Mary’s Baby Boy

 

 

“And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:18-19

 

Faith Crises

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him . . . .”  Hebrews 11:6 (KJV)

FAITH is utterly important to God and, if the truth be told, we have all experienced, are experiencing, or will experience many faith crises in our lives. Crises of faith can be momentary, seasonal, or long-lasting, but for certain they will come.

Faith Crises are those despairing moments when we  navigate life’s storm-tossed seas unmindful of the Master’s presence.

They are times when we earnestly need Jesus’ Prayer that our faith will not fail us.

They are those critical instants when we can only say, “Lord, I believe, but help thou my unbelief.”

They are the crucial moments after suffering great losses, when we must know that GOD IS ALL WE NEED!!

They are times when it is good to remember our “God Moments .”

Faith Crises are TESTS. They are TESTS to trust God’s plan and God’s timing  for our lives and they must be taken until passed. 

As we walk our paths of faith, we soon discover that we are placed in situations to need miracles and only God can perform them. And many times, as Alicia Britt Chole submits, sometimes we are “cornered into helplessness,” where NO ONE can help us but God! When we appear down for the count, it is important for others to witness the glory of God in our deliverance.

What do you do when you do not know what to do? What do you do when you are at the proverbial “Red Sea,”the enemy is on your heels and the impossible is stretched before you? How will you navigate  these critical crossroads of faith? God says, “Be still and KNOW that I AM GOD–Either you trust me or you don’t!”

Beloveds, these are challenging times that test our spirits, our sanity and most of all our faith. Times will come when we are pressed on every side, with nowhere to run and nowhere to look but up. How will the Lord respond to us: “O ye of little faith . . . ,” or  “I have not seen so great a faith. . . .”

“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” We must Believe because God is faithful even when our faith waivers or wanes. And the Best News is, God has promised “NOTHING is impossible to those who believe.”

PRAYER:  Father, thank you for the Grace to live past my moments of despair. “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” Psalm 56:3

S.O.S.

“. . .  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7:7 (NIV)

One dark fall morning, running late and with very little gas, I headed out on my way to a school assignment.  It was not a new assignment, I had been there before, just not recently. I forgot my cell phone, GPS, and was relying on map directions. I could hardly see the directions because of the darkness. I was so lost. On these country roads, there are no shoulders or stopping places, you just have to keep driving until you get to a safe place which could be a matter of many miles.

The road is extremely dark. I do not even have the benefit of the headlights of other cars, and am trying to read directions while driving (something very dangerous, by the way). I finally give up on the directions and continue to drive through the blackness when I see a school sign, but it is on the other side of the highway.  So I drive on searching for the nearest exit, or at least a place to make a left turn, when the opportunity finally comes 20 miles and 30 minutes later.  I get to the sign and it is the wrong school!  Frustrated,  still running late and worried whether I have enough gas, I pull off to the side of the road, sit in the car, and pray this prayer:  “Father, I’m so tired. Please help me.”

I start out again and must have driven 10 miles when I see the school at the top of the hill and there is a gas station a short distance before the school.  I gas up at the station and head to the school. I arrive on time and to my surprise, my first period class is a 90-minute planning period. Look at God!!  The day turned out to be bright and beautiful–the kids were great. Yes, God is a very present help in the time of trouble!!!  I was on the right road, I simply needed to ask to find my way. Once I acknowledged I could not do it alone, I was led by THE TRUE WAY!!

Retire?

“And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said to one another, Why sit we here until we die?”  (2 Kings 7:3)(King James Version)

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” — Edmund Burke

When I moved south after 25 years of ministry, it was to rest, recuperate, and yes, even to retire. At least that’s what I thought, but none of that was an option. In a few short years, I nearly lost everything including my mind. And even though I consider myself a “serious woman of God,” who had comforted many others, I could not understand why certain things were happening to me, but there is always a “Word from the Lord” to make things clear. I believe that’s why Jesus reminded His Disciples, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:20). I forgot, I am merely a steward and not an owner of all I have been allowed. In fact, I was never rich nor may I ever be, in terms of “worldly” capital. The truth is:  I am Blessed and Highly favored with health, strength, a pure heart, and a sound mind. Anything beyond that is a gift.

I now see the benefit of taking the “road less traveled.” Even with all of its detours — it led me straight to the door of God’s will for my life. I understand what the Apostle Paul meant by “being content no matter the circumstances.” I know what it is to “lose in order to gain.” The true rewards of serving the kingdom of God are Love, Peace, and Joy. What better rest, respite, and relief in a chaotic, storm-tossed world? Since my arrival, I have slowed my pace, but I have never grown “weary in my well-doing.” Many times, I grew tired in the work, but I never tired of the work.  God has promised, if I don’t give up, I will reap every seed I have sown. God cannot lie and all God’s promises are consistently “Yes” and “Amen.” So, I thank God for every mountain. I treasure every valley, and relish every step that draws me closer to hearing “Well done.” But most of all, I am eternally grateful to those “four brave men,” who (even in their pain), decided to live victoriously.

One day, Jesus told Peter, “If you love me feed my sheep.” I love the Lord, and have renewed my vow to share the “Bread and Water of Life” with all who hunger and thirst for righteousness. One day, the Lord will not ask me how well-rested, happy, or content I was, but will ask, “What did you do for the least of these?” “How many lost lambs did you help find THE WAY?” “How many hurting hearts did you soothe with my Word?” “How much time did you devote to the cause of My Kingdom?” Retire? I don’t think so. Retire? Are you kidding?  Retire? No never — the Lord’s Harvest is too plentiful, the laborers too few, time too short, and there’s too much to be done.  Retire? Nay.  Rather, I say to my fellow laborers in the Vineyard:  WAKE UP — GET UP — GET BUSY  because in the economy of GRACE — there is absolutely no such thing as RETIREMENT!!

 

Enough

“And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee . . . .”  2 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV)

The Apostle Paul had a physical thorn that affected his entire being. We are never told what it was–only that the “enemy of his soul” sent it to buffet him and to frustrate his life. Scripture records, it was so troublesome that Paul sought the Lord three times to remove it, but each time the Lord said, “Paul, My grace is sufficient for thee . . . .” The Lord was saying, Paul, My Grace is adequate to meet the needs of any situation or proposed end.  My unmerited favor occurs in such measure and scope that it  fully meets the demands, needs, or expectations of any problem. My Grace is equal to whatever you now need or will ever need. My Grace is satisfactory, suitable, in the amount needed, and to the necessary degree, for whatever you are going through or will ever go through. Paul, My Grace is all you need–It is ENOUGH for you.

These past years have taught me that God allows thorns to humble us lest we boast in other than the Cross of Jesus Christ. And He allows crucial situations and circumstances lest we think more highly of ourselves than we ought to think or somehow believe we are the source of our blessings!! Like Paul, I have a physical thorn. At first, I thought, it was a punishment for something I had done wrong, but now I know it was to teach me  about the sufficiency of God’s Grace for my life. Now, when I get haughty or begin to feel sorry for myself–I gaze at my thorn and understand that it is not a curse, but a blessing that God allowed to display His Glory.  It was given to remind me “I am not my own.” It was never about me and was always about Him.  As Paul has said,  “. . . our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Romans 8:18 (NIV)

Today, I am a witness that “the Will of God will not take me where the Grace of God cannot keep me.”  God’s Grace has been sufficient to get me through storms, recessions, unemployment, loss of loved ones, friends, and even health. I have grown stronger through what I have been through and am trusting in the Lord to get me through whatever else comes my way. So, I now boast in my weakness, for I know when I am weak, through Christ, I am truly strong. As Abraham Lincoln wisely said, “I could complain because “rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”And so, I choose to rejoice in knowing that Yes, God’s Grace IS sufficient. IT IS ENOUGH — In fact, it is MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME!