My Own Road Home

This morning in my own devotional time, a couple of things that I read, both in the scripture and in an online devotional that I regularly read, stood out.  I thought I’d just take a minute to share them with you so that you could be blessed by them too.  Have a great day with the Lord!

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From David Wilkerson’s daily devotional:

“Jesus calls us to a way of living that gives no thought about tomorrow and puts our future wholly into his hands: “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself” (Matthew 6:31-34).

 Jesus doesn’t mean that we are not to plan ahead or do nothing about our future. Rather, he is saying, “Don’t be anxious or troubled about tomorrow.” When you think about it, most of our anxieties are about what might happen tomorrow. We’re constantly harassed by two little words: What if?

“What if the economy fails, and I lose my job? How will I pay the mortgage? How will my family be able to survive? And what if I lose my health insurance? If I get sick or have to be hospitalized, we’ll be ruined. Or, what if my faith fails me in trying times?” We all have a thousand “what if” anxieties.

 Jesus interrupts our “what ifs” and tells us, “Your heavenly Father knows how to take care of you.” He tells us further, “You don’t need to worry. Your Fathers know you have need of all these things, and he won’t ever forsake you. He is faithful to feed you, clothe you and take care to supply all your needs.”

 “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, not gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them…. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin…even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 “Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 6:26, 28-30).

 We gladly give all our yesterdays to the Lord, turning over to him our past sins. We trust him for forgiveness of all our past failures, doubts and fears. So, why don’t we do the same with our tomorrows? The truth is, most of us cling tightly to our future, wanting the right to hold on to our dreams. We make our plans independent of God, and then later ask him to bless and fulfill those hopes and desires.”

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And this from my daily Psalms reading:

“Know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself, the Lord will hear when I call to him.”  ~ Psalm 4:3 (NIV)

Here were the notes for this particular scripture (from the Life Application Bible) that meant so much to me.  Who hasn’t been in a place where it seemed that their prayers sometimes didn’t reach higher than the ceiling?  I suppose we’ve all been there, but isn’t it reassuring to know that He hears us when we call?

“The godly are those who are faithful and devoted to God.  David knew that God would hear him when he called and would answer him.  We too can be confident that God listens to our prayers and answers when we call on him.  Sometimes we think that God will not hear us because we have fallen short of his high standards for holy living.  But if we have trusted Christ for salvation, God has forgiven us, and he will listen to us.  When you feel as though your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling, remember that as a believer you have been set apart by God and that he loves you.  He hears and answers, although his answers may not be what you expect.  Look at your problems in the light of God’s power instead of looking at God in the shadow of your problems.”

Don’t you just LOVE that last sentence?  Yeah, me too!

Do you have a favorite prayer that you seem to find yourself repeating because it brings you peace, or strength, or even continues to ask a question you haven’t yet found the answer for?

Over the past few months I’ve found myself repeating the same prayer, again and again:  Jesus, Help Me.  It’s not that I repeat it because I’m waiting for Him to answer days or weeks later, because He always answers it right away.  He answers with peace to endure, strength to go on or just to stand, or with new resolve to continue.  Sometimes He answers with just the nearness of His presence, but He’s always answered that prayer of mine.  I think at first it disconcerted John to hear me whisper that little prayer because it’s relatively new.  He’d ask, “Are you okay?” or “Are you sure everything is all right?”  Well, usually everything wasn’t all right, but I knew it soon would be because I had asked Jesus for help.

My mother-in-love gave me a little book by Dodie Osteen a few months ago about how God had healed her from advanced cancer, and for some reason I set it aside and didn’t read it right away.  Then, the other night I couldn’t sleep and so I grabbed my pillow and a cozy throw and went to the sofa in the den so I wouldn’t wake John.  I also grabbed that little book which had been waiting on my nightstand for weeks, and I began to read about her healing, and about the scriptures that had meant so much to her during that long battle.  And I found that she, too, had repeated that three-word prayer during her cancer war.  Maybe every warrior prays that prayer.  Maybe it’s our common bond:  Jesus, Help Me!  Anyway, He helped her and He helps me too.  But I was struck by that prayer that we held in common.  It’s so simple, and so childlike.  It’s not eloquent or beautiful.  It’s a cry from the heart and a cry from the midst of trouble that we cannot overcome without Him.

I think it touches His heart when we cry out to Him like that.  It expresses our very dependence upon Him, how we can’t live without Him and His help to get through.  I’ve been told all my life that I’m tough.  I’ve had doctors tell me that I’m “tough as nails,” and I used to really believe that.  I guess a part of me still does, but mostly I’m learning just how very dependent upon Him I am, how my strength is nothing compared to His might and power to save, to heal, to salve, and to calm.  It’s not something I have to guess about, not something that is just accepted on faith – I’ve experienced it.  I’ve lived it.  I can’t make it without Him.  And almost every day that prayer whispers from my heart:  Jesus, help me!  I need You.  I depend upon You.  I’m nothing without You and I can’t take another step without You.  And there He is, waiting to answer with comfort or strength, encouragement or instruction, or just the love that fills the room when His presence is close.

If you find yourself in the deep-end of the water and the trouble seems overwhelming to you, ready to take you under – with a humble heart, cry out to Him from the center of it.  Whisper, Jesus, help me!  He’ll answer that heartfelt prayer.  He will.  It’s my testimony, and the testimony of many, many others.

Ever had one of those weeks that, for one reason or another, was just full of family togetherness?  This week has been full of the laughter and concern that fills the family dynamic over time.

My mother is in the hospital.  And I am concerned.  Oh, she is getting better it seems, but when someone you love is hurting or needing the care of medical professionals, it just leaves you feeling a little helpless and vulnerable, you know?  I love her so much and want her to be up and about leading the life she wants to lead.  Instead I know she is unhappily miserable stuck in that hospital room, missing my Dad, and missing her life at home.  I can empathize with how she feels.  I’ve been there.

Still, in this same week there have been many happy times with family – even unexpected joys like last evening when we ran into John’s mom and dad as we were walking into Johnny Tamale’s Mexican restaurant for a bite to eat before we went to see my mother and dad on the other side of town.  They drove into the parking lot just behind us and walked in at almost the same time we did.  We didn’t plan to meet up with them for dinner, but I think the Lord knew we needed some time together to talk and laugh and share some queso dip together!  So He planned it, timed it, and made sure His plan was perfectly executed.  All-in-all it was a perfect evening – just to be able to see all our parents on the same day – to share joys and concerns and to know that, above everything else, there is love.  And lots of it.

I know I’ve written about family a lot on this journal, and I suppose it is a running theme because it is so vital in my life.  It’s the connecting sinew between past and present, between joy and sadness, between love and strength.  Aside from my walk with Christ, it is everything that I lean upon that makes me stronger yet allows me to be vulnerable.  And because our families have great faith, I have learned so much about my Lord from the way they’ve lived their lives, from the testimonies of their mouths, and from the way they love others.

This week I am aware that I am a part of a very precious circle that envelops me and keeps me safe and makes me strong.  A circle of love and faith.