Solid as a Rock

On January 12, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and he will say, “Here I am.”

When you call, he will answer. “Well,” people say, “I cannot feel him. I cannot hear his answer.” I know that is problematic so I want to address it. See God works in faith rather than in feelings. That is why we are not to go by feelings but rather by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The Word is our anchor, not our feelings. Feelings can be fickle and they can be influenced by a host of exterior and interior stimuli. The Word, on the other hand, is solid. It is the rock. Once you find a passage of scripture which speaks to your situation and latch on to it, then it becomes the final say in the matter. You don’t sway or let your emotions move you off of what the Word says. So, since the Word says that when you call, He answers, then you must choose to believe that rather than choosing to believe the emotion which says, “I cannot feel him.” Tell your emotions that they do not rule you and that you are not motivated by feelings; rather you are motivated by the Word of God. It does take some practice but you will find in a short time that you will begin to stand firmly. As your emotions recede to their proper place you will begin to hear the Father more clearly and you will feel him too. Trust in the Word for it has the power to change situations. Trust the Word because it is the anchor you need. Trust the Lord for He will answer.

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The Rescuer

On December 23, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 91:15

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him, and honor him.
    
This is an absolute promise from God and it means that when you were in trouble, God was with you. Whether or not you were aware of his presence, He was with you. He has promised to rescue you from your trouble. He has said it so he will do it. We have only to believe and receive it.  

We do not receive with our eyes though; we receive with our hearts. We don’t look with our eyes to see what God will do or what he is doing. We receive with our hearts despite the way the circumstances around us appear. No matter what someone says about the circumstances the truth is in God’s promises. You cannot convince me that our Father is not present in my time of trouble. Nothing you say will persuade me. That is what it means to be fully persuaded by God’s promises. We choose to believe God’s promises over any other evidence that anyone can present. God said he is with us in our time of trouble and that settles it.

Just this weekend I was with someone who has been challenged. Some weeks ago her husband fell asleep while driving and their young child was in the car with him. He crossed over into oncoming traffic, crossed back to his side of the road, went into a ditch and flipped the car. He had to be cut out of the car and the child seat is a total loss. Both the father and the child are afraid to get back in a car. I asked her how she would explain to her child that God is looking out for them and protecting them. In response she showed me the photographs of the damaged car. Without the Lord they would both be dead instead of banged up. She has an understanding that God didn’t cause the accident. She also knows how bad things would have turned out if He had not shown up on the scene the instant they needed Him.  

Her recent experience is why you can’t look with your eyes or your reasoning to discern God’s presence and help in the time of need. One with less discernment and less wisdom could easily conclude that God was not with her son and husband on that fateful day but her heart knows the truth and she cannot be persuaded otherwise.  

Thanks be to God who is with us every day and who answers every time we call, who is always with us in times of trouble; the God who rescues and honors us.

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His Answer To Your Call

On April 23, 2014   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 58: 9

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry, and He will say, “Here I am.”

What is the cry of your heart? Is there something deep in your heart that perhaps you have not articulated to God? Let it out. Cry unto the Lord with all your heart. Call His name and expect Him to answer you.

This verse should encourage you that God’s eyes are upon you. He is hearkening to the voice of your call. He is listening. There may even be a secret meditation that you have scarcely allowed yourself to consider. God is moving upon the church and upon His children to answer those heart cries. Perhaps there is something that you have held in your heart but have never had faith to actually believe God for. Secretly you have desired this thing with a deep longing. Maybe you have spoken to God about it but have yet to see it manifest and have harbored doubt and resentment because of its lack of fulfillment. God is speaking to you today. Open up your mouth and converse with Him. Tell Him of the desires of your heart. Reach down into the depths of your heart, to that place even you rarely visit and search out what is there. This is the place where you keep what is most important to you but also those dreams which are so big that you do not even have the faith to give voice to them. You hide them away so that you will not be disappointed when they are not realized but you, none the less, have bitter feelings toward God because they have not materialized. 

Be of good heart. God is listening for the call of His people. He is tuned in to your frequency. Have faith that He is a God of love and truth and that having given you this verse today He will not be silent when you call out. If you believe that He is a God of truth who cannot and will not lie then receive that His answer to you is “Here I am.” He is not a God who is far off but one who is as close as your next breath. He longs to share with you the meditation of your heart and the deep cries of longing. Call out to Him and receive His answer.

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