Moments

"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling." - Psalms 116:7, 8

Lately I have been tired. I wake up in the mornings and go through the motions of the day. Something feels empty about it all though, something is missing.

So this morning I went down on my knees and prayed. I asked God to show me that it was that was missing. It is not often that I get an answer immediately from God, but this time it came so clearly. This is what is missing, those quiet moments when I simply rest in His presence. I had put this aside while I focused on entertainment and socialising. Because of this I became empty.

Personal time with Jesus is the most important thing in a world filled with colour and distraction. It is so easy to permeate the senses with the images that rush past every day, the endless hours watching television or surfing the internet, going out with friends. With all this going on, we suddenly lose focus and Jesus becomes the back up plan.

There was a time when the first thing I did every morning was rest in Jesus, to speak with Him, to study His Word. Those moments were the most beautiful time of day. They gave me energy and peace, and my relationship with Him grew. Today God reminded me of that, and He is urging me to return to Him.

We all go through seasons when we lose focus, when we slip and fall. It is at these times that we need to remember that Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and He gives us peace when we trust Him and spend time with Him. I urge you to seek after Christ, to rest in His presence. He enjoys these moments as much as we do, because He is truly closer than a brother. This Journey through life is incredible when we rest in the gentle love of Christ and the beauty of His presence.

The Twisted Highway

You are driving; things are normal. The highway is busy as usual. You look to your left and right. People are going through their daily lives, routine, unchanged. Your turn is coming up, so you prepare to shift gear. Suddenly, everything looks different. Overnight a supernatural force has twisted the highway. You see roads coming from every direction. You are spiralling toward it. You cannot stop. The distorted intersection looms closer. You slam the brakes and twist the wheel. You look for an opening, an escape. Nothing.

The smoke rises from the wreckage.

Shock…Anger…Pain…Confusion…Numbness…Brokenness…

There are days when these converge, when they all intersect like giant highways and vehicles collide from all directions. You don’t expect it. You cannot stop it. Shattered. Lost.

How do you respond? How do you get through it? You ask the question: Why?

People are hurting around you. What comfort can you bring to such colossal destruction? How can you help? You realize before long that you cannot do anything, but be there. If someone needs you, you just need to be there. But there is someone who can repair the broken lives.

You fall to your knees and pray. You fight, you wrestle, and you plead God for understanding, for His help. You beg. You do not see the point. You don’t know what to do. God, why?

You have Jesus: “Come unto me, al ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly at heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

God is stronger than any pain: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9a

You are not alone: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:26-28

This is not the end: “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nether shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new, And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.” – Revelation 21:3-5

True Commitment, True Sacrifice

This is a story that has been on my heart for sometime. Please follow the link below to read my short story "Faithful." It makes me wonder, am I really prepared to sacrifice everything to follow Christ? Are you?

Faithful: a story of True Commitment

A Wave Tossed About

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:5-6

Faith is a term used to describe many things. Some may use the word Faith interchangeably with religion. Some see Faith as fidelity. Others refer to Faith as trust. Faith is all these things.

When I think of the word Faith, I immediately think of it as whole, complete and certain trust in a promise. It is the utter confidence that what has been promised will be carried out. It is putting everything on the line based purely on the trust you have in a person or thing.

"Blessed is the man that trusteth the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is." - Jeremiah 17:7

What better place to put one's trust in God? God is the most trustworthy, constant and certain presence throughout eternity. He never backs out of His promises. The verse in Jeremiah above says that a person is blessed when their hope isn't just in the Lord, it is the Lord. This Faith in God is so attractive, so dynamic. In Hebrews 11:6 it says "But without Faith it is impossible to please [God]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."

Faith is so central to our relationship with God; for how stable can a relationship be without that trust, that confidence? But God is the rewarder of those who seek Him out, who ask Him for wisdom, who ask Him for understanding. We need to actively pursue God as He pursues us. We need to trust Him, cling to Him. In the book of James it says that a man who wavers, who does not place their Faith in God, is like a wave in the sea, simply tossed from here to there with no say in the matter.

Many will say that trusting God is easy. It is, but the journey to reaching that trust is the hard part. Letting go of the control we have over our lives, letting go of our desires and letting go of the plans we make; this is difficult. We shelter ourselves, bulletproof our little houses in this world were nothing is certain. We hide the vulnerability we all have inside of us. Our insecurities become lost under a blanket of empty smiles. When we place our trust in God, our Faith in God, we open up that vulnerable part of us. We allow Him to work with us and to change us, and it hurts. It really hurts. It is scary, but God is gentle. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 - "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." When we do open up and trust Him, He gives us peace and rest.

And then we are no longer a wave tossed about by the ocean. Then we allow God to move us in a direction, to direct our paths and our lives so that we can continue to grow, love and know Him more. That is when the trust becomes easy, because then God is the constant strength in our lives.

And so it is for this reason that we ask God to grow us in wisdom, to grow our Faith and understanding. Spending time in His presence is how we become closer to Him, and no place is safer than in the Saviour's arms.