"Friday's Favorite"

"Come Home Running" - by Chris Tomlin

Oh heart of mine, why must you stray?
From one so fair you run away
And one more time you have to pay
The heaviness of needless shame

Oh heart of mine, come back home
You've been too long out on your own
And He's been there all along
Watching for you down the road

So come home running
His arms are open wide
His name is Jesus
He understands
He is the answer
You are looking for
So come home running
Just as you are

Oh child of God so dearly loved
And ransomed by the Savior's blood
And called by name, daughter and son
Wrapped in the robe of righteousness

So come home running
His arms are open wide
His name is Jesus
He understands
He is the answer
You are looking for
So come home running
Just as you are

“God Can’t - Part 3”

In Part one and part two we discussed two things God can’t do - God cannot abandon you and God cannot fail you. We talked about how our feelings about God in our sufferings are not necessarily the facts about God. Our feelings shape and distort the picture of how we truly view our heavenly Father. But today, I want to take a look at how God views us.

Allow me to set the scene. You are driving down the road in a hurry to get to your very important appointment. Suddenly a vehicle pulls out in front you, slowing down your already speeding car. All you have on your mind is getting to where you need to be on time. Suddenly, the car has not only decided to cut you off, but is also moving at a snail’s pace. There’s no room to pass, traffic is heavy. Your response: You are so excited that this person has most certainly made you late. So you smile, politely wave and play Spock and say, “Live long and prosper.” Right? Wrong! Instead of wishing for their best, you automatically want their worst. Instead of waving, you shake your fist through the windshield, hoping they catch a glimpse of your disdain in their rearview mirror. Or, you lay on the horn while expressing some choice words at the top of your lungs. You want them to know exactly what they have done and that it did not amuse you in the least. You say something to the affect of, “I hope someone does the same thing to you so you know just how it feels. AND I hope when it happens that you MISS your appointment!” You may not say it out loud, but you most certainly think it.

This is a very common example of how we react to hurt. We’ve all been hurt by others. Maybe your spouse has had an affair, maybe your best friend told your secret, maybe your employer is not treating you fairly, maybe someone has stolen from you or lied about you. I could go on and on. Hurt is everywhere and when we are wounded by someone our humanness screams REVENGE! Revenge, as described by Merriam Webster is, to avenge (as oneself) usually by retaliating in kind or degree; to inflict injury in return for; revenge an insult. We simply wish for that person what we think they have coming to them; to get back at them for the wrong they have done to us; to make them pay.

Similarly, we treat God in the same manner, don‘t we? He “hurts our feelings” by not answering that prayer the way we thought it should be answered. He “wounds” us by making us wait for something that we want NOW. He “offends us” when He doesn’t give us what we want, when we want it. So we shake our fist at him and lay on the horn. Immediately, we feel that somehow God is out to get us - that He wishes for our worst.

GOD CAN’T WANT YOUR WORST!

Many of you may be familiar with the story of the prodigal son in Luke chapter 15. Here is an illustration of how God views us as His children. We see a man who has two sons. The younger one asks his father for his share of the estate. Now, where I come from, a child does not normally receive his or her inheritance until the parents have passed away. So really this son is saying, “You’re gonna die anyway dad, and when you do I’ll get what’s coming to me. So just give it to me now!” What an insult! You may as well be dead dad because that money is a lot more important to me right now! The father proceeds to divide the inheritance between the two sons and after the young son receives his money he takes it all and leaves! Can you imagine how hurt the father must have been? Not only did his son basically wish him dead, but then he leaves, rejecting him all the more!

The son sets out for a distant land and blows it all on wild living. After he spends everything, a severe famine comes upon them. The money his dad worked a lifetime to save was wasted on the son’s foolish desires. The entire inheritance was gone. The son was in dire need at this point. He had no place to stay and nothing to eat and no money left to supply those needs. He begins to work on a pig farm. We must understand just how desperate the son must have been. He was a Jew, and it was against Jewish law to eat pork. Pigs were considered unclean according to Jewish custom. So now, not only is he working with unclean animals, he’s so hungry that he wants to eat the pig food! Now that’s desperate!

While the son is feeding the pigs, he begins to come to his senses. He realizes that even his father’s hired hands have it better than he does. Seeing the error of his ways and in great sorrow he sets off for home hoping to become like the hired help. For he knew he was no longer worthy to be a called a son.

The son approaches, anticipating condemnation from his father. He waits to be rebuked, chastised, and turned away. For it would only be the right thing for the father to do after how the son had insulted him. To his surprise, the father comes running, throws his arms around him and kisses him. He tells his servants to bring the boy a robe, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. He orders them to bring the fattened calf and prepare it for the feast.

Does the father’s reaction shock you? His son had hurt him deeply. He basically disowned his father. He disgraced the family name. Shouldn’t the father want revenge? Shouldn’t he be glad that the child had learned his lesson? Shouldn’t he just make him a hired hand after all the son had done to him? This is such a beautiful picture of our heavenly Father. We take God’s blessings and we run away from him. We spend all He has given us on our selfish pleasures and once we have squandered everything we come crawling back to him. Instead of scolding us and disowning us, He places on us His robe of mercy, His ring of forgiveness and His sandals of freedom. The robe, most likely the father’s own best robe, was only worn on very special occasions. The ring was most likely a signet ring symbolizing the restoration of his rights as a son. The sandals were placed on his feet representing freedom from bondage.

Then the father throws a party to celebrate the very one that wounded him. He asks for the fattened calf - the best calf. Enough food would have been prepared to feed a whole village. Many celebrated with the father that day as his relationship with his child was restored. For the son was once dead, but has been brought back to life!

GOD CAN’T WANT YOUR WORST!

If we could only grasp the fact that God wants our best! He cannot wish the worst upon us. He desires for us to be whole - nothing broken from the tops of our heads to the tips of our toes. He is the father in the story of the lost son, and we are that son. The joy of the story is getting a glimpse of God’s true nature - seeing how He views us as His children! It’s knowing that even though we stray, even though we insult Him, even though we disgrace His name, He welcomes us back with open arms and He throws a celebration in our honor. He does not give us what we so deserve. Many times, it’s not until we hit rock bottom that we understand just how much we need Him! But when the Father looks at us in our very desperate need, He longs to shower us with mercy, forgiveness and freedom! He sees no shame. There is no condemnation.

Do you want to know more about God’s character? The story tells us of how when the father saw his son he was filled with love and compassion and he ran to him. Remember, the father was a Jewish nobleman, and running was a most undignified act. But the father didn’t care. He was so happy to see his son’s return that he jeopardized his own reputation. That’s how crazy God is about us! That’s how radical His love is for us! God desires a relationship with us, so much that He actively pursues us - He runs to us. But God is also a perfect gentleman. He has given us a free-will so we would willingly choose Him.
Not only is God crazy about us, He wants a relationship with us and longs to celebrate us! He wants us to come back into the fold so He can throw a wild and crazy party in our honor. And what would you expect to see at a celebration, but gifts? He wants to shower us with gifts! He wants to clothe us with His robe, the ring, and the sandals!

Do you want the best for your life? Don’t find yourself running FROM Him - run TO Him, and He will run to you! God is crazy about you and He wants your best! Your inheritance awaits!

GOD CAN’T WANT YOUR WORST!

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:11

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. Psalm 84:11

I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us--yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses. Isaiah 63:7

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? Romans 8:32

"Friday's Favorite"

"You Are For Me" - by Kari Jobe

So faithful, so constant
So loving and so true, so powerful in all you do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move
You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me, I know that you are for me
I know that you will never, forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come now
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

So patient, so gracious
So merciful and true, so wonderul in all you do
You fill me, You see me
You know my every move, You love for me to sing to you

I know that you are for me, I know that you are for me
I know that you will never, forsake me in my weakness
I know that you have come now
Even if to write upon my heart
To remind me who you are

“God Can’t - Part 2”

In Part one we talked about how God can’t abandon us. We may feel as if God has left us to wallow in our pain and suffering, but facts are different from feelings. We KNOW God’s character is to stick with us like glue! We can trust in the fact that He will never leave us, or forsake us.

It’s no secret that many bad things happen in the world. We all know what it’s like to experience struggles and hardships. But what is the first thing that many people do when bad things happen? Someone must be blamed, right? It’s not uncommon for us to ask, “Why God? Why did YOU allow this to happen?” A drunk driver kills a young child crossing the street. A tornado rips into a town destroying everything in it’s path. An expectant mother miscarries. A loved one is stricken with cancer. “God, why have you failed us?” Do we really think that God would cause someone to get drunk and drive just so they could end another’s life? When we make bad choices, it’s much easier to blame God than to take responsibility for our actions.

GOD CAN’T FAIL!

It’s impossible for God to fail regardless of how we feel. It’s time to make a transition once again from what we FEEL to be true, to what we KNOW to be true about God. We all experience feelings of disappointment because we have assumed it’s God who has let us down. But where do these feelings stem from?

Discontentment - We simply are not happy with who we are, what we have, and how we were created. Women with straight hair want curls and women with curls wish their hair to be straight. We wish we had a smaller nose, that we could sing like so-and-so, that we made more money, that we had a bigger house, or that we were 20 pounds lighter. The truth is, even if we had those things, there would always be something else we would change about ourselves. We continue to fall into the trap of wanting what everyone else has - believing the lie that all of this would lead to our complete happiness.

Most people are pretty familiar with Facebook these days. Recently, a pastor friend of mine posted his status as this, “Contentment is wanting what you already have.” If that wasn’t true enough, a wonderful young woman commented, “And the opposite of contentment is comparison.” I believe the main reason we are discontent with who we are is because we don’t see ourselves and our lives through the eyes of God. We continue to compare ourselves to other people who have bigger and better, or in case of our bodies, smaller and better. We feel as if God has failed us in some way because we are dissatisfied with ourselves.

Paul states in Philippians 4 verses 11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

We know that if anyone had reason to complain, to blame God, or to even believe that God had failed him, Paul certainly did. But I want to emphasize one word from this passage - the word “learned”. Being content is not something that comes easy to any of us. We must constantly strive to learn how to be content with who we are and with our circumstances - seeking God to instill in us the satisfaction and contentment He desires. We cannot do this on our own. We must call upon Him to remove any pride from our hearts when we are prosperous and to bless us with humility when we succeed. On the other hand, we must seek patience and hope in affliction, never wavering from His steadfast love and comfort in which He so richly gives. We must pursue Him to rid our hearts of jealousy and envy as we compare ourselves to others.

If we could only see ourselves through God’s eyes and NOT through the scope of the world! A dear friend of mine leads worship for Circle of Friends Ministries. One of her songs, entitled “Beautiful”, has just been released in Christian radio. “When I look at myself through Your eyes, I’m beautiful. When I feel Your hand holding mine, I am Yours. When You reach into my life, You take the wrong and make it right. You wrap my shame up in Your love for me. I’m beautiful, cause You’re beautiful, to me.” God doesn’t look at us as failures. He sees us as beautiful! And He doesn’t make mistakes! Psalm 139 says, “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. I know full well. While I was still in my mother’s womb You began to knit me and form me.” From the beginning of our lives God had a precious plan mapped out for each of us! You are an original! There is no one like you!

GOD CAN’T FAIL!

Pain - Our pain, whether it be physical or emotional, can cause us to shake our fist at God and believe somehow He has failed us. We carefully wear our masks so that others will not see our pain. Everything looks good on the outside, but on the inside our hearts are being ripped to shreds. We portray ourselves as having it all together, when in reality we are falling apart. It may be easy to keep it from others, but we cannot hide from the One who created us. On the other hand, our pain may be on display for all to see - shaping what others think about us and how we are treated. Our struggles go on for what seems like an eternity and once again, someone must be blamed. “Why have you failed me God?”

What’s our gut reaction when we experience pain? As stated above, some put on their mask and pretend nothing is wrong. Others tend to run to a trusted friend or family member for help. Running to someone you trust is not always a bad thing in itself - we all need people we can talk to and receive advice from. Even though these people can give us a certain amount of comfort, they cannot provide us with the perfect comfort that comes from God. “All praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The source of every mercy and the God who comforts us. He comforts us all in our troubles.” (2 Cor. 1:3) Instead of accusing God of failing us, let’s run to Him - the One who comforts us in all of our troubles.

Often, we don’t have a right perspective of our pain. Romans 8:18 says, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Our pain is nothing in comparison to the honor of Heaven that will be disclosed to us on the day Christ returns. Our pain is temporary - it will not last in light of an eternity free from suffering and affliction. Our pain is very real and can be intense at times, but when we truly understand that it’s temporary, we can rejoice in the hope that God has promised to those who believe and trust in Him!

GOD CAN’T FAIL!

A Fallen World - Our world is pretty messed up, wouldn’t you agree? Famine, wars, natural disasters, people taking matters, and weapons, into their own hands - with all the bad things happening in our world today, it would be easy to think that God picked up and left town. We look around and all we see is evil staring back at us. Why isn’t God intervening? When we cannot see God’s hand, we immediately assume He has somehow failed us. But isn’t it man who has failed God? How quickly we forget our ancestors and their disobedience to God. “In the beginning”, God created all things, including man and woman. They had everything they could ever desire, but that was still not enough. Hence, Eve turns against God and takes a bite out of the forbidden apple.

Let’s go back to Romans chapter 8 and pick up at verse 19. “The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

All of creation waits eagerly in expectation for the time when the children of God come into glory. The fall of man has brought about the deformity and depravity of our souls, causing us to be instruments of sin. Sin is the guilty party to all of our sufferings and pain. It is sin that has brought affliction to man and has fanned the flames of hell. But we do not endure our miseries without hope! The world will not continue as it is for eternity. Believers require patience, as our journey seems long and hard and the Lord seems to take His time. For the aspect of time to God is not what we know it to be. “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day (Christ’s return) approaching.” Don’t give up! I have read the end of the precious book called the bible, and I happen to know that God wins! Because God wins - we win!

GOD CAN’T FAIL!

So now we have a better understanding of why we FEEL as if God has failed us. Our discontentment, our pain, and our fallen world (sin) all contribute to those feelings. But where do we go from here? I would encourage you to simply accept that you don’t have all the answers and lean upon who you KNOW God to be. Trust in His wisdom and not your own. His plans and purposes are far greater than we can ever dream or imagine. Proverbs 21:30 tells us of human plans, no matter how wise we think they are, they cannot stand against the plans of the Lord. We also learn from Jeremiah 29:11 that God knows the plans He has for us. They are plans that were never meant to harm us, but to give us hope and a future!

Next, we cannot trust God’s wisdom until we truly BELIEVE it! Read the Word of God and know His promises. Get to know the very nature of God - His character, so when you begin to FEEL as if God has failed you, you can return to those promises and KNOW that HE CANNOT FAIL YOU! But in order to claim any promise, we must first know what it says and believe on it. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Cor. 1:20-22)

Lastly, entrust God with our circumstance. No matter how big we feel our problem or pain is, it’s not too big for God to handle. It doesn’t even catch Him by surprise. He is all-knowing and all-powerful, and He longs for us to turn our futures over to Him. Giving our lives and our unknowns to Him becomes a much easier process when we have followed the first two steps - submitting to His wisdom and believing His promises. Jeremiah 32:17 tells us, “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.”

“Our faith may fail, his never wanes- That's who he is, he cannot change!”
2 Timothy 2:13 (ISV)

GOD CAN’T FAIL!

"Monday's Moment"

‎"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." -Henri Nouwen

"Friday's Favorite" - on Saturday...

"I Believe In Love" - BarlowGirl

How long will my prayers seem unanswered?
Is there still faith in me to reach the end?
I'm feeling doubt I'm losing faith
But giving up would cost me everything
So I'll stand in the pain and silence
And I'll speak to the dark night

I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
I believe in love even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God even when He is silent
And I, I believe

Though I can't see my stories ending
That doesn't mean the dark night has no end
It's only here that I find faith
And learn to trust the one who writes my days
So I'll stand in the pain and silence
And I'll speak to the dark night

I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
I believe in love even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God even when He is silent
And I, I believe
No dark can consume Light
No death greater than this life
We are not forgotten
Hope is found when we say
Even when He is silent

I believe in the sun even when it's not shining
I believe in love even when I don't feel it
And I believe in God even when He is silent
And I, I believe.

“God Can’t - Part 1”

For most, the words, “God can’t”, may raise some eyebrows. Some may even think it’s an impossibility. “Everything is possible with God,” is a very common saying. To be as bold to say that God cannot do something is sacrilege, negative, preposterous, right? I would venture to say that there are a handful of things that God CANNOT do.

GOD CAN’T ABANDON YOU!

Have you ever felt abandoned? It’s not uncommon for us as children to feel abandoned by our parents. Maybe you were lost in the grocery store. Maybe your parents, who drove two different cars to church, got their signals crossed and left you there by accident. Each thinking you were with the other. Or maybe you’ve felt abandoned by friends. You show up to a sporting event only to find that none of your friends are there. Maybe your best friend asked someone else to go to the movie that you had planned to see together. In any case, we often can feel abandoned by people, but not only as children. We as adults also can be placed in situations that leave us with a feeling of isolation and despair. We feel unloved, inadequate, alone. We lack the acceptance and attention we long for.

Most of us have felt isolated by people, but I would wager to say that almost every believer at one point or another has felt as if God has left them as well. Typically, the feeling of abandonment comes in times of trial and pain - when we have endured hardship for what seems like an eternity without any intervention from the Lord. Have you ever felt as if God has left you? When you were in desperate need for the Lord’s answer, when you longed for Him to rescue you from your situation, for Him to help you and give you strength when all seemed lost, did you question if He even cared? Just like our sufferings, God’s silence can shake our faith.

GOD CAN’T ABANDON YOU!

I love reading the Psalms. David had such a way of expressing many of the feelings that we experience today. In looking at Psalm 22, we see David feeling abandoned by God.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, and am not silent.“ Have you been there? Have you cried out to God with no answer? Did it seem as if God simply didn’t hear you in your desperation? You are not alone, for even King David questioned the Lord’s presence in his time of need.

“Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel. In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.” It seems as if all the Old Testament people of Israel had to do was cry out and God came running to save them. Doesn’t quite seem fair. Has the God of old changed so drastically that He wouldn’t deliver us as quickly today?

“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: “He trusts in the Lord; let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.” Do I sense a bit of sarcasm in the tone of David’s enemies? “If he believes so much in this God of his then let his God save him!” I am sure their words were followed by laughs and sneers. But David in turn cries out to God. Is this how the Lord repays me for my loyalty? I have also felt David’s pain - a feeling of, “Why God? I’ve been a good person. I’ve done everything you have asked of me. I serve You and this is how You repay me - by hiding from me, by abandoning me?" How often we believe we must jump through hoops in order to earn God’s favor. We are only saved by grace, not of our works lest we should boast.

“Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” How many of us can relate to David? We are suffering, and those around us attempt to trivialize our pain, or even worse - ignore it. They surround us on every side like a herd of bulls or pride of lions just waiting to devour us. We become literally spent, poured out, exhausted. Our whole being thrown out of whack. We are tired and out of strength, ready to give up - ready to die. Yet, even in our state, there are those who continue to accuse us, hurl their insults at us, namely Satan himself. “Where is your God now?” he whispers. But this feeling of abandonment is only half of the Psalm.

“But you, O Lord, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me. Deliver my life from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; Save me from the horns of the wild oxen.” David calls upon God to help him, to deliver him, to rescue him in his time of need. He honestly and vulnerably pours out his feelings to the Lord, but then he begins to move his focus to ask God to come quickly. He continues to pray for the Lord to save him. But he doesn’t remain there. His requests and cries for help swiftly turn into praise!

“I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! Revere him, all you descendants of Israel! For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.”  We now witness a distinct transition from what David FEELS about God to what David KNOWS about God. Here is a glimpse of God’s true character in that He does NOT despise the suffering of the afflicted. He does NOT hide His face from us. He listens to our cry for help. And yet, we see another transition from praise to affirmation of just what we can expect from our Lord God.

“The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the Lord will praise him—may your hearts live forever! All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn—for he has done it.”

Child of God - in your desperation you can eat and be satisfied. You who praise Him can live forever! You can turn to God in your desperate need. You can kneel before the God of the nations and feast at His table. You can speak of God’s marvelous works to give hope and encouragement to future generations, because -

GOD CAN’T ABANDON YOU!

Did you ever realize that Jesus himself felt abandoned by God? Jesus made the exact same statement in Matthew 27 verse 26 as he hung on a cross, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” But the similarities don’t stop there. Christ was mocked by his enemies (the bulls and lions) pressing in on every side while hurling their insults at him. Like David, he was poured out like water, a picture of exhaustion while he suffered. His bones, his heart, his tongue, his strength all failed him. His hands and feet were pierced and lots cast for his clothing. This accurate prophecy written hundreds of years before Christ’s death on the cross, is an amazing example of not just David’s feeling of abandonment, but a foretelling of the crucifixion of our Savior. Also ending on similar terms - David’s words, “He has done it” and Jesus’ words, “It is finished”. A prayer spoken in faith that the Lord would deliver them begins in anguish and abandonment, but finishes in hope!

There are countless times in the bible where God has given us a promise that He will not leave us or forsake us. Isaiah 42:16 tells us, “I (God) will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” The Message translates this verse saying that God is our personal guide, He sticks with us, not leaving us for a minute! What hope we have in knowing that our Lord God CANNOT abandon His children. See His heart for you and trust in His very nature!

GOD CAN’T ABANDON YOU!


“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” Isaiah 43:1-2

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deut 31:6-8

"Friday's Favorite"

"Cry Out to Jesus" - Third Day

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When your lonely 
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who struggles with being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus
 

"Monday's Moment"

"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice."   -Unknown

“How Long?”

I once heard it said, “A week within prison walls is longer than a month at liberty.” It is easy to feel that God is distant from us within our trials and sufferings. Feeling as if God has forgotten us, has turned away from us, and as if we have been rejected by Him is not uncommon. Our pain drags on and on and it’s all we can focus on. We cry out to God for help in what seems to be a lost cause. We don’t hear His voice. We don’t feel His presence. We don’t see His hand. All this to only experience silence, isolation, and despair.

“How long, Oh Lord?”

Have you cried out to God in your suffering, How long? How long must I endure this pain? How long must I walk this road? When will you hear my cries? When will you answer my prayer, oh Lord? When? Where are you God?

You are not alone. Sometimes I think we as Christians make a wrong assumption by thinking that believers of Jesus should never question God in their circumstances. But this is clearly not the case. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, cried out to God, “How long?”

Psalm 13

“How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”

David laments to God, asking four times, “How long?” First David asks, “Will you forget me forever?” We can all relate to times in our lives where it was difficult to even remember when better days existed. The trial experienced seemed like it would go on forever with no hope of an end in sight. But isn’t this the very nature of our sufferings? We cannot know when the end will come. We cannot foresee the outcome. This is the very emotion David is expressing in Psalm 13. We can see and relate to David’s agony as he cries out, “Will you forget me forever?”

Next, David asks, “How long will you hide your face from me?” We’ve asked this question as well, I know I have! We question the very blessings of God upon our lives. We feel as if God has removed himself from us, as if he has taken away his protection, his refuge, his very presence from us. Picture yourself entering a store. You recognize an old friend, someone you know. You make your way toward her. She catches a glimpse of you, and your eyes meet. You smile and begin to call out her name, but her eyes fall to the floor as she quickly turns her back and heads in the opposite direction. Desperately trying to avoid you, she rushes away. Sometimes in our trials, this is how we view God. It’s as if He sees us, He knows us, but His eyes fall to the floor and He turns his back and leaves. We feel as if God has abandoned us, rejected us, failed us.

Just like David, we too “wrestle with our thoughts and have sorrow in our hearts”. We struggle with our own flood of emotions within our trials and suffering. We wallow in the depths of despair, once again asking, “How long Lord?” David is simply telling God, “Hey! This pain is destroying me here! It’s eating me up inside God! I just don’t know how long I can handle this pain! My heart is breaking! How long will you allow me to endure such sorrow?” It is in this state that we give Satan an edge. Our thoughts are easily swayed to feelings of questioning God’s goodness and His very character. The enemy whispers, “If God really loved you, He would answer your cries for help.” Or, he subtly echoes, “God wouldn’t leave you here if He really cared about you. God has abandoned you.” We begin to believe the lies and in turn we want to give up, give in, throw in the towel. There is a battle being waged between what we know to be true and what we feel to be true. David knows in reality, God has not left him even though he feels as if he as been abandoned. But the tension between knowing and feeling causes him to wrestle with his thoughts and feel sorrow in his heart.

Lastly, David asks God how long his enemies will triumph over him. How many times has someone else benefited from our suffering. It’s easy to look at the world, who prospers even without the Lord, and compare them to those who serve Him and yet must endure hardship. There are always those who seem to enjoy kicking someone while they’re down. As mentioned above, the enemy (Satan), seeks to kill, steal and destroy. There are times in our lives when we feel overpowered by our enemies, just as David did. We can relate to David’s feelings. It’s as if our enemies always seem to get the upper-hand. It’s as if we finally pick ourselves up, only to have our hopes and dreams crushed once again.

So we have seen David’s lament and we can relate to his questioning, but we would be remiss if we stopped there. As we continue to read Psalm 13, we will learn an important lesson in how David handles his desperation of, “How long, oh Lord?”

“Look on me and answer, O Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.”

Look on me! - The first thing David does is pray! He asks God to look on him. David is literally asking God to turn His face toward him, to recognize what is happening, and to consider his situation. David honestly tells God how he feels and then he calls upon the Lord to look at him. When we are in the midst of suffering, it’s easy to throw our hands up in the air and say God doesn’t care, but instead David prays and asks God to pay attention to him.

Answer! - David not only asks God to look upon him, but he also calls upon Him to answer. Many times we feel God has not answered, but our misconception comes in when we place expectations upon God to answer in the way WE think our prayer should be answered. Prayer is not simply asking God for something, it’s asking Him according to His will and not our own. Are our hearts ready to accept whatever answer we receive, even if it’s not how we think it should turn out? To truly want God’s will is to be able to recognize that His answer may be no, or not yet. But in order to receive any answer, we must first ask!

Give light to my eyes - David no longer wants to endure the misery he is in. How many times have we endured a trial and felt so down and out that we may have wished for a do-over, another life, or in extreme cases, even wished for death. I have caught myself thinking, “Oh Jesus, just come back now. It would make life so much easier.” David is asking God to make him whole again; to restore to him the joy of life. When we look at our pains and hardships through our own eyes, we cannot see an end, we only see misery. We are limited in our thinking. But when we ask God to open our eyes to the way HE sees our pain, then we ask God to allow us to see life through HIS eyes! And His ways are so much higher than ours!

Don’t let my enemies overcome - It’s crucial that we understand once again that Satan’s plan is to overcome us. He is the accuser, therefore he wants to distort our view of God. Each time he can get a foothold in our lives, he drives a stake between us and God causing us to experience feelings of distance from the Lord. It’s important that we recognize his schemes and cover ourselves with the full armor of God. Our prayer, like David’s, needs to include a request to the Lord that He will protect us from our enemies and guard our thoughts and our hearts from the evil one and from those who wish us harm.

David’s Hope!

Trust in God’s unfailing love! - Despite all of David’s despair, he still has hope! David is drawn back to what he KNOWS to be true from what he FEELS to be true. God’s character is one of an unfailing love! How do we know this to be true? Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If God would show his love for us even when we were sinners - completely helpless and hopeless, then why would we doubt His love in our trials as we are serving Him? There is no line by which we cross that would ever stop God from loving us. He loves us even in our sin. His unfailing love gives us hope for a better tomorrow if we place our full trust in Him.

Rejoice in Salvation! - Even in the depths of our despair, believers in Christ need not question their salvation. Those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior can rejoice in the fact that salvation is secure. No affliction, anguish, persecution, or danger can separate us from the love of God. In the midst of our hardships and suffering, it’s difficult to see any reason to rejoice, but we can learn an important lesson from David. Even in enduring his pain, he rejoices in the very thing that no enemy can strip from him - his salvation!

Sing of God’s goodness! - Previously, David expressed feeling of God turning away, or taking away His blessings. It’s easy to focus on present circumstances and to forget about God’s past goodness. As we suffer, that’s all we see. God has done far more than we remember or give Him credit for. He has also done far more for us than we even deserve. If God has been good to us in the past, then why would He not continue His goodness to us today? We should not only sing of His goodness, but also thank Him for it! Once again, it is the very nature of God to give good gifts to His children!

Recently, my dad had surgery to remove the cancer from his larynx. A simple three hour procedure turned into a grueling 10 hour ordeal. I spent many days by his bedside in a hospital far away from our home. As I held his hand and watched him experience pain, I too cried out, “How long, oh Lord?” In the midst of hard moments when it was difficult for him to breathe, to cough, to swallow, when he was weak and crying out to the Lord for help, it was easy to feel as if God wasn’t there, as if He was withholding His mercy. Feelings of abandonment and rejection, questions of God’s goodness and presence flooded my entire being. I was at a moment in my life where like David, I needed to recognize the difference between who I KNOW God to be and who I FEEL God to be. It was during this time that I rediscovered what I believe about God and His character.

In the coming blog entries, I want to write about what I have learned through this experience about the nature of God. As Christians, we believe that there is nothing God can’t do - that everything is possible with God. I beg to differ. I believe there are some things that God CANNOT do. I hope you will check back in the coming weeks as I address each specifically. Until then, my prayer is that like David, you will be able to trust in God’s unfailing love, to rejoice in your salvation, and to sing of God’s goodness!