He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands

Psalm 89:13(NLT), “Powerful is your arm; Strong is your hand! Your right hand is lifted high in glorious strength.”

I’m not sure how old I was, but I know I was just a little girl as I sat on the floor and looked up to my Daddy and asked him this question, “Why are your hands so big?” I can still hear his voice in my mind as he answered me, “I guess because I’m a big man”. I remember briefly examining my Daddy’s hands once more, before deciding I was satisfied with his answer to my curiosity. For years I’ve managed to remember our short dialogue about his hands. Daddy always worked really hard.  He made a living working at a shipyard as a welder, or as he would always say, “a first class welder.” I can still hear the sound of his car starting up early in the morning as he would leave home to drive to work. But even outside of his normal career, he could build and fix things and he was great at repairing cars. He also enjoyed working in the yard. Our grass looked like a nice, plush, green carpet and everyone admired it. My favorite thing that him and I did together is when we would spend time listening to gospel quartet groups like the Mighty Clouds of Joy and the Gospel Keynotes. I still listen to some of those same songs today and instantly it makes me feel close to him and remember the good times we shared. I would prance around joyfully without a care in the world as the music played. There was something special about being in my Daddy’s presence and spending time with him. As a little girl, I didn’t realize it then, but now I know this experience was a forerunner to the much higher joy I have now when I worship in my Heavenly Father’s presence.

Looking back, I can reminisce on the things that my earthly Father’s hands were able to accomplish. He passed away many years ago but I’m truly thankful for all he did. However, my earthly Father’s hands were human hands and human hands have limitations, but oh the strength, the power, and the glory in the supernatural hands of my Heavenly Father! His abilities are unlimited. His love is unmatched. In Isaiah 49:16 (NIV) God the Father says, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” He sees us every time he looks at His hands. And furthermore, our elder brother Jesus says in John 10:29, that no one can snatch us out of His Father’s hand. His Father is our Father and our Father’s love gives us life. I can’t breathe without His love and I’m glad I don’t have to go one day without it. He extended His love before we were born through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Every day I can sense Him watching over me, like a good father always does with his children. No matter how old we are, Daddy God is always there. Most of us have experienced some type of hurt in life, but His Spirit penetrates even the deepest places of our hearts and He heals wounds that we sometimes didn’t even know existed. Psalm 147:3 says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

I pray that you will rest in His arms, while letting Him heal any wounds you have, and find peace knowing He watches over you every day and has you engraved in the palms of His hands.

Father,

Thank you. I feel safe knowing that Your powerful arm and strong hand carry me always. I’m comforted because I can live each day knowing Your love never ends.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Guilty But Innocent

Romans 12:16 (NIV), “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”

Innocent but charged as guilty. Locked behind bars and confined to a jail cell for a crime you did not commit, perhaps even serving a life sentence. Maybe it’s a case of mistaken identity, but still the verdict remains the same…guilty. Can you imagine the agony of that? No matter how loud you scream out that you are innocent, you are still considered guilty and are treated as such.

There have been times driving down the street that I have passed a group of police cars with a person standing there in handcuffs, and I was overwhelmed with both compassion and gratefulness. I felt compassion because although they may deserve to be arrested, I cannot help but wonder what went wrong in their lives that caused them to end up where they are. I felt gratefulness because I am thankful that God has allowed my life to work out the way it has.  I realize things could have turned out differently for me, and a few wrong choices could have landed me in the same spot with the same fate, trapped behind bars.

We must be careful to realize that no matter how much success we have, it’s all a blessing from God. Every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17). His mercy, grace, and favor have kept us and caused us to experience His goodness in the life we live here on Earth, as well as the one we will forever enjoy in eternity. Although many of us may not have committed any crimes to land us in a physical jail, spiritually we were in bondage and guilty of sin against the God of heaven. Can you see yourself going to jail in the place of a man or woman who is guilty so that they can go free? Or even more extreme, can you see yourself dying for the sins of the world, dying for every man or woman that ever lived? That’s what Jesus did for us. He was innocent, but chose to take on a guilty sentence and pay the price for our sins. He paid the price for crimes He never committed. He was willingly arrested, charged, and put to death for our sins. He gave up His home in glory to come and die for us.

As we live together, we should live in harmony. We must be quick to abandon pride and realize how good God has been to us, while being willing to associate with all people regardless of their status. Let us pray for one another that we would stay on the path that the Lord has laid out before us and not go astray (James 5:16).

Father,

Thank you for sending us your Son to be the ultimate example of humility and the sacrifice for our sins. Help us to abandon pride and always realize it is Your goodness that has kept us and blessed us. We pray for those who have experienced misfortune in their lives such as being imprisoned. However we have all sinned and fallen short of Your glory, so teach us to stay humble as we live our lives.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Abundant Life is Yours

John 10:10 (KJV)

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

So phenomenal, so fascinating, and so beautiful.  Beauty that never ceases to intrigue me, and every time I see it, it feels like I’m seeing it for the very first time. It will often appear out of nowhere and catch me by surprise. Other times I realize that conditions are favorable for it to appear, so I gaze up at the sky, looking in every possible direction until I can hopefully find the image that I am searching for. Once I see the colorful, sprawling rainbow in the sky, I never want to let it out of my sight. If at all possible, I keep my eye on it until it fades away and can no longer be seen.

I wish I could reach out and touch it, but according to the laws of science, that can never happen. Why? Because it’s all an optical illusion. Sadly, since a rainbow is not a physical object, no one can get to it and it can’t be touched.  No matter how real it may seem, it can only be admired from afar. A rainbow they say is nothing more than a “distorted image of the sun” caused by raindrops bending the sun’s light. It’s a simple process that creates a stunning display. So based on this knowledge of what a rainbow really is, we know the sun is the real source of what we see. However this breathtaking, brightly colored arch stands in full view, capturing our attention and effortlessly stealing our hearts. I for one, can honestly say that when there is a rainbow on display across the blue sky, the sun is not the number one thing on my mind. What about you? When you see a rainbow, do you dismiss its beauty and redirect your attention to the sun?

I heard that there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but I guess we will never know since we can’t make it to the rainbow to find out. Even if there was a pot of gold resting at the end of the rainbow, chances are it too would be an illusion that cannot be touched.

Have you ever felt this way about life? Have you ever felt that there are some things you cannot seem to get to no matter how hard you try? I know I have been in that place before where I found myself pursing something that was all an illusion. It seemed right at first, but the closer I got to it the more I realized it wasn’t real, and for one reason or another it would never work for me. Or after putting forth energy and time, the thing I was hoping for all of a sudden begins to fade away right before my very eyes, until it has completely disappeared, just like a rainbow. Sometimes in life we can want something so bad that we imagine we can have what it is we want and the “pot of gold” to go along with it. So we run hard after that thing, hoping for the best and never taking the time to pray and ask God if it is really His will for us before we start the race. God has a purpose for each one of us. We must stay close to Him to walk into all He has for us, but we must also stay in His Word to understand how he thinks and works so that we will not be lead astray by “false images”.

Whenever I see a beautiful rainbow, I will not hesitate to admire it’s beauty. I will also let it be God’s reminder to me to pursue only the things that are His will for me, and not to be enticed to go after what He never meant for me to have. The enemy attempts to get us off course and distort our lives by presenting an alternative path that appears perfect, but it is in fact a counterfeit. He wants us to chase after “rainbows” that are not real. He wants us to go after beautiful illusions that we can never get to that will eventually disappear right before our eyes. Remember, only what is truly real has staying power, everything else will fade away.

The devil comes to steal, to kill, and destroy, BUT JESUS….He came that we may have life, and have life more abundantly. Why not run after Him, the one who can give you what is best for you? No tricks, no gimmicks, and no illusions. His love is real.

Always focus on the true source. Jesus Christ is the True Source. The life we live should be a reflection of His Light. Stay alert and keep your gaze fixed on Him! He is the Author and the Finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2).

 

Father,

Thank you for being real. You never deceive us or lead us astray. Teach us by your Holy Spirit to stay true to You and Your Word. Keep us from counterfeit paths that are meant to bring destruction and pain to our lives. Help us to stay on that narrow path that leads to life. (Matthew 7:13-14)

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Genesis 9:16 (NLT) When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.“

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Do you dwell in The Secret Place?

Psalm 91:1 (KJV) He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty

Again and again I thought about this Secret Place. I wrote, I deleted, then I wrote some more. I found myself struggling to put into words something that means so much to me, something that has changed my life completely. When I first begin to meditate on this verse in Psalm 91, I was thinking of “The Secret Place” as a physical place where you go to spend time with God. We do indeed have quiet, secret places that we retreat to just to have time alone with the Lord, but as I read it, the Holy Spirit illuminated the word “dwell” to me. He began to show me that this Secret Place isn’t a place where we go and visit from time to time, it’s a place where we can dwell continuously, every single moment, of every single day. The Secret Place is a treasure that allows us to share a closeness with our Lord, a closeness that can never be taken away from us by anyone or anything. It’s a Place where we are forever protected, we are forever provided for, and we are forever loved.

Even now, as I attempt to reflect on what this Place has been to me, I do so with the realization that it is so much more than my words could ever say. God has shown me great things, but yet as time passes by, I sense that there is still so much more He wants to show to those of us who choose to dwell with Him each day. This Secret Place where I abide in Him, is the reason I can face the dawning of a new day with joy. I can  wake up every morning and know that He loves me. Knowing that He loves me is everything. My life has meaning because of His love.

This is what The Secret Place is to me…

As I dwell in The Secret Place, I can exhale. I can rest. I can let go. All the troubling thoughts and too heavy to carry burdens can be laid down. I am free to flourish. I find the strength to endure.

As I dwell in The Secret Place, contentment washes over me. Peace abounds. I have His permission to relinquish my anxiousness and exchange it for His joy. He shines His Light. He lifts my spirit and make me smile.

As I dwell in The Secret Place, I am overwhelmed by the reality of who He is. His infinite wisdom. His perpetual kindness. His endless provision. His unconditional love. His patience and mercy leave me in awe.

As I dwell in The Secret Place, my lack becomes abundance, what was empty becomes full. He fills me with confidence. He makes me secure. His presence completes me. I am never alone.

As I dwell in The Secret Place, I listen for His voice, He whispers secrets in my ear. He reveals truth. He has all the answers because He is the Answer. Yet by faith, I can trust Him with what He chooses to leave unknown.

As I dwell in The Secret Place, sometimes there is laughter, sometimes there are tears, sometimes we speak, and sometimes we are silent. My hope overflows. My faith grows. My soul is anchored safely in Him.

He has created this Place for all who choose to dwell, for all who choose to abide. Morning, noon, or night, His availability never ends. His love is timeless. His heart is pure. Under the shadow of the Almighty we have all we need.

Are you fearful, weary, lonely or confused? God is waiting for you in The Secret Place.

Is your heart broken or is your soul troubled? God is waiting for you in The Secret Place.

Do you feel there is no one who understands you or perhaps no one who even cares? God is waiting for you in The Secret Place.

Maybe everything in your world seems perfect and life is good. God is still waiting for you in the Secret Place, because every good and perfect gift we recieve is from above (James 1:17). 

Whatever it is you need, rather big or small, look no further, God is indeed waiting for you in The Secret Place. Will you enter in?

Father,

You provided the Way for us to enter into Your Secret Place, when you provided the body of your Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Every person who chooses to repent and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord are free to enter in, because of His pure and precious blood that was shed on Calvary. Thank you for providing a Secret Place for us to dwell safely in your care, and get to know you intimately. 

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Don’t Settle

Psalm 84:11 (NIV) For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

I believe that not settling and learning to wait on God go hand in hand. In order not to settle we have to be willing to wait on God and trust Him to work things out for us and provide what it is we need. He will bestow favor and honor upon us, according to this truth in Psalm 84. We can often be tempted to rush and get things done in our own strength just so we can feel a sense of security within ourselves. However, true lasting security only comes from God. He is the One who knows what is best for us. He is the One who faithfully watches over us each day.

Waiting on God can be a true test of our faith, especially if we feel anxious and want answers fast. I’m learning that waiting on God is an important part of learning more about His character and His ways. It also gives us the opportunity to grow in godly character, because as we study the ways of the Master and apply it to our lives, we become more like Him.

I’m not sure what you are waiting on God for, but rather it seems within your reach or out of your reach, just keep trusting Him to provide. Don’t settle for less than. Don’t be in a hurry to patch things up and take care of yourself.  If it’s beyond your control to change things, be patient and wait for God. He does hear your cry.

Psalm 40:1 (NIV) For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

 Father,

Your Word says that when we wait on you, you will renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31). Help us to wait with expectancy knowing you will answer us and work things out in your time. Please help us not to let fear drive us to act outside of your will and settle for less than what you want us to have. Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding us.

In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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