meant to be worship all day, every day.  We are to live with God’s presence and being at the forefront of our thoughts.  For unbelievers, this should cause fear.  God is always there - and to ignore Him is of greatest concern.

Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, for you are with me”

God’s presence should turn our fear into peace.  We have the all-powerful God with us at all times.  No matter how grim our circumstances may be, they are not more powerful than the God who is with us.

Hebrews 13:5 promises, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

When Moses is called to be the leader of the Israelites, he insists to God that he is not the right person for the job.  He says no one will listen to him, he says he is not an eloquent speaker, he gives several excuses.  God’s response is “I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”  Exodus 4:12

When Jesus gave the great commission to go and make disciples of the nation, the command was given with the tremendous encouragement that He would always be with them, as He is with us.

God’s presence should lead all of us to pursue holiness.  God sees what we think, say, and do.  When Joseph is seduced by Potiphar’s wife, he says “How then could I do this great evil and sin against God?” (Gen 39:9)

Our counselees need to truly believe and trust that God is with them, even when they choose sin.  God calls us to “acknowledge Him in all our ways” (Prov 3:5-6) knowing that He sees and rewards each according to his deeds.

A sinner should see God’s presence as an accountability and an encouragement to make choices that honor and please Him.  When faced with a temptation, stopping to think about God being right there with you, should cause a child of God to choose righteousness.

A suffering counselee should be encouraged to find hope and comfort with God’s presence.  Whether the counselee is suffering in loneliness, or suffering in fear of illness, unknown future, broken relationships, or any other suffering on this earth, God is with them and in His mercy, He acts.  James 4:8 says “draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.  We are encouraged to seek God in prayer, to draw near Him in His word.  It is through His word and Holy Spirit that God brings the comfort of His presence.

I have had counselees who suffered such severe trauma that God’s presence caused them concern and confusion and even doubt.  How could a good God let this happen?  How could God be present when a child is sexually abused by her father?  Or how could God be present when the fatal traffic accident happened and took a loved one?  

There are definitely things about God and His attributes we don’t know or understand.  Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

We don’t know exactly why God allows certain things to happen.  But we can know God as He describes Himself in Scripture.  We know He was present in this trauma.  We have a High Priest who is sympathetic with our sufferings.  We have a Savior who also suffered as an innocent Person and completely understands how shame and hurt impact us.  We know that He was powerful enough to prevent it so we can trust that He had a plan and purpose even if we don’t know what it is.  We know that He is holy, and therefore is not defiled by evil or affected by evil in any way.  We know that He is merciful and cares deeply when His children are hurt.  Over and over again in the Gospels we see Jesus having compassion on people who were like sheep without a shepherd.  Embracing the love of God as Father and Shepherd in all His attributes should bring hope to his children.   I encourage my counselees to go to God in prayer over these situations.  They can honestly express their hurt and confusion while at the same time trusting in God’s attributes and purpose.  Ultimately we have the promise of Romans 8:28-29 that God is using even the evil of this world for His glory and the good of His children in conforming them to the image of Christ.  God’s goodness means that He will be compassionate and present and draw a humble and tender heart deeper into relationship with Himself through life’s most difficult events. 

You will need to study and know God well before entering the counseling room.  Even if you never choose to counsel, knowing God is of utmost importance as it leads to worship and right living.  We cannot worship what we do not know and we won’t choose holiness if we are not thinking rightly about God.

God’s Omnipotence in Counseling

By Wendy Wood

A.W. Tozer says, “Omnipotence means having all power”.  

Heath Lambert says “Omnipotence means that God is able to do anything consistent with his desires as God”.  

John MacArthur says “The omnipotence of God is His ability and strength to bring to pass whatsoever He pleases”.

When we talk to counselees or anyone about God’s power, we should include the absolute truth that while God is infinitely and completely powerful, He is also infinitely and completely wise and infinitely and completely good.  He is all-knowing (which we will get to in a later blog) so as He exercises His power to bring about His will and purpose, we can trust that He will use His power according to His Holiness.

It’s important to include that God’s omnipotence is His ability to do whatever He pleases because there are things that God can’t do.

Numbers 23:19  “God is not man, that he should lie,  or a son of man, that he should change his mind.  Has he said, and will he not do it?  Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Titus 1:2 and Hebrews 6:18 also say that God cannot lie. God is holy, good, and righteous so His actions and words must be holy, good, and righteous too.

God cannot change. He is always, forever the same God. He does not give grace and then have less grace than before. He is grace. He does not do a mighty work and then lose strength or power. He is always the same because He is not made up of parts, but He is all His nature at all times. 

Malachi 3:6  “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.”

Hebrews 13:8 tells us that Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

God cannot be faithless or deny Himself. His faithfulness is holy, and morally perfect. He will always keep His word because He is the definition of faithful.

2 Timothy 2:13 “If we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself”.

Scripture teaches that God’s omnipotence means His power and sovereignty reign supremely.

Isaiah 59:1 paints the picture of God’s arm being strong enough to accomplish His purpose and that He is powerful to hear His children.

  “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear”.

Jeremiah builds confidence in God's power that there is nothing we can face that is too difficult for God to handle.  When we see His power demonstrated in speaking the universe into being, we rest in His power over all things.

Jeremiah 32:17 says “Ah, Lord God!  It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm!  Nothing is too hard for you!”

Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think.

God’s power is incomprehensible to us.  We simply cannot even imagine what “all-powerful” truly means.  But meditating on God’s omnipotence should lead us to worship Him and celebrate that the all-powerful God is FOR His children.

A few key scriptures for this attribute are:

Ephesians 1:11 reminds us that God uses His power to accomplish His purpose. 

“In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will”.  

God never stops working all things according to His will.  Every moment of every day, God is working every word and action in every person to accomplish His will.  We see in scripture where God is powerful over people's hearts and uses even evil kings to bring about His will with His people.  We see in the story of Joseph that God used Joseph’s sinful brothers selling him into slavery to preserve Israel by moving them to Goshen through Joseph being second in command in Egypt.  We see God’s power to accomplish His will in using the Pharisees, Pilate, Herod, and Romans soldiers to crucify His Son as His plan of redemption is worked perfectly.  All things are working according to the counsel of His will because He is all-powerful.

We see this again in  Psalm 33:10-11 says “The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;  he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.”

Job 42:2  says “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.”

God is all-powerful and no one and nothing can alter or change or prevent God’s plan.

Psalm 115:3 “Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.”

There are so many verses in the Bible that talk about God’s omnipotence and ability to do all He pleases to carry out His will perfectly.

If there is something that God cannot do or if there is something that can thwart His plan, He is not God.  God’s omnipotence is essential to His being. 

An omnipotent God is the only One able to fulfill all His promises.  Despite a counselee’s circumstances, their weakness or inability, or the schemes of the Devil,  God is all powerful and will fulfill His purpose.  This should bring tremendous comfort to every counselee.

God’s power matched with His holiness means that His purpose is always perfect and, however a counselee may be suffering, they can rest in God’s ability to use each situation to His glory the counselee’s good in conforming the counselee to the image of Christ.

God is powerful over human hearts.  Proverbs 21:1 says,  “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes.”  

When a counselee is dealing with a difficult person in their life they can trust that nothing is happening outside of God’s will.  Even when someone is sinning against our counselees, God is still more powerful than that person and God’s will will always prevail.  

Job 42:2 that God can do anything and nothing can thwart his plan is again helpful for all counselees.  There is no boss, child, spouse, illness or situation that is more powerful than God.  He will truly use “all things” to fulfill His purpose as Ephesians 1:11 and Romans 8:28-29 state.

Let’s encourage our counselees to celebrate God’s omnipotence. They can find rest for their souls as they depend on God's power and not their own. They can trust that God has the ability to bring about His perfect plan and purpose. There is nothing more powerful than God, not a hurricane or tornado, not a virus or cancer cell, not a spouse or boss. God is powerfully working His plan at all times.

Isaiah 46:10-11 says, “for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country.

I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it”

Amazing Love, Even When Life Hurts

By Wendy Wood

     The God who created the universe, the galaxies, the stars, the planets, the earth and everything in it, wrote a book.  He chose to reveal Himself and His purpose in bringing sinners to Himself through Christ. He chose to call us and elect us to unite us to Christ through faith and thereby invite us into relationship with Himself.  He has preserved His word throughout centuries, so that we might study Him and know Him.  This is a loving God.  

     Yet, we doubt His love constantly.  We ask ourselves, if not out loud, “How could a loving God give me this husband?”  “How could a loving God allow my mother to die of cancer?”  “How could a loving God allow a tornado or flood to wipe out thousands of people?”  How could a loving God put me in an unloving family for my childhood?”  “How could a loving God allow me to suffer so long?”   We tend to look at our circumstances to define God’s love, rather than look at scripture and interpret our circumstances through the truth that God reveals about Himself in His word.

God’s love is covenantal

    In Jeremiah 31:3 God says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”  God’s love is everlasting because He is everlasting in character.  His love is based on who He is, not who you are.  Deuteronomy 7:6-9 shows us that God’s love was set on us by His choosing.  We cannot lose His love because we did nothing to earn it or deserve it to begin with.  

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.  Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”  (Deuteronomy 7:6-9)

God’s love is covenantal love.  He swears by His own name that He will love His people.  When our circumstances tempt us to question and doubt God’s love, we must go to His word and renew our minds in the amazing faithfulness of His love.  His love is set on us by His purpose, and nothing can thwart His purpose.  (Job 42:2).

God’s love is compassionate

     God’s love is not only everlasting, it is compassionate and gentle.  Psalm 91 is a beautiful picture of His love as protection and refuge in times of distress. 

 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say to the Lord, My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.  He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge, his faithfulness is a shield and buckler” (vs 1-4).  

God paints a picture of Himself as a bird with large wings which He uses to protect His young and vulnerable children.  He covers us in His love and promises that nothing can harm us in the eyes of eternity.  Isaiah 40:11 draws a picture of God as the Good Shepherd protecting His sheep under his arm and carrying a wounded lamb next to His warmth.  God does not promise that we will be free from experiencing hardships and trials.  In fact, much of scripture tells us that all true children of God will experience suffering and persecution.  However, God’s love is gentle and protecting.  His love is a refuge and shelter in those times of hurting.  When we feel like our circumstances have taken us out of God’s loving care, we must go back to His word and who He reveals Himself to be.  God is the protector and keeper of our souls - our eternal being that will be with Him forever.  He is holding our salvation and eternity in the shelter of His wing and under the refuge of His arm.  Your feelings are not real.  Your thoughts determine how you will respond to your hardships.  Set your mind on the Truth.  God’s love is gentle, protecting, and compassionate.

God’s love on the cross

     Nowhere do we see God’s amazing love more on display than on the cross.  Even before ever getting to the cross, Jesus endured injurious treatment.  Matthew 27 tells us “they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand.  And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”  And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the rove and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him” (vs 27-30).  Why did a loving God allow His Son to endure such treatment?  First and foremost because He is displaying His glory - the beauty of His character in holiness, righteousness, mercy, grace, justice, wrath, love.  He is zealous for His glory but when we are in Christ, our good is tied to His glory.  Jesus suffered and died because it glories Him and we see that in His love for us!  On the cross, the crowd and soldiers continue to mock him and falsely accuse Him of lying and blasphemy.  Jesus experiences the ultimate suffering when He cries out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  Here we would be tempted to question God’s love if we were the ones on the cross.  Yet, Jesus commits His Spirit to His Father and willingly dies to fulfill the will of God.  God’s love for Jesus, and us, kept Jesus on the cross for three hours.  God loved Jesus (“This is my Son, whom I love”) and us so much that he ordained Jesus to suffer and die in our place (Acts 2:23).  Jesus endured the complete wrath of God for our sins.  God determined how much and how long Jesus’ suffering would be because He loved Jesus completely.  Jesus knew that “the joy set before Him” (Hebrews 12:2) to glorify God and be in His Father’s presence was worth it.  Jesus trusted His Father completely that this was the way to victory and, in Jesus’ case, re-uniting with the Father. Why three hours?  God does not reveal everything to us (Deuteronomy 29:29).  You can be sure that whatever the length of your suffering, it is the right duration.  God loves us so much, that He purposed Jesus to suffer beyond description, so that we could be united with Him through faith by grace.  When the temptation to doubt God’s love and care for you comes, stop and think about the cross.  Think about God choosing His Son, whom He loves, to suffer the entirety of God’s wrath on Himself, to rescue you from eternal separation from Him.  There can be no doubt of the genuine, strong love of God in the face of the cross.

God’s love is for your sake

     One of the hardest times to trust God’s love is when a trial is continuing on for a length of time and you start to despair that God has forgotten you.  John 11 is my favorite view of God’s unusual way to love us.  Here, Jesus is across the Jordan doing ministry with His disciples.  Mary and Martha send word to Jesus that their brother Lazarus is sick.  Twice, within three verses, scripture mentions that these are people Jesus loved (vs 3 and 5).  Yet, when Jesus hears that someone He loves is sick, He doesn’t rush to Lazarus’ side to heal him.  John 11:5-6 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.”  What?!  Jesus loved them.  How could a loving God not rush to their sides to immediately take care of the situation and remove the suffering?  God has already provided the answer in verse 4.  “It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it”.  Jesus loved them TOO much to rescue them immediately from this suffering.  He has greater plans for them to simply live a comfortable and easy life.  Verse 15 says, “and for your sake, I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe.”  Wow!  Could it be that your suffering is FOR YOUR SAKE?  Could it be that God loves you too much to cut your suffering short and not allow it to produce in you all that is meant to?  Could it be that God loves too much to end the trial before you give Him glory?  God knows that true joy and life are found only in glorifying Him.  Your trial, your difficult situation, is for your sake.  It is designed by the love of God, SO THAT you may believe, give glory to God, and find true joy.  

     And then, Jesus acts.  We see Jesus “deeply moved” in verse 38.  Jesus hears the doubt of his friends and their questioning of His motives and He is grieved for their hearts and souls.  Jesus is FOR us.  And that means that He does whatever it takes to reveal His glory and draw us to Himself because as we delight in Him, we glorify Him. It is all linked to His love.  Jesus cares about Mary, Martha, and Lazarus and He cares about you.   He was moved by compassion.  Jesus was affected by the doubts, questions,  pain, and sadness of those He loved.  He then acts on their behalf.  He calls Lazarus out of the grave, just as He will call us out of the grave for eternity.  We will rise when He calls us home, too.  God’s love is compassionate.  God is standing outside of time looking through the lens of eternity.  The situation with Lazarus was playing a bigger role from that eternal perspective than just a family hurting over the death of a loved one.  Your suffering is playing a bigger role in the perspective of eternity than you can see.  It will take trust and faith in God, and in His love, to endure joyfully and trust His love.

Your response to God’s love

     God’s love is not in question.  That circumstance, that broken relationship, that illness, that trial that has gone on for years and years, is evidence of God’s love for you.  Will you trust Him?  Will you give thanks to God that He loves you too much to cut the suffering short?  Will you thank Him for not rushing to rescue you immediately because He has something greater planned?

     God’s love is beyond description and, frankly, beyond understanding.  But God makes Himself known in His Word.  Dig in.  Feast on the amazing love of God as revealed by Him.

God's Presence

By Wendy Wood

One of the amazing attributes of God is his omnipresence.  While this is one of His defining characteristics, it seems to be one attribute that we take for granted and often don’t think about.  Believers are quick to affirm, “I believe God is always with me”, but it sure seems like believers often live like this is not true.  Think about your counselees, your family members, friends, and others.  Do you see in them an active choice to believe and trust that God is always, constantly, completely with them?  Do they live with the confidence, peace, and joy of God Almighty being with them on a moment to moment basis?  What would it look like to live like you know and trust God’s presence?  David and Moses put tremendous weight and hope in the presence of God, and we, and our counselees, can learn much from them.

Moses sees the tremendous difference God’s presence makes in everyday life.  After Moses receives the 10 Commandments and comes down off the mountain and finds the people worshipping the calf, God sends a plague on the people for their sin.  He also commands Moses to lead the Israelites to leave Sinai and move toward the promised land.  Moses meets with God, face to face, in the Tent of Meeting. Moses has seen God’s wrath displayed toward the stiff necked people who sinned against God, and Moses wants reassurances about leading the people further.  Moses doesn’t want to set out as the lone leader of this group.  But, we see Moses’ dependence on God’s presence when he continues.  Exodus 33:15 says,   “Then he (Moses) said to Him (God), “If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people?  Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?”  Moses sees that God’s presence is the distinguishing factor for his people.  He knows God’s presence is the only hope he has in the calling God has given him to lead the Israelites. He essentially says, “without God’s presence, I’m not going anywhere!”  As the conversation between Moses and God continues, Moses asks to see the very nature of God.  He says “Please show me your glory.” (33:18)  Moses is asking God to make him aware of God’s presence.  Moses is basically saying, “prove you are with me”.  God’s response is “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord’.  And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.  But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live.” (33:18-20) God’s glory is his very essence and God declares that his essence is his goodness.  God alone determines what is good and he alone determines when to extend mercy and grace.  Moses asks to see God’s presence with him, and instead gets the fullness of God explained to him.  God chooses to reveal his character and nature when asked to show himself.  God is not physical in the sense that we see his body. God is Spirit.  God’s presence is not something we can experience with our eyes, but we see his presence in his goodness, grace and mercy.  Moses desired God’s presence with him, probably in the physical sense where the Israelites would see God supporting and backing Moses as leader. Instead, Moses learns that God’s presence, his glory, is the display of his works of goodness.  After God passes behind Moses, we are told “Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshipped” (34:8).  God’s presence is always worthy of worship. He again asks the Lord to go in the midst of the people (34:9).   Trusting God’s presence allowed Moses to continue faithfully serving as leader for another couple of decades!  He simply didn’t want to do life apart from the presence of God.

As you consider the emphasis and hope Moses placed on God’s presence, do you have a similar view of God’s glory? Are you dependent on God to live each day?  What about your counselees?  Would they say they don’t want to do anything apart from God’s presence?  We’ll look at how to build this view further on in this blog.

David also saw the presence of God as the best gift in his life.  David understood that life apart from God is joyless and difficult. In Psalm 16, David sings of God’s faithfulness and the blessings that come from being near to God. David calls God his “chosen portion” and his “cup” and sings of the inheritance of being in relationship with the Lord. The portion and cup refer to the fullness and satisfaction of being near to God. Life is God’s presence is satisfying and content.  In verse 11 he says, “You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” David sees God’s presence as the “fullness of joy”.  David seems to be referring back to Exodus 33 by using similar Hebrew words and links God’s presence with God revealing his very nature to Moses in his goodness, grace, and mercy. As David speaks of God’s presence, he is speaking of God’s goodness on display. David celebrates that abundant joy and happiness are present when God is with us. God’s presence is with us now, and is just the beginning of “forevermore” where God’s pleasures and blessings will continue on into eternity as we are in his presence in heaven. David is convinced that there is no better place to be than in God’s presence. He says the “one thing” he wants is to be in God’s presence (Psalm 27:4).  Do you view God’s presence as that amazing gift that brings joy, contentment and satisfaction? Or do you take God’s presence for granted most of the time? What about your counselees? Do they rest and enjoy God’s presence or are they desiring someone or something else more?

How do we grow in appreciating God’s presence and value it as Moses and David did?

1. Meditate on God’s presence.

Choose a verse about God’s presence and read it over and over. Think about the meaning of the words and how God chooses to be present with his people.  As you and your counselee spend time with verses about God’s presence, focus on enjoying this attribute of God. Give time for your love and treasuring of God’s presence to grow in your heart. Consider how you live regarding God’s presence? Do you need to make some changes?

1.  What hope is there in God being with us all the time? What encourages you in God being present with you throughout the day? 

2. Where in your life do you live like God is not present? In what circumstances do you make decisions or carry on with life without thinking about God?

3. What practical steps do you need to take in enjoying the presence of God?

Consider these verses:

Isaiah 57:15

Psalm 139:7-12

Psalm 23:4

Psalm 27:8

Isaiah 41:10

     2. Pray about God’s Presence throughout the day.

Create a way to think about God’s presence throughout the day.  You might set an alarm on your phone to go off every hour.  You might wear a rubberband around your wrist that is somewhat annoying to you so you notice it throughout the day.  You might put sticky notes on your dashboard, computer, mirror, refrigerator, and nightstand so you are reminded to stop and think about God throughout the day.  However you choose to remind yourself, stop each time the reminder happens, and take inventory of where your thoughts have been.  Have you been aware of God’s presence with you this past hour?  Take a minute to pray and reset your mind on the wonderful truth that God is with you.

     3. Pray before each time you speak or engage in conversation.

When you are about to engage in speaking with someone, make that a time to stop and think about God’s presence with you in that moment.  As you open your mouth, ask God to help you speak words that encourage, build up, and train in righteousness.  Think about what needs to change in your words in light of God’s presence?  Are there words to stop thinking and using?  Are there topics that should not be discussed or ways of communicating that don’t honor God? 

God’s presence is truly a wonderful gift to be enjoyed!  Encourage your counselees to give thanks for God’s presence and to bask in the beauty of it.

This is How He Carries You

by Lauren Washer

It’s too much, Lord. I can’t count the number of times I’ve uttered some form of these words. Sometimes I whisper through my tears and other times I scribble furiously onto the pages of my journal—early morning thoughts after news of another hardship. Another friend’s suffering. My own difficult circumstances. A world in physical, emotional, and spiritual upheaval.

I imagine you can relate. The weight feels unbearable. You try to muster up strength, but you can’t. Weak and weary, you wonder if you’ll have what it takes to survive what’s in front of you. We fear we’ll be consumed by our grief. We can’t see how there could possibly be enough grace.

Can I make it, Lord? Will they? 

These are the questions I bring to the Lord when I know I—and those around me—don’t seem to have enough resilience or strength to endure the hardship we’re facing. And do you know what the Lord continues to remind me? It’s not up to me.

Our ability to endure suffering is completely dependent upon God’s power at work within us. He walks beside us, wipes our tears, comforts us in our sorrow, and leads us through the darkest valleys. 

But sometimes—even when we know what’s true—we don’t always feel it. So, if you’re struggling to believe God is with you in whatever you’re facing right now, I hope you find comfort in these words. Because whether we feel it or not, we have the promise of God’s presence.

In the book of Deuteronomy we find Moses’ final words to God’s people before they cross over to the Promised Land. As Moses recounts their experiences, he says something I’ve never been able to forget. Recounting the people’s rebellion against God, and the subsequent consequence of wandering in the wilderness for forty years, Moses reminded them:

“…and in the wilderness. There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place” (Deuteronomy 1:31).

God was with them those forty years. He provided for their needs. He gave Moses the wisdom to appoint leaders when the burden of leadership became too difficult. God went before them in a cloud and fire. All the way, God carried them.

God is still faithful to carry his people.

This is how he carries you.

//

I walk into the kitchen to begin prepping dinner when I see a truck beside our front gate. Before the doorbell rings, I step out onto the porch and call to my neighbor. She turns around, a large box in her arms. Before a hello even escapes my lips, she says:

“I just didn’t think you should make dinner tonight.” My shoulders slump, I smile, tilt my head to the side, and look at her with tears brimming in my eyes. When I express my thanks, she simply says—in her delightful Aussie accent—, “It’s nothing,” and then scurries away to tend to her six week old baby.

This wasn’t the first time someone had brought us a meal. Between babies, deployments, and moves, we’ve been handed our fair share of family favorite casseroles. This one was different. My neighbor down the street is not a close friend. And yet, there she was, on my front porch, bringing me a meal. 

I was continually surprised during Bradley’s recent deployment by the ways God carried us. Food, encouraging texts, free meals from the public school, friends who would pop over mid-afternoon, gift cards in the mail, and pizza delivered to the front door. On the days when I felt like I couldn’t bear the weight any longer, God would send a gift to bolster my weary soul.

God loves to surprise his people. For forty years he rained bread from heaven to sustain his people in the wilderness. He made water come from a rock when they were thirsty, and twice parted huge bodies of water so they could go where he sent them. 

If you’re wobbling beneath a heavy load, be patient. Wait expectantly. Pay attention.

God carries you through unexpected provisions.

//

I shift the toddler to my other hip and steady her while I pull my mask back over my face. We’re singing the final song at the end of the service and tears begin to pool in my eyes. I look to my left, then to my right. The older couple whose granddaughter just died. A family from our community group. New people I’ve yet to meet. My dear friend who listened to me pour out my heart at the beach the other day.

Our pastor raises his hands and proclaims a benediction over his flock, and it’s in this moment, surrounded by my brothers and sisters in Christ, that I realize: this is necessary. In all her imperfections, through all of her shortcomings, despite all the ways she fails to live in a manner pleasing to the Lord—my spiritual family is essential to my faith. 

I can’t explain the phenomenon of gathering with other believers, but it’s powerful. We receive prayer, words of truth, reminders of God’s faithfulness. Our brothers and sisters comfort of us with the comfort they received in their own hardship. We lift our burdens to the Lord and shoulder the weight together.

God carries you through the Church.

//

We were sitting in a room to the side of the church auditorium, minutes before the service started. Grief-stricken over my brother’s sudden death, our family was dreading what we were about to face. But I’ll never forget the way Mom looked at us and shared her experience with God’s grace. She explained how over the past few days—when the next moment seemed impossible, when she wasn’t sure how God would sustain her in the overwhelming loss of her son—God’s grace would be there. Never early, never late. But he was giving it. Constantly. 

We want to know exactly how God will provide for our needs or reassure us of his presence. But we won’t always know and sometimes his presence won’t appear in tangible ways. I can’t explain the ways the Spirit upholds our souls, but he always does. He might bring a verse from our Bible study or a recent sermon to mind. A song enters our earbuds, speaking truth and comfort. Sometimes, our days go smoothly, the kids obey cheerfully, and we make it to bedtime without crumbling to the floor. And other days, when everything falls to pieces, somehow we don’t fall apart and the joy of the Lord bubbles up inside of us. 

God carries you by his grace through the power of the Holy Spirit.

//

When the Israelites stood at the edge of the Promised Land, they were tired. They had wandered for forty years, Moses was about to die, and they were on the brink of battles to take the new land. Do you know what Moses said to them? Repeatedly? Obey God. Don’t forget his commands. Be careful to remember. Love and worship God, nothing else.

I find it helpful to notice what Moses didn’t say. He didn’t tell them to sit back, relax, and take care of themselves in whatever way felt good because, phew, after all that hardship, they sure deserved it.

Can I be honest with you? This is often what I would like to be told, especially when I’m weary. Can I just check out for a few minutes? Often times I do. I scroll Instagram rather than sitting down with my children at the end of the day. I’ll set aside a difficult task, because let’s face it: it’s been a long morning and I could use a few minutes to myself. Obviously there’s a place for rest; God also commanded a sabbath. But I’m talking about the temptation to relax our affections and turn them away from God. 

In the face of difficulties we can be tempted to think we deserve to satisfy our cravings however we want. So instead of engaging in rest carefully and handling self-care with wisdom, we indulge and forget to rest in Christ. This can result in a divided heart.

We’re not called to quit when life gets hard. God calls us to live lives of faithful endurance. So we take the next step. Do the work before us. Walk in love. Obey with joy. We tend to our souls with care and diligence. Fix our eyes on our eternal hope: Jesus. 

Perhaps this isn’t the most comforting way to end a blog post about God’s provision and presence, but it’s the truth. God demands our obedience. And we’ll want to abandon his call, look for satisfaction elsewhere, and place our affections on lesser things. But just as he persisted with his people throughout the Old Testament, God will keep wooing us back. He’ll remind us of Jesus. Jesus never wavered in his obedience, and he never gave up. His eyes were fixed on the joy of being reunited with his Father.

So too, we keep obeying. And somehow, as we live as though we’ve been changed by Christ, we’re changed in the process, and we grow to love Jesus more. 

God carries you through your obedience to him.

//

Dear weary sister, whatever you face today, tomorrow, or whatever continues to weigh you down from the past, God will carry you through it all. 

He’s not giving up or abandoning us. So lean into his strength. Rest in God’s power. Trust in the One who loved us enough to carry the weight of our sin on his shoulders. He bore the fullness of God’s wrath on the cross so we could be set free. Rejoice that even now Jesus is carrying us before the throne of grace, interceding on our behalf before the Father. Cling to the promise of his love which will never let you go. 

Hold onto the Living Hope who guards you until you obtain fullness with Christ. He will carry you all the way to your eternal home in heaven.

This is how he carries you.

For further study and reflection, consider the following verses:

Psalm 46
Isaiah 43:1-4
Romans 8:18-39
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Hebrews 7:22-25
James 1:1-15
1 Peter 1:3-9

Posted at: http://laurenwasher.com/this-is-how-he-carries-you/

"Do Not Fear" - Isaiah 41:10

“Do Not Fear”

By Wendy Wood

So do not fear, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

When we are gripped by fear, when our palms are sweaty, our hearts are racing, and we are going from one distressing thought to another picturing worst case scenarios, we are so caught up with our emotions and being aware of how badly we feel, that we focus on little else. Fear is an emotion that is strongly felt. Fear can be paralyzing and can keep us from moving forward or making a decision and thereby we are not exercising faith or doing what needs to be done. Fear can also cause us to react to a situation in the way that will get us back to feeling safe and comfortable.  In these moments we are more concerned about alleviating fear than honoring God. But, fear can also be a great help to us. Fear may bring the adrenaline and strength necessary to act heroically in a dangerous situation. Fear may be helpful in alerting us to desires in our hearts that have grown too strong. When we are commanded in scripture to “fear not”, God is commanding us not to give way to a negative interpretation of our circumstances because He is already providing what we need. God is gracious and kind in providing for us ‘arguments’ for why we can trust Him and not give way to fear.

“Do Not Fear”

Reason #1.  “I am with you.”

Why do we not need to fear? God is with us. God, who is sovereign, all-powerful, all-wise, all-loving, good, just, righteous, and holy, is with us. When we stop and think about Who God is, and that He is always with us, we truly have nothing to fear. “I am with you” is the most often given promise in the bible. Just a few of the references are:

Isaiah 43:2  “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you”

Matthew 28:20b  “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Genesis 28:15  “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go”

Deuteronomy 31:6  “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

When you are tempted to fear, stop and meditate on the ever-present God of the universe.  He is with you!  How does that change the way you view your circumstances?

“Do Not Fear”

Reason #2  “I am your God.”

Why do we not need to fear? God is personal. God is my God. God knows me and cares for me. God has set His love on me and has promised to dwell with me both now and forever. God has put His Spirit within me to guide me, teach me, remind me of His truth, and to convict and help me. I have no reason to fear when I am trusting that God is MY God. David knew God as a personal God.  

Psalm 63:1

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

    my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you,

    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Zephaniah 3:17

 “The Lord your God is in your midst,

     a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing.”

God is the God who chooses to come to His people and dwell with His people. God didn’t meet us half-way, He came to us, all the way to our sinful, dead state,  and met every single one of our needs in Christ. God knows you and loves you as one of His children. When you trust God’s heart is for you, you can rest in security and peace.  You have no need to fear because the God who breathed out stars, who places the boundaries of the oceans, who knit you together in your mother’s womb, is your God. How would your view of your circumstances change if you meditated on the truth that God is “your God” and is “for you”.

“Do Not Fear”

Reason #3  “I will strengthen you.”

Why do we not need to fear? God’s strength is given to us as the third person of the Triune God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. He is described as both in scripture because the Trinity cannot be separated, yet is three distinct Persons (Is 11:2-3, Matt 3:16, Rom 8:9, Gal 4:6). The presence of the Holy Spirit in a believer is evidence that salvation is real.  When Jesus was about to die and knew He would be returning to heaven, He promised His disciples that the Spirit would be even better because God would be dwelling in us and with us (John 14:17).  God gives us power in wisdom through the Spirit as He helps us understand scripture and teaches us truth.  The Spirit enlightens us to know and understand the hope we have in Christ. The Spirit is the power that enables us to display the fruit of the Spirit as we are progressively sanctified.   Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 is a beautiful description of the Spirit’s work in us.

Paul prays that they (and we) may have “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places…” (vs 17-20)

Later in Ephesians 3 Paul again prays “that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (vs 16-19).

The Spirit allows us to know God and His love for us. The Spirit helps us comprehend how great God’s love is and to experience the fullness of God in our hearts. The Spirit helps us enjoy God and delight in Him which brings joy and peace.

Colossians 1:11 tells us that God has given us “all power” that helps us to endure with patience whatever circumstances we are facing. That power comes from the Holy Spirit within us. If we are walking in step with the Spirit, our response to difficult circumstances will put God’s power on display as we are patiently enduring whatever we are facing.

When God promises to provide a way out of temptation (1 Cor 10:13), He has in mind the gift of the Spirit to convict us and give us strength to fight the temptation.  When God tells us we are sanctified in truth, His word is truth, (John 17:17) it is the Spirit who illumines His word to us to change us into His image.  

The Spirit gives us power to love others and be self-controlled and to abound in hope in this difficult world (2 Tim 1:7, Rom 15:3)

When we are trusting that God will strengthen us, we don’t need to fear.  He will give us the strength of wisdom, the strength to battle temptation, the strength to love others even when it is difficult, and the strength to fix our eyes on Him and the day when we will be with Him face to face.

“Do Not Fear”

Reason #4  ‘I will help you’

God describes Himself as a “helper”.  

Psalm 54:4  “Behold, God is my helper;  the Lord is the upholder of my life.”

Hebrews 13:6 “So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear;  what can man do to me?”

To be a helper means to come to one’s aid, especially in time of need or difficulty.  God is not a reluctant helper. His plan of redemption from before the foundation of the world, was to come to the aid of sinners and give life-giving aid. God’s very nature is to be a helper.  He desires to shower us with mercy and grace (Eph 2:4-5). His heart is gentle and lowly (Matt 11:28-30). He is not stingy with kindness or compassion.  His gives out of the abundance and riches of who He is at His very nature. Ephesians 2:4 says “But God, being rich in mercy…” came to give life to sinners who were dead in their sin. God’s very being is rich in mercy. God yearns to help us, especially in times of need and difficulty. He came to us while we were sinners and enemies of His, how much more, now that we are His children, will He help us.

If we trust that God’s very heart is to help us, we need not fear anything.  God has secured our salvation with Him, what can man do to us?

“Do Not Fear”

Reason #5  “I will uphold you with My righteous right hand”

The right hand in scripture signifies God’s power and strength.   Jack Wellman on Patheos website says, “ This [phrase] ‘right hand’ occurs 166 times in the Bible so it is no accident that the [phrase] ‘right hand’ has significant meaning. God inspired Isaiah to write “For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you” (Isaiah 41:13). The right hand signifies strength, perhaps because most people are right-handed and that is the hand that normally has their greatest strength.”  When God promises to uphold us with His right hand, we can have confidence that God is referring to His strength.  As the all-powerful God, He promises to uphold us.  In Exodus 15:6 God shows His strength in saying,  “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy” and often used His right hand against His enemies as in Exodus 15:12 “You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them.” Daniel 4 reminds us that “none can stay His hand”.  God’s righteous right hand is determinative.  Nothing is stronger.  Nothing can break the grasp that God has on His children.

The right hand in scripture also refers to the hand of blessing.  When Jacob is blessed by his father, it is the right hand that is placed on Jacob’s head to bestow the honor (Genesis 28:14).  When God says that He will uphold us with His right hand, He is guaranteeing all the blessings promised to His children.  Ephesians 1 tells us that we have “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm” as His children.  God’s right hand holds our inheritance secure.

To trust God will uphold us in His righteous right hand is to rest securely in all His promises, because He holds them with strength and power. For those He foreknew, He called, He justified, He sanctified, and He glorified (Romans 8). The guarantee of our blessings and help are secure because they depend on God’s faithfulness and strength, not ours.

God gives us five reasons in Isaiah 41:10 to “Do not fear”.  Meditate on these promises today.  Find the peace that surpasses understanding by living like these promises are true - because they are!  

Is God Absent When He is Silent?

by SYLVIA SCHROEDER

Our pastor says a lot of good things, but recently a sentence caught me mid stride as it were, flattened against the walls of my thinking then stepping into my situation with a warm hug. He is preaching through Esther. I love that book.

The silence of God does not equate the absence of God

God’s Sovereign hand is all over it, and the drama of its story is spellbinding. 

“The silence of God does not equate the absence of God,” Pastor Tim said.

The Bible opens and closes with the presence of God. He is present. Although when we can’t see Him at work with our physical eyes and sometimes we wonder where is He and why doesn’t He do something? But God is God. 

He is no less present when I am acutely aware He is in front, behind and at each side as when it feels He is in a game of hide-and-seek. His silence never means He is absent. 

Voices in the streets are really loud right now. Actions erratic.  

I often turn to Psalm 77 when it feels dark, when I can’t find my way. It’s written by someone experiencing a silent God, invisible in spite of searching and pleading. 

“I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord; at night I stretched out untiring hands, and I would not be comforted.” Psalm 77:1-2 (NIV)

I know that cry, and I recognize the deafening silence. Do you too? 

“I thought about the former days, the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night.” Psalm 77:5-6 (NIV)

Asaph’s Psalm works its way through the paths of an invisible God who at times works in unseen ways. His mind weaves through the same questions we ask.  Has he rejected us? Has His love vanished and promise failed? Where is He? Until they rest on the most important question. Who is He?   

“Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God?” Ps. 77:13 (NIV)

Our vision is challenged. Someday we will turn a corner and vision will clear. We will know that to be silent is not to be absent. We will see God’s hand in the mundane ordinary events of life. In our awe we will wonder how we could have ever imagined Him absent. 

“Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.”

Our adult eyes are tested to look beyond the reality around us and embrace what we can’t see, to believe it to be more real in fact, than what we can see. We will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He was waiting at each turn, around every corner and into the dark hallway of our souls. And the warm embrace as He steps into our vision will be glorious. 

Posted at: https://sylviaschroeder.com/is-god-absent-when-he-is-silent/

Craving Control in the Wilderness

Linda Contino

After many years of diverse career experience, I was excitedly counting down the days until my retirement. I eagerly anticipated being in control of my schedule and time while enjoying a slower pace of life. I envisioned more days devoted to serving in ministry at my church and deepening relationships with family and friends, and I prayed for the Lord to prepare me for these opportune times. And while he did answer that prayer, the opportunities he provided were not the ones for which I had hoped. Instead, the Lord thrust me into a very painful and difficult “wilderness” season during which I sometimes wondered how I would survive.

Though not a physical place, this wilderness was a period of time that felt wild, dark, and scary due to the uncomfortable trials that God allowed in my life. It was not the peaceful “promised land” of retirement that I had imagined. I identified with the Israelites, who entered unfamiliar territory after being miraculously delivered by God from the Egyptians. They were not immediately brought to the Promised Land but spent forty years in the wilderness.

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle (Ex. 13:17-18).

God used a wilderness detour to teach his people, and the same was true for me. In my wandering through the wilderness, God taught me four truths about control.

The Role of Control

 
1. God is in control of our circumstances, even when we don’t understand what he is doing.

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law (Deut. 29:29).

Before God took me on a wilderness detour, I didn’t realize the depth of my desire to control my life. This desire was like tangled weeds, choking the growth of my faith. When things were going well, I found it easy to deceive myself into thinking my faith was strong. But when trials continued to multiply, I was not able to fully “trust in the Lord with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding” (Prov. 3:5). My faith needed to develop deeper roots. God used his Word to help me understand that he is often working in secret ways that I cannot see or understand (Deut. 29:29). And God is not obligated to explain his ways to me! As I believed his Word, my illusion of control weakened and my trust in God’s sovereignty deepened.

2. We can control our responses to the circumstances that God allows.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose (Rom. 8:28).

I couldn’t choose the circumstances of this wilderness season, but I could choose my response. Charles Spurgeon said, “The same sun which melts wax hardens clay.”1 I faced a choice: would I be like wax, softened by the heat of trial, or would I harden like clay under the fire? Choosing a godly response to suffering was challenging. I was tempted to harden my heart, focusing on the perceived prominence of others’ sin instead of asking the Lord to reveal mine. By God’s grace, he “melted” my resistance, teaching me to forgive instead. The Holy Spirit enabled me to entrust my painful situations to the Lord’s care, knowing that God was working for my good. I used to think that this meant everything would work out the way I wanted, as in “happily ever after.” But the “good” referred to in Romans 8:28 is that of becoming more like Christ—which is truly the best “happily ever after” of all.

3. The Gospel acts as a compass to control our navigation through trials.

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence (2 Pet. 1:3).

The truths of the gospel had directed me to saving faith in Christ in the past. But the gospel was also necessary for enduring the present suffering to which God had called me in this wilderness experience. As I wrestled with putting one foot in front of the other, the Lord graciously revealed that I was pointing my gaze in the wrong direction. Instead of looking to Christ and relying on his power, I was focused on myself and my seemingly insurmountable circumstances. But clinging to 2 Peter 1:3 helped me get my bearings and remember an important gospel promise: Christ’s divine power had already provided everything I needed to navigate this path. And Christ’s presence ensured that I would never walk alone.

4. God calls us to surrender to his control by holding our plans loosely.

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps (Prov. 16:9).

After a year of struggle, I thought I was finally leaving the wilderness behind. And then a tiny nodule appeared on my thyroid. My uneasiness grew as I left the doctor’s office, considering what the biopsy might reveal. I picked up a book I had ordered, He Will Hold Me Fast 2, surprised to see the subtitle – A Journey with Grace Through Cancer – and to learn that this book detailed a woman’s experience with thyroid cancer. Two days later, fear gave way to panic with the official diagnosis of my own thyroid cancer. I wrestled with the Lord, asking why he would allow this now. This was not my plan following the difficult wilderness I had just endured!

In God’s mercy, I began to realize that I had never surrendered my retirement desires to the Lord. I had merely prayed that he would provide for what I had planned. The Lord helped me discover a different way to pray: “Lord, cancer is not what I wanted or planned for my retirement years. But if this is what you are now calling me to experience, I submit to your plan. I don’t know how to do this, so please help me.” Interestingly, the title of that book later came to hold a different meaning; rather than striking fear, it became a wonderful reminder of the Lord’s ability to “hold me fast.” Just as the Israelites entered the wilderness “equipped for battle” (Ex. 13:18), God equipped me to handle treatments and surgery, and he encouraged me through the prayer and support of friends and family.

Now three years later, I am mercifully cancer-free and able to enjoy many of the relationship and ministry opportunities I had longed for in retirement. But there is something sweeter than these blessings. Although the wilderness season was a detour I never would have chosen, the Lord knew it was what I needed. Learning to trust his control and surrender my own has transformed my relationship with the Lord, which is now richer and more deeply-rooted than I ever thought possible. I don’t know what difficulties and opportunities every future day will hold, but I know who holds control of my future.

—

1. Charles Spurgeon. “The Lesson of the Almond Tree.” Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume XLVI. (Passmore and Alabaster, 1900).
2. Connie Dever. He Will Hold Me Fast: A Journey with Grace Through Cancer. (Ross-shire: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd., 2017).

Linda Contino

Linda is an active member of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, where she has the privilege of serving on the Welcome Team and Women’s Ministry Team, as well as leading a women’s LIFE group. She is married and blessed with two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two grandsons. She loves spending time with family and connecting with friends.

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2020/06/craving-control-wilderness/

Cares and Consolations

Article by Mike Emlet, CCEF

What cares and concerns burden you today? What challenges are you facing? Does God seem relevant to them? Do you experience his presence and help in the press of life’s challenges? What happens when anxieties grow within you?

Yesterday, in my Scripture reading, I came to Psalm 94, which contains one of my favorite verses:

When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. (v. 19)

Or as the NASB puts it, “When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, your consolations delight my soul.” While I want to focus primarily on God’s consolations in this blog, first notice the realism of the psalmist: when the cares of my heart are many, not if. Life in a fallen world is hard, often excruciatingly painful. Christians don’t float above the mess of life, stoically relegating disappointments, trials, and tragedies to some back room of our lives. No, we sow in tears (Psalm 126:5). In the world we face tribulation (John 16:33). We are utterly burdened beyond our strength (2 Cor 1:8). We weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15).

But where do we go when the inescapable cares of our lives are multiplying? We look for and embrace the consolations of God. What are those consolations? It’s helpful to consider both “macro-consolations” and “micro-consolations.” Macro-consolations are foundational truths about God’s character and actions that bring comfort and confidence in the midst of hardships. Micro-consolations are the particular comforts and blessings God tailor-makes for a given day in our lives.

What are macro-consolations that help as fears and anxieties rise within us?

• God’s power. I am consoled by the fact that even a sparrow cannot fall to the ground apart from God (Matt 10:29). Or as the Heidelberg Catechism Question and Answer #1 notes, “He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven.” The One who created and sustains all things by his powerful word (Col 1:16-17) will not drop the ball when it really counts.

• God’s love. I am consoled that God’s power is directed and animated by his love. Psalm 94:18 highlights that God’s “steadfast love” holds us up. His loyal, faithful, never-ending love that comes to its apex in Jesus Christ. No wonder Paul can exclaim, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom 8:32).

• God’s wisdom. I am consoled that God knows what he is doing. His powerful love flows in the deep channels of his wisdom. This really is the theme of the book of Job—can I entrust myself to him even when my finite perspective is screaming, “Foul!”

• God’s presence. I am consoled that he is with me. Perhaps this is the most critical comfort. I am not alone. Sometimes we acknowledge God’s power, love, and wisdom, but we envision him operating at a distance as though he is an absentee father. Yet one of the most precious realties Scripture reveals is that our God is with us. “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Ps 23:4). And this Good Shepherd is with us forever through the presence of his Holy Spirit (Matt 28:20), and one day we will see him face to face (Rev 21:3).

What about micro-consolations? Here it is important to pay attention to the particular grace of Jesus Christ; it is sufficient for the day. In the midst of difficulties, it is often hard to pull back and ask God to give us eyes to see the specific shape of his tender care in a given day. Here were some of my micro-consolations from yesterday: I learned that one of the servers at a coffee shop I often visit attends a Bible study at a nearby church led by one of my colleagues. God kept both my wife and my son (a relatively new driver) safe as they drove separately in the midst of treacherous conditions associated with our first snowstorm. A friend with a four-wheel drive vehicle picked me up after I was stranded near the coffee shop. I enjoyed the antics of our labradoodle in the snow. I had a warm bed to sleep in. And there were many more ways I tangibly experienced the fresh mercies of Christ that day.

God promises in Jeremiah 31:25, “For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” What are the cares of your heart today? Let your anxiety serve as a pivot point, turning you to your Father who pours out his many consolations in your time of need.

posted at: https://www.ccef.org/resources/blog/cares-and-consolations?mc_cid=89235bded9&mc_eid=90be5e29a6

Psalm 121: What it Means That Yahweh is Your Guardian

Article by Jason DeRouchie

Psalm 121 is a treasure of promise for the suffering believer, whose “help comes from the Lord ” (verse 2). After personally celebrating Yahweh’s guardianship in verses 1–2, the psalmist turns to give assurance to others in verses 3–8. He declares the nature of God’s guarding role in verse 3–4: “He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”

The Perseverance of the Saints

I was surprised to find that the word combination depicting the stumbling step in verse 3 is never used in Scripture of physical falling. Rather, all four of its other occurrences employ it figuratively for someone who is (or anticipated being) overcome by divine judgment (Deuteronomy 32:35), personal sin or weakness (Psalm 38:16[17]), or enemy oppression (Psalm 66:9; 94:18). When the psalmist declared, therefore, “He will not allow your foot to slip,” he was most likely speaking of the perseverance of the saints.

The psalmist is not promising the absence of pain or even failure. But he is promising that, amidst seas of adversity, the elect will remain upheld, not because of their own doing, but because of the preserving hand of God. No one can snatch God’s sheep out of his hand (John 10:27–30), and the one who has justified will never again condemn (Romans 8:33–34). What mercy! What promise! The sure confidence we have today that we will remain with God tomorrow is God himself. Thank him. Remain dependent on him. Plead for his sustaining grace.

He Watches Over Our Souls

Along with ensuring our perseverance (verse 3a), the Lord ’s guardianship also means he is constantly watching over our souls (verses 3b–4). The Hebrew of verse 4 suggests a development from what precedes. Whereas verse 3 suggests “your Guardian” will not slumber now, verse 4 stresses “Israel’s Guardian” will never slumber nor sleep. God “gives to his beloved sleep” (Psalm 127:2), and we are able to rest only because we know God never does. “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary” (Isaiah 40:28). Yahweh is always awake, always aware, and always watching over his children.

Do not put your hope today in yourself, for were it not for God, you would surely slip. But because of his ever-sustaining mercy, your faith will remain. As asserted in Psalm 94:16–18: “Who stands up for me against evil doers? If Yahweh had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Yahweh, held me up.”

It is the steadfast love of the Lord that sustains. It never ceases but it is replenished every dawn (Lamentations 3:22–23).

Look to Your Guardian

Whether your sleepless nights are filled with tears and prayers, diaper changing, or paper writing, God is with you with all the energy and grace you need. Don’t forget him. Look to him at any hour –– in the light or in the night. Yahweh’s guardianship means that he ensures our perseverance. He constantly watches over his own.

Jason DeRouchie is the Associate Professor of Old Testament at Bethlehem College and Seminary. He's also the editor and contributer to What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About (Kregel: forthcoming 2012) and co-author of A Modern Grammar for Biblical Hebrew (B&H Academic, 2009).

Posted at: https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/psalm-121-what-it-means-that-yahweh-is-your-guardian