July 26, 2018

Strength Comes From God

“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in your inner being.”

– Ephesians 3:16

One of the worst things you can say to someone who is hurting or struggling is that they are strong. I know. You mean well. But comments like that are more to reassure you than to reassure the one who is crushed inside.

We want people to be strong. It lets us off the hook. We don’t have to worry so much about them. We don’t have to rearrange our worlds to care for them. Their strength somehow reassures us that no matter what happens, there’s a way to get through it. Somehow maybe we believe that God only calls the strong to the toughest storms.

Nope. God doesn’t give anyone a pass. That is a hard and difficult thing to accept. Shouldn’t a loving God spare us the unending pain? Shouldn’t a caring God prevent awful things from happening? That’s especially true when those things don’t have a cause or, seemingly, a purpose?

Questions haunt the night. Days are filled with busyness. People abound. But it is in the quietness of night that tears flow and our bodies ache with the emptiness that fills our soul.

A sweet friend unexpectedly lost her husband. People tell her she is strong. She doesn’t feel strong. Why should she? Every plan she had, every dream, has just been shattered. Every piece of her foundation has been shaken. A week ago she was a wife and now she is a widow. How does she even begin to pick up the pieces?

There are children to comfort. There’s a business to run. There’s endless paperwork and uncertainty. She is alone. I know. She’s got family and friends surrounding her but make no mistake. She’s alone. Her life partner is gone. The person who brightened her days and was her closest confidant is gone.

God remains. When we get to the end of it all, that is what we hold on to. He is the One who remains. He sees the heart. He sees the pain. It is His strength others see, not our own.

Just breathe. How many times can a person utter those words? Just do this one thing, you tell yourself. Deep breath. You can make it through this. Just another five minutes. And then another. Whew! One more day is done. Now to face the night.

Strength is fleeting. A moment of resolve turns into tears. The slightest thing becomes a mountain. You question. Over and over you question our great Lord, asking why again and again.

The Bible tells us that His ways aren’t our ways. We can’t understand and, honestly, it’s not our place to try. But we try anyway. We want to somehow make sense of something that makes no sense.

There’s no strength in that. Just a simple faith that says you’ll get through this day. Just a firm belief that He won’t leave you in this place of despair. Just a Risen Savior who promises that one day your tears will end and the reunion will be glorious and forever.

Don’t ever tell someone they’re strong, that they’ll make it through, that they’ll be alright. Nothing will ever be the same and that’s a bitter thing to bear. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen them for the journey. Walk beside them, offering a shoulder, a Kleenex, a helping hand. You can’t fix it but you can love them. At the end of the day, that’s all any of us can do. Love those who are broken inside. Be Jesus. That’s all. Just be Jesus.

January 9, 2016

Hope Always In God

As for me, I will always have hope;
I will praise you more and more.

-- Psalm 71:14

What are you secretly hoping for? You know what I’m talking about. That one thing you’re afraid to ask God for. Not that He can’t do it. Because you know that He can do anything. But what if He says no? Then what?

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, -- Ephesians 3:20

Why are we afraid? Do we think maybe our request isn’t in alignment with His will? Do we feel selfish? Unworthy? Maybe a little bit of it all?

All these questions and where are the answers? On our knees. Being honest with a God who knows about it anyway. He knows us. He loves us. He wants only good things for His children.

His children. We are His children. That’s a scary thought sometimes. Not because of Him but because of the earthly fathers who have left their scars on our souls. Because of the families that are torn apart by greed and jealousy and hurts that can never be healed without His direct intervention.

And we are afraid to ask Him to heal our deepest hurts. To provide our secret desires. To make a way when no way seems possible. All around us the world says there’s just no way. Who are we to believe?

We are God’s children. We have a hope that is not of this world. We have a Father who created the world. He is greater than any enemy you could ever face. He can do anything and He wants good things for His children. Hold on to that.

Go boldly before His throne. Fall down on your knees with praise and thanksgiving. Present your requests to God. Let His peace surround you. Bathe yourself in His love. And hold on tightly to hope that can only be found in Him. (Philippians 4:6-7)

January 12, 2015

God's Blessings Are Amazing!

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

 -- Ephesians 3:20-21

I have prayed for what seemed like forever. It wasn't of course. But day after day there was no answer. Nothing. Silence. Still I prayed. My hope, though dim, remained.

Today I got an answer and it was far more than I could ever have imagined. "Thank you God!" just seems so small when what He did was just so huge.

It has been a rough season. We all have those from time to time. This one has seemed to linger and has sapped all my strength. I have relied solely on God. I could not do it alone. And, yet, that is so hard when He is silent. Until today. I asked for just some sign, a tiny ray of light. He gave me brilliant sunshine far beyond anything I could imagine. Isn't that so like God?

The events of the last months seem insignificant when taken one by one. Something huge happened and it turned out all right. God was there and we made it to the other side. But the fatigue remained so that every little thing seemed to be magnified. I found strength in my quiet time with God. How does anyone face a day without that?

The challenges kept coming. The demands on my time. The demands on my finances. The demands on my heart. Again and again. Some days were harder than others. I longed for laughter. I ached for a bit of happiness in a life that seemed so pointless.

But no life is ever pointless. God created each of us for a special purpose. Finding it isn't always easy. And oftentimes it doesn't look like we thought it would.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

 

God Hears Prayers

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. -- Ephesians 3:16

The heartfelt words just ripped my heart apart. She asked for prayers as they sped toward a larger hospital. Her husband had suffered a severe heart attack and he didn’t look good.

She cried out for prayers as her husband endured an emergency surgery he might not survive. She begged for prayers of strength because the anguish was so overwhelming.

He survived the surgery but didn’t respond as they doctors hoped. They’d done all they could and they didn’t offer his family much hope. The next 48 hours were critical. His wife asked for prayers and a miracle. Two days passed and he stayed steady, neither improving nor worsening.

He wasn’t responding. He wouldn’t wake up. The doctors ordered an EEG to check his brain function. It didn’t look good. His wife told everyone that he was stable but he needed prayers. It could go either way. The EEG showed his brain function as normal. He began responding to voice commands. Another miracle on an impossible road.

They didn’t know if he could breath on his own but the doctors gave it a try. His wife called out for prayers and God answered those prayers. His vital signs remained steady. A reason to smile.

The road ahead is long. Uncertainties mar each step. But those obstacles don’t seem as insurmountable anymore. God hears our prayers. He does. I don’t know what He has planned for this wonderful man but I do know that God alone has brought him this far. I know that prayers have strengthened his family, giving his lovely wife the ability to go forward in this nightmare. I know that God is a magnificent healer and an awesome author of miracles. Thanks be to God.
　

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Really See Those Around You

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

-- Ephesians 3:19

How do we decide who gets God and who doesn’t? Do we intentionally -- or unintentionally -- not talk to someone about Jesus because we decide they wouldn’t be interested or wouldn’t be worthy? Do we rush by someone who’s alone, someone who’s hurting, someone who’s afraid?

We all have walls built up around us. We want to stay in our comfort zones, talking to people we know or people who are like us. We don’t want to take the time or effort to reach out to someone who’s different, someone who might reject us, someone who would require a little effort on our part.

God doesn’t call us to stay in our comfort zones. He doesn’t call us to decide who is worthy or not. Because none of us are worthy. We’re all just people who need Jesus’ loving sacrifice.

Yesterday I watched a video by Casting Crowns for their song, Does Anybody Hear Her. I’ve always loved that song because I relate to the girl nobody sees. I was that girl. I was that child hungry for affection, for someone to notice me, for someone to offer me Jesus. I came to Him on my own, not knowing anything beyond what the words of that battered old hand-me-down Bible told me. God loved me when no one else did. I clung to that like the sinking vessel I was.

My early experiences have made me sensitive to those who are outsiders but it hasn’t taken that feeling away from me. I know I wouldn’t be alive today without God’s Presence in my life. I couldn’t face a moment without His steadying hand and gentle love. I simple couldn’t. I want everyone to have that rock, most especially those who have no where else to turn.

We get so caught up in the exterior things that we believe reflect a person’s interior character and motives. We don’t pause long enough to see the heart, to hear the hurt, to offer hope. Because that’s what Jesus is -- hope for those who have no hope.

Take a minute today to look around you and really see the people in your world. Talk with them. Share your story. Offer them Jesus. Give them hope.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians

When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May he be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen. -- Ephesians 3:14-21